UTDiversityMatters

04/02/2023

Most of the students involved in this coalition have graduated and spread around the world, but we still believe in the same ideals we did while at UT. To the faculty and staff still there, we love and miss you! Much love and power to everyone still fighting the good fight!

03/04/2019

We're thrilled to unite as one with the cutting edge of activism on campus. See you on Tuesday...

03/04/2019

ERROR 404 ADMIN NOT FOUND: System Rebooting...

09/24/2018

On Tuesday September 25, 2018, the UT Board of Trustee will meet to consider the appointment of Randy Boyd as the Interim President for the UT Systems following the retirement of current President Joe DiPietro. We as members of the UTK community are concerned about this for the following reason:

1. Randy Boyd has no experience in academia or running a college or university
2. Randy Boyd has a record of forgoing the needs of marginalized communities including LGBT+ community, women, people of color, and immigrants
3. We fear that Randy Boyd’s consideration is a ploy by Governor Haslam and thus poses a threat to UT’s political and academic integrity

Given the tense relation between marginalized students and the student body as a whole has had with our legislature and our administration, we need a leader that we can trust and depend on. Randy Boyd is not that leader. Join us at the HSS Amphitheater on Tuesday at 10:30 to make our
voices loud and clear.

02/16/2018

if you haven't yet, call Chancellor Davenport and tell her that as a concerned student, worker, or community member you want her to

02/16/2018

This is the group that we are allowing to come to campus tomorrow.

12/24/2017

There is white supremacist, n**i propaganda on the Rock this morning.

This is not innocent. TWP = the Traditionalist Worker Party, a neo-n**i party that promotes white supremacy and fascism. In the words of their founder and leader, matthew heimbach, they are virulently anti-Semitic, anti-Black, and anti-LGBT. They openly glorify hi**er and the n**i party and believe in a white ethnostate, and have called for genocide to get there. You have seen them in action in Charlottesville, where they carried torches chanting "Jews will not replace us" and attacked counterprotesters. TWP leader matthew heimbach was scheduled to be the featured speaker at the rally where a white nationalist murdered Heather Heyer.

UT administration has done little to combat them. When TWP flyered on campus in September, administration put out a lackluster statement that the flyers didn't follow campus policy because they weren't posted by a student group. When the Rock was painted with white nationalist propaganda last week, UT's response was that the Rock was a free speech zone. That may be so, but why won't UT administration even acknowledge that this is fascist propaganda? Why won't UT administration condemn the violent n**is who are trying to take over this campus?

We can't rely on our administration to grow a backbone and do something about this. Tennessee has experience fighting these n**i scum. In August TWP and others held a rally in Knoxville on 17th street, where their 40 protesters where outnumbered by more than 3,000 counterprotesters. In October, they rallied in Shelbyville and were so outnumbered and intimidated by counterprotesters that they cancelled a rally they had planned later that day in Murfreesboro. At UT in September and last week, while administration was busy putting out milquetoast statements, students tore down TWP flyers and painted over the Rock. Now TWP has painted the Rock again and this time put their name on it, so there's no question that it's n**i propaganda.

UT community, what will we do now?

While our administration won't say it, we will: PSA unequivocally condemns the n**i scum trying to organize our campus and pledges to do everything in our power to fight them. Share this post if you do too.

04/04/2017

The Le***an, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center's mission is to create an inclusive, sustainable space of self-discovery for the LGBT community within the University of Georgia. We support and affirm every student inclusive of their sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expressi...

03/30/2017

We'd like to thank Chancellor Davenport for hearing out student concerns and meeting with us yesterday. We look forward to working with you

03/29/2017

03/29/2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 29, 2017
Coalition Launches Social Media Campaign

As members of our university celebrate school spirit with the largest human Power T, we approach the 1 year anniversary of the defunding of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. It’s been almost a year and our UT administration still does not have a plan for anything. Students are wondering what our leadership is going to do, whether it be regarding the institutional support for diversity and inclusion, the proposed budget amendments, the Pride Center, or the increased violence and attacks against marginalized students.

Meanwhile, we ask that members of our community reflect on their experiences:

“Fighting for the right to exist made everything about the college experience harder. College and the Q***r experience are hard enough as is, but when you face blatant institutional discrimination, it's no surprise we don't all make it. Unless you want to spend each breath fighting to exist, go elsewhere.” -Johnathan

“I wouldn't have come here because it's one thing when it's just your legislators or your administration infringing on your right to exist, but them working in tandem makes it almost insurmountable. Whether it's active or passive, marginalizing minorities is reprehensible, and enduring it for 4 years is not worth your time, energy, or money." -Geoffrey

“I wouldn’t have continued my education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville had I known how little the institution protects its marginalized students, staff, and faculty. Following the closure of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, I lost my graduate assistantship at the Pride Center due to the interpretation of Tennessee Public Charter 1066. We deserved, and continue to deserve, better.” -Amanda

“Why do I tell people not to come to UT? Check the video below.” -Thomas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1c20aW27oA&t=3s

We urge students to share their experiences with . If you are on Twitter, please feel free to tweet and .