IZZIE WEBB
Senate Bill 37 does nothing but make the lives of teachers at public institutions harder.
SB 37, which came into effect Sept. 1, significantly changes the way faculty senates operate in Texas and restricts those organizations in almost every way possible.
Faculty senates are now no longer allowed to have more than 60 members unless the governing body of the school approves it. Faculty senates will now have some leaders who are not elected by the faculty themselves but appointed by the governing body. A new office has been established to allow for the filing of complaints against public institutions found in violation of the law.
SB 37 also imposes control over curricula, majors, minors and certificates while limiting the ability of teachers to teach important topics.
What SB 37 does is take away the voices of faculty in the state, and it only spells harm for the already shaky higher education system in Texas.
After the bill was signed, colleges across the state scrambled to find a way to deal with their faculty senates in time for the Sept. 1 date. The UT System chose to end faculty senates in all their universities to comply with the new law and give them time to rewrite how their faculty senate operated.
TCC chose the same route.
In the months after the law came into effect, TCC faculty have been without their faculty senate, formerly called the Faculty Association. Many have expressed disappointment in their legislators.
It’s not hard to see why. The law only undermines and erodes the way faculty can communicate their concerns with administration.
Not only that, but this law only adds to the fire to the antagonism between some politicians and faculty.
In his State of the State address Feb. 2, Gov. Greg Abbott said public universities should be held more accountable for what they teach.
“College professors have increasingly pushed woke agendas,” he said. “We need legislation that prohibits professors from having any say over employment decisions.”
The bill comes a year after Senate Bill 17 banned diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education institutions.
To paint college professors with broad strokes as pushing agendas onto students is wrong. It undermines the important work that they do.
In a 2024 Texas Faculty Association survey, 61% of professors wouldn’t recommend colleagues from out of state for a faculty position in Texas. Many cited their reasoning to be how Texas handles higher education.
More and more faculty across the state are becoming concerned with the state of education in Texas. Yet some legislators keep pushing to limit their voices, dismiss their concerns and further restrict the role of faculty.
Faculty are the reason why these schools exist. Without them, there would be no education, no innovation and nobody to care for the future of our nation.