r/SMU

Lot of chatter on the ground in Texas, SMU will add men’s and women’s lacrosse in next couple of years. Athletic Director (former Maryland AD) was asked about it last week and was coy but didn’t deny it.

Core of the rumor:
Why? SMU has the bare minimum D1 men’s sports to be D1. Supposedly, ACC told them when they joined they had to add a men’s team sport.

Adding lacrosse helps solidify ties to existing ACC programs.

Several deep pocket alumni have fallen in love with the sport through kids and grandkids & are infatuated with being the only D1 program in Texas.

Lacrosse is very “on brand” for SMU.

They delay at this point is school is telling alumni the programs must be fully underwritten before announcement.

Why lacrosse and not baseball? SMU is landlocked and does not have space for a baseball, much less a baseball and softball complex, & a land acquisition would be in 10s of millions, if even available.

SMU already has a dedicated turf lacrosse field that can be used for practice. There is a brand new soccer and track stadium with 2,500 seating capacity & a grass field.

Belief is it would not take long to be competitive.

If you’re unfamiliar with “urbanism,” it's how inhabitants of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with the built environment. Positive urbanism inherently supports public transit and mixed use zoning, with an emphasis on making it easier to do everyday errands without needing a vehicle.

As a native Dallasite, I’ve noticed that there is quite a lack of this kind of infrastructure outside of very few places, which is crazy given the population size.

This doesn't apply to just DFW, but I’m working on a campaign to get local officials involved in supporting this kind of legislation forward. One small step in that is furthering the Build More Housing Near Transit Act. August is coming up, and if you want to get more involved in local politics, this is a great starting point.

Check out DATA to support DART - https://dallasareatransitalliance.org/

For those of you that are currently at SMU for their PhD program, what department? Do you like it? Is the graduate school good? What is the pricing?
How do you afford school? How much is the stipend or how much is covered?
How did you find housing?

I am looking to apply for Chemistry PhD.
would love to know what the stipend and pricing is like.

Thanks in advance.

I just wanted to quickly verify if the campus is open at this time? It’s too late to call any of the offices, so I thought to just ask here

I’m tired of people acting like conversations about racism at SMU are exaggerated or isolated incidents when many minority students experience it regularly, both openly and subtly.

I’ve personally had people ask me how I “afford” to attend SMU, as if students of color don’t belong in spaces like this unless we’re exceptions. I’ve heard students casually use slurs, including the f-slur and the n-word (I personally have been called the f-slur). I’ve had friends tell me they constantly feel watched or judged in predominantly white spaces on campus, and honestly, I’ve felt it too. A lot of minority students learn quickly how to navigate certain classrooms, organizations, or social environments differently because of this atmosphere.

And the problem is that SMU rarely addresses these issues directly. Instead, the university tends to focus on protecting its image. During football season and homecoming, racist behavior, drunken harassment, MAGA flags, and openly hostile comments toward minorities are often brushed aside as “school spirit” or ignored completely. Even on platforms like Fizz, racist and discriminatory comments circulate constantly, yet students are told to just ignore it because “that’s anonymous apps.”

What frustrates me even more is seeing how quickly the university reacts to some forms of expression while long-standing issues affecting minority students continue to receive little meaningful attention. Conversations around institutional neutrality feel incomplete when many of the removed signs and symbols represented marginalized communities, Pride flags, Black Lives Matter signs, Palestinian flags, while other forms of political expression and behavior on campus have historically gone largely unaddressed.

That inconsistency sends a message whether people want to admit it or not.

This isn’t about saying every student at SMU is racist. They aren’t. I’ve met incredible people and mentors here. But pretending these issues don’t exist only makes the environment worse for students who already feel out of place.

If SMU genuinely wants to support minority students, then the conversation has to go beyond marketing, brochures, and diversity statements. Students notice when issues are acknowledged versus when they’re simply managed quietly to protect the university’s reputation.

You cannot claim to value diversity while making students feel like their identities, concerns, and experiences are only welcome when they are convenient.

So I’m supposed to be graduating in December, but because they canceled the December ceremony I was told I could participate in the all-university commencement this weekend. I ordered my cap and gown and I have yet to receive it. When I called they said they would expedite the process for me to get it in time but honestly I highly doubt it will.

Anywaysss all this to say, I’m not worried about borrowing a cap or gown from anyone (I have someone who will lend me theirs if it comes down to it) but I am pissed that I won’t properly use it and then be forced to return it. So does anyone know what would happen if I never return it? I heard some places charge a replacement fee… So does anyone know if they do something similar? Cause if I have to return it without ever using it, it feels like a waste of my money… advice anyone??

Hey I’m a college sophomore now junior hoping to transfer to a college with a better finance program, I’m coming from UNT, I have already gotten accepted into SMU, just finished my application to Cox, got an email to apply for the honors program, I got the merit scholarship since I have a 4.0, max amount from fasfa, and I’m applying to the css college board financial aid which my sister got when she applied. I was wondering if anyone could help me decide if I should transfer because I’m definitely getting more money than UNT but it’s more tuition and I’m a Hispanic guy and from most of the post I’ve seen it doesn’t seem very diverse and I don’t want to stand out like that. I also applied to transfer to UT but haven’t heard back yet so any advice would be helpful!

Long story short... ordered custom regalia the last week of March. Just to be sure it would make it in time, I ordered 4-weel expedited manufacturing and overnight shipping. Based on the time frame, it should have arrived at my house between May 1-3.

I called every day starting May 1. About a week later, I tried to cancel since they couldn't give me any assurance that it would ship soon. They said I couldn't cancel because it's a custom order.

I planned to travel to Dallas starting Monday. I pushed it a day and left today (on my way now... driving from the east coast). So I'll miss the hooding ceremony Thursday.

So I have no regalia and haven't been able to reach anyone at the bookstore via phone. Emails aren't being answered. I'm hoping that they'll have something close to my size that I can borrow. Otherwise, I won't even be able to walk Saturday.

What a shit show. I can't be the only one.

Hi everyone, I am wondering if anyone might happen to have a spare SMU graduation gown that my boyfriend could borrow on Friday 15th May.

Unfortunately completely forgot to order the gown in time and can’t seem to find any last minute ones at Barnes and Noble. We are now aware he cant walk without it.

Thank you so much I really appreciate any ideas at all!

anyone know what happened at one of the frat houses earlier today? did someone pass away??