Dear D’Youville Board of Trustees,

D’Youville College has a very special place in many of our hearts. For many of us D’Youville was once our second home and many of us used to joke about stealing the Olive Garden Slogan, “When you’re here, you’re family,” for the D’Youville commercials. The D’Youville College community was full of vibrate people who encouraged, loved, and supported one another. Administrators, faculty, and staff not only knew the names of students, but they also knew students on a personal level. They knew the students who struggled through family illnesses, the students who were financially stressed, and how to go above and beyond to see students succeed. It was not uncommon to hear how a faculty member spent extra time tutoring a student struggling in class, lent financial support to a student stuck in a bind, or offered a shoulder to cry on after losing a family member. One could not have been prouder of the way the people at D’Youville College upheld St. Marguerite D’Youville’s mission- Never refuse to serve.  People at D’Youville used to be more than a number or a job title. D’Youville was unique because relationships among faculty, staff, and students were able to thrive in a community of love and acceptance. That was the D’Youville difference. That loving family environment is why many of us chose D’Youville in the first place. We wanted to be part of something truly great and awe-inspiring. D’Youville offered us a first-rate education not only in academics, but it taught graduates how to be men and women for others. D’Youville created empathetic leaders in communities throughout the world.

Unfortunately, D’Youville College is a very different place today. The atmosphere no longer feels warm and welcoming, an air of superficial accomplishment lingers in the halls, and fear sucks the life out of the college. It started slowly, but it has become clear that since D’Youville College elected Dr. Lorrie Clemo as president the college has trended towards a negative direction. D’Youville used to encourage the free-flow of ideas, opinions, and information even if it contradicted college leadership- a necessary characteristic of an academic environment. Now many fear retaliations if they speak out against leadership. Employees are afraid that they will lose their job if they do not agree with leadership, and many that did not agree did lose their job. Interestingly, many of the employees that lost their jobs were leaders at the school, had health issues, were 40+ years old, or were Catholic. Since Dr. Clemo came into office there has been a turnover of 150+ employees. In a term of less than 3 years that’s at least 50+ employees per year who either quit or were fired. That figure is quite alarming for such a small institution and begs one to ask the question- Is there a leadership problem at D’Youville?

That answer is yes. When several former and current employees were interviewed the common theme was that D’Youville has become a miserably hostile place to work. Everyone fears that they will be the next one on the chopping block because the workplace has turned into a game of survival. Relationships have been tested and words must always be chosen precisely or one risks losing their job. From a student’s point of view, the change is obvious. Faculty and employees no longer seem happy and this version of D’Youville is not the same D’Youville we once chose.

Below is a list of negative events that have occurred since Dr. Lorrie Clemo started her presidency:

• Presidential Induction week events were very expensive- large white tent, large party w/DYC ice sculpture, giant bounce castle in gym
• Superfluous parties and outrageous spending became the normal- Presidential holiday party (pictured above), faculty appreciation events, faculty/staff training events in Ellicottville, all-expense paid Penguin employee retreats in Canada, fancy dinner parties like the Mama Mia dinner, Redfest, graduation week events (boat cruise, cocktail party at CBW, white party), etc.
• KAB renovations that replaced 100-year-old wooden doors with glass and painted original woodwork black
• Renovations that replaced student support offices with glass enclosed/open concept spaces- bad for student privacy and reduces safety in the event that an active shooter entered campus
• D’Youville claims they are no longer a Catholic institution yet the Diocese of Buffalo lists D’Youville College on its list of Catholic Colleges and universities within the Diocese of Buffalo
• Removal of religious artifacts from campus including the Marguerite D’Youville painting, the statue of our lady, the wooden Marguerite D’Youville bust
• Termination of the campus priest and last remaining grey nun
• Threatening students with expulsion for their negative opinions regarding D’Youville College online
• A new policy in the student handbook states that a student cannot talk poorly about the college.
• Clemo has used this policy within the past couple of years against students in the veteran’s association when they were becoming loud about their concerns. This policy is HIGHLY ILLEGAL.
• Despite SGA fees increasing for the 2019/2020 school year their budget was about $60,000 less than they projected this equates to a reduction in enrollment by about 600 students
• As of the fall 2019 semester every department budget allotment was cut by 40%
• The hub was originally projected to cost $20 million that figure is now projected to cost $25-35 million
• Clemo dreams for the school to become a D2 school in athletics. I costs $1 million to simply go through the probationary process of becoming a D2 institution. D2 institutions are required to give out athletic scholarships meaning more money would be needed to fund these scholarships. Increase in athletes missing classes- D3 institutions focus on most matches being during weekends to allow for less class time missed, D2 doesn’t plan this way. Eventually, this may lead to a decrease in athletic participation since students come to DYC for the education, not athletic scholarships. When an institution becomes a D2 college, they decrease the number of sports teams so they can focus solely on those teams.
• There are currently AT LEAST 6 lawsuits against the college.
• An employee that made gay slur during an administrative meeting was not fired on the HR director’s recommendation when several other employees were let go for much less
• Several current and former employees have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements to either limit the knowledge of something negative that occurred within the DYC community or in exchange for a severance package
• Next year (20-21 school year), ALL freshmen (despite how close to campus they live) will be mandated to live on campus.
• D’Youville was given a grant award for an education program - unfortunately we no longer have an education program. Who has been communicating with the funders? Where will that money go?
• What is the cost to the college and return on investment for expanding programs with China given the very small numbers Of Chinese students at the college?
• How and why do we have an education program in India when we don’t have an education department and the program is losing money?
• Where is the grants office staff, why were they removed and what is the plan for replacement? Another example of people who are fired with no plan in mind.
• Student concerns do not appear to be taken seriously, faculty or staff concerns are repressed, and alumni concerns are not even heard.
• The cost of tuition has risen significantly since Dr. Clemo began. In 2016-2017 tuition was $24,740 per year and in 2019-2020 tuition is $27,040 per year.
• Money used to be spent very conservatively and in the students’ best interests at D’Youville in order to keep tuition as low as possible and to put as much money towards student scholarship as possible.
• There seems to be no concern for student expenses when spending money and raising tuition to make up for the increased spending.
• What is the D'Youville's financial situation? How are we able to afford so many unnecessary expenditures? Does tuition keep rising because the President is deficit spending?

Clearly D'Youville College has lost many of its best assets since Dr. Lorrie Clemo began making extreme changes to the college. Clemo has attempted to erase D'Youville's unique identity and D'Youville no longer feels like home. We ask that the Board of Trustees remove Dr. Lorrie Clemo from the office of president at D'Youville College immediately and begin the selection process for a new president that better understands and represents the core values and mission of D'Youville College.