So the UH-System Board of Regents voted to change the name of my school, UH-Downtown. I am ambivalent about the idea. I can see both the good and bad about having a new identity for this growing institution.
I would like to know, however, why President Max Castillo failed to inform the University community about his plans before this Fall Semester. The meeting of the board approved the name change, but did not approve “Houston Metropolitan University”. When asked why this name was presented to the board he says “it was chosen merely because it drew fewer objections than other suggestions.” The speed with which this endeavor has been pushed along is very suspicious. Add to this the announcement that Pres. Castillo will be leaving UH-D as of July 1st, and I cannot help thinking that I am being hoodwinked.
As it stands now the board will meet again at the end of January to review different names for the school. Since it has already been approved the only way to completely stop this from happening is to lobby the state legislature. This is not to say that any student/ faculty attempt to stop the name change from happening will work. It still needs to be done. This is our University: the students, faculty, and staff are the life-blood that make it what it is. We deserve more of a say about what goes onto our CV’s, resumes, and job applications. I will be working to organize students to force this issue to be discussed from the beginning, that is to discuss the necessity of it at all. As a shared-governance institution these kinds of secrecy and underhanded tactics should not be allowed. There is hope though because at the end of the Chron’s story our trusty state reps Jessica Farrar and Rod Ellis want to know what we have to say. Even if Mad Max tries to keep our voices from being heard we know who will listen.
Sen. Rodney Ellis said he wants to hear from students and alumni
before committing to a new name. “That’s probably better resolved on
the university level,” he said.Rep. Jessica Farrar said would defer to students, faculty and staff
on what the name should be. “Names mean a lot,” she said. “People get
attached.”
In the mean time I believe that this battle must have two fronts. If the students and faculty are going to have a real say in this matter than we need to address the possibility that it will happen whether we like it or not. Having said this I am starting my own list of names that should be considered. Please tell me what you think. This is a critical issue in the Houston and really Southeast Texas Community.
Here’s my list:
- Houston City University
- Houston International University (I like it, but I think it has already been officially rejected)
- Juan Seguin State University (There should be a state university that acknowledges the rich and important legacy of Mexican Americans, and I also think Juan Seguin is a popular figure to all Texans.)
- Houston University (Plain, Simple, to the Point)
For more you can check out Kuff who says his pick was HMU, and DosCentavos who wants to move UHD to San Marcos.
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Seguin State would be a good choice. Latinos need to feel welcomed, not marginalized, by the academic institutions in Houston. Latinos need to get in school, dig their heels in, work hard, and move on to graduate and professional programs.