By Olivia Krauth–

In the midst of an ongoing diversity battle, trustee Paul Diaz resigned from U of L’s Board of Trustees.

Diaz’s resignation letter to Governor Matt Bevin was made public today. Bevin had asked Franklin Circuit Court to nullify Diaz’s summer appointment to the board. Bevin made the request to increase diversity on the board as mandated by state law.

Three of the 17 trustees appointed by the governor are supposed to be racial minorities. Diaz identifies as Cuban-American, which is not considered to be a racial minority.

“I am at a loss to understand the purpose of excluding Hispanics from the definition of racial minorities and the goal of diversity more broadly,” Diaz wrote.