Renu Khator is not for the people.

Renu Khator’s leadership at the University of Houston has become a glaring example of how power and prestige can warp the priorities of an institution that is supposed to serve its students. Instead of focusing on education, student safety, and faculty support, she has chosen to funnel resources into football, vanity projects, and self-promotion, all while neglecting the real needs of the university community. Worse, she has abandoned any pretense of fairness, engaging in racial favoritism in hiring practices and making the controversial decision to do away with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies—a move that further alienates students and faculty from marginalized backgrounds.

At a time when students are demanding better security in response to rising concerns about sexual assault, Khator has done little to nothing to make the campus safer. The lack of action isn’t just negligence—it’s complicity. By refusing to increase security or address these issues head-on, she has essentially embraced the problem rather than working to fix it. Survivors are left without support, and perpetrators are emboldened, knowing that there are no real consequences for their actions.

But security and student well-being clearly aren’t at the top of her agenda. Instead, she has chosen to pour funding, effort, and resources into football and other secondary luxuries rather than the core purpose of a university: education. The recent statue near the fountain is just another symbol of this misguided leadership—a costly, performative addition that does nothing to improve the daily lives of students but serves as yet another way to boost the university’s image and, ultimately, her legacy.

Even more troubling is how she operates within the administration. There are clear instances of racial favoritism in hiring, where it’s evident that she prioritizes certain groups over others when selecting faculty and staff. Yet, despite this, she also made the decision to eliminate DEI policies, stripping away initiatives meant to ensure fairness and representation in the university. This blatant contradiction exposes that her actions aren’t about creating an equitable or merit-based system but about consolidating control over who gets to rise within her administration.

And while students struggle, Khator continues to enjoy her status as the highest-paid university president in Texas—a fact that becomes even more infuriating when you consider what the money isn’t being used for. Instead of ensuring students’ safety, lowering tuition, or improving academic resources, she continues to push for initiatives that line her own pockets and reinforce her public image rather than benefit the people who actually make the university function.

Education should be about students, about learning, about creating a future. But under Renu Khator, the University of Houston has strayed far from that mission. Until she chooses to prioritize real issues—like security, academic integrity, and fair employment practices—her leadership will remain a symbol of misplaced priorities and missed opportunities.