FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2026
Contact: Cameron Samuels
Students to Stage Funeral for Academic Freedom
at Texas Tech Regents Meeting
LUBBOCK, TX — On Thursday, May 7 at the Board of Regents meeting, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas
(SEAT) and Raiders Against Censorship will stage a funeral at the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents meeting, marking what organizers describe as the "death by a thousand cuts" to academic freedom and higher education in Texas.
Academic freedom, long considered a cornerstone of higher education, has succumbed after what can only be described as a slow and deliberate erosion. Its decline was not sudden. There was no single moment of collapse, no dramatic final breath. Instead, it endured a death by increments — policy by policy, decision by decision — until the thing itself became unrecognizable.
"In lieu of flowers, we ask participants to bring objects representing the blessed memory of academic freedom," said James Snoddy (he/him), a SEAT member and founder of Raiders Against Censorship. "This is not symbolic exaggeration; this is a serious response to a year of decisions that threaten the integrity of our universities."
Many have pointed to leadership decisions by Chancellor Brandon Creighton as part of this decline, describing a shift toward constraint rather than curiosity. Policies affecting marginalized groups — particularly transgender students — became flashpoints, interpreted by many as signals about who belonged and who did not.
The event will feature a memorial wake, press remarks, and a staged procession across campus. Visual elements will include funeral attire and a horse-drawn carriage carrying an urn and books, photographs, and other markers of academic life.
WHEN:
Thursday, May 7, 2026
8 AM - Memorial Wake
9 AM - Testimony at the Regents Meeting
11 AM - Eulogy Press Conference
11:30 AM - Funeral Procession
1 PM - "The clock strikes thirteen"
WHERE:
System Administration Building, 1508 Knoxville Avenue, Lubbock, Texas.
WHO:
James Snoddy (he/him), Texas Tech freshman and Raiders Against Censorship
Tara Findley (she/her), Texas Tech junior and Democrats for Texas
Andrew Martin (he/him), professor of art and president of AAUP-Texas Tech
T J Geiger, AAUP-Texas Tech
Matthew Pehl, AAUP-Texas Tech
Sumya Paruchuri (they/them), SEAT
Cameron Samuels (they/them), SEAT
And more
The university and its spirit of academic freedom is survived by those who still insist on asking difficult questions — and by those who believe universities should remain places where such questions are not only allowed, but exalted. May she rest in peace.
###
About Students Engaged in Advancing Texas
SEAT is a movement of young people developing transferable skills and demonstrating youth visibility in policymaking. Advocating for a seat at the table, SEAT is normalizing the presence of students in educational policymaking – nothing about us, without us.
No comments:
Post a Comment