Hello everyone,

Thank you to every one of you for signing the petition and passing it on to others. We now have over 2,000 signatures. 

Although a small group of grad students started this petition, we know that identity fraud and abuse within academia contribute to widespread harm. Our motivations are not only to seek justice for Oregon State University (OSU) Women, Gender, and Sexuality (WGSS) grad students and protect ourselves from further abuse, but also to support communities and academic fields who have been undermined and hurt by Driskill’s fraudulent claims of Indigenous and Black ancestry. 

Driskill’s fraud and their mistreatment of students cannot be disentangled from each other, as Driskill used their supposed status as an Indigenous and Two-Spirit person to position themselves as a mentor to Indigenous students. Similarly, Driskill took on mentorship of non-Indigenous trans students and ultimately bullied or isolated them from the rest of the graduate community.

For the past year, we grad students have used several approaches to address Driskill’s bullying of students and faculty. After the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds (TAAF) completed their investigation, we became more vocal about the damage caused by Driskill’s fraudulent claims. Current students, former students and alumni, and our supporters are doing the following to urge appropriate action from OSU administration:

1. Emailing OSU Administrators

We have addressed our emails to Dr. Susan Bernardin, who is the Director of the School of Language Culture and Society and WGSS professors' immediate supervisor; Dr. Larry Rodgers, who is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts; and Dr. Jayathi Murthy, who is president of OSU. The following is a sample of an email we might send:

 

Dear ________:

I join the Graduate Leaders for Equitable Education in demanding the immediate removal of Professor “Qwo-Li” Driskill from the faculty of Oregon State University (OSU). There is clear documentation of the abuses that Professor Driskill has committed against former students, current students, and other faculty members in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at OSU. These abuses have not only continued, but also escalated during this academic year. In addition, Professor Driskill has built their scholarship, career, and mentorship of students on fraudulent claims that they are of Indigenous ancestry. They also have claimed, without providing evidence, to have African ancestry. Because of these behaviors, we hold the conviction that Professor Driskill cannot serve as an effective member of the faculty. More than two thousand people agree and have signed the petition at bit.ly/FireDriskill.  

I urge you to immediately fire Driskill!

Sincerely,

________

 

2. Submitting Reports to OSU

We are submitting reports to the OSU office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA) of any discrimination, harassment, bullying, or retaliation that we have experienced, witnessed, or been made aware of. Reports can be made using the following form: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?OregonStateUniv&layout_id=4, or bit.ly/ReportDriskill.

3. Getting Signatures for this Petition

We and our supporters are passing along the petition to anyone who has been affected by Driskill’s behavior.

 

With support from our mentors, we are navigating the university system and learning more how to organize effectively. We will keep you updated on our efforts, and we appreciate the efforts so many of you are making, too.

In solidarity,

The Graduate Leaders for Equitable Education