1934 – 2009
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Forecast, Page 2
Read the full election code from last night’s SGA meeting online Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Issue 85, Volume 75
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SGA changes election code Due to controversy in prior elections, campaign clarity is now being emphasized. gg
By Patricia Estrada The Daily Cougar
David Shih The Daily Cougar
It’s raining cats’ and dogs’ food
T
he UH Center for Public Policy is hosting a food drive through Feb. 19 in order to collect food for the pets of senior citizens who receive food from the Meals on Wheels program. Students are asked to bring canned or bagged dog and cat food to one of the red boxes located around campus. Junior Art Valino (right), senior Sonia Khan (center) and senior Melissa Shafer contributed to the food drive.
UH President and System Chancellor Renu Khator shared her life as an Indian immigrant with the Women’s Studies “Living Archives Series” on Tuesday. The event took place in the Rockwell Pavillion of the M.D. Memorial Anderson Library. Khator came to America with her husband, Suresh Khator, of an arranged marriage to pursue her ultimate goal of getting her master’s degree.
see SGA, page 3
Philosopher to lead CLASS
President discusses struggling, overcoming adversity By Hiba Adi THE DAILY COUGAR
In preparation for election season, the Student Government Association held a special meeting Tuesday to approve changes to its election code. The SGA Senate approved the new election code unanimously. The election code fulfills the responsibility of the Senate to set down the manner in which elections shall be held and how to judge the elections and the candidates. Some of the changes made to the election code include the removal of political parties on the ballots, a clause that specifies that an elected candidate must serve on the Senate for at least one full academic year, the exclusion of summer terms and restrictions on where candidates can and cannot post campaign ads. Among some of the things candidates will not be allowed to do are use an aircraft to campaign, send potential voters unsolicited electronic messages and campaign during class time. The code also specifies penalties for any violations of these measures. Speaker Kyrie Ruiz said the changes were done because of the ambiguity of the previous code,
which left too many issues up for interpretation. There needed to be clarity of what candidates can and cannot do, she said. “There were things (in the previous election code) that were very unclear and very ambiguous, things that could have been read either way and too many things that were left at the discrepancy of the election commission,” she said. Ruiz said that the previous election commissioners had said that it was hard to follow the code that was then in place. Mila Clarke, the newly appointed interim speaker and internal affairs chair, helped write the code and shared Ruiz’s sentiments. “(Election commissioner) is a hard job,” she said. “And it is even harder with a code that you have to kind of interpret, and everyone got a little angry with them when something went one way and they thought it should have gone another. There was just too much room for interpretation.” SGA Vice President Prince Wilson said the code needed to be changed to accommodate new electronic media that candidates use to campaign, such as Facebook and other online chatting sites.
Author, UH prof. plans to work on improving doctoral programs gg
By Jose Aguilar The Daily Cougar
COURTESY OF UH.EDU
UH President Renu Khator spoke at a women’s studies “living archives series” about her experience as an Indian immigrant. “We’re going to the land of opportunity. We will be in America. You do what you want there. You want to study, I’ll support you, and I’ll make sure you study,” Khator said Suresh told her. Khator said she married Suresh when she was only 18 years old and that it was a great learning experience see KHATOR, page 12
Provost John Antel has named Cynthia Freeland to replace Joe Pratt as interim dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Freeland, a philosophy professor, was appointed by Antel on Jan. 26 following the departure of Pratt, who was named interim dean in February 2008. The search for a permanent dean for the college continues. “There is no problem with the dean search,” Antel said. “We have a number of great candidates, and the decision will be made public in the next two weeks.” Freeland, who has been at
UH since 1986, also predicted her tenure would be short-term and expressed optimism for a successful end to the search for a permanent dean. Freeland was ready to provide the leadership on current projects that concern the College. “I don’t expect to start any new projects during my tenure,” she said. “But I will help departments now making hires to get the best people.” Freeland also said she is interested in the flagship agenda and making the CLASS doctoral programs stronger. “I (want to work on) getting greater stipends for our teaching assistants and graduate students,” she said. “I want to help them out, so as to have strong doctoral programs in place.” As interim dean, Freeland will also need to begin the process of
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Cynthia Freeland
looking into budget cuts within the college in an effort to help the University with its own budget reduction as requested by the
state. “Unfortunately, I need to administer some budget cuts soon. I’ll work with the department chairs to come up with some ideas,” Freeland said. She said it’s a process she has been through before. “You feel like you cut it all the last time and that you can’t possibly cut more,” she said. “But I keep reminding myself and my colleagues that we’re better off than the faculty in some other states.” see DEAN, page 12