TFW you don’t want the eyes of Texas on “The Eyes of Texas”

Nothing says you’ve got nothing to hide like this:

Last month, the Tribune reported that dozens of UT-Austin donors threatened to pull funds if the university got rid of the song, which has been the subject of student protests. After the story ran, UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell released a statement that said he received a “small number” of hateful emails about the issue and they “bear no influence on any aspect of our decision-making.”

Then, after the Tribune inquired about missing records, UT-Austin identified more than 550 additional emails that should have been provided in response to an open records request.

Oopsie!  I can’t imagine what the problem was…

“This current, highly emotionalized and factually inaccurate movement is counterproductive, will generate more divisiveness and also destroy the progress made in integration up to now,” Stanley wrote in a letter in mid-June criticizing Hartzell’s leadership for meeting with the athletes, which was forwarded to Hartzell by donors nearly a dozen times. “It is being fomented by socialistic groups that are using the blacks as pawns. It is regrettable that the University has accepted this movement. If black athletes really want to improve the general situation for the black community, they should work within themselves.”

Yes, that is regrettable.  But they’re working on it.

Mickey Klein said in a phone interview with the Tribune that while minstrel shows are “disgusting,” he supports keeping the alma mater song and wants the university to get to a place where “everyone, Black [people], people of color are comfortable with the song.” The Kleins said they would continue to support the school financially regardless of Hartzell’s decision over the issue.

“This is not something that we can sweep under the rug, there has to be an open dialogue and discussion,” Mickey Klein said.

Well, Mr. Stanley has certainly been afforded that opportunity.

As far as making people of color comfortable with the song, Texas might start by not mandating that its football players have to associate with it by standing for the song after a game.  Then again, that might be too open a dialogue for some folks.