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Investigations

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

Emails obtained by The Texas Tribune show alumni and donors threatened to stop supporting the university financially and demanded that the university president take a stronger stance supporting "The Eyes of Texas."

A University of Texas football game at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin on Sept. 7, 2019.
An illustration of an email sent to UT-Austin obtained in a public records request.

"It is disgraceful to see the lack of unity and our fiercest competitor Sam E[h]linger standing nearly alone. It is symbolic of the disarray of this football program which you inherited. The critical race theory garbage that has been embraced by the football program and the University is doing massive irreparable damage to our glorious institution and to the country. It has got to stop."
An illustration of an email sent to UT-Austin obtained in a public records request.

"I am not advising you or taking any position regarding this issue right now, other than to say “The Eyes” needs to be our song. I AM wanting you to be aware of the “talk about town” regarding UT. There are a lot of folks on this email chain who love UT and are in positions of influence."
An illustration of an email sent to UT-Austin obtained in a public records request.

"UT needs rich donors who love The Eyes of Texas more than they need one crop of irresponsible and uninformed students or faculty who won’t do what they are paid to do."

Learn from the past

Trial by fire

An illustration of an email sent to UT-Austin obtained in a public records request.

"My wife and I have given an endowment in excess of $1 million to athletics. This could very easily be rescinded if things don’t drastically change around here...Has everyone become oblivious of who supports athletics??"

Cancel culture

An illustration of an email sent to UT-Austin obtained in a public records request.

"I do not support UT anymore (even though my family has 3 generations of graduates) because it has become a bastion of far liberal indoctrination and only teaches one point of view...liberalism. Sorry, but it is clear at UT that the white male is totally screwed unless you are ‘woke’."

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