Dear University of Louisville Board of Trustees, President Dr. Kim Schatzel, Vice Presidents, and Executive Administration,

We, the undersigned, are writing in support of the spirit of this letter, which includes expressing gratitude to and concern for colleagues and students across the university who are engaged in critical, complex, and often difficult work by promoting and researching diversity, equity, inclusion, belongingness, and accessibility at UofL. They have worked to promote acceptance and inclusion of students, faculty, and staff across categories of social identity, including race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, social class, disability status, religious/faith tradition, immigration status, geographic region, and other identities.

Proposed state legislation and the national anti-DEI movement have systematically targeted university-based inclusion and equity initiatives, research, courses, and programs. We understand the reality that, if “anti-DEI” legislation targeting public higher education institutions is passed in a future legislative session, Kentucky public universities will be required to comply with new legal mandates or test those mandates in court.

The impending threats are both professional and personal: the proposed “anti-DEI” legislation imperils the future standing, job security, and career advancement of employees doing difficult and important “DEI” work. UofL employees also have serious concerns about personal safety and well-being. For example, several UofL employees were openly identified in documents made available to the public via the Kentucky General Assembly Interim Joint Committee website. Names were eventually redacted in the documents, but only after remaining easily accessible to the public for over 24 hours. The public nature of these documents left those employees vulnerable to doxing and harassment.

Colleagues and students working in offices holding the titles of “Diversity,” “Equity,” “Inclusion,” or “DEI,” and those in other relevant positions, have worked honorably, with integrity, perseverance, compassion, and wisdom. Their efforts have also been recognized on a national scale. For instance, the Office of Institutional Equity has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Insight Into Diversity HEED Award in 2021 and five out of five stars from the Campus Pride Index annually. Our colleagues have given so much to ensure that our campus is safe and welcoming to our community. These awards, among others, highlight that work. We request that the university extend that same consideration and concern to them.

The University's mission calls for “every member of the University of Louisville family,” including the President and administration, to be stewards of excellence and inclusiveness. The University therefore must be accountable to the strategic plans, missions, and priorities established with the accreditation bodies to which we demonstrate compliance. UofL must ensure that its own work, advocacy, and responsibility aligns with its stated Cardinal Principles of Community of Care and Diversity and Inclusion.

We are very concerned about the safety, vitality, and well-being of UofL employees and students. We request the University take the following steps, among others, to support, protect, and recognize the contributions and talent of employees and students working to promote and study diversity, equity, inclusion, belongingness, and accessibility:

1. Clearly communicate UofL's legislative priorities prior to legislative sessions and create mechanisms for UofL employees and students to communicate with lobbyists and government relations staff. As a first step, we ask that President Schatzel, Provost Bradley, and the UofL Government Relations/Lobbyist team members initiate a town hall and meeting with representatives from the undersigned coalition UofL employees and students affected by anti-DEI efforts prior to January 24, 2025 in preparation for expected anti-DEI proposed bills.

2. Make professional consultation and legal training and services on FOIA/open-records requests, doxing prevention, and protecting reputations, online information, and physical safety readily available, at no cost, to university employees affected by anti-DEI legislation and related efforts, including those named in documents submitted to the Kentucky General Assembly Interim Joint Committee on Education.

3. Continue UofL’s historical practice of public, formal acknowledgements of the accomplishments and contributions employees and students have made to the university, such as through announcements in UofL Today, formal university events, and individual letters or other communications to such employees.

If legislation passes that requires a revision or change in position for these employees and students, we ask the University to:

1. Support our colleagues’ ongoing employment at levels of job complexity, responsibility, and salary commensurate with their current position, as well as aligned with their experience and interests.

2. Provide professional job coaching and/or professional mentorship services for our colleagues to help them successfully navigate transitions and to leverage their expertise to continue progressing in their careers.

3. Directly connect any such employees to the EAP (Employee Assistance Program) and other support services to help them effectively cope with the transition mentally, emotionally, and socially.

If, in order to comply with new “anti-DEI” legislation, any offices, centers, programs, courses, initiatives, research grants, or projects are negatively affected or disbanded, we ask the University to:

1. Create other mechanisms and strategies for promoting student, staff, and faculty diversity, equity, inclusion, belongingness, and accessibility across social identities and cultural backgrounds and for ensuring that students, staff, and faculty affected by such legislation will obtain support to continue their learning, research, and work.

2. Systematically evaluate these mechanisms and strategies to determine their effectiveness in promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, belongingness and accessibility across social identities and cultural backgrounds.

3. Champion the rights of UofL faculty, staff, and students to advocate for equity and inclusion of those from historically disadvantaged and marginalized groups, and for university policies that nurture and build on the talents of a thriving and diverse academic community and workforce to generate dynamic scientific, educational, and service innovations in a public R1 university.

4. Immediately implement mechanisms to assist students who are impacted by the change or removal of departments, offices, academic programs, or courses. This includes, but is not limited to:

1. Supporting students to continue in degree programs and/or courses to enable students currently enrolled in these programs to graduate on time.

2. Providing catered advising and financial support opportunities for students who are affected by removed or changed offices, departments, or programs and want or need to change their major and/or minors based on the legislation.

3. Expanding and supporting the Exploratory and Transition Advising in the Student Success Center to accommodate students needing to change academic programs to comply with the legislation.

4. Supporting students through a comprehensive, well-funded program for advising students forced to transfer outside of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in order to support the pursuit of their original educational goals.

UofL employees and students are already impacted by anti-DEI efforts in this climate. These impacts will only be amplified if UofL structures to support vulnerable and marginalized community members are not bolstered in the coming months. The aforementioned requests scratch the surface of what we believe should occur to support UofL employees and students targeted and impacted by anti-DEI efforts and legislation. These are achievable first steps in ensuring that UofL lives up to its potential of being a “Great Place to Learn, Work, and Invest.” All of the signatories below support the general spirit of this letter and some, if not all, of the requests. Together, we look forward to a response to this letter.

Sincerely,

A coalition of concerned UofL communities:

American Meteorological Society UofL Student ChapterCollege of Arts & Sciences (A&S) Faculty Assembly

Sustainability Council
United Campus Workers (UCW) of Kentucky UofL Chapter