We, the students, alumni, and community members of Purdue Northwest, demand justice.

Two of our most impactful leaders — Iris Sanchez, Director of the Office of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives, and Darrien Thompson, Director of Student Success and Urban Engagement — are being wrongfully terminated on June 30th.

These women are the reason many of us stayed, succeeded, and found our voices at PNW. Iris helped PNW achieve official designation as Indiana’s largest Hispanic-Serving Institution. Darrien turned the Unity Hub into a space of empowerment, mentorship, and celebration for underrepresented students.

They’ve built programs that provided:

• Culturally competent academic support
• Mentorship and retention pathways for Black, Latinx, and first-gen students
• Events like Hispanic Heritage Month, MLK Day, and Juneteenth that transformed our campus culture

And now, they're being removed quietly and without accountability.

Meanwhile, the university continues to fund multi-million-dollar projects like a $40+ million downtown “Innovation District” in Hammond, $29 million residence hall, The Roberts Impact Lab, backed by $7.7 million in funding, along with the Internal funding up to $20K.

This is not just a staffing change. This is erasure.

We demand:

-Immediate reinstatement of Iris Sanchez and Darrien Thompson, and the teams in their offices.
-Public transparency about the decision-making process behind their removal
-Protection of the offices, programs, and equity work they built

PNW cannot claim to value diversity while firing the very leaders who made that diversity meaningful.

Sign this petition if you believe in justice, equity, and the right for all students to feel like they belong.

Somos PNW. And we are watching.