Organizer Liz Johnson, professor Jackie Cason and audience members at the event. Photo by Hannah Dillon.
The Northern Light attended a forum at the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship where an audience discussed the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion-related language from university communities on March 28.
Liz Johnson organized the event and invited UAA professors to speak at the event.
UAA writing professor Jackie Cason serves as the president of the faculty senate and is set to become alliance chair next year.
Cason announced that she and others are pushing for a bill working through the legislature, titled HB10. Representative Ashley Carrick first proposed the bill.
The bill aims to introduce a faculty senate to the University of Alaska Board of Regents.
Cason said the motion passed by the Board of Regents to begin assessing and eliminating DEI-related language on Feb. 21 was “done behind closed doors in executive session with only the board, and there is no faculty representation on that board.”
“I’m a writing professor, so I love language. I love words and it really does feel insulting in many ways, especially the way the motion was written,” said Cason.
“And so banning words seems to be counterproductive as the kind of critical thinking that we like to foster among ourselves and among our students.”
Cason said the Board of Regents has not responded to an open letter op-ed voicing concerns about the removal of DEI and the board’s determining process. The letter was written by Cason and other alliance chairs.
Cason said University of Alaska President Denise Runge acknowledged the receipt to the Board of Regents and is now set to meet with Runge the following week.
Cason said writing op-eds and writing to representatives allows individuals to raise their voice about their concerns.
“You can write letters, we can pass resolutions, we can do votes of no confidence, if we want to. But, ultimately, we don't have a lot of power.” said Cason. “So, we can do that. We can use our voice, we do have free speech.”
UAA professor and Chair of Public Health Gabriel Garcia said much of his job involves social determinance of health and health equity.
Garcia shared some of his research at the faculty alliance symposium the day prior. His research included positive social and mental health benefits of DEI and ethnic studies.
“The Board of Regents’ motion obviously affected me because that’s the type of research that I do,” said Garcia. “One of the words I feel that is very hard to replace is the word equity.”
Garcia emphasized concerns he has heard from students largely lead to unknown variables with funding.
Cason then mentioned UAA’s chief diversity officer position along with its description was eliminated. She said she was also told two other faculty members were being let go but will have more solid information in the following weeks.
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