April 9 memorandum<\/a> provided standards “developed by TTU System leadership in coordination with the ACS Committee leadership” to ensure consistency across the TTU System.<\/p>\n\nThe memorandum explains that the Texas Tech University System will no longer be offering academic credentials in fields “centered on” Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, or SOGI, “including undergraduate majors, minors, certificates, and graduate degrees.”<\/p>\n
\nThe closure procedure will take the form of a “System-Wide Program Phase-Out,” in which programs will be reviewed, admissions will be frozen, and all academic credentials centered on SOGI will be closed.<\/p>\n
\nTo initiate the process, the Provost of each university will lead a review to identify qualifying degree programs, majors, minors, tracks, and certificates. A finalized list of programs must be submitted to the Office of the Chancellor by June 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
\nAn admissions freeze will then be placed on identified programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels.<\/p>\n
\nCertain graduate programs identified for closure will undergo a “teachout” process, providing temporary frameworks for instructions. According to the memorandum, “currently enrolled students will be able to complete their degrees.”<\/p>\n
\nThe guidelines also state that currently employed faculty will be able to continue to research and publish “topics of their choosing,” but that future hiring will “prioritize recruitment in alignment with this memorandum.”<\/p>\n
\nOne core component of the guidelines, according to the memorandum, is exemptions for “independent student-directed research and necessary professional licensure or patient-care requirements.”<\/p>\n
\nFor programs that are not closed or exempt, the memorandum provides guidance to “ensure compliance for all remaining academic offerings” and establishes the Alternate Materials Rule.<\/p>\n
\nFurther, the memorandum explains that the TTU System “will collaborate with institutional provosts to develop standardized syllabus templates” to ensure compliance with guidelines and evaluation of course materials from students and university leadership.<\/p>\n
\nThe Alternate Materials Rule states that courses that contain material that “are centered on or include sexual orientation or gender identity” must use alternate materials that do not include these topics.<\/p>\n
\nIt went on to explain that “incidental references should be avoided when selecting primary materials for core courses.” And that if these topics are included in “industry-standard text,” the content does not need to be redacted, but instructors “must not highlight, assess, or allocate instructional time to it.”<\/p>\n
\nExceptions to the Alternate Materials Rule may be made for non-core, upper-level undergraduate and graduate coursework.<\/p>\n
\nExceptions outlined in the memorandum include demographic data sets and analysis; clinical psychology and health services; the discussion of policy, legislation, and legal frameworks pertaining to SOGI, if it is strictly objective and “lacks advocacy for contemporary matters.”; as well as certain historical and contextual circumstances.<\/p>\n
\nThe memorandum states that material where SOGI is “inextricably linked to the subject’s historical significance” may be taught with a focus on “objective literary\/historical analysis, not contemporary SOGI advocacy.”<\/p>\n
\nIt also states that “discussion of the biographical information of historically significant individuals” may be included for context, but that SOGI must not be the primary focus.<\/p>\n
\nIn compliance with state and federal law, the guidelines explain that “instructors may not teach that gender identity is a fluid spectrum, endorse the existence of more than two genders, or decouple gender from biological sex as a factual or scientific baseline.”<\/p>\n
\nThe guidelines allow for the teaching of intersex biology and chromosomal variations, but clarified that “faculty may not use these biological conditions to advocate for or validate sociological frameworks of fluid gender identities.”<\/p>\n
\nThe memorandum defines “centered on,” “includes,” and “incidental reference,” as they pertain to SOGI standards:<\/p>\n
“Centered On”: Course content, readings, assignments, or lectures are “centered on” SOGI when sexual orientation or gender identity serves as the primary subject, main theoretical framework, central narrative, or driving pedagogical purpose.
\n “Includes”: Course content “includes” SOGI when these themes are present but serve only as secondary background context, demographic data points, or minor components of a broader academic subject.
\n “Incidental Reference”: An incidental reference is a brief, passing, or factual mention (e.g., a short biographical note, a minor character trait, a single sentence in a larger text) that does not occupy sustained instructional time.<\/p>\n
\nYou can read the full memorandum here<\/a>.
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