Texas Senate approves $3 billion college campus construction bill
Lawmakers haven’t passed a tuition revenue bond bill since 2015. Full Story
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Kate McGee covers higher education for The Texas Tribune. She joined the Tribune in October 2020 after nearly a decade as a reporter at public radio stations across the country, including in Chicago, Washington D.C., Austin, Reno, Nev. and New York. Kate was born in New York City and primarily raised in New Jersey. She earned her bachelor's degree from Fordham University. Her work has appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here and Now, and The Takeaway. She is based in Austin.
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![Students walk through an area known as “The Quad” on the first day of the fall semester at Texas State University in San Marcos on Aug. 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
At Stephen F. Austin State University, a quiet pay bump for the president sparks outrage and questions over the budget and furloughs
A pandemic-weary faculty and staff want President Scott Gordon to step down, but the board of regents stands behind him for now. Full Story
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![The Stephen F. Austin State University campus.]()
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asks Gov. Greg Abbott to add higher ed construction projects to third special session
The Texas Legislature has not approved bonds to fund capital projects on public university campuses since 2015, and many school leaders say they need help to build new buildings and maintain current structures. Full Story
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![Graduates at a Texas A&M University commencement ceremony at Reed Arena in College Station on Dec 17, 2020.]()
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UT-Austin attempts to calm faculty concerns over planned Liberty Institute organized with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, conservative donors
Provost Sharon Wood attempted to reassure faculty that the new institute is an investment in politics, philosophy and economics to attract new faculty. But some professors said they’re concerned UT-Austin is allowing the Legislature to politicize the university with the new center. Full Story
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![The University of Texas at Austin emblem on campus on July 16, 2020.]()
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Federal government announces funding for emergency contraception for Texans impacted by near-total abortion ban
The Biden administration also issued memorandums detailing two federal statutes officials says they would enforce to provide protection for patients who may need an abortion and health care providers who assist pregnant patients in certain situations. Full Story
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![Information and diagrams inside a medical room at a Planned Parenthood in south Austin on Jan. 14, 2020.]()
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After Texas A&M student died from COVID-19, students and faculty rally for more safety precautions
University leaders have encouraged mask-wearing and getting vaccinated, but they say Gov. Greg Abbott has prevented them from requiring either. Full Story
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![Texas A&M students gathered to protest a lack of protections against COVID-19 on campus in College Station on Sept. 14, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
UTSA stopped displaying “Come and take it” flag at football games and now faces criticism from its Board of Regents
UTSA decided to end the six-year tradition because the phrase had become “incongruent” with the university’s values and it did not want to become embroiled in a divisive issue. Full Story
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![The “Come and Take It” flag and motto are part of the University of Texas at San Antonio's athletics program.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Texas NAACP, students file federal civil rights complaint over UT-Austin’s ‘Eyes of Texas’
The complaint signals a continued desire among some UT-Austin students and alumni to push administrators to discontinue using the song as the university’s alma mater, despite the university’s insistence that it will remain. Full Story
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![The University of Texas tower on July 16, 2020.]()
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Angela Graham-West, wife of Texas GOP candidate Allen West, wasn’t drunk or on drugs when jailed for DWI, tests show
West had insisted his wife had not been drinking the night she was arrested, calling the arrest “insidious.” Dallas police said they stand by the officer’s decision to arrest Graham-West based on the information available at the time. Full Story
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![Angela West.]()
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Bill limiting abortion-inducing pills heads to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk to be signed into law
Senate Bill 4, which was advanced by the Texas House on Monday evening, would bar access to abortion-inducing pills to patients who are more than seven weeks pregnant. Full Story
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![A women’s health clinic in Texas.]()
Credit: Stephen Spillman for The Texas Tribune