Dear editor,

We are members of the Grand Valley State University University Academic Senate and were present at the UAS meeting on Friday, Dec. 2, which George Lundskow recounts in his recent op-ed in the Lanthorn. We disagree with Lundskow’s account that he was “shouted down” and “bullied into silence” by apparent Trump supporters.

While we are not Trump supporters, the topic on the senate floor was not individual political views, but rather how UAS as a body should affirm GVSU’s values of inclusion and respect in the wake of a divisive election. This conversation is ongoing, and much of the discussion last Friday focused on how to support all students and faculty, regardless of their views on the outcome of the election.

Lundskow is welcome to share his opinions publicly on his own time; the senate, however, must fulfill its responsibility to act on behalf of the faculty in order to be credible and respectable.

Sincerely,

Matthew Boelkins, mathematics professor, Jonathan Hodge, mathematics professor and Charles Pazdernik, classics professor