State Sen. Brandon Clayton, R-Conroe (Photo provided by Yana Burcham)
In the last legislative session in 2023, Texas Republicans outlawed diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the state’s public universities. They are now preparing to eliminate what they call “DEI-related curriculum,” meaning courses taught under the umbrella of Black Studies, Latinx/O Studies, LGBTQ Studies, and other fields.
The new movement was announced at a Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education hearing on Nov. 11 and aims to “block DEI to strengthen Texas’ workforce.” Such hearings are usually the first step in the development of future legislation.
State Sen. Brandon Clayton, the author of the 2023 anti-DEI law, opened the hearing by appropriating language from the civil rights struggle and calling ethnic studies courses “discriminatory.” He also appropriated the principles underlying the DEI program and turned it on its head to support ending DEI. “Our public institutions of higher education have an obligation to maintain a campus culture that encourages diverse voices and perspectives and builds trust rather than divides our administration, faculty, and students,” Clayton said. .
Creighton then introduced University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell, University of Houston Professor Holly Love, and Texas A&M University President Mark Welsh. Texas A&M recently provided a model for how to eliminate diversity programs on college campuses. On Nov. 7, the university’s Board of Trustees voted to eliminate 52 certificates that administrators determined were under-enrolled, including a minor and a minor in LGBTQ studies. Curriculum changes are traditionally suggested by faculty, but in this case, A&M’s president developed a process to identify programs to cut. Despite persistent protests from teachers, the changes are moving forward.
Hartzell, Love and Wales took turns trying to placate Creighton. Mr Wales assured senators that the university has a rotating schedule in place to consider which courses to discontinue. Clayton asked if A&M’s degree programs have a “political slant.” The Welsh denied it. “I hope that what students take away from this is the idea of nonpartisanship,” he said. “It’s about having your own political views but keeping them to yourself and learning about other people’s political views.”
“They won’t be able to do that with such a misguided and frankly pathetic worldview.” – Anti-DEI advocate Sherry Sylvester of the Texas Public Policy Foundation
Next, Clayton brought in anti-DEI warrior Sherry Sylvester of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The foundation is a far-right think tank that has been actively working to change education policy in Texas for 30 years. Sylvester congratulated the committee on passing the strongest and most effective anti-DEI legislation in the country, but said campuses “continue to revolve around identity politics, gender and race theory.” said. She said Texas taxpayers waste billions of dollars trying to help students lead productive lives.
“They won’t be able to do that with this misguided and frankly pathetic worldview,” Sylvester said. “That is why it is important that this committee takes a deep look at what is being taught in university classrooms.”
Eventually, the students had the opportunity to speak with the actual teacher sitting in that classroom. No one supported the subcommittee’s mandate. Many were Hispanic students or recent graduates of UT. Their overwhelming message was that the study programs they took taught critical thinking, communication skills, and a deeper understanding of history and politics.
Isabella de la Garza, a recent college graduate with degrees in government studies and Mexican American studies, told Creighton that the course is not discriminatory. “Inclusion is literally the opposite of discrimination,” said de la Garza, who called the course one of the most enriching experiences of her life. “If there’s one thing that strengthens our workforce, it’s cultural awareness,” she continued. “And the curriculum you’re concerned about provides that cultural awareness. There’s nothing to fear about diversity and interdisciplinary study, but it’s concerning that you see it as a problem. ”
