This semester, UT has continued to follow a pattern of administrative overcompliance, leading to an overall-conservative shift on campus. This semester, the pressure shifted from the legislative decisions to administrative overreach, from the consolidation of schools in the College of Liberal Arts to the shut down of student services departments. As the University’s and Board of Regents’ decisions cater to legislative priorities, the Editorial Board has continued to work to hold those in power accountable.
Our first editorial criticized UT’s decision to shut down four student services departments, which provided important academic resources, research opportunities and training for students and faculty. We discussed the cost of academic efficiency, including a loss of resources for students, faculty layoffs and an overall decrease in institutional memory.
Next, we tackled the Board of Regents’ initiative limiting classroom discussion of “controversial topics.” We recognized the broader pattern of academic oversight which this policy fits into, and condemned its attempt to control what is taught in the classroom. We acknowledged the policies’ threat to academic freedom, and warned of its potential chilling effect.
Later that month, we took on our annual Executive Alliance endorsement. This year, we moderated the Executive Alliance debate with full editorial independence, free from last year’s censorship attempts by the Office of the Dean of Students. We endorsed Kiera Dixon and Jaden Watt, who we believed were best fit to serve the student body amid broader academic polarization. We look forward to seeing what Dixon and Watt accomplish in the next year.
We ended the year with a long-form policy index, grading 15 public colleges on academic freedom, faculty representation, free speech, and state legislative control. This “higher education report card” was an opinion-wide project with months of sourcing, research and analysis. In it, UT tied with A&M in second-to-last place, signaling the erosion of academic freedom and institutional independence in the state. We hope the report serves as a call to action, for UT and other universities, to protect the principles of academic discourse and shared governance on campus.
As this academic year comes to a close, the 2027 legislative session may result in more partisan overreach. However, the Editorial Board will continue to advocate for students and faculty, and speak out against threats to academic freedom.
The Editorial Board is composed of associate editors Tenley Jackson, Tiffany Lam, Maria Vazquez, Belle Xu and editor-in-chief Ava Saunders.
