In the last legislative session in 2023, Texas Republicans outlawed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs at public universities across the state. Now, they’re getting ready to kill what they call “DEI-related curriculum” – the courses taught under the umbrella of Black studies, Latina/o studies, LGBTQ studies, and other fields.
The new crusade was unveiled at a Senate subcommittee hearing on higher education held on Nov. 11 and dedicated to “stopping DEI to strengthen the Texas workforce.” Such hearings are usually the first step in the creation of future laws.
State Sen. Brandon Creighton, the author of 2023’s anti-DEI law, opened the hearing by appropriating the language of the civil rights struggle, referring to ethnic studies courses as “discriminatory.” He also appropriated the principles that underpin DEI programs and turned them upside down to support ending DEI. “Our public institutions of higher education have a duty to uphold campus culture that encourages diverse voices, viewpoints, and to build trust among administration, faculty, staff, and students, not to divide them,” Creighton said.
With that, Creighton introduced President Jay Hartzell from UT-Austin, professor Holley Love from the University of Houston, and President Mark Welsh from Texas A&M. Texas A&M recently provided a model for how to eliminate diversity-focused programs on a university campus. On Nov. 7, the university’s board of regents voted to end 52 minors and certificates – including the LGBTQ studies minor – which administrators decided had low levels of enrollment. Changes to curriculum are traditionally proposed by faculty but, in this case, A&M’s provost developed the process which identified the programs to cut. The changes are proceeding despite sustained faculty protest.
Hartzell, Love, and Welsh took turns trying to placate Creighton. Welsh assured the senator that his university has instituted a revolving schedule to examine which courses to abolish. Creighton asked whether degree tracks at A&M have any “political leaning.” Welsh denied it. “I’m hoping what our students are getting out of this is the idea of nonpartisanship,” he said. “It’s having your own political views but to keep them to yourself and learn about everybody else’s.”
“They won’t be able to do that with these misguided and frankly pathetic worldviews.” – Anti-DEI advocate Sherry Sylvester of the Texas Public Policy Foundation
Next up, Creighton brought on an anti-DEI warrior, Sherry Sylvester of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a far-right think tank that has been aggressively working to alter Texas education policy for three decades. Sylvester congratulated the committee for passing what she called the strongest and most effective anti-DEI legislation in the country, but said that campuses “continue to revolve around identity politics, gender, and race theory.” She said Texas taxpayers fruitlessly spend billions trying to help students lead productive lives.
“They won’t be able to do that with these misguided and frankly pathetic worldviews,” Sylvester said. “That’s why it’s critical that this committee look deeply into what is being taught in university classrooms.”
Eventually, the actual teachers and students who sit in those classrooms had a chance to speak. Not a single one supported the subcommittee’s mission. Many were Hispanic students, or recent graduates, of UT. Their overwhelming message was that the studies programs they have taken teach critical thinking, communication skills, and a deeper understanding of history and politics.
Izabella de la Garza, a recent UT grad with degrees in government and Mexican American studies, told Creighton that the courses are not discriminatory. “Inclusivity is literally the antithesis of discrimination,” de la Garza said, describing the courses she took as one of the most enriching experiences of her life. “If anything is going to strengthen our workforce, it is cultural awareness,” she continued, “and the curriculum you’re concerned about provides that cultural awareness. There is nothing to fear in diversity and interdisciplinary studies, and it is concerning that you’re framing it as an issue.”
This article appears in November 15 • 2024.
