In Pursuit of Civic Engagement in Texas: Leveraging Trust in a Changed Legal Landscape

Catherine Copeland, Amy O’Dell, Abigail Smith, Jessica Garcia and Boleslaw Z. Kabala ()
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Catherine Copeland: American Democracy Project, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Amy O’Dell: Department of Government, Legal Studies, and Philosophy, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX 76401, USA
Abigail Smith: The Graduate School of Professional Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80210, USA
Jessica Garcia: Lake Worth Independent School District, Lake Worth, TX 76135, USA
Boleslaw Z. Kabala: Department of Government, Legal Studies, and Philosophy, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX 76401, USA

Laws, 2025, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-34

Abstract: Recent legislation in Texas changes the legal civic engagement landscape. With Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs now prohibited on public university campuses, advocates of affirmative steps to reach historically underserved groups may face unexpected obstacles. And recent Supreme Court decisions, on the use of race as a factor in college admissions, further increase the challenges. Due to these shifts in the goals public universities can legally pursue, what are the most appropriate civic engagement policy steps to eliminate barriers to success and realize a diverse student body? Building on the Town Hall program at Tarleton State University, and the specific ways in which it leverages trust, we make three recommendations: (1) Institutions should maintain an openness to outreach, through the leadership of student groups and invited guest speakers and other initiatives, to those on campus who struggle with the burden of invisibility; (2) Town Hall and related civic engagement programs should fine-tune the selection of advanced peer leaders, making it easier for them to pursue expertise in the classroom, in turn facilitating their ability to attract speakers as recommended in (1); and (3) institutions should ensure an opening for representatives to travel to underserved parts of the state, with the effect if not University-wide intention of increasing inclusion. Building on the research of Eric Morrow, Boleslaw Z. Kabala, and Christine Hartness in 2023, we seek to leverage trust for the sake of a genuinely inclusive environment, consistent with current legal limitations on civic engagement in Texas.

Keywords: diversity; equity; inclusion; power; justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D78 E61 E62 F13 F42 F68 K0 K1 K2 K3 K4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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