UT task force readies recommendations on Davis statue’s fate

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The University of Texas is expected to release formal recommendations made to new President Greg Fenves on what to do about a statue on its Austin campus of Confederacy President Jefferson Davis and other Confederate Civil War figures.

A task force of students, staff and alumni was created in June to discuss the future of the Davis statue, as well as statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston, and Confederate Postmaster General John H. Reagan.

The group originally had planned to present its recommendations to Fenves Aug. 1, but later delayed the announcement until Monday.

The issue has gained new focus as state governments and businesses around the country have removed Confederate symbols following the mass shooting of black church members in Charleston, South Carolina.