The presidential search committee and the University’s external search firm announced Friday that the search would continue, despite a Faculty Senate resolution passed Nov. 14 which called for a pause.
In the years since the attack and following external reviews of the incident, the University has reshaped its threat assessment infrastructure, expanded emergency alert systems, reorganized student accountability operations and significantly built out mental health services.
In the letter, Spanberger urged the Board to hold off on selecting finalists in the search and not to appoint a president until she has filled five current vacancies.
While both the rejected Compact and the Justice Department agreement faced resistance from the University community and have several similarities, the agreement provides firmer protection for academic freedom.
“The important question, therefore, is whether following the DOJ guidance imposes substantial burdens on U.Va.,” Mahoney wrote. “The answer is clearly no.”
The guidance outlines the key federal antidiscrimination laws which it is based on, as well as examples of unlawful and potentially unlawful practices.
To get a more complete account of what took place, The Cavalier Daily reviewed court transcripts and other documents in addition to speaking to four residents of the house where the alleged incidents took place.
The eight-page letter expressed concern that the agreement is unconstitutional and asked Mahoney and Sheridan to “reconsider” the deal.
University leaders defended their deal with the Justice Department in a new letter sent to Charlottesville’s legislators Monday, arguing that it is a better deal than other universities have made and that it does not threaten the University’s autonomy.
"Our work does go unappreciated. We’re on call 24/7, [during] the holiday, in the middle of the night."
A few senators raised concerns about the potential impact of the agreement on admissions, the search for the next president and the heightened level of scrutiny it would create.
Here is a look at the decisions peer institutions have made, and the status of the University’s decision.
Although the University ultimately chose not to sign an agreement from the Trump administration, Interim University President Paul Mahoney left open the possibility of future collaboration and alternative approaches in his letter to the Education Department.
Prior to Mahoney’s rejection Friday, Tyler Coward, lead counsel of Government Affairs at FIRE and attorney, noted his specific concern with some language of the Compact.
The University has rejected the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which he received from the White House and Department of Education Oct. 1, according to a community statement released Friday evening by Interim University President Paul Mahoney.
