The Eyes of Texas

[Hornius Emeritus 12419]

Sounded great at the Spring Game. Sang it lustily.

[lemonandaturd 4285]

40 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

Sounded great at the Spring Game. Sang it lustily.

So did we.  A couple of young black men two rows below us were singing too with horns up.  

[Zeus 5949]

On 4/22/2021 at 12:22 PM, Wally Pryor said:

Two bands?

Dear lord. 

yep. just when I thought Texas was going to nut up

[Tex Pete 20176]

8 hours ago, Zeus said:

yep. just when I thought Texas was going to nut up

It’s apparent Scott Hanna has no dick. 

[Wally Pryor 5244]

What an unbridled pansy.  

[Shaggybevo 353]

Apparently, some still refuse to believe the findings in the report produced by the panel of experts:

 

Tensions boil at UT-Austin over "The Eyes of Texas", where students are refusing to work and a man with a gun crashed a virtual event

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/05/04/eyes-of-texas-ut-austin/

[MAUFRAIS 6573]

On 4/24/2021 at 7:32 PM, lemonandaturd said:

So did we.  A couple of young black men two rows below us were singing too with horns up.  

i do hate this for guys like that, who may feel scrutinized over which side of the issue others perceive them to be supporting by just throwing up their horns and singing the damn school song, or not, whereas i don't consider it for a second and don't give a flying fuck if i stay for the eyes or rush to the bar, depending on my mood.

[westexhorn 2006]

Also is supposedly the same reporter who keeps bringing it up with the tribune the last few times.  She is definitely trying.

[Bigbend1812 12886]

17 minutes ago, westexhorn said:

Also is supposedly the same reporter who keeps bringing it up with the tribune the last few times.  She is definitely trying.

[Scholz 11933]

I'm just glad I have this website which is very inclusive and welcoming.  It's my space where I feel I'm heard.

[gsoda3 3236]

30 minutes ago, westexhorn said:

Also is supposedly the same reporter who keeps bringing it up with the tribune the last few times.  She is definitely trying.

look at the list of articles she's written, her angle's quite obvious.  it's a shame journalism has fallen to the point where stories are written to push a narrative.  

her bio

 

[BurntOrange&White 39647]

Waiting for her Aggie/sul ross push

[NeverMarryAStripper 21781]

aggy isn't "higher education" so it's not covered on her beat

[Steel Shank 9414]

Maybe she's just confused?

Edited May 5, 2021 by Steel Shank

[TrashMaster G 17387]

The more people continue to push this issue, the more it proves that their position is all about emotion over logic.

[GTNY 280]

1 hour ago, Shaggybevo said:

Apparently, some still refuse to believe the findings in the report produced by the panel of experts:

 

Tensions boil at UT-Austin over "The Eyes of Texas", where students are refusing to work and a man with a gun crashed a virtual event

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/05/04/eyes-of-texas-ut-austin/

Stop giving them clicks. Post the article:

 

Tensions boil at UT-Austin over "The Eyes of Texas", where students are refusing to work and a man with a gun crashed a virtual event

A student group was hosting an event with a UT-Austin professor about the song when a man entered the online Zoom call with his face covered, holding what appeared to be a large gun.

Spoiler

Dozens of students at the University of Texas at Austin who give campus tours to prospective Longhorns are refusing to work this week over a dispute about a plaque with “The Eyes of Texas” lyrics hanging in the Admissions Welcome Center.

The dustup over the plaque is the latest example of UT-Austin officials standing by “The Eyes” over pleas that the university distance itself from the alma mater song because it originated at a minstrel show where students likely wore Blackface.

It’s also the latest in a series of clashes over the song in a nearly yearlong controversy that has frequently pit administrators and alumni against students and divided members of the Longhorn community.

Just this week, a threatening incident was reported to UT-Austin police where a student-led online event about “The Eyes of Texas” was crashed by an unknown man on camera wearing a bandana over his mouth and nose and who appeared to be loading a large gun.

UT-Austin officials did not respond to a request for comment about the incidents, nor did they respond to written questions.

Students say protests over the song are not going away. Kendall Walker, a UT-Austin senior who is part of the student strike in the admissions office, said she thinks administrators wrongly assumed the issue would die down after the school formed a committee this past year to study the song’s origins. UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell has repeatedly affirmed that the university will keep the song.

“I think this is the tip of the iceberg honestly,” Walker said. “This is the beginning of it and people resisting that decision and not accepting a committee of people deem[ing] the song isn’t racist. There's a whole generation of students and minority students that are equally and more mad than we are and don't want to enter a space that predetermined their opinions don’t matter.”

Members of the Texas Tour Guides said the song has created a divisive environment on campus and wanted the plaque to be removed to ensure all student employees and prospective students feel comfortable in the Welcome Center, according to more than six students who work or volunteer as tour guides and spoke to The Texas Tribune.

The guides sent a letter to the university on April 19, asking for a plan detailing for the plaque's removal by May 1 — otherwise, they said they would stop giving tours virtually or in person.

Tour guides said they suggested replacing the plaque with something symbolizing another university tradition that is more inclusive.

The admissions office would not commit to removing the plaque and told students via email on April 29 that they did not have to work as a tour guide if they had concerns.

“We understand you may no longer desire to serve in this role based on your feelings about the University’s long-standing school song. If you no longer wish to serve as a Texas Tour Guide, please inform your supervisor so that your request can be processed,” wrote Miguel Wasielewski, director of admissions. Wasielewski did not respond to a request for comment.

The request to remove the plaque from the Welcome Center came months after admissions renamed the tour guide group. Previously called “the Guides of Texas,” intended to sound similar to “The Eyes of Texas,” the admissions office decided to separate itself from the name last July, according to an email sent to students by the admissions office and obtained by the Tribune.

“We feel that in order to have an inclusive space where everyone feels safe and welcomed that a name change is necessary,” wrote Noemi Gomez, student program coordinator in the university’s admissions office.

The tour guides estimated that the strike includes roughly 55 students, about half of all the guides.

Student tour guides compared the university’s action over the plaque to its recent announcement that members of the Longhorn marching band are required to play “The Eyes of Texas.” The university said if they opted against playing the school song they can join a separate, newly created band where it won’t be required.

Walker, who is Black, said she is often asked on tours by Black families about her experience on campus.

“I [used to] stand up there and say, ‘I feel welcomed. I feel heard’ … The way that I feel has completely flipped in the past 12 months,” she said. “We bring in students into this university and showcase this university in a way other students cannot. They reap so many benefits of having our presence there but can't honor something that makes us overtly uncomfortable. It's just super hurtful.”

Multiple students who spoke to the Tribune said they’ve had uncomfortable conversations with prospective parents and students about the controversy over the past year, yet they have not received any guidance for how to deal with questions about the song while giving tours. In some instances, students said questioning has gotten aggressive.

“It definitely has been an added, like, burden on my mental health to go get dressed and put on my tour guide Polo and go out and talk to families that are oftentimes like predominantly white, about like things like racial justice here on campus,” said Jeremiah Baldwin, a tour guide and sophomore at UT-Austin. “I'm always like having this game of mental gymnastics that I'm playing, like, ‘how should I describe this?’ Or, ‘should I be as open and honest?’”

“A targeted incident”
In another sign of escalating tensions, a student group recently reported an online threat related to the dispute over the song.

Last week, the Texas Orange Jackets hosted an online Zoom conversation with professor Alberto Martinez about his report on the song, which identified links to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. According to students on the call and Martinez, as he was presenting, an unaffiliated person with a gun joined the call but was removed by moderators.

A screenshot of the Zoom call shared with the Tribune shows the man wearing a black beanie and a face covering over his mouth and nose while holding what appears to be a large black gun.

“The fact that a conversation about changing a song inspired someone to bring a gun to a Zoom call is just ridiculous,” said Irene Ameena, a senior leader in the Texas Orange Jackets. “And shows that this isn't just some small debate. This is something that’s violent, like it is violent to bring a gun and show it to people.”

The student group reported the incident to university officials and the professor reported it to the UT Police Department.

“Given the sensitive nature of the matter discussed on this call, we believe this was a targeted incident,” Texas Orange Jackets wrote in a statement on the Facebook page for the event. “We unequivocally condemn the racism and violence that have been brought up in conversations about this song and again call on the university to remove the “Eyes of Texas” as the official school song of the university.”

“A rebuke of their spinelessness”
Walker said she knew students who didn’t sing “The Eyes” even before student athletes brought attention to the matter by demanding the school do away with the tradition last summer in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. That demand was faced with swift opposition from alumni and heavy weight donors who clamored for the school to keep the song and threatened to pull donations if it went away. While a university commissioned report found in March that the song “had no racist intent,” it has done little to diminish the controversy.

Recently, a petition calling on UT-Austin leaders to remove the song has circulated, with nearly 180 faculty as of Tuesday morning threatening not to attend graduations and university events unless it's confirmed the song won’t be played. A previous petition calling for the song’s removal had garnered close to 100 faculty signatures.

UT-Austin history Professor Jorge Canizares-Esguerra said the new petition was created after Martinez released his report that challenged the university’s narrative about the song’s history. Overall, he said professors felt as if the administration had handled the issue without properly involving faculty and students.

“It is a rebuke of the administration,” Canizares-Esguerra said. “It’s a rebuke of their spinelessness before donors and alumni and powerful capital.”

Members of the Texas Black Legislative Caucus and state NAACP chapters have also condemned the song. After UT-Austin released its report in early March, Black student leaders submitted a new list of demands for more scholarships, affordable student housing and increased wages for student workers to improve the experience of Black students on campus.

Brianna McBride, a senior at UT-Austin and co-director of the Black President’s Leadership Council, said UT-Austin officials, including Hartzell, have been receptive to their requests and are continuing to work with student leaders to better communicate initiatives and plans with students.

As the academic year reaches an end, Canizares-Esguerra said he worried how the song and the ongoing controversy will affect the broader university if it continues

“It is not sustainable because it promotes division,” he said. “It's unsustainable as a policy because it shows the world that the university is divided.”

 

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by GTNY

[pacman 7327]

1 hour ago, gsoda3 said:

look at the list of articles she's written, her angle's quite obvious.  it's a shame journalism has fallen to the point where stories are written to push a narrative.  

her bio

 

What is her obvious angle? What narrative are you imagining from her bio?

 

 

One of the things I didn't care for from the student opposition, they mention not feeling like their opinions matter. This is especially odd when they cite the commission of experts who extensively studied the song and provided a non-emotional, educated (who knew at a University) finding in support of the continued use of the song.

Your opinion mattered so much the University put forth extensive resources to study the validity of your complaint. It did not find in agreement and, yet, still made concessions.

That does not equate to your stance of not being heard.

Of course, the University thought the issue would subside. That's how disagreement shpuld ve resolved in the adult world. I am afraid we haven't set a good example for them, unfortunately.

[n64ra 1077]

The university is already making changes related to the song. See:

Previously called “the Guides of Texas,” intended to sound similar to “The Eyes of Texas,” the admissions office decided to separate itself from the name last July..."

 

[gsoda3 3236]

20 minutes ago, pacman said:

What is her obvious angle? What narrative are you imagining from her bio?

you almost have to be purposefully in denial to miss it.

Quote

Tensions boil at UT-Austin over "The Eyes of Texas," where students are refusing to work and a man with a gun crashed a virtual event

BY KATE MCGEEMAY 4, 2021

Quote

UT-Austin says Longhorn Band members must play "The Eyes of Texas" or else join new, separate band

BY KATE MCGEEUPDATED: APRIL 21, 2021

Quote

Colt McCoy joined forces with rich UT-Austin alumni to help pressure university to keep "The Eyes of Texas," latest emails show BY KATE MCGEEUPDATED: APRIL 2, 2021

Quote

Black lawmakers, NAACP and students push back on UT-Austin’s “The Eyes of Texas” report, urge school to lose the song

BY KATE MCGEEMARCH 29, 2021

Quote

UT-Austin report links “The Eyes of Texas” to minstrel shows but not Robert E. Lee, says song is “not overtly racist”

BY KATE MCGEE AND NEELAM BOHRAUPDATED: MARCH 9, 2021

Quote

UT-Austin football players say they were forced to stay on field for “The Eyes of Texas” to appease angry donors and fans

BY KATE MCGEEMARCH 3, 2021

Quote

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

BY KATE MCGEEMARCH 1, 2021

 

[BurntOrange&White 39647]

[babysdaddy 2718]

Just now, BurntOrange&White said:

[pacman 7327]

8 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

you almost have to be purposefully in denial to miss it.

 

7 of 19 stories in that timeframe. Looks like she was doing her regular job of reporting the news.

[BurntOrange&White 39647]

Just now, pacman said:

7 of 19 stories in that timeframe. Looks like she was doing her regular job of reporting the news.

But does no reporting of the issues going on at A&M with the Sul Ross statue and continues to push the eyes of Texas with dumb shit articles? 

[pacman 7327]

Surely, you are not surprised Texas dominates Higher Education news in Texas?

She wrote one article on A&M and attempted to cover the statue but was given no comment.

Her coverage of the Eyes are valid news events to be reported on. Clearly, a subset of UT students are keen on showing themselves for this issue, even if they don't seem keen on making any valid points.

Pull up your panties.

Edited May 5, 2021 by pacman

[RollLeft 5040]

9 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

[texifornia 56511]

It's a story that guarantees clicks, traffic, and engagement, thereby helping her employer make money. She's doing her job.

If you want her to write about something else, either get people to stop engaging or turn journalism into a nonprofit enterprise somehow.

[pacman 7327]

It's a story, period.

Agree though, if it doesn't speak to you don't read it or click it.

Website space is cheaper than print media, so we get more stories about inane happenings these days than in the old days. It doesn't mean they aren't stories worth reporting on.

[BurntOrange&White 39647]

2 minutes ago, pacman said:

It's a story, period.

Agree though, if it doesn't speak to you don't read it or click it.

Website space is cheaper than print media, so we get more stories about inane happenings these days than in the old days. It doesn't mean they aren't stories worth reporting on.

It was a story. The students voices were heard, the university created a committee that included current students, and presented the facts. The only story is this dumb bitch keeps pushing a non story for clicks. 

[TexasBeta 1261]

And this is what the top 10% or what ever rule gets you. I can guarantee that the previously admitted students, who are now parents of kids attending Arkansas, Auburn, Ol Miss and other universities actively recruiting Highland Park, Westlake, etc. don’t care two licks about this.

[futureman 22415]

2 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

her bio

 

Quote

Kate was born in New York City and primarily raised in New Jersey. She graduated from Fordham University. 

 

[texifornia 56511]

2 minutes ago, TexasBeta said:

And this is what the top 10% or what ever rule gets you. I can guarantee that the previously admitted students, who are now parents of kids attending Arkansas, Auburn, Ol Miss and other universities actively recruiting Highland Park, Westlake, etc. don’t care two licks about this.

Are you saying UT should be taking kids who are at Auburn's level academically?

[pacman 7327]

7 minutes ago, TexasBeta said:

And this is what the top 10% or what ever rule gets you. I can guarantee that the previously admitted students, who are now parents of kids attending Arkansas, Auburn, Ol Miss and other universities actively recruiting Highland Park, Westlake, etc. don’t care two licks about this.

Wow, do you always walk around with a shirt that reads dumbass or is it just this thread? Damn right you are a beta.

That's quite a leap in logic you have made, like astronomical.

This situation  is proof that top 10% is a problem and UT needs more Highland Park and Westlake kids.

fuck me I am put of this thread...this is too much

Edited May 5, 2021 by pacman

[gsoda3 3236]

6 minutes ago, pacman said:

It's a story, period.

Agree though, if it doesn't speak to you don't read it or click it.

Website space is cheaper than print media, so we get more stories about inane happenings these days than in the old days. It doesn't mean they aren't stories worth reporting on.

i'm glad you agree there's a story she's pushing by selectively reporting and framing her stories in a way that attracts certain people.  b/c earlier you didn't see it.

[TexasBeta 1261]

Are you saying UT should be taking kids who are at Auburn's level academically?

No. I’m saying that I know a to. Of kids who graduated top 10 or so fro
Westlake etc who would have loved to come to UT but were told no. So they took the in state tuition to Arkansas and other schools like that. They don’t care about the eyes controversy. I’ve said before that at some point alumni donations will be impacted by this rule. I just don’t see the kids we are taking , while very smart, giving to the university like me and my friends did before all this. I could be wrong. Probably am.

[TexasBeta 1261]

Wow, do you always walk around with a shirt that reads dumbass or is it just this thread? Damn right you are a beta.
That's quite a leap in logic you have made, like astronomical.
This situation  is proof that top 10% is a problem and UT needs more Highland Park and Westlake kids.
fuck me I am put of this thread...this is too much

Yes. I do agree it’s a leap. It was very knee jerk. I’m just tired of reading about it. Sorry.

[Thermos H. Christ 478]

Am I the only one who sees this as lost cause, regardless of the merits of either side of the argument? Like, if the idea is to preserve a cherished tradition, hasn't that ship sailed? Whatever it may have meant to previous generations of students, if the current group sees the song and the boomer/GenX insistence on preserving it as an insult or an affront, they certainly will not view it as a cherished tradition and pass it on. The olds will die off and the song with them, if it doesn't go away before then.

[BurntOrange&White 39647]

1 minute ago, TexasBeta said:

No. I’m saying that I know a to. Of kids who graduated top 10 or so fro
Westlake etc who would have loved to come to UT but were told no. So they took the in state tuition to Arkansas and other schools like that. They don’t care about the eyes controversy. I’ve said before that at some point alumni donations will be impacted by this rule. I just don’t see the kids we are taking , while very smart, giving to the university like me and my friends did before all this. I could be wrong. Probably am.

I kind of see where you're coming from but I kind of don't. I do think Texas may be hurting itself by limiting to 6% long term but it's hard to know the effects of that.

[BurntOrange&White 39647]

Just now, Thermos H. Christ said:

Am I the only one who sees this as lost cause, regardless of the merits of either side of the argument? Like, if the idea is to preserve a cherished tradition, hasn't that ship sailed? Whatever it may have meant to previous generations of students, if the current group sees the song and the boomer/GenX insistence on preserving it as an insult or an affront, they certainly will not view it as a cherished tradition and pass it on. The olds will die off and the song with them, if it doesn't go away before then.

If this McGee bitch would shut the fuck up then it wouldn't keep getting brought up. Each time her fucking dumb shit articles created a whole new conversation about a dead topic.

[gsoda3 3236]

13 minutes ago, pacman said:

Website space is cheaper than print media, so we get more stories about inane happenings these days than in the old days. It doesn't mean they aren't stories worth reporting on.

yes but no.  website clicks are more profitable than print media and they've figured out you draw more eyeballs with stories reinforcing a reader's POV than you do with stories which are fact rich but opinion neutral.  

[ioueleventybilliondollars 107]

1 hour ago, pacman said:

What is her obvious angle? What narrative are you imagining from her bio?

 

 

One of the things I didn't care for from the student opposition, they mention not feeling like their opinions matter. This is especially odd when they cite the commission of experts who extensively studied the song and provided a non-emotional, educated (who knew at a University) finding in support of the continued use of the song.

Your opinion mattered so much the University put forth extensive resources to study the validity of your complaint. It did not find in agreement and, yet, still made concessions.

That does not equate to your stance of not being heard.

Of course, the University thought the issue would subside. That's how disagreement shpuld ve resolved in the adult world. I am afraid we haven't set a good example for them, unfortunately.

 

It's not uncommon for people to conflate the ideas of being heard and being obeyed. This is particularly true of my wife and children, so it hits close to home and all that...

 

[texifornia 56511]

7 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

If this McGee bitch would shut the fuck up then it wouldn't keep getting brought up. Each time her fucking dumb shit articles created a whole new conversation about a dead topic.

It's so dead that a new thing happened w/r to it, and she wrote an article on that new thing that I'm willing to bet is doing really well in terms of eyeballs and interest. You've certainly gotten riled up about it.

She's not the issue here.

Edited May 5, 2021 by texifornia

[BurntOrange&White 39647]

3 minutes ago, texifornia said:

It's so dead that a new thing happened w/r to it, and she wrote an article on that new thing that I'm willing to bet is doing really well in terms of eyeballs and interest. You've certainly gotten riled up about it.

She's not the issue here.

You're right, her Colt article along with this article of a masked stranger invading a zoom meeting and others! Riveting stuff brother!

Edited May 5, 2021 by BurntOrange&White

[bschoolprof 6232]

37 minutes ago, texifornia said:

It's a story that guarantees clicks, traffic, and engagement, thereby helping her employer make money. She's doing her job.

If you want her to write about something else, either get people to stop engaging or turn journalism into a nonprofit enterprise somehow.

The Texas Tribune is a non profit enterprise.  

[bschoolprof 6232]

Also, has David Dennison jerked himself off into a coma over this yet?

[NeverMarryAStripper 21781]

3 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

The Texas Tribune is a non profit journalistic enterprise.  

 

[Ojo Rojo 1895]

This is a very dumb controversy.  The Eyes isn't even hidden racism.  It was sung at shows where blackface happened?  That makes the song racist?  No.  Stop with this.  People out there looking for excuses to get offended.  I'm against hate and ignorance, but getting offended has become the new national pastime.  Now get off my lawn.

[Bigbend1812 12886]

56 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Told you.

[DigglerontheHoof 21060]

[Steel Shank 9414]

I wonder if she's the original Tits McGee?

[TrashMaster G 17387]

54 minutes ago, Thermos H. Christ said:

Am I the only one who sees this as lost cause, regardless of the merits of either side of the argument? Like, if the idea is to preserve a cherished tradition, hasn't that ship sailed? Whatever it may have meant to previous generations of students, if the current group sees the song and the boomer/GenX insistence on preserving it as an insult or an affront, they certainly will not view it as a cherished tradition and pass it on. The olds will die off and the song with them, if it doesn't go away before then.

You're overestimating the size of a vocal minority.