To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. It was the reply-all no one wanted, and it came on a Friday in October just after lunch, when the students at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry were in clinical rotations with patients or had checked out for the weekend. The inciting email was sent by the college dean, David Johnsen, addressing the September 22, 2020, executive order from then president Donald Trump that banned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training for the military, federal agencies, government contractors, and recipients of federal grants, including universities and nonprofits. Johnsen’s email didn’t condemn the president, nor did it mention the president by name. It did voice concern about the effects of the order, which had brought DEI initiatives across the country to a sudden halt. “Though we understand the importance of complying to avoid a potentially devastating impact on University of Iowa operations and funding, we stand unified against this order and its attack on people and free speech,” it read.