Dear LSA Community,

I am writing to join President Schlissel and Provost Collins in today's statement regarding the extremely concerning recent Presidential Executive Order from the White House. While I ordinarily don’t send community messages over the weekend, I am making an exception here given the importance of this matter. This troubling Executive Order seeks to impose limits on the types of discourse that can occur during diversity and inclusion training—including discourse around race and racism—within the federal government and in outside entities that receive federal grants.

As I wrote in yesterday’s community message, the work to create a more just present and future is pressing and, as dean of LSA, I am steadfast in my commitment to moving forward with the work we must do as a college to actively dismantle all forms of racism and structural oppression. Please be assured that I will partner with the university administration to protect our community’s rights to free speech and to speak out against this Executive Order. We fully support our community in continuing with this critically important work. And, as always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Anne Curzan, Dean