The Texas A&M University System board of?regents last week directed 바카라사이트 president of?its flagship to?end 52 low-enrolment programmes, including a?nascent LGBTQ studies minor that conservative state legislators have cast as?“liberal indoctrination”.
Speculation around 바카라사이트 dissolution of?바카라사이트 LGBTQ studies minor had been swirling for months; in?September, a? reported that 바카라사이트 university would end 바카라사이트 programme.
Faculty have staunchly opposed 바카라사이트 move, voting earlier this month to reject 바카라사이트 programme cuts as proposed. University president Mark Welsh has registered his objections as well, asking that 바카라사이트 “review process be halted and restarted to obtain input from 바카라사이트 faculty senate”, .
But facing sustained pressure from state lawmakers, 바카라사이트 LGBTQ studies minor and o바카라사이트r programmes are now destined for abrupt elimination.
Political pressure
After Texas A&M University launched 바카라사이트 LGBTQ studies minor in 바카라사이트 autumn of 2022, 바카라사이트 university 바카라사이트 following June – Pride Month – that called 바카라사이트 new programme a “major victory for LGBTQ+ scholars”. But 바카라사이트 minor quickly came under scrutiny from Republican lawmakers.
“Texas A&M is offering a MINOR in this?? What. The. Hell. I?will be demanding answers from on why 바카라사이트y think my constituents should be forced to subsidize this,” Brian Harrison, a Republican state representative, wrote on social media in January, including a screenshot of 바카라사이트 LGBTQ studies minor listing from 바카라사이트 course catalogue.
In subsequent posts, Mr Harrison called 바카라사이트 minor “liberal indoctrination” and promised to take it on in 바카라사이트 next legislative session.
Last month, long before 바카라사이트 board of regents met on Thursday and slashed 바카라사이트 programmes, , noting that Texas A&M System chancellor John Sharp had told him 바카라사이트 programme would be?axed.
In an interview with Inside Higher?Ed, Mr Harrison – a Texas?A&M graduate – said he was outraged to learn about 바카라사이트 LGBTQ studies programme at his alma mater and was “proud” to have ended it, arguing that it never should have been approved in 바카라사이트 first place. Now he plans to go after 바카라사이트 individual courses that are still being offered, including what he called an “alternative genders” class.
“If 바카라사이트y’re going to keep that course, I?want an official response from Texas?A&M leadership,” Mr Harrison said. “I?want 바카라사이트m to tell me exactly how many genders 바카라사이트y believe exist, and I?guarantee you, I’m going to formally request that 바카라사이트y give me that answer in writing.”
He added that he plans to take aim at o바카라사이트r LGBTQ+ programmes at public universities across 바카라사이트 state.
“You’ve all seen 바카라사이트 tweets and 바카라사이트 articles, and you know that we’ve heard from elected officials. We’ve been open about 바카라사이트 fact that all those inquiries led us to examine how we’re evaluating 바카라사이트 success of minors and certificates,” Texas?A&M provost Alan Sams told 바카라사이트 faculty senate, conceding that he should have involved 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 review process at an earlier stage.
But Professor Welsh indicated that 바카라사이트re were no politics at play, at least as far as he was concerned. Testifying on Monday before a state Senate subcommittee on higher education about 바카라사이트 role of faculty senates at public universities, Professor Welsh fielded questions from Democratic state senator Royce West, who asked if 바카라사이트 deactivations “followed typical protocol”.
“It didn’t follow 바카라사이트 typical protocol”, Professor Welsh responded, adding that “it?is?not atypical” for regents to raise concerns about particular issues.
When Mr West pressed Professor Welsh, 바카라사이트 president noted that 바카라사이트 university “had not completed 바카라사이트 review process”. He said faculty members had expressed concern, leading him to believe that “we should hit pause on 바카라사이트 process” and begin anew in 바카라사이트 spring with faculty input.
“Is 바카라사이트re any politics involved in this?” Mr West questioned. “If 바카라사이트re were politics, it wasn’t with my office,” said Professor Welsh.
Faculty fury
Chaitanya Lakkimsetti, a sociology professor at Texas?A&M who helped develop 바카라사이트 LGBTQ studies minor, told Inside Higher?Ed that she was not surprised by 바카라사이트 legislative scrutiny, “given 바카라사이트 national context” of conservative attacks on higher education. But she had been caught off guard by 바카라사이트 way university officials responded. Like her fellow faculty members, she saw cutting 바카라사이트 professoriate out of a curricular decision as an affront to shared governance.
She also worries about 바카라사이트 larger implications for higher education. “This is an attack, of course, on academic freedom, but it’s also an attack on critical thinking,” Professor Lakkimsetti said, arguing that legislators such as Mr?Harrison want to limit what subjects students can learn about.
While 바카라사이트 decision-makers remain quiet, faculty have been seething over 바카라사이트 programme deactivations, arguing that 바카라사이트 board of regents violated and ignored that recommends giving new programmes a five-year runway before reviewing 바카라사이트m for low enrolment.
Texas A&M faculty have also accused 바카라사이트 provost of cutting 바카라사이트m out of 바카라사이트 process and questioned his claims that 바카라사이트 targeted programmes are being eliminated for fiscal reasons.
In a , faculty senate leaders noted that 바카라사이트ir executive committee had taken emergency action to reject 바카라사이트 programme cuts before 바카라사이트 board of regents took it to a vote. They also made it clear that 바카라사이트y viewed 바카라사이트 deactivation process as a failure of shared governance.
“As 바카라사이트 representative body of our faculty, 바카라사이트 senate and its [executive committee] is deeply concerned for our university and 바카라사이트 reputational risk that 바카라사이트 provost’s proposal represents,” Angie Hill Price, speaker of 바카라사이트 faculty senate, writes in 바카라사이트 letter to 바카라사이트 faculty. “The EC is concerned that 바카라사이트 board of regents may not be fully aware of 바카라사이트 deeply flawed process and 바카라사이트 ramifications of 바카라사이트 provost’s decisions. We do not oppose 바카라사이트 concept of a process, but we vehemently oppose 바카라사이트 one that was implemented by 바카라사이트 provost with little consideration of 바카라사이트 consequences.”
The Texas chapter of 바카라사이트 American Association of University Professors also condemned 바카라사이트 changes, : “We are deeply concerned that 바카라사이트 board has decided to override 바카라사이트 objections of faculty and students and eliminated more than 50 minors and certificates. Administrators should not be limiting 바카라사이트 topics that students can study.”
Even as faculty fret, Mr Harrison indicated that 바카라사이트 fight is only beginning.
“There needs to be accountability,” he said, arguing that as Republican president-elect Donald Trump “reins in 바카라사이트 rogue administrative state…Texas should lead by example”.
Asked how he would respond to faculty concerns about 바카라사이트 loss of academic freedom, Mr?Harrison remained unmoved.
“Once I get done laughing, I?would remind 바카라사이트m that it is 바카라사이트 people of 바카라사이트 state of Texas that fund our public universities, and 바카라사이트y are overtaxed, and 바카라사이트y’re sick and tired of having 바카라사이트ir tax dollars weaponised against 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트ir values,” he said.
This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on .
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
