Despite Dillard’s efforts to improve its resources amidst asqueezed budget, many students, especially freshmen, areconsidering leaving Dillard University to pursue higher educationelsewhere. Whether it is for financial, academic or recreationalreasons, it seems that some of the freshmen are not satisfied withwhat Dillard has to offer.
Dr. Elfred A. Pinkard, interim provost and vice president foracademic affairs, said that one student told him that she wasleaving Dillard because the faculty was not challenging her enough.”I told her that she is only in the first semester of her firstyear at Dillard, so she has not come into contact with all thefaculty members,” Pinkard said.
Students who feel as if their instructors are not challengingthem, Pinkard said, should try to utilize themselves more by inturn challenging the instructor.
Faculty Fellow Sebern Coleman expressed how some of his studentshave came to him with complaints about leaving next semester.Having already seen this happen before during his days at Dillard,Coleman believes that most of the students are not really seriousabout leaving.
“Many of the students are just unhappy or homesick, or just hatedorm life,” Coleman said. He also believes that if students reallydo go to a larger state school, they will most likely encounter thesame problems at their new school, and if they stay at Dillard,they will be glad that they did. “You can not just run from asituation when it gets hard,” Coleman said.
Trina Davis, a freshman nursing major said, “I am leavingDillard next semester because it costs too much to go here. I hatechapel and seminar, and I don’t think Dillard is worth paying$22,000.”
The Grambling, La., native continued, “With as much money we arepaying to go here, we should have better dorms, better food, andgrass on every lawn. I could go to a state school and pay only$5,000 a year for a better education and a more exiting time.”
Davis also vented her feelings on how she believes her money isbeing spent at Dillard. She said that there are some issues thatneed to be addressed as far as renovations and repairs. Shecomplained that the money from her tuition should be put to gooduse to make Dillard’s campus better.
“Sometimes I look around campus and I wonder where my money isgoing, there are rats and roaches in Hartzell, we have a studentunion that has nothing to do but eat and check your mail at thepost office, and some of the buildings need paint jobs.”
Richard Yard, a freshmen theater major from Houston, Texas, wasunder the impression that Dillard University offered a major thatcombined business studies and the arts, with which he could open upa business dealing with the entertainment industry. Richard wasplanning on opening his own dance studio upon graduation.
“Over the summer I thought that Dillard offered this major, butsince they don’t I am planning on transferring on spring of 2005,”Yard said.
Once Yard realized he could not pursue the major that he onceintended, he turned to the theater department for the semester.Though he is about to leave Dillard, Richard said that he is sorryto leave. “It was a great experience for me. I have made greatfriends with my peers and even my professors and I am sad that I amleaving.”
Michael Bailey, who is a sophomore business management majorfrom Brooklyn, N.Y., is planning to transfer to Tulane Universitynext year. Bailey said he is leaving Dillard because he feels thatit is very boring on campus and that there is not enough things todo besides study, go to class, and eat. “It can get very boringsometimes because there is nothing to do on campus,” he said.
Bailey also said that even with him going to school here in’party town’ New Orleans he still finds himself wanting to beentertained more.
“I thought that when I came to college it was going to be funall the time,” he said, but added that there should be more funactivities to liven things up on campus. “The ‘Free-style Friday’thing and the David Banner concert was a good start, but therestill needs to be more.”
The lack of athletic teams on campus may also be contributing tosome students wanting to leave. Some students want to participatein sports such as football, baseball and basketball on the nationalcollegiate level. Tomeika Edwards, a freshman pre-law major, saysthat she wants to run track for a big school so she can excelfurther in her career. “Most of the students in my position don’tthink they can really do much with sports here,” Edwards said.
Edwards is considering running track for either the Universityof Connecticut or Louisiana State University “I need to be at aninstitution that can give lots of exposure,” she said.
“Besides if you don’t have a football team or marching bandthere is nothing to look forward to during the fall season,” shesaid.