The Ohio University 2025 Black Alumni Reunion, originally planned for April 10-13, was placed on hold so the university and Alumni Planning Committee can assess the impacts of the “Dear Colleague” letter and the proposed State of Ohio Legislation, the Ohio Higher Education Act.
OU said in a statement that the Black Alumni Reunion is an important celebration open to all individuals interested, but the event needs to be reimagined in order to fit with Title VI compliance and the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights guidelines.
The university is always eager to welcome graduates back to campus, OU President Lori Stewart Gonzalez said, and is disappointed that OU needed to place the gathering on hold.
“As I shared with our University community earlier this week, in light of changes to federal and state guidance, we will need to think differently about some of the ways that we live out our mission and vision,” Gonzalez said. “I’m incredibly thankful for the Planning Committee’s willingness to work with us to reimagine this event moving forward.”
Previously, Gonzalez sent a letter to the university community Monday, after a Thursday protest, stating the university would not preemptively act on the pending legislation by defining specific changes OU may have to make.
“In the coming days, weeks and months, we very well may need to think differently about how we keep that promise,” Gonzalez wrote in her letter. “I will need your help, your energy and your creativity, and when the time comes, I will ask for it. So be ready. And, hold that sign in your mind as it will be in mine.”
Terry Frazier and Jillian Causey, co-chairs of the Black Alumni Reunion Alumni Planning Committee, said the news is difficult to share, and they remain committed to honoring the legacy and accomplishments of OU’s black alums.
“We will continue working with the University to develop a plan that aligns with evolving federal and state guidelines while preserving the significance of this gathering,” Frazier and Causey said.
