Longhorn Furries
Longhorn Furries is the furry student organization at the University of Texas at Austin. It was established in September 2021, and is still active in the present.
Contents
History[edit]
A student organization called Longhorn Furs was active at the University of Texas from 2015 to 2019. In fall 2021, several students began separate efforts to create a new furry club. Aurora and Acero created a Discord server on September 10th, 2021. A group of furries assembled by Brandon, Fauney, and Evan merged into the server on September 20th. Mac and HALLOW, who became instrumental in organization, joined at the same time. On September 21st, Longhorn Furries was registered as an official student organization, with Acero the Dragon as its founding president and Mac as its senior officer.
Early recruiting consisted of contacting students with furry icons in the school Discord hub. Meetups were small and intimate, often consisting of five to ten furries meeting at a table for lunch. In early February 2022, several club members tabled on Speedway; artists Alexgaytor and Fauney offered free fursona sketches. HALLOW, who wore their fursuit, became known as the "Speedway Furry." Their efforts drew in a huge influx of students, and the club swelled to dozens of active members.
In response to a larger membership, HALLOW and Mac wrote an official constitution in March 2022. As President, HALLOW convened the first Furry Cabinet on April 18th, 2022. The Cabinet consisted of the President, the Vice President, a treasurer, an event manager, a virtual manager, a parliamentarian, a secretary, and the University Advisor. With HALLOW's guidance, officers grew into these roles and shaped them into their own. A second event manager was added in January 2023 due to the high demands of the role.
Club elections are held six weeks before the final class day of a semester. The President, Vice President, and Treasurer were elected for year-long terms in March, and other officers were elected for semester-long terms in March and November. As of Spring 2024 the officer positions are now year-long terms.
Current[edit]
Longhorn Furries meets twice a week; Furry Social is on an evening of the week and Furry Picnics on Friday afternoons. The club also hosts bowling nights, karaoke, holiday parties, and art shows. There are 30 to 40 active, in-person members, and the club is still growing.
Longhorn Furries also boasts its own budget. Joshua Hale, the first Treasurer, opened the Longhorn Furries bank account in August 2022. In fall 2022, the club began selling official merchandise featuring their mascot, Gray the Grackle. T-shirts are $25 and stickers are $1 or $2.
As it becomes more established, Longhorn Furries has earned recognition from the university-sponsored Swing Out Awards. On March 28th, 2023, Arturo Compean Jr. was nominated for "Outstanding Advisor" for his service as University Advisor to Longhorn Furries.
Fauney, the first Virtual Manager, started the Longhorn Furries Zine, which celebrates the artistic and literary prowess of the organization. The first edition, titled Academia, was published in April 2023. It was further featured in an article by the Daily Texan, where both Fauney and Levy, the current event manager at the time, were interviewed about the purpose and process of the zines.
Brandon is the incumbent President and Duskycat is the incumbent Vice President.
Leadership[edit]
Term | President | Vice President | Treasurer | Event Manager | Virtual Manager | Parliamentarian | Secretary | University Advisor | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 21, 2021 ~ April 4, 2022 | Acero the Dragon | HALLOW | vacant | Mac | HALLOW | vacant | vacant | vacant | |
April 11, 2022 ~ January 8, 2023 | HALLOW | Alexgaytor | Joshua | Grant | Fauney | Raikotogen | Aurora | Arch | |
January 8, 2023 ~ April 24, 2023 | Grant | Kem | |||||||
April 24, 2023 ~ October 1, 2023 | Grant / Providence | dusky | Brandon | Levy | Rose | HALLOW | Blu | ||
October 1, 2023 ~ December 7, 2023 | Ellie | ||||||||
December 7, 2023 ~ present | Brandon | Fauney |
External links[edit]
- Hornslink
- The Daily Texan 9 May 2022
- Longhorn Furries is here to stay 10 February 2023
- Academia - Spring 2023 12 April 2023
- Swing Out Awards 2023 18 April 2023