Rep. Roger Williams calls TCU faculty ‘liberal,’ says they’re trying to kill free speech
Republican U.S. Rep. Roger Williams described the TCU faculty as liberal and that they’re trying to do away with freedom of speech for trying to remove him from the TCU Board of Trustees after he voted against certifying Electoral College votes.
In an interview Thursday on the “Rick Roberts Show” on WBAP-AM, Williams went on to say that faculty members need to move on if they don’t realize that not everyone has the same opinion as them.
“Think about what they’re teaching our kids,” he said. “They’re teaching a socialistic agenda and if you stand up for what you think might be right or ask the wrong question you may not get the grade you’re supposed to get.”
He said the university’s tenured professors don’t give a lot to the university and they need to be made responsible for their actions. Williams’ district stretches from southern Tarrant County to Austin.
“We’ve got to be able to know that our kids are having options, so they can decide what’s right and wrong, and not like a liberal left-wing person that’s trying to dumb down the future of our kids,” he said.
Williams has cited the situation in a fundraiser email.
“Sadly, free speech is a notion that is increasingly radical to the liberal left,” he said in the email. “I do not plan on leaving, and I need your help to fight back against this attack on free speech.”
Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, the American Association of University Professors at TCU called for Chancellor Victor Boschini and Provost Teresa Dahlberg to release a statement in support of their faculty, academic freedom and the university’s mission.
“Despite Rep. Williams’ accusations, the faculty at TCU are not a bunch of radical leftists or socialists,” the statement reads. “More importantly, we encourage students to engage in critical inquiry and the search for truth based on fair, disciplined reading of a wide range of sources from diverse perspectives.”
“It is appalling that a Board of Trustees member would say that we discriminate against students who disagree with us.”
Sean Atkinson, a professor at TCU, said he was shocked by Williams’ comments, especially when the faculty at TCU work tirelessly every day to educate their students.
“As a trustee, Rep. Williams is supposed to be an ambassador for TCU, yet he chooses to attack its faculty and fails to defend its mission,” Atkinson said. “These do not appear to be traits TCU should want on its Board of Trustees.”
Williams voted against certifying the electoral votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania even after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. He said his objection was a statement for “free and fair elections” and not an attempt to overturn the results.
He did not give examples of how the election was not free or unfair. Two committees with the Department of Homeland Security said the Nov. 3 election was the most secure in American history.
Williams’ votes prompted the Faculty Senate to consider a resolution calling for his removal, citing “conduct which causes notorious or public scandal or would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule to the University.”
The Senate will no longer consider a resolution because trustees will be discussing prohibiting elected officials from serving on the board at their April meeting, according to Faculty Senate chairman Sean Atkinson, who said a campus official told him about the board’s plans.
Williams previously told the Star-Telegram he had no plans to step down. He graduated from TCU in 1971 and has served on the board since 2002. He played baseball for the Horned Frogs and coached the team in 1976.
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 4:56 PM.
