ATHENS — Today, ACLU of Ohio sent a letter to Ohio University Provost Elizabeth Sayrs and Dean Florenz Plassmann expressing our "serious concerns" about the potential defunding of Ohio University's Center for Law, Justice, and Culture.

The following statement can be attributed to J. Bennett Guess, Executive Director of the ACLU of Ohio:

"Since CLJC's inception, the ACLU of Ohio has been a close partner in supporting its mission to unite those who share a common interest in the law's constitutive and formative role in cultural, political, and social life. The potential loss of this substantive university offering, at a time of great partisan divide, political incivility. and legislative gridlock would have serious confounding consequences for our society, state, and nation. This is a profoundly wrong move at exactly the wrong time in the life of Ohio University and our democratic republic. Under Mr. Larry Hayman's leadership, CLJC has flourished, playing a crucial role in the development of curious legal minds, and setting up students for success. CLJC's supportive groups and innovative programs have especially uplifted students of color and those who are economically disadvantaged."

Read the letter below.