Affirming our Community Responsibilities in LCAL
In This Section
Sept. 13, 2026
Dear colleagues and students,
As many of you are aware, Dr. Uju Anya published a series of social media posts that are incredibly offensive and are in direct violation of LCAL’s policy on Community Responsibilities, which sets expectations for how members of our department should communicate, especially in cases of differences of opinion. To cite the policy directly:
“We are all responsible for following the University’s Code of Business Ethics as well as the Department’s commitment to diversity, which does not tolerate harassment, discrimination or disrespect in any form. This applies equally to our on-campus communications as well as to our personal off-campus communications where there is a reasonable perception or expectation that we are acting as representatives of LCAL, Dietrich College, and/or ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ.â€
Dr. Anya’s social media posts invoked LCAL, ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ, and individual members of our faculty, blurring the lines between what might be considered offensive but personal opinions and an implicit or even explicit endorsement of her views by our community. The online reaction to these posts has been intense and overwhelmingly negative. For many of us, it has created a sense of fear for our personal safety on and off campus.
The safety of our community is of utmost importance, and I have been coordinating with Dietrich and University leadership, University Police and FIRM to address individual and collective concerns. At this time, University Police have not identified any credible threats, although you may notice additional security in and around Posner Hall, and they continue to monitor the situation closely.
I understand how deeply concerning this is for members of our community. Any faculty or staff in need of additional support for their well-being are encouraged to reach out to me or to contact GuidanceResources, ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµâ€™s confidential employee assistance program. Students are encouraged to reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services.
I will follow up momentarily with a separate communication about additional plans and procedures for this week.
With warm regards,
Adam van Compernolle
Interim Head, Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics