Office of the Registrar

From: Office of the President

Dear OSU Community Members,

As I shared on Friday, Oregon State University and Washington State University initiated legal action to confirm the governance structure of the Pac-12 Conference, gain access to business information and protect the conference’s assets. Part of this action was a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the Pac-12 commissioner and conference from permitting the departing institutions to take control of the conference.

Today the request for a temporary restraining order was granted in Whitman County Superior Court in Washington. The Court ordered the parties to confer on a schedule for the next hearing on the governance question. In the meantime, the conference must receive unanimous consent on any board matters.

I am pleased with today’s decision. As the two remaining Pac-12 members, Oregon State and Washington State must be able to chart a path forward for the Pac-12—not the members that have chosen to leave it. We are confident in the merits of our position and look forward to working in a collaborative manner with the conference and departing members on a productive path forward. OSU and WSU, along with Pac-12 staff, have important work to do to protect the 2023-2024 seasons for all 12 schools’ student-athletes and plan for our future. 

As I have stated previously, we did not create or seek these circumstances. We remain firmly committed to stabilizing the Pac-12 as the first step to secure a future for OSU Athletics that serves the holistic health and well-being of student-athletes and their ability to compete at the highest level possible.

I greatly value and appreciate the OSU community’s continued support of the university and OSU’s talented student-athletes, coaches and Athletics staff. We will continue to provide updates, which you also can find at https://beav.es/TBs.

Sincerely,

Jayathi Y. Murthy, President