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The University of Texas at San Antonio will get a new rallying cry after its president said Tuesday he was putting an end to the "divisive" phrase "come and take it," which had become popular at home football games, reports KSAT.
In an email to students, faculty, staff and alumni, UTSA president Taylor Eighmy wrote that the six-year tradition "has become a distraction from our mission and is likely to continue shifting our focus away from our work yet to be accomplished." He canceled the task force he had previously announced to engage in a "thoughtful, contextual examination" of the phrase.
It was made famous in the historic Texas revolutionary battle of 1835 in Gonzales, Tex., but Eighmy wrote that the phrase "has become increasingly affiliated with cultural and political issues beyond its traditional historical context" and added that it doesn't align with the values of the university. Students chanted "come and take it" during the fourth quarter of football games and strung the slogan on a large flag across the field. Eighmy said the university is working to remove the phrase from merchandise, buildings and digital platforms.
UTSA professor Ellen Riojas Clark started a petition to have the slogan removed, calling the phrase "steeped in racist ideology and racist history." The petition had over 950 signatures. For upcoming football games, Eighmy said the university will hold special celebrations for individuals and groups that have made the football program a success.
