A think tank is sounding the alarm that Texas A&M–traditionally a conservative university–is turning out social justice activists, discriminating against whites, and spending millions on left-wing diversity programs.
The Claremont Institute, a conservative organization based in California, released an investigative report on Feb. 10 that said a divisive, “un-American” ideology under the innocuous-sounding term Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is spreading at Texas A&M University and beyond.
The report, “How Texas A&M Went Woke,” was written by Scott Yenor, an author and Boise State University professor of political science. He said that the university has been expanding its diversity programs, which run counter to founding American principles.
DEI is a euphemism for critical race theory (CRT) or progressivism. CRT is a Marxist-based theory that divides people, usually based on race or gender, and believes America is systemically racist and must be dismantled.
People talk before the start of a rally against critical race theory (CRT) being taught in schools, at the Loudoun County Government Center in Leesburg, Va., on June 12, 2021. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
One of the main focal points of DEI is equity, where outcomes need to be the same for everyone, not equality, where everyone’s treated the same.
DEI programs have advocated for hiring minorities instead of whites. Some applaud DEI as a way of correcting past discrimination in America by leveling the playing field to favor minorities when hiring, applying for college, or selecting for other opportunities.
The Texas A&M School of Medicine made headlines recently for an incident where photos of the predominantly white male graduating class were removed from a display near the entrance to the school as a sign of the college’s commitment to DEI.
During a faculty senate meeting in January, school administrators at Texas A&M downplayed the incident, saying it happened in 2019 and blamed an employee who no longer works at the university. The administrators also said they wanted the legislators to understand that DEI wasn’t harmful.
Texas A&M did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
The push for DEI was noted in 2017, when the university examined, “the progress represented by the steady decline in the percentage of white men among faculty, in the student body, and in leadership, positions,” according to the report.
The report claimed the university has watered down its curriculum, which was increasingly “un-American.” It said less rigorous pathways to a degree exist through DEI classes. Some majors and minors now focuses on race and gender.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks on his racial equity agenda in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 26, 2021. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)
Majors at A&M include a Bachelor’s in Women’s and Gender Studies, and a Bachelor’s in Race, Gender, and Ethnicity Concentration, according to the report.
Minor fields of study include Africana Studies; Gender and Health; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBT); and Women’s and Gender Studies, the report said.
The focus on activism was apparent in a 2020 State of Diversity Report, the report said, which calls for dismantling so-called discriminatory practices and making students into “social justice activists.”
“This is the truth of the DEI regime finally exposed, for all to see,” the report concluded.
It also claimed the university spent at least $5 million on salaries by looking at what similar positions would pay everywhere. The report extrapolated the total cost of diversity programs at A&M at some $11 million.
The Claremont report came just days after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s chief of staff, Gardner Pate, sent a memo to state agency leaders and universities that using DEI in hiring was illegal.
The memo, which The Texas Tribune reported on, said DEI had been manipulated to push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, who heads the Texas Senate, has been the most outspoken critic of the universities’ adoption of programs aligned with (CRT).
Patrick has said publicly that he wants to eliminate or alter tenure–which is job security–for “woke” professors teaching at universities.
It’s unclear what support the measure would have in the Texas House. Speaker Dade Phelan (R) said publicly that doing away with tenure may hinder faculty recruitment.
On Feb. 10, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus in the Texas House told The Epoch Times the caucus is ready to support legislation to rid Texas universities of DEI.
The report said the university uses DEI statements when hiring.
LGBT activists and their supporters rally in support of transgender people on the steps of New York City Hall, on Oct. 24, 2018, in New York City. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Hiring committees are required to go through training that looks at “implicit bias” during the hiring process, the report said. Faculty responsible for hiring are encouraged to seek out minorities through emails or personal letters to fill positions, but not to use those techniques with whites.
In 2022, only two colleges did not have a college-level DEI committee to gather data and implement policies, the report said.
Also, it says A&M has adopted two explicit DEI-based requirements for students: “International Cultural Diversity” and a “Cultural Discourse.”
The report concluded that A&M “remains a great school with a student body that is much more conservative and patriotic than most. It is an oasis of excellence still.”
But it warned that A&M is also beginning to resemble every other university in the country by adopting DEI policies in its hiring, admissions, curriculum, and student life.
Adam Kolasinski, a finance professor at Texas A&M, told The Epoch Times that he has spoken out about DEI at the university, which he believes is driven mainly by the administration.
“The politicians claim they’re against it, yet they keep appointing people in these upper positions that don’t seem to care or actively promote it,” he said.
Kolasinski said that DEI training is mandatory for hiring committee members at the university, which is another thing the legislature needs to address.
He said tenure wasn’t the problem because many faculty members go along with DEI but don’t agree with it.
“That is a misperception,” he said. “It’s a top-down thing.”