Hi all, I just wanted to reach out to let you know we’ve just passed 3,389 signatures on our petition! Thank you so much for your support, I can't tell you how grateful I am that you have all come out in support of the wonderful religion faculty, the major and the department at UVM!!

Other ways to help include contacting the media in Vermont, such as Seven Days, VT Digger and NBC5. Another method is current/prospective students, parents, and alumni pestering, calling, and writing CAS Dean William Falls, Provost Patricia Prelock, and President Suresh Garimella to inform UVM that cutting the religion department, major and the other humanities is an absolutely short-sighted and insidious plan that threatens not only the future of the students, but the health of our country. I am also attaching a fantastic article titled, "Why universities — and the rest of us — need religion studies", written by the esteemed scholar of religion Simran Jeet Singh about UVM's recent proposal and what this anti-humanities trend means for the future.

I'd like to point out that Dean Fall's response to the outrage is telling everyone that religion courses will continue to be held in the form of a minor, but does not share with us that without a department, even tenured professors are likely not safe from being fired, nor will they have the freedom to teach what they want or specialize in. Cutting the department and major puts a stranglehold on the few professors that do not lose their jobs. Please do not be fooled by this rhetoric.

Please, if you can, will you help us get more support by sharing this petition with anyone and everyone? If enough of us sign we can’t be ignored!! Here’s a link to share https://www.change.org/p/bill-falls-dean-of-uvm-cas-stop-the-university-of-vermont-from-cutting-religion-major

Again, thank you so much for everything so far. With your support, hopefully we can make a difference.