Top headline: The Texas Tribune, 10/26/2026
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Bottom headline: Texas Monthly, 10/23/2026
That excitement turned to “shock and despair” the next morning when Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas railroad commissioner, posted a photo on X of South Asian students celebrating the victory and suggested their presence at UT-Austin was a problem.
As condemnation of French’s message exploded online, UT-Austin President Jim Davis responded nearly 35 hours later by affirming that all UT students were Longhorns without directly addressing French’s remarks. [emphasis added]
The tepid response prompted the Indian American student to email the president. “I am glad you believe we are all Longhorns. I do not believe you share Bo French’s thoughts or prejudices. But do you seriously believe that what you have said is enough?” the student wrote. “I would like you to call him out by name and say that his racism has no place on our campus. I would like you to say Indian-Americans are Americans too. I would like you to film a video, look directly in the camera, and tell me I belong here.”
Records obtained by The Texas Tribune show the student — whose name, like all current students, was redacted — was not the only one to voice disappointment in the response by university leaders.
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