What makes a university a world-class institution? There are many answers to this question: high-quality facilities, strong alumni support, high acceptance standards, a loyal, active student body and much more. The University of Houston is a great school, but to be better, the students, past and present, must put forth more effort.
Why is the UH student body so apathetic and loath to become more involved in their University? The narcissistic zeitgeist of the 21st century, students living off campus and lack of pride in the school add up to a diminished and paltry contribution to the University.
We live in an era of instant gratification. If something doesn’t appeal to our basest senses in under 59 seconds, then it is swiftly discarded. Many students cannot even sit through a 45-minute lecture without texting, checking their e-mail or surfing the Internet.
"What’s in it for me?" is the mantra of the day. Will it help me get extra credit or skip an exam? Contributing time to your school may not ever help you get better grades, and most likely, will compete with time spent doing homework, writing a paper or studying.
It may not always be fun, and will cut into television time, dating and partying, but it will be more meaningful and contribute more to the success of the University.
Turn off the phone for an hour and join a student group or attend a Student Government Association Senate meeting. The world can wait to hear about who hit on you today or how much you drank the night before. Do you know who represents your college in the SGA? What bills have recently been passed? Which bills are being discussed? Is the SGA addressing the most important issues? Is it taking the administration to task as often as they should?
If you answered, "I don’t know" to any of these questions, then inform yourself. If you answered, "I don’t know" to all of them, then you are disconnected from the institution into which you’re pouring thousands of dollars, and probably don’t care about anything that doesn’t satisfy your hunger, babysit your childishly short attention span or stimulate your genitals.
From spending just one semester at UH, one may conclude this is a frighteningly high percentage of students.
The University is a commuter school. Most students live off campus and many of them live in outlying suburbs. This is mostly a product of the lifestyle of Houstonians in general and of economic necessity.
Houston’s mass transit system is seen by many as dangerous, inefficient and complicated, especially for those living in distant areas such as Spring, Humble or League City.
The University’s plans for increased housing may entice more students to live on campus, but there are obstacles beyond availability.
Crime has increased on and near campus in the last few months. This scares students away from staying at school after classes are over, especially if an activity requires them to stay well past sundown.
For these students to consider staying later and participating in on campus activities, this problem must be tackled effectively with not only more police, but other methods such as electronic surveillance, more emergency call boxes and improved lighting. A UH chapter of the Guardian Angels wouldn’t hurt, either.
There is a serious lack of Cougar pride among students. For one, the school never makes it to the top of any U.S. News and World Reports ranking.
This may seem a frivolous criterion for pride in a school, but universities at the top of the rankings see this as a feather in their cap and can attract more students willing to make a great school even better.
Some of our programs are ranked, such as clinical psychology and creative writing, but pale in comparison to the University of Texas’ prestige.
This is a sore spot among the student body, and obviously carries over to alumni, from whom the University is constantly devising schemes to drag a few bucks. They could be more accurately labeled "escapees" than alumni, given the amount of donations and attention most of them give their alma mater.
The University of Houston can and should be a better university. It sits in the middle of the energy capital of the nation, is extremely diverse in population and is close to scores of cultural venues. But location can only carry an institution so far. The heart and soul of a university is its student body. UH deserves more from its students and alumni.
Webb, a political science and creative writing senior and Opinion editor, can be reached via [email protected]
