jessica.priest@texastribune.org<\/a> or send her a message via Signal at @jessicapriest.79.<\/p>\n\u201cYou can go down to Academic Plaza or Rudder Plaza and have a demonstration or talk to people about whatever you want,\u201d he said. \u201cEven if you disagree, they\u2019re still going to talk to you and that\u2019s accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Free speech experts once warned of intolerance toward conservative voices on campuses. A May report by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression found that between 2020 and 2022, the student groups most frequently targeted for discipline or public condemnation were conservative, like College Republicans, Young Americans for Freedom and Turning Point USA. <\/p>\n
But FIRE now says the pendulum has swung. Since 2023, school administrators and government officials have more often restricted or criticized more liberal-leaning forms of expression. The group calls the recent changes in Texas an overcorrection. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe spike in efforts by politicians and government officials over the past year to restrict campus speech is incredibly disturbing and unlike anything from recent memory,\u201d said Logan Dougherty, a senior researcher with FIRE. \u201cThose who defended conservative voices in the name of free speech should defend all voices under the same principle today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re being tucked away\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2023, Texas lawmakers banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public universities, arguing they had become ineffective bureaucracies that undermined merit, imposed political litmus tests on new hires, and gave exclusionary benefits to certain demographic groups.<\/p>\n
Creighton, who authored the ban, said universities should focus on their core mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vast majority of Texas students pursuing degrees of value \u2014 whether in medicine, law, engineering, social work, or education\u2014are working night and day to build productive lives, strengthen their communities, and ensure that Texas remains a place where they can build businesses, raise families, and give back to the state that gave them these opportunities,\u201d Creighton said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Although the state\u2019s DEI ban was not aimed at student organizations, several students told The Texas Tribune it has reduced the number of spaces where they once felt safe and visible.<\/p>\n
At the University of Texas at Arlington earlier this month, graduate student Elwim Sorto shut down the Queer Social Work Association he co-founded, in part because of the state\u2019s DEI ban.<\/p>\n
Sorto said the group lost its adviser and the university counseling center\u2019s support. After the organization clashed with Republican Tarrant County Judge Tim O\u2019Hare over an event that included drag performances, Sorto said the School of Social Work asked them to add the word \u201cstudent\u201d to the group\u2019s name to make clear it wasn\u2019t officially affiliated with the university. Sorto said administrators also began asking to review public statements the group wanted to make, prompting some members to leave out of fear of being targeted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe decided to just go ahead and just kind of suspend out of our own dignity because we weren\u2019t going to be edged out of a system like that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In a statement, UT-Arlington said it complies with all laws but did not answer other questions.<\/p>\n
At the University of Houston, sophomore Zora Smith, who is part of Houston Organization for Political Education, a queer Black student organization, said she also worries her group may not exist next year as universities continue to adjust to the DEI ban. <\/p>\n
She said the university stopped sponsoring an LGBTQ+ ice cream social. Faculty and students later revived the event independently at the campus religious center. A faculty organizer said it was renamed the \u201cRainbow Ice Cream Social\u201d after campus leaders asked that they \u201ctone down the LGBT language.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cNot only are we excluded on campus, but pressure from the administration has been put on us not to be loud and bold,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThe freedom of expression has definitely gone down. It\u2019s these subtle things that make me scared. We\u2019re being tucked away.\u201d <\/p>\n
UH officials did not respond to questions about the sponsorship or renaming of the event. In response to students\u2019 concerns that the DEI ban might affect their organizations, they said in a statement that registered student groups not sponsored by the university are exempt from the ban. The university said it has not changed its policies regarding registered student groups\u2019 events, and that they continue to have access to campus spaces, including the student center, on a first-come, first-served basis.<\/p>\n
Tighter rules for speech on campus<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the Texas Legislature rolled back a law that made all outdoor campus spaces open to the public for protests and instead gave schools broad discretion over where and how people can express themselves. <\/p>\n
Senate Bill 2972, authored by Creighton, was largely in response to last year\u2019s massive pro-Palestinian protests. Its main provisions limit protests to areas designated by university leaders, restrict participation to students and employees, ban engaging in expressive activities overnight and prohibit demonstrators from using microphones or other devices to amplify sound during class hours or if it intimidates others or interferes with campus operations, a university employee or peace officer from doing their job. <\/p>\n
But it has also restricted how student organizations work with outside groups. <\/p>\n
At UT-Austin, Ally Flores, a senior government major and president of the University Democrats, said the university now requires student groups to give two weeks\u2019 notice before inviting nonstudents to campus events and to submit detailed forms listing each guest\u2019s campaign and discussion topics.<\/p>\n
According to Flores, administrators recently told the group that outside voter-registration volunteers could no longer table with them on campus and blocked a planned joint meeting with a local Democratic club. <\/p>\n
Those changes have created confusion and forced students to be more cautious about inviting speakers, planning events and speaking publicly about politics on campus, Flores said. She thinks administrators are taking implementation of the law much further than its language requires.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems like we were collateral damage,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it\u2019s scary.\u201d<\/p>\n
A federal judge has since blocked the University of Texas System from enforcing parts of the law, including its limits on overnight protests, outside speakers and amplified sounds and drums during the last two weeks of the semester, while a legal challenge moves forward. The judge wrote that student groups were likely to succeed in showing the law violates their First Amendment rights. The law is still enforceable at other campuses. After the ruling, Creighton said in a statement that the law bolsters free speech on college campuses by promoting dialogue and giving universities the tools to prevent disruptions by outside groups.<\/p>\n
At Texas State University, JP Pinteralli is a senior studying mechanical engineering technologies and a member of Young Americans for Liberty, a conservative libertarian group. He said the restrictions have chilled activism across the political spectrum. Outside groups and people have been kicked off campus for not following the new rules. And gone are the days when his organization could just set up a table to introduce people to its mission.<\/p>\n
Under the new rules, students are \u201chighly encouraged, but not required\u201d to reserve a space at four outdoor spaces on campus. Individuals not affiliated with Texas State can only gather on one of them, unless they are invited or sponsored by the university.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually our club, out of protest of free-speech zones, will table without a reservation because we believe it\u2019s our First Amendment right. But we are currently applying for reserved tabling \u2026 because of the new regulations,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve already removed some people from campus because of those.\u201d<\/p>\n
Texas State declined to respond to questions for this story.<\/p>\n
Levi Fox, a UT-Austin junior and president of the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, testified before lawmakers last spring about the pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which he said created an environment where antisemitism could thrive and left some Jewish students afraid to display their faith.<\/p>\n
In a recent interview with the Tribune, Fox said some Jewish students \u201cfeel safer\u201d after the passage of SB 2972. But others worry the law\u2019s restrictions could \u201cbecome a slippery slope,\u201d limiting how all student groups gather on campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are now restrictions to gathering on campus that apply to everybody, that also includes the Jewish community as well,\u201d Fox said. \u201cSo how will this affect us long term? What if we want to hold an event on campus and we\u2019re hindered by this legislation?\u201d<\/p>\n
Faculty jobs, courses on the line<\/p>\n
With Senate Bill 37, lawmakers earlier this year curtailed the influence faculty and administrators traditionally had over curriculum, hiring and disciplinary decisions and put that power in the hands of university system regents, whom the governor appoints.<\/p>\n
Many faculty feel that gives Abbott, by proxy, a firmer grip on who teaches and what topics they discuss. Creighton, who authored the law, has said it reaffirms that the regents have ultimate authority in their systems and restores accountability so \u201cuniversities can stay focused on what matters: educating students, conducting research, and preparing the next generation of Texas leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, regents at three university systems also appointed new chancellors aligned with the state\u2019s Republican leaders. Texas Tech hired Creighton. The University of Texas tapped former state Rep. John Zerwas. And Texas A&M chose former Comptroller Glenn Hegar. <\/p>\n
SB 37 also allowed systems such as the University of Texas and Texas State to dissolve their faculty senates, ending regular formal meetings between professors and administrators. Faculty say the shift has made it harder to raise concerns or weigh in on decisions that directly affect them.<\/p>\n
After a student accused Texas A&M children\u2019s literature professor Melissa McCoul of violating the law by discussing gender identity in her class, Welsh, who was still the university president at the time, initially defended her, according to another recording made by the student. <\/p>\n
But as conservative outrage over the incident flared, Welsh fired McCoul for teaching \u201ccontent that was inconsistent with the published course description for another course this fall.\u201d Welsh, heavily criticized for his initial handling of the matter, resigned within days. McCoul has denied the allegations against her and is appealing her termination.<\/p>\n
A day after Welsh fired McCoul, Texas State University fired tenured history professor Tom Alter after a video of his remarks at a socialist conference circulated online and attracted criticism. The video shows him saying, \u201cwithout organization, how can anyone expect to overthrow the most bloodthirsty, profit-driven, mad organization in the history of the world \u2014 that of the United States?\u201d<\/p>\n
Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse said Alter\u2019s talk had \u201cadvocated for inciting violence.\u201d Alter, whose tenure began on Sept. 1, rejects that characterization and told the Tribune he was commenting on the beliefs of anarchists while discussing their ability to effectively organize a political movement. <\/p>\n
Alter, who is suing the university, was briefly reinstated, but Texas State fired him again following a review of his conduct and a due process hearing. He said his critics misunderstood the essence of his statement and that his firing was a violation of his First Amendment rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually the charge against socialist professors is that we\u2019re indoctrinating the students,\u201d he said. \u201cWho\u2019s doing the indoctrinating if you\u2019re stifling free speech, if there\u2019s someone you disagree with [and] you silence them?\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the firings, the Texas Tech University System ordered faculty to teach that there are only two sexes in an apparent attempt to prevent another controversy like at Texas A&M. The Sept. 25 directive was issued by then-Chancellor Tedd Mitchell, five days before Creighton was announced as his successor. Creighton has defended the move.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing in this directive restricts lawful discussion or inquiry among students,\u201d he said in a statement. \u201cIt simply ensures that taxpayer-funded universities remain in full compliance with state law while staying focused on academic excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked for a copy of the latest guidance, a system spokesperson said academic leaders at each system university \u201ccontinue to meet individually with faculty as needed to address any compliance questions.\u201d <\/p>\n
Shortly after, every public university system in the state announced course reviews to ensure \u201ccompliance\u201d with state and federal law. Most did not specify what that meant, and no state or federal law bars teaching about gender identity. <\/p>\n
A professor at Tarleton State University, part of the Texas A&M system, told the Tribune that administrators aren\u2019t simply reviewing courses. Faculty are being told to remove words like \u201cdiverse\u201d and \u201cculture\u201d from their syllabi and courses. The professor described colleagues of color crying, saying being told to remove those words is \u201cbasically erasing people\u2019s identities.\u201d <\/p>\n
The professor, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the orders are mostly being communicated verbally, a tactic that makes it nearly impossible for the public to trace them. The lack of written guidelines adds to the confusion and has led professors to self-censor in order to avoid any misstep. <\/p>\n
Neither Tarleton nor the Texas A&M University System responded to questions about whether such directives were issued. Internal emails shared with the Tribune show the system is conducting an AI-assisted review of course materials across its campuses, with Tarleton piloting the effort.<\/p>\n
At UT-Austin, administrators recently formed a committee to study a possible consolidation of its College of Liberal Arts, according to records obtained by the Tribune through the Public Information Act. Some faculty fear the move could pave the way for closing departments devoted to race and gender studies. UT-Austin did not respond to the Tribune\u2019s requests for comment about the committee or the fears it has spurred.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf these departments are eliminated to fit in with the political winds of the moment, then we\u2019re no longer offering an education of the first class,\u201d said a faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. <\/p>\n
A new political direction<\/p>\n
Not everyone views the recent changes as cause for alarm.<\/p>\n
Texas Tech freshman Preston Parsons leads his school\u2019s chapter of Turning Point USA, the nonprofit founded by Kirk, the conservative activist killed last month. Kirk often made comments and promoted rhetoric that many found hateful, inappropriate and reprehensible. He was also revered for his willingness to have open \u2014 and public \u2014 dialogue with people who disagreed with him. After Kirk\u2019s death, Parsons said the Tech chapter of Turning Point went from having about 60 members to more than 350. <\/p>\n
On campus, Parsons feels comfortable expressing his views. He credits that sense of safety to what he described as an active and helpful campus police presence. Parsons also doesn\u2019t see debate being hindered during informal conversations with his peers. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve even met with students who are in leadership in the Democrats at Tech or the seculars or the democratic socialists,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I haven\u2019t had any threats or big disagreements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Tech\u2019s Turning Point chapter held an off-campus event in Lubbock that drew hundreds of people. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, was the headliner. Paxton called Kirk a champion of free speech. Creighton, the system\u2019s new chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, told the crowd his door \u201cwill always be open to every single viewpoint on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, UT-Austin is considering a federal proposal that would formally align the university with some nationwide conservative priorities for higher ed. The Trump administration is offering universities access to preferential federal funding in exchange for agreeing to define \u201cmale\u201d and \u201cfemale\u201d by biology and reform any offices seen as hostile to conservative ideas, among other conditions. <\/p>\n
UT System Board of Regents Chair Kevin Eltife expressed initial enthusiasm, but the system has not yet responded whether it will accept the offer. So far, six of the other eight universities that were initially approached by the Trump administration have declined to participate. <\/p>\n
Daniel Bonevac, a philosophy professor at UT-Austin, called the Trump administration\u2019s offer \u201ca needed course correction.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad that finally an administration is pushing in the opposite direction to restore universities to their mission of discovering and transmitting the truth,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Yet he remains skeptical any changes will last. <\/p>\n
\u201cUniversity administrators are not to be trusted,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir words are written on wind and running water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ayden Runnels, Sneha Dey and Stephen Simpson contributed to this story.<\/p>\n
Disclosure: Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University System, Texas Tech University System, University of Houston, University of Texas – Arlington, University of Texas – Arlington, University of Texas System and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune\u2019s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.<\/p>\n
This article first appeared<\/a> on The Texas Tribune.<\/p>\nCopyright 2025 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN, Texas \u2013 At colleges across Texas last month, a series of viral campus videos, abrupt professor firings,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17359,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[132,163,287,27,29,293,28],"class_list":{"0":"post-17358","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-education","10":"tag-politics","11":"tag-texas","12":"tag-texas-headlines","13":"tag-texas-legislature","14":"tag-texas-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}