Although we use our hands to speak, this department will not go silently.
We will fight for our right to stay and teach at this university. Not just for the students, but for representation, cultural diversity, and belonging that this program brings to so many.
This cut has removed our Deaf faculty—individuals who have lived and embodied this culture and language. By excluding them from teaching their own culture, we are further marginalizing an already oppressed group. This is oppression at its finest, and supporting the action of removing DEI from institutions.
-The text above was written by Cammi Connolly and is re-printed from an online petition that they created to try and save UMD’s Deaf Studies minor. If you haven’t already, we urge you to sign and circulate the petition. Here is the link for it: https://www.change.org/p/bring-back-the-deaf-studies-minor We also urge our readers to follow the instagram account of Save Deaf Studies at: https://www.instagram.com/save.deaf.studies.umd/
Below is a timeline of what has unfolded so far. It is reposted from this website that was created by students mobilizing to save the Deaf Studies minor: https://sites.google.com/view/save-deaf-studies
What's written here is a complete timeline of the information all students have received from the administration. If you read the emails, you will find that the administration has not given students a plan to complete the minor at UMD; they have only provided a class guide to other colleges and later promised a "pathway forward". We don't know when or how we will be able to complete our minor at UMD. Administration has given us blanket statements meant to reassure our concerns without actually answering our questions or giving us a space to voice our concerns.
***Update as of Monday, April 7th 7:39 pm ***
We have just gotten a confirmation that UMD will offer courses for Deaf Studies students to complete the minor in the next 3 years, however, most classes for the Fall semester 2025 are still unavailable. We have now been offered a forum tentatively planned for Thursday, April 10th, with no time scheduled. Thank you for helping us call out the administration to get the answers we deserve.
Timeline of administration's information
Friday, March 28th, Chrissy Cariveau (a faculty member in the Deaf Studies Program) and Mary Soltis (ASL Lab Staff Member) had a meeting in which they were independently told the program was being cut.
Monday, March 31st at 11:25am, students received an email saying:
Good morning, [student];
I am writing today to inform you that effective immediately, UMD will no longer be offering the Deaf Studies minor. We will still be offering the 4 semester sequence of ASL2001-3004. This was an extremely difficult decision that needed to be made in order to comply with the University of Minnesota mandate to reduce our budget.
Since you have already completed (or have in progress) ASL 3003: Intermediate American Sign Language I or higher at UMD you have the opportunity to take courses through another school to fulfill the remaining requirements. UMD policy is that 3 credits at the 3000 level of a minor must be completed at UMD. CEHSP Advising has created this transfer guide to help students identify courses already reviewed as direct equivalents to courses required for the Deaf Studies minor. If it is your intention to attempt to complete the Deaf Studies minor, please indicate so here: Intention to complete minor form.
Thank you,
Ann M Miller, M.Ed., Director | Advising & Academic Services
Monday, following the news, students begain emailing administration follow-up questions.
Tuesday, April 1st, Cami Connolly started a petition on Change.org to save the Deaf Studies minor.
Thursday, April 3rd at 2:01pm students received an email saying:
Greetings all,
First, let me thank each and every one of you who have reached out to express your concern about the recent information that has been shared concerning the coaching minor and the deaf studies minor. I admire and appreciate your advocacy!
We are writing to provide currently enrolled students with additional information on changes to the coaching and deaf studies minors. We have heard questions from some of you regarding various details about the status of these programs following information that was shared about fall registration.
New enrollments in the deaf studies minor have been suspended beginning fall 2025. Any currently enrolled student will be provided a pathway to complete their program at UMD within a reasonable amount of time. The college administration and advisors are here to provide you with support for academic planning. Pausing new admissions to this program provides us the opportunity to consider its future structure, and that could include creating an ASL minor.
Courses for the coaching minor continue to be available in the fall 2025 class schedule for new and returning students.
Registration for fall 2025 courses begins prior to final decisions on budget, staffing, and related university operations. Given this timing, some course offerings needed to be adjusted to provide flexibility as we finalize plans over the next few months. While changes to academic programs occur regularly, UMD’s mission to provide a well-rounded educational experience is not changing.
We are planning to hold a forum to hear from you and answer your questions. The details are still in the works and we will follow up when they are available. UMD aims for a strong sense of belonging and an enriching experience in all of our programs. We appreciate the passion and advocacy of the campus community.
Sincerely,
Jill A. Pinkney Pastrana, Ph.D., Dean
Thursday, April 3rd at 4:32pm students received an email saying:
Hello,
Thank you on behalf of Chancellor Nies, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Rebecca Ropers, and myself for reaching out to share your concerns regarding program changes under consideration for UMD.
Our top priority is to provide transformational education and research consistent with UMD’s broad mission. So, it is wonderful to read that the student experience at UMD has been, and is being, enriched by the opportunity to enroll and participate in Deaf Studies courses. We aim for that sense of belonging and purpose to be fostered in all programs for students at UMD.
Academic program offerings do change over time and they may suspend admission for new students. For programs that do change, currently enrolled students are provided a pathway to complete their program within a reasonable amount of time.
Students enrolled in the Deaf Studies Minor should look for a message from CEHSP, which will provide additional information in this matter. The college administration and advisors will assist in future academic planning.
Registration for fall 2025 courses precedes final decisions on budget, staffing, and related university operations. Some current adjustments to course offerings are needed to provide appropriate flexibility as we finalize plans over the next few months.
Again, thank you for being engaged and sharing your perspective. UMD’s commitment to a healthy program array and transformational student experience is not changing, even as program offerings may change over time.
Best regards,
Matt Massman, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations
Friday, April 4th, the UMD school newspaper, The Bark, published its piece covering these events, which many students felt contained inaccuracies. Currently, the students have been emailing Bark representatives regarding the issue.
Friday, April 4th at 2:21pm, Brynn Pachan sent an email to the Chancellor's Office, UMD Academic Affairs, Vice-Chancellor-Finance-And-Operations, Jill Pinkney Pastrana, and Scott Carlson
Dear Decision Makers at UMD,
We, the students of UMD, formally request an open forum to take place early in the week of April 7th to address the abrupt elimination of the Deaf Studies minor. This decision was made without warning, without consultation, and without input from the very students it directly impacts—students who are paying members of this institution. Additionally, there was no communication with the entirety of the Education or Deaf Studies Department, leaving both faculty and students blindsided.
Many of us have sought answers from you, yet our inquiries have been met with silence. The few responses we have received are inconsistent, unclear, and fail to provide a straightforward explanation. UMD claims engagement as a core value, yet you refuse to engage with the very students who are most affected. You claim inclusivity, yet you exclude us from critical decisions about our education.
The Deaf Studies minor is not just an academic program—it is a vital resource that fosters understanding, accessibility, and advocacy. Eliminating it strips students of the opportunity to gain meaningful education about a historically marginalized community, reinforcing barriers rather than dismantling them.
For many, the availability of this minor was a defining factor in choosing UMD. Through this program, we have built connections, broadened our understanding of Deaf culture and history, and gained invaluable knowledge. While some students, like myself, have been fortunate enough to complete the minor, others now face serious academic and financial consequences. Some are left scrambling to complete requirements with no clear path forward, while others may be forced to abandon their plans entirely. This is not merely an inconvenience—it is an act of exclusion and erasure.
We are not asking for courtesy; we are demanding accountability. The students of UMD deserve transparency, communication, and the opportunity to be heard. We expect this forum to be scheduled promptly and look forward to your response.
Sincerely, on behalf of Deaf Studies students,
Brynn Pachan
Sunday, April 6th at 8:29 am, Brynn Pachan received an email back stating:
On behalf of Chancellor Nies, Executive Vice Chancellor Ropers, and myself, I want to thank you for sharing your concerns regarding program changes under consideration at UMD. Our top priority is to provide transformational education and research, so it is good to hear that students have been enriched by their experience.
In our efforts to optimize UMD's impact in our community, we regularly reevaluate academic program offerings to ensure we are meeting students' and community needs as well as we can given existing resources. We are currently in that review process and will make programmatic decisions in upcoming months. Given the programs we are discussing, we adjusted some course offerings in the fall 2025 catalog to ensure that students were able to begin registration with accurate information.
Students currently enrolled in Deaf Studies received a message from their college on April 3rd to supplement, clarify, and correct information that was sent on March 28th. Advisors in that college stand ready to answer students' questions and help them with academic planning. To be clear, students currently enrolled in a program will be provided a pathway to complete that program within a reasonable amount of time.
Again, thank you for urging us to keep UMD as strong as possible. We take community perspectives seriously. We are committed to offering a transformational experience that meets students' needs, even as we must make hard choices about how we must sharpen our focus given our current fiscal realities.
Matt Massman, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations
Sunday, April 6th at 2:52pm Brynn Pachan responded to the Chancellor's Office, UMD Academic Affairs, Vice-Chancellor-Finance-And-Operations, Jill Pinkney Pastrana, and Scott Carlson original email stating:
Dear Decision Makers at UMD,
It seems that despite multiple attempts to communicate, we have still not been heard. We have read your emails and announcements, but we remain without answers—and we are not satisfied.
You claim that students “will be provided a pathway to complete their program at UMD within a reasonable amount of time.” However, no concrete plan has been presented. There are no classes scheduled. Faculty have not been rehired. How are students expected to complete their program without instructors or coursework?
What does “a reasonable amount of time” even mean? Some students are set to graduate next year. They do not have time to wait. They need answers now.
You say this decision was made due to budget cuts, yet the Deaf Studies program is the only program being eliminated. Other minors, such as coaching, remain untouched. Why is Deaf Studies—one of only two programs like it in the entire state—the one to be cut?
You have not reassured us. Instead, you directed us to take classes at other schools, ignoring the financial and logistical barriers that prevent many students from doing so. That is not a solution—it is a dismissal of responsibility.
Have you consulted with students? Have you held any meetings with those directly impacted? Why was the decision made “effective immediately,” only to be walked back after outrage? We still do not have clarity. We are still left scrambling. We are still angry.
Deaf Studies is not disposable. It is vital. It is meaningful. And we are demanding that you treat it—and us—with the respect we deserve.
GIVE US OUR MINOR BACK.
Sincerely,
Brynn Pachan
–On behalf of concerned Deaf Studies students
Monday April 7th from 2-4pm a student led protest was held around UMD campus
NEW UPDATE Sent by Jill Pinkney Pastrana to Deaf Studies students on Monday, April 7th, 7:39pm
Greetings (again) to all Deaf Studies minors,
I wanted to take a moment to share a couple of updates and clarify my previous message. We can confirm that UMD will offer courses over the next three years that will provide the opportunity for all currently declared Deaf Studies minors to complete the minor at UMD.
I also want to let you know that we are working to find a time for an open forum to hear your concerns more fully - I thank all of you who have already reached out - and share additional information that may be helpful. At this point the exact time is not confirmed, but we are hoping to hold this forum on Thursday afternoon. I will reach out again soon when the precise time and place are confirmed.
I look forward to meeting with you all.
Jill A. Pinkney Pastrana, Ph.D., Dean
Monday, April 7th at 6:16pm Northern News Now published an article on the protest.
Monday, April 7th at 9pm FOX21 published an article on the protest.
Monday, April 7th at 11pm WDIO ABC published an article on the protest.
If you have recieved any other emails from administration that contain relevant information and you want to share it please do so by forwarding the email to Lynch953@d.umn.edu.
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