UH scraps plan to require freshmen to live on campus

Renu Khator, president of the University of Houston. Renu Khator, president of the University of Houston. Photo: Courtesy Of Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Photo: Courtesy Of Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close UH scraps plan to require freshmen to live on campus 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

After a lengthy exchange with an angry state senator on Saturday, University of Houston Chancellor and President Renu Khator killed a plan to require freshmen to live on campus, text messages obtained by the Houston Chronicle show.

In the exchange with Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, Khator went from defending the plan to telling Whitmire she had killed it.

"I have already killed any further consideration on it," Khator said in one message after Whitmire had denounced the idea as insensitive to student needs and UH history. "Can you please forgive?"

The proposal would have made it mandatory for most freshmen living more than 20 miles from UH to move to campus for the school year. Administrators had pointed to data showing students make better grades, take more classes and have a better chance of graduating in four years when they live on campus.

The plan seemed set on Friday, when UH sent out a news release saying freshmen would have to live on campus starting in the fall of 2015. The news release has since been removed from the university's website, where it was posted as recently as Monday.

Whitmire said Tuesday that data provided to him by the university showed it would cost students about $5,600 more annually to live on campus. Whitmire said UH needs to remember its clientele, which has historically been working class students who can't afford the extra costs.