A UT professor was denied tenure. His writings offer a clue why

In normal times, a university’s decision about a professor’s tenure wouldn’t merit much attention outside of the faculty breakroom.

 

But we don’t live in normal times. We live in everything-is-politics times. So the decision on the part of the University of Texas’ administration to deny tenure to Iván Chaar López, an assistant professor of American studies, warranted a recent news story.

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Both the Trump administration and Gov. Greg Abbott, among others, have respectively raised a lot of hay about ideological capture in U.S. and Texas universities. In normal times, a university’s decision about a professor’s tenure wouldn’t merit much attention outside of the faculty breakroom.

But we don’t live in normal times. We live in everything-is-politics times. So the decision on the part of the University of Texas’ administration to deny tenure to Iván Chaar López, an assistant professor of American studies, warranted a recent news story.

Sign up for Opinion

Editorials and commentary from op-ed columnists, the editorial board and contributing writers.Email

Sign UpYour website

By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy.

Both the Trump administration and Gov. Greg Abbott, among others, have respectively raised a lot of hay about ideological capture in U.S. and Texas universities. 

In normal times, a university’s decision about a professor’s tenure wouldn’t merit much attention outside of the faculty breakroom.

But we don’t live in normal times. We live in everything-is-politics times. So the decision on the part of the University of Texas’ administration to deny tenure to Iván Chaar López, an assistant professor of American studies, warranted a recent news story.

Sign up for Opinion

Editorials and commentary from op-ed columnists, the editorial board and contributing writers.Email

Sign UpYour website

By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy.

Both the Trump administration and Gov. Greg Abbott, among others, have respectively raised a lot of hay about ideological capture in U.S. and Texas universities. 

In normal times, a university’s decision about a professor’s tenure wouldn’t merit much attention outside of the faculty breakroom.

But we don’t live in normal times. We live in everything-is-politics times. So the decision on the part of the University of Texas’ administration to deny tenure to Iván Chaar López, an assistant professor of American studies, warranted a recent news story.

Sign up for Opinion

Editorials and commentary from op-ed columnists, the editorial board and contributing writers.Email

Sign UpYour website

By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy.

Both the Trump administration and Gov. Greg Abbott, among others, have respectively raised a lot of hay about ideological capture in U.S. and Texas universities. 

In normal times, a university’s decision about a professor’s tenure wouldn’t merit much attention outside of the faculty breakroom.

But we don’t live in normal times. We live in everything-is-politics times. So the decision on the part of the University of Texas’ administration to deny tenure to Iván Chaar López, an assistant professor of American studies, warranted a recent news story.

Sign up for Opinion

Editorials and commentary from op-ed columnists, the editorial board and contributing writers.Email

Sign UpYour website

By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy.

Both the Trump administration and Gov. Greg Abbott, among others, have respectively raised a lot of hay about ideological capture in U.S. and Texas universities.