AI-generated illustration; not a photograph of the reported event.
- calendar_today October 26, 2026
Bo French’s Post Sparks Outrage Among Students and Alumni
In September, a photo posted on the social media platform X by Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas railroad commissioner, ignited widespread criticism and concern within the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) community. French’s post showed a group of South Asian students celebrating the Longhorns’ football victory against Ohio State and implied that their presence at the university was problematic. The post came just hours after a thrilling comeback win and quickly became a focal point for discussions on campus racism and student discrimination.
Student and Alumni Voices Call for Stronger University Response
A doctoral student, who had previously described finding belonging through Longhorn football after moving from California, expressed to the UT-Austin president that French’s post left them feeling “shock and despair.” The student’s email, later released among redacted university records, urged more than just general statements about inclusion; they requested that university leadership directly condemn French’s comments as racist and affirm the student’s place at UT-Austin.
Support for a stronger university response grew quickly. Alumni, students, and parents sent at least 22 emails to President Jim Davis by the following afternoon, criticizing the delayed and vague reaction from university leadership. “The silence is getting a bit loud,” wrote one law student, echoing the frustration felt across the community. Others labeled silence in the face of bigotry as “complicity” and called for clear, public condemnation of the remarks.
University Leaders Respond Slowly and Cautiously
UT-Austin President Jim Davis waited nearly 35 hours before responding publicly. Instead of addressing French’s comments directly, Davis affirmed that “all UT students were Longhorns,” a statement some considered insufficient. UT System Board Chair Kevin Eltife also voiced support for students, emphasizing pride in the diversity of the Longhorn community. However, neither leader mentioned Bo French by name or characterized his statement as racist.
Internal messages among UT officials, later revealed in records obtained by The Texas Tribune, indicate some uncertainty in how to handle the situation. Vice President for Marketing and Communications Patrick Wiseman noted, “Bo is getting crushed by others,” and suggested that university leadership need not “stoop to these politics.” Spokesperson Mike Rosen indicated the university did not plan to issue a formal statement. Efforts were also made by communications staff to clarify facts about the composition of UT’s international student population with reporters.
Policy Constraints and Institutional Neutrality Weigh on Leaders
The muted university response appears influenced by recent policies on institutional neutrality within the UT System. In August 2024, the Board of Regents adopted guidelines discouraging officials from issuing statements on current issues, with few exceptions. Law professor Brian Soucek and former Macalester College president Brian Rosenberg noted the tension public university presidents face between needing political support and the moral imperative to support students targeted by discrimination undeterred by concerns about political backlash.
UT-Austin’s local guidelines do allow for official statements in “rare occasions” with unique impacts on the university community, and some legal scholars argued that French’s remarks met this standard. However, it remains unclear if the university’s policies or the new system guidelines were decisive in shaping leadership’s response, as officials declined to comment for the record.
Faculty Step In to Support Affected Students
While top administrators refrained from direct condemnation, several UT-Austin professors—Keshav Pingali, Vijay Chidambaram, and Chandrajit Bajaj—emailed computer science students to express support and offer assistance. Pingali explained that rising hostility toward Indian Americans was a motivating factor, recounting former students’ concerns about attending future football games. Some students expressed appreciation for this faculty outreach but wished support came more visibly from the university itself.
Ongoing Calls for Racial Inclusion and Leadership
The incident has renewed ongoing debates about the role of university leadership in confronting campus racism, promoting racial inclusion, and defending the values of a public university. Comparisons were drawn to prior, more direct responses by university presidents to similar incidents—in one 2017 case, explicit condemnation and investigative action followed racist flyers on campus targeting Asian students. However, as institutional neutrality policies become more prominent, pressure mounts for universities to reconcile political constraints with their obligations to all students.
Source: feeds.texastribune.org.
