Faculty in uproar after Texas A&M-Victoria implements mandatory in-person policy

The Texas American Association of University Professors-American Federation of Teachers chapter described the reaction among faculty as an "uproar" at the start of this semester. University officials sent an email in June telling full-time faculty they would need to be physically present on the Victoria campus during the work week or obtain written permission to work remotely. The school says the policy brings it into compliance with state law.

The core problem is geography. Professors built their lives around remote arrangements that let them live far from Victoria, and flipping that overnight puts people in an impossible spot: either uproot their household or risk their job. That is not a small ask for faculty who may have spouses, kids in school, or roots planted somewhere else entirely.

Texas A&M-Victoria is a smaller regional campus in a part of Texas that already faces challenges attracting and keeping faculty. Losing experienced professors who refuse or cannot make the commute could hit the school harder than a larger university might absorb.