THE DAILY COUGAR
TODAY’S WEATHER
Flash back: M.D. Anderson is library of love /CAMPUS BEAT
Girls go crazy for ancient art of origami with ‘Girligami’ /LIFE & ARTS
3-day forecast, Page 2
Hi 77 Lo 59
Friday, February 13, 2009
Issue 92, Volume 74
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student government association
TSA charter confirmed by Senate By Patricia Estrada The Daily Cougar
A job might not be the only thing a person can lose by having a regrettable tattoo, said Lambert. “A lot of folks in the middle of relationships get a name tattoo because they think they’re going to be in that relationship forever, but things happen and they change their mind.” he said. “Laser tattoo removal is a pretty easy way of correcting that mistake.” Lambert said old faded tattoos can be removed in a single treatment, but most tattoos require repeat visits. Jaded lovers can begin to wipe their slate clean at 1770 St. James Place, Suite 105. Trained health care professionals will be taking patients on a first come first serve basis from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Student Government Association unanimously passed the Texas Students Association Charter during Wednesday’s meeting. The charter’s goal is to create a unified communication network among the 16 participating state universities. “TSA is an alliance of student governments across the state, working together on common issues, common goals,” SGA President Sam Dike said. “We realized that we had more in common than we think. There are a lot of student interests and issues that go beyond the individual universities, and we can work together in fixing them.” Delegates from eight state universities, including UH, authored the charter during TSA’s winter break meeting at the University of North Texas. The charter gives specific guidelines and procedures that student governments will be expected to follow while they are members of TSA. The objectives for TSA members include facilitating communication between students of the universities, informing state policy makers of student concerns and educating students on policies and current events in state higher education politics. The university network will also monitor higher education legislative issues, develop coalitions to address them, aid in the accessibility of higher education and provide a support network for student governments in the state. Dike, also TSA chairman, said the biggest benefit of TSA is the support it provides in dealing with issues that reach beyond the campus community, such as technology fees, tuition and campus gun possession. “There is strength in numbers,” Dike said. Any student government of a Texas public university can become a member of TSA by submitting a letter of verification to the chair and secretary of the TSA Board of Directors and after confirmation by these. To remain a part of TSA, universities must attend a minimum of two board meetings per academic year and at least one convention every two years. Each institution has two delegates to represent its respective student government during board of director meetings and five delegates to represent its school during
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see SGA, page 3
PHoto courtesy of andrew louie
Flash flight at the fountain
M
ore than 80 students gathered in a ‘flash mob’ in front of M.D. Anderson Library on Wednesday. Their peers looked on as the group ran circles around the Tower of the Cheyenne with outstretched arms imitating airplanes. The event lasted roughly 30 seconds before the crowd disbursed at the blow of a whistle.
Lovers lasered for good cause By James Rincon The Daily Cougar Anyone who’s been marred by the stains of lost love will have a second chance today, just in time for Valentine’s Day. New Look Laser Tattoo Removal is removing tattoos to raise money for the Houston Area Women’s Center. “Our clients in Houston have name tattoos that cause a lot of drama and problems in their relationships,” said Ryan Lambert, president of New Look Laser Tattoo Removal. “Removing the name of an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend on Valentine’s Day could be a great gift.” The procedure is offered for free today on up to three square inches of tattoo for
patients who donate $20 to HAWC. “We thought: get rid of a tattoo and help yourself and in the meantime give a donation to the women’s shelter and help out some women who have real challenges, to help them overcome those things,” Lambert said. Hotel and restaurant management junior Kiril Kamburov said he is in the process of having three tattoos removed and is definitely interested in the event. “Twenty dollars is much cheaper than I usually pay,” Kamburov said. He doesn’t have any name tattoos, but he said he decided the symbols on his arms might keep him from getting a job. “It actually wasn’t any particular event that made me want to remove them,” Kamburov said. “Time just went by.”
Health Center offers cholesterol screenings Holly Prevost The Daily Cougar As a part of UH Health Fair week, free cholesterol screenings will be available at the University Health Center today for all faculty, staff and students. “We expect 200 faculty and students at least,” said Dr. James Gray, chief physician at the UH Health Center. “The more the merrier.” All participants must bring photo identification and should fast prior to screening for up to 10
hours. Screening will be available from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. “We won’t get a true base line cholesterol reading without the fasting,” Gray said. According to the American Heart Association, cholesterol is a soft, fat-like waxy substance found in the blood and the body’s cells. Good cholesterol, HDL, is vital to a healthy body and is used for producing cell membranes, hormones and other bodily functions. “Good Cholesterol will decrease incidents of coronary heart disease,
heart attack and stroke, as well as kidney disease and peripheral vascular disease,” Gray said. However, an excess of bad cholesterol, LDL, circulates in the blood and can clog arteries making bad cholesterol a risk factor for coronary heart disease, which can in time lead to a heart attack or stroke as well as other diseases. Hypercholesterolemia is the medical term for high levels of blood cholesterol. High cholesterol can affect both men and women of any age. “Bad Cholesterol will do the
opposite of good cholesterol and increase the risk of those diseases,” Gray said. The liver and cells produce 75 percent of a person’s cholesterol. The remaining 25 percent comes from diet. Bad cholesterol is produced naturally by a person’s body and can depend on numerous variables including heredity and diet. Eating saturated fat, trans fats and dietary cholesterol as well as use of tobacco products can increase bad cholesterol. Excessive levels can be controlled by diet,
exercise and medicine. “People can control their bad cholesterol by controlling the fat intake in their diet and by exercising,” Gray said. All food from animals contains cholesterol. Saturated and trans fat from other food products can cause the body to make cholesterol. Maintaining a diet low in cholesterol and eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, highfiber foods, lean meats and poultry, a weekly serving of fish and fat-free see SCREENING, page 3