But again, UH is serving a metro with a population almost as big as the WHOLE state of OHIO. That’s not a good comparison. You UH haters want non city “traditional” kids from out of state? Because you’re envious of football attendance? Crazy.
Houston as a metro is a juggernaut. And since UH1927/Cullen claimed that you should only count the inner loop as the “city of Houston” how many schools can claim to be in the same city as 11 Fortune 500 headquarters, all 4 major sports leagues the world’s biggest medical center. That’s just inside the loop mind.
I’m saying that USF is literally the exception that proves the rule.
Given that there are 65 AAU member schools…and ONLY one follows that model, you’re MUCH BETTER OFF if you follow a more traditional model, statistically speaking, to get there.
I’m not betting money on UH being only the second school to attain AAU status under that model.
Becoming more traditional would be a far safer bet (60+ times more likely), so I’ll go with greater traditionalism as a goal, given that.
As long as Texas and Texas A&M remain in the State of Texas, UH will always be viewed as, at best, third choice. Texas and Texas A&M have generations of alumni, or in A&M’s case “former students”, that far exceed UH. Those two control the Legislature, most of the media coverage, far exceed UH’s capability to fund raise and as long as their fans look down on UH, UH will never rise to their level of fan support.
All is not lost. I can’t support enough UH’s goal to be AAU. That puts UH in the same company as UT and A&M academically. It may not happen in my lifetime but UH will eventually achieve AAU status.
But I want more either living on campus, or within a close radius of it, I want a freshman housing mandate, and I want more “traditional” students, as I defined them.
And I’d prefer fewer non-traditional students who are simply stopping by campus to pick up a few classes on the way to their waitressing, barista, grocery store, go-fer for the trades, or store retail job, and never end up having any campus involvement, participating in campus life, never end up becoming attached to the school and then giving back money, and most importantly, never end up attending sporting events/having school spirit/and becoming fans after graduation.
It’s not a destination if they aren’t either living on campus or within a close radius of it.
That’s how you define a “destination” school. A school that is your DESTINATION when you GO OFF TO COLLEGE and make that college your home.
According to Whitmire, UH will never be that.
WHY THE HELL NOT???
It would make things better in all the respects I mentioned.
We can still have mostly local kids, as I said. But they should be close to campus, traditional, destination college students, with fewer commuters with no connection to campus life other than stopping by to pick up a few classes.
USF isn’t the exception. They’re the new blueprint. FIU, Temple, UIC, Rutgers-Camden. That’s 10% of the top 50 public schools that serve commuters. UH can absolutely join that number. And that’s without counting Utah, since they’re a state flagship.
It’s called freedom of choice. Not everyone wants what you want. Get it? There are plenty of high dollar traditional colleges to go and leave the city for. UH is unique. Just because you chose the wrong school for you doesn’t mean the school is inferior. Stop insulting UH and its alumni. Stop projecting your inferiority complex on us.
“UH needs a Greek Row and an Entertainment District.”
Greek Row:
I don’t see that happening. Having dealt with the university regarding Greeks for decades, “tolerates” is an almost perfect term. “Reluctantly tolerates” might be better and sometimes borders on passive resistance at times.
I don’t know this but I think the sororities are fine with their current housing situation.
There were fraternities that were off campus that felt they were losing out by not being in the Greek apartments on Calhoun - so they moved there.
Entertainment District:
Where exactly do you put it? Before it becomes viable, the perception of safety needs to be there. I still have people who ask me how scared I was when I lived on campus - how they would never let their kid go there now because it is too dangerous. Regardless of what is the truth, that is what you get in Houston.
Appreciate that he is on Coogfans? Nah. Appreciate that his a Houston Cougar fan? Yes.
The guy actively, consistently and purposely ruins every thread he’s in with his bipolar-like, schizophrenic-like, illogical discussion style full of poor debate/discussion tactics where he contradicts himself constantly over time and strawmans anyone he engages.
Your vision of a “traditional” school is apparently different from Dr. Khator’s, given that she’s allegedly spent her tenure nuking Greek Life from orbit.