UT Investigation

University of Texas investigating fraternity after rumors of racist chant

University of Texas UT tower and fountain

President Bill Powers says UT is launching an investigation into allegations of racist chants at one fraternity.

KVUE — On Tuesday, two students were expelled from the University of Oklahoma after videos surfaced online of fraternity members participating in a racist chant. Now, University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers said he is addressing rumors that a similar chant exists in the UT chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity.

In a statement, Powers said the university dean of students is looking into the rumor.

Powers also addressed a photo of alleged Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) fraternity rules that have circulated online since 2007, but made a resurgence this week following the OU expulsion. "This ugly document ... was largely believed to be a hoax even then," said Powers in a statement. Powers did not say if the university was also looking into these rumors.

The president also mentioned a recent FIJI party which made headlines for its racist theme. After the party, students reported that attendees dressed in ponchos and sombreros. Some wore construction uniforms with Hispanic names written on them while others wore military uniforms, and one student who attended said the party's theme was "Border Patrol." Powers said the fraternity has apologized and "reached out to Latino groups."

"The FIJIs and one Latino group collaborated on a recent day of service. Much work remains, but this is a positive start," said Powers. Students have petitioned that the fraternity be punished.

Powers called the party, as well as the recent incident at the University of Oklahoma, "hurtful" and said they "offended many."

"I deplore this behavior, which is contrary to the core values The University of Texas at Austin," Powers said.

---

To read the full story, head to KVUE.

unspecified

Red Light

San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

Getty Images

Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

animals downtown civic issues