Responses From Texas A&M And Blinn College To The Governor’s Order To “Ignore” The President’s Changes To Title IX Regulations
Texas A&M and Blinn College have responded to the directive issued by Governor Abbott, asking these institutions and others to ‘ignore’ the President’s proposed changes to the Title IX regulations. The Governor’s criticisms centered on the belief that these changes would potentially enable students to select and declare their own gender identities.
Texas A&M Response to Governor’s directive
In response to the directive, Texas A&M released a statement affirming its compliance with all federal and state laws. The University emphasized that with the recent updates to the regulations, substantial adjustments would be necessary within the institution’s operations. It acknowledged steps taken by the AVP of Title IX Compliance to prepare for the implementation of the revised rules.
The Texas A&M System Title IX Compliance Office has been identified as key in executing this preparation for adjustments. However, the institution indicated that no measurable changes have occurred at this stage. It confirmed incoming further guidance from The Texas A&M University System about these regulations.
Blinn College Response
Blinn College, on the other hand, provided a brief response stating that it “continues to monitor the developments on the proposed Title IX regulations.”
Abbott’s Order to Texas’ Colleges and Universities
According to the news release from the Governor’s office, the directive was issued due to concerns that the President’s revisions would contradict the original intention of Title IX: to support and advance the interests of women. Governor Abbott stated within the letter: “Texas will not comply with President Joe Biden’s rewrite of Title IX that contradicts the original purpose and spirit of the law to support the advancement of women.”
Abbott has extended his instruction to public universities and educational institutions of higher learning across the state. He emphasized the progress Texas has made through signed laws aimed at ensuring student safety, preserving the integrity of women’s sports, and providing appropriate processes for adjudicating reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Previous Policy Changes in Texas
In the past, Abbott has made legislative moves to uphold gender divisions in sports at educational institutions. Last year, the Save Women’s Sports Act was signed into law, preventing biological men from competing against female athletes at Texas colleges and universities. In 2021, a similar law was enacted to safeguard girls’ sports in Texas public schools.
In 2017, Abbott signed Senate Bills 968 and 969, following this in 2019 with Senate Bill 212 and House Bill 1735. Each of these laws was put in place to address issues of safety and concerns about sexual harassment and assault adjudicating processes on college campuses.
Reference:
WTAW – The First 100 Years “Responses From Texas A&M And Blinn College To The Governor’s Order To “Ignore” The President’s Changes To Title IX Regulations“.
