Six months ago, University of Texas President Jim Davis announced that the university would consolidate ethnic and gender studies programs in the College of Liberal Arts into the new  Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. This summer, the department names were scraped from their glass doors, chairs lost their titles and supporting staff were relocated or let go.

The four closed departments — Mexican American and Latina/o Studies; African and African Diaspora Studies; Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; and American Studies — encompassed 62 professors, six majors, four graduate programs, and eight minors and certificates ... The core curriculum changes and the consolidation could affect the future of gender and ethnic studies as the university invests in fields favored by conservatives. 

The American-Statesman spent the last several months talking to the consolidated departments’ founders, faculty and students to understand the role they had in teaching and producing knowledge in the state. What emerged was the story of four departments born out of successful student activism and distinguished by a connection to the local community, small class sizes and interdisciplinary work and research.

Side note from me: Before conservatives/pretentious STEM people come commenting on this thread saying that these disciplines are irrelevant, unserious, and deserved to be shuttered because they were for people who want to "become baristas," please consider that hundreds (if not thousands) of students have graduated with majors or minors in these critical cultural disciplines, including me, and we now have established careers in journalism. Law. Public policy. Education. Nonprofit leadership. Government. Media. The careers these programs feed into are well-documented, including my own career in government in NYC. The faculty in these now-consolidated departments hold NSF grants, Gates Foundation funding, National Book Award recognition, and fellowships from the Ford and Getty Foundations too! This is a huge loss for the university, and for historically marginalized students in Texas who want to learn about their history.

Basically what it says. I am not from TX and am unfamiliar with the politics and recent changes made, specifically with the new president coming in last year and the dean of LBJ "leaving." I am seeing some weird things with the new core curriculum but feel like I'm lacking context on what's happening and would like to hear from the campus community.

I know that the new "western history" requirement means that a few classes lost their US history designation (?) that they previously held. Does anyone have any insight?

For context, I am a grad student with the LBJ school and feel like I should understand what's going on.

I lost my keys somewhere on campus - either WCH, UTC, or the architecture library. I really need your help finding them, if you’ve seen a golden tennis themed keychain with a fob please let me know as soon as possible

Is there anything else I should do to find them? I’ve retracted my steps and everything but haven’t been able to find them…

Heyo Heyo! I’m making a comic that takes place here. I need pictures of campus for reference. If you have a good pic you’d like to see in a comic, send it my way. If not, let me know if there are any good places I can get shots order campus.

I'm still missing the majority of my aid being this one scholarship and rents due ...

For those who have taken ECE 312/412 with Dr. Speight, do you remember when you had your first pop quiz? I have an appointment that overlaps with class, but I’m worried about missing a pop quiz. Did you have any pop quizzes during the second week of class?

I need to pack my lunch due to busy schedule and need to heat up my food. Where can I do that North campus wise(EER ish) and South Campus wise(Jester/PCL/UTC area).

Does O’s Campus Cafe in the EER have one? I know the WCP has tons but I am looking for one by the PCL. Or would the PCL have one.

What about O’s in the GSB McCombs building? Where or how can I access that.

Please advise 😭😭

Hey guys I’m going to be an incoming sophomore in the 2027-28 school year. Im a CAP student I wanna get an apartmeT preferably alone or a two person one. I know I should get on the process early but how do I do it? My housing portal I applied to UT Austin on says it’s in the 2026 -2027 school year so someone plz help me.

I lost my wallet yesterday evening either in the EER in room 1.518 or in the Dobie foodcourt or the PCL 4th floor. If anyone has seen a green wallet, in any of these places, please let me know 😭😭😭 I checked all of the lobbies and front desks and filed a missing item report.

Deciding if I should apply for SWE or Product because I'm equally interested in both.

How competitive is Build and Forge? And how competitive is SWE and product for each of those?

Thank you so much!

do any of the dining halls have mac n cheese?

Heyy guys, after seeing her reviews on rmp I'm really scared, I didnt really have an option to change professors bc there wasn't any others open by the time I checked! So Im gonna have to just thug it out. Any advice from past 311C Hansen students, input is very much appreciated 🙏.

this is my first online class and im nervous because I dont really learn well over a screen. does anyone know if the exams are hard?

Im taking Dr Henson and Dr Blank (they do it together?)

Title ^ _ ^ is there a walkable taco bell from anywhere?

Hi, I am trying to plan my travel back home after the first semester ends, but wanted clarification on something I saw on UT's website. I only have one final exam, and my professor told me it would be on the morning of the 11th. But in the photo, it says "don't plan to travel until after the last university final exam day" aka the 14th. Should I to fly until the 15th? I don't want to take my final on Friday the 11th, then pointlessly just hang out on campus for another 4 days.

While UT Austin landed in the top 50 nationally, the institution claimed the No. 1 spot for 'Best Student Life' in a new 2027 ranking of America's top colleges.

hi! i’m a freshman and i had to drop two 6 hour classes and replace them with essentially all new classes; ive never gone through the experience of adding a class past the first week, so what is the etiquette? should i email the TAs / profs and ask what i need to catch up on, or do i just try to work it out on my own? thank you in advance, i’m a bit nervous and worried about being out of place.

just doing a shout out for cactus cafe at the union. tons of people don’t know this is here, but it’s open to everyone. i’ve grown to love it and i think others will too

mondays: bring your own vinyl night (4-9pm)
tuesday: open mic (singer/songwriter/instrumental) (7 pm)
wednesday/thursday/friday/saturday: live music (7 doors, 7:30 show)

students will sometimes get discounts, but most shows are $5-15.

AND it’s a free space for studying since the union gets so full it’s cheeks

been keeping a list all year of every matcha spot around campus plus the popups that only show up on instagram stories. updated version, 20 spots, sorted by whether you can actually walk there.

walkable from campus

1 - matchara (double matcha): popup at yugo rio on w 24th. best one in austin and it's not close

2 - mori (banana bread matcha): popup at yugo waterloo on seton ave. tastes exactly like the name

4 - kriya (strawberry matcha): has a truck by greg gym and one at the 26th west food trucks

7 - caphe.in (ube matcha): a bit down Guad. prettiest drink on here

matchara and mori are both popups so check their instagram before you walk over, they're not there every day

also walkable and all solid: neko yubu, chai and cha (pop-up), lucky lab (san antonio st), up and atom (inside welch)

worth the drive

3 - magick matcha (magick mallow): s congress

5 - junbi (strawberry matcha): cedar park, genuinely far

6 - dam coffee (banana cloud matcha): e riverside

8 - green ritual (banana bread matcha): popup, Saturdays at SFC farmers market

9 - luanne's (sticky date latte): e cesar chavez

10 - love lamp (thai tea matcha): near airport blvd

plus minimo, leche and enjoy matcha boys (both at the loop on 43rd), manana (s congress)

what am i missing?

I’m a PM at an IT pharma start up and have been unhappy since I started. I’m already grossly underpaid (I make 58k, most PMs in my position after 2 years make ~80-90k) but also stressed out by client work. My friend works at another university in the South in event management, and i’d love to transition into here. I just feel like everyone says to stay in corporate and away from the public sector, but working with students has always been a dream of mine and I just happen to be UT’s neighbor now.

I could probably leave my job for another PM corporate job and make 90k but I don’t feel the need to make more money. I care most about PTO (we get 20 days, this is enough for me at the moment) and working a job I like.

I don’t have parking in west campus, and seemingly anywhere I’ve tried either doesn’t have resident parking or is totally booked up. I’ve gotten tickets from street parking and it’s insanely hard to manage, anyone know of any places that still might have parking? I live at villas on Rio but atp anywhere in wampus could help. Thanks 🙏