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Posted
1 hour ago, gernblansten said:

How does one reconcile “make acceptance merit based” and “cap the number of foreign students so Americans have more spots”?

Same way they reconcile all the other stupid bullshit they say / believe.

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Posted
Which of the policies have people the most riled up, besides that the Trump administration came up with them? I can see people not agreeing with elimination of DEI, supporting trans sports, or wanting more foreign students and "anti-conservative" content in classrooms, but I don't see any as turning higher education into a "wasteland." This thread is 98% bitching about Texas accepting or rejecting it and not much discussing the compact itself and how it will turn Texas into a joke of a university unable to educate students. It seems these universities could take the money, interpret and enforce the terms as they want, and the worst case is the Trump team doesn't like it and pulls the preferential funding status which the universities lose anyway by not accepting.
  • Eliminate DEI in hiring and admissions and make them based on merit
  • 5 year tuition freeze, and make STEM education tuition-free for "non-wealthy" students
  • Cap foreign student enrollment to save more spots for American students
  • Limit sports participation to biological sex
  • While professors can voice their "anti-conservative" views off the clock, keep it out of classroom curriculum
  • Prevent protests intended to disrupt classroom and study areas
  • Receive preferential status in federal grant funding

Your summarization is incomplete and the devil is in the details. Here is the full text of the compact:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/4059a5dd-f3dc-4cf6-bf1f-9e0d98c2f8d9.pdf?itid=lk_inline_manual_8

For starters, it should be rejected on principal. The federal government, and in particular, a highly partisan and biased presidential administration, should not be overseeing the ideas that can and can’t be taught on a university campus. Look at the shitstorm that A&M just went through for a professor discussing gender in the classroom, and now imagine that the federal government has a signed agreement that gives them authority over this or they withdraw research funding.

Secondly, this specific presidential administration is not a reliable negotiator or business partner. The entire tariff debacle should be plain evidence of that. Even if the university felt the demands of the compact were reasonable, Trump has proven time and again that he will change his mind on a whim. There is no reason to willingly enter a formal agreement with him if it can be avoided.

Thirdly, the DOJ is responsible for enforcing it. The same DOJ that is currently being used to prosecute Trump’s political enemies. In its current form, this is not a fair or reliable mediator for the compact. It is a weapon that can and will be used by Trump if the university does anything that he is not happy about.

And if you want to get further into the language of the compact, the biggest concern I have is section 2 - Marketplace of Ideas & Civil Discourse. This notion of an intellectually open campus environment already exists at UT Austin, so it is a boogeyman request that suggests the curriculum is intentionally designed to persecute conservative ideas. It creates protections specifically for conservative ideas, while failing to provide any similar reciprocal protections for progressive ideas. Conservative ideas don’t need the government to protect them. If they are less prominent at UT Austin compare to a place like A&M or Tech, that is merely the nature of the university and the students and faculty it has attracted for decades. It is not an evil scheme to indoctrinate otherwise innocent conservative young adults. If families or students are afraid of that, they have every opportunity to select a different university in the first place, rather than allow the government to create a mechanism to homogenize all education and restrict the expression of ideas within academia. In normal times, I would feel strongly the same way if a Democrat president wanted to meddle in A&M’s curriculum and force them to become more progressive under the notion that progressive ideas are unfairly targeted.

Finally, the language in some key areas is intentionally vague, leaving it open to interpretation and therefore weaponization. What does it mean to “abolish institutional units that purposefully punish or belittle conservative ideas?” Who defines what constitutes as belittling? If a professor discusses climate change and a conservative student gets offended, what happens? If a professor teaches that Tylenol and circumcision do not actually cause Autism, and a MAHA nutjob gets offended and feels belittled, do we lose the professor? Why would any self-respecting professor choose to teach in that environment?
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Posted
11 hours ago, wild_turkey said:


Your summarization is incomplete and the devil is in the details. Here is the full text of the compact:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/4059a5dd-f3dc-4cf6-bf1f-9e0d98c2f8d9.pdf?itid=lk_inline_manual_8

For starters, it should be rejected on principal. The federal government, and in particular, a highly partisan and biased presidential administration, should not be overseeing the ideas that can and can’t be taught on a university campus. Look at the shitstorm that A&M just went through for a professor discussing gender in the classroom, and now imagine that the federal government has a signed agreement that gives them authority over this or they withdraw research funding.

Secondly, this specific presidential administration is not a reliable negotiator or business partner. The entire tariff debacle should be plain evidence of that. Even if the university felt the demands of the compact were reasonable, Trump has proven time and again that he will change his mind on a whim. There is no reason to willingly enter a formal agreement with him if it can be avoided.

Thirdly, the DOJ is responsible for enforcing it. The same DOJ that is currently being used to prosecute Trump’s political enemies. In its current form, this is not a fair or reliable mediator for the compact. It is a weapon that can and will be used by Trump if the university does anything that he is not happy about.

And if you want to get further into the language of the compact, the biggest concern I have is section 2 - Marketplace of Ideas & Civil Discourse. This notion of an intellectually open campus environment already exists at UT Austin, so it is a boogeyman request that suggests the curriculum is intentionally designed to persecute conservative ideas. It creates protections specifically for conservative ideas, while failing to provide any similar reciprocal protections for progressive ideas. Conservative ideas don’t need the government to protect them. If they are less prominent at UT Austin compare to a place like A&M or Tech, that is merely the nature of the university and the students and faculty it has attracted for decades. It is not an evil scheme to indoctrinate otherwise innocent conservative young adults. If families or students are afraid of that, they have every opportunity to select a different university in the first place, rather than allow the government to create a mechanism to homogenize all education and restrict the expression of ideas within academia. In normal times, I would feel strongly the same way if a Democrat president wanted to meddle in A&M’s curriculum and force them to become more progressive under the notion that progressive ideas are unfairly targeted.

Finally, the language in some key areas is intentionally vague, leaving it open to interpretation and therefore weaponization. What does it mean to “abolish institutional units that purposefully punish or belittle conservative ideas?” Who defines what constitutes as belittling? If a professor discusses climate change and a conservative student gets offended, what happens? If a professor teaches that Tylenol and circumcision do not actually cause Autism, and a MAHA nutjob gets offended and feels belittled, do we lose the professor? Why would any self-respecting professor choose to teach in that environment?

Outstanding post.  Wish I could rep it more.

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Posted
5 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

CNN reporting UVA is going to accept. 

i think that is something different.  had to do with some dispute about forcing their president out and what not.  they've said they're not in on the compact.

White House Moves Toward Settlement With First Public University

The Trump administration is closing in on a deal with the University of Virginia, four months after government pressure forced the school’s previous president to resign.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/us/politics/trump-virginia-university.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vU8.42rs.A7QxIvS3ZclE&smid=url-share

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Posted

Yeah that has nothing to do with the compact that UT was invited to (which UVa has already officially rejected). This is more akin to the earlier shakedowns of Harvard, Penn, Columbia, and Brown.

Posted
45 minutes ago, Longhorn94 said:

Repeat it with me: YOU CAN'T MAKE A DEAL WITH TRUMP. It's that simple. He won't honor any single part of it. It's just the first step in submission. He will change the terms when he wants and you can do fuckall about it. It's like doing a deal with Darth Vader, except Darth had principles, morals, and a belief structure.

 

his deals constantly change in his favor. letting the white house having any say in the incoming freshman class should be a deal breaker 

 

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Posted

I’ve seen quite a few pics recently of the Tech Board of Regents chairman with Trump at the White House. I believe one main reason Tech has caved in advance, and surrounded itself with a bunch of virulently right wing politicians is to be in position to receive a windfall of research dollars Trump has extorted or redirected from other universities who refuse to play ball with him. UT will resist for awhile, but I don’t have hope that saner heads will prevail

 

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Posted

I can certainly see several large mid-ranked state colleges from deep red states reaching out directly to get an invite after all the rejections from the "lib factories" saying no. I assume OKST isn't on anybody's radar and I really hope it stays that way. My other degree is from SMU and I'd like to think they'd gladly tell the WH to fuck off.

Posted
5 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

CNN reporting UVA is going to accept. 

 

5 hours ago, OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys said:

i think that is something different.  had to do with some dispute about forcing their president out and what not.  they've said they're not in on the compact.

White House Moves Toward Settlement With First Public University

The Trump administration is closing in on a deal with the University of Virginia, four months after government pressure forced the school’s previous president to resign.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/us/politics/trump-virginia-university.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vU8.42rs.A7QxIvS3ZclE&smid=url-share

 

4 hours ago, tokamak said:

Yeah that has nothing to do with the compact that UT was invited to (which UVa has already officially rejected). This is more akin to the earlier shakedowns of Harvard, Penn, Columbia, and Brown.

InkaUwrong.

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Posted (edited)
18 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Also, every time I see "UVA" and a thought in the negative, I remember these buttons and stickers from back in the day:

 

CA-uvas-no-black-button_busy_beaver_butt

My dad always tells the same joke about the Chevy Nova.

"They couldn't sell them in Mexico because it means "Doesn't Go".

Edited by 'stache
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Posted
1 hour ago, Satchel said:

I’ve seen quite a few pics recently of the Tech Board of Regents chairman with Trump at the White House. I believe one main reason Tech has caved in advance, and surrounded itself with a bunch of virulently right wing politicians is to be in position to receive a windfall of research dollars Trump has extorted or redirected from other universities who refuse to play ball with him. UT will resist for awhile, but I don’t have hope that saner heads will prevail

 

Tech's BOR was appointed by the same guy who appointed the UT BOR.   I like your conspiracy theory, but it's missing some pieces and gives Tech more credit than they deserve for being clever.  Their chairman has been buddies with Trump for a long time, going back to his first term and long before CC was on the Tech BOR.  Like every single BOR member at any major public university in the state, including UT, he's there because he gave Abbott money.   Tech isn't surrounded by any more virulent right-wing politicians than UT is. They're both drowning in them, along with every other public university in the state.

The fact that Tech is the nation's leading university for wind energy research is going to make things interesting if Trump does make that offer, which I doubt ever happens because he'll move on to the next shiny object any day now and this compact nonsense will be forgotten.  Just like UT, Tech is full of liberal professors and has cavemen on their BOR.  Their alumni will hate or love this shit at a similar percentage as UT alumni do.  And like UT, they will likely sign it if given the opportunity.

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Posted
1 hour ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Texas accepts this, the value of a Texas degree is nil.

The very real downside of this slouching toward maga is nobody worthwhile will want to teach at the relenting institutions.

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Posted
4 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

Tech's BOR was appointed by the same guy who appointed the UT BOR.   I like your conspiracy theory, but it's missing some pieces and gives Tech more credit than they deserve for being clever.  Their chairman has been buddies with Trump for a long time, going back to his first term and long before CC was on the Tech BOR.  Like every single BOR member at any major public university in the state, including UT, he's there because he gave Abbott money.   Tech isn't surrounded by any more virulent right-wing politicians than UT is. They're both drowning in them, along with every other public university in the state.

The fact that Tech is the nation's leading university for wind energy research is going to make things interesting if Trump does make that offer, which I doubt ever happens because he'll move on to the next shiny object any day now and this compact nonsense will be forgotten.  Just like UT, Tech is full of liberal professors and has cavemen on their BOR.  Their alumni will hate or love this shit at a similar percentage as UT alumni do.  And like UT, they will likely sign it if given the opportunity.

I don’t think Houston is, yet, but that Tech triumvirate is rabidly right wing. Its new face to the world and chief branding officer is Chancellor Brandon Creighton, who is the chief architect of all of the anti DEI legislation in Texas. He’s the worst and a UT grad to boot. I don’t think my theory is at all far fetched. Narcissists understand one another. All Campbell has to do is give Trump some money, tell him how wonderful he is, and promise to use redirected research dollars to advance conservative causes. Funny thing is, no reputable scholars would want to go anywhere near Tech.

Posted
4 minutes ago, Satchel said:

I don’t think Houston is, yet, but that Tech triumvirate is rabidly right wing. Its new face to the world and chief branding officer is Chancellor Brandon Creighton, who is the chief architect of all of the anti DEI legislation in Texas. He’s the worst and a UT grad to boot. I don’t think my theory is at all far fetched. Narcissists understand one another. All Campbell has to do is give Trump some money, tell him how wonderful he is, and promise to use redirected research dollars to advance conservative causes. Funny thing is, no reputable scholars would want to go anywhere near Tech.

That last line isn't entirely true, but it's going to be completely accurate for both Tech and UT very soon.  If you think Eltife is any less of a MAGA bootlicker than Campbell, I think you might be failing to look at this objectively. 

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Posted
39 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

The fact that Tech is the nation's leading university for wind energy research is going to make things interesting if Trump does make that offer, which I doubt ever happens because he'll move on to the next shiny object any day now and this compact nonsense will be forgotten. 

Nah, Russ Vought and Stephen Miller are in charge of this.

Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Satchel said:

 All Campbell has to do is give Trump some money, tell him how wonderful he is, and promise to use redirected research dollars to advance conservative causes. 

NEW RESEARCH OUT OF THE GREAT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS TECH AT LUBBOCK SHOWS THAT WINDMILLS DO CAUSE CANCER.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.

Edited by atomheartbevo
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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

NEW RESEARCH OUT OF THE GREAT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS TECH AT LUBBOCK SHOWS THAT WINDOWS DO CAUSE CANCER.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.

That would be funny if it weren’t a real possibility 

Edited by Satchel
Posted
3 hours ago, Samson's Wig said:

That last line isn't entirely true, but it's going to be completely accurate for both Tech and UT very soon.  If you think Eltife is any less of a MAGA bootlicker than Campbell, I think you might be failing to look at this objectively. 

Did anybody catch Campbell standing with Trump today as he bragged about demolishing the East Wing? That guy has an agenda and it’s not about college athletics.

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Posted
The very real downside of this slouching toward maga is nobody worthwhile will want to teach at the relenting institutions.

Which will mean no worthwhile students will want to go there.
Posted
36 minutes ago, Chad Fuck said:


Which will mean no worthwhile students will want to go there.

You don’t think they’ll want to go to Bari Weis University. Do you?

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Posted
12 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

NEW RESEARCH OUT OF THE GREAT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS TECH AT LUBBOCK SHOWS THAT WINDMILLS DO CAUSE CANCER.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.

He would misspell Lubuck.

Posted
10 hours ago, Satchel said:

Did anybody catch Campbell standing with Trump today as he bragged about demolishing the East Wing? That guy has an agenda and it’s not about college athletics.

I'd never heard the dude's name until like 18 months ago and now he's every fucking where. Seems to have a real bad case of "I'm a billionaire so obviously I should always get everything I want" syndrome. Betcha he wants to be governor or something like that.

Posted
19 minutes ago, RPM said:

They would rename it to Trump Tower and it will be lit (not burnt) orange 24/7.

And every hour instead of bells it would play the theme song from Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

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Posted
10 minutes ago, South Austin said:

And every hour instead of bells it would play the theme song from Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

I was thinking more along the lines of the fail horn from The Price is Right, which, as I type that, I realize is 100% appropriate from an irony standpoint.

 

 

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Posted
19 hours ago, Satchel said:

The very real downside of this slouching toward maga is nobody worthwhile will want to teach at the relenting institutions.

@Satchel was this a Joan Didion reference or a W.B. Yeats reference? Either way, bravo dude.

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Posted
16 hours ago, Satchel said:

Did anybody catch Campbell standing with Trump today as he bragged about demolishing the East Wing? That guy has an agenda and it’s not about college athletics.

No doubt.  His agenda is making sure we can drill for oil wherever and whenever.  

Posted (edited)

The plan is probably to demolish the LBJ library and put some gaudy gold nonsense joke of a trump library in its place. Zero doubt whatsoever Hotwheels and friends would make it happen.

Edited by 'stache
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Posted
2 minutes ago, 'stache said:

The plan is probably to demolish the LBJ library and put some gaudy gold nonsense joke of a trump library in its place. Zero doubt whatsoever Hotwheels and friends would make it happen.

Didn't the LBJ library once show a film where something in your seat would poke you to make you think a rattlesnake is biting you?  Maybe I'm remembering a different place, but I don't want to think about the details of such an attraction at the Trump library.

Posted

This email went out from Jim Davis this afternoon:

Quote

President’s 3 Things to Know
Our University's mission was born with the founding of Texas. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to serve society through education, research, and health care. Guided by academic integrity and responsibility, The University of Texas at Austin will serve as a model for restoring public trust in higher education. Every Longhorn is a part of this special moment in our shared history — and I believe our greatest days are ahead of us.
 
In that spirit, I'd like to share three core themes from the 2025 State of the University Address that I delivered yesterday:
 
  • We are preparing our students to thrive in a challenging and complex world by pursuing greater value, balance, and completeness in our curriculum. Foundational courses taught by our very best professors and a common learning experience shared across majors will ensure our students’ readiness to lead, be good citizens, and contribute to society. A dedicated  Core Curriculum Task Force is leading this recommitment to excellence in our academic mission.
  • We are investing in research and teaching at the frontiers of science. Our researchers, students, and faculty are leading in fields of critical importance — from energy and AI to life science, computer science, and more. By honing our strengths across disciplines and creating shared focus in areas like materials science, we will push the limits of existing knowledge and deliver solutions to the world’s greatest challenges.
  • We will advance health care with the new UT Medical Center. This academic health system will expand our reach in academic medicine and be a world-class center of care, discovery, and education. By bringing together leading physicians, scientists, and educators, UT is creating the hospital of the future and setting a new standard for health in Texas and beyond. We will change medicine, change lives, and change the world.
 
I’m excited about the work we’re doing to restore public trust, revitalize our academic commitment, and reimagine our missions in research and medicine. I look forward to connecting with more of you as we come together around these initiatives.
Hook 'em!
 
Jim Davis 
President


Sorry if formatting is weird, pasting from my phone. It doesn’t mention the compact, which could be a sign they are planning to ignore it and hope it fizzles out and a formal decision is never required. Unfortunately, that may be the best case scenario for UT at this point, given the players involved.

 

I am concerned that he mentions “The University of Texas at Austin will serve as a model for restoring public trust in higher education.“ The public already trusted higher education until people deliberately tried to destroy that trust with lies. UT Austin should not even feel the need to acknowledge public distrust and give these ridiculous ideas any credibility. To do so is to suggest the university has gone astray and will now fix the role it played in causing this fictitious problem.

 

Mostly, I remain worried that this is the way of breaking news softly, before later revealing that we agreed to a modified compact, which would still be 100% bullshit.

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Posted
2 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

I'm gonna write a paper on chemtrails eradication and apply for department chair.

One chair? Hell man, you could apply to be chair of GeoSciences, Natural Sciences, and Engineering with that kind of paper. Maybe even Pharmacy as well.

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