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Issue 110, Volume 75
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Former SGA director focuses on reform Chief to Zakaria campaigns on security, tuition and textbook prices
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By Amanda Trella THE DAILY COUGAR Student Government Association elections are almost at a close, and former Director of External Affairs Mariam Zakaria hopes her campaign for president will be a success. Zakaria, an accounting and finance junior, said she and vice presidential candidate Muhammad Sharif hope to focus on what the students want: affordable education, a safer campus and to formulate UH into a flagship institution. “(All the candidates) want the same things on campus; it’s just a matter of who is sincere and who will listen to the students,” Zakaria said.
“We are going to go out there, meet the students and talk to student organizations. Students want to know that you are there for them and you are going to hear their thoughts.” Even though many of the candidates are focusing on several of the same issues, Zakaria and Sharif have formed ideas that they believe will improve upon student affairs, especially those that deal with tuition. “We really need to look at textbook policy and reform it,” Zakaria said. “A lot of other schools have rental programs, and there is no reason why we can’t propose that idea to the administration and work with them.” Students can already rent some textbooks at the UH bookstore. Besides textbooks, Zakaria and
fixate on security, parking By John Brannen THE DAILY COUGAR
Hotel Administration, from Cornell University. He earned his Master’s of Business Administration and Master of Science in Education from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before graduating from Texas A&MCollege Station with a doctorate in marketing.
UH Department of Public Safety Police Chief Malcolm Davis said students and faculty need to be the department’s eyes and ears Tuesday at a safety and security town hall meeting. Davis said community interaction is necessary because there is only one officer for every 300 students. “The main thing I hope it accomplishes is that people realize that safety on campus is not just public safety’s responsibility. It’s everybody’s,” Davis said. “There’s 140 of us and over 40,000 of students and faculty.” Davis said that reporting crimes is necessary to ensure a safe environment. In the event that the victim of a crime does not report the offense, Davis called this “when a crime is not a crime. “You hear that colleges don’t report all the crime on campus. We report all the crime we’re told about,” J Malcom Davis Davis said. “You can’t come forward and say, ‘By the way, my roommate was a victim of a crime.’ I can’t report it unless the roommate comes forward and says they were a victim.” Davis said UHDPS is not only a police department, but also a department of public safety that provides security, parking enforcement and firefighting. He added that UHDPS is a broker of information for the University because, although it might not be able to fix a plumbing or maintenance problem, it can contact the personnel needed to correct those issues. “If you need help, don’t just look for a cop. Look for someone in a high visibility uniform,” Davis said. “We’re all in the same department. We all have the same radio. It doesn’t have to be crime related” The department’s future endeavors, Davis said, include placing security kiosks in active areas around the University. If approved, the kiosks would feature an elevated space for security personnel to stand guard. “If people are going to try and victimize the campus, this will help the security identify themselves,”
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see SECURITY, page 3
COURTESY OF MARIAM ZAKARIA
SGA presidential candidate Mariam Zakaria and vice presidential candidate Muhammad Sharif said they plan to focus on security and tuition if elected.
see ZAKARIA, page 3
Student success a priority for dean By Roland Henshaw THE DAILY COUGAR John Bowen has served as dean of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management since 2003 and said he has a progressive agenda for the school’s future. Bowen, who worked as a faculty member at UH from 1980-1990, is quite familiar with the college and is optimistic of where the college’s programs are heading. A school that has industry support and great facilities is what enthused Bowen about the opportunity to serve as a dean at UH. “I accepted the position as dean because I felt there was a lot of potential to further build the great reputation of the College of Hotel and Restaurant Management,” he said. Bowen said he is excited that once the school is done with its $13 million renovation, students will be able to get more of a hands-on experience and move into meaningful positions while studying. Bowen said the hotel will have chef-training programs at the on-campus Eric’s Restaurant for students from both UH and community colleges who are interested in culinary arts. “We are looking to improve the quality of service here by using our students and giving them opportunities to work in the hotel,” he said. Bowen said the renovation will not only benefit HRM, but will also allow other colleges at UH to expand their studies. Bowen also said the south wing
of the school will have experimental suites that will be used for furniture design, technology applications and consumer behavior studies. The College of Architecture and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences have joint classes with HRM full of students who are working on designing rooms within the wing. “There is a real opportunity to turn the college into an experimental hotel, which can create learning opportunities for students across campus,” Bowen said. The HRM renovations are expected to end by the end of this month. While the finishing touches are applied, students and faculty will be preparing for an eventful April for HRM. Gourmet Night, an annual event hosted by the students of the college, will be held April 10. The co-occurring Grand Opening and 40th anniversary celebration is scheduled for April 22. Bowen said the anniversary will provide an excellent opportunity for students to network with people who are in the field. “Industry leaders who are stake holders in the college will have sessions with our students throughout the day,” he said. “A dinner will follow after the sessions. I encourage all HRM students to come out.” For Bowen, UH’s diverse student body not only creates an environment that’s conducive to learning and convenient for HRM’s study abroad program. “International internships are available to our students through our
COURTESY OF JOHN BOWEN
John Bowen, dean of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, said he chose to take the position because he valued the opportunity to expand the college’s positive reputation. alliances with universities in France, Hong Kong, Mexico ⎯ and we are developing programs in Australia and Germany.” Ideally, Bown said, the college would like every student to have an international experience before they graduate. Bowen received his undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Science in