On November 7, 2019, an assistant general counsel for the UNT System used a despicable and totally inexcusable racial slur during a public forum on campus. LMAS denounces the use of such language by anyone, including employees of the university. Ironically, the forum was intended to educate students, staff, faculty, and the public on free speech. Instead, the forum highlighted the discriminatory treatment of marginalized groups on our campus. We stand with our students and fellow faculty of color. We support the demands of the UNT Student Governance Association.

Although the official who uttered the slur has resigned from the UNT System, we urge the administration to take immediate steps to improve the atmosphere of diversity and inclusion and make our campus safer for students, staff, and faculty of color. While we acknowledge that Chancellor Roe and President Smatresk have issued a statement embracing diversity and inclusion in our campus community, we join the students in calling for further action on this campus that will lead to positive change. We recommend that employee training on diversity and inclusion be made mandatory for every UNT employee, much like the Security Awareness Training all employees must currently complete.