Six weeks after the Texas A&M system board of regents votes to shut down A&M’s campus in Qatar, A&M’s faculty senate unanimously adopts a resolution backing the work done by educators who will be losing their jobs in the next one to four years.
Faculty senate speaker Tracy Hammond told WTAW News that the resolution, submitted by a faculty senate member from Qatar, passed by a 64 to nothing margin.
This took place during the faculty senate’s March regular meeting, where in College Station it was Monday afternoon (March 18) but in Qatar was Tuesday (March 19) at one in the morning.
The resolution was presented by an instructional assistant history professor at the Qatar campus, Brittany Bounds:
Whereas,
- Texas A&M University at Qatar conducts research which is in the public interest and non-classified,
- Texas A&M University at Qatar complies with all export controls and regulations,
- Texas A&M University upholds academic freedom and protects faculty from false and misleading accusations,
- Other organizations have suggested that faculty at Texas A&M University at Qatar conduct research related to national security and nuclear issues,
- These suggestions are false and misleading,
Be it resolved that,
- The Faculty Senate stands by these colleagues;
- These faculty are in good standing in Texas A&M University, in their disciplines, and in the scholarly community of the United States of America.
Bounds and Qatar campus engineering professor Dr. Mohammed Al-Hashimi said the misinformation has resulted in Qatar campus educators being harassed.
Bounds also repeated earlier statements from the A&M president that the Qatar campus does not do research involving national security and nuclear issues.
Dr. Bounds expects a third and possible fourth wave of misinformation about the work being done at the A&M Qatar campus.
Click below to hear comments from Brittany Bounds at the March 18, 2024 Texas A&M faculty senate meeting.