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Texas A&M University pulled the brakes on an upcoming conference trip only after Gov. Greg Abbott, R, found out Applicants of a particular race could be there.
On Monday, conservative activist Christopher Rufo posted a picture of the university that sponsors the annual conference of the PhD project in Chicago. The application stated that the conference was “intended for historically underrepresented individuals considering doctoral studies in economics” and that only Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic, or Indigenous/Canadian Indigenous students were eligible to attend.
“Texas A&M sponsors a trip to a DEI conference that bans whites and Asians from attending. The university falsely claims that this use of taxpayer dollars does not violate the state’s DEI ban. @TAMU supports segregation and breaks the law,” Rufo wrote.
Finally, the post caught Abbott’s eye This led to him threatening the university president’s job security if the matter was not resolved.
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“Hell no. It violates Texas law and violates the U.S. Constitution. It will be fixed immediately, otherwise the president will soon be gone.” Abbott warned.
The university eventually released a statement on its X account reiterating that it does not discriminate based on race Compliance with SB-17a state law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public colleges in Texas.
“Texas A&M does not support any organization, conference, process or activity that excludes people based on race, creed, gender, age or other discriminatory factors. The intent of SB-17 is very clear in this regard. We will continue to honor both the letter and intent of the law,” read the post.
In a statement sent to Fox News DigitalUniversity President Mark A. Welsh III acknowledged the request in question and acknowledged that the conference itself was “not in compliance” with state law, so the trip was canceled entirely.
“Although the proper process for reviewing and approving participation in such events was followed, 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 limitations on the acceptable group of participants are not consistent with the intent of SB-17, and for that reason we will not be sending anyone to attend this conference.”
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Welsh continued, “Texas A&M faculty and staff participate in hundreds, if not thousands, of conferences and other events throughout each academic year. We need to ensure that participation in these events is consistent with the very clear guidelines we have been 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 by canceling an upcoming conference trip. (Ronda Churchill/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Photo by Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has also reached out to the governor’s office for comment.
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The annual conference of the PhD project was launched by the Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers (PREDOC) consortium and will take place in March. PREDOC website described the application process as “exclusive” and “designed for historically underrepresented individuals considering doctoral studies in economics.”
