University of Texas student government votes to remove Jefferson Davis statue from campus

The University of Texas student government passed a resolution Tuesday to remove a statue of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, from a prominent space on the university campus. The University of Texas student government passed a resolution Tuesday to remove a statue of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, from a prominent space on the university campus. Photo: Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman Photo: Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close University of Texas student government votes to remove Jefferson Davis statue from campus 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

The University of Texas student government passed a resolution Tuesday to remove a statue of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, from a prominent space on the university campus.

The Davis statue sits on the university's South Mall near the UT Tower, a statue of Confederate general Albert Sidney Johnston and a fountain named after George Washington Littlefield, a university regent who served under Johnston and owned slaves prior to the Civil War.

Xavier Rotnofsky and Rohit Mandalapu, the student government's president and vice president-elect who ran a humorous campaign, told news outlets including KXAN and the Austin American-Statesman that they believe the Davis statue personifies slavery and oppression and does not belong on the campus.

"Jefferson Davis stood for some things that are pretty abominable today; Slavery, racism." Rotnofsky told KXAN. "They're just not in line with the university's core values."

Former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a member of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, told the American-Statesman that the university should add statues of historical black Texans instead of removing statues of Davis and other Confederate figures.

"I think the monument should stay because it provokes a lot of conversation and thought," Patterson said. "The University of Texas is an institution of higher learning and isn't that what they're supposed to be doing?"

University officials are currently reviewing the resolution, UT spokesman Gary Susswein told the American-Statesman. However, Susswein said that he can't remember a statue being removed from the campus in the past.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports