SPU faculty on Monday released their statement of no confidence in the Board of Trustees. Dr. Carlene Brown confirmed that a statement of no confidence was sent to the Board of Trustees via Provost Laura Hartley following a vote by faculty over the weekend.

In the statement, faculty lay out a list of four main concerns they have with the Board regarding the decision to keep the statement on human sexuality as well as steps the Board can take to regain the faculty’s trust.

The statement says that the faculty’s “duty of care,” “duty of loyalty,” and “duty of obedience” to SPU are not upheld by the Board’s decision and that “the Board’s actions imperil the ability of SPU and its community to flourish.”

The statement then goes on to describe in detail the faculty’s concerns, including a “lack of engagement with the community”, and the “misalignment (of the board’s decision) with the perspective of the community majority, ”

The final section of the statement of no confidence discusses the many ways keeping the statement on human sexuality could potentially harm SPU, including losing school funding and the inability to retain a diverse and high-quality staff.

The statement ends with faculty stating this vote of no confidence is not “a declaration of antagonism” against the board and requesting more staff and faculty involvement in future board meetings and decisions, as well as a plan to change or remove the Statement on Human Sexuality.

The full letter to the Board of Trustees containing the statement of no confidence can be found here.