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Cut and paste not your style? Our career guide is also online Wednesday, W d d M March h 3, 2010
Issue 105, Volume 75
From music to chasing bad guys
thedailycougar.com
Perry, White clear winners in primary Hutchinson’s concession sets up showdown between governor, former mayor J
By Josh Malone THE DAILY COUGAR
Chief says recovering paintings, horse have been his favorite cases
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By John Brannen THE DAILY COUGAR UH police chief and vice president for public safety and security Malcolm Davis took an unconventional route in his law enforcement career. A music fan, Davis wanted to become a band director before stumbling into a law enforcement career and eventually becoming the University’s top cop. He was born in Galveston and moved to La Marque, where he attended high school. He played baseball and tuba in the school band. After bouncing around several colleges, Davis concluded his undergraduate education at UH, earning a degree in music teacher education. But local schools were looking for woodwind players, not brass musicians. Davis thought he would eventually get a teaching job, but realized the importance of having a consistent occupation. “I was working security at Astroworld just to do something while I was finishing up school,” he said. “I realized I had to do something, so why not see about being a cop. I talked about it to my boss, and he agreed that I had the right personality for it.” Davis started working as a police officer at the Houston branch of the University of Texas Medical School
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KENDRA BERGLUND THE DAILY COUGAR
Splash of creativity
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or the next two weeks, fine arts senior and nongraduating master of fine arts students’ work will be featured at Blaffer Gallery as part of the School of Art Annual Student Exhibition. The School of Art Director John Reed said in a press release that the thing he likes about this exhibit “is that you get to see a visual super-sampler, a rich cross section of the talent and creativity of our students.” The exhibit will run until March 13.
see CHIEF, page 3
Former Mayor Bill White and Gov. Rick Perry dominated their respective primaries in the Texas gubernatorial elections Tuesday, paving the way for a November election one professor predicts to be among the most competitive in years. White, who comfortably led all Democratic candidates in polls leading up to the election, predictably triumphed over Houston businessman Farouk Shami with 75.4 percent of the vote. Shami, White’s next closest competitor among a field of seven Democrats, came away with 12.3 percent. Perry carried the majority of the Republican vote with 51.6 percent, compared to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s 31.1 percent and activist Debra Medina’s 17.3 percent. Most political observers predicted Perry to win the majority of the vote under the presumption that he wouldn’t achieve the 50 percent of the vote needed to avoid an April runoff election. Instead, Perry ran away with the victory, something political science professor Kent Tedin said he didn’t completely predict. “There was no surprise (Perry) was going to win. Only a small portion of the total Texas electorate vote in the primaries, and they’re the most conservative,” Tedin said. “For him to get more than 50 percent of the vote would be less expected.” Tedin said Perry has “a lot of vulnerabilities,” in a general election
and predicted a competitive race in November. “White matches up well against Perry because he’s not part of the Washington establishment and was a very popular mayor for a long time,’ Tedin said. “He doesn’t have a lot of vulnerabilities. Perry will say that he’s too liberal for Texas, but White runs a very clean campaign.” A win in November would give Perry, who has held the office since George W. Bush left the post prior to becoming president in 2000, an unprecedented third term in the Governor’s mansion. For Kay Bailey Hutchison, Tedin said her defeat was a result of “running a poor campaign” and overreaching to a conservative base that typically votes for Perry. Tedin predicts Hutchison will no longer seek elected office after serving as one of Texas’ senator in the U.S. Congress since 1993. The results are also consistent with the Daily Cougar’s March 1 poll, which had Perry and White comfortably leading their respective parties. About 53 percent of Republican voters said they supported Perry, while 86 percent of Democratic voters favored White. Biology freshman Jennifer Nguyen cast her ballot for White on Tuesday. She’s pleased with the results. “I’ve been a fan since he was mayor, and I feel like he has the best chance to get Perry out of office,” Nguyen said. “Congratulations to Perry, too, but I’m hoping for some change. I’m already excited.” news@thedailycougar.com
Walking in someone else’s shoes Tour gives participants perspective, helps point out areas to improve
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By Darlene Campos THE DAILY COUGAR Students with DisABILITIES received a helping hand Tuesday, courtesy of the students, staff and faculty participating in the Campus Accessibility Tour. The tour was put together by the Center for Students with DisABILITIES to demonstrate how disabled students maneuver around campus and point out areas for improvement. “Getting around the campus is not always smooth,” CSD Assistant
Director Alan Russell said. “The pebble ground cracks can cause damage to a wheelchair, which can be very expensive. My wheelchair, for example, costs $5,000. “There are also some obstructions like the big flower pots around the campus, so the blind and those in a wheelchair have to ease their way around.” During the tour, four groups inspected the campus. Some group members had the opportunity to experience moving around in a wheelchair, while others got to walk around with a white cane and blindfold. The purpose was to identify which areas on campus need improvements. According to a flyer put out by the CSD, general accessibilities features
should include automatic doors, wide hallways and sidewalks, access ramps, tile or short carpeting floors, handsfree sinks and spacious restrooms. Participants were asked to identify if the buildings they toured complied with these features. “The Student Service Center has restrooms only on the second and third floors, and the drinking fountains are on the third floor,” health senior and tour guide Irene Young said. “There are automatic doors at the entrance to the Student Service Center but none to the Career Services office.” Ann Liberman, director of Career Services at the Graduate College of Social Work, said the tour helps see CAT, page 3
KENDRA BERGLUND THE DAILY COUGAR
The Center for Students with DisABILITIES held a Campus Accessibility Tour to help identify areas needing improvements to make the campus safer for disabled students.