What is Texas Tech hiding about their compliance with the state’s new DEI law?

A radical left-wing ideology has contaminated medical education in the United States, threatening to undermine American healthcare—even in conservative West Texas.

Consider a mandatory lecture at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC). Students are taught Critical Race Theory and intersectionality—ideas with roots in Marxism—and that America is governed by “white supremacy” and “systemic racism.” They are warned about “microaggressions” and told to “reject colorblindness.” Astonishingly, this lecture is delivered in West Texas, where the population—and patients—are nearly 90% white.

The lecture praised a book asserting, “The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination [against whites].” Additionally, it discouraged using racial information in diagnoses, even when beneficial for patient care. One student reported, “It felt more like a political indoctrination session than a medical lecture.”

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With higher education succumbing to radical woke ideology, Texas lawmakers acted. Last year, Governor Abbott signed Texas Senate Bill 17 (SB 17), one of the nation’s strictest anti-DEI laws, effective January 1st. Texas’s public universities, including TTUHSC, are mandated to eliminate DEI.

However, public statements by university presidents in Texas suggest an intent to subvert the new law. One tactic: rebranding DEI offices while maintaining the same functions. Another: dissolving DEI offices but “camouflaging” personnel in other departments.

Under SB 17, these tactics are forbidden: DEI must be eliminated in both spirit and letter.

A new legal battle has emerged over TTU’s massive DEI program. A 2020 archive boasted that the Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DDEI) had 14 units and numerous collaborations, making it one of TTU’s largest entities.

Following SB 17’s passage, these units were dismantled. However, a local paper reported a curious development: a new Office of Campus Access and Engagement emerged, with no one fired. TTU’s President stated, “We’re gonna move certain support services into certain areas that align with really who they served and what they did.” The new office’s website claims, “Since SB 17 was passed, the range of available support resources remains comparable.”

Is TTU subverting the new law?

A non-profit oversight organization filed a Texas Public Information Act request with TTU, asking for their compliance plan and the fate of their DEI employees. TTU responded with 49 pages of redacted text, citing “attorney-client privilege.”

What are they hiding?

Alarmed, Texas State Senator Brandon Creighton sent TTU a stern letter demanding compliance updates. TTU officials reassured him that their Office of Audit Services is auditing compliance with SB17 for all System components. TTUHSC officials echoed this statement.

Audit themselves? Who believes this?

Texas Tech is a taxpayer-funded institution. The public deserves transparent disclosure of relevant documents, not vague reassurances.

DEI initiatives may be legally banned at Texas universities, but the battle against the ideological takeover of medicine is far from over. Enforcement challenges persist, and medical schools face pressure from accreditation bodies and federal law to implement DEI-like policies. The fight for excellence over activism in medicine has only just begun.

It’s time for the public and policymakers to demand real accountability. Texas Tech must comply with SB 17 in both letter and spirit or face the consequences. The integrity of medical education—and the future of patient care—depends on it.