Texas Tech University professors in Lubbock have set up a table outside the library to talk with students about new rules on what they can teach. Flyers on the table listed works such as Homer's The Odyssey, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Melville's Moby-Dick, which the professors say could run afoul of the rules.
The changes follow Senate Bill 17, a 2023 Texas law that banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices and programs at public universities but exempted classroom instruction and academic research. More changes came in 2025, including new state oversight of university curriculum. Texas Tech has adopted some of the state's most sweeping restrictions on how professors can teach about race, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation. Critics have accused the university of censorship, according to the report.
Deena Varner, an assistant professor of practice in English, said she and colleagues have spoken with hundreds of students since they began tabling nine months ago, even after administrators told faculty not to discuss the policies with students. Varner said professors are unsure what is allowed in the classroom. Texas Tech administrators have warned that faculty who do not comply could face disciplinary action.
Chancellor Brandon Creighton, who took office in November 2025, issued two directives on what can be taught across the system, one in December 2025 and another in April 2026.