Austin, Texas – on April 2, 2025, Texas University (UT) made a controversial decision when announcing the scholarship recovery of all students who were discovered kneeling while the US National Anthem was celebrated at the school’s events. This decision quickly sparked a mixture of mixed reactions from the student community, lecturers and the public.
According to the notice from the school leadership, the new policy is applied to “maintain respect for the national anthem and the traditional values of the country”. A representative of UT said that kneeling – actions are often associated with protests against social injustice and racism – will be considered a violation of the Code of Conduct of students receiving scholarships. The affected students will lose their financial benefits immediately and are not allowed to appeal.
This decision was made in the context of debate about speech and expression at American universities. Some students protested that this was the act of “suppressing personal freedom”, while supporters welcome this move, considering it a way to protect patriotism.
The reaction on social networks is also very exciting. An unnamed UT student shared on X: “I knelt to protest injustice, not to fight the country. Now, my dream of studying is broken because of that.” Meanwhile, another idea wrote: “If you do not respect the national anthem, do not expect to receive money from the school.”
Currently, it is unclear 有多少 Students will be affected by this policy, but civil rights protection organizations have voiced and are considering the possibility of litigation. Texas University, one of the leading public schools in the United States, may continue to be the focus of fierce debate in the near future.
