Why does UH get hate for its diversity?

[Cougar King]

The [deleted] incident and comments about "thugs, "ghetto", "low-income" among other things. UH is praised nationally for its diversity but hated by other Texas schools for it. When I was applying to colleges my senior year in HS, diversity was important to me because not only because that's how the world is but also because I'm a minority and grew up in a lower-income neighborhood. I felt that I would run into some problems attending a school that would not be as accepting to someone like me because of my background. I know I'm not alone in this and that this is an issue that's not talked about very often. (Or so it seems at least)

I honestly want to know why this is. I want this discussion to be intelligent and serious please no trolls or sarcastic posts. (save that for the football forum)

[couch 'em]

Ghetto comments are not about diversity, they are about crime. That you associate some or all minorities with crime infestation and poverty is indicative of cultural negative stereotyping; comments negative toward such areas are not.

Not sure what you are referring to with "coogroes" but that is anything from one person's poor choice in demographic humor without ill intent...... or someone revealing their personal problems with bigotry but either way it is a personal shortcoming.

[Pony^]

Most colleges have significant minority populations these days as schools seek out qualified minority students, offer scholarships, etc. You state, "I felt that I would run into some problems attending a school that would not be as accepting to someone like me because of my background." What were your "feelings" based upon? Have you actually visited these schools, talked to a broad base of students attending these institutions as well as some of these schools’ faculty and staff members? Or, have you formed your opinions based upon gossip and hearsay?

It seems to me that you are quick to stereotype an institution. You have previously referred to SMU as a rich man’s school. How much research have you done on SMU to draw that conclusion? Are you aware that about 77% of the students attending SMU are on some form of financial aid? Many SMU students (minority and nonminority) attend on scholarships. Did you visit SMU, talk to a cross section of students, faculty and staff before you formed your opinion?

UH gets criticized, fairly or unfairly, for the commuter nature of the school, the crime around campus and the fairly low admissions standards. Personally, I think your former President, Jay Gogue, did a lot to clean up the area, develop a campus plan and make the campus a safer place. I also acknowledge that admissions standards are slowly rising.

I have a relative who decided to attend UH for family reasons. He decided to live on campus because he wanted some sort of campus experience; however, he was disappointed with that experience and is now transferring to UT.

If I were running UH I would build more housing on campus and require all first year, and possibly second year, students to live on campus. If students want to commute, there is always UH Downtown, Clear Lake, and Victoria. I would also raise admission standards and do my best to establish a zero tolerance for crime on campus. If a student could not meet the higher admissions standards, he or she could get a trial at another UH campus and, if successful, transfer to the main campus.

If UH develops a better campus experience and raises admissions standards, it would garner more respect as have other state schools located in major cities (see University of Maryland, UCLA, and University of Washington). Also, more Houston area students would want to stay in Houston to attend college.

Just like everything else in life, college is what you make of it. It’s true that UH has many successful graduates. It’s also true that you sometimes have to place yourself outside your comfort zone in order to seize life’s best opportunities.

[Cougar King]

Ghetto comments are not about diversity, they are about crime. That you associate some or all minorities with crime infestation and poverty is indicative of cultural negative stereotyping; comments negative toward such areas are not.

Not sure what you are referring to with "coogroes" but that is anything from one person's poor choice in demographic humor without ill intent...... or someone revealing their personal problems with bigotry but either way it is a personal shortcoming.

old SWC

Most colleges have significant minority populations these days as schools seek out qualified minority students, offer scholarships, etc. You state, "I felt that I would run into some problems attending a school that would not be as accepting to someone like me because of my background." What were your "feelings" based upon? Have you actually visited these schools, talked to a broad base of students attending these institutions as well as some of these schools’ faculty and staff members? Or, have you formed your opinions based upon gossip and hearsay?

It seems to me that you are quick to stereotype an institution. You have previously referred to SMU as a rich man’s school. How much research have you done on SMU to draw that conclusion? Are you aware that about 77% of the students attending SMU are on some form of financial aid? Many SMU students (minority and nonminority) attend on scholarships. Did you visit SMU, talk to a cross section of students, faculty and staff before you formed your opinion?

UH gets criticized, fairly or unfairly, for the commuter nature of the school, the crime around campus and the fairly low admissions standards. Personally, I think your former President, Jay Gogue, did a lot to clean up the area, develop a campus plan and make the campus a safer place. I also acknowledge that admissions standards are slowly rising.

I have a relative who decided to attend UH for family reasons. He decided to live on campus because he wanted some sort of campus experience; however, he was disappointed with that experience and is now transferring to UT.

If I were running UH I would build more housing on campus and require all first year, and possibly second year, students to live on campus. If students want to commute, there is always UH Downtown, Clear Lake, and Victoria. I would also raise admission standards and do my best to establish a zero tolerance for crime on campus. If a student could not meet the higher admissions standards, he or she could get a trial at another UH campus and, if successful, transfer to the main campus.

If UH develops a better campus experience and raises admissions standards, it would garner more respect as have other state schools located in major cities (see University of Maryland, UCLA, and University of Washington). Also, more Houston area students would want to stay in Houston to attend college.

Just like everything else in life, college is what you make of it. It’s true that UH has many successful graduates. It’s also true that you sometimes have to place yourself outside your comfort zone in order to seize life’s best opportunities.

Out of curiosity, when did your relative live on campus? (As in what years). We have built new dorms called Cougar Village about 2 years ago and are in the process of building Cougar Village II and Cougar Place which will be opened in Fall 2013. Over the last decade, more and more people have been staying on campus or at the apartments near campus that the demand has skyrocketed, prompting the new dorms to be built. I do like the idea of requiring freshmen to live on campus, I think that's an excellent idea as a matter of fact.

I did not have the luxury of visiting many campuses mainly because I couldn't afford it at the time. So, I relied on brochures, reviews, college websites, message boards and the occasional school field trip to a college campus. (Because of school, I was able to visit A&M and UH).

I figured SMU was a rich person's school because of when I went to UNT initially, every SMU student I met in Dallas was a [deleted] who drove a luxury car. Every individual review I read about SMU, along with the student-written guide about SMU on Collegeprowler and to the admission to many posters on here and the uncommon snobbery I see on here didn't help much either.

Regarding admission standards, right now is the highest UH admission standards have ever been and it was announced recently that the standards are being raised even higher in the oncoming semesters, so that will be interesting to see. I have heard about a few people and a cousin of mine who recently applied to UH and were rejected and had to go to a Southland or SWAC school instead.

[NavyCrimson]

'Diversity' is nothing more than a cop-out for failure & mediocrity, excellence is the issue & how to attain in.

[NY Pony]

'Diversity' is nothing more than a cop-out for failure & mediocrity, excellence is the issue & how to attain in.

I thought it was an old wooden ship.

[Cougar King]

'Diversity' is nothing more than a cop-out for failure & mediocrity, excellence is the issue & how to attain in.

Excuse me?

[leopold]

I figured SMU was a rich person's school because of when I went to UNT initially, every SMU student I met in Dallas was a [deleted] who drove a luxury car. Every individual review I read about SMU, along with the student-written guide about SMU on Collegeprowler and to the admission to many posters on here and the uncommon snobbery I see on here didn't help much either.

Um, yeah...

See, any honest attempts you might have made to bring about an open discussion on a stereotype about Houston has now been thrown out the window when you played that card. Might have even been the motivation behind that STUPID COMMENT ABOUT DIVERSITY AND FAILURE, NAVY CRIMSON.

Anyway, it took me 8 years to get out of SMU for financial reasons and I know not everybody's a snob. You learn to deal with stereotypes.

[Digetydog]

The [deleted] incident and comments about "thugs, "ghetto", "low-income" among other things. UH is praised nationally for its diversity but hated by other Texas schools for it. When I was applying to colleges my senior year in HS, diversity was important to me because not only because that's how the world is but also because I'm a minority and grew up in a lower-income neighborhood. I felt that I would run into some problems attending a school that would not be as accepting to someone like me because of my background. I know I'm not alone in this and that this is an issue that's not talked about very often. (Or so it seems at least)

I honestly want to know why this is. I want this discussion to be intelligent and serious please no trolls or sarcastic posts. (save that for the football forum)

I am a Mexican American. I had no problems at SMU. Joined a fraternity. Dated sorority girls. The whole bit. Nobody cared about my ethnicity.

Cooler High is hated because there is an academic pecking order. Academically, it is seen at the bottom of the SWC pecking order.

[SoCal_Pony]

'Diversity' is nothing more than a cop-out for failure & mediocrity, excellence is the issue & how to attain in.

Excuse me?

Coogs King,

NavyCrimson is from California. California has the best university system in the world, nothing comes close. Go to some of its top public schools such as UC-Berkley, UCLA, Cal-Tech or even UCI here in OC and you will see some of the most diverse student populations around. I read once that UCI was THE most diverse school in the country. Nobody 'hates' on these schools for their diversity, they are admired for their excellence. I think that is what NC is talking about and what you fail to acknowledge.

UH is a third tier academic institution. That is the basis for its 'hate' (ridicule is a better description, IMO). If UH were all white, this ridicule would continue, trust me.

[CalallenStang]

I am a member of a minority ethnic group. I chose SMU because I felt that the combination of the academics, the community, and the significant financial assistance package I received made it the best of the many choices with which I was blessed (I chose SMU over schools such as Tulane, Notre Dame, and Virginia). My decision to attend SMU was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I can say that the stereotype you have fallen into believing, CK, is false and misleading.

Regarding UH, I believe that the various ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds represented in UH's student body make up what I believe to be UH's greatest strength. However, despite Khator's efforts to improve academics and campus life at UH, the overwhelming reputation of UH is still that it is "a commuter school for Houstonians who couldn't get in elsewhere." Further, the neighborhood in which UH is located is not the most salubrious - safety concerns have held the university back from recruiting top students in the past.

In order to change this image, UH must:

1) Focus on bringing in more students from outside the greater Houston area.
2) Significantly raise admissions standards for the main UH campus, and ensure that those who get degrees from branch campuses receive diplomas that reflect that they did not attend the main campus.
3) Invest heavily in gentrification of the local area. Make it a desirable place to be.
4) Continue to attract top faculty. Khator has done a good job in getting this going, but it must be continued.

With these initiatives, UH will:

1) Improve its student body from being "diverse" to being "world-class in diversity and academic potential." This will also help eliminate the "dumb idiot" issue at sporting events (every school has a few dumb idiots who act stupid and give the school a bad name - currently, UH has more than their fair share but there is no reason why that cannot change).
2) Improve the quality of a UH education by furthering geographic diversity, bringing in stronger academic achievers, and affording students access to even more professors at the top of their respective fields.
3) Improve campus life by making the nearby neighborhood safer and more student friendly, encouraging even off campus residents to live near campus.
4) Raise property values and decrease crime in the nearby neighborhood.
5) Live up to UH's potential.

[Pony^]

Out of curiosity, when did your relative live on campus? (As in what years). We have built new dorms called Cougar Village about 2 years ago and are in the process of building Cougar Village II and Cougar Place which will be opened in Fall 2013. Over the last decade, more and more people have been staying on campus or at the apartments near campus that the demand has skyrocketed, prompting the new dorms to be built. I do like the idea of requiring freshmen to live on campus, I think that's an excellent idea as a matter of fact.

I did not have the luxury of visiting many campuses mainly because I couldn't afford it at the time. So, I relied on brochures, reviews, college websites, message boards and the occasional school field trip to a college campus. (Because of school, I was able to visit A&M and UH).

I figured SMU was a rich person's school because of when I went to UNT initially, every SMU student I met in Dallas was a [deleted] who drove a luxury car. Every individual review I read about SMU, along with the student-written guide about SMU on Collegeprowler and to the admission to many posters on here and the uncommon snobbery I see on here didn't help much either.

Regarding admission standards, right now is the highest UH admission standards have ever been and it was announced recently that the standards are being raised even higher in the oncoming semesters, so that will be interesting to see. I have heard about a few people and a cousin of mine who recently applied to UH and were rejected and had to go to a Southland or SWAC school instead.

To answer your question, he presently attends University of Houston. He was accepted to UT in November and I assume that means he starts there in January. Apparently, he is not alone:

Transfer, Retention and Graduation Rates:

•First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 81%
•Transfer Out Rate: 24%
•4-Year Graduation Rate: 15%
•6-Year Graduation Rate: 46%

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegeprofiles/p/houston.htm

24% of UH students transfer out. Why? Honestly, UH needs to do something about those graduation rates. I imagine graduation rates would improve if so many students did not transfer to other universities.

If you were interested in SMU, I'm sure the admissions office would have put you in touch with some minority students for you to question. Further, it's hard to believe that you could not get to Dallas if you were interested in SMU, especially if you were at UNT.

For your information, "Minority undergraduate and graduate students constitute 25 percent of SMU's student population [and] each year, approximately 1,000 undergraduates (17 percent) qualify to receive federal Pell Grants, based on low family income." http://smu.edu/impact/LeadingNationalUniversity.asp

See also: Editorial: SMU stereotype no longer works

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20120420-editorial-smu-stereotype-no-longer-works.ece

25 percent of its students are minorities.

10 percent are from abroad, with China leading the way.

50 percent come from outside Texas.

70 percent receive financial aid based upon merit or need.

17 percent qualify for Pell grants based upon low family income.

404 endowed scholarships have been added since 1997.

In short, the school is diversifying - and has been for some time.

[Rayburn]

I think you're constructing a strawman with this diversity bullsheyat.

My niece went to UH and lived on campus for a year before transferring out to Texas Tech. She said there was no community spirit at UH. The students weren't into anything outside of their own concerns. At Tech, there was more of a sense of community and she loved it. Crime spilling out of the Third Ward onto the UH campus has been a feature of life for decades. The ward hoods prowl the edges of the campus and target UH students, often nesting on the campus itself (many could be found lurking around Robertson Stadium on weekdays, I've seen them myself).

My sister-in-law -- a UH grad herself -- never wanted her daughter to go to Cougar High because "she could do better."

[Cougar King]

Thanks for the responses everybody, except for you Rayburn. You're just being an [deleted].

[mrydel]

Yeah, first hand knowledge is a [deleted].