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 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.
While a looming ban on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in Texas higher education shouldn’t apply to academics or admissions, students and professors worry the botched hiring is a harbinger of things to come While the law is supposed to exempt academics and admissions, many are concerned it could be broadly applied — chilling free speech in the classroom.“We were supposed to maintain our academic freedom around these issues but the McElroy situation shows that in fact those are not safe either,” said Karma Chavez, a professor and department chair of Mexican American and Latino/a Studies at UT-Austin.
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.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.