By Joseph Lyell —
Vice provost for diversity and international affairs Mordean Taylor-Archer responded to complaints about an Oct. 31 email to all students, saying it was not intended to be a political message.
The email, sent out a week before midterm elections, listed three highly politicized issues.
“We must speak against policies that seek to repress, exclude and deny the rights of others,” she wrote.
“This would include the proposed policy that would define gender at birth, acts that separate immigrant children from their parents and the deployment of military to stop immigrants who traveled thousands of miles to seek freedom and opportunities from entering this country.”
University spokesperson John Karman said the university does not view Taylor-Archer’s comments as a political message.
In a follow-up email to students Nov. 1, Taylor-Archer said the university supports diversity of political thought.
“I regret if my comments suggested that the university was taking sides on political issues. The university does not advocate for any political party, candidate or positions,” Taylor-Archer’s second email read.
She said the issues she presented, while controversial, provide an opportunity for civil discourse on campus, and she was voicing support for students, faculty and staff that had raised concerns over them.
Karman said the university also does not advocate against political positions.
“Dr. Taylor-Archer has clarified her statement, and the university is supportive,” he said.
Taylor-Archer had not responded for comment by time of publication.
Read the full text of her emails here.
File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal
