Another round of ‘Let’s talk about downward expansion’

We’ve been good sports about this whole downward expansion thing. As juniors and seniors, we’ve embraced our new, big-sibling roles and played along. We’ve attended the much-hyped events, and cheered, at least publically, right along with the administration every time we heard the word “freshmen.”

In the years leading up to this one, the word “freshmen” became a type of UHCL-specific slang word – a way to discuss the impending arrival of freshmen and sophomores on campus for the first time without having to repetitively say “downward expansion” or “the Four-Year Initiative.”

It wasn’t even “freshmen and sophomores.” The entire, lengthy process was simply summed up as “freshmen,” and that word could elicit a variety of responses in student conversation – from eyes widening in anticipation, to a shrug of indifference, or even the classic face-drained look of dread.

We worried that the culture of the campus would change, we inwardly groaned as every new ‘exciting’ thing was announced, and we wondered what the real effects would be when the time came to open the doors to freshmen and sophomores, but despite all of our mumblings, we, as a whole, supported it.

When this year finally came, it was not without flaws or excessive fanfare. We rolled our eyes at the parking problems and we scrunched our eyebrows in confusion at the new names and numbers on the course schedule. We kept our reactions minimal, our annoyance with the whole of it weakened by a bit of pride as we watched our university – a place that is more a home than our own houses to some of us – grow so much so quickly.

We came to some collective, unspoken agreement to just wait it out, deciding that the lower-level emphasis would fade in time – that the newness would wear off quick enough. We assumed that the administrative excitement over “freshmen” would transition easily into positive changes for the entire student body.

The reason that we’ve been such good sports is most likely owed to our campus culture, that one we are so protective of. Laughing it off was a more natural reaction than legitimate anger, like we were teasing older siblings. Even though every month it started to look more and more like we’d been pushed aside in favor of a crowd of new faces, we did our best to take it all in stride.

This semester has been a rough road for some of us junior, senior and graduate students. We took a sharp turn from feeling like an integral part of the campus community into feeling like accessories to a greater marketing plan, and we, ever cooperative, just continued to roll with it… until the changes began to reach our transcripts and rearrange our graduation plans.

As graduating students began to concrete their plans for their final semester, some were told they would have to defer their graduation because of changes made to the undergraduate catalog – changes made to accommodate freshmen, sophomores and the 120-credit-hour degree plans required for the new students.

Long-standing, reliable courses were suddenly transitioned to lower-level courses that wouldn’t count toward credit hour requirements. Core courses required by pre-existing degree plans were suddenly not being offered during every long semester. Some classes disappeared from the rubric entirely.

Courses that were offered solely online for years were moved to face-to-face courses, meeting twice weekly, with only one offering, which was scheduled during standard business hours – at a university that has always prided itself on its non-traditional and frequently traditionally employed student body.

This goes beyond manufactured excitement and policy-induced school pride. This is bigger than a major headache for a minority of students. This error was predictable and preventable. More importantly, the planning failure is expensive, disheartening and downright humiliating to the students it’s affecting – the ones who helped pry open the doors to let freshmen in.

Since the start of the entire downward expansion adventure, we’ve been full participants in helping UHCL reach its goal. We’ve championed this cause and met the administration step for step in enthusiasm.

The fact that we’re coming to the close of our first semester as a four-year university is a source of pride for the campus community as a whole. It took an immense amount of advance planning and strategizing, and to arrive on schedule as well as we did was a significant accomplishment on the part of the administration.

Still… credit should also be given to every other person who played a role, including every faculty member, staff member, alumni, and student – whether at the undergraduate or graduate level – who invested their time and energy into this change.

Going forward, we need to get back to remembering that the entire student body is vital to this university and its ultimate growth or success. A serious discussion about the approach to degree plan changes needs to happen so that the welcomed inclusion of freshmen and sophomores doesn’t come at the expense of juniors and seniors.

We have worked with you on this plan. We’ve supported it, accommodated it, done what we could to help you keep it on schedule, and cheered for every accomplishment. Over the next couple of years, while the last of the two-year degree plan students work toward graduation, we need to know that you’ll return the favor.