The nonbinding referendum is meant to gauge student opinion on the divisive alma mater but would not result in any changes to the song. Student leaders called for it in response to a 2021 university report on the song’s history that found it was “not overtly racist.”

The Texas chapter of the NAACP and a group of students have filed a federal civil rights complaint against the University of Texas for its continued use of school song “The Eyes of Texas.”.

Texas has hired the first Black director for the school’s Longhorn marching band.

Next fall, the University of Texas at Austin students who play on the football team or watch in the stands can choose whether to sing the “The Eyes of Texas” at the end of the game.

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, file photo, fans join in singing "The Eyes of Texas" after Texas defeated UTEP 59-3 in an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas. The University of Texas' long-awaited report on the history of the school song The Eyes of Texas found it had no racist intent, but the school will not require athletes and band members to participate in singing or playing it at games and campus events. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas' long-awaited report on “The Eyes of Texas” has found that the school song has “no racist intent," but the school president said athletes and band members will not be required to sing or participate when the song is played at games and campus events. The report also noted the song was first performed at a minstrel show, most likely with performers in blackface. “Nobody has been, or will be, required to sing the song," Hartzell said.

AUSTIN, Texas – Racist emails sent to the University of Texas amid a debate over the school song “The Eyes of Texas” were “abhorrent and hateful” but don’t truly represent the Longhorns’ alumni and fans, university President Jay Hartzell said Tuesday. AdSince Monday, at least two former players have tweeted they received threats from Texas fans for protesting the song. “A few extremist views in the sample of emails the Texas Tribune reported on do not speak for the 540,000 proud Longhorn alumni who actively support our students and university. Out of the many emails I received this fall, a very small number included comments that were truly abhorrent and hateful. The title of the song is taken from a favored saying of a former school president who had mimicked remarks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

They blasted off emails to UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell, calling the image of the abandoned quarterback "disgusting," "embarrassing" and "disturbing." "The Eyes of Texas is non-negotiable," wrote another graduate who said they’ve had season tickets since 1990 and whose name was redacted by the university. While those who emailed represent a fraction of the more than 540,000 UT-Austin alumni, their threats had some university fundraisers sounding the alarms. "'The Eyes of Texas' should not only unite us, but hold all of us accountable to our institution’s core values. "I know this much," Sarkisian said, "'The Eyes of Texas' is our school song.

There was still no school band but the song still played. And this time, the Texas players stayed on the field for “The Eyes of Texas.”While some sang with the crowd, others stayed quiet. Regardless of who sang or just stood around after Texas beat Baylor 27-16 on Saturday, Texas school officials got exactly what they wanted: The Longhorns stood on the field together and it appeared nobody left in protest. As fan anger brewed, school officials mobilized with public statements supporting the song and a team meeting to urge the players back on the field. School President Jay Hartzell and the Board of Regents issued statements that “The Eyes of Texas” would remain the school song.

14 Texas rolled to a 59-3 season-opening win over UTEP Saturday night. Ehlinger’s final touchdown pass came on a 6-yard toss to walk-on Kai Money in the final seconds of the first half. Texas' original schedule had the Longhorns visiting defending national champion LSU this weekend, in a rematch of a 2019 classic. Some Texas athletes had demanded the school drop the song because of its history involving minstrel shows and actors in blackface decades ago. But they were overpowered at the line of scrimmage and overwhelmed by Texas' speed while Longhorns receivers zipped through and around the UTEP secondary.

A Confederate statue on the University of Texas at Austin was removed shortly after midnight on Aug. 21, 2017. Black students comprise about 5.1% of UT-Austin's student body. "The Eyes of Texas should not only unite us, but hold all of us accountable to our institutions core values. The Robert L. Moore Building, named for a former math professor who was a segregationist and refused to teach Black students, was renamed as the Physics, Math and Astronomy Building. The university also pledged to refocus its diversity and inclusion plan, recruit diverse faculty members, launch programming to enhance or support its Black students and expand its police oversight committee.

The Eyes of Texas is a University of Texas tradition. Replacing the song is among the changes school athletes are calling for. I commend these guys that they band together as brothers, and they found a way they can make a change, Omenihu said. I think the university has talked enough, i think the coaches have talked enough, Omenihu said. Student athletes at UT are also asking the universitys athletic department donate a half percentage of its earnings to civil rights organizations.

A group of University of Texas at Austin athletes are calling on their institution to change the school spirit song from the The Eyes of Texas to one without racist undertones. The Eyes of Texas which plays at football games and other sports events at the university was once performed at minstrel shows. A two-page letter to the university was shared by dozens of Longhorns athletes on their social media accounts. Among all issues which the Texas athletes want to be resolved, their request to drop The Eyes of Texas got the most chatter. Heres what people against the change had to say about the athletes request:Why cancel Eyes of Texas?

The University of Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin. Brennan Eagles, a sophomore wide receiver for UT-Austin, posted the statement to his Twitter account, detailing a list of actions Longhorn athletes want the university's athletics department to take. These include donating 0.5% of the department's annual earnings to the Black Lives Matter movement and black organizations, establishing a permanent black athletic history exhibit in the Athletics Hall of Fame and renaming parts of the football stadium after Julius Whittier, the first black football player at UT-Austin. Other calls to action include requiring a module on the history of racism at UT and increasing outreach efforts to inner-city schools in Austin, Dallas and Houston. UT Athletics officials could not be reached immediately for comment.

New stories, new format, but with the same “Texas Feel.” The “Eyes of Texas” the podcast, is now ready for your ears. Click here for more information on the Eyes of Texas podcast. Open the app and search "Eyes of Texas" podcast. Then search "Eyes of Texas" podcast. ANDROID Option 2: Use a podcast app - Another way is listen to the podcast on your phone is to download a podcast app.

"The Eyes of Texas," Channel 2's show about the people, places and issues that shaped the Lone Star State became must-see TV for scores of Texans. SUBSCRIBE NOWIn 1969, the show launched with its first host, KPRC's news director at the time, Ray Miller. Miller nurtured the program, giving Houstonians a front-row seat to Texas culture, history and flashes of everyday happenstance: Texas, as told on TV. The program went away for a spell, but KPRC2 is pleased to announce The Eyes of Texas is back. The first two episodes of The Eyes of Texas podcast launch Tuesday, Oct. 30.