University of Texas Announces 'The Eyes of Texas' Will Remain School Song

The "Eyes of Texas" will reportedly remain the school song of the University of Texas despite the controversy surrounding such a decision.  

According to Brian Davis of USA Today, the University of Texas System Board of Regents released a statement on Thursday reaffirming the school's position on the song after University of Texas president Jay Hartzell announced the song will remain in place.

"To be clear, the UT System Board of Regents stands unequivocally and unanimously in support of President Hartzell's announcement that The Eyes of Texas is, and will remain, the official school song," regents chairman Kevin Eltife said in the statement.

A campus committee is preparing a study on the song's origins that is expected to be released in January.

"The Eyes of Texas has been UT Austin's official school song for almost 120 years," Eltife said. "It has been performed at most official events—celebratory or solemn—and sung by proud alumni and students for generations as a common bond of the UT family. It is a longstanding symbol of The University's academic and athletic achievements in its pursuit of excellence."

This comes after Andrew Zhang of the Daily Texan reported the Longhorn Band is "fairly evenly divided in opinion" on whether its members will play the song.

The band will not perform it during Saturday's game against Baylor because it does not have the "necessary instrumentation" after its members were asked in a survey whether they were willing to play the song.

Zhang explained that "the song was originally performed at a minstrel show with performers in blackface, and the opening verse is a saying inspired by Confederate general Robert E. Lee."

In June, Dave Wilson of ESPN reported a number of Longhorns athletes requested the university rename some campus buildings and remove "The Eyes of Texas" as the official school song.

On the field, Texas is off to a disappointing start at 2-2 and could be 1-3 without a dramatic comeback win over Texas Tech. It has gone from College Football Playoff candidate to Big 12 afterthought before the Big Ten or Pac-12 have even started their seasons.