Thank you to everyone on the Diversity Scholarship Committee, and everyone
else involved in the decision to refuse to cave in to these demands to
change our scholarship program. I can only imagine how hard all of this has
been on you.

Linda Ballinger

On Fri, Dec 5, 2025 at 10:37 AM Speed, Michelle <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Clarifying the last portion of Ann Marie's email with the same message I
> have posted in Slack (initially in the code4libcon channel, then later in
> the general channel):
>
> Speaking as the Chair of the Diversity Scholarship Committee this year --
> I would like the community to know that the scholarship committee has been
> resolute in its decision to make no changes to the scholarship program.
> Each and every one of us remains committed to upholding Code4Lib's values
> including, but not limited to, supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and
> transparency. We appreciate the incredibly difficult situation that CMU is
> in and are thankful to the members of the LPC, particularly those at CMU,
> for working with the scholarship committee through all of this.
>
>
>
> Michelle Speed
> Metadata Librarian
> Baylor University Libraries
> 1312 S. 3rd St.
> Waco, TX 76706
> t: (254) 710-4442 | baylor.edu/library
> [cid:71f0133a-c174-4db9-9384-723effe701c0]
> ________________________________
> From: Code for Libraries <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Ann Marie
> Mesco <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, December 4, 2025 03:52 PM
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: [CODE4LIB] Update - Code4Lib 2026 Conference
>
> I’m writing to share my sincere apologies and to let you know that,
> unfortunately, we are no longer able to host the Code4Lib conference at
> Carnegie Mellon University. As a long-standing member of this community,
> this is not the outcome I had hoped for, and I am truly sorry to be
> delivering such disappointing news. These are challenging circumstances,
> and far beyond what any of us anticipated.
> Recently, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
> ordered Carnegie Mellon University to review all third-party partnerships
> for compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. As part of this
> review, the university determined that aspects of Code4Lib’s diversity
> scholarship program raised compliance concerns under Title VI and Title
> IX.In
> light of these findings, CMU has concluded that it cannot move forward as a
> host site. The LPC and Scholarship Committees explored whether adjusting
> the location or presentation of scholarship information might address these
> issues, including shifting content to external domains. However, it was
> determined that these changes would not resolve the underlying concerns
> related to compliance with federal, state, and local laws, as well as
> university policy. As a result, the university is unable to host, sponsor,
> or partner with a conference whose scholarship structure does not meet
> these legal requirements.We recognize the disruption this creates and
> deeply regret both the timing and the impact on the community. I am
> personally disappointed, and we only recently learned the extent of OCR’s
> involvement. Even so, we continue to hold deep respect for Code4Lib and the
> values it represents, and we remain hopeful that the conference will thrive
> in a venue fully aligned with its commitments to equity and access. If
> Code4Lib changes its scholarships programs to comply with Title VI, Title
> IX, and other applicable anti-discrimination laws, CMU would be happy to
> consider partnering with Code4Lib in the future.
>