Texas Recruiting Notes 2021

[tokamak 6687]

Is Ezra a G or a T?

[Ricky's one-hitter 9622]

10 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Is Ezra a G or a T?

C or G

[satyanash 15619]

(Sam Spiegelman) South Central Spotlight: Five head-to-head battles to track

Quote

The spring wave of commitments has taken a lot of top prospects off the board, and many remaining recruitments are focused on a handful of schools. In the South Central region alone, 28 of the 51 prospects rated as four-stars or better have already issued commitments. Of the remaining uncommitted prospects, there are some clear top contenders. Here are five two-team battles in the region that are set to play out over the coming weeks and months.

*****
BRYCE FOSTER - Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma   

The nation's top offensive guard made not one, but two visits to Oklahoma at the beginning of the spring, including the first day of the Sooners' spring practices. Lincoln Riley and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh have been very active recruiting Foster and most of his family, which has allowed Oklahoma to emerge as one of the obvious favorites. Foster's mother attended Texas A&M and his older brother played there. In terms of proximity to home, Texas A&M has a distinct edge. Offensive line coach Josh Henson has been piecing together an impressive offensive line haul for the Aggies in 2021, with Foster potentially being the final piece of the puzzle. The five-star plans to take all five of his officials, including to Oklahoma and Texas A&M, but also to Texas, LSU and Oregon. There's plenty of time left in this recruitment and Foster is still mulling his options.

Prediction: Oklahoma
*****
TOMMY BROCKERMEYER - Texas vs. Alabama

Brockermeyer has narrowed his top schools down to Texas, Alabama, Auburn and LSU, but this is becoming a two-team race as we inch closer and closer toward a decision. In a recent interview with Rivals, Brockermeyer indicated that if he had to make a decision today, he would be able to do so. Alabama has been a popular destination for both Tommy and his twin brother, James. They visited last summer, worked out during camp and have returned for unofficial visits already. If not for the pandemic, the Brockermeyers would have been in Tuscaloosa twice this spring and summer as they prepared to make their commitments.

Texas, of course, is the favorite within the Brockermeyers household. The twins' father, Blake, was an All-American for the Longhorns and their older brother, Luke, plays linebacker in Austin. One of the major selling points that the Texas staff is trying to gain ground with is development as they prepare for the NFL. Official visits could loom large here, as they would give Alabama an opportunity to close and Texas a chance to gain ground. Alabama assistant coaches Kyle Flood and Jeff Banks - in addition to Nick Saban - have been very impactful so far, and it's hard to imagine the Tide slowing down.

Prediction: Alabama
*****
LATRELL McCUTCHIN: Oklahoma vs. Alabama

McCutchin was an early Alabama commitment, pulling the trigger after a dominant performance at a summer camp last year. Even after the Rivals100 cornerback suffered a season-ending leg injury, the Alabama coaches remained consistent in communicating and got him on campus for the LSU-Alabama showdown last November. Oklahoma was one of a handful of teams that continued to court McCutchin as he dealt with his injury. That included FaceTime meetings with the entire staff and head Sooner Lincoln Riley.

McCutchin's decision to open his recruitment back up coincided with a junior day trip to Norman, his first visit to a school outside of Alabama in several months. Schools such as Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State and LSU are also in this, but McCutchin has certainly favored the Tide and the Sooners throughout his recruitment. Whenever visits resume, those are two to watch for the four-star cornerback.

Prediction: Alabama
*****
BRIAN THOMAS - LSU vs. Alabama

The always quiet Thomas trimmed his list of finalists down to four, including LSU and Alabama as well as Georgia and Texas A&M. The Rivals100 wide receiver has visited both LSU and Alabama quite a bit and has yet to check out either College Station or Athens. LSU is the hometown team and Thomas lives minutes from campus. The Tigers were the first to offer him after his freshman season and have been able to get him on campus for workouts and visits since.

Thomas' best friend and former teammate, Jalen Cook, recently signed to LSU's basketball team. The Alabama coaches were able to get the four-star back to Tuscaloosa for a Louisiana-heavy junior day before the dead period and area recruiter Pete Golding has made Thomas a priority. This is shaping up to be a classic LSU-Alabama race, with either side capable of landing the playmaker.

Prediction: LSU
*****
THEODORE KNOX: Texas vs. Mississippi State  

Knox recently cut his offer sheet down to seven schools, and while TCU, Texas A&M and Baylor are all involved, this is shaping up to be a two-team race between Texas and Mississippi State.Texas blew Knox away when it offered him last summer and the Longhorns have had him on campus multiple occasions since. The coaches there love his speed and his playmaking ability in their wide-open offense. There is no doubt that Knox sits very high on Texas' wish list.

The same goes for State. Knox has very strong connections to the coaches up in Starkville, which dates back to his time in Louisiana. Mississippi State has been selective with wide receivers in its 2021 haul to ensure there's a spot saved for Knox in case he decides he wants in.

Prediction: Mississippi State

 

[UncleBuck 6455]

14 minutes ago, satyanash said:

(Eric Nahlin) Parceled Humidor: Oyetade, Abiara, Helm, J. Jones, Alexis, J. Johnson

 

typical of Justin

[SydneyCarton 49508]

17 minutes ago, satyanash said:

(Eric Nahlin) Parceled Humidor: Oyetade, Abiara, Helm, J. Jones, Alexis, J. Johnson

 

Pretty irritated he's punting on team news. I saw something was posted on 247 about inside the team meeting I haven't seen yet (if anyone has it). I'd like to know what the situation is in the locker room. 

[Burt Macklin 19230]

3 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Pretty irritated he's punting on team news. I saw something was posted on 247 about inside the team meeting I haven't seen yet (if anyone has it). I'd like to know what the situation is in the locker room. 

Not seeming too great at this point. I understand the school wants to have discussions, but they need to act quickly. The freaking SEC, UGA, and UF have already publicly made changes, and the longer we wait, the more unrest it’s going to cause. 

[satyanash 15619]

6 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Pretty irritated he's punting on team news. I saw something was posted on 247 about inside the team meeting I haven't seen yet (if anyone has it). I'd like to know what the situation is in the locker room. 

(Chip Brown) The Insider: Del Conte, Hartzell meet with football team

Quote

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, who celebrates a birthday on Friday, often jokes that he left the comfort of having built TCU athletics (and turned down huge offers from USC twice last year) to see if he can ride Bevo for eight seconds. “You come to Texas to ride Bevo once,” Del Conte has said. After a Wednesday night meeting involving Del Conte, UT interim president Jay Hartzell and the Texas football team, making it the full eight seconds on Bevo probably just got a whole lot harder.

Before we get into that meeting about changes being sought for a more inclusive campus, we need to go back a week … Last Wednesday, the Texas Student Senate was among 149 student organizations on the UT campus to endorse a petition with more than 13,000 signatures calling on the university to act on “eight tangible action items” condemning racial violence and supporting Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities on UT’s campus.

The eight action items:

1) Divest from the Austin Police Department and the University of Texas Police Department …

2) Implement a test-optional undergraduate and graduate admissions policy …

3) Incorporate land acknowledgements in all UT programming …

4) Use a multi-faceted approach to incorporate conversations on race and systemic racism in the United State …

5) Rename Robert Lee Moore Hall, Painter Hall, Littlefield Hall, Littlefield Patio Cafe, Littlefield Fountain, Belo Center for New Media, James Hogg Auditorium and remove the James Hogg Statue to stop honoring people who perpetuated racism on this campus …

6) discontinue the use of “The Eyes of Texas” at all UT-related events …

7) adopt equitable and inclusive practices in the recruitment, selection and promotion of UT faculty …

😎 institutionalize and fund a campus climate survey.

Two days later (last Friday), black student-athletes at Texas representing multiple sports on campus posted a two-page letter seeking some of the action items listed above, including renaming the buildings listed in No. 5 as well as discontinuing the 117-year-old school song “The Eyes of Texas” because of “racist undertones” and replacing it with a new school song.

I’m told neither Del Conte nor any member of the Texas football staff were given a heads-up about the posting of the demand letter. Del Conte responded to the letter last Friday by saying on his social media he’d welcome “meaningful conversations regarding any concerns our student-athletes have.” Those conversations started on Wednesday, when Del Conte and Hartzell met in person with the football team.

Hartzell, the former dean of the McCombs School of Business, has been on the job all of two and a half weeks since previous school president Greg Fenves left to become the president at Emory University in Atlanta. In those two and a half weeks, Hartzell has inherited a global pandemic, a tanking economy and social unrest on his own campus that took a sharp turn last Friday.

According to a handful of sources who were in the meeting, Del Conte and Hartzell told the football team Longhorns’ student-athletes would no longer be required to sing the Eyes of Texas as part of a longstanding post-game tradition. When Del Conte was pressed about retiring The Eyes of Texas or replacing the song, sources said Del Conte indicated the school was currently involved in “three storms” - social unrest, the COVID-19 pandemic and a depressed economy.

The sources said Del Conte indicated retiring The Eyes, as its known in Longhorns’ circles, would likely add financial distress to the university in the form of donors cutting off contributions. Del Conte is currently in the midst of more than $300 million in facility upgrades, including a $200 million renovation of the south end of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and has been raising money like crazy to pay for it all.

But a source in the meeting said Del Conte apologized to players on the football team for not doing a good enough job of earning their trust so they would’ve come to him before posting their demands directly on social media. He vowed to do a better job of earning their trust as they move forward in future conversations about making the UT campus more inclusive.

But shortly after the meeting, junior college transfer linebacker Juwan Mitchell posted on his social media (at 7:33 pm CT): “We put our blood, sweat, and tears in everyday so the city of Austin can enjoy their Saturdays. For ONCE, we decide to voice our opinions about things that can help better the community. It seems they only got our front but not our backs. People who want to create change don’t care about how much money can be lost, don’t care about who hates them, or any bad outcomes that may happen. The only thing on your mind should be EQUALITY. When I look in that mirror in the morning I want to tell myself I did the RIGHT thing. That should be everyone’s mindset. It’s not about blacks vs whites, or cops (vs) blacks. IT’S ABOUT DOING WHAT’S RIGHT! With that being said, I do not feel comfortable representing The University of Texas.”

As of Wednesday night, Mitchell wasn’t in the NCAA transfer portal. On Jan. 29 of this year, Mitchell entered the transfer portal only to withdraw his name from the portal five days later (on Feb. 3). Mitchell was a late addition to Texas’ 2019 recruiting class and made an impact, playing in 11 games with three starts. Mitchell posted 39 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss with three sacks and four pass breakups in addition to three quarterback hurries.

One source inside the meeting said it could be characterized as “a negotiation and nothing got accomplished.” Another source inside Wednesday night’s meeting said the meeting ended with Del Conte and Hartzell vowing to continue the conversations with student-athletes about meaningful change on campus. “It was clear this was a first step in trying to have a personal dialogue about some important demands for black students and students of color on the UT campus,” the source said.

Another source said Texas director of player development Kevin Washington is playing an important role in the dialogue between members of the football team and school officials. I’m told some of the most vocal members of the football team on social justice issues include junior safety Caden Sterns, senior defensive end Marqez Bimage, senior defensive tackle Ta'Quon Graham and junior outside linebacker Joseph Ossai.

Both football coach Tom Herman and Del Conte have urged student-athletes to use their social media to speak out on social injustice issues. Since then, the team’s top returning pass-catcher Brennan Eagles has said he won’t play another snap of college football until social injustice issues in the country improve. Cornerback Anthony Cook last week posted a tweet saying, he too, wouldn’t play another snap of college football, then later deleted the tweet.

I’m told Eagles and Cook have reported with the team for voluntary workouts and have been active in meetings. Time will tell about Mitchell's next move ... and how it could impact Del Conte's ability to have a happy birthday on Friday amid his self-proclaimed "storm" conditions.

 

[SydneyCarton 49508]

2 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

Not seeming too great at this point. I understand the school wants to have discussions, but they need to act quickly. The freaking SEC, UGA, and UF have already publicly made changes, and the longer we wait, the more unrest it’s going to cause. 

Yeah, can't argue with that. Del Conte thinks he can punt on this shit till July, and if even remotely reading the tea leaves from twitter is accurate, half the fucking team will be in the portal by then. In typically "sucks for us" fashion, the demands from our players are about 5x what other schools have seen, but our seeming inaction versus everyone else is fucking murder. Of course, we have intelligent players intent on enacting real change, not just changing a fucking uniform for a game (which fine, fucking do it) and their requests are more difficult than asking Gundy to stop wearing a racist fucking shirt. But this increasingly looks like we're going to fuck this up in the short term, which will make us NOT fucking it up in the long term completely irrelevant. 

[Burt Macklin 19230]

Just now, SydneyCarton said:

Yeah, can't argue with that. Del Conte thinks he can punt on this shit till July, and if even remotely reading the tea leaves from twitter is accurate, half the fucking team will be in the portal by then. In typically "sucks for us" fashion, the demands from our players are about 5x what other schools have seen, but our seeming inaction versus everyone else is fucking murder. Of course, we have intelligent players intent on enacting real change, not just changing a fucking uniform for a game (which fine, fucking do it) and their requests are more difficult than asking Gundy to stop wearing a racist fucking shirt. But this increasingly looks like we're going to fuck this up in the short term, which will make us NOT fucking it up in the long term completely irrelevant. 

In reading the history about Gaitor bait being used as a derogatory term towards blacks, I kind of wish EOT was more racially charged, so making the change ASAP would be a no-brainer for everyone. 
 

I like Rod’s idea of naming a section of the stadium after Whittier and turning and  singing EOT towards that section, but I doubt the players would go for that. Either way, propose some solutions like that, changing certain lyrics, etc. and see if we can get players on board, but decide on a plan of action quickly and execute. 

[UncleBuck 6455]

9 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

but decide on a plan of action quickly and execute. 

Absolutely. 

 

It's unfortunate, as I said in "the" other thread, that "listening" is being confused with all out "compliance." No one is really wanting a discussion right now, but it's just kinda the way it is, it looks. 

[Blackcat00 770]

Milroe can spin the fucking ball better than anyone in his class. Kid can play. 

[SydneyCarton 49508]

12 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

In reading the history about Gaitor bait being used as a derogatory term towards blacks, I kind of wish EOT was more racially charged, so making the change ASAP would be a no-brainer for everyone. 
 

I like Rod’s idea of naming a section of the stadium after Whittier and turning and  singing EOT towards that section, but I doubt the players would go for that. Either way, propose some solutions like that, changing certain lyrics, etc. and see if we can get players on board, but decide on a plan of action quickly and execute. 

Reading Satya's post, it sounds like my guess about the meeting was correct. We want to talk things out, and the vocal kids just want blanket acceptance of their demands. CDC bringing up donors and money was probably a misstep, IMO. He could have used passionate alums who have the song mean something different to them without bringing up fucking money. That literally just describes a tacit value of their discomfort for dollars, of which they generate a fuckload of...goddamnit. 

[Neonmoon 38130]

Texas is definitely fucking this up from a PR perspective. Yes they are being thorough and all that, but we just look like assholes in the long run 

[Hiphopopotamos 21191]

6 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Reading Satya's post, it sounds like my guess about the meeting was correct. We want to talk things out, and the vocal kids just want blanket acceptance of their demands. CDC bringing up donors and money was probably a misstep, IMO. He could have used passionate alums who have the song mean something different to them without bringing up fucking money. That literally just describes a tacit value of their discomfort for dollars, of which they generate a fuckload of...goddamnit. 

Yeah - that seems like a really bad move on CDC's part.

They should have been prepared to make more concessions than just 'you don't have to sing it'.  The renaming of several of those buildings should have been done years ago - its an easy victory to give the players.

[crash_davis 23470]

1 minute ago, SydneyCarton said:

Reading Satya's post, it sounds like my guess about the meeting was correct. We want to talk things out, and the vocal kids just want blanket acceptance of their demands. CDC bringing up donors and money was probably a misstep, IMO. He could have used passionate alums who have the song mean something different to them without bringing up fucking money. That literally just describes a tacit value of their discomfort for dollars, of which they generate a fuckload of...goddamnit. 

It's a difference of perspectives. CDC is trying to run a business, of which Football is a ginormous part. The players just want change, long overdue change. They don't understand all of the financial dealings, accounting, donations and revenue grown up shit that goes on in the background to make sure they have the best facilities, that there are 100K (or used to) fans cheering every Saturday, and that there is an athletics department in the University of Texas. Both are right.

But yea CDC could've approached that discussion more tactfully. And being young men full of piss and vinegar, they are probably of the everything or nothing mindset. The big money folks are like yea we agree that change needs to happen but don't fucking touch The Eyes. Both sides are going to have to compromise or this shit is going to be painful for the next couple of years.

[Neonmoon 38130]

The senators and congressmen think this will blow over. I think they are making a mistake that will blow up in their face. 

[Burt Macklin 19230]

10 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Texas is definitely fucking this up from a PR perspective. Yes they are being thorough and all that, but we just look like assholes in the long run 

I agree so far, but if they act in the near future, I think this will all blow over with 0 or minimal transfers (Mitchell was already a malcontent and transfer risk so he may end up transferring regardless). It really depends on how quickly they can move and whether they can at least keep the players at bay until the can/do decide to act. So far, it seems CDC/those above him needed to act have miscalculated these factors, but hopefully the’ll adjust quickly. 

Edited June 19, 2020 by Burt Macklin

[tokamak 6687]

That list of items is significantly different from the one that the football players posted on social media. I'd say more difficult, too. Literally changing the admissions practices of the university, even if it's something that the administration is open to, isn't going to happen overnight. Could be legal issues there. No idea what the UTPD one even means, but that may be a tough putt, too. I could see renaming the Belo center - which is certainly named after the company and not the guy - being legally impossible.

Should surprise nobody, and in fact make you proud, that our athletes and students are going for something much more comprehensive than taking down a statue. But yeah, if they're taking an "all-or-nothing" approach, then this may get acrimonious. Agree that it was a mistake for CDC to immediately bring up money. Who would have ever thought that our athletic department could be so beholden to the almighty dollar?

[crash_davis 23470]

Just now, Burt Macklin said:

I agree so far, but if they act in the near future, I think this will all blow over with 0 or minimal transfers (Mitchell was already a malcontent and transfer risk so he may end up transferring regardless). It really depends on how quickly they can move and whether they can at least keep the players at bay until the can/do decide to act. So far, it seems CDC has miscalculated these factors, but hopefully he’ll adjust quickly. 

Would like Mitchell to stay but I'm reminded of watching him in pass coverage last year. Eh may not be that big of a loss other than we just need bodies at LB.

The thing is, where is Mitchell going to transfer to that is going to be any better for a black athlete trying to affect change? Unless he transfers to a predominantly black university, the school he's transferring to will probably be like "eh, fuck you and just play". At least Texas is listening.

[UDontKnow 10572]

7 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

The senators and congressmen think this will blow over. I think they are making a mistake that will blow up in their face. 

Some people enjoy taking shots to the face. What can you do?

[texasstrong12 4668]

24 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Reading Satya's post, it sounds like my guess about the meeting was correct. We want to talk things out, and the vocal kids just want blanket acceptance of their demands. CDC bringing up donors and money was probably a misstep, IMO. He could have used passionate alums who have the song mean something different to them without bringing up fucking money. That literally just describes a tacit value of their discomfort for dollars, of which they generate a fuckload of...goddamnit. 

Which is absurd. The football players aren't the only Black athletes on campus. CDC and Hartzell should be able to engage all the Black athletes and get their input. 

Some of those demands should have input from Black athletes across the board.

Which Black organizations should Texas donate to and how should they give more representation to Black athletes in the Texas Hall of Fame? Shouldn't Black athletes in softball, volleyball, and basketball also have input or do we just care about PR? 

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2020 by texasstrong12

[Burt Macklin 19230]

3 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Would like Mitchell to stay but I'm reminded of watching him in pass coverage last year. Eh may not be that big of a loss other than we just need bodies at LB.

The thing is, where is Mitchell going to transfer to that is going to be any better for a black athlete trying to affect change? Unless he transfers to a predominantly black university, the school he's transferring to will probably be like "eh, fuck you and just play". At least Texas is listening.

I agree. I don’t think he’s acting reasonably, and if the players’ stance really is do everything we want immediately and we’re not willing to have any discussion, then they’re not being reasonable either, but the onus is still on the administration to respond and do it quickly. 

[UncleBuck 6455]

1 minute ago, tokamak said:

That list of items is significantly different from the one that the football players posted on social media. I'd say more difficult, too. Literally changing the admissions practices of the university, even if it's something that the administration is open to, isn't going to happen overnight. Could be legal issues there. No idea what the UTPD one even means, but that may be a tough putt, too. I could see renaming the Belo center - which is certainly named after the company and not the guy - being legally impossible.

Not to say I agree or disagree with the examples you've laid out, but you're right in how difficult some of these things can be, and hopefully cooler heads prevail on how monumental this all is and that sometimes that means even more time is required to be taken.

 

I think with social media, and us getting updates every two minutes on what's going on, we may also be rushing to judgement on how dire the situation is right now. Or maybe it really is, but it is possible that strong leadership up top with Sterns and company could smooth over a more methodical transition to concessions. 

[crash_davis 23470]

Just now, texasstrong12 said:

Which is absurd. The football players aren't the only Black athletes on campus. CDC and Hartzell should be able to engage all the Black athletes and get their input. 

Some of those demands should have input from Black athletes across the board. Which Black organizations should Texas donate too and how should they give more representation to Black athletes in the Texas Hall of Fame? Shouldn't Black athletes in softball, volleyball, and basketball also have input or do we just care about PR? 

 

 

 

Agreed but I believe Football pretty much funds all other sports, and then some. Leverage, they has it.

[UncleBuck 6455]

Just now, Burt Macklin said:

I agree. I don’t think he’s acting reasonably, and if the players’ stance really is do everything we want immediately and we’re not willing to have any discussion, then they’re not being reasonable either, but the onus is still on the administration to respond and do it quickly. 

Agree with everything. But also as I said up there, that maybe with these social media updates and tea-leaves with what a couple of players are saying, we're all overreacting on what the situation actually is. Hopefully. 

[Ricky's one-hitter 9622]

4 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I agree so far, but if they act in the near future, I think this will all blow over with 0 or minimal transfers (Mitchell was already a malcontent and transfer risk so he may end up transferring regardless). It really depends on how quickly they can move and whether they can at least keep the players at bay until the can/do decide to act. So far, it seems CDC/those above him needed to act have miscalculated these factors, but hopefully the’ll adjust quickly. 

Logistically, this has been a challenge because the students haven't been back on campus. I think CDC is pushing for a united front coming out of this with the administration and the athletes. He's going to concede what he can, but he's going to wait until more athletes can join that pool because it's a department wide issue. Then, he'll push for the big changes. I just don't think he wants to address football, then basketball, then volleyball, and so on. Get everybody on the same page, then make changes they can all get behind. 

I don't think that's enough to keep all of the the football players at bay, but I also think that the ones that portal wont be a surprise. 

[Orange&White 5573]

6 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

Some people enjoy taking shots to the face. What can you do?

Something something....South Austin's Mom...something..

[texasstrong12 4668]

2 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Agreed but I believe Football pretty much funds all other sports, and then some. Leverage, they has it.

Then they don't care about giving Black athletes a voice. They care about their demands and not what other Black athletes at Texas think if they aren't even willing to let CDC/Hartzell engage other teams and get their input. 

[Getafix 29459]

4 hours ago, Ricky's one-hitter said:

thatsthejoke.gif

 

[Dbeasy 15598]

Has anyone ever seen Eric Nahlin, Justin Wells, and Ian Boyd in a room together?

I’m extremely embarrassed to admit I have.

[IDIOTsavant 8688]

4 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

I’m extremely embarrassed to admit I have.

Those poor hot dogs...

[UDontKnow 10572]

I can't imagine our situation is as dire as aggy and their statuesque ways or even worse Mizzou a few years back that cost Bowtie his job.

[Bevo 13900]

Or they should just negotiate with Gordon and the African American Diaspora Department and come to an agreement where everyone signs off. You can't negotiate with moving goalposts and negotiating directly with the football team creates large issues for the university. It cannot be an us verses them proposition.

[Enchubben 5600]

13 minutes ago, texasstrong12 said:

Which is absurd. The football players aren't the only Black athletes on campus. CDC and Hartzell should be able to engage all the Black athletes and get their input. 

Some of those demands should have input from Black athletes across the board.

Shouldn't Black athletes in softball, volleyball, and basketball also have input or do we just care about PR? 

Agreed. I also don't even understand why this discussion is so geared towards athletics. This is a discussion that needs to be had with the student body and alumni as a whole, not a sports team or two. I get that they are the ones with leverage, because no one gives a shit if Johnny over here skips his classes, but what makes their opinions more valid than Joe Blow in Cockrell or McCombs?  When do they get their say? To be clear I am a glad they are leading the charge and using their status to force change, but they should be leading a pack not controlling the narrative alone. 

[futureman 22704]

1 hour ago, satyanash said:

2) Implement a test-optional undergraduate and graduate admissions policy …

pardon?

[texasstrong12 4668]

4 minutes ago, Enchubben said:

Agreed. I also don't even understand why this discussion is so geared towards athletics. This is a discussion that needs to be had with the student body and alumni as a whole, not a sports team or two. I get that they are the ones with leverage, because no one gives a shit if Johnny over here skips his classes, but what makes their opinions more valid than Joe Blow in Cockrell or McCombs?  When do they get their say? To be clear I am a glad they are leading the charge and using their status to force change, but they should be leading a pack not controlling the narrative alone. 

Exactly. 

[tokamak 6687]

3 minutes ago, futureman said:

pardon?

I assume the rationale is the idea that standardized tests are biased against POC.

Of course, our university and many others have been engaged in very high profile legal battles in the last few decades about how exactly they can run their admissions. I'm not fully educated on what the current status is, but I have big doubts that they can or would wave a wand and make changes to admissions standards quickly without a very deliberative process.

[Ricky's one-hitter 9622]

3 minutes ago, futureman said:

pardon?

This is a good move, imo.

Schools that did this early in 2007 after the change to the SAT said they did it because SAT/ACT scores were not indicative of student success. High school GPAs are. This has remained a part of the argument, but also that underfunded school districts are not preparing their kids to perform as well on these tests as wealthier districts are. 

High school knowledge acquisition is not indicative of ability to learn, and often minorities are victims in the admissions process. There really isn't a downside here.

[futureman 22704]

it’s pretty awesome that instead of figuring out ways to raise test scores the better plan is to just eliminate tests.  this generation is gonna be fine. 

[Hookem2147 22038]

My favorite part of the players demands is how they demand the eyes of Texas be changes and then right below it say “lift the requirement of athletes to sing the song”. So they want to change the song to something they will never sing or want to sing??? I do not envy CDC right now.

[Fud 9724]

21 minutes ago, Ricky's one-hitter said:

This is a good move, imo.

Schools that did this early in 2007 after the change to the SAT said they did it because SAT/ACT scores were not indicative of student success. High school GPAs are. This has remained a part of the argument, but also that underfunded school districts are not preparing their kids to perform as well on these tests as wealthier districts are. 

High school knowledge acquisition is not indicative of ability to learn, and often minorities are victims in the admissions process. There really isn't a downside here.

Forbes had an article recently about how California did a study that said the opposite; SAT/ACT were more indicative of success than GPA. Of course, the study was then ignored. 

[Armybrat 41414]

As if grade inflation does not exist in high school?

[satyanash 15619]

26 minutes ago, futureman said:

it’s pretty awesome that instead of figuring out ways to raise test scores the better plan is to just eliminate tests.  this generation is gonna be fine. 

 

[UDontKnow 10572]

4 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

As if grade inflation does not exist in high school?

It certainly didn't in your day, gramps. Back then, graduating from high school actually meant something.

[Ricky's one-hitter 9622]

11 minutes ago, Fud said:

Forbes had an article recently about how California did a study that said the opposite; SAT/ACT were more indicative of success than GPA. Of course, the study was then ignored. 

No, this is not correct. You're quoting an opinion piece about an internal UC study conducted by mostly professors, department chairs, and deans. What it found is significantly more nuanced than that and speaks more to their own internal admissions practices than for other schools. 

Spoiler

Prof. Henry Sánchez (UCSF, Pathology), Chair
Eva Baker (UCLA, Graduate School of Education)
Julian Betts (UCSD, Economics)
Li Cai (UCLA, Graduate School of Education)
Eddie Comeaux (UCR, Graduate School of Education, BOARS chair)
Darlene Francis (UCB, Public Health, UCOPE chair)
Patricia Gandara (UCLA, Graduate School of Education)
Jonathan Glater (UCI, Law)
James Griesemer (UCD, Philosophy)
Andrea Hasenstaub (UCSF, Integrative Neuroscience)
George Johnson (UCB, Mechanical Engineering)
Mona Lynch (UCI, Criminology, Law & Society)
Andrew Maul (UCSB, Education)
Yolanda Moses (UCR, Anthropology)
Wendy Rummerfield (UCI, Statistics, Student representative)
Kit Tellez (UCSC, Education)
Haim Weizman (UCSD, Chemistry & Biochemistry)
Anne Zanzucchi (UCM, Writing Studies, UCEP chair)

https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/underreview/sttf-report.pdf

Spoiler

Q: But don’t these large differences in SAT scores across demographic groups cause large
variations in UC admissions rates? Isn’t that unfair given inequalities in school quality and other
inequalities in California society?

This is a reasonable pair of questions. It turns out, though, that differences in average test scores between
groups of applicants do not cause highly different admit rates. Campus admissions officers appear to renorm, i.e., compensate for, SAT scores by comparing a student’s test scores not to the average SAT scores across all applicants, but rather to the SAT scores of other students who come from similarly
disadvantaged groups. UC does not have a specific cutoff for SAT scores below which admission is not
possible. If it did, then all admits would have very high SAT scores, and average score differences
between disadvantaged groups and advantaged groups, although large in the applicant pool, would be
greatly reduced in the pool of students who were admitted. But this is not what happens. The rightmost
column in Table 3C-4 shows that the test score gaps between racial/ethnic groups, between income
groups, and between first- and non-first-generation students among applicants remain virtually as large
among admitted students, which means that the test score gaps that are correlated with race, first generation status, family income, and parental education level are almost fully compensated for in
admissions decisions; otherwise the test score gaps in the applicant pool would be different than the gaps
in the admitted pool. 

 

[Bevo 13900]

13 minutes ago, Fud said:

Forbes had an article recently about how California did a study that said the opposite; SAT/ACT were more indicative of success than GPA. Of course, the study was then ignored. 

I can imagine that GPA from one school to the next means jack shit but grades within a single school are a good indication of future success. SAT and ACT are probably better indicators when evaluating students from different schools.

Or another way to put it is that a particular UT student might have pretty average grades at UT but if you put the same student in Sam Houston State, he may excel. What confounds the situation is that some students may not be serious about school no matter where they attend. OTOH, I took some summer classes at UH like differential equations and German and thought they were easy as shit compared to what they were probably like at UT.

[Ricky's one-hitter 9622]

Nothing we didn't already know

 

 

[Hank_Hill 20054]

1 hour ago, Ricky's one-hitter said:

This is a good move, imo.

Schools that did this early in 2007 after the change to the SAT said they did it because SAT/ACT scores were not indicative of student success. High school GPAs are. This has remained a part of the argument, but also that underfunded school districts are not preparing their kids to perform as well on these tests as wealthier districts are. 

High school knowledge acquisition is not indicative of ability to learn, and often minorities are victims in the admissions process. There really isn't a downside here.

Not saying you’re wrong, but then how do you provide a variable to differentiate applicants ability to learn? 

[texasstrong12 4668]

2 hours ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

The renaming of several of those buildings should have been done years ago - its an easy victory to give the players.

It's an easy victory but it probably requires a BOR vote. Texas has already renamed several buildings/dorms but it required a BOR vote. At least that was the process with Simkens Residence Hall. 

[cafe society 2903]

The BOR isn't scheduled to meet again until August;  is there a mechanism for calling ad hoc meetings to deal with exigent matters?