Dawn Staley Deserves Better From Female Sports Commentators

Dawn Staley of South Carolina is, unquestionably, being held to a level of scrutiny so inherently wrong and undeserved that it is really getting on “my last good nerve,” as the country expression goes. The mountain of coverage given to the dilemma of the U Conn women’s coach and his foul display of unsportsmanlike conduct “this time” has all but eclipsed the SEC championship coach and NCAA championship coach from the level of dignity and respect in coverage that she is LONG overdue.

Not only were the male commentators wrong, but the women sitting on the ESPN panel chirping and chattering away missed the point entirely. The focus was not on the right point. Their focus was Geno’s behavior. They spent all their effort talking of “a rivalry between the two coaches.” Their focus should have been on why Dawn Staley had to be in defensive posture such that in her team’s victory blowing the previously undefeated U Conn streak out of the water and knocking them out of the finals, she had to exclaim, “Let me say this first—I am of integrity.”

That is a given. That she is of integrity should go without saying. I’ve been an Aggie women’s basketball fan for as many years as to qualify in the “beaten by South Carolina veterans club,” and yet I have the highest regard and respect for Coach Staley, also an Olympic Team Coach who led the USA to the Gold Medal. As a player she was a standout and today as a female leader and role model for young women, she excels.

Most importantly, Dawn Staley gives back again and again, quietly. Sometimes cameras follow her; other times they have no idea of her generosity behind the scenes. But she models a giver’s heart in everything she does. And she deserves better, most of all from her fellow female commentators, who are supposedly basketball veterans themselves. They responded to the theatrics of a loser, rather than give five minutes’ thought to the purposeful technique Geno Auriemma applied: “Suck all the air out of the room and all the attention out of the victory” with his behavior. Headlines carried his egregious behavior one day and his mea culpa forced apologia (written by a U Conn PR flack) after.

Can anyone name the individual members of the South Carolina team after that fantastic, hard-fought victory? Of course not. It was Geno-Geno-Geno 24/7 coverage. Again, the female talking heads blathered on, taking the bait. They were good at basketball, but they fell for the oldest trick in the book: distraction is the key to inaction. And yet, present-day coaching has reached a new heightened level of bad behavior, and it is not by the women coaches.

It is not fair that the mountain of praise is still heaped on the men who coach women’s basketball. Dawn Staley’s years of amazing coaching continued to be buried far down the paragraphs while the lead goes to “Vic Schaefer of Texas comforts a player in their loss.” The headline should have been “UCLA Head Coach Cori Close” cleans the clock of the Texas “Secretary of Defense” Vic Schaefer. Instead the caption reads: “Vic Schaefer post goes viral as he comforts a fifth-year player who lost in her final game.” Yawn.

Does anyone remember the game where Schaefer, formerly beloved at Texas A&M for his defensive strategy, took the team from Mississippi State to the Final Four by beating U Conn and ending their 111-game winning streak, winning 66-64 in overtime. Same outcome—winning streak ended, Geno didn’t go code blue. But Vic still messed up, and it mostly went unnoticed.

When the TEAM accomplished that victory and pulled out that win on Morgan William’s buzzer beater, Schaefer rushed out onto center court, along with the rest of the team. The first person he looked for to congratulate? “Itty Bitty” herself, Morgan Willam. The camera stayed fixed as he beamed and almost lifted her off the ground and held her tight. Also waiting for a hug was his own daughter, Blair Schaefer, who had contributed key 3-point shots and played the heck out of her father’s defense and outfoxed the previously undefeated U Conn team.

He could have let the team congratulate William first on the winning shot and hugged his own daughter first, but he chose to let the cameras find him seeking out William. Coaches are only human, but in national championships you can’t yell, “Cut, retake, let’s go again.”

When you seek the national title, it’s so easy to get trapped by the spotlights and bright lights of publicity. Yeah, it’s great when Matthew McConaughey posts a consolation message for “Uncle Vic,” but one day Matthew won’t be there to reassure him that he was once a great coach because the game of basketball coaching worship is both impermanent and mostly hype.

No question that all coaches “give back,” and are “great people” and many Aggies will rush to defend anyone they think has thrown mud on their beloved coach but remember, he didn’t wait a year to return to what could have been his realm to run at A&M. He chose to say “Praise the Lord and Hook ‘Em” when before his signature radio signoff, as he wore his Aggie ring, was “Praise the Lord and Gig ‘Em.” Save your arguments for the real problem: Dawn Staley deserves better.

I don’t have any answers, only good memories of civil behavior by grown adults from days before. Not all were civil, and classically through the years when I began watching the sport, it was “men behaving badly” as coaches who attracted ratings. And that was the game they played.

For so long, audiences at collegiate sporting events have been witnesses to the highest range of adult male conduct and misbehavior to fill volumes of sports publications through the years. Every time Bobby Knight threw a fit, or a chair, across an arena, someone wrote about it. Invariably the appeasing text followed that one surely couldn’t argue with his methods because he was a “winning coach.” Eventually his “bad-boy behavior” did him in and he lost his lofty perch. It would be years before the phoenix rose from the ashes and reappeared at Texas Tech.

So too are other legendary coaches who are constantly monitored with sidelines cameras focused on them, waiting for them to pitch a fit at some perceived wrong call or other flagrant error (in their not-so-humble opinion). To that end, the list of whiners and complainers is as long as their behavior is annoying.

John Calipari, Rick Pitino, and Dan Hurley are just three who come to mind as possessing the ability to instantly generate looks of gastrointestinal pain at their frustration and disgust over some call or other. They whine, yell, stamp their feet, and posture up and down the side of the court, putting on quite the show. And they are wearisome.

No question passion runs high, and times a call goes afoul. Watching your coach “lose it” with a referee when a star player fouls out will garner a technical. It’s designed purposefully to motivate the team to turn it around. For most, though, it’s pointless and wastes time. Have a complaint? Question the call, accept the ruling, and move on. It usually all comes out in the wash.

Over the years, as women entered the basketball head coaching field, an entirely different standard of behavior rules seemed to be cast across the elite group of women chosen to lead groups of women to victory. It’s been a long, hard journey trying to generate audiences commensurate with men’s sports, and TV coverage was never so good until the advent of Caitlin Clark. The WNBA was still “a great idea with many great games” before the spirit of competition became truly exciting enough to subscribe to the WNBA.

Back in the college world, it’s almost possible to name the “most memorable” of the women basketball coaches on two hands, for me at least. Kay Yow is famous, primarily for her brave battle against cancer for as long as she could, same as Jimmy V (Valvano), and Pat Summitt is forever Tennessee basketball, as identifiable as the never-ending strains of “Rocky Top” (which any member of the SEC has to suffer through annually at the tournaments).

Summitt had a unique way of coaching—she didn’t dress players down by name publicly. In the locker room when she was wired for CBS cameras, she referred to the players by jersey number: #23 is missing her assignment guarding her opponent and letting her slip by every time. Close the gap!” She didn’t demean the player, she addressed the issue. You hoped to hear, “Good job #12” and get on with it. Calmer coaches prevailed in many of the televised game. Brenda Frese of Maryland is the first I think of when it comes to passionate yet focused without losing her cool coach. Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame was very effective without hysterics or tantrums. Then came Kim Mulkey and her colorful designer fashion collection, which she would shed at will upon losing her temper at some player or perceived wrong call. She didn’t as much stamp her feet up and down the court but she surely did move like a blur and grimaced to signal her displeasure.

In contrast, when former Aggie head coach Gary Blair became exasperated because his team didn’t “understand the assignment,” or his myriad 1,000 possible play structures, he would remove his jacket and fling it behind him, airborne. It was up to medic Mike “Radar” Ricke to be alert to the jettison and catch it before it hit the ground and find it a soft landing. That happened once a game and I used to make bets of candy with my seatmates as to when it was coming. Did it produce results? Well, Blair did bring home the National Championship in 2011 so, there you have it. Justified clothing toss. Everybody loved Gary, no matter what. He loved those girls and he expected the best from them. The sign on his desk said so: “Gary Blair: Building Champions.”

Dawn Staley has been building champions for years. Her program shows it. Her record proves it, and she doesn’t have to declare that she is of integrity for anyone with a pulse to know it. She should not have been put in a position such that she had to defend herself, rather than take a moment to enjoy the thrill of victory. Before halftime, the camera and reruns were Geno complaining about “Dawn could call the referee names and make him make a call and he couldn’t get anywhere with them.” What game was he watching? That camera was on Dawn Staley just as much as it was on Geno Auriemma and she did no such thing.

Then at halftime, he whined about it again. At the end of the game, everyone knows what he did and he made up a reason to stalk off the court, leaving his team to be humiliated by his behavior. The looks on their faces of sheer embarrassment were heartbreaking to any fan of the game. It’s bad enough to lose but when your leader is a total jerk to the opposing team and you have to apologize for him? His coaching staff had to feel the stench of guilt around their necks for the behavior their leader showed.

To make it worse, the coverage the following day of Geno’s apology still eclipsed the victory in coaching by Dawn Staley and her team. The University of South Carolina is the true South, where women have been taught for centuries not to speak too loudly, not to shine too brightly, lest they eclipse and surpass someone else and make them feel badly. To be demur was preferred. It’s why Geno kept “winning the postgame coverage” every hour on the hour. It’s entirely unfair to the team.

When you saw the National Championship game between UCLA and South Carolina, you saw what it was like for two highly qualified female coaches to lead their teams through the contest. The game was tough and the competition was the finest until the end, when one victor began to emerge and pull away. UCLA won the day, and the national title, but Dawn Staley won the hearts of many high school players who are going to want to compete to play for her at South Carolina. Dawn Staley’s postgame comments about Cori Close and her team were absolutely first class all the way, and greatly appreciated by everyone.

UCLA has always enjoyed an amazing men’s team that is as synonymous with winning basketball as the name John Wooden is the unmistakable “Wizard of Westwood” with 10 national championships in a 12-year stretch. UCLA women’s coach Cori Close is an outstanding coach who had winning strategies against every opponent throughout the competition. She is another reason why March Madness is such an exciting time in the lives of college basketball fans.

It’s about time things changed. It’s past time for holding women coaches to different standards than their male counterparts. Clearly their salaries are not equal, unless they are fortunate enough to have benefactors, donors, or really good agents, few of which are around.

Change occurs slowly but it doesn’t have to be blocked by key women who are supposed to help promote, extend, and encourage the viewing of and support for women’s basketball. The WNBA draft occurs one week from today. Futures will be secured with various contract signings, and if the players are careful with their signing bonuses, they’ll be set for the future. The shelf life for a pro player, before retiring to TV announcing or coaching, is not that long.

Dawn Staley will be in the game to lead, guide, and direct women’s basketball for many years to come. With any luck, she will be shown the appropriate respect from the outset rather than be forced to defend herself against those who seek to tear her down. In the end, it doesn’t matter who is against her. Her players are for her, and when you know who you are, you’re a leader worth following. And no one can take that from you. [Photo source: Facebook photo]

Remembering the Kinder, Gentler Side of Chuck Norris

News of the death of Chuck Norris in Hawaii on March 19, at the age of 86, has been on every major news service for almost 10 hours now. For many who heard, some could scarcely believe the concept that Mr. Norris would not be one of those who lived to at least 100 years old. After all, he was Chuck Norris.

And the simple invocation of his name was all it took to express an affirmation of your accuracy or strength of position. If Chuck Norris agreed with you, or more likely you with him, that was all the bona fides needed to win your point.

Somewhere in the cinematic world of martial arts, particularly in the earliest days of popularity of taekwondo, Mr. Norris rose to prominence for his skill at an early age in difficult variations of martial arts. It is usually for those skills that people came first to revere him as an icon of massive proportions—real, not imagined. It was his willingness to speak up, however many those against his position, that made him the real subject of admiration of many who saw his image projected only on screens of varying proportions.

It’s really a geographical issue as to how people respond to the iconic name of Chuck Norris. Today he is on the minds and in the hearts of so many people who never met him, yet each of them has a distinct, sincere impression of this man whom many consider a legend. The legend concluded his history, with his death at age 86 in Hawaii on March 19th.

Outside the state of Texas, it’s likely that you’ll associate Norris with one of three things—extraordinary martial artist, movie actor famed for action movies such as the “Missing in Action” or “The Delta Force” series; or TV star most recently known for his production, “Walker, Texas Ranger.”

Born Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma, on March 10, 1940, he had many professions in his lifetime. He began his military career at age 18 in 1958 in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Osan Air Base in South Korea. His assignment there was as an Air Policeman (today we call it Air Force Security Forces), and that provided the opportunity to begin his training in judo on base. In town, the U.S. War Department noted that he found a dojo studio in Osan, where he was introduced to “Tang Soo So, a Korean martial art.” He then went to March Air Force Base in California and was honorably discharged in 1962 with the rank of Airman First Class.

Subsequently he developed skill at taekwondo and “was the first Westerner to be awarded an eighth-degree black belt in taekwondo.” His next venture included teaching karate and opening a chain of schools in Los Angeles. He first became famous for training celebrities in martial arts, including Steve McQueen, Priscilla Presley, and Donny and Marie Osmond. His war department bio notes that Master Norris won the Professional Middleweight Karate Champion at age 28 and kept the title for six years.

Memes have filled the internet for years, proclaiming Chuck Norris as the ultimate “tough guy,” a benchmark for legendary strength with the ability to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. One example is “Chuck Norris hit 11 out of 10 targets with 9 bullets” and “The flu has to get Chuck Norris shots once a year,” and “Chuck Norris can pass a vision test with his eyes closed.” The occasion to invoke Norris as a source of authority guaranteed social media “likes,” “follows,” and invariably “shares.”

And yet, Chuck Norris—the man, the myth, the legend—was in fact a mere mortal who possessed the greatest strength of all: his faith in God and his strength of character. Unyielding, unafraid, and incredibly unassuming, Chuck Norris in person was simply nothing like the man you see on screen. He was kind, gentle, brilliant, and had a special countenance about him that belied every ounce of muscle jam-packed onto his frame.

My first sighting was in 2015, in the former location of Office Max in College Station one Sunday after church. He and his wife, Gena, were quietly looking at file cabinets, assessing which ones might work best for them. Gena, blond and beautiful, was also approachable and gracious, and both were willing to look other customers in the eye, preferring to act “just like any other shoppers” that day. Of course, I recognized them instantly but simply smiled broadly and gently nodded my head in their direction. They returned the acknowledgement.

It would be less than six months later our paths would cross once more. I was writing 12 columns for the former online examiner.com, an Internet news outlet that was meant to focus on hometown events and celebrate good news, based on the goals of founder Philip Anschutz. It was no competition for our local outlets but it provided creative freedom. I received a press release about a program new to the Bryan Independent School District, Kickstart Kids, founded in 1990 in Houston by Chuck Norris.

The release explained that Davila Middle School was to be one of several new schools in the state to launch a Kickstart Kids karate program in a neighborhood where it could reach the most number of middle school students who could benefit from the program. An instructor was assigned, Master Rommel Gargoles, today an 18-times World Champion in karate, a bright young man who was the perfect guide to instruct these young boys and girls.

I was invited to attend one of their actual classroom experiences at Davila and found these teenagers to be respectful, disciplined, and intensely serious about “getting it right” in terms of the moves required for their tasks. In fact, just as important as the physical accomplishment was the attitude of preparation, execution, and conclusion of the sport. I interviewed Master Gargoles and found that he truly loved being a role model for the young people and spoke of his admiration for Master Norris and the skills he possessed, with modesty about his own accomplishments. A little research produced a hefty resume filled with accolades but, like Chuck Norris, you could not tell it by his demeanor.

During the semester came the opportunity to witness their skill in an outdoor exhibition at the local arena in Navasota, the city where the Norris family had been calling home while raising their family together. Once again, the consistency with which the students showed their talents marked both improvement and increased joy with their accomplishment. Nothing helps “lost” teenagers more than to find measures of success in goals they adopt along the way. Master Gargoles’ praise was on target and appropriate, but not effusive and overdone.

Invited back to attend their graduation ceremony at semester’s end, I had a chance to watch their final maneuvers during which they would accomplish goals such as chopping a wooden plank with their hand or executing a series of moves with various complicated maneuvers I’m ill-equipped to describe correctly. If you know karate, you know what is required to reach each of the belt color status levels. I was invited to sit next to Mr. Norris and his wife, and we did not exchange idle chatter during the exhibition. In fact, beyond a nice “Thank you for being here,” the only thing on Master Norris’ mind was those students and watching each one intensely as they performed the various tasks.

It was at that point that I was convinced of why people were in awe of Chuck Norris. It was his ability to concentrate strictly and intensely on his goal, without distraction interfering. His laser-like focus met their eyes when each one in turn looked over to see if “he” was indeed watching them. And, in fact, he was. The joy and pride in the students’ eyes was unmistakable.

At the reception following the event with folks mingling about, some too afraid to approach him, I walked up and thanked both Mr. and Mrs. Norris for their office team including me throughout the semester to provide the full picture of what Kickstart Kids was all about. I asked them, “What was it that provided inspiration to get all of this going?”

His answer was fast and gentle. Master Norris, now Mr. Norris said, “My wife and I had volunteered to teach a Bible study for our church’s young people and in our first meeting, I was shocked at how casually the students approached the event. They were talking among themselves, not paying too much attention, as though they were disinterested in learning more about the Bible, being ‘a little too old’ for such things.” Continuing he said, “I determined that they needed some discipline, right now, but more importantly they needed a reason to want that discipline.” And Kickstart Kids was born in Houston, and several major local philanthropists there were happy to help get it started. If memory serves, Pres. and Mrs. George H. W. Bush, friends of the family, were happy to offer their support as the Norrises had often been happy to support the endeavors of the Bush Foundation and were present at every major event in Aggieland where they were present.

In fact, one of my dear friends sat next to them at the grand opening of the Bush Presidential Library and Conference Center at Texas A&M, an historic event attended by five living U.S. Presidents. She said they couldn’t have been nicer. That’s the point. Great people are the same 24 hours a day—they never vary to suit the occasion. They simply are good souls.

I have one small regret. As a Certified Life Celebrant, I have the occasional honor of creating and officiating for families the memorial services to remember their loved ones. I have on my desk, still today, the memorial folder of a woman who passed away in 2024 at the age of 57. She graduated from Bryan High at the age of 22 and did not marry but was a constant source of love for and to her large family.

In telling her story, one of the most important things, her family said, was her love of Chuck Norris and how she and her dad loved watching “Walker, Texas Ranger” together. It was “their thing.” His image was one of three major photos fixed on the video wall during visitation and part of the keepsake memorial program. He was “that important” to the young woman and her entire family, whom he never met.

Chuck Norris had exactly that kind of impact on so many people whom he will never realize were positively influenced by him. I kept that program on my desk, intending to send it to Mr. Norris’ office in Navasota, the headquarters for one of his enterprises, CForce Water.

Call it good fortune or serendipity, but water from an artesian source under the Norris Lone Wolf Ranch in Navasota is bottled, sold, and distributed far and wide. It’s okay if your natural thought flows as: “Chuck Norris didn’t discover the water; the water came looking for Chuck Norris” and you’d be justified in saying that without being ridiculed. You put good energy into the world and with God’s help, it flows back to a source of goodness, enriched and improved along the way.

On Instagram today, the Norris family issued a brief statement about their leader’s passing as being “the heart of our family.” Their final words are all that need saying, and somehow you know he’s enjoying his heavenly reward as he read:

“He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved. Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives.”

As of this writing, after 13 hours, the post has 1,900,000 likes and 88,700 comments and counting.

Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Amen and amen.

Women are Listening to Message of TAMU Regents— After 57+ Years, Women Are Back to Zero

After 57 years, when Texas A&M First “went fully coeducational,” yesterday’s actions by the TAMU Board of Regents basically reverted the status of women akin to a “limited basis” conditional enrollment of study. Today, women of all ages are listening very closely to what Texas A&M administration, at all levels, is saying via their decision to end Women’s and Gender Studies as a major, to cease offering curriculum and bachelor degrees in these majors.

Yesterday, in addition to cancelling six (6) unidentified classes and granting exemptions to 48 of them, TAMU Provost Alan Sams said, “…the university is ending the Women’s and Gender Studies program to comply with system policies…including the ‘difficult decision’ to begin winding down the Women’s and Gender Studies academic programs, including the BA, BS, Graduate Certificate and the Minor.”

“Effective immediately, students will not be able to enroll in these curricular options.” The communique is from Texas A&M Senior Executive Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Cynthia Werner, notifying faculty for Women’s and Gender Studies that Interim President Tommy Williams has closed the program.

The goal of Women’s and Gender Studies was advertised in the TAMU course catalog as “attractive to employers looking for recruits trained in: critical thinking, organizational skills, reading, writing, and presenting.” Further, “specialists…find opportunities in counseling, health care, media, and social work…also excellent preparation for engaging in public policy, law and education in science fields.”

Deciding to end these degrees and course offerings affects both women and men who studied these subjects as well. Such actions comprise deep censorship and squelching of academic freedom. Discussing topics does not imply indoctrination.

That’s the fatal flaw of most obliteration of “things different from you” in courses of study: the fear that if one studies something, immediately a person will adopt a philosophy, path, pattern, or behavior they read about.

It does not harm anyone to study this subject matter, despite the fears of those who are uninformed.

Some of the discontinued classes (taken directly from the online TAMU catalog) include:

WGST 207 Introduction to Gender and Society

Historical and cross-cultural perspectives on women's roles in culture, the workplace, the family and other socio-political institutions; the social construction of gender; sexuality and racism; social control mechanisms and ideologies.

WGST 213 Gender and Health

An examination of social and historical context of health in the U.S., including inequities in health by gender, race, class and gendered issues in health professions.

WGST 300 Psychology of Women

Theoretical and research literature relevant to psychological assumptions about the female personality; challenges to and verification of these assumptions by recent experimental studies.

WGST 303 Psychology of Women of Color

Interdisciplinary theories to study the unique yet intersectional experiences of women from different racial groups, ethnicities, nationalities and cultural backgrounds; scholarly research from the diversity science field; contemporary topics that have developed in a global context; examination of complex issues, which affect women of color across the lifespan.

WGST 315 The Marriage Institution

Courtship, engagement, marriage, family formation, personal adjustment, conflict, financing and child rearing.

WGST 316 Sociology of Gender

Sociological explanations of status differences between men and women; cross-cultural comparisons; gender role socialization, cultural stereotypes, discrimination; gender roles and status in the family, economy, religion, science, other social institutions; deviance, victimization and gender; recent social changes.

WGST 330 Women in Ancient Greece and Rome

Survey of women in classical Greece and Rome; emphases on female occupations and family relationships, legal and political status, traditional values, notorious women, how women were viewed and how they viewed themselves.

WGST 334 Women’s Health

A broad range of health issues that are either unique to women or of special importance to women; information for the health consumer; preparation as an advocate of healthy lifestyles; awareness of the role health plays in the life of all women.

WGST 367 Women in Government in Comparative Perspective

Examination of women's representation in government based on comparison across multiple nation-states; focus on legislative and executive branches of democratic governments.

Other class offerings in the curriculum deal specifically with LGBTQ+ issues. The mere mention of the acronym causes some a kneejerk reaction and potential claim that Texas A&M is indoctrinating students to “this way of life.”

This is frequently followed by the proclamation that such teachings are “woke.” Learning and critical thinking are personal choices.

The word “inclusion” has become an epithet spewed from some speakers as though it were a contagion. In polite society, including someone meant making sure no one was left out, as that does cause harm, all other things being equal.

One has only to walk across the TAMU campus and take in the art, music, books in the library, catch an OPAS show or BVSO concert, University Orchestra program, Century Singers, and Singing Cadets concert, and performances on Kyle Field from the inimitable Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band to know what levels of culture have been amassed here for the purpose of learning to appreciate art for art’s sake.

Yet, no one asks whether some of the art was created by members of what is today known as the LGBTQ+ community. It would appear hypocritical to patronize, appreciate, laud, and honor various works of art as masterpieces, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for their collections, to book a show, or to perform musical works, and then not want to allow one’s young people to study about the artists because of their potential lifestyle categorization.

TAMU Regents failed to consider long-ranging repercussions of their latest decision. The current Board includes members of two majority categories (visit their online bios):

Robert L. Albritton, Jay Graham, David Baggett, John Bellinger, James R. “Randy” Brooks, Michael A. “Mike” Hernandez III, William “Bill” Mahomes Jr., Kelley Sullivan Georgiades, and Sam Torn with student regent Jaquavous S. Doucette.

These same regents are responsible for:

November 2025—"a policy requiring campus presidents to sign off on courses that could be seen as ‘advocating race and gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity.”

December 2025—" TAMU Regents voted to ban “most discussions of these topics in introductory or core curriculum classes. Exceptions could be made if administrators determined the material serves a necessary educational purpose.”

January 2026—"Cancellation of the ethics and public policy course taught by Dr. Leonard Bright of the Bush School of Government and Public Service.” Dr. Bright had been teaching this course for over 15 years here.

January 2026—Ending the Women’s and Gender Studies program to comply with system policies…"including the ‘difficult decision’ to begin winding down the Women’s and Gender Studies academic programs, including the BA, BS, Graduate Certificate and the Minor.”

The email came from the female Texas A&M Senior Executive Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Cynthia Werner, not the male Interim University President Tommy Williams. No called meeting of faculty, no discussion with students presently enrolled in these degree majors, only an edict.

Besides freedom of speech, the university leadership and professors specifically are to have academic freedom, per the guidelines of the American Association of University Professors.

From the AAUP website:

“Advancing and protecting academic freedom is the AAUP's core mission. Academic freedom is the indispensable requisite for unfettered teaching and research in institutions of higher education. As the academic community's core policy document states, ‘Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual teacher or the institution as a whole. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition’ (1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, which has been endorsed by more than 280 national scholarly and educational associations).”

Finally, on January 30, the announcement came: TAMU Regents are “looking to begin semiconductor institute construction this year” at the RELLIS campus. Semiconductors represent an industry filled with visiting scholars from all over the world, specifically individuals who are in Texas on H1-B visas, many of whom are women.

Governor Abbott has ordered a freeze on H1-B visas at state agencies and launched an investigation about “bringing in high-skilled workers from other countries.”

One cannot properly address H1-B visas without reviewing the language on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration website as to the classification of nonimmigrants: “This nonimmigrant classification applies to people who wish to perform services in a specialty occupation, services of exceptional merit and ability relating to a Department of Defense (DOD) cooperative research and development project, or services as a fashion model of distinguished merit or ability.”

The cost of Texas A&M today has skyrocketed in the past decade. For those whose parents are paying tuition, one projects that many years of savings and sacrifices went into amassing the expenses for four years of tuition, fees, books, room and board. This does not include parking, sports passes, entertainment, and vacations for spring and summer breaks. Many students sit out a year while working to save who are paying their own tuition. They acquire massive debt in student loans to finish their degrees. One rightfully expects value for their sacrifice.

Many were not aware until today: Yale University is offering free tuition for those whose family income does not exceed $200,000. The “best and brightest” minds might well choose Yale over A&M, or any other school where academic freedom flourishes. Female scholars and future leaders who might have once chosen to attend or teach at Texas A&M or other state schools will be lost to any schools not governed by state politics.

Diversity is the key to an intelligent population. Discussion is the key to finding (equal) solutions. Decisions are made by collective intelligence of a group (inclusion). As a wise professor of educational administration once said, “No one person is as smart as all of us.”

Women are watching. Women are discussing. Women are deciding.

TAMU Regents: What exactly are you saying to welcome women today and for the future?

Women are listening—and so are their parents, spouses, brothers, husbands, children, and friends—all of whom spend money here. It’s not just Texas watching; the country is aware: check the AP Wire.

[Photo licensed and used courtesy of kieferpix]