'Fight the agenda': UT students to protest Trump compact, education policies during new president's inauguration

AUSTIN (KXAN)— During the Inauguration and Investiture of the University of Texas at Austin's 31st president, UT students will protest the university remaining silent on whether it'll accept a deal offered by the Trump Administration, among other possible higher education policy changes.

President James E. Davis will make public remarks at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The Austin Chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, and a group called Not Our Texas, have promoted an event described as a peaceful demonstration on social media, which is scheduled for the same time.

UT Austin has yet to say whether it will sign a 10-point compact that will make major changes to university processes, though the deadline to provide feedback to the Trump Administration was on Monday.

In an October 2 statement, UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said “The University of Texas System is honored that our flagship —The University of Texas at Austin—has been named as one of only nine institutions in the U.S. selected by the Trump Administration for potential funding advantages under its new ‘Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education."

The agreement would force the schools to not factor in diversity, equity and inclusion policies when hiring staff or admitting students. The compact also calls on the universities to freeze their tuition rates for five years and limit the number of foreign students with a visa to no more than 15% of the undergraduate student body. It also said no more than 5% of those students can be from one country.

Universities who sign the compact would receive preferential treatment and federal funding. Nine universities were offered the deal. Reportedly, seven of those rejected it.

On Oct. 16, President Davis released a statement on a new Core Curriculum Task Force.

"Teaching an excellent core curriculum is one of the most fundamental public services of our University. Our students are entering a complex and challenging world. We must prepare them to have wisdom to be ready to lead, ready to be great citizens, and ready to be positive contributors to our society. A well-designed and well-taught core curriculum — a common learning experience shared across all majors — is key to meeting this mission.

To renew this commitment, we are establishing a Core Curriculum Task Force. Its mandate is to conduct a thorough review of the University’s existing general education curriculum. The task force will consider opportunities to better fulfill the purpose of this curriculum and identify gaps in quality, rigor, or intellectual cohesion. The task force will also propose revisions so that the new core curriculum offers a meaningful and thorough learning experience for all UT students. It will engage in its work throughout this academic year, with the goal of producing a report by May."

-President Jim Davis, University of Texas at Austin

A UT Austin Spokesperson told KXAN the task force is not related to Trump's compact deal, adding that it has been in the works for months.

This story will be updated by Reporter Jala Washington.