Texas A&M cancels conference trip for all students except White and Asian after governor backlash.

Texas A&M University canceled a planned conference trip after Gov. Greg Abbott, R., learned that only applicants of a specific race were eligible to attend.

On Monday, conservative activist Christopher Rufo shared an image of a university promoting the PhD Project's Annual Conference in Chicago. The application stated that the conference was intended for historically underrepresented individuals considering business doctorial studies, and only Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic American or Native American/Canadian Indigenous students were eligible.

Rufo wrote that Texas A&M is supporting racial segregation and breaking the law by sponsoring a trip to a DEI conference that prohibits whites and Asians from attending, despite falsely claiming that this use of taxpayer funds does not violate the state's DEI ban.

Late Monday, Abbott threatened the job security of the university's president after the post eventually caught his eye.

"No way, it's illegal in Texas and goes against the US Constitution. It will be corrected right away or the president will be removed," Abbott stated.

The university eventually released a statement on its X account, confirming that it does not discriminate based on race in accordance with SB-17, a Texas law prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion offices in public colleges.

Texas A&M does not support any organization, conference, process, or activity that discriminates against people based on race, creed, gender, age, or any other discriminating factor. The intent of SB-17 is clear in this regard. We will continue to uphold both the letter and the spirit of the law.

The university president admitted that the conference in question did not comply with the state's law and canceled the trip as a result.

"Although the correct procedure for evaluating and authorizing attendance at such events was adhered to, I am of the opinion that we did not fully take into account the spirit of our state law when making the initial decision to participate. Specifically, the restrictions on the acceptable race of attendees at this conference do not align with the purpose of SB-17, and as a result, we will not be sending anyone to participate in this conference."

Texas A&M faculty and staff attend numerous conferences and events annually. It is crucial that their attendance aligns with the guidance provided by our governing bodies.

The statement was sent to staff and faculty at the Mays Business School.

The governor's office was contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital for a comment.

The annual conference for the PhD Project, established by the Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers (PREDOC) consortium, will take place in March. PREDOC's website describes the application process as "exclusive" and "designed specifically for historically underrepresented individuals considering business doctoral studies."