By Ian McIlvain and Teagan Fowler, Guest Writers
Over the summer, Xavier quietly fired faculty and staff who played important roles in supporting marginalized communities. Muslim Chaplain Tala Ali and theology professor Dr. O’Neil Van Horn were let go for various, undisclosed reasons. Due to a lack of administrative transparency, Van Horn’s students were only notified at the beginning of the semester that his classes will no longer be running.
Over the past few years, they both exemplified Xavier’s Jesuit values of solidarity and kinship and service rooted in justice and love by supporting students on the margins and defending their rights.
Tala worked in the Center for Faith and Justice, advised the Muslim Student Association and oversaw service and justice programming. Van Horn was a theology professor engaged in vital conversation to defend student rights.
They are beloved by students and have contributed critical work to advancing Xavier’s motto, “all for one and one for all.”
Despite their high achieving work, I among others believe the university has not been transparent as to why these two were let go with no forewarning or comment afterwards. Xavier has tried to ignore student questions and concerns for months, but these employees’ work and presence are too important to disregard.
Students are upset with the silence from administration regarding the nonrenewal of contract of two impactful faculty of the Xavier community.
By taking these steps we believe, the university has made clear what side they are on — and it is not the side of justice. From some students’perception, the decision to fire Ali and Van Horn seems intentional. To let go of those engaged in critical mission work devalues the Jesuit education and abandons our religious guideposts.
In a time of attacks on so many communities, we must not be silent, cast aside our Jesuit values, nor turn a blind eye to those that are marginalized. While I understand that personal details are confidential and we may never know the real reasons they were fired, the administration continuing to not acknowledge it and silence questions is not the way to handle this.
I have seen several other campus examples of student voices being pushed aside, including the three year on-campus living policy which was met largely with student disapproval and SGA’s incomprehensibleness and vaguity during the 2025 University Affiliated Organizations budgeting process. It is up to us to truly “set the world on fire” and protect the core of who we are as Musketeers.
As a community we must demand that the administration be transparent. If you feel as strongly about this as we do, please reach out to President Hanycz (president@xavier.edu) and Fr. Eric Sundrup (sundrupe@xavier.edu) to demand they be transparent and take action to stand up for Xavier’s values and all students. I have written an email template here if you would like to use it.
Please share the word about what is happening and continue making others aware of the injustices we see before us. This is not the first instance, nor will it be the last of the university trying to ignore its students and faculty. It is up to us to continue standing up for justice.