COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Faculty, students and alumni gathered at Texas A&M University on Thursday to protest what they describe as growing censorship and eroding trust in the classroom following controversial academic policy changes.
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The demonstration centers on Texas A&M System Policy 08.01, which requires professors to flag course material related to race, gender or sexuality. The Board of Regents approved the policy in November after a video of a student confronting a professor over LGBTQ-related content went viral.
"Why are they afraid of students being aware of the world around them? Why do they not trust students to think reason and make their own decisions," said Leonard Bright, a Texas A&M professor.
The regents say the policy strengthens oversight and ensures courses match approved syllabi. However, faculty members argue it undermines their academic freedom and ability to educate students effectively.
Joan Wolf, who has taught at Texas A&M for 25 years, expressed her concerns about the policy's impact on her career.
"I actually was hired to teach women's and gender studies. It is just quite unsettling to be told that what you've been doing forever for your career is suddenly illegal, right," Wolf said.
Administrators have flagged more than 200 courses across campus under the new policy. Some courses were revised while others were canceled entirely, including Ethics in Public Policy, taught by Dr. Leonard Bright.
"They're not protecting students, they are under preparing them," Bright said.
Tensions escalated when faculty learned the university was scrutinizing classical texts, including writings by ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Administrators flagged Plato's Symposium over its discussion of gender, drawing national attention to the policy's reach.
"This semester I was told that I cannot teach that module and I cannot even include Plato in that module. Why not? We should keep politics out of the classroom and focus on what we do best, teach students what we know," said Martin Peterson, a Texas A&M professor.
Texas A&M provided a statement saying it appreciates faculty putting the policy in place. The university added that academic advisors and college leaders are helping students affected by course changes stay on track toward their degrees.
Organizers are demanding canceled courses be reinstated and academic freedom restored, warning that the university's reputation is at stake.
"Return curricular authority back to the educators, back to the experts, to the faculty. Protect the value and credibility of Texas A&M's degrees and reaffirm its commitment to educate all of Texans," Bright said.
Faculty and students say this is just the beginning of their fight for academic freedom and real change at the university.
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