WASHINGTON, D.C.—Teaching, learning and the pursuit of the truth—the fundamental obligations and purposes of higher education—are only possible in communities of mutual respect, inclusion and openness to individual differences. As an association of public institutions of higher education, AASCU is alarmed by acts or expressions of intolerance or disrespect toward any group, and views such attitudes as inimical and fundamentally incompatible with the core mission and purposes of higher education. We are dismayed to note two recently enacted state laws—with similar legislation pending in a number of states—that sanction discrimination by labeling it as protective of religious liberty or individual safety.

We believe it is wrong to stigmatize any group through discriminatory treatment, no matter what the putative excuse.  

 
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association of more than 400 public colleges, universities, and systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to underserved student populations, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development.