A group of members of LSU’s Student Government have crafted a letter intended for university officials stating their disapproval of the decision to close Unity Field for the remainder of the football season.
The letter was written by College of Humanities and Social Sciences Sen. Chloe Berry and signed by 22 additional members of the Senate, including the Speaker of the Senate Ethan Elmer.
“The irony isn’t lost on us: a place literally named ‘Unity’ Field was taken away,” the letter reads.
Unity Field is where many of LSU’s Black Greek organizations host their tailgates.
The letter says diversity is a vital element of LSU and inclusivity is being threatened by administrators and the federal government. Berry wrote that the administration has placed “limitations on our curriculum, restricted us from certain resources for our clubs, and diminished our freedom to organize.”
“Diversity is what makes LSU beautiful,” the letter reads. “Our differences are our strength. As tigers, we stand united.”
In February, LSU complied with the federal government’s order to eliminate all Diversity, equity and inclusion references around the university.
Berry wrote in the letter that she could not reserve a table for an event in Free Speech Alley last spring because she was using it for her organization whose “mission is to represent the Black student community” and that was “no longer permitted.”
“We understand the university has to comply with federal mandates to survive,” the letter says. “But we are the students who keep this university alive through our tuition, our energy, our dedication to this institution. Our voices matter too.”
The members advocate for “a more inclusive LSU” for the future generation in the letter.
“We are hopeful that true unity means celebrating our differences, not erasing them,” the letter says. “Unity isn’t uniformity.”
The group sent the letter to university officials, including Interim President Matt Lee, Board of Supervisors Chair Scott Ballard and Vice President of Engagement, Civil Rights & Title IX Todd Manuel. It was also sent to the Student Government president and vice president, Lavar Henderson and Abry Layrisson.
