"This is not an action that shows the love that the Samford family has for everyone in the Samford family"

Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

I am writing this email to extend my regrets that you felt you had to deny Samford Together a vote before the Board of Trustees, despite support from every level of campus previously. I do understand that you serve at the pleasure of the Board and that you must do what you believe is necessary to keep the University open and safe from a split that could tear it apart. However, I certainly feel that if you had allowed many faculty who spoke in the faculty meeting a chance to talk with the trustees in a low key atmosphere, that we could have helped them see that this group is not an advocacy group and is the lowest-key group to talk about LBGTQ questions I've ever heard of, much less encountered.

I know that students in Samford Together feel extremely hurt and disappointed, as well as misunderstood. This is not an action that shows the love that the Samford family has for everyone in the Samford family; neither is it reflective of the Samford I love and where I feel privileged to work.

I hope that this action will be undone, and that you will give Samford Together the opportunity to present their hard work before the Board of Trustees for a fair vote. 

Signed, 
A Faculty Member