UTSA responds to sign on campus causing controversy

(John Rivera/Getty Images)

By Delilah Alvarado

(SAN ANTONIO, Texas) The University of Texas at San Antonio recently unveiled the new athletics facility with a sign in the entryway that is causing controversy.

On Aug. 4 the Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence building had a grand opening with Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Athletic Director Lisa Campos and Roadrunner athletes in attendance with videos shared by the UTSA Twitter account, according to My San Antonio.

Seen in the video is the entryway sign that reads "Come and Take it," a slogan that dates back to ancient Greece with King Leonidas' stand against the Persians but is also a slogan showing state pride after the Battle of Gonzales during the Texas Revolution. 

UTSA professor emerita Ellen Clark launched a change.org petition to "remove [the] offensive slogan steeped in racist history from the UTSA RACE Center." Clark also launched the petition with Sarah Gould.

Gould told MYSA: "Referencing the infamous flag from the Battle of Gonzales, this is a slogan that embodies both anti-Mexican and pro-slavery sentiments," Clark writes in the description. "It has carried those white supremacist beliefs from 1835 to today, and in that time has also been widely adopted by anti-government, pro-gun extremists, such as at the January 6th insurrection at the US [Capitol]. Like the Alamo, the Gonzales flag is an open wound for many Mexican Americans, especially Mexican American Texans."

UTSA is a Hispanic-serving institution. The petition calls on President Taylor Eighmy to remove the sign and apologize.

On Monday, Aug. 9 Eighmy responded to the concerns in an email sent to faculty, staff, and students. He explains the slogan was used in 2011 during the football program's inaugural season and has been a part of the "rallying cry" ever since. He recognizes how that seems in the aftermath of recent events such as the insurrection in January.

Eighmy is creating a task force in response to the issue made up of staff, students, faculty, alumni and community members.

A "highly visible sign" will be made and on display near the slogan explaining the origin and how it came into UTSA's traditions and the concerns with it.

The sign will say:

Since 2011, the Come and Take It flag has been a spirited part of our football traditions. It has been widely used at every home football game, in UTSA Athletics’ promotional materials and on its website and social media channels. In 2016, it became a fourth-quarter rallying cry for the team that has been embraced by many students, alumni and fans.

Recently, concerns have been raised about the historical context of the imagery. While the history of Texas is steeped in the tradition of the Come and Take It image, there are those, particularly in the Mexican American community, who believe it has racist origins.

At the same time, it has been associated with some political movements and causes that are perceived to have controversial political points of view. We acknowledge that this imagery can have sharply different meanings for different people.

The university has created a task force this fall to examine its current traditions and shape future ones that reflect our social and cultural history in a way that uplifts our entire community. As this work is conducted, updates will be shared on UTSA Today: www.utsa.edu/today.

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