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
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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
Forecast, Page 2
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
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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
T
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