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  • Chad Fuck
    Chad Fuck

    A friend asked for my script.  Here's what I told the lady: I am a graduate of the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Law.  I view this letter as extortion of the University.  It is an unc

  • SuingToGetAMessageBoard?
    SuingToGetAMessageBoard?

    They must have banned grade inflation in every class I took. 

  • wild_turkey
    wild_turkey

    Your summarization is incomplete and the devil is in the details. Here is the full text of the compact: https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/4059a5dd-f3dc-4cf6-bf1f-9e0d98c2f8d9.pdf?itid=lk_inlin

Posted Images

Kind of crazy.  And this is round one.   A&M and Texas Tech will sign this in a heartbeat if asked, and if the administration gets traction with UT, they will be asked.   The less important state schools would all sign as well, if given the opportunity.  The options for a decent university education in Texas are about to dry up completely.

6 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

Kind of crazy.  And this is round one.   A&M and Texas Tech will sign this in a heartbeat if asked, and if the administration gets traction with UT, they will be asked.   The less important state schools would all sign as well, if given the opportunity.  The options for a decent university education in Texas are about to dry up completely.

We're just going to revert to the mean, I think.

We lived through an era (80s-2020s) when UT rose to legitimate prominence, with a deserved reputation beyond being a mere "state U," approaching "public ivy" status.  But 50-60 years ago, UT WAS just another big "state U."  A fine reputation, but nothing very special.

And that's where we'll be again, in short order.  On par with Ole Miss, Alabama, etc.

  • Popular Post
5 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

We're just going to revert to the mean, I think.

We lived through an era (80s-2020s) when UT rose to legitimate prominence, with a deserved reputation beyond being a mere "state U," approaching "public ivy" status.  But 50-60 years ago, UT WAS just another big "state U."  A fine reputation, but nothing very special.

And that's where we'll be again, in short order.  On par with Ole Miss, Alabama, etc.

Once again proving that it's way easier to destroy than create.  And we've elected a party whose stated platform is destruction.  

Edited by Chad Fuck

  • Popular Post

 

Dear Members of the Brown Community,

I shared in a communication to the campus last week that the federal government asked Brown to consider its “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” I am writing to convey the University’s response declining participation in the Compact.

The response that I sent to the federal government earlier today, which is appended below and also posted publicly online, reflects Brown’s commitment to advancing excellence in education and research while upholding foundational academic values.

I want to thank the thousands of faculty, staff, students, alumni and parents who offered thoughtful perspectives on how Brown should proceed. The deep care and concern you hold for the University and its mission of education and research is evident, and I am grateful that so many of you took the time to express your thoughts.

Together, as a community, we will continue our vital work to sustain the vibrant intellectual environment that makes it possible to fulfill our mission of advancing knowledge and understanding.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson
President

  • Popular Post

The university is an embarrassment. I really could give two shits what happens to it now. I hope it rots. I hope all the high achieving students leave this state. Fuck UT

26 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

We're just going to revert to the mean, I think.

We lived through an era (80s-2020s) when UT rose to legitimate prominence, with a deserved reputation beyond being a mere "state U," approaching "public ivy" status.  But 50-60 years ago, UT WAS just another big "state U."  A fine reputation, but nothing very special.

And that's where we'll be again, in short order.  On par with Ole Miss, Alabama, etc.

Solid point.  Although, as much as folks around our age don't want to hear it, I think your timeline is being generous.  It wasn't exactly tough to get into UT as recently as the late 1990s and early 2000s.  It may have been rising in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, but it didn't really hit "public ivy" status until the last fifteen years or so.  

It may indeed be a reversion to the mean in terms of quality of education, but I don't like the thought of every state university in Texas having its hands tied by a political party.  This is generational fuckery that didn't exist even back when UT was just another state school.  Texas (the state) is headed down a very dark path.

3 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

Solid point.  Although, as much as folks around our age don't want to hear it, I think your timeline is being generous.  It wasn't exactly tough to get into UT as recently as the late 1990s and early 2000s.  It may have been rising in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, but it didn't really hit "public ivy" status until the last fifteen years or so.  

It may indeed be a reversion to the mean in terms of quality of education, but I don't like the thought of every state university in Texas having its hands tied by a political party.  This is generational fuckery that didn't exist even back when UT was just another state school.  Texas (the state) is headed down a very dark path.

I mean....no shit, man.

How long until RFK Jr and his goons try and destroy M.D. Anderson?

My oldest is 6 years out from college.  No way UT recovers from this by then, and even if he follows his plan of joining the military for 6 years and then getting out and going, I don't think it will recover.

1 hour ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Im burning my UT diplomas, if true

Literally just found mine in a closet I was cleaning out today and was like

Trash Throw Away GIF by Jomboy Media

I just called and they took down my message.  I spent 5 minutes or so on the phone.  She said it will be seen.  Who knows, but wanted to lodge my complaint.

She seemed to be taking notes.  Maybe she was just miming a hand job the whole time.  Either way, I encourage everyone to call.  Flood them.

Edited by Stringer

17 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

How long until RFK Jr and his goons try and destroy M.D. Anderson?

My oldest is 6 years out from college.  No way UT recovers from this by then, and even if he follows his plan of joining the military for 6 years and then getting out and going, I don't think it will recover.

Military might not even be an option at the rate trump is destroying everything 

Got the first pic with my kiddos in front of the tower a few weeks ago.  A fucking shame that the University seems hellbent on making sure I send them elsewhere.

I don't think this will be helpful in Immamac getting folks to attend his tailgates.

It will be interesting to see the impact on Austin's economy over time.  The tech industry has been here, in part, due to the easy availability of an educated workforce.  When that no longer exists, or the quality drops significantly, how long do they stick around?  If executives start sniffing this out and think long term, they might cut bait fairly quickly.  The best hope there is that executives rarely consider the long-term consequences, so maybe this can drag out long enough for some of us to get some equity out of our homes. 

So we've got AISD crumbling (with all public schools following close behind), universities becoming a single-party training ground with no access to quality faculty, and a state government entirely bankrolled and controlled by fundamentalist evangelicals who will eventually get around to bringing back more stringent blue laws once they've got the womenfolk completely under control.  It will be interesting to watch, hopefully from afar, when almost anyone who doesn't fit a specific mold has left the state behind.  What will a state like that look like? Do Mississippi and/or Alabama already give us that answer?

Don't forget a very unpredictable and unbearable climate and subsequently expensive ass homeowners insurance, if the companies even continue to offer them for Texas residents. 

So....

Florida.

48 minutes ago, Stringer said:

she was just miming a hand job

I think I know her.

I had to chair a hiring committee for my department a few years ago, right after Dan Patrick pledged to end tenure, and that wasn't a very fun topic to discuss when every person we interviewed asked about it, and that was after we got a surprisingly shitty applicant pool.  I can't imagine what this is going to do for hiring at UT. 

Actually, I can... every single exceptional candidate will not bother to even apply, and UT will be stuck with a bunch of 2nd-tier candidates who will expect to be paid a large salary premium for potentially having to deal with this shit.  They're going to get subpar faculty because everyone exceptional will go to UCLA, Cal, UDub, Michigan, tOSU, etc. 

UT will become A&M.

51 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

I had to chair a hiring committee for my department a few years ago, right after Dan Patrick pledged to end tenure, and that wasn't a very fun topic to discuss when every person we interviewed asked about it, and that was after we got a surprisingly shitty applicant pool.  I can't imagine what this is going to do for hiring at UT. 

Actually, I can... every single exceptional candidate will not bother to even apply, and UT will be stuck with a bunch of 2nd-tier candidates who will expect to be paid a large salary premium for potentially having to deal with this shit.  They're going to get subpar faculty because everyone exceptional will go to UCLA, Cal, UDub, Michigan, tOSU, etc. 

UT will become A&M.

I'd replace tOSU with Virginia.  I suspect tOSU bent the knee well before us.

5 hours ago, Ghost of NMAS said:

I've already decided that if UT submits that I will be mailing my diploma to Jim Davis

Tired Give Up GIF by Boomerang Official
 

The Garfield guy?

3 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Im burning my UT diplomas, if true

I’m burning your degree as well.

  • Popular Post

The one chance is to tie this up in the federal courts.* I recently drafted a letter to the Texas Bar Journal citing the First Amendment violations inherent in the Compact’s compelled silence and viewpoint discrimination disguised as “institutional neutrality.” Plain and simple: compelled neutrality is not constitutional neutrality. The Compact fails at several turns. Here are a few takeaways.

Agency for Int’l Dev. v. Alliance for Open Society Int’l, Inc. (2013), the Supreme Court struck down a federal condition that required recipients of HIV/AIDS funds to affirmatively oppose prostitution—even in privately funded speech. The Court held that compelled speech outside the funded program’s scope violated the First Amendment. Similarly, the Compact’s viewpoint restraints would apply across an institution’s entire governance structure, chilling academic speech well beyond federally funded activities.

In NFIB v. Sebelius (2012), Chief Justice Roberts, albeit in more rationale times, drew a red line around such federal coercion: when financial pressure becomes so severe that states have “no real option but to acquiesce,” the condition is unconstitutional. The Compact’s penalty structure—unprecedented DOJ-led enforcement, a one-year clawback of federal funds, and donor-triggered refunds — goes far beyond compliance and ventures into compulsion. Justice Roberts compared such Spending Clause overreach to a “gun to the head.”

The Compact is not “relatively mild encouragement.” It’s financial extortion. Additionally, only Congress (not the President) may condition federal funds, and even Congress may not do so with unconstitutional or coercive terms.

*What I have not explored - yet - is standing. Who or what organization, outside of the State of Texas or the Board of Regents (complicit twats), has standing to challenge the constitutionality of the Compact.
.

1 hour ago, Beau Vine said:

UT will be stuck with a bunch of 2nd-tier candidates

It will be worse than that.  It will be a bunch of candidates who got their PhD from Upstairs School for the Criminally Stupid, BUT swear total fealty to MAGA and Trumpism.  They will be hired as department chairs.

Just look at the parade of unqualified rejects who occupy senior positions in the Trump admin.  These are people who couldn't make it to a middle management position at any competent enterprise.  But, because they're willing to be loyalist warriors for MAGA, they are elevated to the very top.  That's what UT will become, faster than you can imagine.

lgbt student groups will be quickly broken up. open lgbt students could be targets 

39 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

lgbt student groups will be quickly broken up. open lgbt students could be targets 

The Milk Men will be the first to go when Aggy joins the compact

  • Popular Post
4 hours ago, Da Fino said:

 

Dear Members of the Brown Community,

I shared in a communication to the campus last week that the federal government asked Brown to consider its “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” I am writing to convey the University’s response declining participation in the Compact.

The response that I sent to the federal government earlier today, which is appended below and also posted publicly online, reflects Brown’s commitment to advancing excellence in education and research while upholding foundational academic values.

I want to thank the thousands of faculty, staff, students, alumni and parents who offered thoughtful perspectives on how Brown should proceed. The deep care and concern you hold for the University and its mission of education and research is evident, and I am grateful that so many of you took the time to express your thoughts.

Together, as a community, we will continue our vital work to sustain the vibrant intellectual environment that makes it possible to fulfill our mission of advancing knowledge and understanding.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson
President

Their letter to the admin is over two pages long and I have no idea why because templates exist for this. 
 

image.jpeg.ef4d61af9c364c6637146028accd9f80.jpeg

34 minutes ago, Js1 said:

The Milk Men will be the first to go when Aggy joins the compact

It'd be fucking righteous if they then formed a punk cover band called The Socially Dead Milkmen, but alas those dudes will forever be dorks.

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Upstairs School for the Criminally Stupid

I mean, do they have any decent talent we can get from the portal?

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

The Milk Men will be the first to go when Aggy joins the compact

I dont think they got asked to sign it, did they?

I mean, do they have any decent talent we can get from the portal?

Sorry, they all signed letters of intent to be cabinet officials, senators, and congressmen. The grift/NIL money there is more than we can compete with.
1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

Sorry, they all signed letters of intent to be cabinet officials, senators, and congressmen. The grift/NIL money there is more than we can compete with.

So you’re saying you’ve seen hotter on Pennsylvania Avenue?

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

It will be worse than that.  It will be a bunch of candidates who got their PhD from Upstairs School for the Criminally Stupid, BUT swear total fealty to MAGA and Trumpism.  They will be hired as department chairs.

Shit, should I change this, or wait to be recruited?

Screenshot_2025-10-15_194858.thumb.jpg.0ec752c72dab17dd066c5742edfb9e42.jpg

8 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Im burning my UT diplomas, if true

My ex-wife threw mine away. You don't really miss it.

10 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

 

Screenshot_2025-10-15_194858.thumb.jpg.0ec752c72dab17dd066c5742edfb9e42.jpg

[Speaking into my tape recorder where I document all my brilliant ideas]

A MAGA themed Public Enemy cover band with updated PATRIOTIC lyrics featuring Professor Grift, Chuck T, and a Flava Flav character that wears a Caroline Leavitt sized cross around his neck instead of a clock.

15 hours ago, Samson's Wig said:

Solid point.  Although, as much as folks around our age don't want to hear it, I think your timeline is being generous.  It wasn't exactly tough to get into UT as recently as the late 1990s and early 2000s.  It may have been rising in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, but it didn't really hit "public ivy" status until the last fifteen years or so.

UT was on the original Public Ivy list in 1985. It was difficult to get into in 1996. 

Has any school officially accepted the compact yet or just rumors?

Gonna just mail this to Davis, to give him a head start on picking our new color.  Which one should be picked for "Cowardly Texas Yellow?"
20ab898056f7f57b71d6652fed12dbbc.jpg
I like Sunnyside Up, myself.

Downy Chick?

Corky approved.

giphy.gif
16 hours ago, Samson's Wig said:

Solid point.  Although, as much as folks around our age don't want to hear it, I think your timeline is being generous.  It wasn't exactly tough to get into UT as recently as the late 1990s and early 2000s.  It may have been rising in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, but it didn't really hit "public ivy" status until the last fifteen years or so.  

It may indeed be a reversion to the mean in terms of quality of education, but I don't like the thought of every state university in Texas having its hands tied by a political party.  This is generational fuckery that didn't exist even back when UT was just another state school.  Texas (the state) is headed down a very dark path.

I think the central thing that raised UT's profile was top X% admissions, which is a political by-product anyway.

The let err'one in then fail 2/3 of them out had worked pretty well for the rigorous majors, anyway.

I have or had a few qualms about the state U getting all hard to get into, and thought the fail-out system was a good compromise.  It also seems that top X% is a pretty good compromise.

I wonder to what degree business and engineering faculty will feel pressured by this as they tend to be either apolitical or somewhat to really conservative. But I would hope or think a more intelligent type of conservative than MAGA. Perhaps BeauVine yields insight there.

 

15 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

UT will become A&M.

We'd have the ability to beat Florida?

The hardest class I took at UT was Nonlinear Acoustics.  I'm trying to figure out how Greg and the boys will inject MAGA-friendly topics into that course, but I'm drawing a blank.  I'm sure they'll figure something out.

1 hour ago, Deej said:

We'd have the ability to beat Florida?

half baked boo GIF

20 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

How do you not pick a color named "Downy Chick"?

I leapt from my Sun Porch, and guided by a Lantern Light took the Golden Path and traversed the Yellow Brick Road to taste a Downy Chick Dipped in Honey. - Robert Frost

1 hour ago, Deej said:

We'd have the ability to beat Florida?

Muhammad probably covers Dallas Wilson much better

48 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

The hardest class I took at UT was Nonlinear Acoustics.  I'm trying to figure out how Greg and the boys will inject MAGA-friendly topics into that course, but I'm drawing a blank.  I'm sure they'll figure something out.

‘Nonlinear’ sounds a little trans friendly imo

7 minutes ago, SuingToGetAMessageBoard? said:

‘Nonlinear’ sounds a little trans friendly imo

Yeah, maybe they'll just take it out of the curriculum.

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