To the Saint Mary's Community,

It has come to our attention by an anonymous tip that Kevin Nagle, Chair of the Saint Mary’s Board of Trustees and Commencement Speaker, has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaigns of Donald Trump and Susan Collins, among other ultra-conservative politicians. We, as a campus that values equity and inclusion, no longer feel as if his voice represents the Lasallian mission of our college or our student body and demand that Saint Mary's College choose another commencement speaker that better represents the diverse identities at Saint Mary's College. 

Campaign donations are public records, so we have attached the documents that detail Nagle's campaign contributions to different ultra-conservative campaigns and organizations. In 2019, Nagle donated over $35,000 to the "Trump Victory" campaign. In that same year, he donated $8,300 to Susan Collins' campaign. Collins has publicly supported groups that fund QANON, was integral to the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, and enabled drilling on the Arctic Refuge in Alaska. Other donations can be found via this resource: https://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/kevin-nagle.asp?cycle=20

Kevin Nagle's politics cannot be separated from our campus when his monetary contributions directly enable discrimination against marginalized groups that are present at Saint Mary's College. We demand he be replaced as our commencement speaker by someone who better represents our campus community and Lasallian values. 

Sincerely,

Melanie Moyer and Venessa Ramirez 

Graduating Seniors, Saint Mary's College

Links:

Collins Donation

Trump Victory Donation