Coog here, coming in some passive aggressive peace.
For all the graduates here, how many of y'all lived on Campus, or in an apartment near Campus and drove? A frat house, group living, etc?
If you were not on campus, you were a commuter.
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It's pretty freakin stupid to devalue the educational and subsequently the overall value of a school because of students who cannot necessarily afford to live on campus, or simply just do not want to.
This doesn't mean high school life is repeated. I commuted my entire undergrad and moved to a cheap apartment (since student apartments are expensive here) the same distance away from campus. I'm still considered a commuter whether I'm five minutes away or 50 minutes away. My college experience was just like that of a tsip or Aggie. There are plenty of students who show up to on campus events, athletics (our tickets are completely free and sell out fairly quickly, with basketball going out in just minutes sometimes), nightlife, etc. It's all still there.
Some don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a piece of paper and move three hours away when the educational value is the same or better (this is interchangeable between majors and colleges of TAMU/UH/TU). Heck, we had more money for alcohol in the end
This doesn't take away the school pride that happens during their time, or for those who are able to work a job and come back with season tickets, afterwards.
Houston was about to have a mandatory freshman housing mandate. Until it got blocked by some govt official out in the cow pasture land. Nobody wants to have to pay more money than they already do for education, is just the primary reason. Those students could have claimed exemption though.
Also, the number of on campus beds is second in the state behind y'all. With new dorms being built, we'll be passing that soon (but it should take a few years since we're about 2000 behind).
That being said, with those dorms and our student apartments, we have about 15k living on/near campus. Another 15kish within 10 minutes in apartments a bit further away (Midtown/Downtown/Heights/Montrose/Texas Med Center/3rd Ward), and the rest (20k) living further from that.
Commuting is just a way to get to class. Nothing else. If living on campus and going for college experience really is a thing, then enjoy the six figures of debt. Pride doesn't always have to lie in sports.
And Buck, a lot of the stuff you mentioned were notes/articles from 10-15 years ago. Probably only twice a semester do I see someone wearing a shirt from another University, and it's usually someone who had a degree from there. Any other school in Texas and they were kicked out of class.
Also, if y'all really don't believe that Houston should be in anything big time so y'all won't lose the recruits or have people want to come here over your overpriced sheep brothel, pucker up and play us in a major sport.
I've seen many students from my high school deeply engrained, living and breathing Aggie culture and lifestyle. Upon their arrival at TAMU, they're out within a year or two because that's all it was. Some just wanted to get their degree and got a little sick of it. It's puzzling sometimes, but happens. A good amount transferred out to Houston after 25x25/ETAM in Engineering, when the advising building got torn down for the hotel, and when an athletics renovation was approved every year costing hundreds of millions of dollars while shafting the students in the end.
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All rant/rivalry/jabbing aside, I'm looking forward to seeing what the B12 does. Heck, if the SEC opens up for another Texas school and takes Houston, the entire state would dominate the market and cause a ruckus. I don't believe there would be a risk to losing recruits, people would just want to play where their heart lies. TU/TAMU are still dream schools for some players. Houston for some and just a best fit situation.
Great run in the CWS. What y'all do for NIL is concerning yet impressive. I have deep respect for TAMU as an institution, and I can't say the same for the cow pasture out west.