First Day of Class

It's been a long day and evening. In fact, I am posting this at 1:24 a.m. So, it's a Tuesday, but to me it is still Monday night.

Earlier tonight, a friend asked me, "How was the first day of you first week of your first semester as president." With one word, I smiled and replied, "Wonderful."

I'm not sure what I expected. Fanfare and balloons? A marching band? No, not at UHD. I was curious how they would celebrate the new semester. Every campus is different on the first day of class.

I arrived early this morning. The lines are longer in some areas, but shorter than I expected. At UHD, the wait for the elevator was endless. I watched students pour out of the MetroRail and wait to get into the doors of the main building. The third floor, which serves as the main lobby and student union, was packed.

After several morning meetings, at 11 a.m., I donned my Gator T-shirt and made for the main deck. I expected to be crushed by the many freshmen pushing their way to class and through the long lines of registration. I was pleasantly disappointed.

There were plenty of students, but the lines were very reasonable. Most had made it through registration and financial aid last week. There were lots of students in the bookstore. Staff and volunteers stood behind tables offering goodies: pens, water, snow cones, and yellow Gator T-shirts.

Outside in the South patio a volunteer challenged me to throw a basketball. A member of the Weight Team had just won a prize. He told me he is excited, because this year we have a very good team. Last year, the team received several awards.

My first shot skidded off the backboard and into the hoop. I should have stopped there. I learned that the volunteer is both a student and the director of a program in the community. We talked about her program and how we might get more students involved. Then, I threw again, the ball just slid off the rim. I joked, "I hope I make a better president than a basketball player."

On the north end, near the MetroRail, a large air-filled rubber Gator with a goofy smile bobbed in the wind. It was about ten feet tall. Like any good president being followed by students and egged on by a cameraman, I shook hands with the Gator. I was quickly joined by a woman who works in the bookstore. We took a picture under the mascot. I probably wore the same goofy smile as the Gator.

I then learned that we have a cheer-leading squad. Cheerleaders? Yep, in red with white skirts, except, of course, for the lone male cheer leader who is tall and could easily be a basketball player. The cheer leading team is pretty good. I watched them do a cheer. They lift up the squad leader, swung her in the air and caught her. I chanted along with them. Then, I had my picture taken with the whole crew.

Afterward, I went to the cafeteria, spoke with students and had lunch. What can I say, it's a cafeteria! Actually, the food wasn't bad and there were more choices today than last week (as more food stations were open). They even have sushi!

As usual, much of the day was filled with meetings. I continue to meet faculty and staff. Every day I learn more. Today, I realized that I have gained a sense of the buildings. I actually helped several students and two lost parents find their way through the maze.

At the end of the day, as I walked toward the elevators, several students asked me if I was their professor. It was understandable, after all, I wore a tie and carried a brief case.

The heavy rain had backed-up traffic. I explained that students and professors were tied up trying to get in and out of the parking lots. In fact, it was worse than I expected. Students were double-parking, rushing out of their cars to make it to class. The city police were giving out tickets. Some cars parked illegally were towed.

But, most students and most instructors made it to class, if not on time, at least dry. The pouring rain stopped just before the beginning of the evening onslaught of night students. Student lined the hallways. Some sat on floors waiting for the beginning of class.

UHD at night is different than during the day. The students are older. Most of them work at nearby locations. You see more adults in their 30s or 40s. I ran into an older man who I mistook as a professor. It turns out he is a 60 year old student--a former business owner, taking economics with the hope of beating the stock market. Good luck to that!

As I drove with a friend to have dinner with colleagues from the University of Houston campus, I smiled. It was like any other campus on the first day of the semester: crowded, not enough parking, and long lines at the bookstore.

But, there was patience among the students. I bet on these students. They're going to do well. They are serious. They are determined. They are Gators!

Gators in the Bayou??

Every school has a mascot. They are great for school spirit. UHD has club teams, not NCAA sports. Even so, we have a mascot and it’s great for school spirit. I don’t know if the mascot will stay the same. UHD is going through a process that will ultimately result in the selection of a new name for the university, which may result in a new mascot.

When I first visited UHD during the interviews, I was surprised to learn that UHD’s mascot is the Gator. Are you kidding? Are there gators in Houston? Well, it turns out there are. But, don’t worry. Gators won’t be crawling up Main Street any time soon.

Of course, there have been real gators in Houston. When Houston was first established it was swamp land and there were gators in the Bayou. Every now and then, one turns up, especially after floods. Back in 2005, a 250-pound gator was spotted in the Bayou and was finally captured by a game warden. This past month, as I began the presidency at UHD, Houston Chronicle had an article about two men who were arrested for killing a 600-pound 13-foot-long alligator in Houston.

It turns out that it’s legal to hunt gators in Harris County, but only from April 1st –June 30th. Also, you're supposed to hunt gators with a bow and arrow. These guys shot it--on a protected preserve. They also picked the wrong gator. The one they killed was the star of Armand Bayou Nature Center ecology tours! Guess those guys didn’t get their education at UHD!

Personally, a 13-foot-long alligator scares the dickens out of me. But UHD didn’t pick the Gator as a mascot to scare anyone. The UHD mascot emphasizes student success and is appropriately nicknamed, “Ed-U-Gator.” The UHD mascot brings pride to the campus and helps build community. Our students love the Gator. They buy stuffed, cuddly gators (like little teddy bears). They have Gator key chains. Things like that.

UHD has teams, softball, volleyball, basketball and other club and intramural sports. UHD also has academic teams, like the Model UN, as well as the two students and faculty who are doing research at Argonne Labs. So, Ed-U-Gator builds a different school spirit-—it promotes student success and excellence.

Like gators, our students are determined. They are tough, relentless, and they are survivors. As one student told me, “I don’t think I would be in college if hadn’t been for UHD. They have classes at nights and on the weekends, plus online and hybrid courses. The staff and faculty work with you. It’s taken me nearly ten years, taking one or two courses a semester, trying to fit them into my work schedule. But, I’ll be graduating next Spring.” That about sums it up! Gators Rule!