Providence College administration accused of discriminating against LGBTQ+ staff and students

Providence College students, faculty and alumni are making public allegations of exclusionary attitudes toward LGBTQ+ students and employees on campus.

It began with the recent resignation of a key staffer dedicated to inclusion and has since boiled over into a denunciation of the administration, signed by more than 500 faculty, students and alumni.

The anonymously authored open letter to the college's president, the Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, accuses the school of "hypocrisy toward and systemic oppression of LGBTQ+ people at PC." Dated March 18, the online Google document states that PC has prohibited pride flags and the word "pride" when discussing sexuality or gender.

What caused the outcry?

The tipping point was the resignation of E Corry Kole, a nonbinary employee hired in 2020 as a resource coordinator for the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, and later promoted to director of DEI education and professional development. Kole left the post in early March "after senior leadership at the college thwarted their efforts to fulfill their job description," the letter alleges.

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Now, the campus community is outraged. Signatures on the letter ballooned into the hundreds after just two days, showing a wave of support for its message.

In the meantime, Sicard has promised a statement on the college's stance on its queer community. After three years, the campus is still waiting.

What's in the statement, and what's taking so long?

It isn't clear exactly what Sicard's statement will entail. In an email to faculty, which The Providence Journal obtained, Sicard described it as "a long-awaited statement titled 'Responding in Love to the Members of our Community who Identify as LGBTQ' which defines the College’s response to allies and the members of the Friar Family who identify as LGBTQ."

But it's not that easy to write, he suggested.

"Due to the sensitivity of this issue at a Catholic and Dominican college, the statement has been in process for more than three years and has undergone numerous iterations," Sicard said. "Dozens of people have provided input to and feedback on this document."

One of those people was James Waters, a biology professor and trans woman who said she was asked two years ago for her feedback on a draft.

Waters described it as containing "long theological, almost legal arguments about why it's OK to be LGBTQ inclusive on campus." She said she couldn't understand why it was necessary, as similar letters don't go out for other groups of people.

"As a queer person on campus, I am petrified," Waters said, describing a "fear that permeates the air that we’re not welcome."

"People who are queer walk on this campus every day with that fear that it’s not going to be OK to be here today," Waters added.

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Alex Melvin, a trans woman who recently resigned from her job as a digital scholarship developer in the college's library, described a similar environment.

"Some people are afraid of being out, or if you are just kind of out, you’re always wondering when is it going to be an issue at different points in your career at PC," Melvin said. She said she resigned in February partly because of "the atmosphere and different things I experienced and witnessed."

What is PC saying about the letter? Sicard 'aware of it.'

Providence College spokesman Steven Maurano did not directly counter the letter's allegations about the climate on campus, but he said Sicard is "aware" of the memo.

Maurano confirmed Kole's dates of employment and departure, as well as their job titles, though he did not offer any further details on Kole. The Journal was unable to immediately reach Kole for comment.

Maurano said that in late January, Sicard released a statement called "'Fashioned by the One Creator,' which addressed the College’s position on issues related to racial, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity." After that, according to Maurano, Sicard announced he would put out the statement on the LGBTQ+ community.

Sicard is planning to release it after Easter break. He said his administration will "recognize the rights and dignity of each member of our community while honoring and remaining faithful to Church teachings on human sexuality."

Heather McPherson, associate professor of studio art and former chair of the Department of Art and Art History, found the message murky.

"It feels like a strategy on their part to be confusing," McPherson said, "and to keep people uncertain about where the college stands on queer people."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Resignation of DEI director at Providence College sparks backlash