Issue 80, Volume 74 by The Cougar

THE DAILY COUGAR Food for thought: campus offers culinary experience /FEATURES Issue 80, Volume 74

TODAY’S WEATHER

Mine games: UH looks to defeat UTEP at home /sports

3-day forecast, Page 2

Hi 52 Lo 34

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

www.thedailycougar.com

Houston not immune to losses By James Rincon The Daily Cougar Recent reports in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times show that college endowments suffered an aggregate investment loss of $94 billion, an average loss of between 23 and 24 percent, and Houston universities are no exception. In his State of the state address on Tuesday, Governor Rick Perry said the Texas economy is “still in better shape than most other states,” but administrators at

UH Systems and Texas Southern University both say endowments have diminished at least 25 percent. “That (number) changes almost daily because of the mark values, but if you see the market’s down by, let’s say it’s down by 30 percent, we’re doing a little better, but we’re all in the same range,” Carl Carlucci, vice chancellor for administration and finance for UH and UH Systems, said. “Even the big schools with the really impressive managers have seen decline, because the whole market goes down, there’s no way to

protect your portfolio from that.” Carlucci’s comments are backed by reports that said even schools with endowments of over $1 billion show an average loss of more than 20 percent. David Bradley, vice president of administration and finance for UHDowntown, said that endowment losses stem from heavy dependence on equities. “It’s because of what’s happened in the stock market. The endowments are invested mostly see ENDOW, page 3

Endowments mimic Dow The Dow Jones Industrial average is down 29 percent since Sept. 1, 2008. UH systems endowment losses are slightly less. Source: Google finance

12,000 11,000 10,000 9,000 8,000 7,000

SEPTEMBER 08

JANUARY 09

Radical asthma therapy upheld Previously contraindicated beta-blockers shown more effective in chonic treatment By Marc Anderson The Daily Cougar

photo courtesy of The Honors College.

John Updike, who died on Tuesday after battling lung cancer, helped bring prominence to UH creative writing program’s Inprint series. .

Updike wrote of fallibility, grace By Jasmine Harrison The Daily Cougar John Updike visited the University of Houston campus two days after celebrating his 53rd birthday in March 1985, as part of the University’s Writers in Society series, and again in February 2006 as an Inprint participant at age 73. Updike died of lung cancer Tuesday at the age of 76. Ted Estess, dean emeritus and English professor in The Honors College, remembers Updike’s last visit well. “He was brought here by the creative writing program,” Estess said. “It was a year in which the program was being celebrated. He appeared in the Honors commons and gave a talk on ‘Seven Observations about the Process of Writing’, and spoke to a packed room.” After his time at the podium, Updike did not hesitate to spare time

to interact with students and faculty despite his star status, Estees said. “John Updike was a man of impeccable manners. He was immensely gracious. He was patient with questions; he was patient in signing books. He was a person of good cheer,” he said. Updike brought impressive status to the readings and star-struck those who were there to witness the Pulitzer Prize winner speak, Estess said. “Every time you could be in the presence of John Updike you were excited,” Estess said. “He was one of our celebrity writers in America, and since he spoke intelligently, people were deeply impressed. This was true of the creative writing students and the general public.” Updike achieved fame through his four-part “Rabbit” series of novels, which narrated the small-town life of Harry Armstrong. “In those books Updike is commenting on life in America,”

Estess said. “He certainly was interested in and enjoyed human fallibility or the way in which we fail. He was not moralistic at all. He wrote about human beings as we are.” Updike was born March 18, 1932 in Shilling, Pa. and attended Harvard University on full scholarship and worked as president of the humor magazine The Harvard Lampoon before graduating summa cum laude in 1954. Updike would go on to write more than 30 novels and win numerous awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes. “He was our Charles Dickens,” Estess said. “If you want to know about England (in) the 19th century, a good place to start is Charles Dickens. If you want to know about America in the second half of the 20th century then you read John Updike.” Updike is survived by his children and his second wife, Martha. news@thedailycougar.com

A new study conducted at the College of Pharmacy calls into question a widely-used medical treatment for asthma and coincides with the Food and Drug Administration’s critical review of existing asthma treatments. Richard A. Bond, professor of pharmacology at the College of Pharmacy, has recently published work suggesting that using a class of drugs known as beta-blockers would be more effective in treating chronic asthma than the standard treatment of using drugs known as beta-agonists. In his newest findings, published in this month’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Bond’s lab looked at mice lacking the beta-2 receptor. These mice could not be induced to develop asthma, a finding that suggests stimulation of the beta-2 receptor plays a role in causing asthma. “Whether we block the receptor chemically (with beta-blockers) or the receptor just isn’t there, the results are the same,” Dr. Bond said. Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that is characterized by constriction and inflammation of the airways in the lungs and causes difficulties in breathing, ranging from moderate to severe. One biological molecule that regulates the constriction of the airways is the beta-2 receptor. When activated, the receptor causes airways to dilate, making breathing easier. For over 40 years, the standard treatment for asthma has been to use beta-agonist drugs that activate these receptors. They immediately make breathing easier, but Bond said his research calls their long-term

effectiveness into question. He found that by blocking these receptors instead of activating them, airways relaxed, and the results appeared to be beneficial in chronic asthma. His earlier work with mice suggested beta-blockers are better suited for long-term management of asthma. When beta-blockers were given over a 28-day period, the mice showed less constriction of the airways, indicating a reduction of asthma symptoms. “The older drugs worked in the sense that people immediately felt better, but in the long term they had more complications,” Dr. Bond said. “Beta-agonists are wonderful drugs when used acutely. The problem is that asthma is a chronic disease.” His view was recently supported in a study released by the FDA in December that showed increased risk of hospitalization and of breathing related deaths in asthma patients treated solely with beta-agonists. His suggestion that asthma be treated with drugs that do exactly the opposite of current therapies was initially met with skepticism, Bond said. “I remember I gave a talk to the European Respiratory Society and I was first met with open laughter. After I showed the data there wasn’t any more laughing,” Bond said. Bond hopes his findings will help the medical community establish practices that offer the best treatment for both acute and chronic phases of asthma. “There is a potential for reconciliation between using both beta-agonists and beta-blockers together. Each is suited to address a particular aspect of the disease,” Bond said. news@thedailycougar.com

2 n Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Daily Cougar

CAMPUS BEAT FORECAST Thursday

Friday

63˚36˚

62˚38˚

Saturday

67˚50˚

» Get the word out about your group. Contact features@thedailycougar.com

C LU B 101

Enviro Club makes campus greener Mission: The Environmental Club at UH aims to increase and promote environmental awareness through events and programs. We believe it is vital to do our part to protect our environment on a university, community and global scale.

Newsroom (713) 743-5360 n

Who’s in charge: Environmental science senior Paulina Guerrero

lauren baker THE DAILY COUGAR

Political science senior and environmental club member Save the date: Don’t miss Environmental Michael Blunk takes a break from last year’s Clinton GlobClub’s arboretum cleanups on the first and al Initiative in New Orleans, La. to lounge in a tree.

Bauer Résumé ER: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Melcher Hall, AIM Center Lobby. Rockwell Career Center staff will assist students of Bauer College of Business build their résumés. Career Fair Workshop: 2 to 3 p.m. at Student Service Center 1, First Floor. Visit www.career.uh.edu. UH Advisory Board Meeting: 2 p.m. at Ezekiel W. Cullen Building. Sponsored by Office of Special Events.

last Saturday of every month. On Feb. 22, Enviro Club will have in a block cleanup of Dowling Street near Emancipation Park. Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month at 4:15 p.m. in the Baltic Room, University Center Underground. Website: http://enviroclubatuh.com Sign me up!: E-mail the completed membership form on the Web site to an officer. Pay $5 dues per semester.

THURSDAY SSDP: Super Sandwiches, Delightful People: 4 p.m. at the World Affairs Lounge, UC Underground. Join Students for Sensible Drug Policy at UH for Wii games, a raffle, and sandwiches. Visit www.uhssdp.com.

– Jaymie Allen, psychology senior

“My other favorite thing would be Ecomart, because I like seeing people come together and bring their recycled goods.” – Lauren Baker, psychology senior

Compiled by Sarah Krusleski

Wii Wednesdays: 6 to 8 p.m. at Chili’s Too. Come play Wii Sports and Mario Kart. Student Program Board offers four controllers, so bring friends and grab a bite. SPB presents Finding Nemo: 7 p.m. at the Houston Room, University Center. Share input on campus events with the Student Program Board at www.uh.edu/spb.

“I’m looking forward to the semester. The whole school should be involved. “

Sports Editor

Matt Miller (713) 743-5303 sports@thedailycougar.com n

Life & Arts Editor

Sarah Tucker (713) 743-5302 arts@thedailycougar.com n

Opinion Editor

Shaista Mohammed opinion@thedailycougar.com n

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Justin Flores (713) 743-5304 photos@thedailycougar.com

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The Daily Cougar

ENDOW

management program in several years to keep close watch over its endowment investments. continued from page 1 “We have main investment in equities. You’ve got a mix of fixed advisors that we communicate with stuff — bonds and those things — and we have two additional advisors but you also have a pretty good size that do our day-to-day investment,” of your portfolio is stocks,” Bradley Dorch said. “I have a meeting said. “In terms of how that affects scheduled this week to look at, what us, if you look at the endowment the investment horizon is for the year funds, about two-thirds of the 2009 and also I have to understand endowment that we have is sports their thought process as far as scholarships, so what’s going to be investments of university funds.” the biggest impact is how you deal UH Systems will also soon be with it in terms scholarships.” assessing its future. Because endowments are “There is a meeting of the principally rooted in stocks, a endowment management rebound in the market could cut committee of the Board of Regents university’s losses substantially, scheduled for early February,” Carlucci said, but when that Bradley said. “One of the things will occur is they are going anybody’s guess. “ Some of those accounts will to consider is “ W h e n what should be have money in them that you have an the endowment endowment, payout policy they haven’t spent, and people are forward. hopefully they will be able going expecting you to They may modify produce returns to use some of that money to that because of to support cushion“this.” what’s occurred.” programs every W i t h — Carl Carlucci, vice president of s c h o l a r s h i p year. In our case, administration and finace for UH systems. f u n d i n g we have been paying about 5 endowments percent, but we diminished in will be adjusting the payout and it’s every state, Gov. Perry proposed probably going down,” Carlucci said “freezing student’s college tuition “hopefully it will be earned back rates for 4 years at the level they we earned back when the market pay as an entering freshman” in his recovers.” address. The majority of TSU endowments Carlucci said that though relate directly to indexes like the endowments are down, sound Dow Jones averages, and that financial planning might soften the although those indexes are down, blow to scholarship funds. TSU doesn’t suffer immediate “We’re paying out to various losses, TSU Executive Director of accounts for scholarships and Budget Darrell Dortch said. everything else. Some of those “ It’s not really a lack of funding. accounts will have money in These are unrealized losses in them that they haven’t spent, and a way,” Dorch said. “This year, hopefully they will be able to use depending on what the broad some of that money to cushion market does, we can recoup.” this. But we won’t know until TSU and UH Systems calculate the individual units submit their endowment payout based on a budgets,” Carlucci said. 3-year rolling average. TSU has implemented its first treasury news@thedailycougar.com

NEWS

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 n 3

4 n Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Daily Cougar

OPINION

COMING THURSDAY: David Dewhurst on tuition re-regulation. ONLINE: Campus shuttle bus lines: what’s the verdict?

EDITOR Shaista Mohammed E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/opinion

THE DAILY COUGAR

FORUM

editorial B oard Zaneta Loh, editor in chief Signe Cluiss, managing editor James Rincon, News editor Matt Miller, Sports editor Sarah Tucker, Life & Arts editor Shaista Mohammed, Opinion editor

STAFF EDITORIAL

Right to breathe may erode right to reside

Rami Schindler The Daily Cougar

Trimming the fat

AT ISSUE: Leading Philadelphia educators have proposed a pared down four-year degreegranting institution geared toward getting students in and out quickly. Are they necessary to fill a niche in the higher education market?.

Giving up diverse demographic, gaining rapid workplace entry

College degree worth time, money put into it

Pennsylvania may have finally found the perfect solution for a large number of students nationwide. The Pennsylvania State Board of Education recently approved a proposal for a “no-frills” college education. If this takes hold, there will be a fouryear college for people who don’t want or need the Alana extras a traditional MousaviDin university campus offers. While this option could be beneficial for many, it brings to mind students who are able to attend college because of scholarships given for their sports, music, art, writing abilities and more. UH is a self-proclaimed melange of commuter-students mixed with the more traditional students who live on campus. If Texas were to incorporate a “no-frills” four-year college, many commuter students may opt for it, but what would become of UH as we know it? The entire population of the campus would reduce dramatically, and there would no longer be those wonderfully mixed classes filled with students of all ages and experience. These, among other things, are reasons to think twice about a plain-Jane education. On the other hand, a college

There’s a difference between a vocational school and a university and unfortunately Pennsylvania’s new “stripped down” degree blurs the line to one of mere terminology. There is now an ongoing recession that bears the likelihood of turning into an actual depression. During these hard Shaista economic times, Mohammed it is normal for people to return to college, whether to augment existing degrees with more training, modify existing job skills with new applications or to switch training completely and start anew. For folks like these, an academic degree is necessary, whether in technical training or in a standard interdisciplinary institution. The problem with a “no-frills” approach to education or even re-education, is the absence of applicability and realworld skills in the educational format. Intramural sports are not a big part of many students’ lives, but sports statistics are one of the main reasons people buy newspapers, and while speaking to sports fans isn’t a job skill, it may be a life skill. Similarly, appreciating the arts is a rare job necessity until you begin analyzing composition and balance for

see MOUSAVIDIN, page 5

see MOHAMMED, page 5

Financial burdens make no-frills college necessary for many College tuition has long been a barrier for many would-be students, and these days it is getting worse. Tuition has risen about 50 percent over the past few years. Add to that the doom and gloom reported daily from our country’s financial sector and some are left with serious obstacles on their way towards a higher education. Abdul Every semester, Khan as we examine our fee bill, we see line after line of cryptic added costs. Also, many of the fees we do understand are being used for services that many of us will never take advantage of. What if all you have time for is to go to class? What if you never have time to take advantage of extra programs around campus; would you still want to fund those programs and activities with your fees? What if there were an alternative? Pennsylvania is considering just that. They are looking into a stripped-down version of college-a university education at a bargain price. I’d like to think UH is already trying this. I have several friends who have attended UH Downtown, and while the campus life is not their biggest selling point, its style has helped some people who really needed confidence to enter the workforce. Abdul Khan is a political science and history senior and may be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com

What do you think? CHIME IN AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

s of today, it’s illegal for residents of Belmont, Calif. who live in apartments — or any other building that shares walls with neighboring buildings — to smoke in their homes or cars. Granted, smoking is tantamount to courting cancer, but is there a limit to legislative control of a person’s environment? The ramifications are interesting, particularly for a college campus that features a lot of shared air, drifting smoke and young smokers who are newly able to stand up for their rights as full citizens. As recently as last September, a series of smoking bans were enacted in Houston, including a hotlycontested ban in local bars. The University is smoke-free as a public facility in Texas. However UH goes a step further to help our populace stay smoke-free. We host the Texas SmokeFree Ordinance Database online as part of the Health Network for Evaluation and Training Systems, or HNETS. The database is searchable by community and pulls up a listing of the type of legislation in effect for a given area including fines and enforcement information. The question of smoking has become a hot spot, not of public health, but of civil liberties. Cigarette smoke exacerbates asthma and other respiratory ailments and allergies, is a known carcinogen and significantly heightens the risk of fire in group-living situations. There is no reason to encourage it on a college campus or anywhere else, but banning what retirees do in their homes seems to cross a line. The housing establishment where the petition began is subsidized with federal funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, making the precedent easily extensible to other federally subsidized institutions. Legislation against behavior that is harmful to one’s neighbors is a part of the social contract we share, but there are limits to how far one’s rights may be abridged in the name of the many. This may not be that line, but there seems to be an overkill factor in the extremity of the legislation. The Daily Cougar does not encourage smoking. The concern we have is for the invasiveness of Belmont’s legislative push against it.

E D I TO R I A L polic y STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Daily Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to Room 151, Communication Building; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing. ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements published in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole. GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Commentary should be kept to less than 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies to material already printed in the Cougar, but rather should present independent points of view. Rebuttals should be sent as letters. Deliver submissions to Room 151, Communication Building; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

Issue credits n n

Copy editing Angela Hoang, Shaista Mohammed Production Mariah Davis, Mario Trinidad

SECTION

The Daily Cougar

MOUSAVIDIN continued from page 4

without the distraction of sports and clubs and the “rah-rah” of normal universities has an appeal of its own. It would allow a more direct path to getting sought-after degrees, and there would be a certain element of seriousness that is sometimes difficult to find on a more traditional campus. With any luck, it could also get rid of those daily annoyances some put up with in class, such as constant talkers and persistent text-messagers. In short, I think it would allow for the divergence of the mature and immature and the serious students from the slackers. Whether or not Pennsylvania can initiate the process for a “no-

MOHAMMED continued from page 4

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 n 5

frills” college option that could be implemented nationwide is unknown, but the foundation has been laid and will have to be looked at by each state’s Board of Education to decide if it would work for their individual needs. I say bring it on, because it will simply be another way to get and keep people in the classroom. As our economy is in a downward spiral, the need for higher education will increase even more than before, and the faster we can get students into college and out with a degree in hand, the better it will be for everyone. Alana MousaviDin is a communication senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

work and are an effective way of integrating more technical ability into an existing organization. The financial crunch is a deep hardship for all students, between college-loan vultures, a riskier job market and increasing tuition. Nevertheless, cutting corners and churning out new professionals whose degrees are worth less than their peers’ is unlikely to do anything in the long term other than further stratify educational requirements and muddy the waters of qualification. There is always room for what we put first, and compromising the quality of American education is an expensive decision in the long run.

an image on a website, or a piece of music for a presentation. The implication that non-core classes, the arts, and sports are frills — nonessential fluff padding the budget of an academic institution — seems somewhat shortsighted, as there is real need to broaden the skill-base in every area of employment, from publishing to engineering. Understanding intricate elements of laboratory technology and research design isn’t doing anyone any good unless it can be explained well and marketed by the people who conceptualize Shaista Mohammed is an it. Skills in communication and anthropology major and may be relating to other professionals reached at opinion@thedailycougar. are criticalmotivated in almost all lines of 11/21/08 com 3:07:42 PM 5x8 110408.pdf

motiva Mo·ti·vated

A stimulus or influence tending to move one to action

South Texas College of Law welcomes qualified students of all ages and life experiences who are motivated, mature and determined to be serious law students and contribute to their profession. The professional and scholarly faculty is dedicated to teaching and mentoring students in a rigorous but supportive environment, preparing them to become immediate contributors to the practice of law or in their chosen fields.

Full and part-time applications for Fall, 2009 and full-time applications for Spring, 2010 are now being accepted.

For information regarding enrollment call the Office of Admissions 713.646.1810 or visit the website at www.stcl.edu.

CMY

1303 San Jacinto • Houston, Texas

6 n Wednesday, January 28, 2009

FEATURES Hilton home to diverse passions Cougars chow down: A look at campus dining options

EDITOR Sarah Krusleski E-MAIL features@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/features

By Sara Ali THE DAILY COUGAR

Jonathan tran THE DAILY COUGAR

The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management houses six fully-equipped kitchens for hospitality students’ studies.

Passion drives many hospitality students’ work with food as chefs, restaurant managers or resort managers, but their discovery of that passion is filled with unique experiences. For hospitality junior John Price, discovering that passion was as easy as watching his mother cook and learning how to make quesadillas and pizzas, which motivated a lifelong study of hospitality since he was six. “This past summer, I learned Mexican cuisine in Mexico City and then went to China to work in the food and beverage services at the Olympics,” Price said. For others, uncovering that passion did not come right away. Some students were recommended to the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management by relatives and friends. “For years, I wanted to be an event planner, and a friend’s dad suggested the school to me,” hospitality freshman Shelley Stelter said, “and I walked on the campus, fell in love with it, and I found out it was No. 2 in the nation and so all the pieces of the puzzle fit and I loved it.” Hospitality senior Jim Curtis knew he wanted to use his passion

for food ever since high school. Price chose to study restaurant “I’ve always wanted to be a management. chef and my mom told me that “I can know what it means to if I wanted to be any good, I had be a chef, but I'd like to eventually to be business-savvy first and move from cooking to paying the recommended the Hilton College to chef’s paycheck,” he said. me,” Curtis said. Curtis said going to class and While completing the curriculum paying attention is only half the hours of the hospitality school, battle  honing skills for the students learn that the hotel and future and taking advantage of the restaurant industry is one in which internships is what really prepares fine dining and respectable service students for the real industry. are essential "You're “Those people that are components. always “After I came willing to survive and have expected to be here, I realized I spontaneous at enough ambition to make it all times," Price didn’t want to be a chef anymore in the world, whether it is a said. "One of our  not because is found down time or good time… teachers I don't respect to be saying, ‘If they’re going to make it.” the culinary you don't have a craft, because — Ron Jordan Hospitality managerial meth problem, it's great what you're not accounting and hotel development professor these people working hard do," Curtis said, enough.’" "but it's really difficult and it's a Hospitality faculty said it is drain on your life, and I much rather experience coupled with the have cooking as a hobby than as a right personality that helps move career." students toward finding success in For many years, Stelter wanted to the hotel and restaurant industry. be an event planner, but spending “I try to impress my students, one semester at UH opened her eyes but you do need to have the proper to other opportunities. attitude that's outgoing, that is able "Now I'm here and I've learned to face various circumstances... there's so much more to it, and I that’s part of the job,” hospitality don't know what exactly I want to managerial accounting and hotel do yet,” she said. see HILTON, page 7 Despite his passion for cooking,

Students learn culinary tricks in labs By Sylvia Samuell-Baston The Daily Cougar Hospitality students at UH don’t just sit in a classroom. Instead, they study the culinary arts in six kitchen labs that include a microbiology lab and the cooking room of Barron’s restaurant. Other labs include a demonstration kitchen, the food production lab, the food research lab and the sensory evaluation lab. Students study the science and chemical breakdown of food in a

food microbiology lab. The food research lab contains four large refrigerators and connects to the sensory evaluation lab with six garage-like doors where consumer taste-testing takes place. The demonstration kitchen accommodates up to 85 students and resembles a classroom with an open kitchen at the front. Projection screens enable students to get a close-up visual of demonstrations, which range from cutting techniques to the anatomy of a fish.

The facilities are all stainless steel and maintained by the students in accordance with strict sanitation and safety guidelines. “There are rules and regulations to follow, especially when they are representing their school,” hotel and restaurant management professor Gloryvee Ramos said. Once students have been through the lecture and demonstration segments, they are then ready to enter the instructional kitchen to practice what they have learned.

The instructional kitchen includes three gas kitchens, three electric kitchens and an adjacent prep area where students deep fry and use the chargrill. The kitchen has a large spice rack with common seasonings such as cumin, paprika and coriander. Two large rolling trolleys known as “the cages” contain kitchen utensils, cutting boards, pots and pans, large rolling pins and dinner plates. Students are given assignments such as the fajita lab, where they

prepare dishes that showcase their knowledge of techniques and food information. Barron’s food production lab takes what the students have practiced and puts them in a real life situation where they cook, serve and run an actual restaurant with paying customers. Barron’s, which reopens for the spring semester on Feb. 2, is open to the public for lunch only, from 11:30 to 1 p.m. on weekdays. features@thedailycougar.com

Garden source of contention By Hafsah Hashmi THE DAILY COUGAR A vegetable garden will join the scenery on the south side of campus as part of the University efforts for a greener campus environment. The vegetable garden will provide organic produce for campus food services and will have many different types of vegetables, depending on the season. “In the spring and summer we’ll have corn, beans, and some tomatoes,” said Alex Alexander, director of custodial services and grounds. Some students think the garden will be a valuable resource to the University. “This will be nice for the school,

“ This will be nice for the school, and the money will be allocated for something better.” — Jaymie Allens, psychology senior and the money will be allocated for something better,” Jaymie Allens, a psychology senior and member of the UH Environmental Club, said. Allen also mentioned that the Environmental Club will work on obtaining a separate Zen garden space on campus. This Zen garden will serve as an area of relaxation with a large pond area and a paved pathway where students can find a moment of calm. She hopes these two additions

to the campus will provide a better environment for students to enjoy campus life. However, some students don’t see the need for the addition. Education junior Anum Ali said the University might be tearing down the basketball courts on the South side of campus to provide growing space for the new gardens. “This is stupid, a basketball court being traded for a garden?” Ali said. “I just know that they’re going to charge us for them to build that garden, and then charge us for the food that supposedly is better for us.” The date for the garden to begin producing vegetables has not been confirmed. features@thedailycougar.com

David Shih THE DAILY COUGAR

English freshman Morgan Osborne risks no shortage of fuel for a study session at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.

FEATURES

The Daily Cougar

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 n 7

HILTON continued from page 6

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development professor Ron Jordan said. Human resource management professor Juan Madera said the restaurant environment is the most difficult because employees work during holidays and weekends. Although the current economy may affect the hotel and restaurant industry, food service production and operations professor Gloryvee Ramos said that overall, profit margins are still standing and companies are riding out the current recession. Jordan said he knows from his own life that being successful in the industry requires dedication even in tough times. “Personally, I've had 35 to 40 years of experience in the industry, and I've certainly shared the ups and downs and I'm here to talk about it,” Jordan said. “I have survived, and those people that are willing to survive and have enough ambition to make it in the world, whether it is a down time or good time… they're going to make it.” features@thedailycougar.com

THE DAILY COUGAR.COM »» STORY: Cooking for college »» STORY: UH caters to dietary needs

Midnight snacks

Mary Elhardt, biology senior gg

Jamie Xu, biology senior gg

Rafael Campos, English sophomore gg

Gregory Bohuslav, biomedical engineering junior gg

Jared Fitzpatrick, biology freshman gg

Favorite place: Ruchi’s Mexican restaurant “I can get in at 4 a.m. if I want. They are a little greasy, but they’re available.” Favorite place: Teahouse on Shepherd Drive “I love tapioca. Thatís the place to go to study if you’re trying to make all night.”

Favorite place: Jack in the Box “Other than the fact that they’re very affordable, they appeal to my tastebuds.” Favorite place: 59 Diner “I usually go to 59 Diner at 2 a.m. I usually like their chocolate malts. Sometimes I get the chicken sandwich with the rye bread.” Favorite place: Shipley Do-Nuts “My favorite place is Shipley. They’re the only place that’s open.”

To schedule an appointment, please call 713.743.2020. For general information, call 713.743.EYES (3937) or visit www.uei.uh.edu

8 n Wednesday, January 28, 2009

SPORTS

COMING THURSDAY: Find out if the Cougars can top UTEP. ONLINE: Check out the premiere of Zaneta Loh’s blog, “The Loh Down.”

EDITOR Matt Miller E-MAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/sports

Men’s B-Ball

Guard looks to step up against Miners

By Chris Elliott The Daily Cougar DaShaun Williams has seen increased playing time over the last three games and has produced. Since his breakout performance against Southern Miss two weeks ago, the senior combo guard has averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.3 steals off the bench for the Cougars. Those numbers would speak volumes for any starter around the country, let alone a sixth man like Williams. However, he will take the court at Hofheinz Pavilion tonight in the Cougars game against Texas-El Paso telling himself those numbers are not good enough. The Cougars squeaked by the Miners 94-86 on Jan. 14 thanks to a near triple-double (24 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists) by their most complete player, junior guard Aubrey Coleman, and a 17for-18 shooting night from the foul line by the Cougar’s leading scorer, junior guard Kelvin Lewis. Coleman will be serving a onegame suspension for stepping on Arizona junior forward Chase Budinger in UH’s 96-90 overtime road loss Saturday. Somebody will have to step up. “My defense always comes first,” Williams said. “I’m going to try to pick it up offensively, because I know that’s what we’re going to need for this game. I’m going to try to guard the best offensive player and do the little

things to contribute to the team: assists, get rebounds, steals and scoring the ball, of course.” True freshman point guard Desmond Wade has not played as many minutes as he did earlier in the season due to Williams’ increased production. Wade said Williams may be known for his defensive intensity, ability to play the passing lanes and get steals, but he has noticed his teammate taking a more aggressive role in the Cougars’ offense lately. This pattern has taken some of the scoring load off Lewis, Coleman and senior center Marcus Cousin. Wade feels if others can do the same thing, the Cougars will be in good shape tonight. “It’s going to be kind of tough,” Wade said. “You know what happened with the situation with Aubrey. I feel like if we stick to the game plan, we can beat them. We’re a better team than them. We’ve got better players. I just feel like if we play our game, we will come out with the victory.” UH head coach Tom Penders said depending on how large he wants to run, Williams or sophomore forward Horace McGloster will get the start in place of Coleman against the Miners. UH would like to head into Saturday’s matchup with Memphis coming off a win. Doing this against a conference rival, and creating more separation from the C-USA pack, would make it that

IT’S ALWAYS CLOSE

Series history since UTEP joined C-USA

2006: UH 63 UTEP 57 2006: UH 63 UTEP 69 2007: UH 71 UTEP 79 2007: UH 74 UTEP 67 2008: UH 77 UTEP 72. 2008: UH 81 UTEP 87 2008: UH 77 UTEP 80* 2009: UH 94 UTEP 86

*2008 C-USA Tournament quarterfinals

much sweeter. “It’s turned into a great rivalry. I just hope our fans understand that and come out,”Penders said. “You want to have great rivalries in your conference. We’ve had some unbelievable games with UTEP in the four years they’ve been in this league. We’ve had some incredible games that have gone right down to the wire. Every single one of them has been that way.” Students are admitted to the game free with a valid CougarOnecard. sports@thedailycougar.com

greg bohuslav THE DAILY COUGAR

Senior guard DaShaun Williams, seen here against East Carolina, will need to step up for the Cougars, who won’t have junior guard Aubrey Coleman when they host Texas-El Paso tonight at 7 p.m.

silent aSSASSIN

Senior cener turns frustration to inside force UH senior center Marcus Cousin finally knows how it feels to play through a collegiate season without a ton of frustration. Frustration from being a seldom-used player for two years at Ronnie Turner Seton Hall. Frustration at having to sit out the 200607 season after transferring to UH. Frustration from struggling through last season with a foot injury, and having his toughness and talent questioned by fans and the media. This season, Cousin’s frustration has finally given way to satisfaction. The 6-foot-11-inch, 250-pound Cousin is making the most of his final collegiate season. He is averaging a solid 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, numbers that eclipse any others he has posted throughout his career. He is also shooting 52.7 percent from the field. Cousin’s surprising turnaround is the feel-good story of the Cougars’ season. No other UH

player can boast of having He also averaged 9.75 rebounds improved so much. and 2.25 blocks during that Perhaps no other player has stretch. had to deal with as many nagging Cousin’s presence was also issues as felt in last “When Marcus plays Cousin. Wednesday’s Cousin’s aggressive and plays really 85-67 win over biggest problem Conference hard and asserts himself, from last USA rival East season was Carolina. He he dominates... We still a foot injury played 35 believe Marcus could be a that limited his minutes and huge difference for us in effectiveness matched seasonin games. He highs with 18 conference play.” averaged only points and 13 — Tom Penders, UH head coach rebounds. He hit 4.4 points and 4 rebounds seven of 11 shots in 13.8 minutes per contest. and blocked four shots. He wasn’t the offensive threat, With Cousin patrolling the aggressive rebounder or middle, East Carolina had little solid defensive presence fans chance for a comeback. envisioned he would be. “When Marcus plays aggressive Some fans probably wrote him and plays really hard and asserts off as just another of head coach himself, he dominates,” Penders Tom Penders’ failed big-men said afterward. “He did some recruits. His bandwagon might dominant things (against East have included only his coaches Carolina). He was above the rim for and teammates. rebounds; he wasn’t just rebounding balls that dropped in his area. He Force in the middle was really assertive with his moves This season, Cousin made his and even went to the offensive presence felt from the start. He boards. We still believe Marcus scored in double figures in seven could be a huge difference for us in of the Cougars’ first eight games. conference play”, he said.

Last season, smaller players frequently out-hustled Cousin for rebounds and hardly anyone was afraid to challenge him in the lane. More opponents are losing the rebounding battle this season, and anyone daring enough to drive into the lane does so knowing Cousin will be waiting and ready to spring into action. Cousin’s improved post-up skills have helped make the Cougars (12-5, 3-1 C-USA) a more efficient offensive team. The Cougars can drop the ball down to Cousin in the post, knowing he can take over from there. Plus, if opponents try to double-team Cousin, he has the presence of mind to find teammates for open looks. Junior guards Kelvin Lewis (20.6 points per game) and Aubrey Coleman (18.1 points, 7.8 rebounds) have been bigger contributors than Cousin, but one can argue they would not be having such great seasons without the big man getting it done in the middle. More might be needed Cousin will play a vital role in the Cougars’ 12 remaining regularseason games, especially tonight against Texas-El Paso. Because the

GAMETIME UTEP at UH When:Tonight at 7 p.m. Where: Hofheinz Pavillion On the air: 790 KBME-Am Live coverage: UHCougars.com Cougars will be without Coleman, who received a one-game suspension after flagrantly fouling Arizona junior forward Chase Budinger on Saturday, Cousin might have to shoulder an even larger load on offense. From here, the opposing big men will only get tougher to deal with. Cousin still has to face Memphis 6-10, 238-pound junior forward Shawn Taggart (10.2 points, 7.5 rebounds per game), Southern Methodist 7-1, 225-pound junior center Bamba Fall (7.4 rebounds, 2.8 blocks) and Tulsa 7-0, 240-pound junior center Jerome Jordan (14 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 blocks). But for Cousin, it’s now a lot easier to step up when there’s little to no frustration involved. sports@thedailycougar.com

The Daily Cougar

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009 n 9

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10 n Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Daily Cougar

COMICS & MORE

The Daily Cougar

COUGAR COMICS

Online at thedailycougar.com/comics

The Waves by Bissan Rafe

today’s crossword ACROSS 1 5 9 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 24 26 27 30 35 36 37

Dim Sum by Ho Yi Lau

3 8 39 42 43 45 46 48 50 51 52 54 58 62 63 65 66 67 68

Man Law by Chris Jacobs

6 9 70 71

Rhett’s hangout Ten-four buddy Port near Kyoto Moldy cheese A Guthrie Sigh or murmur Char Kinks’ tune Lure Pouched animal Feasts Girl from Baja Sugarcane product Pasture entrances Galloped along Faucet hookups Swampy ground Elephant owner, maybe Time span Type of meatballs Computer key Hairy twin Sudden foray Mrs. Kramden Halite (2 wds.) Looks forward to Nonsense! Egg parts Embassy staffer Roll-call lists Sleight-of-hand Give credit Dreaded czar Reckon Picture borders Orchid-loving Wolfe Allude to Popular cookie Got bigger

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5

At the Hot Dog Stand by Mishele Lamshing

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 n 11

6 7 8 9

Cough syrup meas. Ship’s position Not bogus Outer ear Port opposite Dover Wild horse Bracket type Jungle warning Production

Answers online at thedailycougar.com/puzzles 3

24 27

35 39

today’s sudoku (Difficulty: 3/5)

5 3 54 55 56 57 59 60 61 64

Kind of trunk Modern-day tellers Retained The A in BA Board game Ocean fliers pH measure Gauzy Headless statue Asimov of sci-fi Very dry Half diameters Cockpit button Valleys Ground corn Fury Peddles Black Sea nation Durable Kind of mom Maria Conchita —

1 0 11 12 13 21 23 25 27 28 29 31 32 33 34 36 40 41 44 47 49 50

50 52

32 37

51 54

Take the dais Romance, to Pedro Use a camcorder Nine-to-fiver’s cry Furry red Muppet Perpetually Red on the inside Powder, to skiers Rowboat need

2009 United Feature Syndicate INC.

Previous puzzle solved R E H A B

E L O P E

S O A D CO R A P L B O S T

S T I A TW I E C D S I C E F A R AM Y Z E G A A N T R I A N E D E S A R T

S T R O D E A E T N A

A R I S E

L K E E NG T S D I H A N V O L G I S L E S T Y T A V A C A C A N GR I D S A R A AWO L

V E R A N D A

I M A G E S

R I C A

GO L E E R N

O L T A R I F E E P S U E N L OC O L P E

N E A I L L E L A K E R

E P S O M

Answers online at thedailycougar.com/puzzles

How to play

Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3-by-3 boxes must also contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Previous puzzle solved

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Where do I get the latest UH news?

Limbo by Paulo Aninag

Sound like you? These symptoms could be more than just PMS — they can also describe PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder). Baylor College of Medicine is conducting a clinical study of FDA-approved drugs ,YAZ and YASMIN, to determine if they are effective in relieving PMDD stress in women ages 13 to 20. Participants will complete a diary in addition to receiving medication in this study. Females between 13 and 20 experiencing these symptoms and comfortable with tampon use may be able to participate. Parental consent is required under age 18.

Call 713-798-5295 volunteer@bcm.edu

12 n Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Daily Cougar

E IN

L N

O ET

T O

E IN

L IN

DiD

you know that eight thousanD

(8,000) stuDents waiteD in line to register for parking During the first

3 weeks of school in the fall of 2007?

You have better things to do with your time. Avoid the long lines by registering ONLINE.

It’s easy and simple! Here’s what you do: First you log in to MyUH (PeopleSoft) at http://my.uh.edu. (Where you register for classes). Then, you make sure your MAILING address is up to date. Parking will use this address to mail your permit. Next, you get to choose your permit. Click on Student Financials and then select Optional Fees. For step by step directions and a description of each permit visit our website at http://www.uh.edu/parking. Last, sit back and wait for your permit to arrive. Your permit will arrive before the enforcement deadline. Still not convinced! Read the following reasons why registering online makes more sense.

NO WAITING IN LINE! - remember 8,000 students make a really long line. AVOID PARKING TICKETS - Students who wait until the last minute to register for parking are more likely to receive a parking citation. FREE COLOR MAP! - Receive your copy of the latest campus map to help you familiarize yourself with the campus and plan your school day. Parking & Transportation Services - 1 E Cullen Bldg - parking@uh.edu www.uh.edu/parking - (713) 743-1097