Texas A&M University Faces Potential Removal of Diversity-Focused Core Courses

Regents of the Texas A&M University System are slated to vote on a plan that could eliminate more than 200 courses from the core curricula of campuses across the system. The proposal targets classes centered on LGBTQ + topics, women’s studies, and the experiences of people of color, as well as some climate-change courses. The College Station campus is projected to lose the most, with officials suggesting the removal of 103 specific classes, including *Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies*, *LGBTQ Literatures*, *Introduction to Latinx Literature Studies*, *Women Writers*, *Introduction to Race and Ethnicity*, *Gender and Health*, and *Blacks in the United States*.

The Advocate

The initiative follows the passage of Senate Bill 37, a state law that requires core courses to be “foundational and fundamental.” Critics of the law argue it creates a pathway for censoring subjects that conflict with the Republican leadership in Texas, a stance echoed during earlier Senate hearings on the legislation. The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents previously eliminated an LGBTQ studies minor in 2024, indicating a pattern of narrowing curricular scope under the new legal framework.

The Advocate

Leonard Bright, president of the American Association of University Professors chapter at Texas A&M-College Station, characterized the move as “a political decision,” adding that it signals a shift away from the university’s previously stated commitment to global perspectives.

The Advocate

Professors across the system have expressed outrage, warning that the cuts would diminish academic diversity and critical inquiry. Valentina Rivas Labarca, a University of Houston student with Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, argued that “censorship doesn’t always begin by banning ideas,” emphasizing that restricting course offerings can make certain ideas “impossible to study.”

The Advocate

• “Censorship doesn’t always begin by banning ideas,” — Valentina Rivas Labarca, a University of Houston student with Students Engaged in Advancing Texas

The Advocate