Author | Lightnews

Reposted by alex

Lucynka @lucynka.bsky.social · 8h

See also this drawing, "The Weaker Sex," by Charles Dana Gibson (c. 1903).

I still remember a comment I saw on this pic, that was something along the lines of, "And people think artists of yore didn't draw fetish art?"

🫡 #GibsonGirl #NoDon'tPokeMeBeautifulGiantLadiesNooooo👀

"The Weaker Sex," by Charles Dana Gibson. Four white women (all sporting the Gibson Girl look, naturally) crowd around a table, coolly inspecting a teeny-tiny man on his knees, seemingly pleading with them. One woman holds a magnifying glass and a long needle (hat pin?) and is apparently ready to poke at him. The man is literally not much bigger than her thumb.

1 4

Reposted by alex

Lucynka @lucynka.bsky.social · 14h

Just me and my tiny boyfriend and/or giant girlfriend.

(From THE ILLUSTRATED LOVE MAGAZINE, November 1930.)

The opening splash (artist unknown) of Charles Brower Parmer's article(?), "The Joy of Kissing." A large white woman holds a tiny white man in the palm of her hand, and has lifted him up to her face so they can kiss.

1 3 23

alex @nonmodernist.com · 11h

when i say that i screamed…

1

Reposted by alex

Natalie Weiner @natalieweiner.bsky.social · 14h

if you are a tcu alum you should call and yell at the admin bsky.app/profile/nonm...

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

🚨 My university just announced it's closing its Women & Gender Studies and Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies departments, merging them into English. The official reason? "Low enrollment." But our meeting with the provost tells a very different story about what's really happening here. 🧵

1 3 10

Reposted by alex

Texas Conference of the AAUP @texasaaup.bsky.social · 15h

A valuable thread about what is happening at Texas Christian University. Specious claims about “fiscal responsibility” and “low enrollment” are being used to disguise political goals + weaken or shutter racial, ethnic, women’s, gender and sexuality studies programs and departments across the state.

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

🚨 My university just announced it's closing its Women & Gender Studies and Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies departments, merging them into English. The official reason? "Low enrollment." But our meeting with the provost tells a very different story about what's really happening here. 🧵

2 7

Reposted by alex

Emily Farris @emayfarris.bsky.social · 15h

Especially this part. Both Alex and I have dealt with this, and it feels absolutely terrible to feel like the administration is purposefully sending this message.

alex @nonmodernist.com · 18h

And let me be clear: this move is exactly what the local right wing extremists who have been doxxing, harassing, and defaming our faculty for the past 3+ years want TCU to do. TCU is sending the message that those tactics work, and faculty are the ones who will have to deal with the consequences.

6 17

Reposted by alex

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

🚨 My university just announced it's closing its Women & Gender Studies and Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies departments, merging them into English. The official reason? "Low enrollment." But our meeting with the provost tells a very different story about what's really happening here. 🧵

1 44 94

Reposted by alex

Good Trailcams @goodtrailcams.bsky.social · 18h

1 37 170

alex @nonmodernist.com · 18h

And let me be clear: this move is exactly what the local right wing extremists who have been doxxing, harassing, and defaming our faculty for the past 3+ years want TCU to do. TCU is sending the message that those tactics work, and faculty are the ones who will have to deal with the consequences.

2 22

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

You can see my detailed notes of the meeting between the English department and the Provost along with a partial transcription of the Provost's answers here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

MEETING NOTES: Provost Meeting on Departmental Merger

MEETING NOTES: Provost Meeting on Departmental Merger Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 (5 days after Friday announcement) Attendees: Provost Wormley, Dean Watson, English Department faculty Duratio...

docs.google.com

1 7

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

This isn't about enrollment or fiscal responsibility. This is about a private university caving to political pressure while refusing to be transparent with its own faculty. And it's happening through a deliberate violation of shared governance principles.

We deserve better.

1 2 18

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

The English department is already the largest on campus, scheduling more classes than any other unit. We're being told to absorb two entire programs with faculty scattered across departments, no concrete administrative plan, and while we're supposed to be conducting a major self-study.

1 12

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

Translation: Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies and Women & Gender Studies will slowly be eliminated through attrition. It's exactly what one faculty member called it in the article: "a soft launch of the elimination of the study of race and gender at TCU."

1 1 18

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

The news article mentions that programs "will still stay intact," but the Provost says only some faculty are coming to English. The rest are being scattered. And when asked if we'll be able to replace faculty lines if people leave, the Provost said: "I'm not in a position to guarantee that."

1 1 11

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

The Provost insisted that political pressure "had no influence" on this decision. But after he left the meeting, the Dean told us: "I have been concerned for WGST and CRES since January 20 [Trump's inauguration]... we want these disciplines to survive the storm."

1 13

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

The timeline is also suspicious. The Provost claimed enrollments have been "low for a minute." When pressed, he said "3 years."

That's EXACTLY how long these departments have been back in AddRan College after the School of Interdisciplinary Studies was dissolved. They've had constant turmoil.

1 13

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

So let me get this straight: The administration justified this decision based on "fiscal responsibility," but they refuse to share ANY financial analysis with faculty—not now, not ever. The provost apparently rules by fiat and we're not supposed to ask questions.

1 1 15

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

But here's where it gets really telling: When asked what cost savings this merger would provide, the Provost said "I have numbers but I'm not going to share those numbers with you right now."

A faculty member asked: "Will we ever have access to those numbers?"

Provost: "No."

1 2 25

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

When faculty asked why we weren't consulted BEFORE the decision was made, the Provost said it was "within my purview and my authority" to make "fiscal" decisions. He didn't address the handbook requirement at all. This is a textbook violation of shared governance. @texasaaup.bsky.social

1 20

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

First, the context: TCU's Provost announced this decision last Friday evening with ZERO advance notice to department chairs or faculty. The Faculty Handbook explicitly requires "reasonable opportunity for consultation with the segment(s) of the University affected by proposed changes."

1 1 19

alex @nonmodernist.com · 19h

🚨 My university just announced it's closing its Women & Gender Studies and Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies departments, merging them into English. The official reason? "Low enrollment." But our meeting with the provost tells a very different story about what's really happening here. 🧵

1 44 94

Reposted by alex

Big Tex @btactual.bsky.social · 2d

$495/2000!

Big Tex @btactual.bsky.social · 8d

Being innocent is expensive as hell. We need to raise about $2000 to order court transcripts for my upcoming trial and are giving away some stuff to help meet that need. Please share!

freetex.noblogs.org/post/2025/10...

1 10 13

alex @nonmodernist.com · 3d

i tried to get local reporters interested in the fact that nazis host fight clubs in our public parks but it turns out it was the guardian that paid attention www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Revealed: how a Russian fight club expanded into the US with the help of American neo-Nazis

Members of white supremacist ‘active clubs’ spearheaded a US expansion of a Russian fighting group that has raised money for the Kremlin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine

www.theguardian.com

3

alex @nonmodernist.com · 3d

unfortunately the texas nazis i researched a while ago are still doing nazi shit

Wiley D Cope @wileydcope.bsky.social · 3d

SFC America is led by Avery Ross Ruiz, aka “Panzzer,” of Texas-based Lone Star Active Club. In August, Ruiz fought in the Frontier fight tournament in Southern California between the Active Clubs and Patriot Front. Following Friday’s publication by The Guardian, Ruiz responded: “Weak ass article.”

Undated image showing SFC America fighter Avery Ross Ruiz, aka "Panzzer." Ruiz is a member of the Texas-based Lone Star Active Club.

April 2025 SFC promotional image for the "Slaughter Smokey Mountain" fight tournament showing a bleached-blond and tattooed Avery Ross Ruiz of the Lone Star Active Club.

Image from a September 20, 2025 post on Telegram showing Avery Ross Ruiz posing with Rob Rundo at Lone Star Active Club's private gym in Texas.

Image of Avery Ross Ruiz (in orange pants) fighting at the Frontier tournament in Southern California between the Active Club network and Patriot Front in August 2025.

1 3

alex @nonmodernist.com · 5d

left: UT, a public uni subject to the whims of the state; right: TCU, a private uni where they restructure our departments unilaterally on a friday afternoon

theguardian.com
目
University of Texas at Austin faculty fear changes from new taskforce that could restructure humanities programs
Alice Speri
Fri 17 Oct 2025 14.44 EDT
< Share
Faculty at the University of Texas at Austin fear entire academic departments may be on the chopping block after the university quietly appointed a committee charged with studying the restructuring of its liberal arts programs.
The university - the largest in the public University of Texas system - has not made any announcements about cuts or restructuring, but faculty there have learned the committee was established earlier this semester and tasked with a review that they believe is focused on ethnic and regional disciplines such as African and African diaspora studies, Mexican American and Latina/o studies, as well as women's and gender studies.

Department Restructuring
• Inbox
WF
Hiner, Teresa
On behalf of Wormley, Floyd To Wormley, Floyd, Watson, Sonja, +1
Yesterday
...
Dear English Department,
I wanted to inform you of recent structural changes taking place within the AddRan College of Liberal Arts. To fulfill our obligation to ensure institutional fiscal sustainability, and to ensure a more efficient and effective use of faculty and
administrative resources, the Departments Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies, Women and Gender Studies and English will merge, effective June 1, 2026. This is, in

2 2