SUNO Backers Claim Immunity From Standards, Accountability
At a meeting this morning in a packed gym on campus, backers of Southern University-New Orleans rallied in opposition to a proposed merger with the University of New Orleans put forth by Gov. Bobby Jindal earlier this month.
One could argue what was said at the meeting, as quoted by the Times-Picayune’s John Pope in his piece on the gathering today, did little to advance the cause of keeping SUNO alive as a separate entity.
The money quote from the rally was delivered by the president of SUNO’s alumni association, Randolph Scott. Scott answered the central objection to keeping the school afloat, namely a six-year graduation rate assessed by the federal Department of Education at a scandalously low five percent, in a defiant, if unwise, manner…
“Southern University was not developed to graduate people,” he said. “It was developed to give (poor and poorly prepared) people…the opportunity to get a higher education. We don’t have to graduate anybody.”
SUNO claims a six-year graduation rate of some 9.28 percent. SUNO also has been unable to produce simple statistics on classroom occupancy since 2005, statistics both UNO and Delgado Community College have been able to produce.
Regardless of the number, which in any event is less than 10 percent (the American Enterprise Institute, in its study on six-year graduation rates published last fall, pegs SUNO at an eight percent rate), the mentality expressed by Scott – namely that SUNO isn’t responsible for producing graduates because what’s important is that a certain constituency gets access to something resembling higher education – seems to have pervaded the meeting.
Several speakers stressed the importance of historically black colleges such as SUNO for the work they do with students who are poorly prepared for college work while in high school.
…
SUNO officials contend that the federal figure undercounts the number of people who earn degrees there because it counts only full-time freshmen who finished undergraduate work at the same institution where they started at within six years.
This is not possible for many students because they have to juggle jobs and family responsibilities, several speakers said, and many return to college after years away from academics.
Anthony Jeanmarie, a 35-year-old senior, called SUNO “the only place where a 35-year-old … who walked away from college and came back can earn a degree. If not SUNO, where?”
The more practical excuse being offered for the poor graduation rate at SUNO, namely that many of its students are of the untraditional variety and are working while in school, etc., is similar to that offered as justification for UNO’s unappealing graduation rate – 24 percent, according to the AEI study. SUNO offers open admissions, a policy from which it has attained an enrollment of 3,141 students – 96 percent of whom are African-American. UNO admits 77 percent of its applicants; 57 percent of its 11,724 students are white.
Certainly, students who are balancing academic pursuits with jobs and families will have a more difficult time graduating in six years than full-time students enjoying the traditional college experience. But even measured against other urban, commuter-oriented schools across the South, SUNO and UNO both show unimpressive graduation rates.
A sampling of other public universities in urban Southern settings SUNO and UNO could be reasonably compared to (per the AEI study)…
- Alabama-Birmingham: 13,146 students, 38 percent grad rate
- Auburn-Montgomery: 3,856 students, 27 percent grad rate
- South Alabama (Mobile): 11,618 students, 37 percent grad rate
- Arkansas-Little Rock: 8,843 students, 20 percent grad rate
- Florida A&M (Tallahassee/HBCU): 10,678 students, 39 percent grad rate
- Central Florida (Orlando): 39,639 students, 59 percent grad rate
- South Florida (Tampa): 35,247 students, 49 percent grad rate
- Georgia State (Atlanta): 22,136 students, 47 percent grad rate
- Savannah State (HBCU): 2,860 students, 40 percent grad rate
- Louisville: 17,294 students, 44 percent grad rate
- Jackson State (HBCU): 7,431 students, 36 percent grad rate
- North Carolina-Charlotte: 18,686 students, 51 percent grad rate
- Memphis: 16,276 students, 34 percent grad rate
- Lamar (Beaumont): 8,328 students, 36 percent grad rate
- Texas Southern (Houston/HBCU): 8,228 students, 12 percent grad rate
- Houston-Downtown (29 percent black/39 percent Hispanic): 8,370 students, 16 percent grad rate
- Houston: 28,476 students, 43 percent grad rate
- Texas-Arlington: 19,319 students, 52 percent grad rate
- Texas-Dallas: 11,202 students, 55 percent grad rate
- Texas-El Paso: 15,259 students, 29 percent grad rate
- Texas-San Antonio: 23,409 students, 30 percent grad rate
- Norfolk State (HBCU): 5,292 students, 31 percent grad rate
- Virginia Commonwealth (Richmond): 25,890 students, 47 percent grad rate
The facts don’t lie; UNO and SUNO compare poorly with virtually every analogous institution in Southern states. And in the AEI study there is no public university in the nation with a graduation rate as shameful as SUNO’s graduation rate. There are a very few schools out there with rates in the single digits, but every one of them is a private school (in particular, for-profit schools and especially those who offer online degrees tend to have very low graduation rates due to their catering to similar student populations to those SUNO and UNO service).
We ran the numbers from SUNO’s 2009-10 Annual Report and calculated that at 3,100 students SUNO’s $40.3 million budget indicates it costs the state $13,000 per student per year. SUNO’s website indicates it charges $1,594 per semester in in-state tuition, which means that taxpayers are footing a bill of about $10,000 per year for students at a school Scott says “was not developed to graduate people.” It should be noted that most SUNO students are taking on some kind of debt to fund their education – so the idea that attending SUNO and not earning a degree means those students have wasted their time and put themselves into debt in the bargain.
If a white Republican from the suburbs had said SUNO was not developed to graduate people and that “(they) don’t have to graduate anybody,” said white Republican would be lambasted as the worst kind of racist. And for good reason. The statement implies that since SUNO’s clientele happens to be almost exclusively African-American, it is of value to the taxpayers to offer what amounts to adult daycare to them at a cost of $10,000 per year. This, when next door UNO has the facilities to absorb double SUNO’s student body and still not return to the enrollment that university had prior to Katrina – and when Delgado Community College less than five miles away has the ability to process those open-admission students into a relatively marketable associates’ degree which can carry into admission at UNO if necessary.
That, of course, is the vision Jindal offered as part of the proposed merger.
The level of entitlement and lack of accountability involved in making such a statement is breathtaking, and it serves as a wonderful argument not for merging SUNO and UNO but shutting SUNO down altogether. The political implications of such a move have made it almost unthinkable to do so thus far; many more rallies like the one this morning, and it might even become likely.
Post updated January 26, 2011 – SUNO Backers Claim Immunity From Standards, Accountability. Read it now at http://bit.ly/hvPkrG
Unbelievable!!!!! To whom are they accountable? How many pay one penny of their education expenses? There are older students all over the country holding multiple jobs, caring for families and performing on higher level than these freeloaders.
So if a “University’s” job is not to graduate people then what is it? SUNO should not MErge with UNO it should just be shut down and the facilities given to UNO.
I started going to LSU at the age of 36, divorced, and 3 children. I made it by going year round and graduated in 4 years! If not SUNO was a question asked, then there are many other schools where people do graduate, and have great burdens while trying.
Unbelievable! If I weren’t reading this, I’d never believe these people were this dumb. I worked my way all through school as a single-parent! My parents were poor and I had to pay for everything. Shut SUNO down. Any business with that pathetic (un)success rate should fail.
Racist fools taking advantage of the demographic change. Grow up!
The author fails to mention that SUNO officials repudiated the comments made by the Alumni president who probably got carried away with his emotions at the time he made those comments. A post-Katrina study by the Board of Regents recommended against merging UNO and SUNO, saying they have different missions and student profiles and that combining them would not reduce duplication. Combining SUNO with Delgado would make far more sense.
I absolutely agree with a few points you made. I’m a current UNO student, I attended Delgado a year, and LSU-BR for a year before that. Each of these schools has a different mission, and I almost feel as if merging Delgado with SUNO would be just as toxic to both institutions as merging UNO and SUNO. Based on my personal first hand experience at different schools, I can attest to the difference in atmosphere, mission, and student profiles. Merger is not realistically the answer, but I guess we just wait and see how much say we actually have in the matter.
On the note that the president’s comments were repudiated, I’m very glad. Judging by the selections I’ve seen, his entire speech was one big logical fallacy. (I don’t mean to begin a mini-rant on your comment, but it will be short.) My race has nothing to do with my education. I am one of many that worked very hard to overcome financial issues to receive a good education–from high school until now. Last semester alone, I worked 3 jobs and attended school full-time. We students are complex and not all cookie-cutter people. Yes, some are more financially priveledged than others, and yes, there will always be the stereotypical “college kids” running around campus. The point I’m trying to make is many of the things the president stated as excuses for SUNO are also true for UNO. Being poor is not an excuse, it just means you have to work harder for the better education. It was almost humorous to see excuses made for one university that apply not only to UNO–and Delgado, for that matter–but to MANY institutions, as well.
What Bobby “I performed an exercism” Jindal should concentrate on is the blight STILL in the Gentilly AND New Orleans East areas, which obviously is being left that way in an attempt to discourage his non-supporters from progressing. SUNO was the ONLY four year institution in the “Great state of Louisiana” to not have DORMITORIES until just recently, which contributes to the ability of students to work AND go to school. Also consider that the eearly education system in New Orleans was previously HORRIBLE, even compared to the rest of the state, which wasn’t worth much to begin with. Stop thinking with your selfish nature and give the less fortunate a chance.
You don’t make much of a case for SUNO, given as though you can’t spell
“exorcism” or even “early.”
SUNO doesn’t need dormitories, because we’re told that SUNO’s students can’t
graduate because they’re all commuters with jobs and kids.
How is blight in Gentilly Jindal’s fault? He doesn’t own that land, and
neither does the state of Louisiana.
These are called “TYPO’S, and the blight is due to the finances being spent elsewhere! Stop being such a racist and GROW UP! I noticed that you didn’t address the issues, like many other ignorant racists. I forgive you for being the decendant of the misinformed, but really, you should try to grow up.
Accusing people you don’t know of racism only shows the vapidity and lack of
merit in your arguments.
SUNO has a five percent six-year graduation rate – the worst graduation rate
of any public school in the country. That is the reason it’s on the chopping
block. And you didn’t address that issue before launching into your insipid
and careless rant. I suggest you learn some manners and some English before
posting here again.
Address the issues.
No dormitories, less chance,
It may take more than 6 years to graduate without sponsored housing, LIKE UNO, LSU, etc.,
Many blacks still graduate, only in more than six years,
Recovery since Katrina is more difficult for the poor,
Most of the poor in New Orleans are BLACK,
Many of the poor,(Mostly BLACKS) are still TRYING to recover,
Poor people in New Orleans (mostly BLACKS) have had less opportunities for decent education prior to College,
Children of college graduates are more likely to succeed in college than children of non-college graduates,
DID EITHER OF YOUR PARENTS ATTEND COLLEGE?
If so, you have no business placing your racist opinion on the subject.
PLEASE GROW UP, and stop being such a hateful person.
That’s the third accusation of racism in two hours from you, and it’s your
last.
That you justify the horrendous performance of SUNO on the basis of race,
when as the article indicates there are considerably better performances
being posted by other schools in similar circumstances like Jackson State
and Florida A&M, indicates that you’re a far more racist individual than
those you attempt to smear.
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