BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Former Texas State professor Tom Alter told Texas A&M students and faculty Monday night that resistance, not retreat, is the answer to a growing battle over academic freedom at the university.
A handful of students, faculty and community members gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Brazos Valley for a forum hosted by the Texas A&M chapter of the American Association of University Professors, part of an ongoing conversation sparked by months of tension on campus.
The controversy began after a clash between a student and English Professor Melissa McCoul over curriculum in a children’s literature course. Former Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh fired McCoul, saying the decision was related to academic responsibility, not academic freedom.
An audit of all 16,000 of the university’s course sections was also done to ensure content aligns with catalog descriptions.
This triggered protests in which students, faculty, and alumni rallied, calling for stronger protections for what can be taught in the classroom, with concerns centered on topics such as race, gender, and sexuality.
RELATED| Texas A&M protesters continue push for protected academic freedom
Alter knows something about fighting back.
The former Texas State University associate history professor was fired in September after a video of him speaking at an online socialism conference was posted to social media. The widely circulated clip cut his speech in half, showing him criticizing “insurrectional anarchists” without the full context of his remarks.
Alter said his firing came around the same time as McCoul’s dismissal, a moment that sparked a wave of concern at Texas A&M.
“I’m showing that no, you can fight back, that we need to stand up and find joy in resistance,” Alter said.
He urged those in attendance to keep organizing, even when the numbers are small.
“It’s continuing to do like what the students have been doing, what unions have been doing, to keep on organizing, to keep on fighting,” Alter said.
Alter said the size of the crowd doesn’t determine the strength of a movement — what matters is the willingness to keep showing up.
Texas A&M sophomore Leah Toland left Monday’s forum with a clear takeaway.
“I think the main takeaway is still be consistent, be powerful in consistency, be persistent,” Toland said.
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