Texas Tech

[Justanothergrad]

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Texas Tech System leader cancels academic programs “centered on” sexual orientation, gender identity

Texas Tech University System’s chancellor on Friday ordered campuses to phase out academic programs “centered on” sexual orientation and gender identity — a dramatically expanded policy that also places limits on what can be researched and which faculty can be hired.

apnews.com

https://www.texastribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/26-4-9-Memorandum-Chancellor-Creighton.pdf

 

[PsyDr]

Isn't this where that "Dr. John" guy, of Dave Ramsey fame, was trained?

I don’t trust any financial group that refuses to deride MLMs, regardless of audience's preferences.

 

[Justanothergrad]

Isn't this where that "Dr. John" guy, of Dave Ramsey fame, was trained?

I don’t trust any financial group that refuses to deride MLMs, regardless of audience's preferences.

I had no idea who that was.

I looked and yes, but not Psychology. Looks like the typical get a PhD and be a doctor but have a MA level training case. From their website.

Dr. John Delony earned his Bachelor of Arts in humanities and psychology at Lubbock Christian University and his Masters of Education in higher education administration from Texas Tech University. He went on to earn two PhDs from Texas Tech University—one in counselor education and supervision, and the other in higher education administration.

Quacks gonna quack

 

[PsyDr]

I had no idea who that was.

I looked and yes, but not Psychology. Looks like the typical get a PhD and be a doctor but have a MA level training case. From their website.

Dr. John Delony earned his Bachelor of Arts in humanities and psychology at Lubbock Christian University and his Masters of Education in higher education administration from Texas Tech University. He went on to earn two PhDs from Texas Tech University—one in counselor education and supervision, and the other in higher education administration.

He's some counselor on the Dave Ramsey Show (i.e., the AM radio financial show where a Christian tells you to not borrow money, and pay off debts, but never says MLMs are scams because apparently that is common in religious homeschool types).

 

[AcronymAllergy]

He's some counselor on the Dave Ramsey Show (i.e., the AM radio financial show where a Christian tells you to not borrow money, and pay off debts, but never says MLMs are scams because apparently that is common in religious homeschool types).

"A perfect credit score isn't 850, it's 0."

The Texas brain drain is in full effect.

 

[Sanman]

"A perfect credit score isn't 850, it's 0."

The Texas brain drain is in full effect.

Free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

 

[The Cinnabon]

Texas Tech System leader cancels academic programs “centered on” sexual orientation, gender identity

Texas Tech University System’s chancellor on Friday ordered campuses to phase out academic programs “centered on” sexual orientation and gender identity — a dramatically expanded policy that also places limits on what can be researched and which faculty can be hired.

apnews.com

Its bad in Texas. This is one University, but my colleagues are across them. Academia is under attack across the country, but students and faculty should read this memo to understand why not to send anyone to TTU.

https://www.texastribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/26-4-9-Memorandum-Chancellor-Creighton.pdf

Just... have a drink when you read it.

It is worse than you expect.

More is coming. It will be worse.

“Everyone sees that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, but this grass is looking pretty dead”

I think the biggest shame here is that TTU has the bones to be a very solid brick and mortar school (as it was for so long), but admin is actively ensuring it becomes a deeply unserious conservative safe space.

Edit: I'm also wondering how, as a faculty member, can you earnestly recruit PhD students to actually attend a program enacting such a memo. I get that our field has a nearly infinite supply of people willing to go wherever to get their degree ... but I can't imagine it would be easy to go "yeah things are great here and I can attest to the quality of the institution."

 

[quickpsych]

Sounds like the Chancellor guy, and based on his questionable background, is simply trying to enforce his own biases and beliefs on an entire university system. Some 1984 type attacks on academia.

 

[psych.meout]

"A perfect credit score isn't 850, it's 0."

The Texas brain drain is in full effect.

What does that even mean???

 

[WisNeuro]

What does that even mean???

Generally that you have 0 credit history. Never using credit, or not using it within a certain timeframe.

 

[cara susanna]

Cancel culture

 

[AcronymAllergy]

What does that even mean???

Hah, WisNeuro already responded, but just to elaborate--Ramsey et al. are very, very big on never using any type of credit/debt other than, possibly, a mortgage. No car loans, no credit cards, no student loans (generally), etc. So with their philosophy, it's better to have no credit history than one documenting stellar payments and overall responsible use.

 

[PsyDr]

As much as I dislike this, the memo says that graduate courses are exempt, as is anything with patient care.

 

[Shiori]

As much as I dislike this, the memo says that graduate courses are exempt, as is anything with patient care.

We also have exemptions in the VA for clinical care. Unfortunately, it still means a ton of extra administrative work to get those exemptions for absolutely everything. We will regularly get pushback because people misinterpret the policy. This means we have to go back and forth to advocate for inane things like brochures that have something as simple as a rainbows on them. I had staff purposely deadnaming people because they didn't fully read the policy. Exemptions feel nice, but add another layer of fatigue. Some people just give up because it's more work and they're busy.

 

[The Cinnabon]

We also have exemptions in the VA for clinical care. Unfortunately, it still means a ton of extra administrative work to get those exemptions for absolutely everything. We will regularly get pushback because people misinterpret the policy. This means we have to go back and forth to advocate for inane things like brochures that have something as simple as a rainbows on them. I had staff purposely deadnaming people because they didn't fully read the policy. Exemptions feel nice, but add another layer of fatigue. Some people just give up because it's more work and they're busy.

I'm actually quite shocked exemptions exist at the VA. I feel like that has to be a self-report on behalf of leadership not actually believing in the BS they spew.

 

[Shiori]

I'm actually quite shocked exemptions exist at the VA. I feel like that has to be a self-report on behalf of leadership not actually believing in the BS they spew.

Yeah, National was huffing and puffing about things, but we're a hospital system serving a wide variety of people. They don't believe these people should exist, but they do and they need medical care like everyone else.

It was absolute chaos for several months. We're still trying to resolve things because we have two broad sets of contradictory rules. I have gotten into arguments with medical providers who wanted to stop an ongoing treatment because they didn't think it was allowed. It's been a mess. We used to have extensive policy outlining what we could and couldn't do. It was replaced with less than a page of directions.

 

[cara susanna]

Yeah, we've been arguing that it's a part of our job as psychologists and so far it seems to be working.

 

[Shiori]

Yeah, we've been arguing that it's a part of our job as psychologists and so far it seems to be working.

Having one page does allow for some creative interpretations. I'll be glad when all of this is over.

All that to say, I don't trust exemption processes at the moment.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Clinicians should blatantly disregard orders and laws* just like the administration does.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander and gander-neutral birds.

/dad joke

Happy Friday!

*not legal advice

 

[futureapppsy2]

Faculty Defect From Texas Publics, Citing Censorship

Fed up with the state’s censoring of Plato, Joan of Arc and Romeo and Juliet, humanities professors are leaving Texas public institutions in pursuit of academic freedom.

www.insidehighered.com

 

[Shiori]

At least they're being fully transparent that all that huffing and puffing about academic freedom was a farce. They just wanted to control the messaging. Hopefully, this means there will be fewer books and opinion pieces clutching pearls about the sensitive college students not being open to "challenging ideas" on college campuses.

 

[cara susanna]

I'm kind of surprised that they're saying some students who are members of TPU are upset.

 

[WisNeuro]

I'm kind of surprised that they're saying some students who are members of TPU are upset.

TPU, though mostly getting the young MAGA crowd, does also attract a segment of the young libertarian crowd. I suspect it's the latter which are expressing dissatisfaction, as the former are more than happy to accept authoritarian control over speech, just as long as they get the speech that they favor.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

At least they're being fully transparent that all that huffing and puffing about academic freedom was a farce. They just wanted to control the messaging. Hopefully, this means there will be fewer books and opinion pieces clutching pearls about the sensitive college students not being open to "challenging ideas" on college campuses.

"We only want to control THEIR SPEECH, not our speech!" TPUSA is a hate group pretending to be....not a hate group? Charlie Kirk's MO lives on with TPUSA, so it's important to know their tactics and purpose....and it's NOT "to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government", even if that's what they claim. For the people who have heard of TPUSA but aren't sure about the details, here is an informative article about their hate group: Case Study of the Hard Right | 2024 Year in Hate & Extremism

The AAUP (Amer. Assoc. of University Professors) put out a really handy summary specifically about TPUSA and steps to take so their aggressive targeting of professors on campus and in their own classrooms can be combated, as they continue to target academics across the country. https://www.aaup.org/sites/default/files/TPUSA_on_Campus.pdf

 

[futureapppsy2]

TPU, though mostly getting the young MAGA crowd, does also attract a segment of the young libertarian crowd. I suspect it's the latter which are expressing dissatisfaction, as the former are more than happy to accept authoritarian control over speech, just as long as they get the speech that they favor.

Considering that they're also banning a lot of classic literature, this crowd may not even be getting all the speech they favor.

 

[Shiori]

It's sad. I think many of these young people took them at face value when they said they supported free speech. It just got really murky when they aligned themselves with grifters and people starving for political power.

 

[The Cinnabon]

"We only want to control THEIR SPEECH, not our speech!" TPUSA is a hate group pretending to be....not a hate group? Charlie Kirk's MO lives on with TPUSA, so it's important to know their tactics and purpose....and it's NOT "to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government", even if that's what they claim. For the people who have heard of TPUSA but aren't sure about the details, here is an informative article about their hate group: Case Study of the Hard Right | 2024 Year in Hate & Extremism

The AAUP (Amer. Assoc. of University Professors) put out a really handy summary specifically about TPUSA and steps to take so their aggressive targeting of professors on campus and in their own classrooms can be combated, as they continue to target academics across the country. https://www.aaup.org/sites/default/files/TPUSA_on_Campus.pdf

I'm really proud of my campus' ability to publicly ignore TPUSA. It's probably confirmation bias, but I've never seen anyone actively engage with their booths on campus

Also that second article gave me some whiplash. I'm young enough that one of my roommates during undergrad was in the same graduate high school class as Kyle Rittenhouse. To nobody's surprise, he was described as being a real douche.

 

[MCParent]

That’s such a shame. I started my academic career at TTU. Tons of wonderful, brilliant faculty and even if the city was boring, it was easy to fly out and faculty salaries went a loooong way in Lubbock. Could have been a really solid school.

Zero regrets about having left academia. Yikes.

 

[futureapppsy2]

I have a good friend starting a TT position at another Texas public university in the Fall, and I’m a bit worried for her because of all this crap, tbh.