Texas A&M University is reportedly sponsoring a trip for faculty and PhD students to attend a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) conference that explicitly states it will not allow white or Asian students to attend.
The PhD Project’s Annual Conference is intended for individuals who “Identify as Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic American, or Native American/Canadian Indigenous,” according to its website. Emails posted on X reveal the taxpayer-funded university is inviting students to join a sponsored trip to the event and claims the program does not violate the state’s ban on school-sponsored DEI initiatives.
The organization hosting the conference states that its purpose is to increase diversity and equity in doctoral programs and uses findings from a not-yet released study that claims the practice of racially gerrymandering student and faculty representation in programs is “not just ethical, it’s evidence-based,” according to its website. The conference offers prospective doctoral students an opportunity to network with current students and “a realistic look at every phase of the PhD journey.”
EXCLUSIVE: Texas A&M is sponsoring a trip to a DEI conference that prohibits whites and Asians from attending. The university falsely claims that this use of taxpayer funds does not violate the state’s DEI ban.@TAMU is supporting racial segregation and breaking the law. pic.twitter.com/pFWYnZdweE
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) January 13, 2025
In 2023 Texas banned DEI in higher education, opting instead to focus on a “merit-based approach where individuals are judged on their qualifications, skills, and contributions.” Several other states have boasted similar measures eradicating the ideology.
Despite these bans, DEI initiatives continue to run rampant at many state universities across the country. The University of Texas, as recently as 2023, paid a whopping $9.8 million in 2023 to fund the salaries of 116 DEI staff. The school also hosted federally-funded studies on topics such as “cisheteronormativity, the societal belief that everyone is cisgender and heterosexual.”
Many DEI programs are beginning to crumble at prominent schools after studies revealed the initiatives may increase racial tensions and fail to increase diversity and overall student outcomes.
Texas A&M did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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