The University of North Texas will not reimburse faculty travel to a “journalism” conference next month on the grounds the conference violates a state law that prohibits diversity, equity, and inclusion content in university human resources policies.
As first reported by the Denton Record-Chronicle, UNT journalism professor Tracy Everbach plans to present a project journalism students made about the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma in 2025 at a conference in August. According to the conference agenda, Everbach is also scheduled to moderate a workshop on “Women Faculty Moving Forward.”
The conference is sponsored by the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).
According to a memorandum from UNT’s Integrity and Compliance Office, the conference in question violates five provisions of the Texas Education Code:
- TEC §51.3525 (a)(2) “…promoting differential treatment of or providing special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, or ethnicity…”
- TEC §51.3525 (a)(3) “…promoting policies or procedures designed or implemented in reference to race, color, or ethnicity…”
- TEC §51.3525 (a)(4) “…conducting trainings, programs, or activities designed or implemented in reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation…”
- TEC §51.3525(b)(1)(B) “…hire or assign an employee of the institution or contract with a third party to perform the duties of a diversity, equity, and inclusion office…”
- TEC §51.3525(b)(1)(D) “…give preference on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin to an applicant for employment, an employee, or a participant in any function of the institution…”
A cursory review of AEJMC’s website reveals that they have “commissions” on LGBTQIA+ communities, the status of minorities, and the status of women.
In 2024, AEJMC passed resolutions that promote black women in higher education leadership, Indigenous scholars and Indigenous-owned media, and proposed turning its LGBTQ+ interest group into a formal commission. Last year, their resolutions celebrated black journalists and taxpayer-subsidized media.
Tracy Everbach lists “gender and race in media” as a research interest in her official UNT biography. She has published research in the Journal of Research on Women and Gender, Media Report to Women, and co-wrote “Mediating Misogyny: Gender, Technology & Harassment.” In 2019, she won an award for “Feminist Advocacy.”
Everbach worked for the Dallas Morning News for twelve years.
“As an R1 university, UNT supports faculty research and attendance at conferences that advance our academic, research, and service missions in compliance with applicable federal and state laws,” UNT told the Denton Record-Chronicle in a statement.
“[UNT] neither funds nor reimburses individual membership in organizations when doing so does not comply with state law.”
The University of North Texas is a component of the University of North Texas System. The UNT System is overseen by a Board of Regents appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Carlos Munguia of University Park is the current board chairman.
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