UT-Austin President Jim Davis waited 35 hours to address Bo French

University of Texas at Austin President Jim Davis waited nearly 35 hours after Bo French posted a photo of South Asian students on X to issue a public statement. French, the Republican nominee for Texas railroad commissioner, suggested the students' presence at the university was a problem. Davis eventually affirmed that all UT students were Longhorns but did not name French or label his remarks as racist.

The timeline emerged from records obtained by The Texas Tribune. On September 12, following a one-point victory over Ohio State, French posted an image of celebrating students at 7:52 a.m. with the caption that the problem was worse than anyone imagined. University officials monitored the online backlash throughout the day. Vice President for Marketing and Communications Patrick Wiseman told colleagues on Microsoft Teams that "Bo is getting crushed by others" and argued there was no need for the university to make a comment.

By Monday afternoon, Davis' office had received at least 22 emails from students, alumni, and parents pressing for a response. Rohan Reddy Gupta, a 2020 graduate, wrote that silence in the face of bigotry was complicity. Nicolas Cocavessis, a 1978 graduate, urged Davis to do what was right after pointing to his son and four friends who were U.S.-born children of immigrants. Greg Rives, a 1998 graduate, wrote on September 25 that Davis had fumbled the opportunity to call for a public apology.

UT System Board Chair Kevin Eltife posted a statement on X at 6:02 p.m. on Monday, saying he saw Longhorns in the stadium seats. Davis reposted the message at 6:46 p.m., expressing pride in standing with Eltife. Neither official mentioned French by name. A UT communications director had earlier contacted reporters at The New York Times and USA TODAY to ensure coverage emphasized that international students made up about 4% of undergraduates, a lower figure than the nearly 10% of all students including graduate programs.

The delay in response occurred while the UT System Board of Regents implemented an institutional neutrality policy. Adopted in August 2024, the policy states that officials should not issue positions on issues of the day in their official capacity. Brian Soucek, a law professor at UC Davis, noted that the policy lacks an explicit exception for defending a university's core mission. He described UT's response as an example of universities being cowardly when speaking would have positive effects on perceptions of inclusion.

Brian Rosenberg, former president of Macalester College, offered a more sympathetic view of Davis' position. He noted that public university presidents face political pressure from state lawmakers for funding and may risk repercussions by angering elected officials. Rosenberg said that in the real world, Davis likely went as far as he could responsibly go. Davis later addressed offensive speech on October 16, telling students not to take the bait of those seeking to provoke them.

Three computer science professors, Keshav Pingali, Vijay Chidambaram, and Chandrajit Bajaj, sent an email to students expressing support regardless of ethnicity. Pingali said the growing hostility toward Indian Americans prompted the message. Eli Friedman, a first-year student, said he appreciated the faculty attention but questioned why the university itself had not issued the statement.