Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, let's talk a little bit about this now.
As we've been promising about DEI in Texas universities, it
is banned. But is that ban being upheld? Lawmakers are
examining this. Senate Bill seventeen is the official name, prohibits
universities from establishing DEI offices using DEI criteria and they're
hiring practices or requiring employees or prospective employees to attend
(00:21):
DEI training. State Senator Brandon Creighton joining us now in
Houston's Morning News. Senator, good morning, how are you, sir?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good morning, doing well, Thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Good to have you. Thank you very much. So this
is the official name of the DEI ban, or you know,
the Senate Bill seventeen, I should say, is that? But
can you talk to us about governance exactly how is
the state wide ban on DEI in higher education being governed?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Well, we've been tracking through our interim hearings on the
Senate Education Committee the concept of shared governance and just
you know how much influence these faculty Senate Governance Committees
have on curriculum and DEI and posts within that curriculum
and also just the other workings of the universities across
(01:13):
each campus and share governance, and these faculty Senate Governance
committees have incredible influence in this respect. So under the bill,
we're making sure that universities continued to comply, but we're
also looking at as members of the legislature, we're looking
at expanding these provisions in the coming session. Senator.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
According to the article in the Texas Scorecard, the DEI
band does not apply to academic instruction, so that means
the students are somehow still subjected to this.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Can you explain that, Well, we started out with hiring practices, right.
We looked very closely at how each and every university
in the state of Texas essentially had a a neon
sign above every HR department that said, you know, if
you do not plan to sign a leftist political oath
(02:09):
before your first interview, you need not apply. And we
address that during the session with Incidate Bill seventeen. Also,
much of the mandatory pronoun training and some other just
sort of woke in doctrination related strategies within the DEI
units that had been weaponized against even other vulnerable minority
(02:32):
populations on campus, and we address that. But we've got
more work to do.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Yeah, it sounds like Senator there is a lot more
work to do again, quoting the article, deis in multiple
state university strategic plans. In investigations throughout twenty twenty four,
they found Texas scorecard. Did they founded in university classes
at Texas A and M and at Texas Tech. So
you know we're talking funding right, That's the only way
that you can get these universities to comply is to
(02:59):
threaten them with fun.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yes and tenured professors. You know, under the guise of
what they call academic freedom, they have an incredible latitude
on what they infuse within a current curriculum for certain agendas.
That is very separate from making sure that the universities
are focused on education and innovation and preparing our future workforce.
(03:25):
So we're going to continue to stay on this as
we do with each and every legislative session. We make
progress and continue to take steps the best way we
can to make sure that we do not have the
death of common sense in Texas like we've seen in Washington,
d C. For years. And we're going to continue this
(03:47):
effort on the DEI platform.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Well, I'm glad to know that, and I'm sure every
parent of every student in Texas is glad to know
that too, because this needs to be about merit when
it comes to hiring, when it comes to professors, when
it comes to accolte and staff, and of course the
way these kids are taught success is not about DEI.
It's going to have to be about merit. So we're
glad you're doing it. State Senator Brandon Creighton joining us
this morning. Senator, thank you for the time. We appreciate
(04:12):
your good work on this, and a very merry Christmas
to you, sir.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Thank you Merry Christmas, and we'll talk to you soon
about the session that's coming up.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
We will look forward to it. Thank you,
All right, let's talk a little bit about this now.
As we've been promising about DEI in Texas universities, it
is banned. But is that ban being upheld? Lawmakers are
examining this. Senate Bill seventeen is the official name, prohibits
universities from establishing DEI offices using DEI criteria and they're
hiring practices or requiring employees or prospective employees to attend
(00:21):
DEI training. State Senator Brandon Creighton joining us now in
Houston's Morning News. Senator, good morning, how are you, sir?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good morning, doing well, Thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Good to have you. Thank you very much. So this
is the official name of the DEI ban, or you know,
the Senate Bill seventeen, I should say, is that? But
can you talk to us about governance exactly how is
the state wide ban on DEI in higher education being governed?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Well, we've been tracking through our interim hearings on the
Senate Education Committee the concept of shared governance and just
you know how much influence these faculty Senate Governance Committees
have on curriculum and DEI and posts within that curriculum
and also just the other workings of the universities across
(01:13):
each campus and share governance, and these faculty Senate Governance
committees have incredible influence in this respect. So under the bill,
we're making sure that universities continued to comply, but we're
also looking at as members of the legislature, we're looking
at expanding these provisions in the coming session. Senator.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
According to the article in the Texas Scorecard, the DEI
band does not apply to academic instruction, so that means
the students are somehow still subjected to this.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Can you explain that, Well, we started out with hiring practices, right.
We looked very closely at how each and every university
in the state of Texas essentially had a a neon
sign above every HR department that said, you know, if
you do not plan to sign a leftist political oath
(02:09):
before your first interview, you need not apply. And we
address that during the session with Incidate Bill seventeen. Also,
much of the mandatory pronoun training and some other just
sort of woke in doctrination related strategies within the DEI
units that had been weaponized against even other vulnerable minority
(02:32):
populations on campus, and we address that. But we've got
more work to do.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Yeah, it sounds like Senator there is a lot more
work to do again, quoting the article, deis in multiple
state university strategic plans. In investigations throughout twenty twenty four,
they found Texas scorecard. Did they founded in university classes
at Texas A and M and at Texas Tech. So
you know we're talking funding right, That's the only way
that you can get these universities to comply is to
(02:59):
threaten them with fun.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yes and tenured professors. You know, under the guise of
what they call academic freedom, they have an incredible latitude
on what they infuse within a current curriculum for certain agendas.
That is very separate from making sure that the universities
are focused on education and innovation and preparing our future workforce.
(03:25):
So we're going to continue to stay on this as
we do with each and every legislative session. We make
progress and continue to take steps the best way we
can to make sure that we do not have the
death of common sense in Texas like we've seen in Washington,
d C. For years. And we're going to continue this
(03:47):
effort on the DEI platform.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Well, I'm glad to know that, and I'm sure every
parent of every student in Texas is glad to know
that too, because this needs to be about merit when
it comes to hiring, when it comes to professors, when
it comes to accolte and staff, and of course the
way these kids are taught success is not about DEI.
It's going to have to be about merit. So we're
glad you're doing it. State Senator Brandon Creighton joining us
this morning. Senator, thank you for the time. We appreciate
(04:12):
your good work on this, and a very merry Christmas
to you, sir.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Thank you Merry Christmas, and we'll talk to you soon
about the session that's coming up.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
We will look forward to it. Thank you,
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