Students must hold themselves accountable for lackluster graduation rates
David Delgado// The Daily Cougar
UH is home to more than 40,000 students. According to collegeboard.com, only 46 percent of those students graduate within six years — the lowest rate among all Tier One universities in Texas. The University of Texas boasts a six-year graduation rate of 79 percent while Texas A&M has an 80-percent graduation rate. Something is keeping UH students from graduating within six years of becoming a freshman.
A major part of the problem is that UH is a commuter school and a large majority of the undergraduate students do not live on campus. According to collegeboard.com, 85 percent of UH students take some form of transport, other than walking, to get to their classes. That in itself is a huge excuse waiting to happen. It may surprise some of us how easy it is to convince yourself to not attend classes.
The bottom line: People are lazy.
It’s not professors’ responsibility to make sure students attend class — they’ll get their paychecks regardless. Sure, they can make attendance mandatory, but if someone is too lazy to put gas in their car before class, they’ll likely be able to convince themselves that they can make up the attendance with great test scores.
They’ll go to the next class, maybe, but the same cycle of excuses will inevitably rear its ugly head.
Students need to take more responsibility when it comes to their education, but UH is also taking more efforts.
The UH System comprises four universities with campuses across the region. Those campuses might not offer every class, but it would be unrealistic to expect them to do so. The System is doing its best to make classes readily available.
For students trying to gain an education around busy work schedules, online classes can help. There is really no excuse for not attending, since you aren’t even required to leave bed.
In addition, UH increased its on-campus student accommodations this summer, and according to Jordan Sass, the assistant director of Admissions, UH now has the second highest number of residence halls in the state, a total of 8,000 beds, giving students the opportunity to live on campus for easier access to classes without having to put gas in their car or wait in traffic.
I’m not trying to bash the student body to death, but it’s not the faculty’s fault, and it’s not the administration’s fault. That only leaves the students to be held responsible. College is a privilege, not a right. More people need to learn that lesson.
Opinion columnist Euan Leith is a journalism junior and may be reached at [email protected].
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