Photo: UTSA
"Come and Take It" traditions are ending at UTSA. The administration announced the decision citing an increased usage by a variety of political movements and groups. UTSA says the groups have "values and agendas" significantly different from the ones taught at the school. The phrase was first used in 1836 at the Battle of Gonzales during the Texas Revolution.
UTSA students would unfurl a large "Come and Take It" flag featuring a cannon during the fourth quarter of home football games. The slogan was also put up on buildings across campus. A former professor started an online petition calling for the removal of the "Come and Take It" imagery from campus saying it embodied "anti-Mexican and pro-slavery sentiments." The petition also called the Alamo an "open wound" for Mexican Americans.