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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

@THEBATTONLINE

TRADITIONS Members certified, learn key safety procedures at Bonfire’s annual Cut Class prior to first Cut held Sept. 7 A2

SPORTS A&M and Notre Dame face off in rematch in South Bend, Indiana, in first ranked game of the season A6

Dean, department head removed from positions, professor fired after viral video

Adriano Espinosa — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III during Midnight Yell at Kyle Field on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.

Hidden-camera footage shows student, lecturer locking horns over gender studies during summer session class By David Swope Associate News Editor The Texas A&M Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Mark Zoran and English department head Emily Johansen were removed from administrative duties Monday evening in response to a viral video circulating the platform X, according to a statement from A&M President Mark A. Welsh III. Welsh announced the termination of senior lecturer Melissa McCoul in a Sept. 9 statement following backlash on social media. Welsh claims the College of Arts and Sciences continued to cover subjects outside the approved curriculum despite previous directives and takes sole responsibility for the decision to fire McCoul. “Our students use the published information in the course catalog to make important decisions about the courses they take in pursuit of their degrees,” Welsh wrote in the statement. “If we allow different course content to be taught from what is advertised, we break trust with our students. When it comes to our academic offerings, we must keep faith with our students and with the state of Texas.” The Board of Regents have ordered a System-wide audit of all courses, according to a statement from the Regents posted on X. The hidden camera video, posted by Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison (R-10), shows a student protesting McCoul’s teaching of gender studies and sexuality in her children’s literature course. McCoul then removed the student from the class. Welsh posted an official statement on X, stating that leadership within the College of Arts and Sciences defied existing policies regarding the course’s material set by the A&M administration. Chancellor Glenn Hegar also took to the platform, calling the lecture an unapproved push for personal political agendas and a violation of the university’s commitment to academic neutrality. The decision comes from increasing political pressure from both the federal and Texas state governments. President Donald Trump has signed multiple executive orders aimed at eradicating what he calls gender ideology, with Gov. Greg Abbott following suit through his use of gubernatorial directives. Harrison called for further action in response to Hegar’s statement on X, demanding the removal of Welsh. Earlier this year, A&M passed a state audit confirming its compliance with Senate Bill 17, which banned DEI policies at public universities in Texas.

Jackson Stanley — THE BATTALION

Regent Michael J. Plank discusses the Board of Regents’ meeting agenda with Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III before the regents’ quarterly meet on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.

‘We don’t have enough space’

Regents greenlight $1.9 billion in System-wide campus construction, renovation By David Swope Associate News Editor The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved $1.925 billion in proposed construction projects and renovations as part of the upcoming 2026-2030 Capital Plan on Aug. 28. The Capital Plan totals $6.6 billion and includes $4.6 billion for previously approved projects set to begin design or construction. The budget allocates $595.1 million for proposed projects for A&M’s College Station campus, with further funding divided among the University System’s satellite campuses. Administrators within the System met to discuss the programmatic budget reviews and Capital Plan at the Meeting of the Committees on Finance and Buildings and Physical Plants on July 28 and 29. “In total, there are $830.6 million dollars of projects proposed to be initiated in the upcoming fiscal year,” Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer Maria Robinson said at the meeting. “Approval of the Capital Plan will permit the system members to proceed with pre-construction services for those projects… so they can work on things like architecture, engineering, site preparation and demolition if applicable.” A&M President Mark A. Welsh III highlighted the costliest of the agenda items at the meetings: the biology department’s Biology Teaching and Research Building, and the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts’ Center for Learning Arts and Innovation. “The biology programs at A&M have been a tremendous success story for decades,

but the biology facilities on campus have aged to the point now where they are simply inadequate for teaching…” Welsh said at the meeting. “This new state of the art facility will keep this great department on the leading edge of the field, which is exactly where they deserve to be.” The project comes in response to com-

Over $600 million worth of infrastructure improvements at College Station campus $10.7 million

$5.3 million

$30 million $235 million

$103.86 million

$220 million

Dedicated Center for Learning Arts and Innovation New Biology Teaching and Research Building Additional parking garage on Discovery Drive Restorations to the exterior of the Academic Building Plumbing riser replacements to Fowler, Hughes and Schuhmacher Halls

Turf replacements at Penberthy Rec Sports Complex Renovations to the first level of the Medical Sciences Library Infographic by Zoe Rich — THE BATTALION

plaints regarding the department’s facilities from both students and faculty. Many of the courses are currently held in Heldenfels Hall, which some members of the department argue is too old to support the utility and infrastructure needs of upper-level biology research and labs. The building is set to be four

stories and sit across from the Corps of Cadets quad arches. Across campus, the Center for Learning, Arts and Innovation has been in the works since the College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts launched in September 2022. Located on the current site of Lot 74, the building will give the college 187,000 square feet and five stories of dedicated learning space. “Consolidating VPFA in this building will open up space in at least six different buildings on campus where their faculty, staff and classrooms are currently located,” Welsh said. “It allows for the consolidation of people and activities from several other colleges that are also space limited.” Welsh also commented on the Discovery Drive Parking Garage during the meeting, where an additional 1,800 to 1,900 parking spaces will be added to facilitate the transportation needs of the student population. The garage is part of the University’s larger initiative to expand the infrastructure of West Campus, where the recently unveiled 211,000 square-foot Aplin Center will be built. Additional items on the Capital Plan include $588 million in future proposed projects, with start dates as early as 2027. Some of these projects include renovations to the Heep Laboratory Building, construction of a West Campus Learning Commons and another dedicated building for Mays Business School. “Continuing the focus on creating a robust West Campus infrastructure, this project gives us critically needed classroom and study space,” Welsh said. “ … It will also help us minimize student travel between West Campus and Main Campus, which is an important safety issue for our campuses these days.”

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