Issue 83, Volume 75 by The Cougar

t h e o f f i c i a l s t u d e n t n e w s pa pe r o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f h o u s to n s i n c e 1 9 3 4

years

The stork makes a special delivery to John Edwards OPINION »

Coleman leads men’s basketball ball to win over Marshall SPORTS »

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WEATHER » HI

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Check out this semester’s entire lineup of comics and online exclusives Monday, February 1, 2010

Issue 83, Volume 75

“My biggest concern is books, which cost about $700 per semester.” — Rebecca Ramirez, political science junior

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“My family has had to cut back on a lot of the little ‘luxuries’ we used to enjoy.”

thedailycougar.com

“I’m considering graduate school to escape the bleak job market.”

— Natalie Ramos, candidate for master’s in education

“I’m still looking for a job but right now I’m just thankful to be able to go to school here.”

— Sarah Baaba, accounting senior

— Cyril Neicheril, finance sophomore

Students weigh career against economy Many take on two jobs or stay in school to cope with recession

By Jose Aguilar THE DAILY COUGAR During these tough economic times, students are finding it hard to balance classes, bills, the increase in tuition and, for some, a

family. Adding a job into the mix is also now common for students. Bu s i n e s s management sophomore Jamie Albanese works full time and even with student loans, is only able to take a few classes per semester. “Unless you have a full ride to school, it is almost impossible to go to school full time and live on your own,” Albanese said.

Students without complete scholarships or their parents’ help must look for other ways to pay for school — including dipping into previously untouched savings. “I try to work in the summer to get money for tuition, but it is getting harder and harder to keep up. I fi nd my savings account rapidly declining,” architecture junior Austin Lopata said.

Others, like economics major Heriberto Fernandez, have taken on a second job to help pay for school. “Right now, I have two jobs, so every time a book is like $200 it hurts,” Fernandez said. “You feel it more than you did five years ago.” The economic downturn affects students in more ways than just their bank accounts. Students

have looked to the job market to determine their studies and ultimately, their futures. “(The economic climate) is part of the reason I chose chemical engineering,” sophomore John George said. “I feel that it is one of those fields where I won’t have as much trouble finding a job. see ECONOMY, page 3

Exhibition draws big turnout at UH Children design Mars mission, construct rovel model during program J

By Alan Delon THE DAILY COUGAR

VOLTAIRE ARCHELUS THE DAILY COUGAR

Mission accomplished

he UH Chapter of UNICEF held a banquet Friday to raise money and awareness for world hunger. Professor of finance and economics Saleha Khumawala, right, spoke about children who suffer from malnutrition and gave a presentation about a microfinance program. UNICEF at UH President Charlene Nguyen, above, hosted the event and took questions from the crowd. The money from ticket sales and donations will benefit Haiti.

JULIA KUTSENKOVA THE DAILY COUGAR

Children from different schools came together for the eighth annual Mars Rover Model Celebration and exhibition held in the Houston room at the University Center on Saturday. Around 500 students aged 8-14 attended from 32 different schools and displayed 444 models. At the event, students learned about Mars while working in teams to plan a Mars mission. They then built a rover model to present and compete with other students. “One rover is stuck right now in a Martian crater and we are worried it might not survive the Martian winter,” NASA employee Bob Taylor said. “The rover is at a low angle where it doesn’t get any solar light to its solar panels and two wheels aren’t working.” Taylor, who has worked for NASA for 11 years, participated for the first time. “This country has led the industry in innovation and kids need to study science, engineering and math to make sure that our products are better than the rest of the world’s,” Taylor said.

NASA had an astronaut suit on exhibition if students wanted to ask any questions. Students were carrying their models and products with pride and ready to demonstrate to the judges that their rover wouldn’t get stranded on Mars. The children absorbed the overall Mars experience by wearing astronaut suits and boots. Others had their faces painted in green and wore alien costumes. At the event, Bryan Hernandez presented his “Cubs Explorer” whose mission is to dig for ice caps and find water. “I want to find life on Mars, more carbon in the air so people can live there,” Hernandez said. “But there is too little carbon and we can not change the atmosphere.” Every participant had to turn in a knowledge scavenger hunt at the end of the event. Students formed teams by school to answer questions. “When we recognize each school at the podium, the team captain will turn in the scavenger hunt questions after giving them to their teachers, making sure they are complete,” physics professor Edgar Bering said. “There are four iPod Touches as prizes.” A false fire alarm did not scare any child at the event — it was see MARS, page 3

Monday, February 1, 2010

The Daily Cougar

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RED

RE US ES

RECYCLE TO HELP

GO GREEN!

RECYCLES

da So

Who May Enter?

CAMPUS BEAT FORECAST

UH students, faculty and staff. Must register a team of 4 or more in either the student or faculty/staff category.

How do I enter?

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

61˚47˚

56˚47˚

54˚43˚

Name your team and register by completing the entry form available at www.uh.edu/recyclemania. Entries will be accepted until the end of the contest on March 26.

CALENDAR

» Send event information to calendar@thedailycougar.com

TUESDAY

What do I do? Fill your bags with recyclables all week (plastic bottles/aluminum cans/mixed paper/cardboard). R

Drop off bags of recyclables at the bay in the General Services Building (bldg. #585) each Friday between 2-3pm.

E PAP

Continue collecting recyclables until Friday, March 26.

UH Green Commuter Fair: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., UC Satellite and PGH area. UH students and employees can register for METRO Q cards, allowing for a cheap and eco-friendly alternative to commuting. For more information, visit www.uh.edu/recyclemania or contact Maria Honey at 832-8429040.

WEDNESDAY

Awards The winners will receive their awards at the RecycleMania closing ceremonies on March 30. 1st place - trophy and $150 credit from UH catering services. 2nd place - certificate and $100 credit from UH catering services. 3rd place - certificate and $50 credit from UH catering services.

For a complete list of contest rules, visit www.uh.edu/recyclemania.

Tour of UH Central Plant: 10:30 – 11 a.m., UH Central Plant. Find out how UH cools and heats the facilities. Registration is required. To sign up, contact Jeff Brown at 713-743-5789. For more information, visit www.uh.edu/ plantops/Central_Plant_Tours_Flyer. pdf Study Abroad Scholarship: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., UC Cougar Den. The Office of International Studies and Programs invites students to discover study abroad scholarship opportunities. Presentations will be given about financial aid for study abroad and different study abroad scholarships such

CO R R E C T I O N S

Expand your career options with a Bauer MBA.

as the IEFS, HJCC, Gilman and NSEP. Open to undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students. For more information, call 713-743-9167 or visit www.uh.edu/studyabroad MBA America Tour: 6 – 8 p.m., Bauer College of Business. This tour was designed to demonstrate to prospective students that there are many options available to them when it comes to graduate business education. Over the past few decades, many public institutions have become leaders in developing innovative MBA programs for a fraction of the cost of the private institutions. At each of the tour events, MBA recruiters will be available to help you find out what might be right for you. Not only will they be able to tell you about various programs but, also, about the cities they are located in, companies that they have ties with and the cultures of their various institutions. For more information, call T.J. Young at 713743-4701 or visit www.bauer.uh.edu

» Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com

Corrections will appear in this space as needed.

CO N TAC T U S

Newsroom (713) 743-5360 ■

Editor in Chief

Ronnie Turner (713) 743-5362 editor@thedailycougar.com

Offering Programs For: f Full time day MBA f Part time evening MBA f Leadership Executive MBA f Global Energy Executive MBA

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Managing Editor

Matthew Keever (713) 743-5361 me@thedailycougar.com ■

News Editors

Patricia Estrada Hiba Adi (713) 743-5314 news@thedailycougar.com ■

Sports Editors

Phillipe Craig Robert Higgs (713) 743-5303 sports@thedailycougar.com

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Life & Arts Editors

Travis Hensley Jarrod Klawinsky (713) 743-5302 arts@thedailycougar.com ■

Opinion Editor

Alan Dennis opinion@thedailycougar.com ■

Photo Editor

David Shih (713) 743-5304 photo@thedailycougar.com ■

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ABOUT ABOUT THE COUGAR The Daily Cougar is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer, at the University of Houston Printing Plant and online at http://www. thedailycougar.com. The University seeks to provide equal educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status, or sexual orientation. The Daily Cougar is supported in part by Student Service Fees. the first copy of the Cougar is free; each additional copy is 25 cents.

PHOTO | Thu Nguyen, MBA Student

SUBSCRIPTIONS Rates are $70 per year or $40 per semester. Mail subscription requests to: Mail Subscriptions, The Daily Cougar, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-4015. NEWS TIPS Direct news tips and story ideas to the News Desk. Call (713) 743-5314, e-mail news@thedailycougar. com or fax (713) 743-5384. A “Submit news item” form is also available online at thedailycougar.com. COPYRIGHT No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the written consent of the director of the Student Publications Department.

I S S U E S TA F F

www.mba.uh.edu The University of Houston is an EEO/AA institution.

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Copy editing

Anne Clementi, Chelsea Curto, Giselle Bueno, Moniqua Sexton

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Production

Chenlong He

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Closing editor

Ronnie Turner

NEWS

The Daily Cougar

ECONOMY continued from page 1

Plus, it’s one of the highest-paying engineering jobs.” Some students have decided to continue their education by either adding a second major or going to graduate school. Senior Phill Stout chose to major in both English, with a concentration on linguistics, and Chinese, the latter of which he chose in part because of the lack of jobs graduates have had to face. “I decided a few years ago to pursue a knowledge base that was wholly untapped by most Americans,” Stout said. “I don’t feel as if the current economy will affect my future employment, but I know many students in different

MARS continued from page 1

mostly the parents and teachers who were concerned. Parents seemed supportive of their children as they stood next to them. “It’s a great opportunity for the kids to learn about science and technology,” parent Michael Nagel said. “Kids are not only learning, but also having fun,” parent Pablo Jimenez said. “It is my first time participating and I think the Mars Rover event is great because my son is number one in his class and he likes science, math and airplanes. It took him two months to plan and one month to have the product ready.” Various UH departments and programs exhibited educational booths like the Neighborhood Partnership Initiatives, Fennessey Ranch, Dedication to Education and Scholar Enrichment Program.

majors who will disagree with me.” Psychology senior Larissa Gonzalez has already decided on graduate school rather than attempt to find a job in the current economic situation. “I’m definitely going to grad school for the added security and because a Bachelor’s degree might not mean much in this economy,” Gonzalez said. It took Elizabeth Crabtree, a 2008 UH alumna, a few months to find a job where she could use her degree but seven months after she did, the hotel started to lay off people. She pursued a full-time job in cosmetics at Macy’s. Students working their way through school, as Crabtree once did, eventually face the question of whether or not to take a semester off in order to catch up

on finances. Some do not have a choice. When dance junior Mallory Horn was laid off from her restaurant job, she chose to take a full-time position with another company and a sabbatical from school. “I tried to balance full-time hours at work when they gave me an ultimatum, but my grades began to slip,” Horn said. “So I decided to take a semester off (of school) and save money for next semester.” Horn is not alone. Even with financial aid, some students who work still need to take out extra loans to help defray the costs of school or contemplate a semester off. Accounting junior Nadia Rubio previously qualified for only partial

Monday, February 1, 2010

financial aid, which forced her to take out extra loans each semester. This semester, she received full financial aid but still had to take out a loan to help cover extra costs such as books. Rubio is wary of taking out any extra loans in the future, which may pose a problem for her projected graduation date of May 2011. “Tuition has gone up so they need to increase fi nancial aid. I don’t know if I can take out a second loan next semester,” she said. Students like junior Rodrigo Mendoza work not just to pay for school, but to help out at home too. “My parents used to work a lot of overtime, but they got their hours cut,” Mendoza said. When parents are being affected

and can no longer help out, students must help themselves. However, even with jobs, getting the money for school is still an uphill battle. Chemistry sophomore John Grobe who had to take last semester off, explains the trickledown effects that the economy has had on him and possibly many other students. “I don’t think that everyone realizes that our current economic crisis really affects everyone on many different levels,” Grobe said. “Fewer people have money to spend these days. This affects the number of customers that eat out. It also affects how often they eat out, which in turn affects how much money I make as a waiter.” news@thedailycougar.com

Cool Hand Stew

news@thedailycougar.com

Where do I get the latest UH news? www.thedailycougar.com

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Stewart Cheatwood saw opportunity, found a mentor and changed his career. Now he ﬁnds time to coach others. Every day, he’s feeding his life, his career and his future.

Feed your future at www.pwc.tv

© 2010 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved. “PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (a Delaware limited liability partnership) or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member ﬁrms of the network, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity. We are proud to be an Afﬁrmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Monday, February 1, 2010

The Daily Cougar

OPINION EDITOR Alan Dennis

E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com

COMING TUESDAY: What impact are partisan politics having on the country?

ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/opinion

THE DAILY COUGAR

EDITORIAL CARTOON

EDITORIAL BOARD Ronnie Turner, Editor in Chief Matthew Keever, Managing editor Patricia Estrada, News editor Hiba Adi, News editor Phillipe Craig, Sports editor Robert Higgs, Sports editor Travis Hensley, Life & Arts editor Jarrod Klawinsky, Life & Arts editor Alan Dennis, Opinion editor

STAFF EDITORIAL

UH needs to consider all options before making cuts

T JASON POLAND THE DAILY COUGAR

Prez making politics real-life soap opera President Barack Obama may be the most publicly active commander in chief in American history. As has been the tradition with former presidents, Obama Patrick publishes weekly radio addresses and makes Levy them available to the public. However, his multitude of television appearances since assuming the presidency has caused some concern among some people. In a March 26 Time Magazine article titled “Obamathon: Is the President Overexposed?” reporter James Poniewozik wrote that Obama was risking overexposure during his weeklong affair with the media following his inauguration — an affair that appears to have no end in sight. Then in September, Obama recorded

appearances on five separate political talk shows within the same weekend and became the first sitting president to appear on a late-night talk show when he was a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman. Whether Obama’s publicity actually works is debatable. A Sept. 14 ABC News/Washington Post poll showed that the more people hear about his party-sponsored health care plan, the less they like it. This supports the notion that many Americans are screaming for the plan to be scrapped. In a Sept. 19 Washington Post article, reporter Anne Kornblut wrote, “White House officials said they believe Obama is still in a position to persuade voters, if not members of Congress, each time he speaks about the need for health care reform.”

While it is true that America need a visible president, they do not need the same rhetoric and rewritten messages on a teleprompter pounded into their minds on an almost daily basis. A struggling economy and a 10 percent unemployment rate inevitably causes more people to examine and blame the president, but the extreme visibility of Obama is providing is simply not what Americans desire. Publicity to a certain extent is commendable and encouraged, but there is a fine line between persuading voters to support a good cause and merely using a favorable approval rating with charm, a smile and chuckles to push an agenda. Patrick Levy is a communication freshman and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar. com

Obama right to confront court publicly On Wednesday, President Barack Obama presented his first State of the Union address. In a surprising move, Obama used a portion of his speech to publicly display his Andrew disagreement with the Taylor Supreme Court over its decision in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case. The Jan. 21 6-4 decision effectively removed regulations banning corporations from committing finances to certain candidates of their choosing during elections. There has been no precedent for a sitting president to voice his disagreement with the Supreme Court in the presence of its members. To some, Obama’s decision to call out the justices who shared the majority opinion of the Court was a disrespectful mistake. But to others it demonstrated that the president knows the law and is willing to speak up when he feels something is not right. This is precisely the type of leader Americans need, especially now.

Many of the debacles that slow our nation’s progress can be linked to corporate funding. The Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission will not improve this situation and to make things more concrete, this decision cannot be easily undone. Congress has enough trouble passing bills that actually help people, and, even when they do, it takes a miracle for both the House and Senate to agree. Reversing a Supreme Court ruling such as this one would take a constitutional amendment but decades can pass before constitutional amendments become more than just cheap talk. Not only would there be an uphill battle in a heavily partisan government, the Supreme Court decision would continue to create and support precedence. In light of these factors, Obama was right to challenge the Supreme Court’s decision in his address. The decision will change politics and the election process forever; where money is invested, favors and repayment are due. In the end, the Court’s ruling does more to take First Amendment freedoms away

from individuals than to guarantee them. Free speech and the control of one’s own financial support of a candidate are rights that should be protected. Allowing corporations to follow the same guidelines becomes detrimental to society and takes away from the power of citizens. Americans should be hopeful that politicians will be held accountable for any deals they agree to, but with less regulation on corporations, this accountability will be harder to achieve. When President Richard Nixon publicly blasted the Supreme Court for its decision to make him turn over the Watergate tapes, it was his lawyer — not Nixon — who read the statement condemning the decision. President George W. Bush publicly blasted a 2008 Supreme Court decision dealing with the rights of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay detention camp, but he did so at a news conference in Italy. Obama was right to voice his distaste, and the manner in which he did so could not have come in a more authoritative fashion. Andrew Taylor is an economics senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

exas Gov. Ricky Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus, sent a letter to the public universities in Texas on Jan. 15, requesting them to submit plans to help cut 5 percent of Texas’ general revenue. Thirty-two percent of UH’s budget comes from state funding and is comprised of funds used to pay faculty and staff salaries, maintenance and scholarships. The Houston Chronicle said Jan. 28, that UH would cut $16 million from its annual $996.5 million budget over the next two years. In the letter to the schools, Perry, Dewhurst and Straus said that Texas’ revenues had “weakened substantially as the national recession began exerting its full influence on Texas. Due to the uncertainty of the state’s short-term economic future, as well as potentially substantial long-term costs associated with the passage of federal legislation currently being debated in Washington, D.C., we are asking each state agency to thoroughly review all planned expenditures for the remainder of the biennium.” The cuts would most likely affect the University’s attempts to reach flagship status, and would likely mean that the Board of Regents would have to approve another tuition increase for 2010-2011, as well as cuts to certain nonacademic programs and degrees that don’t attract as many students, the Chronicle said. Faculty members would probably have to wait at least two years before seeing pay raises, and students would yet again have to fork up the money to bail out the University. Although we understand the cut is necessary and that this issue is not exclusive to UH, we ask that administrators and the regents take into consideration their students if, and when, they approve another tuition increase. We ask Board of Regents Chairman Welcome Wilson to consider each and every option before making a decision. It’s in the best interest of everyone at UH to thoroughly examine any possible solution before acting.

E D I TO R I A L P O L I C 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 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@ thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax them to (713) 7435384. 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 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

Monday, February 1, 2010

The Daily Cougar

LIFE+ARTS EDITORS

Travis Hensley, Jarrod Klawinsky

E-MAIL

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COMING TUESDAY: Comedian Bill Maher makes stop at UH

arts@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/life_arts

GHOST

Paranormal team tackles the Strand Cousins Barbara Davis and Tom LeCroy own Bistro LeCroy on The Strand in Galveston. Without being asked, LeCroy offers that, though he has never Elizabeth seen a ghost at Bailey the restaurant, he knows that it was the morgue for the victims of the Great Storm of 1900. Over a year after Hurricane Ike, Galvestonians still relate events back to the storm. LeCroy and his family stayed in the lofts next to the restaurant for a few weeks post-Ike. Bistro LeCroy is in the J.D. Rogers building, one of a threebuilding monopoly owned by Dale and Diane Olson. In addition to the street side restaurant, there is a boutique, the former trolley station, a ballroom and a handful of fully furnished, but rarely inhabited lofts once known as the Inn at the Strand. The Olson’s son, Darryl, is the most frequent occupant of the apartments, splitting his time between Galveston and Los Angeles, where he worked at a high-end retail store. He quit after Ike to help his parents, who were overwhelmed with the destruction. Shortly after Olson’s arrival in his loft, he heard a girl crying. He’d

later come to call her Annabelle, after one of the many psychics who have conducted walkthroughs of the building told him that was her name. The psychic told Olson that Annabelle was mad at him for not paying attention to her and never playing with her. The psychic also told Olson that because he doesn’t see her, she gets frustrated and cries and wants him to acknowledge her. “Thank God there’s no one around here. Now I’ll come home from the store and say, ‘Hey Annabelle, how are you doing?’” Olson said. A few months ago, Jennifer Hanson and Jennifer Parker, founders of the Southern Paranormal Investigations team, came by Bistro LeCroy looking for the owners. They had a hunch that the building from 1845 might be swarming with activity. Tom LeCroy told the Olsons, who invited Hanson and Parker to look around the building. “These people really seem to have their act together,” Darryl Olson said. “The correspondence we got from them wasn’t like, ‘Yeah, we’re doing this ghosty thing.’ It was very specific, very well-written and well thought out.’

JARROD KLAWINSKY THE DAILY COUGAR

Galveston Island is home to many locations that are known for their paranormal activity. On Jan. 23, the Southern Paranormal Investigations team, in conjunction with Saturday Night Paranormal (ghostshow.us), a Web site that streams investigations from all of the country every week, took up the quest of going through the building. Bistro LeCroy jumped on board as well, staying open past the usual 9 p.m. closing time to host dozens of diners and drinkers, who could watch the walkthrough on a large screen television in the restaurant for $10. At least five laptops and a television that showed four cameras at various locations in the building make up the command

central that is set up in between the lofts owned by Dale and Diane Olson. In one loft apartment, Darryl Olson shows off the ‘70s renovated bathroom that was once the crime scene of a couple’s murder suicide. Across the corridor is another apartment where a man used to kill children that he could find on the Strand in the early 1900s. Olson believes Annabelle was one of the girls. Hanson and Parker are no strangers to the other side, each having encounters and experiences with what they call “entities.” A friend visited Parker

the morning after a deadly car accident. Parker remembers a field trip to Washington, where the students toured Congress, and she saw dozens of men wearing white wigs and clothing from the Revolutionary period. She assumed a re-enactment show was about to start, but when she brought a friend to see, everyone was gone. Technological difficulties postponed the investigation over an hour and a half later than scheduled, showcasing the giveand-take nature of the paranormal business. arts@thedailycougar.com

GETTY IMAGES VIA IMAGES.NET

During Wednesday’s State of the Union address, President Barack Obama spoke of gays in the military and urged Congress to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.

OUT & ABOUT

Obama pays lip service on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ President Barack Obama did as was expected in Wednesday’s State of the Union address and reiterated his intent to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military’s ban on outing service members. Thadd Th Reactions within the gay Sweigart community ran the gamut of optimistic to pessimistic, but most agree on one thing: They’re glad they didn’t vote Republican. In a shockingly inaccurate appraisal of the policy, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) said, “This successful policy has been in effect for over fifteen

years, and it is well understood and predominantly supported by our military at all levels … now is not the time to abandon the policy.” Despite the myriad of reports contradicting his statement, a wife and daughter that actively support the gay rights movement, the hundreds of millions of dollars DADT has cost the country, the thousands of mission critical army personnel ejected from the military and the tens of thousands still giving their blood for us while living in fear of the very country they protect, McCain feels comfortable holding his position on anti-gay issues. Is McCain showing his age? Possibly.

But his flat-out refusal to accept documented information laid out before him is the symptom of a larger problem. As right-wing extremists wrest more and more control from their more even-tempered comrades, the Republican Party has adopted a sort of purist philosophy that forces either utter capitulation or exclusion. Nothing illustrates this political dynamic better than the controversy surrounding the sponsorship of a gay Republican organization, GOProud, or the Conservative Political Action Conference scheduled in February. An offshoot of the Log Cabin Republicans, GOProud has on its Web site the typical laundry list of

core conservative principles to the point that its ideology has about an 80 percent overlap with that of the fundamentalist organizations. When it was announced however that GOProud would be co-sponsoring CPAC, a number of other sponsors threatened to boycott the event. “The bottom line is that homosexuality is not a conservative value,” said Bryan Fischer, director of issue analysis for the American Family Association. In the end, the organizers behind CPAC deigned to grant GOProud the right to co-sponsor the event on the condition that members not be allowed to speak for any reason. “Whatever happened to

taxation without representation?” said Jason Spitz, a gay Republicanturned-independent. Added Amy Nguyen: “It’s hard to believe that so called ‘fiscal conservatives’ would put financially ruinous policies ahead of issues that would help America for purely ideological reasons, but it looks like that’s the case.” Right-wingers have decided that the gay community is anathema to the conservative agenda. With the second year of Obama’s term beginning with the same promises he made last January, the GLBT community has little choice, but to keep stamping its feet and hoping to be heard. arts@thedailycougar.com

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Monday, February 1, 2010

SPORTS | CLASSIFIEDS

The Daily Cougar

MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL

Coleman leads UH past Herd until the Cougars held a large enough lead to shift into cruise control. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a team effort,â&#x20AC;? head coach Tom Penders said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know Aubrey had great numbers, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fabulous player and all that â&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;? UH came out of the break on a 21-8 run, extending its lead to 5335 with 12:32 left. Coleman led the way, attacking a Marshall (15-6, 4-3) defense that looked sluggish and overwhelmed. That paved the way for the senior guard to showcase most of his offensive skill set, which included an impressive dunk off a backdoor slash to the basket. After that Coleman-led charge, Marshall never recovered. Coleman said Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

By Matt Miller THE DAILY COUGAR Aubrey Coleman probably wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind playing against Marshall more often. For the second straight season, Coleman recorded a season-high in points against the Thundering Herd. Coleman, the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading scorer, poured in 13 of his 37 points Saturday during the first 7:30 of the second half to lead the Cougars to an 81-66 win in front of 4,457 fans at Hofheinz Pavilion. In the first half, UH (11-9, 4-3) combined unyielding defense with an efficient offensive effort to claim a 32-27 halftime advantage. In the second half, Coleman (11of-23 shooting) took the wheel

offensive success started on the defensive end â&#x20AC;&#x201D; something that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t occur enough when he scored a career-high 38 points during last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 88-83 loss to Marshall in Huntington, W.Va. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wanted to play defense so we could just run on an open court,â&#x20AC;? Coleman said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It seemed like (Marshall) didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a lot of confidence. They were kind of hesitant.â&#x20AC;? An active and communicative Cougars defense held C-USAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s No. 2 offense to 37.9 percent shooting overall. UH also showed a streak of aggression, utilizing pressure and quick hands to create 12 steals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We took advantage of a lot of fast-break opportunities,â&#x20AC;? Penders said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most of those (steals) led to

JUSTIN FLORES THE DAILY COUGAR

UH guard Aubrey Coleman, the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading scorer, recorded a season-high with 37 points in an 81-66 win over Marshall on Saturday. His career high, 38, also came against the Thundering Herd last season. buckets. That was important.â&#x20AC;? Penders and his staff attempted to counter the Herdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior size advantage by doubleteaming and fronting their forwards. That strategy paid off, as

Marshallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading scorer, Hassan Whiteside, was held to 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We played an extremely solid see MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BB, page 8

WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL

Cougarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fast start stalls against SMU they sustained through the rest of the game for a 74-67 win in front of 458 fans at Hofheinz Pavilion. For a brief stretch, the Cougars (10-10, 4-3 Conference USA) looked unbeatable. In the first half of the game, the Cougars were shooting at a 50 percent clip from the field. And this wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an uncontested layup drill â&#x20AC;&#x201D; these were jumpers from 18-20 feet, including some 3-pointers. Head coach Joe Curl said the game naturally gets easy when

By Tristan Tippet THE DAILY COUGAR The Cougars followed their recent trend of getting off to a good start on Saturday against the SMU Mustangs. This time, the Cougars didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait until the second half to slow down offensively, but the result was still the same â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a loss. UH cooled off in a hurry, and the Mustangs attained some momentum of their own, which

players are making shots. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you shoot the ball well, everything looks great,â&#x20AC;? Curl said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you shoot it well, you look like a heck of a basketball team. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t shoot well, everything else looks like itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mess out there.â&#x20AC;? With their hot shooting, the Cougars were up by 13 points in the first half. UH also played with more intensity on defense, putting pressure on the Mustangsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offense to match the

Cougarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; shooting. SMU (15-5, 5-2) just couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it and for most of the half, hovered around 35-39 percent from the field. In a drastic reversal, the Mustangs found their rhythm just as the Cougars went ice cold. With 5:23 left in the first half, UHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Courtney Taylor, made a layup that put the Cougars up 31-19, but the Mustangs went on a 16-4 run to take a 35-34 lead, with 30 seconds left in the half. The Cougars didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t regain the

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lead after that, and the Mustangs slowly pulled away. UH fought hard to come back, but were not able to overcome its dry spell on the way to shooting 42 percent for the game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we lost our rhythm, and we got stagnant,â&#x20AC;? Taylor said. UH returns to the court at 7 p.m. Thursday at Tudor Fieldhouse for a showdown with Rice.

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At the Hot Dog Stand by Mishele Lamshing

1 Throw 6 Two pounds, plus 10 Punches 14 Pyle or Kovacs 15 Grade sch. 16 Put one’s foot — — 17 Travel safeguards (2 wds.) 19 — -carotene 20 Purchase from Sajak (2 wds.) 21 Markdowns 22 Substantial 23 Afternoon socials 24 San Diego team 25 Comes to mind 28 Blow gently 30 Shepard and Greenspan 31 Kid’s meal carrier 35 Train passenger 36 Goes left or right 37 Movie-chain name 39 Diamond cut 41 European capital 42 Analyze 43 Rodeo gear 44 Defense ploys 48 Do post office work 49 Bungle (2 wds.) 50 Home finisher 52 Romaine 55 Vaccine type 56 Big League hit (2 wds.) 58 Mrs. Peel portrayer 59 Natural elevs. 60 Riverbank dweller 61 Chick ender 62 Mai — (rum cocktails) 63 Conjecture

TODAY’S SUDOKU 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

DOWN 1 Disaster relief org. 2 — Hubbard of sci-fi 3 — — time flat 4 Never, in Berlin 5 Steamy displays 6 Hull parts 7 River in France 8 Grants approval

17 20

36 40

48 50

34 36 38 40 41

43 44 45 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 56 57

Horse color Greek market Wildly dramatic Reflection Protrude Grinch creator Sp. miss Braxton or Tennille Actress — Blanchett Fiesta shouts 35mm cameras UK clock setting 252 calories

Wednesday 2/3 ACUI Table Tennis

6:30PM @ UC Cougar Den, Menʼs & Womenʼs Singles Sign up at the UC Games RM!

Friday 2/5 SPB Fridays

30% OFF with UH Student ID & SPB Tag

Friday 2/5 Glow Bowling & Saturday 2/6 9:00PM - 1:00AM

Rolling Back the Prices! For a limited time.

$2.00 per hour/per table for Billiards

Shasta’s Now Accepts Cougar Cash! Wednesday 2/3 $1 Coffee Wednesdays Small coffee for only $1!

Friday 2/5 Free 2nd Scoop Friday

Free 2nd scoop upgrade w/ purchase of a single scoop waffle cone/bowl

Sunday 2/7 Sunday Sundaes

Buy 1 sundae, get 1 of equal or lesser value for FREE!

Try our new coffee roast! “Katz’s Best” (now on a rotating basis)

Tuesday 2/2 ACUI Madden Football ʻ10 (Xbox) 6:30PM, Individuals/Open Division Only Sign up at the UC Games RM!

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Thursday 2/4 ACUI Guitar Hero (Xbox)

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9 10 11 12 13 18 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 33

42 45

23 25

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nter) University Ce (Lower Level,

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■

TODAY’S CROSSWORD ACROSS

The Fish Bowl by Thomas Hernandez

Monday, February 1, 2010

2009 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE INC.

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Monday, February 1, 2010

SPORTS

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ZFT UIFZÂľSF IFSF BU 6) Spring 2010 Scholarship Session Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, 2010 11 a.m. -2 p.m. in The UC Cougar Den Learn where the funds are, how to get them, and what to fill out.

TRACK

CONVENIENT TRUTHS

UH keeps up pace at home

Rule benefits basketball at both levels

By John Brannen THE DAILY COUGAR

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The Cougars continued their solid start to the 2010 indoor season during last weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Houston Invitational at the Yeoman Field House. The Cougars came away with four first-place finishes, two secondplace finishes and four third-place finishes in an unscored meet. Two of the first-place finishes included sweeps of the men and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4x400-meter relay teams to conclude the meet. The menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team won in 3 minutes,15.2 seconds and the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team responded to head coach Leroy Burrellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s call for improvement with 3:43 finish. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a good performance. We had Tyron Carrier running for the first time this season. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capable of running 46 (seconds), 47,â&#x20AC;? Burrell said of Carrierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transition from football to the spring track season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Errol Nolanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing very well, and Doug Kelley is solid as well.â&#x20AC;? Fans were also treated to the return of Carey LaCour, a former Cougar, who ran as an unattached athlete and placed a world-best time this indoor season in the 60 meters in 6.59. UHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nadirah Shakir won the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s triple jump with a 12.37-meter leap, also a personal best. Cameron LaCour, Careyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s younger brother, finished third in the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 60-meter hurdles in 8.12, and Joseph Irabor placed third in the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 200 meters with a 22.1 finish. In the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5,000-meter race, David Smith placed second in 15:30, and Megan Munoz paced the UH women in the 5,000 meters with a second-place finish of 18:19. Kiera Puliam placed third in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shot put with a throw of 13.88

MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BB continued from page 6

game,â&#x20AC;? Penders said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Defensively, we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss many assignments, which was good, and that sets a

GOOD NEWS Gospel Choir at the University of Houston th

30Anniversary Celebratory Concert

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ASHLEY EVANS THE DAILY COUGAR

Nadirah Shakir turned in a leap of 12.37 meters â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a personal best â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s triple jump to claim first place at the Houston Invitational on Saturday. meters. Grecia Bolton placed fourth in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 60-meter dash in 7.43 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a provisional mark â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and won the 200-meter race with a personal best of 24.5. Quinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;shundolyn McPherson followed Bolton with a mark of 24.6 for a third-place finish. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an area of strength for us,â&#x20AC;? Burrell said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had five girls running under 24 seconds in the 200 meters outdoors, so we know we have that type of strength in our team. I feel like we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t totally exploited that area of our team yet. Grecia Bolton really competed in the 200, which Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m excited about.â&#x20AC;? Burrell was satisfied, but hopes for more this season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All in all, (it was) an even level performance with a few superlatives throughout,â&#x20AC;? he said. The Cougars hope to sustain their success Friday and Saturday when they travel to New York for the New Balance Invitational. sports@thedailycougar.com

tone.â&#x20AC;? The Cougars will hit the road for a 9 p.m. Wednesday matchup with UTEP before hosting Southern Miss at 5 p.m. Saturday. sports@thedailycougar.com

March Madness is fast approaching, and a handful of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Diaper Dandiesâ&#x20AC;? have their teams poised to make deep runs into the tournament. Alan Kentuckyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s John Wall, Dennis Georgia Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Derrick Favors and Kansasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Xavier Henry are three of the most stellar freshman in the country, and each is considered by many college basketball experts a lock to be a oneand-done collegiate player. Five years ago, we might not have seen that trio â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or any number of other amazing one-year wonders such as Kevin Durant or Derrick Rose â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in college, as players with that much talent usually declared themselves eligible for the NBA draft. But heading into the 2006 draft, the NBA implemented a policy to keep high school players from entering. The rule states that a player must be either 19 years old (which applies to foreign players) or must be at least one year removed from his high school graduation to enter the draft. The league instituted the rule as a way of keeping high school players who werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t prepared to play in the pros from basically throwing their careers away by jumping into the NBA too soon. More than four years later, the rule has proved to be a mostly successful deterrent in keeping unprepared players out of the league. Opponents of the rule change point to Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James as examples of how some players donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need a year in college to prepare them for the next level. But what those people wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t point out is that for every Bryant, Garnett or James, there was a Gerald Green (picked 18th in 2005), Sebastian Telfair (drafted 13th overall in 2004) or Ndudi Ebi (selected 26th in 2004) who ruined any chance they might have had at a pro career by declaring for the draft out of high school. It can be convenient to only look at the success stories, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pertinent to examine the failures. From the 2000-05 NBA drafts, there were a total of 350 picks, 30 of which were spent on high school players. Looking through the names, James and a handful of others stand out. But who honestly knows anything about Ricky Sanchez or Robert Swift (both of whom are now out of the league)? The rule not only protects young players, but also makes college basketball a better sport to watch. Smaller schools benefit from trotting out lineups filled with experienced three- and four-year starters against big-name programs filled with one-year players. Three of the past four March Madness tournaments have featured at least one double-digit seed playing past the first two rounds of the tournament. And thanks to the NBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rule, which has kept players such as Wall from turning pro out of high school, we should be headed for another memorable tourne*y again this year. Who knows? Maybe even Aubrey Coleman and the Cougars could shock the world. sports@thedailycougar.com