Background:
On February 14, President Trump's administration released a Dear Colleague Letter that 'outlawed' diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on college campuses. Despite the fact that this had no basis in law, Northwestern University chose to preemptively comply with the order, pulling down the websites for offices that support marginalized students, including the Black House, the Multicultural Center (MCC), the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC), and Student Enrichment Services (SES).
Over the last couple of months, the university has continued to place these offices in limbo. While websites have been returned, they now erase the history and purpose of the Black House and the Multicultural Center, and resources have been removed completely. This makes it more difficult for students of color to access these spaces and utilize them, erasing the years of student activism that led to their creation. Furthermore, the senior congratulatories that highlight BIPOC and LGBTQ+ seniors have been canceled, and facing increasing budgets cuts from university administration, the staff within these offices are struggling to put together programming that supports BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students during a time of increased racism and bigotry.
Now, more than ever, students need these spaces. However, it's clear that the university cannot be relied upon to protect them. This is why it's important we speak up, as members of this institution in one way or another, to let the university know what matters to us. Sign this letter to send the message that our communities are here, we matter, and we stand in solidarity with all marginalized communities.
Text of the Letter:
To President Schill, Provost Hagerty, Vice-President Davis, Mr. Peter Barris, and other members of Northwestern Administration and the Board of Trustees:
We are writing to you as students, faculty, and alumni of Northwestern University. We want to express our disappointment and anger at Northwestern’s wavering support for its LGBTQ+ students, students of color and first-generation/low-income students, specifically through the censorship of the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC), Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), the Black House, and Student Enrichment Services (SES) and the shutdown of associated programming.
We find the sacrifice of the needs of marginalized students to not only capitulate, but collaborate with President Trump's overreach of executive authority extremely racist and discriminatory. We as students, staff, faculty, workers, and community members deserve respect and support from the University, as its operations run entirely on our physical and intellectual labor.
Furthermore, it is still unclear if the February 14 Dear Colleague Letter will continue to be enforced as is, given the court injunction that has blocked this order. It is shocking that an esteemed, multibillion-dollar institution such as Northwestern University has preemptively complied with illegal orders despite being able to afford multiple million dollar construction projects. Even after the University’s eager compliance--through increased policing, restrictions on student free speech, and removal of affinity programming-- $790 million was still pulled from the institution.
We demand that Northwestern and Student Affairs stand firm in protecting the historical legacy of BIPOC students who fought hard for these spaces and staffing positions. Northwestern is quick to highlight the history of BIPOC activism on campus, but consistently stands against the needs of marginalized students. We want our spaces, the people who work here and our programming to be preserved and critically, expanded. Therefore, we demand the following:
Continue the tradition of recognizing seniors from the APIDA, LGBTQ+, SWANA, FGLI, Native/Indigenous, Black, and Latinx communities in special ceremonies.
Protect and ensure staff positions whose primary roles are maintaining and facilitating programming for the GSRC, the Black House, and the Multicultural Center continue to exist through the next five years.
Provide a 100% budget and pay increase to all of the Assistant Director positions at MSA and the GSRC, as well as a 50% budget increase for the Asian American Studies Program, Black Studies, Latino/Latinx Studies, and Gender and Sexuality Studies
Return the resources and websites of the MSA, SES, and GSRC—these websites provide critical, lifesaving health, wellness, and identity-based resources to students.
Spotlight the histories and purposes of the spaces on the Northwestern websites and in the physical spaces. These spaces were won through student movements, and the erasure of this is sanitizing our history.
We will be refraining from donating or supporting Northwestern University until our demands are met. Our support of the university is not unconditional and should not be taken for granted. We abhor the exploitation of our needs as students, sacrificing our needs, wellbeing, and safety to collaborate with the Trump administration's fascism. Shame on the Northwestern University administration for refusing to follow the lead of institutions like Mount Holyoke College and resist Trump’s agenda. Shame on Northwestern University for prioritizing financial interests over its institutional mission and its commitment to the students, staff, and faculty who breathe life into the institution.
Signed,
Faculty:
Students:
Student Organizations:
Alumni:
