It may be beating a dead horse by now, but the post-Hurricane Ike reopening of the campus still appears to be a sore spot in the minds of many UH students.
After Ike, not a day would go by without the looks of disdain on students’ faces at having to be on campus so soon after the storm. Gasoline prices, no matter how cheap or expensive, became irrelevant as the simple prospect of obtaining gas would make many Houstonians hunt for it, using up whatever gas was left in their vehicles. Streets were barricaded by debris, and staying home was advised on every news station. The bread and water aisles of grocery stores around the city remained empty, save for the price tags dangling from the shelves. The biggest inconvenience remains the lack of electricity in many homes. There’s no denying that Ike, to varying degrees, was an inconvenience to everyone.
As students of a generation who use e-mail to handle our business, Facebook as our source of news and our phones as our link to the outside world, it’s easy to see why we quickly became frustrated once all of these things are powerless.
To top it off, even with the nice weather, going without air conditioning in Houston is uncomfortable to the point of wanting to sit in a car with the A/C on full blast. Loud, displeased comments in the computer labs would be exchanged between students, often sounding something like this: "It’s so stupid that we have to be here. We’re not even learning anything new in class. I still don’t have power. Are you going to class?’ ‘Oh, no, I’m just here to use the Internet.’" The natural response to those having to go well out of their way to get to school would be, well, don’t go to class.
However, to look on the bright side, or rather, brighter side, the University had power and water, suffered only minor damage and was able to open its doors sooner rather than later, potentially saving us our valued holidays. Classes were non-mandatory, and any professor who thought it wise to begin new material on these days was only hurting his or her own agenda.
Obtaining gas is an inconvenience all Houstonians are facing, not just students. Were we all out into the working world, as many of us are, we would be just as upset at our place of employment for resuming normal business hours.
The University has been criticized for its lack of compassion for the surrounding community by not offering its resources. Our campus is now proudly serving as a Point of Distribution for vital necessities and has many UH students with big hearts and time to help. Much of the debris has been cleared or reduced, and UH hours adapted to every curfew change.
Once UH was back on its own feet it was doing what it could to help others, which is all anyone can ask. The important part is that our University is still standing. President Renu Khator and the University’s decision to reopen campus may have seemed hasty and inconsiderate, but realistically, it was all that could be done.
The University of Houston isn’t the Federal Emergency Management Agency and these facilities are not Reliant Stadium, but it is doing what it can to help people get back on track and to move forward – which is the best thing anyone can do after facing adversity.
Pang, a communication senior, can be reached via [email protected]
