The Jefferson Council
@TheJeffersonC • 3,490 subscribers
Preserving Thomas Jefferson's legacy of freedom and excellence at the University of Virginia
Videos
Rachel Spraker (she/they) is the Assistant Vice President for Equity and Inclusive Excellence with the Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Virginia. Here she is discussing Allyhood and the Toxicity of Whiteness. Just another example of the intersectional-oppression ideology, colloquially referred to as wokeness at UVA.
The Jefferson Council2,820,901 Aufrufe • vor 2 Jahren
BREAKING: AAGHarmeetDhillon just went on CNN and confirmed what many suspected about UVA — namely, that the DOJ did not demand Jim Ryan’s resignation, and that UVA still hasn’t proven it’s complying with federal law. “I did express to leaders at UVA that we significantly lacked confidence at the Department of Justice that Jim Ryan, given his public statements and his ongoing public statements and his participation in groups talking about suing the Trump administration to avoid having to do exactly what we are requiring them to do.” She also revealed UVA has failed to prove it’s following federal law: “It isn't just Students for Fair Admissions. It's Title VII. It's Title IX. It's Title VI.” “I sent a sheaf of letters simply asking them to confirm compliance with Students for Fair Admissions… They didn’t. They haven’t. And to date, they still haven’t—almost three months later.” “I haven’t gotten anything in writing from UVA. They just didn’t respond at all. They’ve asked for extensions and extensions and extensions.”
The Jefferson Council361,301 Aufrufe • vor 11 Monaten
"The President of the University of Virginia was justifying the marginalization of students on Grounds—and doing nothing about it. At that moment, I knew that man should not be sitting behind the desk in Madison Hall." The Jefferson Council’s president, Joel Gardner, doesn’t hold back. In this must-watch thread, he exposes 15 years of decline at UVA—from scandal after scandal with no accountability, to bloated DEI bureaucracies, to the targeting of dissenting students and faculty—and Joel makes a powerful call for bold, urgent reform to restore the University’s core values. This is your crash course in everything going wrong at UVA. 🧵
The Jefferson Council202,202 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
🚨 BREAKING: At UVA’s Finance Committee meeting this morning, BOV member Doug Wetmore revealed the University has not dismantled DEI—despite earlier reports—and said Governor Glenn Youngkin sent a letter to the Board about it. “I mentioned DEI earlier… we got a letter from the governor asking us to make sure we're especially careful to extract those expenses from the operating budget of the university, both in the administrative overhead level and in the school units.” Wetmore added: “Don’t see much detail around that. I also think that particular issue is creating some real legal exposure for us.” Will the Governor’s letter be made public? 👀
The Jefferson Council124,700 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
🚨 UVA Didn’t Dismantle DEI — It Rebranded It. The University of Virginia’s Faculty Senate has quietly renamed its “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee” to the “Diversity and Inclusion Committee.” But don’t be fooled — this is not reform. It’s camouflage. Committee Chair Eric M. Ramírez-Weaver admitted as much, saying the rename was made “to reflect recent changes and best work with everyone in the administration in order to keep doing the work we've always been doing.” Let that sink in: Keep doing the work we’ve always been doing. This is the same faculty leader who has openly encouraged “workarounds” to bypass legal rulings and executive orders. So it’s no surprise that UVA’s response to mounting legal and public scrutiny isn’t to reconsider its approach — it’s to repackage it.
The Jefferson Council70,602 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
🔥 Harmeet Dhillon (AAGHarmeetDhillon) just called out UVA Law—her own alma mater—for playing the DEI “shell game” at today’s Senate Judiciary hearing on “Ending Illegal DEI Discrimination & Preferences.” “I went to University of Virginia Law School. They have done the same thing that you're describing as rebranding and simply saying that we're gonna keep doing things, use a shell game and confuse.” What’s the game? Rename illegal DEI policies as “community” or “belonging” initiatives while keeping the race-based systems intact. Her response? “We are not confused. We will get to it.” She compared it to the post–Brown v. Board backlash: “There were a decree came down from the Supreme Court that separate but equal was illegal… and yet… we saw government officials openly defying those orders by rebranding and using different methods, and it took decades to root that out.” “We see similar defiance, like we saw with the Dixiecrats, today in American institutions.” And the consequence is clear... “The biggest hammer that's going to cause change is the United States policy to simply stop wasting American taxpayer dollars and sending them to institutions that openly and blatantly violate federal law.” “We will not rest until we have completely eliminated these discriminatory policies in our institutions of higher learning that receive federal funding.”
The Jefferson Council58,127 Aufrufe • vor 11 Monaten
![Today, President Ryan is set to brief the Board of Visitors on how UVA is handling viewpoint diversity—an issue that’s drawn growing public scrutiny. UVA talks a good game while enforcing blatant double standards—tolerating some views, punishing others. Last year, we defended student Simon Goldstein after he was targeted simply for wearing a “Make America Christian Again” hat in UVA’s Elections class—a course specifically designed to encourage political debate around the 2024 race. The hat, both satirical and sincere, expressed his deeply held Christian convictions. Despite clear First Amendment protections, Simon was anonymously reported by a fellow student and summoned by the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights. He was interrogated for 30 minutes over Zoom—asked to explain his beliefs, justify his expression, and consider changing his behavior. UVA only backed down after we worked with national media and exposed the situation. Simon later spoke at our Annual Meeting. His words speak volumes: “On a Zoom call that lasted about 30 minutes, I was asked why I wore [the hat], whether I understood why others found it problematic, if I would change my behavior… The underlying implication was clear: Christian conviction is increasingly viewed as disruptive—even at a place allegedly dedicated to the free exchange of ideas.” We were there then. We’re watching now. And we encourage everyone to listen to Simon Goldstein’s full remarks—an expression of faith, courage, and principled dissent.](https://image.24vids.com/tw-1930971911363645869/amplify_video_thumb/1930969970227195904/img/vbpYCtl78wquv7T4.jpg)
Today, President Ryan is set to brief the Board of Visitors on how UVA is handling viewpoint diversity—an issue that’s drawn growing public scrutiny. UVA talks a good game while enforcing blatant double standards—tolerating some views, punishing others. Last year, we defended student Simon Goldstein after he was targeted simply for wearing a “Make America Christian Again” hat in UVA’s Elections class—a course specifically designed to encourage political debate around the 2024 race. The hat, both satirical and sincere, expressed his deeply held Christian convictions. Despite clear First Amendment protections, Simon was anonymously reported by a fellow student and summoned by the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights. He was interrogated for 30 minutes over Zoom—asked to explain his beliefs, justify his expression, and consider changing his behavior. UVA only backed down after we worked with national media and exposed the situation. Simon later spoke at our Annual Meeting. His words speak volumes: “On a Zoom call that lasted about 30 minutes, I was asked why I wore [the hat], whether I understood why others found it problematic, if I would change my behavior… The underlying implication was clear: Christian conviction is increasingly viewed as disruptive—even at a place allegedly dedicated to the free exchange of ideas.” We were there then. We’re watching now. And we encourage everyone to listen to Simon Goldstein’s full remarks—an expression of faith, courage, and principled dissent.
The Jefferson Council61,221 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Meet Matan Goldstein, the UVA student who sued the University of Virginia, its president and rector, and two pro-Palestinian groups—alleging he was “a victim of hate-based, intentional discrimination, severe harassment and abuse, and illegal retaliation.” UVA ultimately settled with Matan out of court. From his very first day on campus, Matan endured relentless antisemitism. He was harassed, targeted with hateful slurs, and even physically assaulted—all while the university turned a blind eye. After Hamas’s brutal attack in October 2023, some UVA student groups celebrated it as the “greatest feat of the 21st century.” Matan often stood alone, proudly waving an Israeli flag—but faced ongoing slurs, false accusations, and isolation. When he spoke out publicly about his assault because the university refused to act, Matan was charged with an honor violation and faced possible expulsion. The accuser? The President of Students for Justice in Palestine. Though cleared, Matan was subjected to “honor court lawfare.” While some professors supported him, the overall campus climate remains hostile. Many Jewish students, including Matan, no longer feel safe practicing their faith—he stopped wearing his yarmulke for his own protection. Under President Jim Ryan, UVA received an “F” from the Anti-Defamation League for its worst antisemitism crisis in university history. Ryan’s silence is not neutrality—it’s an abdication of his duty to protect all students. UVA needs new leadership committed to safety and equal treatment for every student—without exception.
The Jefferson Council50,539 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
![Gabe Kaminsky Gabe Kaminsky discusses with Ben Shapiro Ben Shapiro how UVA's internal review saw nothing wrong with Professor Tessa Farmer offering extra credit to students who attended a pro-Hamas rally five days after October 7th. UVA's DEI staff downplayed parental concerns as well. To echo Kaminsky, "Why would this [extra credit] be offered in the first place?"](https://image.24vids.com/tw-1769484203614236778/ext_tw_video_thumb/1769483928740548608/pu/img/Krue5ezTJ86_ggg1.jpg)
Gabe Kaminsky Gabe Kaminsky discusses with Ben Shapiro Ben Shapiro how UVA's internal review saw nothing wrong with Professor Tessa Farmer offering extra credit to students who attended a pro-Hamas rally five days after October 7th. UVA's DEI staff downplayed parental concerns as well. To echo Kaminsky, "Why would this [extra credit] be offered in the first place?"
The Jefferson Council79,031 Aufrufe • vor 2 Jahren
If a student at UVA is accused of using ChatGPT or generative A.I. to compose a paper, the Honor Committee doesn't test for A.I. hallucination or use A.I. detection software; they simply attempt to recreate the essay in ChatGPT using the same prompt. This seems like an incredibly ineffective way to approach this problem. In a world with A.I. and a rising number of honor offenses, maybe a return to single sanction would remedy the situation.
The Jefferson Council55,769 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Reddit is buzzing about the Spring Honor Committee update and a wave of cheating incidents at UVA—especially at the Darden School of Business. This comes as no surprise to us. At our annual meeting in April, TJC President Joel Gardner warned: "Cheating is so bad at Darden that they launched an investigation—but they uncovered so much misconduct, they were afraid to release the findings. They thought it would cause a scandal." The truth is out. The question now is: What will UVA do about it?
The Jefferson Council45,675 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
🎲 “How much risk are you willing to take?” That’s not a Vegas slogan — it’s UVA President Jim Ryan’s approach to compliance with recent DEI-related executive orders. Instead of reform, Ryan is focused on navigating the “gray areas” of the law — figuring out just how far UVA can push the limits without getting caught. “It’s not a math problem, it’s a judgment problem… it’s basically about how much risk are you willing to take.” Meanwhile, the Board of Visitors unanimously voted to dissolve UVA’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. UVA isn’t asking what’s legal — it’s calculating what it can get away with. Do you trust Jim Ryan to make that call? We certainly don’t!
The Jefferson Council40,912 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
The Ryan Administration has fostered a climate of fear and retribution among students and faculty at UVA, creating an environment where voices are silenced and students are afraid to speak up. As Joe Scarborough (JoeNBC) recently shared about UVA: "My daughter is afraid to raise her hand in class because if she says something politically incorrect, she’ll be immediately canceled. She’ll be shunned by classmates and destroyed on social media by noon. So they just stay quiet." This isn’t just a UVA issue—it’s a nationwide epidemic. Students across the country fear expressing unpopular opinions because of the threat of being “canceled.” But if there’s one place this shouldn’t happen, it’s at Mr. Jefferson’s University. If you believe in free expression and want to help restore accountability at #UVA,🔎 visit today and join the fight.
The Jefferson Council26,830 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
🚨 PLOT EXPOSED: At last night’s statewide United Campus Workers of Virginia call, activists laid out their endgame for UVA’s Board of Visitors—stall, delay, and wait for Abigail Spanberger. “If Abigail Spanberger wins in the fall, there's talk of resetting the whole UVa board.” They weren’t vague. The plan is to tie up Youngkin’s appointments in court and run out the clock. “One of the more likely things that could happen is Youngkin’s appointees get tied up in the courts… and if there’s a new governor… she could cancel those appointments and put somebody else in.” They cited Bert Ellis’s firing as precedent for wiping the board. “There was the recent case of Youngkin actually firing Bert Ellis… So there is precedent for removing members…” What was once quiet speculation is now an open strategy: obstruct reform, rig the board, and hope Spanberger wins so the illegal DEI regime can make its comeback.
The Jefferson Council16,790 Aufrufe • vor 10 Monaten
At UVA’s virtual orientation for international students, Academic Director Elizabeth Wittner framed the Honor Code and academic integrity as products of capitalism and questioned America’s foundational equality. But international students Siddharth and Fan cut through the noise with sharp insights. Siddharth emphasized that academic integrity is really about effort and genuine learning. Fan highlighted that when students cheat, your relationships are no longer grounded in trust. Their nuanced understanding put Wittner’s politicized narrative to shame — a reminder that students often grasp the soul of academic culture better than the bloated ranks of administrators who now outnumber them.
The Jefferson Council18,069 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
🚨BREAKING: The UVA Faculty Senate has passed a resolution of no confidence in the Board of Visitors. The resolution raises sharp concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding President Jim Ryan’s resignation—and demands that UVA employees make up 75% of the search committee tasked with selecting his successor. That would mark a major departure from precedent. During the last presidential search, the 22-member committee included just 5 faculty members. This vote signals a decisive escalation in the faculty’s campaign to be the primary decision-makers in choosing UVA’s next president. Shared governance is not a one-way street.
The Jefferson Council16,965 Aufrufe • vor 11 Monaten