“UNO students are upset for several reasons, the main seeming to be lower recognition as a school,” UNO sophomore Nick Valido said. “Graduation rates at SUNO are much lower than at UNO, and so we will go down if the rates remain as they are between the two schools.”
Both SUNO students and black community leaders are uneasy about how the “Historically Black Colleges and Universities” status of SUNO, where 96 percent of students identify as black, would change after a merger.
“At SUNO, we are afforded so many advantages and embark on so many opportunities because of the type of institution we are,” SUNO senior Jaunee Snear said. “If UNO and SUNO were to merge, where would that leave SUNO as being marked as an HBCU as well as the students onHBCU scholarships
Jindal cited declining enrollment numbers and low graduation rates at both schools, along with the necessity of budget cuts, as reasons for the possible merger. Most of the opposition to the proposed merger is based on the belief that UNOhas a greater history of success than SUNO and that the elimination of SUNO, a historically-black school, would take away opportunities for those with less access to higher education.
“UNO students are upset for several reasons, the main seeming to be lower recognition as a school,” UNO sophomore Nick Valido said. “Graduation rates at SUNO are much lower than at UNO, and so we will go down if the rates remain as they are between the two schools.”
