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Controversial Definition of Antisemitism at Universities Would Limit Criticism of Israel

The Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16 heard public testimony last week for Senate Bill 326, which would extend a controversial definition of antisemitism to all student conduct policies at public universities. If passed, schools would use a definition set by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance to determine whether a student’s conduct violation “may have been motivated” by antisemitism.

The proposed bill comes after an executive order last March that required public universit...
The Austin Chronicle •

Taking Stock of Texas Bills Aimed at Cracking Down on Immigration

Amid a burst of immigration policies from the new Trump administration, the state Legislature has some bills on the table that could intensify the crackdown.

Gov. Greg Abbott has already thrown his support behind President Trump’s immigration approach. In a Jan. 29 executive order, he directed all state agencies to assist in federal immigration law enforcement operations. He also ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to deploy “tactical strike teams” to assist the Trump administration....
The Austin Chronicle •

Making Sex Ed Opt-In, For Good This Time

If a new bill in the Texas Senate becomes law, Texas’ trial run limiting the number of students who receive sex education will become a permanent project.

State Sen. Donna Campbell’s Senate Bill 371 would once again require Texas parents to provide written consent before their children in public schools receive sexual education. That would make Texas one of only a handful of “opt-in” states.

A 2021 law, House Bill 1525, made Texas an opt-in state, but that provision expired in August 2024. Cam...
The Austin Chronicle •

When the Convention Center Is Demolished, 30 Years of Public Art Is Going With It

The colors inspire “moments of reverie.”

At least that’s how Margo Sawyer describes her piece, Index for Contemplation. From Russian tea sets to Buddhist temples, the work draws inspiration from all over the world. Each piece in the 40-foot-high sculptural arrangement has a story behind it, and their meticulous placement across the walls of the Austin Convention Center creates unexpected collisions of culture and color.
The Daily Texan •

Universities no longer protected from immigration law enforcement operations, what to know

Colleges and universities are no longer exempt from immigration law enforcement activities, according to a Jan. 21 directive from the Department of Homeland Security. 
The directive overturned a 2021 memorandum designating schools, healthcare facilities and places of worship as “protected areas” where immigration law enforcement operations should not be carried out. 
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” a Department of Homeland Security sp...
The Daily Texan •

Department of Justice sues West Campus property management company for rent-fixing scheme

The U.S. Department of Justice sued a software company and six major property management companies, including one with properties in West Campus, on Jan. 7 for colluding to fix rent prices. 
The lawsuit claims six property management companies colluded to raise rent prices across the country using a software called RealPage. One of those companies is Greystar Real Estate Partners, which owns Hilltop, Union on 24th and Union on San Antonio in West Campus. 
Combined, the six landlords in question...
The Daily Texan •

University introduces employee SB 17 training, continues web scans for potentially noncompliant activity

The University notified all staff Nov. 14, including student employees, that they must complete a mandatory Senate Bill 17 compliance training by February 2025. 
All UT employees must complete the virtual SB 17 compliance training every two years. The modules explain how SB 17 prohibits some campus offices and hiring practices, like requiring DEI statements. The training also clarifies that SB 17 does not impact course curricula and registered student organizations. 
The UTLearn training is the...
The Daily Texan •

UT’s quiet changes to its free speech policies: what to know

UT made changes to its free speech policies over the summer, ranging from small terminology changes to entire sections added. 
The University did not notify the campus community of policy changes. University spokesperson Mike Rosen said UT routinely updates its policies over the summer. 
The policy changes follow UT’s crackdown on pro-Palestine protests on April 24 and April 29. City and state police arrested 136 people across both days for criminal trespassing, but County Attorney Delia Garza h...
The Daily Texan •

Federal judge allows advancement of lawsuit against state university’s enforcement of executive order

A federal judge on Tuesday allowed a lawsuit concerning Texas universities’ enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order on antisemitism to proceed in court.
In May, pro-Palestine organizations across the state, including the Palestine Solidarity Committee at UT, sued Abbott and state universities, stating Abbott’s executive order on antisemitism violates the First Amendment. The lawsuit also asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction preventing universities from enforcing the govern...
The Daily Texan •

Students, community members testify at Texas Capitol against possible mask ban for protesters

Witnesses testified against a potential mask ban for protesters — which is intended to reveal the identities of people “bent on committing crimes at protests” —  at a Texas Senate State Affairs Committee meeting on Wednesday. 
Although no legislation regarding a mask ban is on the table, interim committee meetings provide insight into what lawmakers will likely focus on in the next legislative session in January, according to the Texas Center for Justice and Equity. 
Clear the Air ATX, a local g...
The Daily Texan •

‘Brothers, not others’: students hold vigil mourning all innocent deaths in Middle East

UT’s chapter of Atidna International hosted a vigil in front of the UT Tower on Sunday to grieve all innocent lives lost in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon in the last year of violence. 
Last year’s Oct. 7 Hamas attacks killed nearly 1,200 Israeli citizens, and Israel’s subsequent military invasion of Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel’s recent invasion of Lebanon has killed over 2,000 Lebanese people. 
Elijah Kahlenberg, president of Atidna, an...
The Daily Texan •

Palestine Solidarity Committee hosts Week of Action to mark Oct. 7 one-year anniversary

About 125 students joined a walkout in front of the UT Tower on Thursday in the final event of the Palestine Solidarity Committee’s Week of Action, a series of events held to mark the one-year anniversary of Oct. 7. 
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks killed nearly 1,200 Israeli citizens. Israel’s subsequent military invasion of Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. 
After the University called in state law enforcement to subdue the committee’s protest on A...
The Daily Texan •

One year later: Students reflect on identity, safety, free speech on anniversary of Oct. 7

Palestinian and Lebanese flags lined the grass of the South Lawn for an Oct. 1 vigil, hosted by the Arab Students Association, to honor those killed within the past year in Gaza and Lebanon. 
Hadi, a Lebanese student who lost family in Israel’s recent bombing of Lebanon, said the vigil was a space of “collective healing” for those personally impacted by violence in the Middle East. 
“As much as people would like to think it’s a world away and doesn’t affect us, this is something that has real ef...
The Daily Texan •

University Event Readiness and Response director discusses student demonstrations

The Daily Texan sat down with the director of the new Event Readiness and Response Unit, Joseph LoBrutto, to discuss the role of the new unit in managing campus events and student demonstrations.
LoBrutto declined to answer multiple questions about April’s pro-Palestine demonstrations, citing ongoing litigation. On April 24 and April 29, the University called in city and state police to quell the protests, leading to 136 arrests for criminal trespassing across two days. County Attorney Delia Gar...
The Daily Texan •

FBI arrests man on charges of cyberstalking and threatening UT employees

The FBI arrested a Nevada man on Sept. 16 on charges of cyberstalking and transmitting interstate communications with threat to injure two high-level UT employees, according to a criminal complaint. 
The arrested party, Brian Solomon, sent “persistent threatening” Instagram messages to two UT employees from around June 6 until his arrest, according to the complaint. Solomon is currently detained pending trial, according to a court order from the U.S. District Court of Nevada. The court’s public...
The Daily Texan •

Travis County changes policy to allow Muslim detainees to keep hijabs on during booking

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office changed its “religious articles” policy earlier this month to allow female Muslim detainees to keep their hijabs and require jail staff to fulfill requests for modest clothing during the booking process. 
After pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus in April, multiple female Muslim UT students reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations that law enforcement removed their hijabs during their arrests and bookings. 
The policy change follows “interventio...
The Daily Texan •

Texas State Employees Union workers rally for higher wages following return-to-office mandate

Over 50 UT workers from the University’s chapter of the Texas State Employees Union rallied for a $10,000 across-the-board wage increase on Friday at the West Mall and along Guadalupe Street.  
The union said the University has not acknowledged the union’s demands since its last rally in March, where members delivered a petition to the University for a $10,000 across-the-board raise. Meanwhile, the return-to-office mandate compounded with higher costs of living in Austin puts more strain on work...
The Daily Texan •

Texas pro-Palestinian organizations sue Greg Abbott, state universities for enforcement of March executive order

An ongoing federal lawsuit filed by several pro-Palestinian organizations in May calls on Gov. Greg Abbott and state universities to stop enforcing an executive order addressing antisemitism on college campuses. 
The lawsuit — filed by the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine chapters at UT Dallas and the University of Houston — claims the executive order violates the First Amendment through viewpoint discrimination. The plaintiffs claim Texas universities cracked...
The Daily Texan •

University upholds sanctions on pro-Palestine protesters

Recent UT graduate Anne-Marie Jardine appealed a deferred suspension from the University after she was arrested at the pro-Palestine protest on campus on April 24. She learned on Aug. 19 that her appeal was denied.
Jardine is one of multiple students facing disciplinary action for participating in April’s pro-Palestine demonstrations, ranging from academic probation to suspension. While she has no plans to return to UT, she worries about current students continuing to face sanctions.
“I cannot i...
The Daily Texan •

Arrested pro-Palestine student protesters share stories from Travis County Jail

Anne-Marie Jardine and two other people locked arms on the South Lawn at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24 as police officers and state troopers pushed back the crowd of pro-Palestine protesters.
One officer grabbed the demonstrator next to Jardine while another said to Jardine, “I’m going to get you too.”
He pulled Jardine to the ground by her hair. Several more officers turned her onto her stomach and zip-tied her hands behind her back. One officer dug his knee into her shoulder blade.“My shoes...
The Daily Texan •

UT Austin pro-Palestine encampment dismantled by law enforcement, over 100 protesters arrested: timeline

Law enforcement arrested at least 100 people today after protesters formed an encampment in support of Palestine on South Mall. 
The event follows similar encampments at college campuses around the nation and a Wednesday protest that resulted in 57 arrests, though all charges from Wednesday were dropped.
12:45 p.m. Around 50 people form an encampment in the center of the South Mall. They start chanting variations of “free Palestine” as some erect a few tents in the middle of the circle. 
1:10 p....
The Daily Texan •

Students, faculty gather in solidarity with arrested pro-Palestine protesters

Hundreds of students and faculty walked out of class Thursday to participate in a “teach-in” on the Main Mall in response to at least 57 arrests at a pro-Palestine protest on Wednesday.
Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine organized the event with the Palestine Solidarity Committee. The Texas State Employees Union postponed their “Stop the Purge” rally to protest recent staff layoffs — which was supposed to happen at the same time and place — to Monday. The Union said they ceded the space...
The Daily Texan •

Student Government passes resolution in support of student committee to preserve community resources

The Student Government passed a resolution last night calling for the creation of a student committee to preserve the resources in WCP 2.112. Advocates for the space attended the meeting to show their support for the resolution.
The resolution passed with 24 yeas, one nay and three abstentions. 
WCP 2.112 currently houses the Women’s Community Center (WCC), which the University announced will shut down on July 5 to comply with Senate Bill 17. The WCC replaced the Gender and Sexuality Center, whi...
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