University of Texas System to restrict teaching 'unnecessarily controversial subjects'

The University of Texas System’s Board of Regents on Thursday approved a rule requiring its universities to allow students to graduate without studying "unnecessarily controversial subjects."

The rule, approved unanimously, also states that faculty must include the topics they plan to teach in their syllabi and follow that plan throughout the course, according to The Texas Tribune. When courses include controversial subject matter, instructors are directed to take a "broad and balanced approach" to the discussion.

The policy does not define what constitutes "controversial" or a "broad and balanced approach." Board Chair Kevin Eltife said the lack of specifics was because the system wanted to create a policy that could work in the current politically charged environment.

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"We are in difficult times," he said, according to The Texas Tribune. "Vagueness can be our friend."

Critics of the new rule argued that failing to define these terms would force administrators to interpret them on a case-by-case basis, which could lead to professors leaving out difficult material to avoid the risk of complaints.

"Will [administrators] be experts in the relevant disciplines or will they just seek to avoid unpleasant publicity?" Peter Onyisi, a University of Texas at Austin physics professor, said during public testimony from faculty, students and alumni who opposed the policy, according to The Texas Tribune.

Other speakers warned that limiting controversial topics would leave students unprepared for careers that require addressing complex political and social issues.

"The job market is really tough right now, ask any undergrad," David Gray Widder, a professor in UT-Austin’s School of Information, said during public testimony. "We can’t do this to our students."

Allen Liu, a civil rights attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, also suggested that the rule could lead to "viewpoint discrimination" and discourage instruction about slavery, segregation and other topics connected to Black history.

The UT System had a rule for at least a decade giving faculty freedom in the classroom while also stating that they "are expected not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter that has no relation to his or her subject," The Texas Tribune reported.

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In the past year, public universities in Texas have been pressured by Republicans at the state and federal level to root out what has been described as liberal bias.

Under a new state law, regents appointed by the governor have increased oversight of classroom instruction, hiring and discipline.

A gender identity lesson at Texas A&M University last fall that ignited conservative backlash also led the Texas A&M and Texas Tech systems to adopt policies restricting instruction on race, gender and sexuality, although the UT System's new rule does not explicitly ban those topics.