Editor’s Note: This letter was submitted to The Daily prior to the removal of DEI-related content from SESP, Medill, Bienen, Pritzker and The Graduate School’s websites.
To the Editor:
We are appalled and embarrassed that our beloved alma mater refuses to take a strong stance against the mind control that is spewing forth from the Trump administration like effluent. Just look at these recent headlines from The Daily:
Northwestern Libraries’ website removes DEI mention as University responds to executive Orders
NU Kellogg removes DEI Pathway amid Trump executive orders
NU Feinberg scrubs DEI webpage amid Trump’s executive orders
We have a few questions.
What, precisely, justifies the need to censor the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion? Please explain.
And if the intent is “merely” to appease or avoid antagonizing a bully, please let us know where you WILL draw the line. Whose identity or what values won’t you sacrifice? Who decides?
Why are we letting an ignorant bully tell us how to think and what to stand for? Why are we ceding this power?
After all, as George Orwell noted, “Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”
With an endowment of $14.3 billion, one might think that an institution dedicated to contemplating things that are true, honest, just, pure or lovely might have some freedom to think for itself, stand up for its own values and lead the way. Imagine if all the leading universities just said “NO!” and used their considerable endowments to cover funding lost while pushing back on this mind control. Think about those things.
Signed,
Alan Rosenthal (Medill ’59)
Carol (Guttenplan) Rosenthal (Medill ’68)
Maitreya Rich (Communication ’74)
Benita Wandel (Bienen ’74, ’75)
Laurie McCants (Communication ’75)
Gerard Stropnicky (Communication ’76)
Jodie Markell (attended 1977-79)
Leigh A. Brown (Communication ’78)
Cheryl Paley (Communication ’78)
Bruce Henderson (Communication ’78, ’79, ’83)
Steve Rogers (Weinberg ’79, Kellogg ’80)
Nadine Genet (Medill ’79)
Nili Yelin Wronski (Communication ’80)
Robert Mendel (Communication ’80)
Susan Bartosz Schwaegler (Bienen ’80)
Elisabeth Cohen (Communication ’81)
Brenda Baker (Weinberg ’81)
Tim Learmont (Weinberg ’81)
Amy Breese (Weinberg ’81)
Philip Orem (Bienen ’81, ’83)
Melanie Anderson (Weinberg ’82)
J. Miller Tobin (Weinberg ’82)
Derby Swanson (Communication ’82)
Margaret M Walter (Communication ’82)
Anne Marie Paolucci (Communication ’83)
Emily Bristor (Communication ’83)
Patricia Acha (Communication ’83)
Loren Crawford (Communication ’84)
Harry Althaus (Communication ’84)
Steve Routman (Communication ’84)
Lou Jacob (Communication ’84)
Kate Bryer (Communication ’84)
Pamela Van Summern (Communication ’84)
Cece Cox (Medill ’84)
Scott Tyree (Communication ’84)
Lisa Diana Shapiro (Communication ’84)
Terrie Kramish Weeks (Weinberg ’84)
John Marshall Jones (Communication ’84)
Stuart Graff (McCormick ’84)
Rebecca J. Becker (Weinberg ’84, Communication ’89)
Tracy Egan (Communication ’85)
John Macdonald (Communication ’85)
Kurt Blaugher (Communication ’85)
Leslie Grimm (Bienen ’85)
Ann Logue (Weinberg ’86)
Kevin Grandfield (Communication ’86)
Jason Singer (Communication ’86)
Doug Rankin (Communication ’86)
Mary Jo MacGregor (Weinberg ’86)
Terrence Carey (Communication ’86)
Theresa Powell (McCormick ’86)
Todd Weeks (Communication ’86)
Simone Daiquiri Sartor Lewers (McCormick ’86, Kellogg ’89)
Marty Siewert (Weinberg ’87)
Bob Mazzoni (Medill ’87)
Madeleine Metzler (Weinberg ’87, SPS ’92)
Catherine Newman (Communication ’87)
Denise Petersen (Communication ’87)
K. Gabrielle Lennon Knowlton (Communication ’87)
Chris Pfaff (Communication ’87)
Heidi (Hogrefe) Sproull (Communication ’87)
Adam J. Blust (Medill ’87)
Laura Martin Jones (Communication ’87)
David Steckel (Communication ’87)
Amy Osborn (Communication ’87)
Rob Jurgiel (McCormick ’87)
Betsy Gutstein (SESP ’87, Weinberg ’88, SPS ’02)
Rebecca Schnur (Communication ’87, Medill ’90)
Christine Dunford (Communication ’87, ’09)
Kathleen Cantillon (Medill ’88)
Steve Hickson (Communication ’88)
John Zamojcin (Communication ’88)
Ellen Cleary (Weinberg ’88)
Renee Kim (SESP ’88)
Paula Corrigan-Halpern (Medill ’88)
Scott Mikita (Communication ’88)
Adina Shulman (Communication ’88)
Jerry Saslow (Communication ’88)
Pamela Kosinski (Weinberg ’88)
Andrew Kerr (Communication ’88)
Leslie Pepper (Communication ’88)
Erin O’Malley Sanchez (Weinberg ’88)
Shannon Mayers (Communication ’88)
Melinda Mitchell Moore (Medill ’88)
Clark Scott Carmichael (Communication ’88)
Tristan Lemons (Communication ’89)
Elizabeth Murray (Communication ’88)
Maury Hillstrom (Communication ’88)
Jessica Hughes (Communication ’88)
Elaine Hakes Karbonik (Weinberg ’88)
Catherine Ferreira (Weinberg ’88)
William Wood (Weinberg ’88)
Greg Shymko (Medill ’88)
Stephan Perrault (Communication ’88, SPS ’02)
Letitia Hicks (Communication ’88)
Bill Gatewood (Communication ’88)
David Rudd (Medill ’88)
Thomas Russo Jr. (Bienen ’88)
Julie Tresnak Dietz (SESP ’88)
Jennifer Bjork (Communication ’89)
Ilyse Robbins Mohr (Communication ’89)
Andrea Durbin (Medill ’89)
Jim Grote (Communication ’89)
Ed Finkel (Medill ’89)
Lindsay Hunter Morrison (Weinberg ’89)
Aaron Jaffe (Medill ’89)
Stephen Gundersheim (Communication ’89)
Paul Silverman (Communication ’88, ’89)
Laurie Zerwer (Communication ’89)
Miriam Footer (Communication ’89)
Jay Haesly (Weinberg ’89)
J. Scott Rutherford (Communication ’89)
Kris Moriarty (Medill ’89)
Amy Dwyre D’Agati (Communication ’89)
Molly Francis (Communication ’89)
Jeff Rago (Communication ’89)
Rob Mahoney (Medill ’89)
Bill McDowell (Medill ’89)
Anne Ternus (Medill ’89)
Elizabeth Owen (Communication ’89)
John Collingwood Seals (Weinberg ’89)
Stephanie Riggio (Communication ’89)
Michael Rohd (Communication ’89)
Jenny Fanning (SESP ’89)
Penelope Tsangalias (Communication ’89)
Robin Irwin (Communication ’89)
David Fabish (McCormick ’89)
Timothy Ereneta (Communication ’89)
Cheryl Sveyda (Weinberg ’89)
Paul H. Kim (Feinberg ’89, ’91)
Andrew Lee (Weinberg ’89)
Gayle Eubank (Medill ’89, ’90)
Karen Senffner (Weinberg and Feinberg ’90)
Charles Harrison (Bienen ’89, ’94)
Andrea Sabesin (Communication ’90)
Rebecca Lindell (Medill ’90)
Erin Alexander Paisan (Medill ’90)
Tracy Pumilia (Medill ’90)
Andy Horwitz (Communication ’90)
Amy Griffin (Communication ’90)
William Brown (Communication ’90)
Dave Clapper (Communication ’90)
Susan Cherin (Communication ’90)
Lance Toma (McCormick ’90)
Nina Lynn (Communication ’90, ’02)
Dawn Craan (McCormick ’90)
James Haigler (Weinberg ’90)
Douglas Burns (Medill ’91)
Leslie Corbett (Communication ’91)
Barry Pearce (Medill ’91)
Rebecca Banks Zakin (Medill ’91)
Kirsten Voelker (Weinberg ’91)
Andy DeMotte (Weinberg ’91)
Gina Cerimele (Weinberg ’91)
Carolyn Cromer (Weinberg ’91)
Noel Archard (Medill ’91)
Karin Norington-Reaves (Weinberg ’91)
Daniel Harray (Communication ’91)
Shulie Cowen (Communication ’91)
Ruth Carter (Communication ’91)
Brett Gillam Goldstein (Communication ’91)
Amanda Hall (Medill ’91)
Lynn Schnaiberg (Medill ’91)
Laura E. Sciortino (Weinberg ’91)
Alan Stotts (Weinberg ’91)
Lauren Tillman Brown (Weinberg ’91)
Cassie Brown Scarano (Weinberg ’91)
Lisa Morgan Mulvaney (Weinberg ’91)
Rob Nagle (Communication ’92)
Lela Chung (Communication ’92)
Stephanie Fagin (Communication ’92)
Nina Uziel-Miller (Communication ’92, Weinberg ’00)
Tanya Solomon Pietrkowski (Weinberg ’93)
Rachel Bradley Sullivan (Communication ’05)
Heather Allyn Nagle nee Kurtz (Communication, ’93)
S. Masen Davis (Weinberg ’93)
Stacy Tsangalias Jurgiel (McCormick ’92)
Jason Sperling (Communication ’94)
Christopher Silber (Communication ’95)
Heidi Cotton (Communication ’95)
Grace Hong Duffin (SESP ’95)
Leslie Wrenn (Bienen ’95)
Rebecca Levin (Weinberg ’97)
Elizabeth Bisbee Silber (Weinberg ’97)
Stacy Waggener Colodny (Weinberg ’97)
Michelle Stevenson (Communication ’97)
Stephen J. Truog (Medill ’97)
Andrew Glisson (Bienen ’97)
Michael Cotter (Communication ’98)
Carla Robinson (Kellogg ’98)
James Smith (Kellogg and McCormick ’98)
Avik Das (Weinberg ’98)
Gabriel Sterritt (Weinberg ’98)
Lanetta Haynes Turner (SESP ’00)
T’Kia Hicks Wilkins (SESP ’00)
Regina Bunye Johnson (Communication ’01)
Charlie Fields (Weinberg ’02)
M. Witcombe (Bienen ’02)
Andy Swindler (Communication ’02)
Megan Watson (Bienen ’03)
Patrick Keenan-Devlin (Weinberg and Bienen ’06)
Denice Murray (SPS ’06)
Sarah Weimer (Sippel) (SESP ’08)
Kate Spitzer-Cohn (Weinberg ’09, SPS ’15)
Eric Slepak (Weinberg ’10)
Kari Driemeyer (McCormick ’12)
Lauren Purcell (McCormick ’12)
Maha McDiarmid (SPS ’15)
Marianne Lalonde (Weinberg ’15)
Ben Schaefer (Medill ’17)
Olivia Jurgiel (McCormick ’21)
Owen Pickette (Communication ’22)
Margaret Lezcano (Communication ’23)
Ellie Odom (Weinberg ’23)
Sadie Bernstein (Weinberg ’23)
Ranna Shahbazi (Communication and Bienen ’23)
Will Smart (McCormick ’23)
Isabelle Hauf-Pisoni (SESP ’24)
If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
