By Josie Simpson
Controversy has intensified at the University of Louisville following reductions in Graduate Teaching Assistant positions and a pause in the Pan-African Studies doctorate program. It has drawn responses from Dr. Ricky L. Jones, PAS Chair Dr. Michael Brandon McCormack and university administrators as debate grows over the future of the department.
This comes after Dr. Ricky L. Jones from the Pan-African Studies department released a video on Feb. 19 to social media claiming U of L was attempting to destroy the department.
The PAS graduate program was told it was being paused last week, Jones said. He claimed that this was an inconspicuous way to wipe out the entire program.
He challenged claims that the program was paused due to financial losses, arguing that the athletics department has also operated at a deficit, though UofL secured a multimillion-dollar loan to support it.
Until the university begins recognizing the Black community, Jones called on university donors to withdraw their financial support in the name of “justice, equality and decency.” He also urged Black parents not to send their children to UofL, saying the university would “f— your child up.” Additionally, he encouraged alumni and community members to boycott the school and to unite in opposition to it, claiming the institution is “killing your people.”
U of L Pushes Back on Claims
In a campus-wide email sent on Feb. 20, President Gerry Bradley, Provost Katie Cardarelli and Dean Dayna Touron seemingly responded to Jones’ video. They stated that colleges at U of L with graduate programs received mandated GTA reductions on short notice. Only open GTA lines were eligible for reduction.
The decisions on reductions were based on review of a program’s performance data, impact on undergraduate programs, and academic needs. For three doctoral programs, additional considerations were taken, which led to admission pauses.
U of L stated that the PAS Ph.D program has received few applications and enrollments for the past several years. Because of this, GTA positions were not filled and were returned to the graduate school to be redistributed elsewhere.
The university also claims that the admissions pause was openly communicated and intended to be used strategically to address these enrollment declines.
The narrative that students interested in Black studies should avoid U of L was also rejected by the university, calling it a “harmful impact of misinformation on our students.”
U of L also stated it was counterproductive and will only further lower enrollment numbers and undermine ‘the growth necessary to sustain its impact.’
Regarding Jones’ claims that the university never told the chair of the PAS department about these reductions, U of L says the chair was contacted directly and invited to meet individually to plan program development. An individual meeting has occurred, a department-level one has not.
The university ended its message to say it is still fully committed to the PAS program, especially at the undergraduate level.
“These decisions were made with the long-term health of our academic programs and students squarely in mind.”
The full email can be read here.
Pan-African Studies Chair Michael Brandon McCormack Responds to U of L
After U of L sent this email to the body, the Chair of the PAS program, Dr. Michael Brandon McCormack, released a response to the College of Arts & Sciences Chairs, as his original campus-wide email was returned for lack of permission.
McCormack stated he was indeed blindsided by the decision to eliminate all GTAs in the PAS department and to place the graduate program on pause. He was only told to prepare for an approximate 10 percent reduction in assistantships across the College of Arts & Sciences.
Though the administration describes the pause as temporary, the chair stated that it is “difficult to see how a graduate program can meaningfully continue without assistantship support, especially when we have been told that these lines are unlikely to be returned.”
McCormack described the cuts as ‘uneven’ and ‘disproportional,’ and with more rumored budget cuts circulating, he believes PAS will bear a heavier burden. He added that a ‘foreseeable’ series of administrative decisions could permanently destabilize the department, leading to its demise.
“PAS might not be targeted by the university, but neither has it been protected in this political and budgetary climate,” he wrote.
McCormack sees the university’s reasoning behind the cuts as insubstantial.
“Numbers need narratives, and there is no narrative to be told about PAS (both graduate and undergraduate programs) that does not include administrative decisions dating back to at least 2018, which have led to the sharp decline in our enrollment,” McCormack wrote.
He also said the narrative that the department is not inspiring or offering students exceptional experiences is false. The faculty has worked relentlessly to attract students through recent challenges, he said.
The full email can be read here.
Dr. Ricky Jones Responds to U of L
In a passionate email, Dr. Ricky Jones responded directly to President Gerry Bradley, Provost Cardarelli and Dean Touron.
“Though you did not mention me by name, it is clear that your missive this morning was speaking about me,” wrote Jones.
He rebutted that anything he said in his original video was false. Jones said that the university has ignored and failed the Black community through dishonest leadership.
Jones stated that the decisions made to comply with the Trump administration and HB4 went too far.
“You have displayed a continuous pattern of misdirection, overcompliance, and callousness that targets and disproportionately harms Black faculty, staff, and students at UofL,” he wrote.
He added that after continuously harming the Black community, U of L has added no real or meaningful explanation apart from stating they will follow the law.
Jones continued that the PAS department has not always been in poor shape. Due to past administrations, the PAS department has faced budget model changes, faculty reductions and refusal to take successions from those within the department.
“After that crippling, you now blame us for limping, with no attention to historical context that runs counter to your short-sighted conclusions and arguments drawn from your cold, lifeless, disconnected, capitalist numbers.”
Jones also claims that U of L only speaks with Black people whom they have handpicked so they will unwaveringly agree with them.Jones said he has notified his state representative and congressman and expects they will contact U of L’s administration regarding what he believes are illegal actions that target Black people.
He said that due to the Trump administration’s threats, the university wiped out several Black organizations and initiatives in anticipation that it would become law.
He ended his email quoting the administration’s email that misinformation and half-truths have harmful impacts and that he is still willing to meet with them despite past disregard.
Photo by Jai’Michael Anderson / The Louisville Cardinal
