Texas Conference of the AAUP

End Academic Censorship at Texas A&M University The Regents have the obligation to uphold academic freedom and encourage, rather than stifle, open inquiry in and out of the classroom.

⭐️👏✊Please add your name to the letter below and join PEN America — and the hundreds who have already signed — in sending a strong message in defense of academic freedom to the Texas A&M Board of Regents.

pen.org/dont-censor-...

Notable A&M alumni warn 'excessive' politics is reshaping campus leadership Some Aggie alumni and supporters are voicing worries about Texas A&M University's independence from partisan politics.

The warnings and worries are correct....

#LetStudentsLearn
#BTHOcensorship

What Will Be Left After the University of Texas Destroys Itself? UT-Austin has collapsed its race, ethnic, and gender studies into a single program while a new policy asks faculty to avoid “controversial” topics. But the attacks won’t end there.

AAUP UT Austin Chapter Pres. Karma Chávez: “It’s going to be bad in every possible way, and students are going to be the biggest losers.” 👇👇

www.thenation.com/article/soci...

Snapshots of Censorship: Taking an Ethical Stand "My class was cancelled because it did not fit neatly into how the Board of Regents preferred classes to address (or skirt around) topics of gender and race."

Dr. Leonard Bright on the censorship of his course: “I encourage my colleagues + allies to continue speaking out against this policy, not just for the Aggies and our community at Texas A&M, but for faculty and students across the state of Texas and for America’s democracy.”

pen.org/taking-an-et...

Texas A&M helped me thrive as a transgender person. Now, it's complicated. A mostly good college experience is hard to square with the school that exists now.

back from my socials sabbatical because for the past few weeks i've been trying to put down words about how it feels to be trans and see what's been happening at my alma mater, texas a&m university.

on being trans, texan, and loving things that can't love you back: www.chron.com/culture/arti...

Texas AAUP-AFT Spring 2026 Meeting Web Site: aaup-texas.org

👀 Check out this summary of our statewide conference meeting this past weekend. Advice + action items below! 👇

Amidst widespread attacks on academic freedom + shared governance in TX, our ranks are growing. Texas AAUP-AFT is now 2,700 members strong on 100 campuses!

aaup-texas.org/blog/f/texas...

How Many Women Teach in FAS? Harvard Won’t Say. | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson Nothing has changed in the composition of Harvard’s faculty to justify abandoning our commitment to racial diversity. The gender ratio in FAS does not suddenly warrant eliminating a modest seminar pre...

Anticipatory compliance at Harvard is hurting higher education everywhere. It must stop. @theharvardcrimson.bsky.social

“Academic freedom —the ability to research, teach, & learn without interference is essential to the quality of education we offer in North Carolina.

Do we want UNC to go in the direction of Texas or Florida or we do we want to uphold the reputation, standards & quality that it has for decades?”

The War on Student Speech Following disruptive pro-Palestinian protests in spring 2024, the federal government, state lawmakers and college officials have imposed sweeping restrictions on student speech, resulting in a wave of...

I finally got time this weekend to read Josh Moody's great story on the war against student free speech (including student journalism). You should read it, too:
www.insidehighered.com/news/student...

UNC-CH Will ‘Scrap’ New Recording Policy, Chancellor Says The move comes less than three weeks after the controversial rules were enacted.

Congrats to @ncaaup.bsky.social & all who fought against this surveillance policy that would've allowed admin to hijack microphones in the classroom for secret recordings.

This move would've chilled classroom discussion & suppressed students' willingness to ask questions & take intellectual risks.

Indoctrination isn’t happening at UT, despite what regents say UT professor argues claims of widespread campus indoctrination are unfounded, citing research showing students feel free to think independently.

An op ed next to mine claimed indoctrination is happening. The problem with that? The author had little evidence, only one weak study that said it “looks like” students are being indoctrinated.

Believe the EVIDENCE. Indoctrination is not a problem for higher ed and no excuse for censorship.

Texas is on the front lines of the fight against government suppression of academic inquiry. We must continue to hold the line against those who wish to control the range of topics that can be taught in the classroom.

Keep fighting. Our democracy depends on it.
@texasaaup.bsky.social
@texasaft.org

Inside Texas A&M’s Scramble to Censor Its Curriculum Documents reveal widespread uncertainty, even among administrators, over what professors could teach.

www.chronicle.com/article/insi...

UT didn’t sign Trump’s “loyalty oath” compact, but it’s acting like it did.

📢 “Trump’s compact would have stifled academic freedom at the risk of weakening the prestige, standing + output of Texas’ flagship university…this apparent de facto implementation of central parts of the agreement puts the institution squarely on that path.”

www.statesman.com/opinion/edit...

Texas Tech regents take no public action on teaching race, gender Some professors are waiting for a final decision on acceptable instruction under a review policy created by the system’s new chancellor.

“Six weeks after the spring semester began, the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents met Thursday but did not publicly answer a central question facing professors: What, exactly, are they allowed to teach about race, gender and sexuality?” 🤨

www.texastribune.org/2026/02/26/t...

They're paying attention in France!


#BTHOcensorship




booksandideas.net/Pl...

Feds Lied Their Way Into Dorm to Arrest Student, Says Columbia President The agents entered the campus at around 6:30 this morning, just before a neuroscience researched posted that “Dhs illegally arrested me. Please help.“

The agents entered the campus at around 6:30 this morning, just before a neuroscience researcher posted that “Dhs illegally arrested me. Please help.“
www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/26/e...

University community sounds alarm after decision to pause Pan-African Studies graduate program Many in higher education are sounding the alarm after a sudden announcement by the University of Louisville to pause the graduate program for the Department of Pan-African studies.

www.wkyt.com/2026/02/26/u...

Homeland Security has abducted another @columbiauniversity.bsky.social student under false pretenses. More information to come.

A photo illustration of the shadow of President Donald Trump is cast on the wall as he selects a new tool from toolbox on a desk with a broken hammer lying discarded on it.

ED’s DEI Guidance Is Dead, but Trump’s Crackdown Isn’t

Diversity advocates say the courts have been clear—Trump has no justification to ban DEI. But other legal experts say the administration has plenty of other tools it can use to accomplish the same goal. https://bit.ly/4aCtZsn

#EDUSky #HigherEd

The president of Texas Tech was hired by the Texas Tech Board of Regents. Every regent was appointed by Greg Abbott.

Texas public universities will continue to deteriorate until administrations are made accountable to all their stakeholders, not just to one person with an ideological agenda.

“Provost William Inboden, the chief academic officer of the university, has advocated for restoring public trust in higher education. At the same time, university leadership has consistently undermined trust on campus…Trust without transparency is impossible.” ⬇️

www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...

He refused to censor his syllabus — so Texas Tech cancelled his class In another blow to academic freedom in the Lone Star state, Texas Tech canceled a psychology class after the professor refused to scrub race and gender from his syllabus.

www.fire.org/news/he-refu...

Unmasking Academe’s Gilded Boys’ Club The Epstein files reveal an elite, chummy, and venal scholarly network.

“‘John, the old conferences did not care about diversity. I suggest you not either,’ Epstein wrote to Brockman. ‘The women are all weak, and a distraction sorry.’”

Unmasking Academe’s Gilded Boys’ Club
www.chronicle.com/article/unma...

These are “low enrollment” majors but the classes are regularly at capacity. They changed the funding structure a few years ago here, switching the allocation from course enrollments to majors then blamed these departments for a structural, top-down change. This is entirely a political choice.

Students can handle 'controversial' topics. Why can't UT Regents? | Opinion The University of Texas' vague new “balance” rules could leave professors guessing — and students less prepared for civic life, Alison Kafer writes.

Prof. Alison Kafer: “By presenting classroom discussions of ‘controversial issues’ as a threat to be prevented, the [Board of Regents] policy is notably disconnected from the reality of what happens in college classrooms across the UT system.” 👏👏👏

www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...

CPHE releases evidentiary guidelines The Commission for Public Higher Education has released its evidentiary standards for public comment. The University of South Carolina is one of six founding institutions for the new accreditor. The A...

New accreditor's mandate for "intellectual diversity" invites partisan interference.

“When I stop and think about it, I don’t really know what it means. I don’t know what they’re measuring. Do they want to know who I voted for president last time around?”

—Carol Harrison, South Carolina AAUP

Texas A&M’s Women’s and Gender Studies Closure Signals a Wider Crackdown on Academic Freedom Texas A&M’s Women’s and Gender Studies Closure Signals a Wider Crackdown on Academic Freedom

The goal is to destroy knowledge....


#LetUsTeach
#LetStudentsLearn

Texas A&M’s Women’s and Gender Studies Closure Signals a Wider Crackdown on Academic Freedom Texas A&M’s Women’s and Gender Studies Closure Signals a Wider Crackdown on Academic Freedom

The closure of TX A&M’s program reflects a broader national trend: mounting restrictions on how gender, race + sexuality can be studied + discussed in public higher ed…The elimination of a long-standing academic program…signals how quickly these shifts can take hold.

msmagazine.com/2026/02/24/t...