There is a lot of this going around lately. What does it tell you?
The San Antonio Express-News reports:
Another Texas DEI rollback? UT San Antonio dissolving race and gender departments.The University of Texas at San Antonio will consolidate its Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies into the Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies effective Sept. 1, according to emails between faculty and university leaders and an interview with a faculty member.Until now, UT San Antonio had avoided major changes reshaping race- and gender-focused programs at other Texas public universities amid growing statewide political scrutiny. Some faculty fear that the merger could reduce institutional support for the programs, restrict curriculum, reduce resources and limit their role in academic decision-making. At the extreme, they fear it could lead to the loss of positions and the elimination of entire programs.The Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies offers graduate degrees, including a Master of Arts in Bicultural-Bilingual Education and a doctoral degree in Culture, Literacy and Language. Formed in 2020, the Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies houses three undergraduate majors: African American Studies, Mexican American Studies and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies.Earlier this month, UT-Austin officials announced a similar change — telling faculty in departments of ethnic and gender studies that their units would be folded into a new Department for Social and Cultural Analysis Studies.Changes to the programsIn a Jan. 16 email sent to the faculty and staff e-mail list across UT San Antonio’s College of Education and Human Development, Dean Mario Torres wrote that the two departments will be consolidated into a single, unified academic department. He did not share the name of the new department or specify who would lead it.
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