UVM Faculty sign letter r.e. Kavanaugh controversies

University of Vermont Faculty AGAINST Kavanaugh and FOR Survivors of Sexual Assault

We, the undersigned University of Vermont (UVM) faculty, write in support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and all survivors of sexual assault. We also write against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and against the toxic conditions of gender, sexual, and racial inequality and violence that have been fomented by the country’s highest office holders. These are the toxic conditions that gave rise to Kavanaugh’s nomination and that his elevation to the Supreme Court would reinforce, including at the University of Vermont and in our wider community.

Last week UVM Police released its crime statistics for 2017 including 20 reported cases of rape and “fondling,” 14 reported cases of domestic violence, and 25 reported cases of stalking. These are only the cases that were reported, just one indication of how a nationwide culture of sexual predation and violence pervades our own campus, dorms, classrooms, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Of grave concern to us as well is the combined force of racism and misogyny that has been escalated and legitimated by the Trump White House and its appointees and nominees--its effects visible in racist messaging and threats on campus and cited by Vermont’s only female legislator of color as necessitating her resignation.

With this letter, we call on the U.S. Senate to commit to a thorough and independent investigation of the claims of Dr. Ford and of all other women against Kavanaugh. We further call on members of the University of Vermont community to stand with Dr. Ford and with survivors of sexual assault, and we call on the UVM administration to increase prevention strategies to combat assault and improve the humane and sensitive treatment of victims who report sexual violence. With and beyond this letter, we commit our voices and our power to oppose the confirmation of Kavanaugh and to the multiple threats he represents, including to the integrity of the judicial process itself.


Jamie Abaied, Psychological Science

Tatiana Abatemarco, Environmental Studies

Elizabeth Adams, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Sarah C. Alexander, English

Eve Alexandra, English and Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies

Allison Anacker, Psychological Science

Erica Andrus, Religion

Michael Ashooh, Philosophy

John Barlow, Animal & Veterinary Sciences

JB Barna, Social Work

Brad Bauerly, Political Science & Global Studies

Emily Beam, Economics

Caroline Beer, Political Science

Jean Bessette, English

Paul Bierman, Geology

Thomas Borchert, Religion

Sid Bosworth, Plant & Soil Science and UVM Extension

Vicki L. Brennan, Religion

Carol Buck-Rolland, Nursing

Eileen Burgin, Political Science

Chris Burns, UVM Libraries

Keith Burt, Psychological Science

Holly-Lynn Busier, Leadership & Developmental Sciences

Sarah Carleton, Theater

Jacqueline Carr, History

Sin yee Chan, Philosophy

Yolanda Chen, Plant & Soil Science

Thomas Chittenden, Business

Anne Clark, Religion

Michele Commercio, Political Science

Catherine Connor, Romance Languages & Linguistics

Nicole Conroy, Human Development & Family Studies

Meghan Cope, Geography

Celia Cuddy, Social Work

Daniel DeSanto, UVM Libraries

Dan Tam Do, UVM Libraries

Deb Ellis, Film & Television Studies

Maeve Eberhardt, Linguistics

Tina Escaja, Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies and Romance Languages & Linguistics

Amber Doiron, Electrical & Biomedical Engineering

Joshua Farley, Community Development & Applied Economics

David Feurzeig, Music & Dance

Brendan Fisher, Environmental Program, Rubenstein School of the Environment & Natural Resources

Yolanda Flores, Romance Languages & Linguistics

John Forbes, Theatre

Alice Fothergill, Sociology

Pamela Fraser, Art & Art History

Shirley Gedeon, Economics

John Gennari, English and Critical Race & Ethnic Studies

Joel Goldberg, Chemistry

Laura Haines, UVM Libraries

Paula Higa, Music & Dance

Laura Hill, Plant Biology

Jinny Huh, Critical Race & Ethnic Studies and English

Maria Hummel, English

Deborah Hunter, Higher Education & Student Affairs

Kyle Ikeda, Asian Languages and Literatures

Kirsten Isgro, Medical Laboratory & Radiation Sciences

Didi Jackson, English

Major Jackson, English

David A. Jones, Business

Vijay Kanagala, Higher Education & Student Affairs

Julia Katsnelson, German & Russian

Kate Kenny, German & Russian

Colby Kervick, Education

Mary Louise Kete, English

Nikki Khanna, Sociology

Felicia Kornbluh, History and Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies

Eric Lindstrom, English

Andrea Lini, Geology

Matt Liptak, Chemistry

Annika Ljung-Baruth, Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies and English

Don Loeb, Philosophy

Lokangaka Losambe, English

Trina Magi, UVM Libraries

Teresa Mares, Anthropology

Patricia Mardeusz, UVM Libraries

Lili Martin, Nursing

Brooke McCorkle, Music & Dance

Elaine McCrate, Economics

Margaret McDevitt, Art & Art History

Anis Memon, Romance Languages & Linguistics

Libby Miles, English

Beth Mintz, Sociology

Rachel Montesano, Romance Languages & Linguistics

Ana Morales-Williams, Rubenstein School of the Environment & Natural Resources

Charles-Louis Morand Métivier, Romance Languages & Linguistics

Harlan Morehouse, Geography

Helen Morgan-Parmett, Theatre

Ilyse R. Morgenstein Fuerst, Religion

Dianna Murray-Close, Psychological Science

Garrison Nelson, Political Science

Ingrid L. Nelson, Geography

Hilary Neroni, Film & Television Studies

Frank Nicosia, History and Holocaust Studies

Sarah Nilsen, Film & Television Studies

Deb Noel, English

Trish O’Kane, Rubenstein School of the Environment & Natural Resources

Amy O’Meara, Nursing

Holly Painter, English

Fiona Patterson, Social Work

Melissa Pespeni, Biology

Jane Petrillo, Community Development & Applied Economics

Elizabeth Pinel, Psychological Science

John Pirone, American Sign Language

Paolo Pucci, Romance Languages & Linguistics

Ann Pugh, Social Work

Donna Ramirez Harrington, Economics

Helen Read, Mathematics & Statistics

Dana Riger, Human Development & Family Studies

Patricia Riley, Music & Dance

Julie Roberts, Romance Languages & Linguistics

Kathleen Ross, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Malcolm M. Sanders, Physics

Scott Schaffer, UVM Libraries

Alice Schermerhorn, Psychological Science

Kathleen Scollins, German & Russian

Helen Scott, English

Jeanne Shea, Anthropology

Riin Sirkel, Philosophy

Lacey M. Sloan, Social Work

Brenda Solomon, Social Work

Peter Spitzform, UVM Libraries

Patrick Standen, Rehabilitation & Movement Science

Thomas Streeter, Sociology

Bridget Swanson, German & Russian

Eric Testroet, Animal & Veterinary Sciences

Martin Thaler, Theater

Brian Tokar, Environmental Studies

Regina Toolin, Education

Sarah Turner, English

Chris Vaccaro, English

Christine Velez, Social Work

John V. Waldron, Romance Languages & Linguistics

Eric von Wettberg, Plant & Soil Science

Laura Webb, Geology

Jacqueline Weinstock, Human Development & Family Studies

Nancy Welch, English

Jenny Wilkinson, Animal & Veterinary Sciences

Jamie Williamson, English

Sean A. Witters, English

Hyon Joo Yoo, Film & Television Studies