Horns Down: Stealth dorm vote to proceed without data

On Wednesday, The Daily Texan reported that an economic study assessing the impact of the “stealth dorm” ban on area housing affordability concluded that there was not sufficient time to determine the economic effects of the ban. Originally, Sheryl Cole, city councilwoman and mayor pro tem, proposed that eight weeks be allowed for the study. But the council ultimately voted to shorten the analysis period to six weeks. Even though this editorial board is in support of the “stealth dorm” ordinance, we still need more data on how banning “stealth dorms” would affect the availability of affordable student housing. Horns down to the City Council for not caring enough about “stealth dorms” to allocate an adequate amount of time to understand an issue that our city cares deeply about.

Horns Down: Low rate of success for students of color

According to a report by the College of Education’s Center for Community College Student Engagement, white male students show a higher rate of academic success in community colleges across the nation than male students of color do. This, disturbingly, comes despite the fact that male students of color show higher levels of engagement in their college communities and have higher aspirations, according to the study, which blames a lack of college readiness for the disparity. This is disheartening news, and we need to do what we can to not only encourage students of color to pursue higher education, but also to ensure that high schools across the nation are preparing all of their graduates for college-level coursework.