Welcome to the latest installment of “Texas Government: Making It Up As We Go.” Our glorious state leaders decided we needed a new watchdog—the Office of the Ombudsman—to ensure pesky universities like Texas Tech aren’t accidentally teaching students empathy or, god forbid, diversity. This office is the ultimate arbiter of what counts as “too liberal,” and they have the power to recommend yanking state funding if a school doesn’t fall in line. It’s basically a “Burn Book” for the higher education system, but with the authority to bankrupt a campus.
The best part? They’ve been open for business since January and literally have no written rules on how they operate. No standard of proof, no manual, no “here’s how we decided you’re a DEI criminal” pamphlet. When the Texas Tribune asked for their policies, the head honcho, Brandon Simmons, basically pointed to a website that explains how to file a complaint and told them to check back later. It’s nice to know that the people who can financially ruin our local university are winging it harder than a Tech freshman trying to explain a C-minus to their parents.
Speaking of Simmons, he was the only person considered for the job. Talk about a rigorous search! He previously sat on the board of Texas Southern University during a period where auditors found “significant weaknesses” in financial controls. Naturally, he’s the perfect guy to oversee complex legal investigations into academic freedom. He’s already filled his office with buddies from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, ensuring the “neutrality” of the office is about as balanced as a one-legged stool in a West Texas dust storm.
While other state agencies have boring things like “due process,” “interviews,” and “appeals,” this office prefers the mystery box approach. They won’t even tell the public how many complaints they’ve received, asking the Attorney General to help keep those numbers under wraps. It’s a classic Lubbock-adjacent power move: create a massive enforcement arm with zero transparency, staff it with your political pals, and then act surprised when professors are too terrified to even look at a rainbow.
Who knew that “accountability” and “transparency” were actually just DEI buzzwords we needed to get rid of?
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/03/texas-ombudsman-investigate-university-complaints/
