Nine University of Arizona faculty members authored a letter calling for the removal of Tessa Dysart from her role leading Native American Initiatives, a demand that had drawn support from hundreds of supporters..

The June 5 letter was addressed to UA President Suresh Garimella and other top administrators. It demands Dysart's removal, the reinstatement of Julian Juan as director of Native American Student Affairs and the creation of a Native-led Faculty Council to advise on Indigenous issues.

As of June 17, the letter had received an additional 200 signatures by students, faculty, staff and community members.

“As members of sovereign tribal nations that have nation-to-nation relationships with the United States federal government, we ask you to respect our sovereignty and fulfill our requests,” the letter reads.

UA spokesman Mitch Zak said the university does not plan to make changes.

“Native students are valued members of the U of A community, and we have taken steps to support them by strengthening Native American Student Affairs,” said Zak. “NASA continues as an independent program… While we welcome input from members of our campus community, we are confident in NASA’s new leadership and the positive direction it is taking.”

The backlash follows the firing of Juan and the university’s decision to place NASA under Native American Initiatives’ leadership. The letter includes multiple criticisms of Dysart’s leadership and behavior, including allegations that she did not support student-led Land Back events and that she silenced a student at the February 2024 UA Tribal Summit.

That student, Jacquelyn Francisco, a second-year law student, addressed the incident on TikTok, citing a pattern of dismissive interactions with Dysart and Levi Esquerra, UA’s Senior Vice President for Native American Advancement and Tribal Engagement.

Francisco said she was initially invited to help organize a panel discussion about a Grist investigative article, but was later told the article contained “misinformation” and that students were responsible for the neglect they experienced on campus.

Quoting Dysart, Francisco said: “Tribal colleges do not prepare students for the academic or financial responsibilities of a 4-year institution like University of Arizona.”

Francisco also posted that Esquerra asked her to help “feature” the Navajo language on a law school sign, a request she found inappropriate.

“My language offered up as a decorative finish,” she said, calling the language sacred. “I was being asked to represent the Navajo Nation by myself.”

The letter accuses the university of political retaliation, power grabbing and bypassing hiring protocols. It says Juan’s termination reflects systemic issues in the Assistant Vice Provost position and a disconnect from the Native community.

The authors say Dysart was not recommended for her role by the original hiring committee but was instead unilaterally appointed by then-Provost Joseph Glover, who had been in the position for less than two months. Dysart had initially served on the hiring committee before resigning to apply for the job herself.

The letter also criticizes her qualifications.

It calls Dysart “a Clinical Professor of Law who has never published on Native American student retention or student advancement,” it states. “Dysart is not at par or nowhere near having the stellar reputation and qualifications of the Native Higher Administrators at ASU or NAU.”

According to her university bio, Dysart has served on the Arizona State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Arizona Board of Regents Free Expression Committee, and as a pro tem judge for the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Zak said she is a Harvard Law School graduate, published legal scholar and former clerk for a federal appeals judge.

The letter also includes a statement of no confidence in Esquerra, who is a citizen of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe. It says he lacks relevant experience in student or academic affairs and is not a faculty member.

His university biography highlights a 30-year career in economic and community development for Native Nations, but does not mention experience in student services.

Beyond administrative decisions, the letter points to deeper cultural concerns. While both Dysart and Esquerra are Native, the authors argue that cultural background alone is insufficient without community connection.

“These senior administrators lack understanding of Native American cultural norms, as they are not rooted in our communities,” the letter says.

Katherine Martinez is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at martinezk29@arizona.edu

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