University of Texas Has ‘Power Stripped’ As Bill Passes

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has welcomed the state Senate’s approval on Wednesday of Senate Bill 37, a piece of legislation that he said will result in senior faculty at the University of Texas at Austin having “their power stripped.”

Newsweek contacted the University of Texas at Austin for comment on Thursday via telephone and voicemail message.

Why It Matters

Since coming to power in January, the Trump administration has targeted a number of universities which it claims have allowed anti-American or anti-Semitic teaching, though critics argue this is an attack on free speech.

In March, Columbia University announced a range of actions including measures against students who took part in pro-Palestinian campus occupations following pressure from Trump. This week, the White House froze $2.2 billion in federal funding from Harvard after the university refused to accept similar demands.

What To Know

Senate Bill 37 includes an amendment that states university courses in Texas can’t “require or attempt to require a student to adopt a belief that any race, sex, or ethnicity or social, political or religious belief is inherently superior to any other.” The legislation appears aimed at banning the teaching of critical race theory, a view about systemic oppression which conservatives say can encourage anti-American and anti-white prejudice.

The legislation also requires universities in Texas to modify or terminate programs which state authorities conclude fail to offer a good value to students.

Reacting on X, Patrick claimed that in 2021 “faculty senate at the University of Texas at Austin arrogantly stated that they were not accountable to the Texas Legislature or UT Board of Regents.” He added they “passed a resolution stating they were going to teach Critical Race Theory to UT students no matter what the legislature or taxpayers thought.”

However, Patrick said that with the passage of Senate Bill 37, “the faculty senate at the University of Texas at Austin had their power stripped” and suggested “looney Marxist UT professors should find a friendly blue state to move to.”

In 2022, the faculty council at the University of Texas passed a resolution by 41-5 in support of “the fundamental rights of faculty to academic freedom in its broadest sense, inclusive of research and teaching of race and gender theory.”

What People Are Saying

In his X post, Lieutenant Governor Patrick said: “In 2021, the faculty senate at the University of Texas at Austin arrogantly stated that they were not accountable to the Texas Legislature or UT Board of Regents. They passed a resolution stating they were going to teach Critical Race Theory to UT students no matter what the legislature or taxpayers thought.

“I replied at the time: ‘I will not stand by and let looney Marxist UT professors poison the minds of young students with Critical Race Theory. We banned it in publicly funded K-12 and we would ban it in publicly funded higher ed.’ Tonight, with final passage of Senate Bill 37, the faculty senate at the University of Texas at Austin had their power stripped and found out the Legislature does have authority over faculty senates after all!

“Here’s an idea for them to consider: these looney Marxist UT professors should find a friendly blue state to move to so we can fill their roles with quality conservative professors who will teach critical thinking. Yippie Ki Yay! Adios! Sayonara! Auf Wiedersehen! Au Revoir! In every language you can possibly think of: Goodbye!”

Speaking to The Texas Tribune about Senate Bill 37, David Albert, vice-president of the Texas Conference of the American Association of University Professors, said: “If this is enforced, students will learn less about the world.

“They will learn a more rose-colored glasses view of the way society operates.”

What Happens Next

The University of Texas at Austin has not given a formal response to the passage of Senate Bill 37. However, any attempt to avoid it would likely be met with punitive legal measures.