Amid an ongoing crackdown on courses that teach about gender and LGBTQ+ issues at colleges and universities across Texas, the Texas State University System (TSUS) has ordered the universities it oversees to begin auditing courses.
TSUS’ call for audits comes less than a week after Texas State University removed a LGBTQ+ communication studies class from the course registry and the Texas Tech System moved to limit discussion in its universities. It also follows the firing of an Texas A&M professor for discussing gender-identity in class, which led to the resignation of the president of A&M.
“As part of our commitment to academic excellence, and in light of recent inquiries about course offerings, we are asking each campus to conduct a collaborative review of its academic courses, programs, and syllabi,” John Hayek, TSUS Vice Chancellor for Academic and Health Affairs, wrote in an email to the chief academic officers of each TSUS university. “This effort will strengthen our academic mission and affirm the core academic values central to our institutions and system.”
According to Hayek’s email, the audit focuses on three areas. Verifying that course descriptions and outcomes match with system policies, assess if courses and programs meet “evolving student needs” and align with institutional missions and to “reaffirm the academic value of each course or program, grounded in disciplinary expertise and established review processes.”
Hayek wrote that each university must submit a summary of their findings by Jan. 20, 2026, which is the first day of the spring semester at Texas State. According to TSUS Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications Mike Wintemute, changes made after the audit will not be uniform across all TSUS schools.
“It would depend on a variety of factors and might vary from institution to institution, if a course is not compliant with the law or hasn’t been approved through the established review processes,” Wintemute wrote in an email to The Star.
As well as state pressure, the audit comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order recognizing only two sexes in January. Trump also issued a national security memo on Sept. 25 that calls “extremism on gender,” a term that is not defined in the memo, as a “common thread” in motivating political violence.
This is a developing story. The University Star will update as information becomes available.
