Texas Tech faculty say systemwide race and gender-related teaching restrictions have had a chilling effect on instruction. A Faculty Senate survey reported that about half of respondents changed course content without being asked to comply with policies restricting how they can teach about race, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Faculty also reported pressure to modify research, even though system guidance does not apply to existing research. More than half said they are considering jobs elsewhere, while most open comments reflected concern about academic freedom, recruitment and retention, and a climate of fear on campus. Administrators point to a course-content review process that recommended fewer than 60 course changes across more than 14,000 courses reviewed, arguing this approach provides a more reliable accounting than the survey’s self-selected sample. For higher education leaders, the dispute is a live governance and compliance test: how institutions document compliance, how faculty expectations are managed, and how students experience course changes when governance processes are contested.