Texas Tech University, a notable public Tier 1 Research institution, has often held itself to a high standard when it comes to cultivating a community of students from all walks of life under the motto of "From here it’s possible." Under new system leadership, many students have reported disruptions and class cancellations that are impacting their education.
Last fall, the Texas Tech University System passed a set of policies that originally limited the discussion of gender and sexuality in the classroom. This notion was deemed to comply with federal law which states only two genders and sexes, man and woman, can be recognized in school settings.
These policies were implemented after a Texas A&M University professor was fired over a viral video which showcased the instructor discussing gender identity in a children’s literature class. This professor has since sued the university for inhibiting her First Amendment rights.
Brandon Creighton, a Republican formerly on the Texas Senate’s education committee, took over as the university system’s newest chancellor in November. In his time as state senator, Creighton sponsored a series of bills which have heavily impacted diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across all levels of education in Texas.
On Dec. 1, Creighton released a memorandum which outlined a course review system under the Board of Regents. All classes that discussed race, gender, and sexuality were to be placed under review and have their content changed in preparation for the spring semester.
Many professors have since self-censored their classes for fear of disciplinary action as stated in the memorandum, while others were left waiting for the official review process to address their syllabi.
The Board of Regents met on Feb. 26 at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center Campus in Dallas. They made no public comment on how the course review system would work going forward, but in March, professors said they began hearing back from the board about their courses.
Class cancellations
Ainsley Schwintz has lived in Lubbock her whole life. Her decision to attend Texas Tech was born out of her love for the local community and the fact that the university was a public research institution.
Schwintz was an active member of the Texas Tech Drumline for her first two years of school. After catching COVID during her sophomore year and developing disabilities, Schwintz had to transfer to online courses to continue her education.
Over winter break, Schwintz received an email from Texas Tech University notifying her that her Ethnic Minority Psychology class had been canceled. Schwintz is a senior interdisciplinary studies major, with a concentration in psychology.
The email provided no information over why this course had been canceled and gave students a list of other extracurriculars they could sign up for before the spring semester.
Schwintz stated that if she hadn’t been at her computer she may have not been able to find another class that was strictly online, which would have pushed back her May graduation.
“I knew that there were people with diverse opinions, but there was always a dedication to science, like these things, these things exist,” she said. “These are sociological constructs and pretending like they don't exist is anti-science.”
In the course review outline Creighton provided in his memorandum, it was stated that if material was required for a professional licensure or needed for clinical care, the course would be left alone. Coupled with the vague language and lack of communication from higher ups, some university faculty are concerned that classes are being cut without a full understanding of what students are losing.
Schwintz originally wanted to stay and pursue graduate school at Texas Tech, but now intends on moving out of Texas altogether to continue her education. She worries how a degree from Texas Tech will impact admission decisions.
“I'm going to be a clinical psychologist someday. I want to help people in the most effective, empirically supported ways,” Schwintz said. “And by taking away classes like ethnic minority psychology, administrators are telling me two things. One, my education doesn't matter to them. And two, they don't care about the students who may find solace in community, in spaces dedicated to studies in race, gender, and sexuality.”
Limiting student voices
Classes are not the only thing being disrupted on campus.
Samuel Alessio is a sophomore studying marketing and management at the Rawls College of Business. Alessio is notable for his involvement in the Student Government Association as well as being the director of operations for the on-campus radio station, KTXT.
KTXT offers volunteer radio shows for students to go on the air and talk about any topic they want. At the beginning of the semester, Alessio was told to “encourage” students to stay away from talking about any form of political rhetoric on the radio.
This comes as Alessio said KTXT is facing threats to its funding due to being unable to comply with accessibility accommodations which mandates the radio station provide subtitles for listeners.
Alessio has not been directly affected by course cancellations, but has seen the effects of cutting DEI programs on-campus.
Texas Tech DEI programs were effectively shut down in the Fall of 2023 in order to comply with SB 17. This bill led to DEI related programs to have their funding cut and redirected to other departments within the university as well as rebranding The Black Cultural Center which the campus established in 2022.
“Coming to Tech, I liked that it was a Hispanic serving institution,” he said. “I had a full ride to Alabama and I didn't want to go there because I'm Venezuelan. That's where my roots are. I grew up in the United States, but I enjoy the Hispanic culture. And seeing that it was a Hispanic-serving institution did impact my decision a little bit.”
Texas Tech became a designated Hispanic Serving Institution in 2019.
Alessio stated that if he had known how his student organizations, classes, and friends would be affected he would not have considered attending the university.
“It's embarrassing. And I know in the world of academia, from what I've heard – I can't remember who told me it, but professors are kind of like, they don't want to come here,” Alessio said. “It's like new professors or professors that could be good, they don't want to come here because they don't want to have to send in their classes to be reviewed. It's like just let them teach.”
In an effort to protest against the class restrictions, students and faculty gathered at Memorial Circle on Feb. 26 at the same time as the Board of Regents meeting.
Members of the Student Government Association met that same day, where they passed a resolution that outlines revisions to Creighton’s memorandum, urging the university to ease restrictions on classes and course overview.
Effects outside the classroom
Dahlia Sory is expected to graduate this May with a Bachelor’s of Science in Renewable Energy. Sory moved to Lubbock with the original intent to get as far away as she could from Southeast Texas after having discovered she identified as a woman. She was surprised to see a vibrant, openly queer community that resided in the region.
Sory talked about her involvement in the Texas Tech Gender and Sexuality Association, as well as attending Lubbock Pride Fest every year. She noted that what was once a visible community has now dwindled in the face of discrimination.
“Most days I don't try to look very queer,” she said. “And I know that I see fewer people, strangers, other queer strangers that I can tell, ‘Oh, they look like they're queer, they're dressing in that style.’ I see less of those. I feel like that makes sense because they'd be more scared to present that way, even on campus.”
In the past year, there has been an increase in anti-trans laws proposed and passed by Texas lawmakers. Sory has expressed concern over how these laws could affect transgender students in higher education.
Sory sought legal advice from an attorney provided by the Texas Tech Student Legal Services over her rights as both a student and trans person in Texas. One of her questions was about changing her name.
“In Texas, you need to have a valid reason for a judge to sign off on a name change; now, that could be marriage, that could be a cultural thing, but being transgender is no longer a valid reason,” Sory said. “The attorney that I spoke to didn't even feel like applying was worth trying.”
There has been no visible push by campus administration to enforce laws such Senate Bill 8, ‘the bathroom bill,’ which outlines that individuals must use restrooms that correspond with their sex assigned at birth. This bill impacts public institutions such as public universities.
Sory also receives hormone replacement therapy from the Texas Tech Student Health Center. Sory has had no issues in continuing her treatment but expressed concern in how those services could be affected by external factors not associated with the university moving forward.
From here… is it possible?
In a January interview conducted by NBC 5/Lonestar Politics, Creighton stated that the flow chart and guidance memorandum he provided does not politically lean one way or the other, but it is just what he called “common sense.”
He went on to say that Texas Tech seeks to provide a curriculum that leads to a “degree of value.” When asked if Creighton considered gender studies to be considered a degree of value, he stated that he had not seen data to support that conclusion.
There has still been no public statement made from Creighton or corresponding officials to students over how their classes have been affected.
When asked what she would say to Creighton if he sat down to talk to her, Sory said she would start with one word: “Resign. Whomever in the Texas government is exerting their power over this university and then stating the leadership that they want to see, Creighton is definitely a symptom of that,” Sory said. “That's not how universities should operate. And I don't feel like it should be that way at this university.”
