UTA wants to shed commuter campus image

[WIFE2HOT4U]

ARLINGTON -- At age 111, the University of Texas at Arlington is a little old for a makeover, but that isn't stopping university officials looking to change the way the public and students think about the school.

Their message: Those who consider UT-Arlington a commuter school lacking the feeling of a vibrant campus should look again.

With classes beginning today, about 4,500 of the university's 26,000 students, or 17.3 percent, are expected to live on campus, officials said. According to its own research, UT-Arlington will have a higher percentage of students living on campus than any UT System school.

"There's nothing wrong with being a commuter school, but we have a campus for students who want to stay on or off campus," UT-Arlington President James Spaniolo said. "We just want our on-campus students to be that core that creates campus life. Hopefully, that core will serve as a magnet for the students who live off campus but want to be involved."

As part of the 20-year master plan it developed in 1999, the university hopes to build a development called "College Town," a mixed-use development with market-rate apartments above ground-level retail spaces at UTA Boulevard and Cooper Street, said John Hall, vice president for administration and campus operations.

The master plan also calls for modifications to make campus more pedestrian-friendly -- a recent trend at universities, Hall said. Streets will be narrowed for more foot traffic, trees and landscaping will be added and parking lots will be renovated for more green space or park areas, he said.

The university also has a $32 million activities building under construction with an Internet cafe and lounge area. The University Center will also be renovated, he said.

Officials hope that these projects will create hubs for students to gather.

"This will enhance the college-life experience," he said. "It helps students become more engaged and more excited with campus life."

Still, transforming UT-Arlington's reputation is far from complete. Even with the changes in the number of students living on campus and with the changing look, some believe that the school has more work to do.

Lauren Ellison, a sophomore English major, said she sees the university as a stepping-stone to her final destination: Texas Tech. UT-Arlington is more of a transitional school or a community college, she said.

"I don't feel like I'm getting the full college life here," Ellison said.

Ellison said the city of Arlington doesn't have what most college towns do: a street or other locale where students can hang out. At Texas Christian University, Berry Street and University Drive are cluttered with retailers and restaurants that appeal to students. At the University of North Texas, Fry Street has similar student attractions.

In Arlington, not many businesses that cater to UT-Arlington students have cropped up on Cooper Street, the major street that cuts through the school.

"We need better places to hang out other than the library," Ellison said.

Ellison's attitude is the kind of thing Frank Lamas wants to put an end to. Lamas, a UT-Arlington vice president for student affairs, said the university wants to keep students more engaged by creating new traditions, carrying out existing traditions and increasing activities.

This year, for example, actor and hip-hop artist Ludacris will perform Sept.7, the first concert at Maverick Stadium.

The school is also expanding Welcome Week activities and other activities such as Parents Weekend, Lamas said.

"When students come to UTA, it should be a transformative experience," Lamas said. "They look back four years later, and these events will be what they look back on very fondly."

In the meantime, student government wants to continue encouraging administrators to improve campus life. Student Congress President Zac Sanders said the Student Congress wants to attract a bar and a restaurant for the University Center, the main student building. They would also like to add a Taco Bell and a Subway. A Starbucks is expected to open in the University Center today, officials said.

"To me, the perfect thing UTA needs are three- or four-story buildings with businesses, restaurants or a grocery store on the ground floor and apartments on the top floors," Sanders said. "That is what Arlington is waiting for, is trendy businesses that will be unique to the area."

Development around the school will also help the city's efforts to revitalize central and downtown Arlington, said Wes Jurey, Chamber of Commerce president. The chamber's Downtown Development Council, which includes city and university officials, is trying to find ways to bring housing to the area along with entertainment and retail venues, he said.

Jurey said boosting the downtown will attract students to the university's research program, which in turn will put more money into the economy.

UT-Arlington is still changing and growing, and each year it is doing something different to make it better, Sanders said.

"If you want UTA to be a commuter school, it can be," Sanders said. "If you want UTA to be a traditional campus ... you can do that, too. It's whatever you want it to be, and I don't think that's true with very many schools."

Ricardo Lopez, a 2004 UT-Arlington graduate and a member of the school's alumni board, said he believes that the university's efforts to create quality housing and distinguish itself as a valuable part of the community will pay off.

"I think that the university is really showing a commitment to working toward increasing the awareness of what UT-Arlington has to offer," Lopez said. "But I do think that takes time."

Staff writer Nathaniel Jones contributed to this report.

IN THE KNOW

In 1993, about 8 percent of the University of Texas at Arlington's students lived on campus. Today, about 17 percent live on campus, according to university officials.

SOURCE: UT-Arlington housing office and Star-Telegram archives

[drex]

To me UTA has never provided much of a college experience. In fact, I always think of it as just a large seminar.

[meangreendork]

It doesn't look or feel like a school that's really about the college experience. Maybe it's the way the campus is laid out or just the student mentality, but it's like everyone wants to "get their degree and get out".

You should see UTD. It's even worse.

[NM Green]

The campus is not bad, but the surrounding area is kind of dead. Arlington could really revitalize that area with some focused strategy and resources. With a base that large there should be more for the students to do, and then of course there is that sports thing. They need to bring back even D1AA football to create some college atmosphere.

GMG

[ADLER]

UTA has nobody to blame other than themselves for the stigma. UTA participates in a program with UT-Austin in which students that don't make the cut to get in UT get diverted and start at UTA instead. If they have a sufficient GPA after several semesters they are automatically accepted to transfer to Austin.

That is one huge reason that nobody makes an emotional attachment to the school. It's treated as a stepping stone that few want to get stuck on.

There's a huge contrast between UTA and North Texas. UTA has prospered feeding off the scraps flowing down through the overfunded UT system.

North Texas has had to fight to attain everything it has as a Flagship school in it's own university system.

It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

UTA lives on it's knees.

*UTA's few loyal fans despise North Texas because they are very well aware of these facts.

If you don't believe me, try to find anything about North Texas that is not derogatory on this web site.

Edited August 29, 2006 by ADLER

[Mean'n'Green07]

UTA lives on it's knees.

*UTA's few loyal fans despise North Texas because they are very well aware of these facts.

If you don't believe me, try to find anything about North Texas that is not derogatory on this web site.

←

Why does the UTA board have a football forum? For this logic, we need to add a UNT baseball section because we want it in the future.

[tux]

It doesn't look or feel like a school that's really about the college experience. Maybe it's the way the campus is laid out or just the student mentality, but it's like everyone wants to "get their degree and get out".

You should see UTD. It's even worse.

←

You are sooo right. I visited the UTD campus with my son because he was looking at several schools to go to. UTD's bland modern flat-walled computer-puchcard windows architecture theme/schema, and few-and far-in-between smaller tree landscaping made us feel like we were walking in the grounds of a prison. UNT has some modern buildings too, but they are not the overwhelming majority. Plus, the older brick, carved-stone relief and gabled roof buildings, and the larger trees and verdant areas give UNT a far nicer look and a more traditional campus feel, an almost old English/Victorian style. Of course, this was just our opinion.

[Go_UTA]

UTA has nobody to blame other than themselves for the stigma. UTA participates in a program with UT-Austin in which students that don't make the cut to get in UT get diverted and start at UTA instead. If they have a sufficient GPA after several semesters they are automatically accepted to transfer to Austin.

That is one huge reason that nobody makes an emotional attachment to the school. It's treated as a stepping stone that few want to get stuck on.

There's a huge contrast between UTA and North Texas. UTA has prospered feeding off the scraps flowing down through the overfunded UT system.

North Texas has had to fight to attain everything it has as a Flagship school in it's own university system.

It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

UTA lives on it's knees.

*UTA's few loyal fans despise North Texas because they are very well aware of these facts.

If you don't believe me, try to find anything about North Texas that is not derogatory on this web site.

←

Adler, you are funny, and I hesitate to even reply. However, as there seems to be a surprising need for posters on this board to comment on UT Arlington and that much hostility and "despising" seems to come from you, I will.

First, as a semi-regular poster on this board and a regular poster on the UT Arlington board, it should be apparent to all of you guys that I don't "despise" UNT. In fact, I have admiration for certain qualities of your school, otherwise I wouldn't even bother. It is also my opinion that the posters on our board don't despise UNT. There may be some range of opinion, but "despise" probably isn't one of them. Don't flatter yourself. In fact, there is far more UT Arlington hostility exhibited on this one string than you will probably ever be able to find on our board about UNT. References to UNT are infrequent, and you will have to do a lot of digging around on our board to find much mention. Mostly, however, I think people would like to play UNT in any common sports (a stance about which I am on record on both boards). In any case, one thing I do feel is very confident about UTA. I am extraordinarly excited about what I see happening on campus in so many ways. (I won't pull a "Marshall," and will spare you the details.) I have no worries about UNT.

Regarding that transfer program to UT Austin, it is pretty small in scope. Three hundred or so people at any given point in time at most. Limited though it is, the reason we entered into that agreement was with the objective of retaining as many of those students as possible. Sure, some are hell bent on transfering, but many others get involved, like what they are experiencing, and end-up staying. These students are very good; on average they have higher credentials than the average at either one of our universities. That is why UTA keeps that program and makes efforts to retain the these highly qualified students. It has been a benefit to UTA, otherwise it would have been canceled. (BTW, UTSA uses that program in a far more significant scale, and they are seeing the advantages. They have made inroads into the Houston market that they never would have otherwise.)

BTW, NMGreen, yours was a pretty good post.

Go

[Mean'n'Green07]

Adler, you are funny, and I hesitate to even reply.  However, as there seems to be a surprising need for posters on this board to comment on UT Arlington and that much hostility and "despising" seems to come from you, I will. 

First, as a semi-regular poster on this board and a regular poster on the UT Arlington board, it should be apparent to all of you guys that I don't "despise" UNT.  In fact, I have admiration for certain qualities of your school, otherwise I wouldn't even bother.  It is also my opinion that the posters on our board don't despise UNT.  There may be some range of opinion, but "despise" probably isn't one of them.  Don't flatter yourself.  In fact, there is far more UT Arlington hostility exhibited on this one string than you will probably ever be able to find on our board about UNT.  References to UNT are infrequent, and you will have to do a lot of digging around on our board to find much mention.  Mostly, however, I think people would like to play UNT in any common sports (a stance about which I am on record on both boards).  In any case, one thing I do feel is very confident about UTA.  I am extraordinarly excited about what I see happening on campus in so many ways.  (I won't pull a "Marshall," and will spare you the details.)  I have no worries about UNT.

Regarding that transfer program to UT Austin, it is pretty small in scope.  Three hundred or so people at any given point in time at most.  Limited though it is, the reason we entered into that agreement was with the objective of retaining as many of those students as possible.  Sure, some are hell bent on transfering, but many others get involved, like what they are experiencing, and end-up staying.  These students are very good; on average they have higher credentials than the average at either one of our universities.  That is why UTA keeps that program and makes efforts to retain the these highly qualified students.  It has been a benefit to UTA, otherwise it would have been canceled.  (BTW, UTSA uses that program in a far more significant scale, and they are seeing the advantages.  They have made inroads into the Houston market that they never would have otherwise.)

BTW, NMGreen, yours was a pretty good post.

Go

←

I thought I remembered reading somewhere that the UTA administration had looked at UNT and their strategic plans to see if they could get the students more involved at UTA. I don't remember, I've drank since then.

I said this earlier in a previous thread, but I grew up and went to highschool literally less than a mile away from UTA. UTA had a huge commuter image and was often refered to as the 13th grade or UNC (University of North Cooper). Hopefully UTA can shake their image, but the until they get a football team that starts packing people in the stands I just don't see that happening.

[HawaiianGreen]

everytime i have drove through uta seems to be a nice campus.

[SilverEagle]

I never understood why the UTA administration totally took away football. If they couldn't have supported 1-AA ball, then they should have tried to join the ranks of the non-ship schools. At least they would have maintained some semblance of a college campus experience.

[WIFE2HOT4U]

Isn’t the student ave age @ UTAlmost “28” ?

That would be the real problem right?

I grew up in Atown and I can tell you UTA is viewed as one step ahead of TCC & not by much.

Personally, there is not much about Arlington that is desirable including UTA.

If you want to be an Engineer – not a bad place to go.

[KingDL1]

I was flying last month in the area and took these.

UTA Campus

[PlummMeanGreen]

Isn’t the student ave age @ UTAlmost  “28” ? 

That would be the real problem right?

I grew up in Atown and I can tell you UTA is  viewed as one step ahead of TCC & not by much.

Personally, there is not much about Arlington that is desirable including UTA.

If you want to be an Engineer – not a bad place to go.

←

REVISED

First of all, kudo's to the UTA president for having the 'nads to say and I most liberally paraphrase him: "There's nothing wrong with being a commuter school." FWIW and to all those critics out there who think "commuter" is tantamount to having some kind of Biblical disease, anyway, UT-Austin is a commuter school (if we use today's standards of students living on campus compared to those who do not); but anyway...........UT has had pretty good success in athletics of late, and has been pretty successful as an university starting with their origins in the late 1870's for starters)?

Come on, folks, Arlington, Texas, will soon have the Dallas (Arlington) Cowboys as part of its community and Denton, Texas, won't.

Arlington, Texas will soon within the confines of its city limits have the newest and most modern stadium in the world (with a sliding roof --WHAT A CONCEPT in this greenhouse era of multi-100 degree summer days which have become common in our north Texas summers--HELLO! TOM HICKS AND THE TEXAS RANGERS--YALL LISTENING?!?

Anyhoooo............while we of UNT (along with Dentonites and those of us who are former Dentonites) are trying to find some"ONE" who will really go outside the box, invest into our present product and be our own green-tinted version of T. Boone Pickens and provide for Mean Green football one helluva' big opportunity to get out of this (seemed) annual near-Bottom 20 & SBC co-existance while being a NCAA D1-A school that still has a track inside its football venue. With our stadium (probably) still being the most visilbe edifice to commuters off Interstate 35-E. And this venerable limping ol' lady that we still keep trying to polish when we all know you can only polish a t--rd just so many times without getting ridiculous about it.

Even more to the point: : If Denton, Texas, America, in decades past had had a Tom Vandergriff (a real bonafide civic mover and shaker) as one of its leaders(and FWIW Denton has "NEVER" had such a visionary and from all accounts I don't see one emerging as of yet), I really believe UNT would (at least) be a school that would be a helluva' lot further ahead down the road of NCAA D1-A than where it is today...............instead of our constant attempts of trying to sweep past (much) higher profile successes of Mean Green football under the rug and go back to the womb, athletic-wise). No matter how hard some today may try to convince us, a win over Middle Tennessee still doesn't have the power-punch of a win over the University of Tennessee Volunteers.

IN THE RED...........

We need professional fundraisers at UNT, folks, and after 116 years of our school's existence and still having (only) $40 or so million in the entire UNT System endowment, I'd say we have not been very successful in hiring professional fund-raisers who can (and will) get off our campus, go out and get the, uh, RBT's..........ie, the Really Big Tater'$. I guess our having no fore-seeable replacement for Fouts Field is further proof?

How much UNT has raised toward the new stadium fund as of today might even be a further hint that we will (in deed) still need a Big Donor for a new stadium at Eagle Point Campus OR...............for this new stadium to ever having a chance of getting started and finished B4 some UNT leaders (present or near future) with non-UNT degrees decide we need to tone down all this NCAA D1-A talk and business in Denton, Texas--Home of the Mean Green.

Some may also wonder what our answer willl be to Texas Department of Transportation officials when they announce to UNT that they now need their frontage property adjacent to Fouts Field and (1 or 2 A.D's later) UNT still doesn't have anything but (more) talk and those (forever) new stadium blueprints to show T-DOT officials? Think that will delay T-DOT in getting their frontage property near Fouts Field? I don't...............

...............................................................................

Meanwhile.............the city of Arlington, Texas, will probably have already hosted 2 Super Bowls while its just more of the same in Denton, Texas, America...........

Edited August 29, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

[mad dog]

UTA does have things it is known for. While they can't hold a candle to North Texas Public Administration program (Best in Texas and Southwest, top 10 nationally), it is a well known fact that if you want a good local planner, you hire someone from UTA. Just thought I'd throw that in.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Why does the UTA board have a football forum? For this logic, we need to add a UNT baseball section because we want it in the future. 

←

--- UTA officials really messed up, as did Lamar, when they dropped football.... Their name recognition has really declined since then... There are those that are really critical of us going to I-AA (wasn't exactly our decision) but the NCAA created it and the guidelines put us in it. At least our administration (regents?) made the right decision and we continued with a hope of getting back to I-A which we are. In Texas a school without a credible football program is not thought of very well unless it has extremely high academic standards and even that doesn't work very well. UT-Dallas sometimes has the highest SAT's in the state (Rice usually does) but not a lot of people outside of Dallas know anything about it.

---When I was a NT student during the 60's, both UTA and NT had almost exactly the same enrollment, about 13,000. We had an advantage status-wise and were more widely known because we were in high profile basketball conference (MVC) with Louisville, Cincinnati etc. UTA's advantage over us was a huge population that was located extremely close which kept their enrollment up. Since they dropped football we have really grown and they haven't so much in enrollment and I think dropped in Texas name recognition. Obviously you never hear the UTA name on sports during the fall and North Texas does make news/sports some. Football is important to student recruiting and to school pride and causes name recognition away from the Dallas area...even if we aren't in an elite conference. In West Texas I can't even remember the last time I heard the name UTA mentioned. North Texas is mentioned a lot and in the paper and on TV quite a bit.

---Success in football can be important as well. I can not even tell you how many UT shirts and and hats I have seen the past two days on the community college campus that I teach at. Very few of them will ever go to UT. Everyone loves big winners, and UT (sorry Emmitt) is one. This despite the fact TxTech is only 120 miles north of here..... [120 miles in West Texas is like down the street to those in the metroplex, distence means little to us]. See yawl at the SMU game (which 350 miles from here), I will be there .

--Hope we can hold our own in Austin next week.... it would really get people's attention in this area (Southwest) if we did. NT has really gotten West Texas attention when they have defeated TxTech especially when Dykes was coach because he went to Tech from Midland.

Why does UTA have a football thread...??? They want back into the sport but that is a tough deal to do now. Somthinng to think about... Buffalo has a horrible football program but we at least have heard of it.... without a football program I doubt we would recognize the name college-wise.

--

Edited August 29, 2006 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[Stan R]

DIE THREAD! DIE!

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Sorry, but I don't ever see UTA as a residential campus. They would need more than double the dorm space that they have now without an increase in enfollment. On the other hand, the University of Texas at Austin is also classed as a commuter school by CollegeBoard.com? It takes dorm residents, not those that live within x miles of campus, to change the status.

The campus is OK and they have some fine programs. I have a son-in-law who is an UTA-ex because of the fine program that they have in robotics. Good courses of study and improved SATs won't change the commuter campus image. That will happen when students come from all over the state and nation and reside ON CAMPUS.

In my opinion, football needs to be reinstated and basketball needs a new venue. Private colleges do fine back East without football but not in Texas. Outside the Metroplex, who is better known...UTA or your sister school, UTEP. UTEP is not nearly as strong academically as UTA but they are much better known because of athletics. The people of El Paso understand the concept now if we could only teach them in Denton and Arlington.

[Go_UTA]

DIE THREAD! DIE!

←

Yeah, just let it die. I thought this was a NT board.

Everybody is welcome to come over and discuss any and all on our board. If you want to discuss f-ball, trust me, you will get a variety of thoughts. If you want to see all the new on-campus housing, I recommend a nice walk through the well landscaped campus. It's pretty impressive what has happend over a relatively short amount of time. If you want to learn more about UT Arlington in general, check-out:

uta.edu (official site)

utamaverick.com (unofficial site)

utamavericks.com (unaffiliated sports and other board)

The UT System site also provides supplemental information for items such as the recently announced nano-technology initiative we are in with Austin and Dallas, new degree programs, opening of the UT Arlington Fort Worth Higher Education Center in downtown, the new executive MBA program, and the massive system science & engineering initiative which is translating into a new $110 million research building on our campus.

Oh, King, thanks for the photos. Look real good.

The End.