Free speech in higher education is on the line for students and faculty, that much has been made crystal clear in recent days.
Senate Bill 2972, which limits expressive activities on campuses, went into effect on Sept. 1. Already, faculty members, including tenured professors, are being terminated in an instant if their speech — inside or outside the classroom — generates enough controversy online. However, the higher education community will not let this happen without a fight.
Students at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at Dallas filed a lawsuit against their university presidents, chancellors, and the UT System Board of Regents over SB 2972, which turns every public university in Texas into a speech-free zone starting at 10 p.m. each night. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is carrying the lawsuit for the students, arguing that “Texas can’t just legislate constitutional protections out of existence.” Plaintiff student organizations include a Christian student organization, several student music groups, and the independent UTD student newspaper, “The Retrograde.” The students claim SB 2972 will prohibit activities like pastors leading prayers during finals week, musical performances and practices in the evenings, and working on the student newspaper past 10 p.m.
Elsewhere, faculty members are also being targeted in a wave of social media attacks. This week, two faculty members were unilaterally terminated by their university presidents due to media outrage from right-wing activists and lawmakers.
At Texas A&M University, a professor, her dean, and her department chair have been removed from their positions based on viral video clips and an online outrage machine stirred by state politicians and the governor himself. Meanwhile, a tenured Texas State professor was dismissed for comments he made outside the classroom in a virtual conference that happened over the weekend. Now, both the Texas State and Texas A&M University Systems are calling for audits of every single course in their systems to ensure “full compliance with all applicable laws.”
Both instances are consequences our members warned would happen when SB 18 (2023) and SB 37 (2025) passed. These terminations bypass due process rights and the integrity of essential faculty input procedures — and we’re seeing the effects. A recent national survey by AAUP revealed that, of the 1,100 Texas faculty members surveyed, 25% said they are actively looking for positions out of state. Another quarter of Texas respondents said they likely would do the same soon. This week’s events may hasten their searches.
Now, it is more important than ever to be part of our union. Amid the legal chaos that continues to grow on our campuses, we offer a community that is ready to stand up for you and with you for the integrity of higher education. As lawmakers continue to strip faculty of their rights, we continue to fight just as hard, so you have the freedom to teach, learn, and research.