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March 3, 2022

Dear ASHE Members,

As you are all aware, a number of state legislatures have passed or are considering laws limiting or banning outright the teaching of concepts that elected officials regard as divisive. Much of the attention around this issue has taken place at the K-12 level, but some of these efforts have involved higher education. This is undoubtedly likely to increase in the future.  For that reason, the American Council on Education (ACE) has worked with several associations to draft a higher education statement regarding the importance of preserving free and open academic inquiry and debate on campus.

Earlier this week, both the ASHE Position Taking Committee and the ASHE Board of Directors voted to sign on to this statement. The statement was released today and signed by more than 90 higher education associations.
There is a lot is misinformation about these issues and what critical race theory really is. Several members have been involved in these discussions on a national level, such as Past ASHE President Dr. Shaun Harper, ASHE member Dr. OiYan Poon, and numerous others ASHE members.

As a scholarly community, I encourage us to think and engage proactively in efforts to protect against real threats to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. It's going to require the disruption of false narratives designed to silence and control people. This is not the time to stay silent on these issues. Doing so will have grave consequences for higher education and society.

I am grateful to ACE for crafting this statement and for inviting ASHE to join as a signatory. I am also grateful to the ASHE Position Taking Committee and ASHE Board of Directors for their quick decisions to agree to sign on.

Sincerely,
Joy Gaston Gayles, PhD
she/her
ASHE President
president@ashe.ws
About ASHE's Position Taking Policy and Process
The ASHE Position Taking Policy was adopted in July 2013.

Members of the Position Taking Committee committee are:
  • Joy Blanchard (Chair), Louisiana State University
  • Dominique Baker, Southern Methodist University
  • Ana Martínez-Alemán, Boston College
  • Samuel Snideman, Ball State University
  • LaWanda Ward, Pennsylvania State University

Questions about the ASHE Position Taking process can be directed to ASHE Executive Director Jason P. Guilbeau at jason@ashe.ws.