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University of Texas Vice President Jaden Watt and President Kiera Dixon speak with students on campus in Austin, Friday, April 3, 2026.<\/p>\n
Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Kiera Dixon and Jaden Watt\u00a0\u2014 the duo who now lead the University of Texas\u2019 student government\u00a0\u2014 know what it means when a university takes away vital support for students.<\/p>\n
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A college freshman in 2023, Watt found community through the Multicultural Engagement Center, a central hub of student activity that celebrated cultural diversity<\/a>, sponsored groups centered around students’ racial and ethnic identities<\/a> and hosted university-sponsored events. The Undergraduate Research Center, a central hub organizing research opportunities, paid for Dixon\u2019s travel to conduct interviews for her research fellowship.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The students watched as UT administrators unilaterally cut both programs under pressure from new laws<\/a>, leadership changes<\/a> and pushes for efficiency<\/a>. As UT leaders restructure the College of Liberal Arts <\/a>and review the core curriculum<\/a> that all students take, change at the state\u2019s flagship has \u201conly sped up,\u201d Dixon, the slate\u2019s president, said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just like people are hearing this and not caring. It\u2019s that the more (changes) happen, the more students are becoming disillusioned and out of touch,\u201d Watt, who serves as the vice president, said. \u201cIt\u2019s like, you just wake up and check your email again and it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, there\u2019s another massive change to my campus.\u2019 We want to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n Campaigning on a platform of \u201cclosing the gap\u201d between the administration and students, Dixon and Watt, who took office this week, say they will push for transparency as their university\u00a0continues to face scrutiny from vocal politicians<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dixon and Watt\u2019s goals around advocacy and transparency contrast with their predecessors, who have predominantly operated behind-the-scenes and, more recently, avoided controversial topics. But as\u00a0new laws <\/a>and\u00a0policies<\/a> limit the ways students and faculty can hold officials accountable<\/a>, the UT student leaders\u2019 message has resonated across campus.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cStudents are feeling like there\u2019s no one fighting for them, there\u2019s no one advocating for them. They\u2019re feeling like these changes are just being imposed on top of them,\u201d Dixon said. \u201cCreating a legacy of student government as being something that can fight for students and that can make change for them is a really big goal of ours.\u201d<\/p>\n After Senate Bill 37 passed <\/a>in 2025, public higher education institutions shifted decision making power to regents and away from faculty. In response, the UT System shuttered its institutions\u2019 faculty council. The flagship no longer has an elected faculty body providing input in high-level university decisions. In the past year, UT\u2019s president, chancellor <\/a>and provost <\/a>were hand picked for their roles by regents, who are appointed by the governor.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, student government leaders are some of the only elected UT representatives. The students are determined to expand public forums for students to share feedback directly with President Jim Davis, who has declined requests for public interviews during his first year in office<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dixon and Watt\u2019s win may challenge UT leaders to more closely engage with student advocates after a year spent avoiding public forums<\/a>. The students, both government majors in the liberal arts honors program, are determined to deliver on their campaign promises.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to get wins for the students,\u201d Watt said. \u201cHowever is best, and however we need to, because it\u2019s our number one priority.\u201d<\/p>\n The role of student government at UT<\/p>\n University of Texas Vice President Jaden Watt and President Kiera Dixon in Austin, Friday, April 3, 2026.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n Watt and Dixon have been interested in student leadership since they were wide-eyed new students attending UT\u2019s Gone to Texas, an annual welcome event for first years frequently featuring fireworks and a lit-up UT Tower.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But it was how the campus drastically changed under Senate Bill 17, which passed in 2023, that sparked more serious interest in campaigning. The law required universities to end diversity, equity and inclusion supports for students, prompting UT to close the Multicultural Engagement Center, the Gender and Sexuality Center at UT and the Division of Diversity and Cultural Engagement<\/a>. Four months after it initially complied and a week after more direct pressure from the law\u2019s author, the university fired about\u00a060 staff who had worked in student support and DEI initiatives.<\/a><\/p>\n Around that time, Watt approached Dixon with an idea for a platform that focused on creating better ways for all students to be heard.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first approached her, it was in the wake of some of those decisions that were happening, and we were saying, \u2018Hey, I think we can get in rooms and advocate for students in a very real and tangible way,\u2019\u201d Watt said. \u201cWe want to see change in all communities on this campus, advocate for all voices on this campus.\u201d<\/p>\n The Daily Texan editorial board, the opinion section of UT\u2019s student newspaper, endorsed the duo as the \u201cbest choice for change,\u201d<\/a> and the best platform to advocate for student interests. They beat out seven other pairs with nearly 3,000 votes<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a small share of the campus\u2019s 43,000 undergraduate student body. The next highest vote getters<\/a>\u00a0won 2,001 votes.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n UT has three student-run branches of government that operate similarly to the United States\u2019 branches of power: a Supreme Court that ensures leaders comply with student government bylaws; a legislative assembly with representatives from each college that pass policy; and an executive branch now led by Dixon and Watt. The student groups are funded by UT and advised by the dean of students.\u00a0<\/p>\n Watt and Dixon are aware that student government elections draw remarkably low turnout, and that many at UT don\u2019t know what the body does or doubt it has real impact. But they believe in their new roles\u2019 potential to elevate student voices to the administration, becoming a bridge between both parties during and after their year of leadership.\u00a0They plan to treat it like a full-time job, devoting each week to meeting with students and university leaders to serve campus.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always been very passionate about (student government) as a way to advocate for student voices,\u201d Dixon said. \u201cBut I also believe that to accomplish that goal, it needs to genuinely advocate for them, instead of just saying it does.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s leaders, Hudson Thomas and Thierry Chu also wanted student government to be more visible. They launched digital student IDs, accompanied university leaders at press conferences, hosted a\u00a0student startup competition<\/a>, and organized a vigil <\/a>after a gunman shot and killed a student at\u00a0Buford\u2019s Bar in May.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But when President Donald Trump\u2019s administration\u00a0extended UT and eight other universities <\/a>a deal that would reward the adoption of conservative priorities with extra federal funding opportunities, the leaders remained quiet even as their peers at seven of the other institutions spoke out against the offer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n