Texas A&M cancels conference trip excluding white and Asian students after backlash from governor
Texas A&M University pulled the brakes on an upcoming conference after Gov. Greg Abbott, R., revealed that only applicants of a particular race could attend.
On Monday, a conservative activist Christopher Rufo posted a picture the university promotes the annual doctoral project conference in Chicago. The application stated that the conference was “designed for historically underrepresented individuals considering a business doctorate,” and only Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native American/Canadian students were eligible.
“Texas A&M is sponsoring a trip to a DEI conference that bans whites and Asians from attending. The university falsely claims this use of taxpayer funds does not violate the state’s DEI ban. @TAMU supports racial segregation and violates the law,” Rufo wrote.
Post at the end caught Abbott’s eye late Monday, prompting him to threaten the university president’s job security if the matter is not rectified.
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“Hell no. It’s against Texas law and violates the US Constitution. It will be fixed immediately or the president will be gone soon,” Abbott warned.
The university eventually released a statement on its X bill, reiterating that it does not discriminate on the basis of race in the compliance with SB-17state law banning offices of diversity, equity and inclusion at Texas public colleges.
“Texas A&M does not support any organization, conference, process, or activity that excludes people based on race, religion, sex, age, or any other discriminatory factor. The intent of SB-17 is very clear in that regard. We will continue to honor both the letter and the intent law,” the post read.
In a statement sent to Fox News Digitaluniversity president Mark A. Welsh III acknowledged the report in question and acknowledged that the conference itself was “not in compliance” with state law, canceling the trip entirely.
“While due process was followed for reviewing and approving participation in such events, I do not believe we fully considered the spirit of our state law in making the initial decision to participate,” the statement said. “This particular conference’s restrictions on the acceptable race of participants are inconsistent with the intent of SB-17, and, as a result, we will not be sending anyone to participate in this conference.”
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Welsh continued, “Texas A&M faculty and staff attend hundreds, if not thousands, of conferences and other events during each academic year. We need to make sure that attendance at these events is consistent with the very clear guidelines we are given by our governing bodies.”
The statement was sent to Mays Business School staff and faculty.
Texas A&M responded to Governor Abbott’s threat to cancel the upcoming conference. (Ronda Churchill/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Photo by Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital also reached out to the governor’s office for comment.
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The annual doctoral project conference is organized by the Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers Consortium (PREDOC) and will be held in March. PREDOC’s website described the application process as “exclusive” and “designed for historically underrepresented individuals considering a business Ph.D.”
