A new state office in Texas, the Office of the Ombudsman, received 69 complaints about Texas universities in its first five months. The complaints included allegations of banned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, restrictions on conservative speech, and interference in academic affairs.

Investigations and Complaints

Only one investigation was opened, which examined whether an academic assistance program violated the state’s ban on DEI by censoring conservative speech while encouraging liberal political speech and antisemitic speech. The student who filed the complaint alleged he was terminated from his position as a student instructor after raising those concerns with supervisors.

The Office of the Ombudsman, led by Brandon Simmons, deemed 28 complaints as harassing, profane, or invalid. Others involved more substantive disputes but did not lead to investigations. For example, seven students reported that colleges were reviewing and restricting course content as a result of new laws or campus leaders’ actions.

Role of the Office of the Ombudsman

The Office of the Ombudsman was created to investigate complaints from students, faculty, and staff alleging violations of two Texas laws: Senate Bill 37, which increased state oversight of curriculum, faculty governance, and hiring, and Senate Bill 17, which bans DEI offices, programs, and training at public colleges.

Simmons’ office can recommend that lawmakers bar a university from spending state money if it finds a school violated the law and does not fix the problem within a set time.

Original reporting: Texas Tribune (HLL/CB) — read the source article.