Dear Wahoos & Friends,
We are gravely concerned about the direction set by the resolution agreements
signed in July by Columbia and Brown Universities with the Department of
Justice (DOJ). While framed as voluntary settlements, those agreements give
federal officials sweeping authority over campus speech, faculty governance,
and student life, imposing mandates that threaten core academic values.
These “voluntary settlements” are coercive attempts by the federal government
to chill speech and restrict academic freedom. With UVA’s Board of Visitors
(BOV) scheduled to meet Monday morning as signs point to a similar
agreement potentially being finalized, the time to urge the BOV to protect
UVA is now.
Efforts to resolve the DOJ investigation must not come at the expense of the
University of Virginia’s independence and integrity. At this critical moment, we
believe the following seven things are non-negotiable:
1. The University must not cede to federal authorities the power to monitor or
regulate expressive conduct, protest activity, or politically charged speech.
The First Amendment prohibits the federal government from restricting
protected expression at public institutions. Political speech or classroom
discussion cannot be defined as discriminatory conduct simply because it is
controversial or inconsistent with the views of a given administration.
2. The University must not allow the DOJ or any outside entity to require pre
approval of university communications, programming, or academic
materials. Federal oversight of messaging and initiatives undermines
academic freedom and the University’s ability to pursue educational
excellence.
3. The University must not accept the placement of federal monitors or
liaisons on Grounds with authority over disciplinary procedures, academic
programs, admissions, curricula, or student services. University policies
should be developed and administered by faculty, students, administrators,
and state-authorized governing bodies, not by partisan officials.
4. The University must not agree to share detailed data about students’ race,
nationality, academic performance, or political affiliations with the federal
government. There are no circumstances under which it would be
appropriate to collect or report such data for political or surveillance
purposes.
5. The University must not relinquish its authority over faculty hiring,
promotions, student admissions, student discipline, or academic
governance to any outside group. These decisions must remain in the
hands of the UVA community, guided by the law and principles of fairness,
merit, and the needs of the Commonwealth.
6. The University must not impose sex-based facility mandates that violate
civil rights law and the Fourteenth Amendment. UVA has long taken care to
protect the safety and privacy of all members of its community in
bathrooms, locker rooms, and residential spaces. That commitment must
not be undermined by federal mandates that force the University to adopt
binary definitions of sex. There is no legal, ethical, or medically sound way
to enforce such mandates, and enforcement based on appearance would
lead to selective targeting and discrimination, while enforcement based on
anatomy or chromosomes would require invasive and unconstitutional
intrusions into personal privacy. It makes no sense for UVA to agree to
something that would require the University to violate everybody’s
civil rights in order to comply. In fact, under § 2.2‑3904 of the Virginia
Human Rights Act (expanded by the Virginia Values Act), such an
agreement would put the University in direct violation of state law, since it is
unlawful to discriminate in public accommodations on the basis of gender
identity.
7. Finally, any agreement that carries financial implications must first be
reviewed and approved by the General Assembly. Any such penalties must
be allocated to programs aligned with the University’s core teaching and
research missions.
Click here to join us in urging the Board of Visitors to reject any resolution
agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice that would be in conflict with
one or more of the above-listed seven items.
Mark Your Calendar!
The Board of Visitors (BOV) will be meeting on Monday, August 4th from
9am to 12pm at the Boar's Head Resort (Pavilion I and II) to discuss the
interim president search, the search for UVA's 10th president, and the
Department of Justice investigation.
Members of the public may attend the open session of the meeting in person,
but questions and comments from the public will not be permitted. There's
ample free parking, and the meeting location has an accessible, step-free
entrance. You can also watch the livestream of the meeting when it begins
Monday at 9am:
Respectfully,
Ann Brown and Chris Ford
Co-Chairs, Wahoos4UVA
www.Wahoos4UVA.com
_____________________________________
Text of email to the BOV
Dear Members of the Board of Visitors,
I am concerned about the direction set by the resolution agreements recently signed by Columbia and Brown Universities with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). While framed as voluntary settlements, those agreements give federal officials sweeping authority over campus speech, faculty governance, and student life, imposing mandates that threaten core academic values.
Now, with the Board of Visitors scheduled to meet Monday morning as signs point to a similar agreement potentially being finalized in that meeting, I’m writing to urge you: please do not sign away the independence and integrity of the University of Virginia.
Efforts to resolve government investigations must not come at the expense of academic freedom or the University’s independence. At this critical moment, I believe the following seven things are non-negotiable:
1. The University must not cede to federal authorities the power to monitor or regulate expressive conduct, protest activity, or politically charged speech. The First Amendment prohibits the federal government from restricting protected expression at public institutions. Political speech or classroom discussion cannot be defined as discriminatory conduct simply because it is controversial or inconsistent with the views of a given administration.
2. The University must not allow the DOJ or any outside entity to require pre-approval of university communications, programming, or academic materials. Federal oversight of messaging and initiatives undermines academic freedom and the University’s ability to pursue educational excellence.
3. The University must not accept the placement of federal monitors or liaisons on Grounds with authority over disciplinary procedures, academic programs, admissions, curricula, or student services. University policies should be developed and administered by faculty, students, administrators, and state-authorized governing bodies, not by partisan officials.
4. The University must not agree to share detailed data about students’ race, nationality, academic performance, or political affiliations with the federal government. There are no circumstances under which it would be appropriate to collect or report such data for political or surveillance purposes.
5. The University must not relinquish its authority over faculty hiring, promotions, student admissions, student discipline, or academic governance to any outside group. These decisions must remain in the hands of the UVA community, guided by the law and principles of fairness, merit, and the needs of the Commonwealth.
6. The University must not impose sex-based facility mandates that violate civil rights law and the Fourteenth Amendment. UVA has long taken care to protect the safety and privacy of all members of its community in bathrooms, locker rooms, and residential spaces. That commitment must not be undermined by federal mandates that force the University to adopt binary definitions of sex. There is no legal, ethical, or medically sound way to enforce such mandates, and enforcement based on appearance would lead to selective targeting and discrimination, while enforcement based on anatomy or chromosomes would require invasive and unconstitutional intrusions into personal privacy. It makes no sense for UVA to agree to something that would require the University to violate everybody’s civil rights in order to comply. In fact, under § 2.2‑3904 of the Virginia Human Rights Act (expanded by the Virginia Values Act), such an agreement would put the University in direct violation of state law, since it is unlawful to discriminate in public accommodations on the basis of gender identity.
7. Finally, any agreement that carries financial implications must first be reviewed and approved by the General Assembly. Any such penalties must be allocated to programs aligned with the University’s core teaching and research missions.
I urge you to reject any resolution agreement with the DOJ that would conflict with one or more of the above-listed seven items.
The University of Virginia was founded on the idea that honesty and the fearless pursuit of truth must guide the University. That idea is incompatible with surrendering core academic and constitutional principles to outside political pressure. If you sign a resolution agreement that violates the very freedoms this University was built to protect, that will be the legacy you leave behind. If you defend the University and do everything in your power to protect it, history will remember your courage.
[Your full name goes here]
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