"UT needs rich donors": Emails show wealthy alumni supporting "Eyes of Texas" threatened to pull

[TexasTowelie]

“UT needs rich donors”: Emails show wealthy alumni supporting “Eyes of Texas” threatened to pull donations

by Kate McGee, Texas Tribune


The Texas Longhorns had just lost to rival Oklahoma for the third time in a row — this time after a quadruple overtime.

The bruising loss was quickly overshadowed when then-Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger stood alone on the field for the playing of the university’s alma mater song "The Eyes of Texas," a postgame tradition. The rest of the team, who typically stay to sing the song with fans at the end of games, had retreated from the field.

For many University of Texas at Austin students who had spent months protesting and petitioning the school to get rid of "The Eyes of Texas," it was gutting to see the student leader seemingly taking a stand. (Ehlinger later said he was only lingering alone on the field to talk with coaches.) The song — played to the tune of "I’ve been working on the railroad" — was historically performed at campus minstrel shows, and the title is linked to a saying from Confederate Army Commander Robert E. Lee.

But hundreds of alumni and donors were more concerned about why Ehlinger was alone. They blasted off emails to UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell, calling the image of the abandoned quarterback "disgusting," "embarrassing" and "disturbing." They demanded that the school stand up to "cancel culture" and firmly get behind the song — or else donors were going to walk away.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/01/ut-eyes-of-texas-donors-emails/

[dweller]

1. Stand up to 'cancel culture'

or we’ll cancel our donations !

got it

✌🏻