Hi.

Over the past two weeks, we’ve received over 2,600 signatures, $1,200 in contributions, and dozens of messages from alumni, faculty, students, and concerned academics alike on our petition. From the bottom of my heart — thank you. Let this serve as a reminder for all of us that we are not alone when faced with the corporatization of thinking or as Dr. Adam Rzepka puts it, the "Synergy of the Spotless Mind."

The battle continues:

Earlier last week Dean Mili sent two emails to faculty members “detailing” the outline for the reimagining of CHSS. In all of its vagueness, there were a couple continuities: get rid of all departments, department chairs, and merge them under schools with names that haven’t been finalized for a January 2026 implementation. There’s also a claim at the end of her email that states that an implementation team will be scouted and accounted for soon — this means implementation hasn’t been thought out to begin with.

Also during the week, Dean Mili sent out two emails to all students: one looking to scout for a student committee that would advise on the future of the college and another that was purposefully elusive. The second email claims that rumors about CHSS "eliminating programs or disappearing altogether” are “false.” This is a lie by omission; while programs will not be eliminated, departments will be. Undeniably, losing a department fundamentally affects the program and the new proposed structure will make it easier for programs to get cut in the future. All of this came well after we hit 1,500 signatures, most of which came from students who had already given their two cents. 

This administrative scramble leads me, my friends, and faculty members to continue to believe that this “plan” hasn’t been planned out at all. The reason for any and all of this is still unclear, as Dr. Jeffrey Miller emphasizes in his Wall Street Journal opinion article.

As we wait for the administration's endless reassurances to give clarity on this issue, we want to take the awareness generated by this petition and put it towards a student protest. We’ll be gathering outside Dickson Hall on December 1st from 1-3pm. Taking inspiration from Tulsa State students, our protest will include a mock funeral for ALL the departments in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. If you plan on attending, please wear black to show respect for these departments.

Lastly, it’s important to disclose that a current student posted one of the posters promoting the protests and general opposition to the restructuring on Instagram. Dean Mili reached out to her directly through email and requested a meeting with the student. This was a gross invasion of privacy, and it's important to note the administration's response to this outcry. It is not to give concrete facts disputing the restructuring, but general platitudes assuring students that they don't have to worry. If students do express their worries (or even anger), they’re directly contacted in an attempt to dissuade students from voicing any thought at all.

The more we speak out, the more administration pushes back. I would like to make it clear that our demand is simple: stop the restructuring of the college that is home to thousands who are proud to be in the Humanities and Social Science departments.