THE DAILY COUGAR Hitting us where it hurts: s: Crosstown rival Owls best st Cougars again /SPORTS
TODAY’S WEATHER
Playing chicken: Wire-made art hits campus /LIFE & ARTS
3-dayy forecast, Page 2
Hi 81 Lo 64
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Issue 101, Volume 74
www.thedailycougar.com
STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION
Green careers emerge
Proposal to lock tuition By James Hale THE DAILY COUGAR
By Allison P. Smith THE DAILY COUGAR
Student Government Association president Sam Dike outlined a proposal designed to keep tuition at UH affordable at an SGA Senate meeting Wednesday. “In the midst of one of the greatest economic challenges ever to face our nation, it is important we work to preserve the American dream,” Dike said. “The people with the skills and education necessary to succeed will be the engine of our renewal as a nation.” SGA’s tuition task force wrote the five-point proposal, which expands on last year’s tuition recommendations and introduces new measures to make the cost of a college education less daunting. “In a time of great economic hardship, it becomes ever more important to preserve access to higher education,” Dike said. The new measures include a one-year freeze on tuition and a ‘tuition guarantee’ that would lock individual tuition at the rate paid when a freshman first comes to UH. The proposal also recommends maintaining a 6-percent cap on tuition increases for another two years. Tuition rose 5.9 percent in 2008, the lowest raise in five years. UH’s ‘Family Plan’ also continues to be under the SGA proposal. The plan provides that the University pay the tuition of students with family incomes of $30,000 or less as long as they maintain good academic standing. “We hope ... that socioeconomic status will not be a barrier to students seeking higher education at our University,” Dike said. The final point of the proposal expands the University’s two-for-one summer school plan, which began last year at the recommendation of SGA. Under this plan, students can take two summer classes for the price of one class. “We hope this plan will allow students to graduate in a timely and inexpensive manner,” Dike said. see SGA, page 12
COURTESY OF THE HONORS COLLEGE
POETRY PROS ecorated poets Hayan Charara and Fady Joudah will read new works in The Honor College commons from 5 to 7 p.m. Joudah’s book The Earth in the Attic received the 2007 Yale Series for Younger Poets award. He received the 2008 Saif Ghobash-Banipal prize for translating Mahmoud Darwish’s poetry. Charara, a teaching fellow at UH, received a 2009 literature fellowship for poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts.
D
While Barack Obama’s presidency is writing a new chapter in U.S. history, a high school in Crosby will stimulate new discussion of black history with the community’s youth. Crosby High School will host Transition LeVeaux to Change: The 2009 African American Heritage Experience on Saturday. The event includes a Black Business Expo showcasing local businesses, representatives from historically black universities and a panel discussion that will consider
questions such as “Has black history faded?” and “How to reach today’s youth?” Political science and African American Studies assistant professor Christine LeVeaux is a guest panelist for the event. LeVeaux said the event’s title “Transition to Change” plays a role in expressing the importance of the first elected black president. “Blacks in America are being called to redefine themselves, their mission and who they are, and — with the election of Barack Obama — what they can do and what they can be,” LeVeaux said. The event will help bring to light issues that black Americans continue to face, even after Obama’s election. LeVeaux said she’s interested in how the election will affect black identity. “In some ways there’s a renewed interest (in black history) and in
some ways some might feel like that chapter is over in terms of the struggle,” she said. Franklin Anderson, an adjunct lecturer of African American Studies, said it is too early to tell the impact Obama will have on black history. “(The election has) different meanings for different people,” Anderson said. “Has (Martin Luther) King’s dream been fulfilled? From my perspective no — not in a negative perspective. But it’s way too early to tell.” Anderson said he cautions against relying on one man to change everything. “MLK could not have succeeded if literally tens of thousands of people hadn’t participated. If other people hadn’t decided to not ride the bus, it wouldn’t have been successful,” Anderson said. “We can’t be solely dependent on what Barack Obama
University Career Services are taking measures to ensure students are prepared to take advantage of an influx of “green jobs” in the economy. A panel of employers will discuss the green economy and how to find environmentally friendly careers at 2 p.m. today in the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library. “Professionals from the city of Houston, Standard Renewable Energy and the U.S. Green Building Council will give information about getting into a green economy field,” UH Career Services counselor Nancy Wilson said. The event will allow students to interact with employers about how to get their foot in the door at a green economy company, Wilson said. “This will also be a good way to network with employers,” Wilson said. “Environmentally conscious students of any major can find a job that aligns with their beliefs.” The coming job influx is due to Obama’s stimulus package, which includes $16.8 billion in renewable see GREEN, page 3
COURTESY OF THE HONORS COLLEGE
Expo explores black history By Jasmine Harrison & Shruti Purohit THE DAILY COUGAR
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UH to see tax return By Allison P. Smith THE DAILY COUGAR
does. Just like MLK. There has to be a collective effort.” While LeVeaux remains optimistic, she said the fading of history and the repercussions of such an occurrence is an issue. “We have to be very careful to always acknowledge our past,” LeVeaux said. “We cannot let black history fade. ... There has to be a vigilance in terms of maintaining that history because that’s where so much of our pride and identity comes from.” The theme of the African American Heritage Experience is “rewinding our past to start our future.” The event is free and open to the general public. For more information, contact Thinyia Maxey at (832) 5271976 or by e-mail at BSCouncil@ hotmail.com.
Students can receive income tax credits up to $2,000 as part of the $787 million stimulus package. Income increases of $1,000 for the Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credits make students who earned less than $58,000 and families that earned less than $116,000 eligible for the refunds. Political science junior Fithi Garza said he knows exactly how he will spend the extra money. “I am going to buy more clothes,” Garza said. While some students want to go shopping with the tax returns, environmental science junior Judah Lopez said he is going to treat the return like any other paycheck. “I am going to pay off bills that I have,” Lopez said. Lopez isn’t the only one thinking about cashing in on the credit to clear bills and debt.
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