- Coming up on "Austin InSight," big changes are coming to the Forty Acres.

We'll take a closer look at the state of the University of Texas.

And with Election Day just days away, the last-minute reminders to make sure you can cast a ballot.

Then the Austin Film Festival is back this weekend.

The experiences that await and how you can take part.

"Austin InSight" starts now.

- [Announcer] Support for "Austin InSight" comes from Sally and James Gavin, and also from Daniel L. Skret.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - Hi there and thanks for joining us.

I'm Laura Laughead.

The University of Texas is changing.

Recent headlines have captured some of the changes.

The consolidation of ethnic studies departments, for one, announced earlier this year, and more recently, updates to the campus's core curriculum.

Some of these changes have drawn criticism and concern, but UT President Jim Davis highlighted the new curriculum in his State of the University address last week.

- The new core is clear, it's focused, rigorous.

It's a foundational education.

It's a broad and balanced set of classes in three areas: arts and humanities, social sciences, and STEM.

It gives every Longhorn a common learning experience, and builds judgment and character so that when they graduate, they will have a broad foundation, expertise in the major and the electives they choose.

And it'll prepare them for a modern world.

- Here to tell us more about the state of UT is Forrest Wilder, senior writer at "Texas Monthly."

He has a new piece out called "Inside the Conservative Takeover of the University of Texas."

Forrest, thanks so much for being here.

- Great to be here.

- So Forrest, your headline is pretty straightforward, you don't mince words, characterizing a conservative takeover of UT.

Where is this coming from and what forces are behind it?

- Yeah, I think the larger political context here you have to understand is the actions of the legislature of the last few years.

For example, the legislature, the GOP-controlled legislature has passed a number of bills that are really kind of a reaction to or a backlash to what they see as indoctrination happening at Texas universities.

So the DEI programs were dismantled a few years ago.

There's also new laws in effect that give boards of regents, political appointees of the Governor, a lot more control or say in hiring, in curriculum, in degrees, and essentially kind of consolidating power with these political appointees.

And then at UT in particular, you have a new administration, a relatively new administration that's generally in ideological and sort of political alignment with the legislature and with the Governor.

Over the last year or so President Davis and the Provost William Inboden have been implementing a lot of major changes at UT that I explore in the article and try to make sense of.

- And the article does a really good job of, this is not happening in a vacuum, this is something that the stage has been set.

And I look at some of the recent movements like in February, the board banning controversial matter in classrooms but not defining that.

And now professors and others are chafing under the vagueness of that.

You've spent a lot of time over the past year talking to faculty, talking to students and administrators.

It's clear how exhaustive your reporting is.

You write about the fear you heard from them.

What exactly is it that they are afraid of?

- Yeah, I was honestly a little bit surprised the degree to which faculty were deeply concerned, expecting to be fired at any moment, and, you know, self-censoring, really watching what they were, this is ongoing, watching what they're sort of saying in the classroom out of fear that they could lose their jobs, they could run afoul of the controversial topics policy that you mentioned.

There's a chilling effect from these firings, from these policies that professors are metabolizing.

And as a result, it's really changed the culture on campus.

And I think the fear is that academic freedom is under dire threat right now.

And there's also free speech concerns.

The atmosphere has become, at least in certain quarters of UT, just the vibes aren't great, I guess would be the street way to put it.

- Yeah, that's a great way to describe a lot of things.

The vibes aren't great.

They even had, it was tongue-in-cheek, but a mock funeral procession for academic freedom on campus recently.

And it's not just about the sort of dismantling or at least diminishing of certain programs and ideas for that matter.

There's also at the same time these new programs and centers emerging, right?

Can you talk about that?

- Yeah.

So you're right, it's that some disfavored programs are sort of being sidelined.

At the same time, there's almost like a new university that's rising and alongside the old one.

For example, this School of Civic Leadership, this was originally a project of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick's.

And the idea is, and there's many counterparts across the country, there's been a boom in these sort of civic centers across the country, mostly created by red state legislatures.

The idea is to kind of go back, to go back to the way students maybe used to be educated in the canon, the classics, the great books, Western civilization, a focus on the founding fathers.

And so in many ways, this is all, it's all fine and good.

I think the question becomes, is there a kind of, in this backlash to wokeism, is there a kind of a new ideological programming that just happens to be more of a conservative flavor?

And is that really what we want universities to be, you know, to introduce the culture wars to a place that's supposed to really be about free thinking, about the right of students and faculty to research and teach how they see fit rather than what the state thinks is appropriate?

- And regardless of intention, we are seeing the effects already, as you mentioned, playing out at UT with this chilling effect.

And I think it's important to note here that professors with deep ties and deep loyalty to Texas and UT are leaving for others and universities, California, Michigan.

Professors who didn't want to have to leave.

You say it's too soon to say whether the shift ultimately will strengthen or hurt UT.

What is the range of possible outcomes that the people involved do you think are hoping for, and on the flip side, fear will happen?

- Yeah.

I mean, I think UT's doing really well.

Okay?

I mean, you have to sort of start with that premise.

By all of the traditional metrics, admissions, you know, the quality of faculty, the research dollars, the campus construction projects, philanthropy, the defenders in the tower and the board of regents and the governor, the legislature will say like, "What's the problem?

We're doing fantastic."

And I think that it's really kind of a best of times, a worst of time situation, where on one hand, by all those metrics, UT is doing really well.

On the other hand, morale's very low.

As you said, some faculty are leaving, at least in part due to the political situation.

And there's just a sense on campus, as I said, that academic freedom is under threat.

And this is not the UT, this is what you hear over and over again, "This is not the UT that I know.

What has happened?"

And so, but UT's huge.

It's an enormous institution and it takes years for these things to play out, to turn to one direction another.

So on one hand, you could, I think, essentially have, let's call it like a red state version of an elite public university where it becomes very conservative, where the legislature, the Republican legislature gets what it wants in terms of the type of curricular programming, but by all the traditional metrics, UT continues to have great success.

I mean, it could end up being a blueprint for other states to follow.

That's what the administration talks about behind closed doors, at least.

On the other hand, UT's reputation could be damaged.

They could begin to have problems with getting the best faculty, retaining faculty.

And in that case, leave the culture war stuff aside, in that case, you could see UT's rankings diminish.

It's sort of reputation harmed, and that would be a bad thing, obviously, regardless of what you think about, which side you are on the culture wars.

- And you're right, UT certainly has gotten competitive.

I know back when I was applying to colleges, it was like, it's almost on the level of like Harvard and the Ivies, of, like, hard to get into.

And now these days people have it on their posters of their like pie in the sky school, even surpassing Harvard.

Well, certainly so much context here.

Again, recommend everyone read this article.

It paints a very vivid picture.

Forrest Wilder, senior writer with "Texas Monthly," thank you so much for being here and sharing your extensive reporting.

You can read his full piece at texasmonthly.com.

(upbeat music) The 2026 midterm is now just days away.

If you haven't already voted, Tuesday is your last chance.

Polls are open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

And even if you haven't voted by 7:00, as long as you're in line by then, you should still be allowed to vote.

You will need a photo ID to cast a ballot.

It must be one of these seven approved IDs.

If you don't have any of these, you may be able to declare a reasonable impediment to getting one by filling out a form and then vote by providing one of these other documents like a bank statement or utility bill.

If all else fails, you can vote using a provisional ballot and then clear things up with your county voter registrar within six days.

Of course, the big race at the top of the ticket is the bitter battle for US Senate between Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic State Rep James Talarico.

Recent polling shows this race is extremely competitive with Talarico polling slightly ahead.

Now, keep in mind a Democrat hasn't won a statewide race like this in decades.

The race for Governor is polling just as tight with Democratic State Representative Gina Hinojosa trying to unseat three-term incumbent, Republican, Greg Abbott.

And covering the Austin portion of the ballot for us is our local government reporter, Sam Stark.

And he's here for a last minute roundup of the races.

Sam.

So good to have you here.

- Good to be here.

Yeah, thank you.

- Well, let's start with Austin's Proposition I. It's pretty far down on the ballot for something so contentious.

But remind us, what is it about?

- Yeah, that's right, Proposition I has two passionate sides, each convinced its version is the right direction for the city.

The prop is asking you if it's okay to make a change to Austin's City Charter.

That's essentially like the city's own constitution to allow for an independent auditor to conduct an efficiency assessment of all city processes every five years.

It would also require the company hired to conduct that audit to identify enough savings to cover the cost of its own services.

While that might not seem super controversial, it's what is already happening at City Hall that gives some pause.

This year, the Austin City Council approved its own independent audit process, which would require a review of city operations every three years.

In fact, the city has already hired a company to conduct that review.

- So why are we voting on Proposition I?

- Yeah, well, supporters argue that putting the requirement in the City Charter would make it more permanent.

Unlike an ordinance which future councils could change or repeal, a Charter amendment could only be changed with voter approval.

But opponents have raised concerns about the requirement that the auditor find enough savings to pay for itself.

They worry it could lead to a recommendations for cuts to city services, even if those cuts aren't in residents' best interest.

And have said proposition I is Austin's own DOGE.

- Well, a little farther up the ballot are Props A and B. And these are bond propositions, right?

- Yeah, that's right.

These two propositions are asking voters if the city should take on $295 million in more debt to pay for parks and library projects.

Prop A would approve 260 million to support park buildings and facilities, infrastructure, public pools, new parks, and trails.

Prop B would open up $35 million in funding for two library projects.

- And then about half of Austin voters will have a City Council race on the ballot.

What seats are up for grabs?

- Yeah, so voters who live in Districts 1, 3, 5, 8, and 9 will pick who they want to represent them at city hall.

Incumbent council members, Jose Velasquez, Ryan Alter, and Zo Qadri are all looking to keep their seats for another term.

A field of six candidates is vying for the District 1 seat, while in District 8, it's a head-to-head contest with just two candidates.

- And you actually moderated several forums with the candidates in some of these races.

What are the big themes and issues driving these races?

- Yeah, I moderated the forums for District 1, 3, and 9.

While there are different issues facing all districts, a couple of themes were pretty consistent.

Affordability, no surprise, is a big issue across the city, along with improving public trust and delivering the best services to Austinites while also facing an increasingly strained budget.

- Well, Sam, certainly no shortage of things going on.

- That's right.

- Thank you so much for your reporting.

- Yep.

Look forward to being back here next week.

- Oh yes, back next week to break down all of the results in all of the city races.

Well, to find polling locations, sample ballots and other election information, check your County Clerk's website here in Austin at votetravis.gov.

(upbeat music) This month we've seen pop stars, then F1 stars, and now movie stars descending on Austin.

That's because the Austin Film Festival is back for its 33rd year.

To give us a sneak preview, we have Barbara Morgan, the co-founder and executive director of the festival on the show today.

You might also recognize her from "On Story," a show right here on PBS that gives us an inside look at some of your favorite TV shows and movies.

Barbara, thank you so much for being with us today.

- Yeah, thanks for having me.

- So looking at this lineup, it is stacked.

You have so many films, some that come to mind, films with Pedro Pascal, Julianne Moore, Penelope Cruz.

So where should we start?

What are the must-sees in your opinion this year?

- Well, I mean, you've mentioned a couple of them there by name.

there "The Debut," which I think is already getting so much buzz.

Very excited to be showing that on opening night.

And that one, I mean, I don't know if people have seen the trailer for it, but it looks amazing.

- I'm so excited, personally.

- "Bunker," the Penelope Cruz one that she is in with her husband and they are playing husband and wife in the movie.

That movie is pretty incredible, really thoughtful kind of, you know, edge of your seat film.

And we also have "Behemoth," which is Tony Gilroy's new movie.

That is amazing.

It's like this symphonic mystery.

And yeah, it's really, really incredible.

- I'm gonna steal that description for something.

(both laughing) - And it is Pedro Pascal in that, so, everybody loves Pedro Pascal.

And that film is kind of edge of the seat as well.

So we're gonna be showing that as our centerpiece film.

And we just have a ton of movies that are Oscar-bait for sure.

But we also have some really great ones that you probably haven't seen a trailer for.

And Margot Martindale is coming in with her film that she produced too called "The Long Haul."

She is amazing.

If she doesn't get nominated, I- - We riot.

- Yeah.

- We ride it dawn for Margo.

- Exactly.

I'll come out with you.

And then another really great one is this really hysterical Western that is with Ben Foster, and he'll be here with that film as well.

And there's a lot to find for everybody in here.

There's a ton of documentaries, amazing docs, some really great local docs.

We've got the Chaparelles coming, and it's a doc about their kind of love affair.

And it's really beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

And they're gonna be playing.

And we have Ephraim Owens here with a film about him.

And he's gonna play as well, that song "Cradled by Grace."

And there's "Remote," which is a really kind of edge of your seat, kind of hard to describe this film, but it's a local filmmaker who made it.

And he's got cast from "Friday Night Lights" in it.

And, you know, I think there's check the boxes of almost every kind of movie.

Animation, short films, horror movies on Halloween.

- Well, fitting because it's Halloween.

You clearly have a little something for everyone, no matter what your persuasion is.

- Yep.

- But something I deeply admire about this festival, too, is it's so much more than just an amazing crop of films themselves.

You also have panels with people in the industry, a famous screenwriting competition, networking parties to send the ladder back down in the industry.

What beyond the films are you most excited for this year?

- Yeah, I mean, you brought up the writing aspect, which is the heart and soul of what we are.

And in fact, we're showing a documentary about a man who helped us get started, Bill Wittliff.

- Wow.

- That he wrote "Lonesome Dove" and made that incredible masterpiece with, you know, all of these great Texans.

And that is what we do.

It's try to help new writers emerge and break in and learn their craft.

And so there's really so many panels.

There's 200 panels if somebody's interested in learning about writing and writing for television or film.

We have competitions that help lift people up into the industry.

And that's really what the first four days of the conference are all about.

And then the films are kind of falling into that, right?

We have huge producers and directors, showrunners all here for the conference.

There's really truly just a mix of local projects in our stuff, especially short films where I think you get to see we're an Academy qualifier, so we get a lot of great shorts in.

And we this year have a ton of local shorts, and they're really great.

And I think the local talent, people should come out and support them.

- Absolutely.

- And they'll be the next filmmaker you're gonna hear about in 10 years from now that you think they had an overnight success, right?

Started out with that short film.

- Exactly.

And it started out at the Austin Film Festival.

- Yeah.

- Well, I know I've always enjoyed attending it and covering it.

Going all the way back to when I was at UT, it was always something I look forward to every year.

- Great.

- Well, Barbara Morgan, co-founder of the Austin Film Festival, thanks so much for giving us the rundown.

- Absolutely.

Thank you.

- The festival runs October 29th to November 5th.

(upbeat music) This next story takes us from 'a one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight' to 100 years ago.

Austin High School's dancing team, the Red Jackets, is a time-honored tradition, and now they've high kicked their way into history.

For their centennial celebration, generations of Austin women returned to the field and to the coach who helped shape their lives.

(participants chattering indistinctly) (team cheering) - [Announcer] For a century, generations of Red Jackets have carried forward a tradition built on excellence, leadership, school spirit, service, friendship, and pride.

Welcome home, Red Jackets.

(crowd cheering) - [Stephanie] I haven't grasped this, I think, until the past handful of years, how much this program affects the community.

We put on kiddie clinics and 150 little girls come and want to be Red Jackets and look up to the girls.

- [Laura] For the past 100 years, generations of Austin women have donned these jackets at Austin High.

- We perform at football games and we compete in the spring, and then we have a huge show that's, I think, everybody's favorite thing at the end of the year.

- [Laura] What began as a service organization evolved into a marching team and eventually, a beloved dance tradition.

(bright music) One that Coach Stephanie Braden Wright has helped keep alive.

- 27 years.

This is my 27th year.

26.5.

(chuckles) - [Laura] But to commemorate the centennial, they're getting a little company.

- Graduated in 2002.

- And I graduated in '75.

- [All] 1990.

- '71 and '72.

- [Laura] Generations of former Red Jackets all back to dance together.

- I'm wearing my senior girls '04 shirt, The "Freaking Millweekend."

That song was very popular in 2004.

- [Laura] Maybe banking on some muscle memory.

- Either an eight count or four counts.

You step out with your right foot.

- Oh, parts!

- I sent them a video about three weeks ago, and so this will be our first practice together.

So we'll see how it goes.

(pom-poms rustling) - This is what my elbow is hurting from.

- Okay, first line walks one, two, three, four.

Line two goes five, six, seven, eight.

One, two, three, four, five, six seven, eight.

One, two, three, four.

We know what we're doing.

(bright music) - [Laura] For some, it's been decades since they've heard those counts.

- So good!

Okay, Chloe.

- [Laura] But some things you never outgrow.

- And even though it's been like over 20 years since we've danced on a field, we still want to, you know, perform and do well and impress our old coach.

- We're not doing any high kicks, so that's good for us.

- Yeah.

- No high kicks.

- No jump splits.

- Yeah.

- No leaps.

No turns.

- [Coach] Okay, center.

Yes, Asia.

I see you.

- [Laura] Some of Braden's former students have gone from "Friday Night Lights" to the global stage.

- One on tour with Taylor Swift, one on tour with Beyonce.

Super famous sisters.

- [Laura] That's Audrey Douglass and her sister, Hannah.

- We were only one grade apart, so we did Red Jackets all together and we continue to dance together to this day.

It's taken us a lot of great places.

- Row one.

Row two.

One of my favorite things has always been when kids come home, this is on the greatest level of that.

I think it's gonna be very surreal when they all stand on the field together.

(participant chanting indistinctly) - [Coach] Pivot.

- We're the third- and fourth-oldest.

- They're not expecting a lot from us, so I think we can meet those expectations.

- [Laura] No high kicking tonight.

- We're low kicking.

(chuckles) - [Laura] Some came back with friends.

- We've all gone in different directions.

We all come back for this specific reason, because we're all Red Jackets and we're all here to celebrate the history.

- [Laura] Some with family.

- Neither of us live in Austin anymore, so it's just really, really special.

- We traveled here and we wanted to do it together.

- Together.

Yeah.

- [Laura] Whether they graduated five or 50 years ago under the lights at House Park, they were all Red Jackets once again.

(bright music) - Every time I hear like a drumline, I get so excited 'cause it brings back those feelings of like walking on the field, which we're... I get goosebumps honestly thinking about it so imagine coming back here and doing that again.

- Somehow it's more nerveracking.

You're like reverting back to that child in you.

So like I remember being so nervous my first game as a Red Jacket.

- [Laura] And for the woman who spent her career teaching them the steps.

- It was perfect.

It was perfect.

- [Laura] 100 years of Red Jackets and a bond that never truly graduates.

- These kids, they literally changed my life and I don't know how to really explain it, but they... The reason I wake up in the morning and they, they work so hard and they, they're my joy.

(team cheering) - What an amazing group of women.

I wish I had something like that when I was in high school.

And it might not be a hundred years, but this week actually marks another important birthday, two years of "Austin InSight," from covering local institutions, elections, film festivals, education, homelessness, women's health, Big Bend, barbecue, two-stepping, whatever it is that makes Austin Austin and more.

It goes without saying, it's been a tough time in media, but it's an honor to tell these stories.

And as we say at Austin PBS, we couldn't have done it without viewers like you.

Here's to many more years of "Austin InSight."

That's our show.

Thanks again for watching.

We'll see you next time.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] Support for "Austin InSight" comes from Sally and James Gavin, and also from Daniel L. Skret.

(bright music)