An Open Letter to the University of Texas at Austin
A Hill Worth Dying On
I am living proof of the American Dream, though I fear that my story is becoming less and less common. I was born and raised in Victoria, Texas, a city of 65,534 as of the 2020 census. In this blue-collar town, I grew up in a working-class home. My father is one of 14 children to immigrant parents and spent the vast majority of his life working in the brutal oilfield elements to provide for his family. My mother, also the child of an immigrant, worked as a substitute teacher. They often reminded me to pursue what my father called an 'office job,' which, in hindsight, represents socioeconomic betterment. Although I have now worked in the technology industry for 13 years, being a software engineer wasn't a vocation that I even knew existed when I was growing up. I was fortunate enough to take a Java programming class in 2004, which radically altered the path of my life. So much so that I spent four years volunteering by teaching AP computer science at various high schools in Houston from 2018 to 2022 to pay this forward. Education is core to my beliefs and identity, and in many ways, that started at the University of Texas at Austin.
DEI is core to the American Dream. Socioeconomic and racial imbalances must be countered for the American Dream to be attainable for everyone. I likely would not have been accepted to the university without the Top 10% Rule (Texas House Bill 588). While admission alone did not provide equity in the university experience, it allowed me to demonstrate that I belonged there, despite traditional socioeconomic barriers to higher education, such as the SAT, which naturally favors high-income families with access to private tutors. The Trump Administration states the following in its Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education proposal:
"Treating certain groups as categorically incapable of performing — and therefore in need of preferential treatment — perpetuates a dangerous badge of inferiority, destroys confidence, and does nothing to identify or solve the most pressing challenges for aspiring young people... Institutions shall have all undergraduate applicants take a widely-used standardized test (i.e., SAT, ACT, or CLT) or program-specific measures of accomplishment in the case of music, art, and other specialized programs of study."
I write to implore the University of Texas at Austin to reject this Compact. Not only would joining effectively end the opportunity for folks of a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to access a premier education, but it would also rapidly advance the intellectual exodus fueled by authoritarian-like government overreach and rampant American xenophobia. I do agree that "American higher education is the envy of the world." This Compact would tarnish that brilliant reputation through financial coercion. As a proud Texas alumnus and current graduate student at the University of Southern California, I urge the University of Texas to refuse to bend the knee to the Trump Administration, just like the five other schools (MIT, Brown, Penn, Virginia, and USC) have at the time of writing.
Ye Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Set You Free
This inscription sits above the entrance to the Main Building on campus. The truth is that tightly coupling funding with ideological requirements undermines the curiosity and independence that made American universities what they are. This Faustian deal is another step towards the suppression of free thought. It's a mechanism designed to deter critics of an administration that clearly aspires to be authoritarian. It also perpetuates a false narrative that conservative voices do not exist on college campuses. During my time as an undergraduate student, I recall a strong presence of Republican voices, including the Young Conservatives of Texas, which notably planned a 'Catch an Illegal Immigrant Game' in 2013. Fisher v. University of Texas also sparked conservative voices and debates around the same time. The irony is that this Compact aims to suppress DEI admissions based on socioeconomic factors while at the same time using financial leverage to artificially amplify conservative ideals that the Trump Administration perceives to be underrepresented in higher education. The hypocrisy is blatant.
This Compact is fundamentally and explicitly anti-transgender:
"Institutions commit to defining and otherwise interpreting 'male,' 'female,' 'woman,' and 'man' according to reproductive function and biological processes."
A person's gender and sexual identity have nothing to do with education at large whatsoever. It continues a trend of the Trump Administration demonizing and discriminating against one of the most vulnerable populations in the United States. Including something like this is utterly deplorable. If the University of Texas joins this Compact, it will not only turn its back on its trans population but also fail to recognize their very existence.
"Therefore, no more than 15 percent of a university's undergraduate student population shall be participants in the Student Visa Exchange Program, and no more than 5 percent shall be from any one country."
Setting arbitrary limits on international students is not only intrinsically xenophobic but also diminishes the so-called 'vibrant marketplace of ideas' when there is less variety in perspectives. Limiting international students, who typically pay full tuition, would also create economic shortfalls for universities like USC, thereby increasing their dependence on federal funding. Not to mention that these international students tend to stay in the United States and drive innovation here. Of the so-called Magnificent Seven tech companies, three were founded by first-generation immigrants. It's impossible to quantify the adverse effect that this would have on the United States economy. Why stop the best and brightest from coming to our great nation?
Let's not mince words here. This Compact is a quid pro quo, a tactic for which the President was already impeached. It's a thinly veiled attempt to install right-wing ideals in some of America's most prestigious schools in exchange for a quick buck. It aims to silence protests and dissenting voices. Much like his maligned and defunct Trump University, this is a grift. Do not let him make a mockery of our beloved university. Do not subject the university to politically-motivated compliance requirements.
A Plea for Common Sense
If you believe, as I do, that the University of Texas at Austin is a world-class institution, then leave what makes it great in place. With a $20B+ endowment, this university does not need to capitulate to Trump's ideological demands and grovel for money. I am one tiny voice. I am merely a proud alumnus, not a megadonor or booster. I have donated to the university in the past, but if the school joins the Compact, I will withhold all further donations. My pride as a Longhorn will be severely diminished, but I will not be deterred by the xenophobia and prejudice that plagues the United States. Education is worth fighting for.
Hook 'em and fight on!
Disclaimer
The opinions and views expressed here are my own and not those of my employer or any school.