Having come to Texas Tech in 1971 and retired in 2010, I note the administration’s recent unprecedented abrupt upheaval of control over campus education.
I have discussed the changes in conversations with currently active Tech faculty, to whom I express my gratitude for their time and attention.
The following observations are based on these conversations.
Teachers are cautioned against discussing gender identity and homosexuality, e.g. the effect of a homosexual author’s sexual status on a given work.
Study of works by musicians such as Freddie Mercury and David Bowie is banned from music history courses. Doubt hovers over classical literary texts like Plato’s Symposium which exhibit the Athenian democracy’s acceptance of homosexuality.
Faculty cite
widespread confusion and frequent errors in the administrative judging of courses, with no room for appeal.
The use of AI in officials’ scanning of courses is considered responsible for obvious blunders. Uncertainty reigns. Application of guidelines is subject to unpredictable change. Bans on apparently safe materials sometimes seem to have irrelevant criteria in mind. A Music School course on women musicians has been banned. Instances like this lead faculty to wonder whether policing for signs of DEI is at times in play.
How do these moves affect the reputation of the University?
One professor applied the term “fleeing” to the flow of Tech faculty seeking positions elsewhere. Another professor has published a resignation letter, while yet another linked four withdrawals from a single department to the new regime. The impact also affects recruitment of graduate students. In one program, the disappearance of the complete front rank of a recruiting class is attributed to the Chancellor’s moves.
Administrators, straying from the bounds of their mandate, have unilaterally seized control from faculty over what’s taught or prohibited. - Edward V. George, Emeritus Professor of Classics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock.
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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech emeritus professor's letter to the editor shares concerns on education
