1934 – 2009
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Issue 80, Volume 75
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Fire scare stirs Loft’s tenants By Patricia Estrada and Dorothy Hastings-James The Daily Cougar Residents in the eighth through 10th floors of the Calhoun Lofts building were evacuated Tuesday after a heating and air conditioning system burned out on the ninth floor, a UH fire marshal said. Second year law student Kristen
Young informed The Daily Cougar of the incident via e-mail and estimated that about 10 emergency trucks were at the scene, including three fire trucks by 7 p.m. UH arson investigator William Courtney said the motor and power of the heating and air conditioning system was shut down and will be replaced. Maintenance was on-site working
to fix the problem, and the motor will later be thoroughly checked, Courtney said. English literature senior Brittany Stuhlmiller was driving up to the lofts when she noticed the emergency vehicles blocking the street. Stuhlmiller said that when she pulled up, she could not tell what was happening. “I don’t really know what they
were doing,” she said. “Apparently, there was a fire alarm. I talked to one of the firemen; he said as he was walking by, jokingly, ‘The fire is out; you can go back in.’ But I don’t think there was a fire.” Biology junior Izabel Hlayhel said nobody was telling residents what was going on. While outside, residents speculated on the reason for the evacuation.
“The police officer told me that it was an electrical problem, so if I knew anyone in the building, I should call them to evacuate ’cause it’s no joke,’” Hlayhel said. “When I walked over to the side of the building, students told me it was just a drill and that the firemen were saying that. So there are two different stories going on.” news@thedailycougar.com
Local merchants to receive air time Radio show will focus solely on Houston businesses gg
By David Haydon The Daily Cougar
Beauty in design
David Shih The Daily Cougar
T
he UH Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture held an unveiling ceremony for a piece inspired by “Grotto for Meditation,” a work by designer Frederick Kiesler designed for the arts community of New Harmony, Ind., called “Frederick Kiesler-From New Harmony to Houston.” Eric Arnold, a fifth-year architecture student, helped with the construction of the piece and said it will be a place for people to go under to meditate and relax.
KUHF Houston Public Radio, in conjunction with the C.T. Bauer College of Business, has created a weekly radio segment focused on business issues around the Houston area, to begin Friday. “Bauer Business Focus” will air Friday mornings on KUHF 88.7 FM at 8:35 a.m., as well as on HD Digital Channel 10 and online at www.kuhf.org on the Internet radio station KUHF News. “The program will cover business that affects Houston,” KUHF business reporter Ed Mayberry said. “There are so many corporations and CEO’s (in Houston) with business expertise; it would be interesting to get into their heads.” Mayberry will be the host of the program, while Bauer will locate
individuals for interviewing on the segment. Dean of the Bauer College of Business Arthur Warga will be the first guest. “They want to use the Bauer college of Business as a neutral arbiter to help find leaders in the business community or experts to discuss topics in business to inform the public about trends and developments,” Warga said. “Our college is in touch on a daily basis with many of the businesses in Houston. We see them in our building everyday, and we go and meet with them on a daily basis. We know who’s best to find to discuss a specific topic.” Warga also said Bauer is always willing to do whatever it can to help the University. KUHF broadcasts other businesses programs, but “Bauer Business Focus” will be one of the few programs to focus on Houston-based businesses and entrepreneurs. “It’s directed at an audience that see RADIO, page 7
King’s legacy continues to inspire Panelists ask students to learn from message left by civil rights leader
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By Ronnie Turner The Daily Cougar Martin Luther King Jr. will forever be remembered for his powerful speeches and marches that he led during the civil rights movement, but a panel composed of UH faculty, staff and alumni summed up the minister’s legacy with primarily two words — sacrifice and service. The University honored the civil rights leader with a discussion about
his life and career Tuesday at the University Center’s Houston Room. The discussion was titled “The Relevance of the Legacy Today,” and the panelists sought to remind the audience of all ages and ethnicities that it could honor King’s legacy by helping to improve the lives of others. “It’s not always about us,” State Representative and UH alumnus Sylvester Turner said. “It’s about what you do to make a difference. That’s what Dr. King stood for.” King, who would have turned 81 on Jan. 15, was largely seen as the face of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, before he
was assassinated April 4, 1968. His activism helped to tear down numerous racial barriers in American society and bring about the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, two pieces of legislation that outlawed racial segregation and extended voting rights. King is probably best known for his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, which he delivered at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington in August 1963. Many of Tuesday’s panelists urged members of the audience to live out see MLK, page 5
Yulia Kutsenkova The Daily Cougar
Students brought brown bag lunches and listened to speakers reflect and discuss the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Speakers included UH President Renu Khator, second from right, and College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Interim Dean Joe Pratt, right.