![]() ![]() In a statement Wednesday, Texas A&M interim president Mark A. “A lot of the students want clear communication with how that is going to look, especially students in organizations funded through DEI offices,” said Andrew Applewhite, a junior at Texas A&M who leads the student senate. In a letter sent last week, the Texas A&M Black Former Student Network criticized the school’s leadership for promoting values such as loyalty, respect and self-service while showing that they “don’t have the character nor the courage to follow these Core Values.”Ĭurrent students remain concerned about the impact the DEI ban will have on activities, programs and speech on campus next year. Traditions aside, some alumni have expressed disgust over the university’s handling of McElroy’s hiring. Hankins said the school’s archives include photos of former university groups wearing Ku Klux Klan robes, and a campus statue of a Confederate Army general is still revered by students, who drop pennies on it for good luck. “Am I supposed to think that you care about me knowing that someone who fought to keep us enslaved, you built a statue to?” Hankins said. Hankins, who is Black and Muslim, said she has seen colleagues admonished for their speech in the classroom over the years and cited the school’s history in her pessimism about its capacity for change. Dan Patrick during a lecture about the opioid crisis.Īccording to The Tribune, John Sharp, the chancellor of Texas A&M System, texted Patrick shortly after the lecture to inform him that Alonzo was placed on leave “pending investigation re firing her.” It remains unclear what Alonzo said that was considered questionable. Allegations have emerged that another professor, Joy Alonzo, was put on paid leave after a student accused her of speaking unfavorably about Texas Lt. ![]() The uproar at Texas A&M is no longer just about McElroy, though. ![]() The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents met Sunday in an hourslong executive session to approve “potential” negotiations of a settlement with McElroy. McElroy said in a statement that she was “deeply grateful” for the outpouring of support from current and former students, as well as “Aggies of all majors.” “Aggie” is a nickname adopted by Texas A&M for its students, who it referred to as “Farmers” until the 1920s. A new state law will limit that and the discussion of race and inclusion on college campuses next year. Just days later, McElroy’s tenure offer unraveled after the university buckled under backlash from Texas Scorecard, a conservative website, and an unspecified group of individuals close to the university who opposed her previous diversity initiatives. ![]() She was headed to her alma mater with a mission to revive its journalism program - and it was all the sweeter for A&M because she had been lured away from its rival, the University of Texas at Austin.īut the celebration didn’t last long. McElroy, a Black journalist whose background included decades at the New York Times and a reputation for promoting diversity in the workplace, was a major get for the university with the largest student body in the country. With pageantry that included balloons, a banner and an outdoor signing ceremony, Texas A&M University celebrated a diverse new chapter in its history with its June hiring of Kathleen McElroy. ![]()
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