In a recent classroom conversation, a student asked whether it was still “allowed” to talk about immigration policy in relation to Texas history. He did not ask because the topic was abstract. He asked because his family lives at the center of it.
That question should concern all of us.
The University of Texas System’s new policy limiting the discussion of “controversial topics” is being framed as a safeguard—an effort to restore “trust,” ensure “balance,” and prevent faculty from engaging in advocacy. But beneath that language lies something far more troubling: a restructuring of who gets to decide what counts as legitimate knowledge.
