Alarming changes within Texas Tech’s University System could have ramifications on how professors engage with students in classroom discussions.
On Sept. 26, all five of Texas Tech system’s universities received a letter from the chancellor directing faculty to comply with current state and federal law recognizing only two genders, male and female, in their instruction of students.
The TTU System is one of the largest institutions of higher education in the state. It is reportedly the first to put directions of this nature into writing, according to The New York Times.
The waves of uncertainty unleashed by this move are not just being felt by those who are part of the institution, but also by professors and students across Texas. Concerns have emerged over the growing restrictions on academic discussions of gender in higher education, and by extension, restrictions on academic freedom.
A day before Texas Tech’s letter was circulated, professors from Angelo State University were reportedly told by officials “not to discuss transgender and nonbinary identities” in their classes, The Texas Tribune reports. Although no written policy was provided to the outlet by representatives of the university, faculty members shared that they found out about the new restrictions via email or in-person meetings.
The Tribune added that all but one professor spoke on the condition of anonymity in fear of termination for speaking with the media, highlighting the intense pressure currently surrounding college educators in their day-to-day practices.
A similar instance of consequence occurred at Texas A&M earlier in September, when a student filmed herself objecting to a discussion of gender identity in her children’s literature class. The student argued that the instructor’s coursework did not coincide with President Donald Trump’s executive order recognizing only two genders, and was thereby breaking the law.
Shortly after the video went viral on social media, the professor was “terminated” and two other administrators from the university were “removed” from their positions, according to a message posted by Texas A&M’s former university president, Mark Welsh.
In the days following this decision, Welsh announced that he would resign from his position after an onslaught of criticism for the school’s handling of the situation. He officially stepped down on Sept. 19.
SHSU is one of seven member institutions that are part of the Texas State University System, and questions have arisen as to what the recent events might mean for official directives on expressive activity in and outside of the classroom at SHSU.
The Houstonian reached out to SHSU’s Integrated Marketing Communications division with questions on whether faculty and staff have received directives regarding legal compliance with current state and federal laws. They declined to comment.
“It is not our practice to comment on the activities or internal matters of other universities,” a spokesperson from IMC stated through email.
For Marcus Funk, an associate professor who leads SHSU’s journalism program, the concern more so lies in how instructors may end up silencing themselves.
“I think the biggest danger with censorship is self-censorship, because usually it only takes one or two really high-profile cases that cause everybody to say, ‘Okay, we should not talk about that. We should not go there,’” Funk said. “We all self-censor in different ways … but I think what’s important is in academia, our main charge here is to create new knowledge. There are lots of different ways to do that.”
He clarified that he was not speaking on behalf of the university in any way, but from his own personal viewpoint.
Funk described the plethora of teaching methods—from academic research, new programs, classroom experiments, to community interactions—as a “sandbox” of different learning opportunities for students. In this metaphorical box, he stated that “the freedom and the wherewithal to explore different ideas” is crucial not just to the mission of higher education, but to education in all forms.
“I think across the political spectrum, that’s what everybody wants to see,” Funk said, nodding. “Everybody wants to feel welcome. Everybody wants to feel heard, and everybody wants to feel like the ideas, the rigor, and the merit—that’s what’s center stage.”
While he does not believe that student journalism in Texas will be impacted long-term by the ongoing conversations involving politics and academia, he understands that for journalism to function in any capacity, certain topics must be brought up.
“I don’t teach gender ideology … but it comes up in my journalism classes because it’s such a hot topic in the news and because politicians enjoy talking about it. Of course, the journalists are going to write about it,” Funk noted. “So, if faculty are concerned that broaching those topics at all will have adverse effects, then we’re kind of stuck.”
Funk went on to acknowledge the anxiety being felt on the side of educators, before speaking directly about his own fears regarding how the residual effects of academic restrictions may lead to even bigger issues in the future.
“We’re talking about matters of clear public interest. … In some ways, we’re talking about transgender issues, but we’re also talking about the government, free speech, the classroom and a bunch of other issues,” Funk said. “I worry that in bad faith, too much regulation on this issue could be enforced really punitively. And that scares me.”
Film and TV production major, Matthew Villagomez, found himself thinking along similar lines when it comes to mass communication as a whole.
As a student artist, he stated that the possibility of restrictions being imposed on certain subjects at SHSU because of external forces would not only complicate the creation of art, but undermine it entirely.
“I don’t know about every major, but I know at least in film and TV production, in mass communications, the freedom to make art is important,” Villagomez said. “I’m inclined to believe people should have the right to talk about whatever they want to talk about in general, but specifically in the realm of art. It feels kind of counterintuitive to say that you can’t make art about this or that.”
Villagomez has attended the university for a few years now, and says he has never encountered anyone “unfriendly.”
However, as a senior reflecting on the university’s lack of response to questions about the current climate, he cannot help but feel uneasy about the future ahead.
“I can’t entirely blame them for not wanting to have a strong stance at the moment … because it’s not a black and white issue. There are multiple factors at play,” Villagomez acknowledged. “But from the standpoint of a student, that is concerning because we look up to our faculty and administrators to make the right decisions for us and for the future of [SHSU].”
The shared hope that SHSU will continue to value the academic freedom of both its students and faculty led Villagomez to reiterate his earlier sentiments about why doing so is important, now more than ever.
“The whole point, I think, of going to college is that you do have the freedom to choose where you go, what you study, what you do with your life. That’s America,” Villagomez said. “Trying to limit that feels un-American.”
