Texas A&M University recently canceled a planned upcoming trip to a conference that excludes participants of certain races after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to kick out the school’s president.
The event in question is the PhD Project’s Annual Conference, set to take place March 20-21, which excludes white and Asian participants from joining, as revealed by anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) activist Christopher Rufo.
Rufo also shared an email from a Texas A&M official offering a chance to “faculty or advanced PhD students” to attend the conference.
Following Rufo’s revelation, Gov. Abbott took to X on Monday, writing: “Hell, no. It’s against Texas law and violates the US Constitution. It will be fixed immediately or the president will soon be gone.”
Hell, no.
It’s against Texas law and violates the US Constitution.
It will be fixed immediately or the president will soon be gone. https://t.co/g3VTUXWvLb
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 14, 2025
University President Mark A. Welsh III later made a statement that was shared with Fox News Digital in which he announced that Texas A&M will no longer sponsor travel to the conference, saying: “While the proper process for reviewing and approving attendance at such events was followed, I don’t believe we fully considered the spirit of our state law in making the initial decision to participate . . . This particular conference’s limitations on the acceptable race of attendees is not in line with the intent of SB-17, and, as a result, we will not be sending anyone to participate in this conference.”
Gov. Abbott signed SB 17 into law in the summer of 2023. The legislation cracks down on DEI in the state’s public institutions of higher education.
Texas’s anti-DEI law is part of many others in other states similarly banning or curbing DEI in higher education.
The push against DEI is not just limited to colleges and universities, as, in recent months, many prominent companies have begun pushing back against the ideology.
Recently, for example, social media giant Meta revealed that it would be pulling back on its DEI campaign, taking measures such as ending its DEI team.
Campus Reform has contacted Texas A&M for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
