'Eyes of Texas' Investigation Report To Be Released
Following a three months-long investigation by a 24-person committee into the 'Eyes of Texas', the University of Texas is set to release a 95-page report on Tuesday afternoon, according to a report from The Austin American-Statesmen.
The investigation of the song, which will reportedly be supported by as many as 169 footnotes detailing the sourcing of its findings, revolves around accusations of a racist nature that have developed over the past year.
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One of the main sources of controversy surrounding the song was the developed narrative that the phrase "the eyes of Texas are upon you" was actually coined from a phrase used by infamous confederate general Robert E. Lee in 1860 when he became president of Washington and Lee University.
The phrase used by Lee, “The Eyes of the South Are Upon You?”, contains obvious racial undertones, calling the identity of the song into serious question.
“We cannot find evidence of that,” said Dr. Richard Reddick told the Statesman. "Bill Brands, our historian on our committee, contacted Washington and Lee University, and said, ‘Can you please share with us any documentation you have about “The Eyes of the South Are Upon You?” ’ ”They couldn't find it ...”
In October, the Unversity announced that "The Eyes of Texas" would remain the official school song.
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“To be clear, the UT System Board of Regents stands unequivocally and unanimously in support of President Hartzell’s announcement that The Eyes of Texas is, and will remain, the official school song,” Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said in a statement last October.
Following that statement, a flood of emails from donors surfaced, with those alumni threatening to pull their financial support of the university.
Whatever the case, according to the report from the Statesman, the University is proud of the work put into this investigation and the clarity that leaders believe it will help bring to the situation -- even to those skeptical of the findings.
“They don't have to take our word for it,” executive director of the Briscoe Center Don Carleton told the Statesman. “We can’t make people think any way, any particular kind of direction. But we can at least provide the evidence and let them understand why we produced the report that we did.”
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