As members of the Department of Geography at Ohio State, we are actively and energetically engaged in the pursuit of knowledge through both teaching and research. Geography is a broad and inter-disciplinary field, and brings together students and educators from a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and training. Hence our teaching and research activities reflect core values of honesty, tolerance, collegial engagement, and respect. Our department has a wide range of courses that touch on many relevant contemporary issues including climate change, racism, and immigration, to name just a few. We are passionate about our teaching and research in these and other areas, as we expect others are about their work. Respectful, tolerant, and open minded debate is at the very heart of what it means to be a geographer in our department, and to participate meaningfully and fully in the everyday life of a great university like Ohio State.

These values have come into sharp focus in the turbulent aftermath of the recent election. We echo and endorse the calls for collegial and respectful interaction from the president and many university leaders.

To be crystal clear, the faculty in our department cannot and will not condone any form of hateful speech or actions in the classroom or on campus. We will react in the strongest possible terms when such actions occur against us, our students, or staff.

The Faculty of the Department of Geography