Relaunched this thread. Please stay on topic and read other notes left in thread. Thanks.

What about the other thread? Thanks.

[This thread can serve as a discussion about the issue of fed vs. state Title IX battle in general and as it relates to A&M, as well as Abbott's(State of Texas) response and the news/commentary surrounding the reporting on the battle, etc etc. -Staff]

Govenor Greg Abbot has transformed into a fighter against President Joe Biden's woke agenda.

Public institutions need a strong leader who won't allow them to turn into liberal commie cesspools. Not much a fan of wheels but I love that he can at least symbolically and to the media, show that liberal rot isn't tolerated.

Iraq2xVeteran said:

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Govenor Greg Abbot has transformed into a fighter against President Joe Biden's woke agenda.

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He realized that Texans love DeSantis. Glad that he is following Ron's lead.

P.H. Dexippus said:

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Battalion article: https://thebatt.com/news/new-title-ix-regs/

Says A&M has put implementation on hold pending court decisions. But the reason I think people distrust the direction things are headed is the quote from Rick Olshak who serves as the director of Title IX and Student Conduct Compliance for the A&M University System and is a member of the advisory board for the Association of Title IX Administrators:

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Olshak said the major change he sees is a return to things he believes shouldn't have been changed.

"We're talking about the definition of sex-based harassment, which, forever, we had agreed that Title IX matches the Title VII employment law," Olshak said. "Then, under the Trump administration, they imposed sex-based discrimination."

When the proposed regulations were released in 2022, Olshak said he was shocked to see that a major part of them had not been included in the 2024 regulations.

"The Biden administration left out the most polarizing piece of the regulations, which is transgender participation in athletics," Olshak said. "So, we were very disappointed when we heard the rumor that this part would be left out. But we also understood that it is April before the election."

...
"Until the Trump administration, Title IX was never political, as Democrats and Republicans alike all agreed on the regulations," Olshak said. "Now, it's just gotten sucked into the culture war, and I want this to stop being toxic and political."

Olshak said he would love to see everyone agree on how others should be treated equitably, regardless of gender, sexual preference, status or identity. "We don't live in that world right now," Olshak said.

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That guy clearly has a left-leaning agenda. And I think it should be fair game for discussion on F16, along with the Governor's statements and the topic as a whole.

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Yeah, it was trump

These people are unhinged.

I'm sure the director absolutely believes the right has caused all of these trans issues. In fact, that sounds exactly like an argument someone used to make on this board.

Quote:

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SHARP REITERATES A&M'S DEI STANCE

Chancellor tells legislators university eliminated all 114 DEI-related jobs

Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp presented a positive outlook for university recruitment Tuesday as he spoke to members of the state Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education about the implementation of Senate Bill 17 which bans Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives from public institutions of higher education.

SB 17 was signed into law in June 2023 and required all universities to comply by Jan. 1. The new law prohibits all state public institutions of higher education from establishing or maintaining a DEI office, considering DEI during the hiring process for faculty, staff and contracted workers, and requiring faculty and staff to attend DEI training.

Across the A&M System's 11 universities, there were a total of nine DEI offices. All have since been closed in compliance with SB 17, according to Sharp. Texas A&M University also has closed its LGBTQ pride center.

As a result of this systemwide restructuring, 27 full-time positions were dissolved with eight full-time employees being "separated" from the university system, Sharp said during the hearing.
"Across the A&M System, we only had 114 positions [dealing with DEI], but most were part-time," he said. "They were student workers [or] we had where a professor might have 5% of his time or 10% of his time dedicated to it. … Those are the folks that had any DEI duty whatsoever. That's in a system of about 28,000 full-time employees. All full-time positions were eliminated by mid-October. The remaining positions were eliminated before Senate Bill 17 went into effect on Jan. 1."

Sharp also said that resources once dedicated to DEI programs were being redirected to improving the System's ability to recruit prospective students.

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https://theeagle.com/sharp-reiterates-a-ms-dei-stance/article_9370a053-cec2-5779-abc9-50fdc6d876bb.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

Olshak's a system guy, so I assume he works under Sharp

What is Sharps's angle in all this?

There was a pretty good discussion on that other thread, including contribution from at least one lawyer

Why was it nuked?

Tailgate88 said:

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Quote:

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Sharp also said that resources once dedicated to DEI programs were being redirected to improving the System's ability to recruit prospective students.

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Since A&M's sole prospective student recruitment is focused on DEI goals, I am sure this means in reality no change.

https://olshak.com/blog/f/new-title-ix-regulations-released-my-last-two-days-are-a-blur

"While there were plenty of Republicans who were in a hurry to stay stupid things (honorable mentions to Tommy Tuberville and Marsha Blackburn), my "favorite" quote of the past couple of days came from Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said "This final rule dumps kerosene on the already raging fire that is Democrats' contemptuous culture war that aims to radically redefine sex and gender."

Seriously? She said that? With a straight face? Yes, she did, proving once again that irony is dead and that hypocrisy is the primary value of the election-denying MAGA crowd. This comment is coming from the same set of people who opposed LGBTQ+ rights in principle (the related Venn diagram is likely two overlapping circles) and the same people who seek to deny women of being able to make their own medical decisions even where their lives are on the line. I have no kind words for this level of idiocy and lack of empathy"

Someone better tell Sharp what A&M's stance is, because WBAP reported that A&M is going to defy Abbott.

Hubert J. Farnsworth said:

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Iraq2xVeteran said:

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Govenor Greg Abbot has transformed into a fighter against President Joe Biden's woke agenda.

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He realized that Texans love DeSantis. Glad that he is following Ron's lead.

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Honestly, I think that's exactly it. About the first time that public opinion is shaping a politician into being a better Texan fighting for Texans

Ask Sharp. That's who this guy works for

University officials said they have reached out to Texas Scorecard to correct their story. At the time of publishing, that story has not been corrected. https://t.co/ilTUTlYXLG

— KBTX News (@KBTXNews) May 16, 2024

Yeah, I wouldn't believe anything the university put out if they said water was wet.

Interesting that a tsip is committed to saving Texas A&M from its dumb ass leadership. Thank you Gov.

Sharp and the bor are awol

Captain Pablo said:

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https://olshak.com/blog/f/new-title-ix-regulations-released-my-last-two-days-are-a-blur

"While there were plenty of Republicans who were in a hurry to stay stupid things (honorable mentions to Tommy Tuberville and Marsha Blackburn), my "favorite" quote of the past couple of days came from Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said "This final rule dumps kerosene on the already raging fire that is Democrats' contemptuous culture war that aims to radically redefine sex and gender."

Seriously? She said that? With a straight face? Yes, she did, proving once again that irony is dead and that hypocrisy is the primary value of the election-denying MAGA crowd. This comment is coming from the same set of people who opposed LGBTQ+ rights in principle (the related Venn diagram is likely two overlapping circles) and the same people who seek to deny women of being able to make their own medical decisions even where their lives are on the line. I have no kind words for this level of idiocy and lack of empathy"

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Can you tell me what a woman is ?

Blogs likes a 19yo girl.

'The Director of Title IX and Student Conduct Compliance for the A&M University System' should go on a hunger strike until Abbot meets his demands.

Seriously, how in the hell does a person who is such a emotional, radical, emotional leftist, who is very likely mentally unstable due to TDS, hold such a position at our school? How could he(?) make fair and rational decisions in that capacity? Answer, it would not be possible.

This one needs his office cleaned out tomorrow.

Tramp96 said:

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This puts all Texas universities between a rock and a hard place then.

If they accept federal funds (and they all absolutely have to in order to keep the doors open), they have to abide by Title IX (even though what the Biden administration has just done is completely unconstitutional).

Surely Gov. Abbott knows this. Is this part of his plan, to force this whole thing to the SCOTUS?

Will be very interesting to watch how this plays out.

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The best thing of course would be for all universities to not accept federal funds and do whatever they want. But of course I know this is a fantasy world to even think such a thing.

pagerman @ work said:

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P.H. Dexippus said:

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More impartiality from the the Director of Title IX and Student Conduct Compliance for the A&M University System...

Quote:

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While the wait for the regulations is over, their release only throws gasoline on the raging dumpster fire that has become the Great American Culture War. Now as we await a flurry of legal challenges (including the pending and not inconsequential SCOTUS ruling on chevron, which is likely to survive but be narrowed), the "sky is falling" crowd was quick to provide red meat to the large swath of ignorant people who believe that something radical was released by ED this week. Here's a quick sampling of what has caught my eye in the past two days:

- While there were plenty of Republicans who were in a hurry to stay stupid things (honorable mentions to Tommy Tuberville and Marsha Blackburn), my "favorite" quote of the past couple of days came from Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said "This final rule dumps kerosene on the already raging fire that is Democrats' contemptuous culture war that aims to radically redefine sex and gender."

Seriously? She said that? With a straight face? Yes, she did, proving once again that irony is dead and that hypocrisy is the primary value of the election-denying MAGA crowd. This comment is coming from the same set of people who opposed LGBTQ+ rights in principle (the related Venn diagram is likely two overlapping circles) and the same people who seek to deny women of being able to make their own medical decisions even where their lives are on the line. I have no kind words for this level of idiocy and lack of empathy.

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https://olshak.com/blog-1/f/new-title-ix-regulations-released-my-last-two-days-are-a-blur

Quote:

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2024 will offer perhaps the most consequential presidential election in our nation's history on November 5th, and certainly the most consequential in my lifetime. I do not believe it to be hyperbole when I say that our representative republican form of democracy is at stake when Americans go to the polls this fall. Of course, I have some pretty strong opinions on this topic and will be sharing them periodically as the electoral process unfolds. Spoiler Alert: I am horrified at the de-evolution of the Republican Party and what it has become over time, dating all the way back to 1964. I am even more horrified at what Trump and the MAGA movement have normalized in this nation; the vitriol, hate, misogyny, racism, treating women like property, and overall disregard of the welfare of the overall population while serving the interests of corporations and the wealthy. In my view, reelecting President Biden this fall is our only short-term hope of saving our form of democracy, and even then must be coupled with Democratic control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. We are in dire need of ethical reform for the Supreme Court as well as seeing to its expansion, in addition to strengthening voter rights, worker's rights, an improved social safety net, and enhanced protections for women's rights. We must also hold accountable all of those insurrectionists who created and participated in the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, including those who are current and former office holders. In my little corner of the educational universe, I am hopeful that we will utilize the power of the federal government to shut down the religious and cultural wars that are threatening the very fabric of this nation, and restore the requirement to once again teach civics in the primary and secondary settings.

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https://olshak.com/blog-1/f/welcome-to-the-new-web-site

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How this has not resulted in his termination is beyond me. He needs to be gone yesterday.

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Seems that he has now been suspended pending investigation.

Good. But anything short of firing him isn't enough.

chap said:

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pagerman @ work said:

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P.H. Dexippus said:

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More impartiality from the the Director of Title IX and Student Conduct Compliance for the A&M University System...

Quote:

---

While the wait for the regulations is over, their release only throws gasoline on the raging dumpster fire that has become the Great American Culture War. Now as we await a flurry of legal challenges (including the pending and not inconsequential SCOTUS ruling on chevron, which is likely to survive but be narrowed), the "sky is falling" crowd was quick to provide red meat to the large swath of ignorant people who believe that something radical was released by ED this week. Here's a quick sampling of what has caught my eye in the past two days:

- While there were plenty of Republicans who were in a hurry to stay stupid things (honorable mentions to Tommy Tuberville and Marsha Blackburn), my "favorite" quote of the past couple of days came from Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said "This final rule dumps kerosene on the already raging fire that is Democrats' contemptuous culture war that aims to radically redefine sex and gender."

Seriously? She said that? With a straight face? Yes, she did, proving once again that irony is dead and that hypocrisy is the primary value of the election-denying MAGA crowd. This comment is coming from the same set of people who opposed LGBTQ+ rights in principle (the related Venn diagram is likely two overlapping circles) and the same people who seek to deny women of being able to make their own medical decisions even where their lives are on the line. I have no kind words for this level of idiocy and lack of empathy.

---

https://olshak.com/blog-1/f/new-title-ix-regulations-released-my-last-two-days-are-a-blur

Quote:

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2024 will offer perhaps the most consequential presidential election in our nation's history on November 5th, and certainly the most consequential in my lifetime. I do not believe it to be hyperbole when I say that our representative republican form of democracy is at stake when Americans go to the polls this fall. Of course, I have some pretty strong opinions on this topic and will be sharing them periodically as the electoral process unfolds. Spoiler Alert: I am horrified at the de-evolution of the Republican Party and what it has become over time, dating all the way back to 1964. I am even more horrified at what Trump and the MAGA movement have normalized in this nation; the vitriol, hate, misogyny, racism, treating women like property, and overall disregard of the welfare of the overall population while serving the interests of corporations and the wealthy. In my view, reelecting President Biden this fall is our only short-term hope of saving our form of democracy, and even then must be coupled with Democratic control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. We are in dire need of ethical reform for the Supreme Court as well as seeing to its expansion, in addition to strengthening voter rights, worker's rights, an improved social safety net, and enhanced protections for women's rights. We must also hold accountable all of those insurrectionists who created and participated in the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, including those who are current and former office holders. In my little corner of the educational universe, I am hopeful that we will utilize the power of the federal government to shut down the religious and cultural wars that are threatening the very fabric of this nation, and restore the requirement to once again teach civics in the primary and secondary settings.

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https://olshak.com/blog-1/f/welcome-to-the-new-web-site

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How this has not resulted in his termination is beyond me. He needs to be gone yesterday.

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Seems that he has now been suspended pending investigation.

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Source?

Just don't give this guy a payoff like they did with the DEI journalism hire.

45-70Ag said:

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"Woke Texas A&M Plans To Implement Biden’s Controversial Title IX Rewrite."

If they do, if they act contrary to state policy, they are jeopardizing state funding, including money from the PUF fund.

Bowing to the leftist agenda will reap consequences.https://t.co/wEZ5ffMTws

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 14, 2024

[Not really sure what it is about this subject, but OPs that post on this topic seem to not want to also include their own take on the subject with their OP. We will allow this thread to carry on, but it's a really simple ask for every user. Don't post an X post without your own summarized version of where you stand on the subject being presented through the X post. It does not have to be anything long. Just a couple of orginal thoughts on the main subject. Threads tend to do exactly what happened in this thread, they digress into other subjects having nothing to do with the subject of the X post. -Staff]

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Not sure why Abbott jumped the gun and called at TAMU bc of 2 articles someone showed him without going directly to TAMU to verify. It was bs and the news outlets have been asked to retract the stories.

So, no one has been suspended?

Source?

BluHorseShu said:

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45-70Ag said:

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"Woke Texas A&M Plans To Implement Biden’s Controversial Title IX Rewrite."

If they do, if they act contrary to state policy, they are jeopardizing state funding, including money from the PUF fund.

Bowing to the leftist agenda will reap consequences.https://t.co/wEZ5ffMTws

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 14, 2024

[Not really sure what it is about this subject, but OPs that post on this topic seem to not want to also include their own take on the subject with their OP. We will allow this thread to carry on, but it's a really simple ask for every user. Don't post an X post without your own summarized version of where you stand on the subject being presented through the X post. It does not have to be anything long. Just a couple of orginal thoughts on the main subject. Threads tend to do exactly what happened in this thread, they digress into other subjects having nothing to do with the subject of the X post. -Staff]

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Not sure why Abbott jumped the gun and called at TAMU bc of 2 articles someone showed him without going directly to TAMU to verify. It was bs and the news outlets have been asked to retract the stories.

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None of the stories have been retracted.