More than 260 faculty sign letter asking NU to ‘halt’ Ryan Field project for now

Some 262 Northwestern University professors have signed an open letter to President Michael Schill, Athletic Director Derrick Gragg and board of trustees Chair Peter Barris demanding improved transparency and accountability from administrators in the wake of multiple athletics scandals this week that ended with the football and baseball head coaches being fired in a matter of days.

“As faculty, we want Northwestern to be a place where all students will grow and thrive,” the letter states. “We are dismayed to learn that our students have been victims and also perpetrators of hazing, sexual assault, and racism, and that such behaviors have in some cases gone unchecked by authorities entrusted with students’ wellbeing.”

According to the current version of the letter available online, faculty sent the letter to Schill, Gragg and Barris late on Thursday night, July 13, with more than 260 professor signatures attached, including representatives across schools and departments within the university.

Among other things, the letter calls for the full, public release of attorney Maggie Hickey’s independent investigation into hazing in the football program, which Schill most recently said “will remain confidential” in a statement on July 10.

The professors also specifically ask the university to follow through on a 2021 resolution passed by the Faculty Senate demanding “a needs assessment for training and accountability measures within the Athletics Department.” That particular resolution came in the wake of a different scandal involving alleged misogyny and racism in the cheerleading program, which ultimately ended in the resignation of then-Athletic Director Mike Polisky after just nine days on the job.

But, “that assessment was never done,” the letter says, which also suggests the appointment of an ombudsperson specifically for the athletic department.

“Finally, Northwestern leadership should halt the planning and marketing of a new, $800 million Ryan Field until this crisis is satisfactorily resolved,” the letter concludes. “Over the past decade, Northwestern has made major and high-profile investments in athletics. We share an interest in ensuring the future success of NU athletics, and in stellar facilities where our students can compete on the highest level. But disturbing evidence of harassment and abuse – and high-level efforts to minimize those problems – suggest that we need to get the existing house in order before expanding it.”