UT Austin Athletes Demand Changes To Support Black Students

AUSTIN, TX – Student athletes at the University of Texas at Austin are refusing to participate in recruiting efforts and donor-related events until the university makes widespread changes in support of black students, according to a statement posted to Twitter Friday afternoon.

The statement, which was posted by Brennan Eagles, a wide receiver for UT Austin football, details a series of demands from student athletes, who see it as their duty to "utilize our voice and role as leaders in the community to push for change to the benefit of the entire UT community."

The demands include the renaming of buildings on campus, such as Robert Lee Moore Hall, Painter Hall, Littlefield Hall and James Hogg Auditorium; the replacement of statues with more diverse statues designed by people of color; inclusion of modules for incoming freshman discussing the history of racism on campus and an outreach program for inner cities.

Additionally, the student athletes are demanding the athletics department donate 0.5 percent of their annual earnings to black organizations and the Black Lives Matter movement.

On a campus-wide level, the students are asking to replace The Eyes of Texas with a new song that does not have racist undertones, and lifting the requirements of athletes to sing that song.

In the statement the athletes said they intend to hold the athletic department and university to a "higher standard" by asking them to take action to make the campus more inclusive for the black athletes and black community.