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The Rudder Association A deep dive into the conservative former student group with plans to ‘put the Aggie back in Aggieland’

Graphic by Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

The Rudder Association, formed in July of 2020, is a group of largely former students who aim to bring traditions back to Texas A&M’s campus. By Nathan Varnell & Casey Stavenhagen

@collywobbledd & @CStavenhagen Editor’s note: This article was investigated and reported by members of The Battalion’s editorial board: Asst. opinion editor Nathan Varnell, sports editor Casey Stavenhagen, editor-in-chief Myranda Campanella, managing editor Julia Potts, multimedia editor Kyle McClenagan and asst. life & arts editor Caroline Wilburn. It was written by Nathan Varnell and Casey Stavenhagen. The article in no way reflects the personal views of the editors involved. The Battalion follows the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics for reporting.

n light of recent administrative decisions, a group of predominantly former students known as The Rudder Association have garnered traction across social media for alleged involvement with the decision making of Texas A&M’s top administrators for the future of A&M. Several hundred pages of internal documents from The Rudder Association take credit for influence on a wide-variety of policy changes and more than 10 high-ranking A&M System officials, including the Board of Regents, President M. Katherine Banks and multiple sitting state senators sympathetic to TRA causes. However, following an investigation by The Battalion, statements from TRA President Joe Bourgeois, President Banks and Texas Sen. Paul Bettencourt contradict claims originally made in the internal documents. Since Feb. 14, The Battalion has obtained internal documents from within the Texas-based nonprofit corporation, including meeting minutes, emails, newsletters, budgets and more from sources within The Rudder Association’s private Facebook group and

mailing list who chose to remain anonymous. The Battalion has independently verified the origins of the internal documents with the aforementioned sources.

Public comments vs. private newsletters

Internal documents link the origins of The Rudder Association’s actions back to the 2020 protests to remove the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue in Academic Plaza, according to newsletters dated July to August 2020 and publications in the months since the association was founded on July 15, 2020, by Keith Hazlewood, Class of 1974. Hazlewood was also a prominent member of the counter-protesters, who showed up in support of the Sully statue during the summer of 2020, as reported on by The Battalion. “The anti-Sul Ross statue protests brought the realization that poisonous theories were also being injected at the grassroots,” the group’s “Fall 2021 Update,” published Oct. 26, 2021, reads. “Clearly, reform was needed from the office of the president to the small groups at Fish Camp and at every level in between.” In a March 2 interview with The Battalion, Bourgeois, Class of 1989, said The Rudder Association is focused on “bringing Aggies together in a loving way.” “[Our vision is] for students to have a great education and understand the culture and traditions of A&M,” Bourgeois said. The association’s website cites its mission “to preserve, protect and perpetuate the Texas Aggie culture, the Spirit of Aggieland and its Core Values and traditions” in order to “put the ‘Aggie’ back in Aggieland.” In an interview with The Battalion, Bourgeois confirmed this to be the association’s mission statement. Bourgeois also said TRA “abso-

lutely” contacts university officials regarding concerns for the future of A&M. When asked about the influence the association has had on A&M’s campus thus far, Bourgeois said, “I wouldn’t know what kind of impact we’ve had. Yet to be seen, I would say.” In the association’s Fall 2021 Update and Member Renewal Letter on its website, Bourgeois said, “The impact TRA has had on this campus in such a short period of time could hardly be overstated.” The same document goes on to take credit for a variety of policy changes and relationships built with university leadership.

“The impact TRA has had on this campus in such a short period of time could hardly be overstated.” JOE BOURGEOIS, TRA PRESIDENT (PER FALL 2021 UPDATE)

In the organization’s first newsletter, dated July 9, 2020, Hazlewood’s call to action includes addressing “abusive” professors, Fish Camp, The Battalion and “attacks” by activists and racists. “We will establish committees for each of the areas we wish to pursue (ex. abusive professors, Fish Camp, destruction of property on campus, attacks on group members by activists and racists, The Battalion),” one item reads. The specific calls to action had been a theme in newsletters from July to August 2020, with five newsletters sent by Hazlewood. Although less explicit about targets, the stated goal in these newsletters was to take on “entitlement

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culture.” “Our plan: Start cleaning up Texas A&M University and then establish chapters at universities and high schools across the state of Texas. We are going to be taking on the ‘entitlement culture’ ideas of those who are rapidly taking over many aspects of our lives,” the group’s first newsletter, dated July 9, 2020, reads. The precise meaning of “entitlement culture,” or what the association intended to “clean up,” is less clear in Hazlewood’s first newsletter compared to later updates, which explains why TRA chose these targets. One example from “TRA Update 3,” dated July 21, 2020, reads: “The Rudder Association will work to reverse the cultural trend of radical [extremism] that has taken hold at Texas A&M University.” Hazlewood echoed this sentiment during an interview with The Battalion on March 2, in which he said critical race theory is dividing campus. “People want their kids to go to A&M because they think they will be less likely to run into things like being told if you’re white, you’re an oppressor and if you’re Black, you’re oppressed,” Hazlewood said. Hazlewood’s fourth newsletter, dated July 28, 2020, identified that TRA wanted to create committees for taking action — including on Fish Camp and The Battalion. “We will look into the possibility of taking over Fish Camp as it exists. It may require stealth to do it, and it may require two to four years. We will probably start another camp to run concurrently until the takeover is complete,” the newsletter reads. The newsletter described starting an alternative student-run publication with the TRA ON PG. 6