Following Maryland loss, McRaven Grandstands over Immigration....

"They utter speech, and speak insolent things;
All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves."
Psalm 94:4

The arrogance is palpable:

Statement from Chancellor William H. McRaven on DACA
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

With today’s announcement by the Administration regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, I want to take a moment to share some thoughts.

Our state and nation have benefited for decades by attracting and retaining great students, scholars, physicians, and researchers from around the world. As I have said before, the men and women who show up on our shores and at our doors – ready to study, work, and participate – make us stronger, smarter, more competitive, and more attuned to the rest of our ever-shrinking globe. Over time, we have seen that their contributions and discoveries help us secure our nation, care for our people, foster economic growth, and provide scientific expertise and innovation that improves the human condition.

For years, Texas has supported students who were born in foreign countries but were brought here as children and raised in the U.S. In fact, Texas was among the first states to grant these Texas high school graduates the opportunity to pay in-state tuition, a benefit The University of Texas System continues to support.

These students consider themselves to be Americans and Texans, proud of the state they see as their home. They, like others, have served our nation with distinction in their academic pursuits, in our nation’s military, and as productive members of society. This service should be applauded and honored. Our nation should recognize the potential in these students, granting them the opportunity to pursue their education and enter the workforce in this country.

The UT System will always follow the law. And while I understand the concern of the President and others about how DACA was implemented, the critical fact is that I and the UT System believe in our DACA students and that their opportunities to contribute to Texas and our nation should be upheld and continued by our leaders in Washington. Congress must now act quickly to provide a bridge for these students to remain in the U.S. and become citizens.

Let me also speak directly to you, our UT DACA students. You can be certain of our support as you continue to pursue your dreams – the American dream – to obtain an education and build a better future for you and your families. As UT adheres to federal and state laws regarding immigration, rest assured our campuses will remain places where you can safely study as Congress takes up this issue.

The international competition for the best students, scholars, physicians and researchers is fierce. We need loud and clear signals that the U.S. and Texas will continue to seek out the foremost talents in the world and welcome them to our institutions. For its part, the UT System will always pursue young men and women from around the world who wish to learn, and the scholars and researchers who will train and educate them.

 Thoughts:

• Despite the attempt in the latter part to tie it back to the university, this is nothing more than an attempt to generate press coverage over an issue where the Chancellor's office and the University of Texas have virtually zero jurisdiction.

• If this were really about offering guidance to current students, that could have been covered in a one paragraph statement.

• Sure, historically they've defied Governors over issues related to university governance, but as far as we can tell this type of defiance over high profile national issues is a new development...and we suspect it's one that will make it politically difficult for the current friendly Governor to run interference for them indefinitely.
• Note: We certainly don't remember them doing it at a time when the Football team is losing.

Bottom Line: If you can't beat Maryland, you shouldn't be sending out press releases over controversial national issues where you have virtually no jurisdiction.