Last February, Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III rejected a request for a course focused on LGBTQ+ studies to fulfill the university’s social and behavioral sciences core curriculum credit, according to a memo obtained by The Battalion. It’s the first time Welsh has vetoed a course recommendation approved by the Faculty Senate, provost’s office and multiple university committees since he stepped in as president two years ago. 

Welsh denied core curriculum certification to WGST 205, a course in the Women and Gender Studies program titled “Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies.” The class is described as a “survey of the histories of and theories regarding” LGBTQ+ identities and communities and discusses several topics, including “institutional ways in which homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia are systemically deployed” and “advocacy by and on behalf of LGBTQ+ individuals.”

A&M lists social and behavioral sciences courses as those that “focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human” and “involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture.”

“As a state-funded institution of higher education, Texas A&M’s core curriculum is meant to provide a broad, introductory knowledge base to ensure students are well rounded and equipped with the skills needed to be successful, productive citizens in alignment with state guidance,” a university spokesperson said in a statement to The Battalion. “After reviewing the recommendation regarding WGST 205, the president determined that it was not necessary to add this course to the core curriculum.”

The 13-page recommendation document included proposals approved by the Faculty Senate, university committees and the provost’s office. For most, Welsh’s signature was the final step before implementation. But on the memo’s final page, the line requesting WGST 205’s certification as a social and behavioral sciences course was crossed out, and a note that said it was “[n]ot approved” was added below with an accompanying handwritten “MW,” the president’s initials.

READ: The 13-page memo obtained by The Battalion.

Welsh has approved hundreds of proposals that have passed through officiating bodies in the past, according to a further 17 memos obtained and reviewed by The Battalion. The documents — ranging from two to 30 pages each, with the oldest dating back to August 2023 — show WGST 205 as the only request not approved. 

WGST 205 was the base course for the LGBTQ+ studies minor, which stopped enrolling students last year after the Board of Regents cut it due to low enrollment in November 2024. The rejection also comes amid a string of university and A&M System decisions relating to sexuality and gender issues, including the regents’ on-campus drag show ban in February and the end of gender-affirming care at the A.P. Beutel Health Center in June 2024. 

Theresa Morris, the director of the Women and Gender Studies program, did not respond to a request for comment.