The Texas A&M University System’s Board of Governors unanimously approved a policy that would require campus presidents to approve courses that could be seen as advocating “racial and gender ideologies” or addressing sexual orientation or gender identity.
The policy defines racial ideology as “an attempt to shame a particular race or ethnicity” or “promote activism on issues related to race or ethnicity rather than academic instruction.” Gender ideology is defined as “a concept of self-assessed gender identity that is an alternative to, and separate from, biological sex categories.”
The regents also approved rules prohibiting faculty from using materials that deviate from the approved syllabus. Both the “racial and gender ideology” ban and syllabus requirements will take effect immediately, but enforcement will reportedly begin in the spring 2026 semester. texas tribune.
The recording that triggered the crackdown
The changes were approved after a conservative student secretly recorded a professor discussing gender identity in a children’s literature course. The student argued that the concept of gender identity violates her religious beliefs and President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring there are only two genders. She also recorded a conversation with the university president, who refused to fire the professor.
The recording was widely circulated on social media, sparking outrage from conservatives who claimed it was an attempt to “teach” students to accept their gender identity as legitimate.
Regents Chairman Robert Albritton said the board received 142 written testimonies regarding the new policy and defended the proposal.
“It’s not a problem for us to discuss these things,” Albritton said at the Nov. 13 board meeting, referring to items that require prior approval. “So the issue is to take sides on both sides of the equation.”
Albritton indirectly referenced a social media thread by state Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian), a Texas A&M alumnus, denying that political pressure influenced the university’s decision. supported by a handrail Liberal professors and courses that touch on LGBTQ content. Harrison was one of several Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, to call for the professor’s removal.
The new policy has already caused confusion among some faculty members, according to . tribune. In an email obtained by the magazine, Simon North, interim dean of the Texas A&M College of Arts and Sciences, acknowledged that questions remain about how the rules will be implemented, including “the criteria for determining when course content is considered relevant, controversial, or inconsistent with the syllabus.”
North said he is working with the provost’s office to address these questions and will seek input from other university leaders and deans.
The board also imposed new rules to audit course content at all 12 campuses every semester to ensure professors are adhering to the approved syllabus. Universities must enter their syllabuses into a database, which is scanned by artificial intelligence for content that deviates from approved course content.
The university has also launched a system where students can report “inaccurate or misleading course content” 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and complaints will be reviewed and acted upon by university authorities.
The new policy has drawn criticism as a form of censorship, with free speech advocates and university professors saying it is vague, ill-defined and an attack on academic freedom.
“If administrators decide what to teach, it makes no sense to hire professors with Ph.D.s,” Robert Sibley, special counsel for campus advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said in a statement. “Teachers will start asking, ‘Is this accurate?'” But, “Will this cause any problems?” It’s not education, it’s risk management. ”
Professor caught in political crossfire
Critics also note that professors were already concerned about self-censorship after the professor at the center of the viral video controversy, Melissa McCall, was fired by former Texas A&M president Mark Welsh III. Mr. Welsh initially defended Ms. McCall, but ultimately fired her under pressure from Texas Republican lawmakers and demoted her position as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and dean of the English department. The pressure continued, and eventually Mr. Wales himself was forced to resign.
Ms. McCall filed her dismissal through the university’s Committee on Academic Freedom, Responsibility, and Tenure. Last week, the University Committee found that her dismissal was “unfair,” saying the university failed to follow proper procedures and that no just cause was proven, according to the newspaper. Associated Press.
The university said in a statement that Interim President Tommy Williams has received the committee’s non-binding recommendations, meaning the committee does not have to follow them.
Another faculty committee concluded in September that McCall’s firing violated academic freedom, the paper said. tribune.
McCall’s attorney, Amanda Ryczek, told The Associated Press that she expects the dispute to end in court, saying the university appears prepared to contest the committee’s findings and that Williams faces the same political pressure from Republicans that Welsh faced.
“Dr. McCall maintains that the flimsy reasons for her termination provided by A&M are a pretext for the university’s true motive: capitulation to Governor Abbott’s demands,” Ryczek said in a statement.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
