Why makes you think they aren’t already aware and working on that?
Unless you’re rich/wealthy, waspy, or had a relative that went to a particular university (talking your TCU’s, SMU’s, Baylor’s, Tech’s, etc.), most people from Texas (especially Houston) grew up where you were either a “Horn” or an “Aggie” regardless of any connection to those schools.
There was never an option for Cougar because UH has historically been the “backup” school or the “community college 2 years then transfer” school for a large part of the Houston population.
I would argue that the image / reputation of UH in comparison to the 2 flagship schools of Texas is starting to change as UH continues to rise in rankings, grows more first year students, and continues to invest in athletics. However, you have to understand that UT / A&M has received much more state support / political support than UH ever did. There is decades upon decades of support that UH never really received as a public school.
This has enabled both of those universities to become premier universities nationwide with highly ranked programs. I’m a Bauer grad, but Bauer is no match for McCombs (INCREDIBLY low transfer rate), but I think Bauer will catch up to May’s in the next 2 decades or so.
The thing that hurts UH the most is the lack of reasoning to convince kids to not want to leave the city they grew up in. Unfortunately, it’s just a natural thing for an 17-18 year old teen to want to explore college life far away from their birthplace.
While I hate comparing UH to universities like Texas State, North Texas, Sam Houston, SFA, and soon enough… Texas Tech… well those types of schools are seen as the “I won’t or didn’t get accepted into UT/A&M, but I still want to leave home” type of schools.
Everyone wants to talk about Greek Life being a huge factor. While I agree that Greek Life attracts a certain type of student, I really don’t think Greek Life at UH will ever match UT/A&M due to a variety of factors. We simply don’t have the alumni to support a robust Greek Life. And even as someone who hates Greek Life such as myself, I understand why it’s so important to some people. There are thousands of kids who attend schools like Alabama or Texas State literally just for Greek Life without caring about their academic rankings. I would argue that modern UH students DO actually care about rankings, but don’t care as much about Greek Life. It’s very difficult to have both like UT does.
Yep …this is the elephant ih the room.
Parents want/hope to send their children to schools that have students that are equivalent, in class, to their family/children.
While many use their UH education to become Middle or Upper Middle Class but by the time their children reach 18…the class of the student that UH attracts is beneath the class of the parents …hence the hope they go elsewhere.
This IS a UH cultural problem. UH has no one to blame for that stigma but UH
For 90% of our existence we openly advertised and developed ourselves as a commuter school catering to
- older students
- part time students
- first generation college students
- international students
- those looking to transfer to another school ASAP
- small % of traditional students, despite the lack of infrastructure, select UH
But for the most part…we shunned the Traditional students.
Even our now Mayor Whitmire said "UH will NEVER be a destination school " It is part of our narrative
Look at our campus plan.
Look at the lack of supportung development around campus
Look at our embarassing small Greek community for a University with 50,000
Look at the lack of recreation facilities. We didn’t build our first Rec center till the 2000s!
I remember having to work out in Garrison Gym in the late 90s and part of that gym was a renovated shower space! It was PATHETIC and disgusting.
How do we fix this???
We target Suburban Middke/Upper Middle Class students from other states.
The Stigma INSIDE Texas to too bad RIGHT NOW
Then after a decade, or two, UH will become more attractive for Middle /Upper Class Students in Texas.
My HOPE is we build oursekves into UT-Austin 2.0- A Traditional Campus in a major Texas city.
For those who are you going to respond with a complaint-
We still have our SATELLITE campuses to serve the needs of the non-Traditional students but it is time to go ALL IN on transforming into a Traditional University.
I said this in another thread about commuting but it’s appropriate here too.
Whitmire really hurt us in that regard.
Bringing up “commuter school” has being a problem is ignoring why we have not developed a legacy.
What do we do about it?
I am going to write it…again. Our administration has to address this issue dead on. This is why starting with the following is IMO crucial for U of H.
Give a money incentive for alum dads and moms to send their children to U of H.
Establish a “point system” with alums going to games.
Establish a point system with alums bringing fans to games.
Establish a true in campus destination with a plan to engage the Third Ward.
These are just a start but oh so ground breaking from what we currently have.
Remember friends Las Vegas was a sand plain before it became what it is today. Granted it takes money but doing the same every day, every game is the definition of what? You know the answer.
You completely missed my point and what I was responding to.
Actually I was not meaning responding to you rtcoog. I got your point. How do you adjust that I was responding to you?
1 Like
I don’t think you can without deleting and reposting.
But he never said that. And from someone who is so precise in his posting, you should stop perpetuating that false quote.
Whether he said it or not (the Daily Cougar reported it back in the day, question the source if you wish), that was clearly the gist of what he was thinking, and it is BAD.
It holds us back.
It’s what keeps us from advancing in ways described above.
And the worst part about it is that his justification for opposing what could have been done to help fix that problem was based on a lot of bogus and ignorant ethnic and gay stereotypes.
He’s a pariah for many of us that want to see UH advance, as a result.
It was interpreted by the reporter, so you’re going by some college kid’s opinion? They’d throw that out of the court, right councilor?
We’re in the court of public opinion, not a court of law. Based on plenty of statements of his that HAVE been well-documented, that was indeed the gist of his thinking, and again, it was based on a lot of stupid ethnic/gay stereotypes that were absolutely ridiculous.
And it does indeed hold UH back in the ways that many have described for you ad nauseum.
I think you might be literally the ONLY person here that sides with Whitmire on this matter. Be the “Lone Ranger” in the face of all that if you wish.
If you’re going to put something in quotes, it should be an actual quote and not an interpretation.
3 Likes
What’s strange is you go by letter of the law when it suits you. But now it’s court of public opinion? lol. The one thing he was against was the mandate for freshmen to live in high priced dorms. That’s it. He’s not against UH, he blocked UT Houston. But now it’s snowballed into him being like Darth Vader. I find it hilarious.
2 Likes
Enough about commuter school. Everyone has a choice where they want to sleep at night. I find it insulting to impose that you sleep in dorms.
This thread is about finding ideas and how to build a legacy. Please contribute. Like it or not TDECU and Fertitta center are entertainment venues.
Again, who is more likely to go to both venues?
Hard core fans. What is it going to take to make people come? Sure winning is key but it is far from sufficient. This is where we have to be creative. Nothing is easy neither is to fill both venues.
FIFY.
Whitmire didn’t try to make the case that living in dorms was more expensive, because there is no such case to be made. Living in the dorms usually is less expensive.
On the contrary, he tried to argue that Hispanic families don’t want to send their kids off to college (BULLCRAP!!! My Hispanic aunt sent both of her kids off to Notre Dame), and that it was somehow impossible to follow this mandate if you are “living with a gay lover.”
How STUPID.
You might literally be the only one here defending his ignorance.
Instead of this post law why don’t you start by bringing “out of the box ideas” to contribute to this thread?
Come on friends. This thread is about to be creative.
We need a housing mandate for all freshmen not living with their parents to live on campus.
No need to be more creative than that.
1 Like
No you don’t. Everybody should be free to sleep where they want to sleep. This is a free country and that includes our sleep.
Next idea please.