Staff Editorial

Students should explore what UH has to offer

UH is often glibly referred to as a “commuter school,” implying that it amounts to little more than a collection of individuals who gather together five days a week almost begrudgingly.

President Renu Khator’s well-documented push to raise the school to flagship status isn’t designed to address the population distribution of its students.

But in a sense, it is aimed at combating the more negative connotations inherent in the term “commuter school.” Her campaign intends to change the perception of the school, and in some cases, to put the University in a position to be perceived at all.

Although Khator is earning her paycheck by making this happen, she’s not doing it just for herself.
Increasing the national status of the University will result in more funding for attracting even better faculty. In turn, the number and quality of events held on campus would rise and better facilities could be built.

But it also means something different, something more integral to the students at UH.

As we wait for the political machine Khator helms to take form, there is something students can do to change the way the University is perceive: we can change the way we perceive it.

Instead of acting like ants, following with nary a deviation a pheromone trail set down by PeopleSoft at the beginning of each semester, we can look up, shake our heads clear and see all the amazing opportunities UH presents us to get out of our ruts, not reinforce them.

This means English majors could go to more fiction and poetry readings, music majors could go to more recitals and communication majors could actually getting involved with the campus paper.

Students should make it a point to seek out events held on areas of campus they haven’t visited. Think about attending something or going somewhere you’ve never considered.

It’s surprising, the vistas UH students could attain if only they would stop seeing the University as just a “commuter school.”

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