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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Forecast, Page 2
Was NBC’s coverage of the Georgian luge competitor’s death tactless? Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Issue 95, Volume 75
thedailycougar.com
Rhoades takes first step in stadium project
Regents approve tuition increase
Company will examine plans to rebuild Robertson and Pavilion
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By Gordon Furneaux THE DAILY COUGAR Athletic Director Mack Rhoades announced Feb. 10 that the University hired AECOM, a Fortune 500 company, to study the possibilities of renovating Robertson Stadium and Hofheinz Pavillion, or building new facilities. Representatives from the design firm are now on campus looking for solutions, which should be found within the next few months. “Hopefully within 90 to 120 days we can get some clear sense of direction in terms of sensibility of both,” Rhoades said. “What makes the most sense, not only from a structural standpoint and a design
standpoint, but also an economic standpoint.” Rhoades said depending on AECOM reports, the University will be able to decide the best option for the school. “That will provide clarity into each of those options, and we will be able to choose which option is more feasible and makes the most sense, in not only the short term but the long term as well,” Rhoades said. As Athletic Director of the University of Akron, Rhoades helped the school build a 30,000seat football stadium, which opened in September 2009. From his experience, he said, he is confident in his choice of
By Sarah Raslan THE DAILY COUGAR
Stansell’s franchise opened its doors in Aug. 2009 and business has been flourishing since. He said after only six months of success, his friends and family have become much more supportive. “Business has been very good,” he said. “January and February are typically the slowest months for the company, and we have yet to see any of the busy months (in the spring and summer), and we’re still doing really well.”
The UH System Board of Regents almost unanimously approved a tuition increase during a meeting Tuesday. Nandita Berry was the only regent who voted against the increase. The main campus will experience a 3.95 percent ($138) increase per twelve credit hour semester. UH-Clear Lake, UHDowntown and UH-Victoria will be looking at increases of 4.5 percent, 5.1 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively. “The tuition increase covers a number of different items,” Vice Chairman Jim Wise said. “It’s no more complicated than your personal checkbook. What goes out has to be covered by what comes in.” State funding for the University has been declining throughout the last three decades, which leads to an increase in the amount that students and their families pay. Since 1990, state funding to the University has dropped from 54 percent to 32 percent. Tuition has increased from 17 percent to 38 percent during this period. “We know it is a burden on the students and their families, but we had to do that to maintain our programs,” Provost John Antel said. “So our tuition fee increases have been mainly to offset losses of funding from the state. We’re going to have to face up to the reality that this trend is probably going to continue.” Regardless of these increases, UH remains in the lower half of the spectrum compared to other universities in Texas. “I want to make sure that the rate is within the rate of our Texas peers,” UH President Renu Khator said. “The rate must be a provision for students to graduate.” But tuition may not rise for students who come from lowerincome backgrounds. As part of the Cougar Promise Program, any incoming freshman who applies for Fall 2010 and comes from a family with an income of $45,000 or less will not pay tuition, Khator said. The Cougar Promise threshold
see ENTREPRENEUR, page 3
see REGENTS, page 3
JUSTIN FLORES THE DAILY COUGAR
Athletic Director Mack Rhoades hired a Fortune 500 company to assess plans to renovate Robertson Stadium and Hofheinz Pavilion. AECOM to spearhead the project. “They have tremendous experience in terms of mass planning for athletic facilities, and we just felt, in terms of art and uniqueness, they were a great fit,” he said. “They also have a strong local presence in the
city of Houston; we felt that was important.” Rhoades said the studies are preliminary measures for a massive project, and depending on those, he will know approximately how see STADIUM, page 3
Cleric speaks of racial struggle By Safiya Ravat THE DAILY COUGAR Imam Siraj Wahhaj said during a speech Monday that though blacks have come out of slavery, they are still struggling to get ahead The UH Muslim Students Association hosted the event, titled “The Black American Struggle: The Past, the Present and the Future.” Wahhaj, a spiritual leader from New York, said blacks have been making great strides since the 1960s. “Now over 80 percent of the NBA basketball players are black, and 69 percent in the NFL,” Wahhaj said. “I mentioned about 42 AfricanAmericans in Congress. We have a black President. ... Everywhere in every part of the system of this country, we have African-American experts.” Wahhaj said though there are black leaders, they are still a minority. “On the one hand, we have the Kobe Bryants and the LeBron Jameses, politicians and all those successful people,” he said. “But the masses of black people haven’t enjoyed that success.” Wahhaj said the lack of success is due to the decreased value of family and marriage these days. He also said 59 percent of black children lived see HISTORY, page 3
COURTESY OF COREY STANSELL
Alumni Corey Stansell began his own company in Aug. 2009, College Hunks Hauling Junk, after realizing he wanted to have more control over his life.
Degree takes backseat to ambition J
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After years at a desk, a UH alumnus took his business to the outdoors
By Matthew Keever THE DAILY COUGAR Corey Stansell graduated from UH with a finance degree in 2007, but after working for Merrill Lynch and Edward Jones, he decided that he wanted to create his own wealth and bought a College Hunks Hauling Junk (junk-removal service) franchise. “I wanted to be in charge of how much I did or did not make, my schedule, my relationships with other people, and I decided to take the risk, raised the money to do it and found
something that I thought I could do that with,” Stansell said. A lot of Stansell’s clients who had wealth and happiness weren’t CEOs or attorneys but business owners, so he bought his own junk-removal franchise. Because it’s such a new company, his friends and family were wary at first. “They thought I was crazy,” he said. “We’re taught to go to school, get that education and get that good job. I don’t think any of us stop to think about what we want to do or what will make us the most satisfied.”