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(08-24-2022 06:27 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  Watching Channel 9 locally yesterday, there was excellent coverage of UC's record enrollment and students' first days on campus. Unfortunately, there was accompanying coverage of the student housing mess, much brought on by The Deaconess, where the the Channel 9 report highlighted all sorts of problems with cleanliness, HVAC operations, and a host of issues one would never expect in a relatively new property. According to the report, UC is taking over cleaning and maintenance immediately (not sure what that means at a private commercial property) and housing students in hotels until safety/quality issues are resolved.

I only share all this because enrolling more and more puts increasing pressure on university and private housing sources. Even when Calhoun Hall re-opens, Siddall will probably close for renovation, so there will be no net gain in the short term. All this is to say that while The Deaconess may not be under UC's control, our University gets tarred with the same brush when student housing options are unattractive. That's not a good look for a University aspiring to enroll 60,000 in the near future.

My daughter's move in to Deacon was delayed due to sprinkler issues I believe.

When we moved her in on Sunday they had a portable dehumidifier set up in the kitchen area.

From what she heard the 8th floor had flooded. She is on the 6th floor….
My impression was that it felt like an underground bunker. Long plain, grey, moderately lit hallways. Hallway carpets were decent but various spots and stains. The room itself was fine.
The front entrance looks nice, and has big glass windows overlooking the courtyard and pool area.

It is overwhelmingly better than what I lived in (Calhoun and Sawyer). But compared to USquare that she lived in last year, nowhere near as nice.

(08-24-2022 06:48 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  My guess is that UC does with The Deacon what they did previously with UPA and Stratford Heights. They come in gently by taking over multiple maintenance/service deals, then they offer to purchase and it becomes a UC residence hall. Smart move, allows for UC to not deplete their cash reserves building these buildings, and can stretch the purchase over 10-15 years as debt service instead.

I wasn’t aware that Deacon isn’t owned by UC.

It is goes through university housing.

We didn’t do a private lease.

My daughter signed up for it through the university.

(08-24-2022 12:35 PM)namrag Wrote:  

(08-24-2022 06:48 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  My guess is that UC does with The Deacon what they did previously with UPA and Stratford Heights. They come in gently by taking over multiple maintenance/service deals, then they offer to purchase and it becomes a UC residence hall. Smart move, allows for UC to not deplete their cash reserves building these buildings, and can stretch the purchase over 10-15 years as debt service instead.

I wasn’t aware that Deacon isn’t owned by UC.

It is goes through university housing.

We didn’t do a private lease.

My daughter signed up for it through the university.

It is owned by Trinitas Ventures, the same company that is completing the remaining Deaconess redevelopment program. UC may bypass the housing management for freshmen or students leveraging student housing, but you can still apply independently through their own website as well. Many campuses have things like this setup, American Campus Communities is the largest of those, though they were recently acquired by Blackstone Group, one of the larger retail/housing property owners in the western hemisphere, so who knows if they'll be dumping it all.

The Deacon is a huge party hub now too (sorry Namrag) so I'd expect a lot of issues from college students doing college student things. When my brother lived in the Verge over on Calhoun it was a constant mess of sprinklers and fire alarms going off. We had an alarm go off once cause a kid used a fire extinguisher to propel himself down the hallway on an office chair.

I have a brother-in-law who lives in Cleveland and went to college in Toledo. He thinks Cincinnati is dangerous so he gave his kid extra money to live in the Deacon building instead of finding a place off campus. I just laughed.

(08-24-2022 01:31 PM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  I have a brother-in-law who lives in Cleveland and went to college in Toledo. He thinks Cincinnati is dangerous so he gave his kid extra money to live in the Deacon building instead of finding a place off campus. I just laughed.

That's rich!

I went to school at Case, in Cleveland & just visited there last month Outside of downtown Cleveland where the skyscrapers are, almost everything in the city limits is still equal to or more dangerous than OTR. Corryville or Clifton Heights would be the nicest areas of town if they were in Cleveland.

(08-22-2022 04:13 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 03:55 PM)colohank Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 02:02 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 10:48 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 10:44 AM)colohank Wrote:  Quantity vs. quality. Should we expect another downgrade when the next USN&WR ratings come out?

UC gave up on cracking the top 100 in the USNWR almost a decade ago. The goal is clearly to expand enrollment. This spring/early summer Dr. Pinto said the goal is to be at 60,000 students by 2030.

Bolded, and they're doing a fine job at that. Bigger isn't always better but it's still more--more tuition revenue, more state support for operations and capital improvements in the way Ohio funds the public universities.

UC is now clearly separated from the regional publics as Ohio's "other" major public research engine and the undergraduate school of choice in Ohio, alongside that school up I-71. OSU first got big, then upped its game on enrollment selectivity. Maybe UC follows this same playbook, albeit decades later.

As we all know too, being part of a "power" conference in athletics was another step forward on a big stage. Prospective students don't always make rational choices for their undergraduate education, but if big-time athletics is a draw, the Bearcats have helped the cause and this will only get better with the increased exposure of the Big 12.

Unless campus builds vertically, more capital improvements will soon require an expanded footprint, and there aren't a lot of socially or politically palatable options available. Something's gotta give. Either we acquire Burnett Woods or resume nibbling away at surrounding residential neighborhoods. Without more ground, and with the construction of more facilities to accommodate the incoming hordes, UC's campus may soon have the same panache as an in-grown toenail.

Has UC officially and publicly identified current enrollment growth and an eventual shift to greater selectivity as a strategy or goal?

It appears Hebrew Union College will exit Cincinnati and that's a beautiful, small campus that practically connects the dots between the intersection of Clifton Avenue and MLK. I have no idea if that's been explored by UC, but with the footprint issue you've alluded to, I would think there might be a mutually beneficial opportunity there.

It’s a shame if Hebrew Union leaves. I’m not Jewish, but I appreciate that HUC is a part of this city’s history.

(08-30-2022 06:23 PM)BearcatsUC Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 04:13 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 03:55 PM)colohank Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 02:02 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 10:48 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  UC gave up on cracking the top 100 in the USNWR almost a decade ago. The goal is clearly to expand enrollment. This spring/early summer Dr. Pinto said the goal is to be at 60,000 students by 2030.

Bolded, and they're doing a fine job at that. Bigger isn't always better but it's still more--more tuition revenue, more state support for operations and capital improvements in the way Ohio funds the public universities.

UC is now clearly separated from the regional publics as Ohio's "other" major public research engine and the undergraduate school of choice in Ohio, alongside that school up I-71. OSU first got big, then upped its game on enrollment selectivity. Maybe UC follows this same playbook, albeit decades later.

As we all know too, being part of a "power" conference in athletics was another step forward on a big stage. Prospective students don't always make rational choices for their undergraduate education, but if big-time athletics is a draw, the Bearcats have helped the cause and this will only get better with the increased exposure of the Big 12.

Unless campus builds vertically, more capital improvements will soon require an expanded footprint, and there aren't a lot of socially or politically palatable options available. Something's gotta give. Either we acquire Burnett Woods or resume nibbling away at surrounding residential neighborhoods. Without more ground, and with the construction of more facilities to accommodate the incoming hordes, UC's campus may soon have the same panache as an in-grown toenail.

Has UC officially and publicly identified current enrollment growth and an eventual shift to greater selectivity as a strategy or goal?

It appears Hebrew Union College will exit Cincinnati and that's a beautiful, small campus that practically connects the dots between the intersection of Clifton Avenue and MLK. I have no idea if that's been explored by UC, but with the footprint issue you've alluded to, I would think there might be a mutually beneficial opportunity there.

It’s a shame if Hebrew Union leaves. I’m not Jewish, but I appreciate that HUC is a part of this city’s history.

A significant part of our city's history, and Jewish history nationwide. I believe the rabbinical program will sunset over the next few years, and it remains to be decided what will happen with the overall campus.

(08-30-2022 06:46 PM)geef Wrote:  

(08-30-2022 06:23 PM)BearcatsUC Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 04:13 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 03:55 PM)colohank Wrote:  

(08-22-2022 02:02 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  Bolded, and they're doing a fine job at that. Bigger isn't always better but it's still more--more tuition revenue, more state support for operations and capital improvements in the way Ohio funds the public universities.

UC is now clearly separated from the regional publics as Ohio's "other" major public research engine and the undergraduate school of choice in Ohio, alongside that school up I-71. OSU first got big, then upped its game on enrollment selectivity. Maybe UC follows this same playbook, albeit decades later.

As we all know too, being part of a "power" conference in athletics was another step forward on a big stage. Prospective students don't always make rational choices for their undergraduate education, but if big-time athletics is a draw, the Bearcats have helped the cause and this will only get better with the increased exposure of the Big 12.

Unless campus builds vertically, more capital improvements will soon require an expanded footprint, and there aren't a lot of socially or politically palatable options available. Something's gotta give. Either we acquire Burnett Woods or resume nibbling away at surrounding residential neighborhoods. Without more ground, and with the construction of more facilities to accommodate the incoming hordes, UC's campus may soon have the same panache as an in-grown toenail.

Has UC officially and publicly identified current enrollment growth and an eventual shift to greater selectivity as a strategy or goal?

It appears Hebrew Union College will exit Cincinnati and that's a beautiful, small campus that practically connects the dots between the intersection of Clifton Avenue and MLK. I have no idea if that's been explored by UC, but with the footprint issue you've alluded to, I would think there might be a mutually beneficial opportunity there.

It’s a shame if Hebrew Union leaves. I’m not Jewish, but I appreciate that HUC is a part of this city’s history.

A significant part of our city's history, and Jewish history nationwide. I believe the rabbinical program will sunset over the next few years, and it remains to be decided what will happen with the overall campus.

It is upsetting to see what happened to HUC. When I was at UC I minored in Judaic Studies, I believe the department had its students visit HUC for certain classes back in the day. It was also the place I took my LSAT prep course. There was also a joint degree program between HUC and UC Law that I wish I would have been able to do, PhD or Masters in Jewish Law and Ethics.

I think biggest issue is that the reform movement is very different from when the college first existed. Some of the reasoning which I don’t buy is that Cincinnati isn’t liberal enough to attract the type of candidates that would want to stay in the region.

If HUC does completely leave, I would hope that UC would take over that building and allow for a graduate program in Judaic Studies.