AUSTIN, Texas — High above the University of Texas campus, within the school’s iconic clock tower, a party ensues.
This is not any ol’ party. While more than 18,000 orange-clad fans sprawl across the 40 acres below celebrating the school’s entrance into the Southeastern Conference, a much more exclusive gathering unfolds above.
Mere hours before the conference move is official, the people who made the historic decision to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC mill about sipping on beverages and munching on snacks from within the wood-paneled walls of a near-100-year-old library-turned-presidential office.
Jay Hartzell, the university president, cleared out his digs for the soirée, his desk serving as a dessert table and his sun deck as an outdoor bar for those dignitaries receiving invitations.