We as students of rhetoric and composition here at UT take issue with the Urban Dictionary definition of our university that was sprawled across the front page of The Minaret on February 10.
There is no logic to the definition, which leads us to question the credibility as well as the intentions of the contributor. In an effort to bring logic to the situation, we have crafted the following statement on five points within the Urban Dictionary definition that troubled us the most.
“…manswapping, gangbanging females.”
Every university has its’ fair share of promiscuity on campus, and UT is no exception. That doesn’t make it acceptable to label people who engage in such activities malicious names as “sluts” or “whores”, words that are used to describe the promiscuous every day. Nor does it make it acceptable to use labels such as “manswapping, gangbanging females,” words listed on Urban Dictionary in reference to UT that defame UT’s female students and curiously leaves out any hint of defamation of UT’s male students. We all know people who choose not to sleep around, many of who are right here on our campus. Due to the diversity of cultures and values present on campus,
UT students do not all automatically subscribe to the belief that being promiscuous is acceptable, and as UT students, we feel it is unfair and unfounded to allow the image of all UT students as being an overly promiscuous student population to go unchallenged. We feel as if much of this generalization stems from the idea that we are a party school (another fallacy) and that our female students may wear certain types of clothing that are deemed promiscuous looking by those who are so ignorant as to categorize women’s values and integrity by the length of their skirts.
Going out to the bars and clubs is a popular thing to do over the weekends here at UT, and females will more than likely be seen wearing revealing clothes. But is that a valid argument in defining our female students as “manswapping” and “gangbanging”? What are females supposed to wear to the clubs? Hoodies and sweat pants? Even if some of UT’s females engage in such activities, hastily generalizing the entire population based on those few does not lend the definition or its’ writer any credibility.
“…extremely overpriced…university…”
When it comes to pricing at the UT, the total cost is far less than the national average for private schools. According to the College Board, the average price of a private university education in the United States is approximately $27,000, not including room and board.
UT is approximately $32,000 per year, but that includes room and board, making it more of a value to students’ pockets.
Before even applying to college, we knew that a private university is more expensive than a public one, and UT is not an exception. Such as education is more expensive simply due to the quality that is offered; that’s just the way it is. Considering that many students receive financial aid and/or scholarships, and students with high GPAs receive additional funding or scholarships, it’s easy to argue that UT is not an overpriced school.
“…mediocre university…”
We feel as though our university is academically better than the reputation assigned to us by Urban Dictionary. With a 17:1 student to teacher ratio, a personal relationship is created between teachers and students which is much harder to accomplish at bigger universities. Since so many disciplines are offered, this close relationship allows students to retain subject matter in their choice of over 100 different majors.
Also, consider the John H. Sykes College of Business: it’s accredited by the Association of Advanced Collegiate Schools for Business which “ensures students and parents that the business school is providing a top-quality education,” according to the organization’s website. This accreditation aids in students getting internships while still attending the university. If UT is such a mediocre university, why do local businesses continue to reach out to the students for jobs? Also consider our nursing program: UT is approved by the Florida Board of Nursing, is a member of the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, and is one of the most competitive majors at the university, according to UT’s accreditation webpage. These are only two of the excellent examples of high academic standards UT boasts.
With all of the possibilities and opportunities our university has to offer, we as students find it hard to believe UT could be seen as such a second-rate university.
“…one of the biggest party
schools in Florida!”
The explicit statement that UT is “one of the biggest party schools in Florida” in another fallacious Urban Dictionary definition is an exaggeration to say the least. Unlike bigger universities, UT doesn’t have houses for Greek organizations on campus, so there is no immediate place on campus to hold parties. UT is also very strict; the university has a zero tolerance policy with harsh consequences when it comes to alcohol and drugs, substances which quickly come to mind when considering the image of a party school. If we as students are caught with alcohol and/or drug paraphernalia, we could be removed from campus housing.
And considering the quality of education here at UT as well as the worthwhile community contributions we make, such as with the PEACE Volunteer Center, the Greek life philanthropy and the numerous other student-led organizations and service projects, it’s plain to see that UT cannot be defined as a party school.
“…chock full of out of state rich kids..”
UT is home to a variety of students who come from different nationalities and economic classes. The fact that the university is perceived to be “chock full of out of state rich students who are not smart enough to get into a prestigious private university,” according to Urban Dictionary, is unacceptable.
Every other prestigious university has wealthy students who may or may not flaunt their possessions, and we may have a few who do that here as well, but since when is it a valid reason for the actions of a few to dictate the image of the whole?
That argument lacks rhetorical strength, as it is a hasty generalization. The financial status of UT students and/or our parents does not make us different from everyone else.
We strive to live within our means just as anyone else, and we have chosen to attend a university that we can afford. The majority of our out of state students have chosen to attend UT not because of our “overpriced” tuition, but because it’s a comprehensive university with more than what we need to succeed.
Don’t judge our campus, new facilities, or the few rich kid cars. Instead judge our personalities; you will be surprised on what you discover.
-Susan Gail Taylor-Gernenz’s First-Year Writing and Inquiry 102 class
Come on, I realize that overgeneralizing things isnt the way to go, but many of these things are true in the end.
Substituting “…manswapping, gangbanging females.” for “promiscuous” is just using more socially-acceptable language.
I COMPLETELY see UT as a party school, whether or not we have greek housing (which I see as being totally irrelevant to the point). But again, I dont think this has ANY INFLUENCE WHATSOEVER on the quality of academics or the likes. I love that UT is a party school – I love to go out and party. But Im a fully dedicated student with a high GPA. Whats the problem with that? Party school and academics can go together.
And as far as alcohol/drugs tolerance goes, who are we kidding when we say that the school has zero tolerance for this. Based on known facts, you can get more in trouble for having a candle in your dorm room than smoking marijuana at plant park (which people do 24/7, but security chooses to ignore). Again, I dont see this as a problem.
And as far as saying UT is full of rich kids, again, whats wrong with admitting this? Ask any one person with half a brain to spend a week at USF campus (nothing against them, by the way), then spend another week at UT. I can guarantee you any sane individual would tell you that the people at UT are preppier, dress themselves with more expensive clothes, drive more expensive cars, and go out to more expensive places. To me, this is something completely obvious. Again, is there something wrong with this? No, I see nothing wrong with being rich, or the fact that a campus if full of well of students.
And finally:
“The majority of our out of state students have chosen to attend UT not because of our “overpriced” tuition, but because it’s a comprehensive university with more than what we need to succeed.”
Again, in my 3 years at UT I have not met a single person that said they came to UT from another state solely because of academics. In fact, the majority of the people answer this question with “the weather is good” and “the campus and people are beautiful” – and yeah the academics are also good.
I absolutely love UT, but I see no point in trying to deny some things that are obvious, like the ones above.
While this article does a good job of countering the asinine comments made on Urban Dictionary, there’s really no point of arguing the uninspired comments left on a website the has looser regulations than Wikipedia or JuicyCampus (when it was still functional). Every college has it’s collective group of idiots that can’t take advantage of the opportunities given to them, so let them write stereotypical things and hopefully true Darwinism can weed them out of the gene pool. Keep up the good writing though.