On April 29, the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article detailing Thomas Jefferson President Mark Tykocinski’s recent social media activity. President Tykocinski “liked” multiple tweets on Twitter that voiced anti-diversity and anti-LGBTQ+ opinions [ARTICLE]. In an apology issued on April 30, President Tykocinski did not adequately address his stance on gender-affirming healthcare. Additionally, there was a lack of actionable steps provided with regard to how Jefferson will hold Tykocinski accountable and support its diverse faculty, staff, students, and patients. While President Tykocinski is entitled to his own opinions, his public actions reflect the entire Jefferson institution because of his role as president.

We believe President Tykocinski’s social media activity is another example of the disregard we, as minority students, have encountered since starting at Jefferson. Despite the effort put into recruiting a diverse student body, Jefferson has not provided adequate support for diverse students. We see this as an opportunity to provide feedback on ways that Jefferson could meaningfully and tangibly improve the experience of diverse populations.

We demand the following specific steps be taken to address the concerns raised:

• Dr. Tykocinski must clarify his apology to explicitly state whether or not he refutes the stance that gender-affirming care is akin to child mutilation and must address other anti-LGBTQ+ allegations.
• Provide regular, safe meeting spaces for students and faculty to voice their concerns with Jefferson's leadership without fear of retaliation, such as holding periodic town halls with the goal of aligning current practices and leadership with Jefferson’s mission statement.
• Provide students with timely updates on the progress of this call to action and future topics discussed in town halls.
• Implement a concrete plan outlining how SKMC will actively recruit and retain faculty and staff from underrepresented groups and provide them with the necessary support and resources to succeed.
• Within SKMC, improve the current training for CSSG & CBL facilitators to incorporate better sensitivity and cultural competency into their training. 
• Jefferson University must ensure student health insurance covers gender-affirming care, including hormone replacement therapy and gender-affirmation surgeries.

LINK to open letter to CEO and Board of Trustees