Dear Wahoos,
Like you, we are heartsick and outraged by yesterday’s news of the University’s capitulation to federal overreach. Under pressure from the Department of Justice, the Board of Visitors and Interim President Mahoney chose not to stand firm, but to sacrifice one of Jefferson’s founding principles —UVA’s independence from political control.
The Trump Administration’s guidance regarding civil rights compliance far oversteps what is required by law and what the Supreme Court stated in its Students For Fair Admissions v. Harvard ruling. In signing this agreement, UVA has effectively agreed to let the DOJ set policy related to race, gender, and first generation students. This is nothing short of political hijacking.
It is critical to understand: (1) nothing has been shared publicly that would indicate a violation of federal civil rights law has been proven at the University of Virginia, (2) the University never had the ability to defend itself against these spurious claims of civil rights violations because the Virginia Attorney General (who controls the University’s General Counsel and outside counsel) refused to vigorously take on that defense, and (3) despite that, UVA has agreed to three years of federal oversight that gives the Department of Justice sweeping discretion to dictate matters of education policy that should remain under the University’s control.
To grasp the magnitude of this decision, we urge you to read the documents yourself:
- 📄 The UVA–DOJ Agreement: https://federalinfo.virginia.edu/sites/federalinfo/files/2025-10/US-University-of-Virginia-Standstill-Agreement-20251022.pdf
- ⚖️ The July 2025 DOJ “Guidance” — the very document UVA is now bound to follow, even though the DOJ explicitly states it is not law and not binding: https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1409486/dl
UVA was founded to protect the pursuit of truth from exactly this kind of interference.
We urge you to bear witness on Friday, October 24 at 2:00 p.m., when the Faculty Senate meets to discuss these developments. Interim President Mahoney was invited to speak, and we had hoped it would be an open and probing discussion of the decision-making behind this agreement.
Unfortunately, we just received notice that he will not be attending tomorrow’s meeting. Needless to say, the Faculty Senate meeting is shaping up to be an event you don’t want to miss.
This is a dark moment in UVA’s history—but we must be the light. Together, we can keep Jefferson’s flame burning and defend the University’s right to govern itself.
Ann Brown (College ‘74, Law ‘77) and Chris Ford (Engineering ‘87)
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