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Thank you, eddie gein and mmccul, for your responses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eddie gein
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that UNT is mostly a commuter school while WVU is the flagship school of the state. WVU is going to have way more energy and vibrancy than UNT around campus. UNT is going to be more laid back and chill as far as the campus scene. Contrast that to the entire area where UNT is going to have way more going on because of what DFW has to offer compared to Morgantown being a bit isolated as a college town.
In some ways at age 40, the UNT scene might be preferable because you have a more mature grand scene in DFW and a little more toned down undergrad thing at UNT compared to WVU.
If I were in my 20s I'd find WVU more appealing. At 40 I'd think UNT might be more to my liking.
You described one of my concerns. I'll be 41 years old in a few months, and I'm a single guy with no children. I read somewhere that Morgantown mainly caters to young twenty-somethings and families, and I don't fit into either group. I prefer a quieter, more laid-back atmosphere. It seems that the DFW area would have a higher number of people who are similar to me.
At the same time, the graduate program (of interest) at WVU guarantees two-year graduate assistantships to ALL grad students in the department, which is a GREAT deal. The guaranteed assistantship alone might be worth the "sacrifice."
The assistantships (or "fellowships") in the graduate program at UNT are not guaranteed and are only available to students who completed 18 credits. I emailed the program chair about the fellowships. I have another way of covering my tuition costs, but I would end up spending more time in college as opposed to obtaining a two-year assistantship that would allow me to take a full load of classes while working part time. But then again, I could obtain 18 credits in a year and a half if I'm taking at least 3 credits per semester all year round.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mmccul
What changed, if you don’t mind me asking? Happy to help with any additional hesitations/questions you may have.
Eddie gein described some of my concerns. I'm not sure if Morgantown is the best place for me as a single, childless 40-year-old man.
Also, according to several threads I read on Reddit, I've started to wonder if any part of West Virginia is suitable for black people, despite the fact that several cities in WV have significant black populations (Morgantown is around 4% black). The posters on Reddit were pretty much in agreement that racism is less prevalent in Morgantown due to WVU and the relative diversity of the area. However, a few people stated that the surrounding counties and areas are a different story.
As I stated earlier, I visited West Virginia twice back in the late 90's (I was 16 years old the first year and 17 years old the second year) for high school white water rafting trips. We rafted down the Gauley River and New River Gorge. I didn't have any issues with the people in the area. I had a great time! Granted, I was a young black teenager at the time, and almost all of the people in the group were Caucasian.
I don't know. Is West Virginia any worse than Southeastern Michigan regarding race relations? Shute, is West Virginia any worse than Southern California?
I've had a few doubts about the weather in Morgantown. Despite the fact that I'm from Michigan, I like warm, sunny, dry weather. From what I've gathered, Morgantown is a snowier Seattle. I lived in Seattle for a bit, and I was NOT a fan of the weather throughout most of the year. The weather in Denton, TX is definitely more to my liking.
What changed, if you don’t mind me asking? Happy to help with any additional hesitations/questions you may have.
Thank you, mmccul, for helping me with all of my additional hesitations/questions.
I haven't spent much time on C-D in the last couple of months, and I don't think I've posted anything on this board since March.
I'm still in Southern California, and almost ready to leave.
I'm assuming many of you were uncomfortable with the "race" subject in my previous post. Hey, I'm a black man. Given the racial demographics of the Morgantown area, I'm going to have questions about race relations. Plus, I read posts on other message boards regarding race relations in West Virginia, and wanted to see how accurate those assessments were.
I'll ask the following: I'm assuming many of you have black friends, black acquaintances, black co-workers, black classmates, perhaps black clients/customers (if you own businesses), black colleagues, even black romantic/intimate partners. Have any of the black people you know in Morgantown ever complained to you about any SIGNIFICANT experiences of racism, racial discrimination, racial profiling, microaggressions, even more serious incidents such as racial/ethnic intimidation and race-based crimes?
Going back to the thread topic, my desired graduate program at West Virginia University seems like the best option, mainly due to the guaranteed graduate assistantships for all grad students in the department. I don't feel comfortable revealing the name of that graduate program publicly. Anyway, the other graduate programs I looked at either have VERY limited graduate assistantships each year (making them HIGHLY competitive) or require the completion of a significant number of credits before one is eligible. I've come across graduate assistantship programs that will only waive half or a portion of the tuition. The graduate assistantship in the WVU program I'm looking at will waive most of the tuition (I would have to pay a few smaller fees), and that assistantship will be available to ALL grad students (master's and PhD level students in ALL concentrations) in the Fall semester after admission into the program.
So yes, that's what's on my mind. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.
I heard that various universities throughout the country are experiencing significant declines in student enrollment. It looks like WVU is losing A LOT of students. In fact, graduate programs at two other schools I looked at were CANCELED within last couple of years. It's probably safe to say that college is simply NOT as popular with this current generation compared to previous generations. These young people are learning from the mistakes and struggles of previous generations (student loan debt, for example), and are not willing to make the same decisions. I'm not mad at them.
That second story you linked is a damn shame. I don't know the gentleman and I (obviously) wasn't there, but I believe him. As an independent filmmaker, he probably has a very ambitious, "go-getter," bold, competitive, outspoken personality which, combined with his racial identity, caused him to be perceived as a "predator" by that professor.
In saying that, there wasn't anything inherently wrong with trying to cast his fellow students into his film project, but I think there were better ways of going about it. I would've contacted students (and instructors) in the film or performing arts programs (if they exist) at WVU. Those film/drama students already have a documented interest in acting/production, and likely have talent and skills. I'm sure they would have appreciated the opportunity to practice their craft, expand their portfolio, and perhaps recieve some IMDB credit.
Thank you, mmccul, for helping me with all of my additional hesitations/questions.
I haven't spent much time on C-D in the last couple of months, and I don't think I've posted anything on this board since March.
I'm still in Southern California, and almost ready to leave.
I'm assuming many of you were uncomfortable with the "race" subject in my previous post. Hey, I'm a black man. Given the racial demographics of the Morgantown area, I'm going to have questions about race relations. Plus, I read posts on other message boards regarding race relations in West Virginia, and wanted to see how accurate those assessments were.
I'll ask the following: I'm assuming many of you have black friends, black acquaintances, black co-workers, black classmates, perhaps black clients/customers (if you own businesses), black colleagues, even black romantic/intimate partners. Have any of the black people you know in Morgantown ever complained to you about any SIGNIFICANT experiences of racism, racial discrimination, racial profiling, microaggressions, even more serious incidents such as racial/ethnic intimidation and race-based crimes?
Going back to the thread topic, my desired graduate program at West Virginia University seems like the best option, mainly due to the guaranteed graduate assistantships for all grad students in the department. I don't feel comfortable revealing the name of that graduate program publicly. Anyway, the other graduate programs I looked at either have VERY limited graduate assistantships each year (making them HIGHLY competitive) or require the completion of a significant number of credits before one is eligible. I've come across graduate assistantship programs that will only waive half or a portion of the tuition. The graduate assistantship in the WVU program I'm looking at will waive most of the tuition (I would have to pay a few smaller fees), and that assistantship will be available to ALL grad students (master's and PhD level students in ALL concentrations) in the Fall semester after admission into the program.
So yes, that's what's on my mind. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.
Hi Jay, welcome back!
I really appreciate how transparent you have been with us, and so I feel I owe the same back to you. I held back from responding, admittedly, because I simply don’t feel qualified or like I can fully understand the weight of your question. As a white man, I truly will never be able to understand what microaggressions, profiling, racism, etc. feel like. For that reason, I held back in hopes someone else would chime in.
Having several friends from many ethnic and racial backgrounds who have spent time there, I feel I can much more accurately answer your question I highlighted. I have never heard of anything you’ve described happening in Morgantown. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen because I can’t and won’t speak for all, but I can confidently say every I’ve never heard a negative comment on this topic from those I’ve spoken with who live there and/or went to school there.
While there are pockets of rural WV, like rural areas across the country, who are sadly not friendly to outsiders or minorities, I wouldn’t paint that brush over the entire state. Many of our cities and even small towns, including Morgantown, have come extremely far in inclusivity and diversity. Frankly, many places in WV don’t fit the picture we often see portrayed in the media and social media of rural America.
It saddens and frustrates me simultaneously that we still live in a world where you even have to ask these questions. I’m sorry, Jay. Please let me know if I can provide additional help.
As Jay said, budgets are starting to get slashed at colleges and universities across America. WVU is just one of the first we’ve heard about. This will be a trend over the next 5-10 years, from what I’ve read in several articles. If WVU isn’t a good place to be right now because of budget cuts, then no university is right now.
Nationally, more students are choosing to pursue trade schools and certifications that don’t require a four year degree (which I think is great, btw). Birth rates have been on a steady decline for decades now - so there are less high school students available to recruit.
As Jay said, budgets are starting to get slashed at colleges and universities across America. WVU is just one of the first we’ve heard about. This will be a trend over the next 5-10 years, from what I’ve read in several articles. If WVU isn’t a good place to be right now because of budget cuts, then no university is right now.
Nationally, more students are choosing to pursue trade schools and certifications that don’t require a four year degree (which I think is great, btw). Birth rates have been on a steady decline for decades now - so there are less high school students available to recruit.
Birth rates have actually been on the rise nationally since 2020, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out 20 years from now. I read a headline earlier that suggested a “baby boom” is eminent with the increase in remote/hybrid occupations.
Decreased enrollment is hitting colleges all across the nation, however, there are notably more Americans in the 15-19 year old age bracket compared to the 20-24 range, so I don’t think “less college aged individuals” is the reason for overall decreased enrollment, but as you said, more people entering trades and other skilled professions. At least hopefully, and it’s not just a generation built on leeching and UberEats. I don’t think cost is associated, as admissions everywhere have “lowered” substantially just by the nature of high inflation.
The US Military is also experiencing lowered recruitment, and the reason behind this, according to them, is quite astounding, and really just straight propaganda.
I really appreciate how transparent you have been with us, and so I feel I owe the same back to you. I held back from responding, admittedly, because I simply don’t feel qualified or like I can fully understand the weight of your question. As a white man, I truly will never be able to understand what microaggressions, profiling, racism, etc. feel like. For that reason, I held back in hopes someone else would chime in.
Having several friends from many ethnic and racial backgrounds who have spent time there, I feel I can much more accurately answer your question I highlighted. I have never heard of anything you’ve described happening in Morgantown. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen because I can’t and won’t speak for all, but I can confidently say every I’ve never heard a negative comment on this topic from those I’ve spoken with who live there and/or went to school there.
While there are pockets of rural WV, like rural areas across the country, who are sadly not friendly to outsiders or minorities, I wouldn’t paint that brush over the entire state. Many of our cities and even small towns, including Morgantown, have come extremely far in inclusivity and diversity. Frankly, many places in WV don’t fit the picture we often see portrayed in the media and social media of rural America.
It saddens and frustrates me simultaneously that we still live in a world where you even have to ask these questions. I’m sorry, Jay. Please let me know if I can provide additional help.
I really appreciate your response, empathy, and support, mmccul.
From your post, it seems that West Virginia is not much different from many other states in this country. Like I said early on, I had a great time in West Virginia during my high school white water rafting trips back in the late 90's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mmccul
As Jay said, budgets are starting to get slashed at colleges and universities across America. WVU is just one of the first we’ve heard about. This will be a trend over the next 5-10 years, from what I’ve read in several articles. If WVU isn’t a good place to be right now because of budget cuts, then no university is right now.
Nationally, more students are choosing to pursue trade schools and certifications that don’t require a four year degree (which I think is great, btw). Birth rates have been on a steady decline for decades now - so there are less high school students available to recruit.
I read that more and more young people are choosing trade schools over 4-year universities. I think the student debt crisis is part of it (seeing all the people in prior generations struggling with all that loan debt, and not wanting to make those same financial mistakes.) Also, unlike people in my generation and prior, these young people are less likely to believe that a college education is the ONLY or BEST way to build a successful life for themselves.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Archer705
Birth rates have actually been on the rise nationally since 2020, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out 20 years from now. I read a headline earlier that suggested a “baby boom” is eminent with the increase in remote/hybrid occupations.
Decreased enrollment is hitting colleges all across the nation, however, there are notably more Americans in the 15-19 year old age bracket compared to the 20-24 range, so I don’t think “less college aged individuals” is the reason for overall decreased enrollment, but as you said, more people entering trades and other skilled professions. At least hopefully, and it’s not just a generation built on leeching and UberEats. I don’t think cost is associated, as admissions everywhere have “lowered” substantially just by the nature of high inflation.
The US Military is also experiencing lowered recruitment, and the reason behind this, according to them, is quite astounding, and really just straight propaganda.
To add to your point, I wonder if the parents (and teachers/counselors) of today's youth are not "pushing" them into college, and instead, encouraging them to consider skilled blue-collar work as well ... especially, for the young people who are not academically driven and are not considered "college material."
Also, I wonder if history is starting to repeat itself. I was born in the early 80's, but I'm aware that there was a time when a person could build a very nice life for themselves with a blue-collar job that did not require a college degree. In SE Michigan where I'm from, many of those automotive factory/assembly workers were paid very well, and I imagine that also applied to the coal miners in West Virginia. But then, there's also the emergence of automation and artificial intelligence, which are considered to be a threat to a number of jobs.
Again, I really appreciate this post. I'm not sure if I would've been aware of the issues in the links ... at least, not preceding my relocation to Morgantown.
From further research, the administration at WVU identified the academic programs that might (or will) be affected by the budget cuts. Here's the link:
Unfortunately, the graduate program I'm interested in is on the list of "Continuance at the Current Level of Activity with Specific Action." That particular program has to make a few changes that will lead to increases in enrollment and curriculum efficiency. It looks like they'll be evaluated each year for the next two years to determine if progress is being made.
But then again, according to that same website in the link up there:
"Note: Although original memos attached here indicate specific timelines for program improvement plans, those deadlines are suspended indefinitely as team members respond to current budget challenges and prepare to conduct a deeper analysis of all programs in the academic portfolio."
So, I guess that two-year timeline no longer applies, and that particular graduate program could be at risk of being discontinued upon the results of the deeper analysis.
I can think of several possible actions from the provost regarding the program:
*The program will be discontinued. They'll stop accepting admissions applications, and simply wait until all of their current students finish their degrees before eliminating the program altogether.
*They'll stop guaranteeing assistantships to EVERY graduate student in the department. They'll offer a very limited number of assistantships.
*They'll reduce the assistantship stipend amount.
*They'll reduce the tuition waiver amount. Instead of covering all of the university tuition, perhaps it'll only cover half or 3/4's of the tuition rate.
Another thing: I was going to apply for full-time employment at the university and use the tuition waiver to take a couple of classes (as a non-degree student) before officially enrolling in the program. According to the link that naapub provided, the WVU administration is considering laying off a number of employees (offering severance packages). They're also considering reducing the number of hours that employees could work. I imagine they'll look into reducing the tuition waivers for employees as well. I know I would NOT be happy if my hours were reduced from 40 hrs/wk to, let's say, 35 hrs/wk ... or 32 hrs/wk (barely making me a full-time employee). Maybe they'll go below 32 hrs/wk, and make me a part-time employee instead.
I don't know. It seems like things might get ugly at West Virginia University regarding the budget/program cuts.
Also, the English professor involved in that civil lawsuit is still employed in the English department at WVU. From my understanding, the former undergraduate student is filing a second lawsuit against the professor. Considering all the money he's investing (attorney fees, court fees, etc.) as well as his time and effort, he obviously feels very strongly about his case. Given the department she's in, there's a pretty good chance I would have to deal with that professor.
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