An alumni group has accused the University of Virginia of deviating from its founder’s principles by offering a taxpayer-funded course that instructs students to consult animals about systemic oppression.
The Jefferson Council, an alumni organization dedicated to restoring Thomas Jefferson’s legacy of freedom and excellence at UVA, stated on social media that the university’s spring graduate course “Ecofeminist Poetry & Poetics” encourages students to “listen” to plants and animals to understand how “settler colonialism” and slavery thrive through species interconnectedness. The group cited a syllabus line reading: “Birds, goats, willow oaks, and lichen will accompany us through the semester.”
John Gardner, president of the Jefferson Council, called the course “inane and clearly agenda-based politicized” and noted it is “more suitable to be a course taught in Orwell’s ‘1984’ than at Mr. Jefferson’s university.” He added that such classes are part of a broader trend where universities have shifted curricula toward promoting predetermined political or social agendas focused on marginalized identity groups.
University records indicate associate professor Brian Teare, who identifies as “queer” and specializes in environmental humanities and “queer theory,” has taught iterations of this course for years. The group identified three other courses raising concerns: “Women and Gender in the Deaf World”; “Gender, Body Image, and Social Activism”; and “Queer Judaism.”
Gardner emphasized that Jefferson founded UVA to cultivate an educated citizenry essential for a republic’s success. He argued that Teare’s course—featuring quotes from activist Alexis Pauline Gumbs—fails this purpose by prioritizing political messaging over academic truth.
The university received over $338 million in state funding during the 2025 academic year, according to available records.
