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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Issue 112, Volume 75
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SGA honors two groups for work Award given to students for contributions that benefit University community
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By Robert Garcia THE DAILY COUGAR The Student Government Association issued two Student Service Awards recognizing outstanding leadership by UH student groups during Wednesday’s meeting. The senate unanimously passed two resolutions awarding two groups for contributions that directly benefit UH students. The first award was given to the group of students who developed the UH Guide iPhone application. “These are students which I feel exemplify what every student should strive to be,” Honors College senator and resolution author Reyes Ramirez said. “It’s amazing quality of service that goes above the call of duty of what students should do, and they deserve the recognition.” Computer science seniors Hussain Abbasi, Kaleb Fulgham, Andre Navarro and Nick Prescott were presented with the first
Student Service Award of the evening for their efforts in developing the iPhone app as part of a class. The application, which is free for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users, provides students with real-time UH campus parking availability, as well as campus traffic updates, a campus map and PeopleSoft link. “We decided to take it a step further than creating a map ⎯ to creating an entire University application,” Fulgham said. “We’re so happy we were able to help out the University of Houston.” In accepting the award, the team thanked the University’s parking service, police department and mapping department for their assistance with the parking data needed to complete the project. The second award was given to the founding members of the Gamma Rho Lambda sorority,
TRAVIS HENSLEY THE DAILY COUGAR
Worker tumbles down manhole A Hardin Construction worker fell down a manhole just before 5 p.m. Thursday while moving material at the construction site of the new undergraduate freshman dorms being built on Wheeler. UH Director of Media Relations Richard Bonnin, said the man fell approximately 14 feet into the utility tunnel, which is 8 feet wide by 8 feet tall. The worker has not yet been identified and was taken to Ben Taub Hospital to be treated for severe head injuries. EMT workers said he was breathing when he was rescued and that he is in serious but stable condition.
see SGA, page 8
Election commission attracts criticism
Former SGA senator revives push for bill By Sarah Wiggins-Goth THE DAILY COUGAR
By Sarah Wiggins-Goth THE DAILY COUGAR As the Student Government Association elections come to a close, a former election commissioner is criticizing the way this year’s election process has been conducted. The concerns given include the allowance of illegal campaign activities, insufficient advertisement of the election and a lackluster usage of the appropriated election commission budget. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say the funds are being misused. I would, however, say that they don’t seem to be being used at all,” history senior and former election commissioner Amy Radley said. “Besides this weeks’ Daily Cougar ads and the yard signs, I have seen zero anything.” Radley also said she has heard
SARAH NEILL THE DAILY COUGAR
Former election commissioner Amy Radley said this year’s commissioners have not done a good job of promoting the elections and informing students that they can run for the SGA. from students that they were not aware they could run for SGA because it was not announced. Radley said advertising the opportunity to run for student office as well as to vote in the senate elections is one of the primary functions of the election commission, Radley said, in addition to such tasks as approving all campaign advertisements and making sure the candidates are following the rules ⎯ a job, she said, they are not doing.
“I would have been much tougher on the candidates,” Radley said. “I have already seen illegal postings and improper use of copyrighted UH symbols.” Radley said the last-minute appointment by the SGA to the election commission and the last-minute amendments to the constitution perhaps contributed to these matters. She said she had been elected several months see ELECTION, page 8
Former Student Government Association senator Michael Blunk hopes to reintroduce a bill to the senate that would reform the current Student Life Policy, which he says may deter students from getting help in the case of an emergency. The Good Samaritan Bill, first drafted by Blunk in October 2008, is designed to protect students in emergency situations who need to report drug or alcohol abuse on campus but may be discouraged by the threat of punishment under the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Policy. “It’s simple really,” Blunk wrote in an e-mail. “No student should lose their life because (others are) afraid of punishment. Drug policies are supposed to protect people from the real harms of drug abuse, and if our policies are leading to people dying, then they’re failed policies.” When Blunk first introduced
the bill in 2008, it passed 17-1 in the senate before being vetoed by then-SGA President Sam Dike. Blunk said this was due to some reservation Dike and other administrators had in regard to specifics of the implementation of the policy. With the help of At-Large Sen. Dan Cato, a more refined version of the bill is being submitted this year with changes in language for better clarity. The policy “is not intended to shield or protect those students or organizations that repeatedly violate the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Policy,” Blunk said. The proposal also states the Dean of Students Office reserves the right to enforce more severe punishment on repeat offenders. “We want to encourage organizations to seek out medical help if a student is overdosing at a party of theirs,” Blunk said. “But we don’t want to completely let them see SAMARITAN, page 8
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Friday, March 12, 2010
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TODAY Fairy Godmother Project: 6-8 p.m., McElhinney Hall, Room 333. The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the Women’s Resource Center have teamed up with a local outreach organization, the Fairy Godmother Project, to collect prom dresses for local disadvantaged students. It’s a donation event, asking for unused dresses. For more information, contact Jennifer Palton at (713)743-1019. Increasing Confidence: 3-4 p.m., Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, Room 1038. These are workshops offered through UH Wellness, a department of Learning and Assessment Services in the Division of Student Affairs. The workshops promote various dimensions of wellness and are offered to support student development, to increase retention and to
CO R R E C T I O N S
provide students with skills-building opportunities throughout the semester. Employment Seminar for International Students and Scholars: 2-4:30 p.m., Melcher Hall, Room 180. This seminar will address the visa regulations for on- and off-campus employment, tips for helping search for a job, information on H-1B and Employment-Based Immigration and information to assist departments wishing to invite J-1 research scholars to UH.
SATURDAY Cougar Softball: 1 p.m., Cougar Softball Stadium. The UH softball team hosts Conference USA rival Southern Mississippi in the first of two games. The second game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Admission is free for students who present a vaild Cougar Card.
Âť Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com
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The Daily Cougar mistakenly misspelled “Sally Tawfik� in “Protestors speak out against aggression� (News, Thursday).
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The Daily Cougar mistakenly said that there were “a lot of similarities between Palestine and Israel� in “Protestors speak out against aggression� (News, Thursday). That line should have read “a lot of similarities between Palestine and South Africa,
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ABOUT THE COUGAR The Daily Cougar is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer, at the University of Houston Printing Plant and online at http://www. thedailycougar.com. The University seeks to provide equal educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status, or sexual orientation. The Daily Cougar is supported in part by Student Service Fees. the first copy of the Cougar is free; each additional copy is 25 cents. SUBSCRIPTIONS Rates are $70 per year or $40 per semester. Mail subscription requests to: Mail Subscriptions, The Daily Cougar, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-4015. NEWS TIPS Direct news tips and story ideas to the News Desk. Call (713) 743-5314, e-mail news@thedailycougar. com or fax (713) 743-5384. A “Submit news item� form is also available online at thedailycougar.com. COPYRIGHT No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the written consent of the director of the Student Publications Department.
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Friday, March 12, 2010
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Reasons for coming to UH as diverse as students By Nzinga Tchameni THE DAILY COUGAR
“I’m here because my dad got a new job in Houston. My whole family moved here six years ago. I plan to stay here after I graduate for a while to see if I can find a job because I like to live close to my family.” –Miguel Cortina Tamayo
Every year, hundreds of students across the world embark on a journey of educational advancement in a country other than their own. David Batizi came to UH from Hungary to pursue a master’s degree in human resources development. As a Fulbright Scholarship recipient, Batizi is on a full scholarship that covers his two-year degree program. “When I applied for the Fulbright Scholarship, there were about 110 applicants, and I was very fortunate to be among the 11 students chosen to receive this scholarship,” Batizi said. “That is how I got to UH.” UH welcomes hundreds of international students to its campus every year. Anita Gaines, the director of the International Student and Scholar Services Office, said there are more than 3,000 international students enrolled at UH this semester.
Some of these students came to UH to attend one of the prestigious colleges on campus. “What brought me to Houston is I wanted to study chemical engineering,” chemical engineering junior Nesrine Aroua said. “And the UH Department of Chemical Engineering is rated one of the top in the United States.” Aroua, from Tunisia, finds that UH provides a relaxing and stressfree studying atmosphere. Some students, like Ngoc Tran from Vietnam, came to experience a new country and culture. She graduated from a university in Vietnam with a bachelor’s degree in foreign trading. “I wanted to further advance in my studies,” Tran said. “The best university (in Vietnam) is something called interactive, in which you study for two years in Vietnam and two years in a foreign country. “But the course is just nearly equal to studying in a foreign country, so why don’t you just
take the chance to live in another country? I heard UH was a good university, so I checked information online and applied.” But moving to a new school, let alone a new country, is no easy task and can be daunting for some. Dance major Jessica Cortez from Spain finds that it’s up to the student to make the experience worthwhile. “I was a bit skeptical at first about the school,” Cortez said. “I mean, I really didn’t know anyone, but the various clubs such as Dance Ensemble which I participate in allow you to express your own uniqueness while getting to know your student body. “It has to be up to the student. International students tend to be really quiet and timid, but I guess I just like to talk to people.” Yahute Castaneda, a dance major from Puerto Rico, agrees. “At first, I was taken aback by how big the university was, but all that I knew was a small group of people
at home in Caguas (Puerto Rico). Coming here and expanding really made a difference in my networking skills,” Castaneda said. Gaines gave more insight on just how diverse the UH campus truly is. “We are known for our diversity,” Gaines said. “The Institute of International Education annually publishes a document called Open Doors, which ranked UH 24th in the nation in fall 2008. We have about 136 countries represented at UH, and the top five countries represented for spring 2010 are India, China, Vietnam, South Korea and Mexico.” The school’s diversity has given some students, such as dance major Kristina Prats from Cuba, the opportunity to experience different cultures. “Coming to UH has been fun. The diversity is definitely a good way to learn from different cultures,” Prats said. news@thedailycougar.com
Click on it: www.thedailycougar.com “I hope to have a good job opportunity here anywhere in the U.S. because, sadly, I don’t think going back to my country would be a good thing for me to do right now.”
Covering UH’s quest for greatness since 1934.
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Watch UH’s story unfold at thedailycougar.com
“What brought me to Houston is I wanted to study chemical engineering, and the UH Department of Chemical Engineering is rated one of the top in the United States.” – Nesrine Aroua
DON’T BELIEVE A LIE LIE: ISRAEL IS AN APARTHEID STATE
FACT: The Arab-Israeli conflict cannot be explained with slogans. Israel extends equal rights to all of its citizens and is the only country in the Middle East to do so. Israel has a policy of affirmative action and offers equality for Jews, Arab, Christians, Muslims, blacks and women. Arabs serve on Israel’s Supreme Court and in Israel’s parliament. The Palestinians have two governments, Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank. These governments are responsible for the Palestinian people. Unfortunately, Hamas and the PA do not share Israel’s vision of a multicultural, free society.
“I wanted to further advance in my studies. The best university (in Vietnam) is called interactive, in which you study for two years in Vietnam and two years in a foreign country.” – Ngoc Tran
The lie of the Apartheid Paradigm is applied to Israel solely to undermine Israel’s right to exist.
The Foundation for
Jewish Campus Life
www.houstonhillel.org
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Friday, March 12, 2010
The Daily Cougar
OPINION EDITOR Alan Dennis
E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com
ONLINE: Follow the Opinion section on Twitter at @TDCOpinion
ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/opinion
THE DAILY COUGAR
EDITORIAL CARTOON
EDITORIAL BOARD Ronnie Turner, Editor in Chief Matthew Keever, Managing editor Patricia Estrada, News editor Hiba Adi, News editor Phillipe Craig, Sports editor Robert Higgs, Sports editor Travis Hensley, Life & Arts editor Alan Dennis, Opinion editor Jarrod Klawinsky, Special projects editor
STAFF EDITORIAL
Tables becoming sticky situation at UC Satellite
T COURTESY OF USBICEF
Online instruction should cost less For many students, the Feb. 16 tuition hike announcement is yet another obstacle to surviving college. Unfortunately, the quality of education is not rising proportionately. The most glaring Joel Yelton aspect of UH’s sub-par educational value is Blackboard Vista. Online classes are a lifeline to many students who cannot attend school at campus because of time or location constraints. I fall into this category. The issue at hand is the quality of instruction Vista offers, and quality is certainly lacking in this technological arena. More specifically, many dialogue-heavy classes such as English and history suffer, despite great lesson plans or enthusiastic professors. How can an online class cost as much as a class taught in person when there is no room and, technically, no professor? Of course, there must be a plethora of technological fees, costs and maintenance involved in providing the information. But there is no logic behind charging full
price for a series of lectures that often were recorded more than five years ago. Students should be charged on a decreasing scale since they are merely getting a rehash of old information. With Vista, it’s impossible to experience the same level of interaction available in a person-to-person class. Students’ money is spent wisely when they are able to directly communicate with professors and have meaningful exchanges that show how the professors’ specialties relate to current, realworld issues. It is difficult to have relevant discussions with professors and classmates online because the dialogue is slow and balky, often transpiring over days. Competing topics are spread across multiple threads and thus lose urgency. Because of this, it becomes difficult to engage professors with one-on-one issues. Since students are paying full price for a class, it is reasonable to expect that the University provide as many of the qualities of an in-person class as possible. It’s also pertinent to ask how professors are paid when teaching through Vista. Do
they get paid less since they no longer have to give lectures? If so, where is all of the extra money going? Obviously, it does not go toward the lively, up-to-date conversations of regular classes; neither is it spent on professors who are easily accessible and enjoy devoting time to students’ personal issues. This isn’t to say that Vista should be abandoned. As with the total university experience, class adventures run the gamut from amazing to less than remarkable. But UH needs to either act as a business and charge its customers a price that reflects the quality of its product or act as a leader in the field of education and seek to eliminate such issues as outdated information and hampered personal interaction between students and professors. As students’ debt to UH continues to mount, a solution must be forthcoming. For now, my pride for this institution patiently waits. Joel Yelton is an English senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com
GUEST COMMENTARY
he black metal tables with the red umbrellas outside of the University Center Satellite are disgusting. They resemble the floor of an old movie theater rather than a place students would want to eat or do homework at. And this is an area of the school that is shown off on campus tours. To wipe the tables down just twice a week would drastically improve this area for students and visitors. How is anyone supposed The campus to have any admiration for staff should a school that is trying to take care of go green and clean up the campus if they can’t even find the things clean tables? All of the recycling bins that they in the world are not going to actually make up for your arm getting have control sticky any time you place it over, such as down on one of those tables. This is a silly problem, but sticky tables. it points to a general laziness of the staff around campus. With the entire administration so focused on attaining flagship status, it is almost as if anything that does not count toward this goal is forgotten about or neglected on purpose. It should not be this way. The campus staff should take care of the things that they actually have control over, such as sticky tables. If the University can’t give us better parking or lower tuition, then it can at least give us the ability to rest our forearms down on a table without immediately having to rush off and wash the filth away. Small issues on campus need to be taken care of before they turn into much larger problems. The sad part about this is that it’s a job that would take 15 minutes to do, at most. It should not be something that falls through the cracks; it should be looked into. It is disrespectful to the student body to think that the campus administration is not concerned enough to provide a clean place for students to sit at outside of the classrooms.
Students need more control at UH Students across the country are protesting the privatization of education. They have joined forces with faculty and staff to fight budget cuts, layoffs, tuition hikes and other Alejandro reforms. Book publishers Cubria have contracts with universities so that students continue to buy overpriced and overproduced books. At the same time, UH has a contract with Coca-Cola so that school events must serve its drinks, regardless of whether or not students would prefer something else. These are only two of the many contracts and agreements that the University has with corporations that not only force their products on students but also limit the control that we have on how the University is run. These deals are made without student input, and the limited powers of the Student
Government Association leave us with these problems and the limited reforms those at the top want to enact. The University wastes funds on many events and resources that do not directly benefit the student body. Our money goes toward alcohol tabs, importing a sandlot, ice sculptures and fancy desserts at banquets. All of this happens while the school is championing the campaign for flagship status, to ask for more money and benefits so that our school can be perceived to be at a higher level. Students are not the only ones affected by the way the University is run. Maintenance workers and food service employees are overworked and underpaid. Many have worked on the campus for decades and have never received more than a dollar raise for their labor. Teachers are forced to teach overcrowded classes they are not prepared for and don’t
receive fair compensation, either. The University is a prestigious institution, but not because of its fancy banquets or its ties to corporations. Its prestige lies in the faculty and staff that work hard every day to serve and educate the student body. Students, faculty and staff who are interested in working together need to regain control of the University. If we truly want to make a change in how our school is managed, we must unite broadly. We need to stop the continuing privatization of our school and make it prestigious for the right reasons. This battle is not about socialism against some other form of government; it is about our school being run in the interest of the people who make it and not those who profit from it. Alejandro Cubria is a UH student and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com
E D I TO R I A L P O L I C Y STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Daily Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@ thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax them to (713) 7435384. Letters are subject to editing. ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements published in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole. GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Commentary should be kept to less than 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies to material already printed in the Cougar, but rather should present independent points of view. Rebuttals should be sent as letters. Deliver submissions to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.
Friday, March 12, 2010
The Daily Cougar
SPORTS EDITORS Phillipe Craig, Robert Higgs
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ONLINE: Check to see how the UH men’s basketball team fares in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament.
E-MAIL sports@thedailycougar.com
ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/sports
SOFTBALL
Coogs show no Southern hospitality By Chris Losee THE DAILY COUGAR The UH softball team swept Southern in a doubleheader Thursday evening at the Fourth Annual Striking Out Breast Cancer Game. The Cougars rolled to a dominant run-rule 8-0 (5 inn.) win in the opener before barely holding on for a 8-7 victory in the nightcap. In the first game, the teams were scoreless until UH got going in the bottom of the third. Freshman Brooke Lathan started the frame with a solo home off Southern pitcher Lanaya Jenkins, and the Cougars scored five more runs in that inning to make it 6-0. UH (10-9) scored twice more in the fifth inning to end the game. Freshman Bailey Watts allowed only one hit and struck out 11 batters in five innings to improve to 6-0. The Cougars did not have it so easy in the finale. UH held an 8-2 lead heading into the top of the seventh, but Southern scored five runs in that frame off starter Baillie Lott to pull within one. Lott struck out Kesha Tauriac with the bases empty to end the threat. The righthander improved to 2-2, but allowed nine hits and seven runs (five earned). “As a whole, they did exactly what we asked them to do,” head coach Kyla Holas said. “But right
at the very end of the second game we let up just that little bit. It cost us. “That is something that this young team has got to understand — that you play 14 innings, not 13 and one out.” Southern (0-16) started the second game aggressively, scoring two runs in the top of the first. But the Cougars evened the score with two runs in the bottom of the second. The Cougars scored two in the fifth and four more in the sixth to take an 8-2 lead before having to sweat in the top of seventh. UH has only one day to prepare for its Conference USA opener against Southern Miss. The Cougars will face the Golden Eagles in a doubleheader Saturday before ending the series Sunday. Southern Miss (12-6) has not fared well lately. The Golden Eagles are on a two-game losing streak and have lost four of their last five contests. UH pitcher Amanda Crabtree will start the opener at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cougar Softball Stadium. “Southern Miss have been in the conference a long time, and they have a really young team still,” Holas said. “They are real aggressive, and they are going to have some power, so we are going to have to be the best we can be.” sports@thedailycougar.com
JAIRO RAZO THE DAILY COUGAR
UH righthander Baillie Lott held Southern to seven runs (five earned) in Thursday’s nightcap to help the Cougars capture an 8-7 win and a sweep of the doubleheader.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
BASEBALL
Cougars knock off Memphis
UH heads West for 9-game road trip By Tristan Tippet THE DAILY COUGAR
By Phillipe Craig THE DAILY COUGAR After encountering little resistance from East Carolina in the opening round of the Conference USA Tournament, the seventh-seeded Cougars knew that Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup with Memphis would be a different story. It didn’t matter in the end as UH posted a 66-65 win over four-time defending C-USA champion Memphis to advance to a semifinal matchup against No. 6 seed Southern Miss at 5:30 p.m. today at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. UH (17-15) held a nine-point halftime lead but saw No. 2 seed Memphis (23-9) whittle it down and eventually take a two-point lead on Willie Kemp’s layup with 3:21 left in the second half. The two teams traded baskets and Memphis took a 65-64 lead after another Kemp layup with 15 seconds remaining. Tigers coach
JUSTIN FLORES THE DAILY COUGAR
Aubrey Coleman continues to be UH’s bailout plan, sinking a jumper with four seconds left to knock four-time defending C-USA champion Memphis out of the C-USA Tournament. Josh Pastner immediately called a timeout, allowing UH head coach Tom Penders to call one last play. As has been the case for much of the season, Penders put the ball in the hands of the NCAA’s leading scorer, Aubrey Coleman, who drilled a running jumper with four seconds left to give the Cougars the lead for good. Penders said he was proud of the way his team handled Memphis’ second-half rally. “We were very fortunate to get the win,” Penders said. “We very easily could have let this one get through our hands, but Aubrey Coleman came through like the
All-American that he is.” Coleman led the way with 21 points against the Tigers, with Kelvin Lewis adding 13 points. Maurice McNeil, who returned after missing the final two regularseason games while tending to a family illness in New York, added 10 points and nine rebounds. The Cougars will now have to deal with Southern Miss, which came away with a 57-55 win at Hofheinz Pavilion on Feb 6. The Golden Eagles come into today’s game after upsetting No. 3 seed UAB 58-44 on Thursday. sports@thedailycougar.com
The Cougars began the season with a lowly 2-5 start, but had a weekend to remember at the Houston College Classic. UH won all three of its games to improve to 5-5 and virtually redeemed itself of the early season woes. That performance sets up the Cougars for a nine-game road trip, beginning with a stop in San Luis Obispo, Calif., where they will begin a three-game series against Cal Poly (6-6) at at 8 p.m. today. Head coach Rayner Noble said this team has the ability to play the way it did during the Classic, when UH posted back-to-back shutouts in the first two games. “I was just proud of our crew,” Noble said. “We’ve never done this before. We’ve never won three games in this tournament, so it’s a big deal. “I’ve said from the beginning, I’ve thought this team has ability. It’s just a matter of (whether) they were going to draw the line in the sand and say they’ve had enough and start competing.”
With the exception of Sunday’s 15-8 victory over Texas Tech, the most encouraging sign was the Cougars’ pitching, led by starters Michael Goodnight and Chase Dempsay, who didn’t allow a run for two games. Dempsay set the tone against Missouri by going five shutout innings, and Goodnight was even better against Texas. Goodnight went seven shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out nine to help the Cougars record their first win over the Longhorns since 2002. Goodnight realizes that last weekend’s performance may have been just what the team needed. “The team was in desperate need. Our starting (pitching) has kind of been slacking,” Goodnight said. “It really showed Friday that we’re making a step in the right direction, and we’re improving on every start. I think more is going to come.” The Cougars will next have midweek games against San Francisco and California before a three-game series against Arizona State (11-0). sports@thedailycougar.com
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Friday, March 12, 2010
LIFE & ARTS
The Daily Cougar
FASHION
Season brings change of fashion By Shaziya Bandukia THE DAILY COUGAR Because of the cold weather and inches of rain, some of us have forgotten that spring is right around the corner. Those heavy jackets and boots are about to be taken over by mini-dresses, skirts, shorts and open-toed sandals. But like every spring, the new trends are out and different, just waiting to be sported by beautiful women. Judging from the spring fashion week, the first thing that adds the must factor to anyone’s wardrobe is a plain-black boyfriend blazer.
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The outfit’s best asset is that it can be worn both casually and semiformally. For example, this one blazer can be worn with a pair of destroyed denim shorts and a plain tank top for the day. Come nightfall, the blazers looks great with a minidress, with or without leggings. People can wear it with various pairs of jeans and many different kinds of accessories. So for those who normally need to change outfits throughout the day, the boyfriend blazer is a definite must. Leggings made their way into our lives last season and are not going anywhere. We have seen
liquid leggings and those satiny, slightly transparent leggings, but a new type of legging has come into play this season: denim leggings. These leggings are made with denim material, but are just as tight and flexible as any other legging one may wear. Denim or not, these articles can complement remotely anything and still look fabulous. The fashion world has overcome its tendency toward tightness in clothing and now strongly revolves around loose-fitted jeans, shirts and sweaters. Loose boyfriend jeans can be worn with tighter tops, while flimsy shirts can be worn with jeans or skirts.
But remember to never go overly loose, such as wearing boyfriend pants with a boyfriend tunic. Baggy pants must only be worn with a not-so-baggy top and vice versa. Plus, these relaxed fits are great for hiding any pounds gained during winter. Leaving the best for last is the main ensemble of the spring season: dresses. Whether short or long, dresses are always in style. This season a wide range of almostmaxi dresses are making a huge comeback. Shorter dresses are seen with light sweaters and blazers, while long and short-sleeve T-shirts are worn underneath dresses
“I plan to spend time in the studio working on an EP my band and I are releasing by summertime.”
“I am going to learn how to break dance by watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II over and over again.” — Travis Hensley, Life & Arts editor
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“I plan on working and sleeping, because Lord knows I love my rest and paychecks.”
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that reveal most of the back and shoulders. Dresses come in millions of styles, so consumers must pay close attention to what style and length looks good with your body type and skin tone. The first day of spring is March 20, but the weather’s already getting warmer. To be set for spring break and the weeks after that, dig in your closet for old dresses and purchase must-haves, such as blazers and leggings. Then you will be set to look “chic” this spring.
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Coogie by John Palamidy
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TODAY’S SUDOKU How to play Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3-by-3 boxes must also contain the numbers 1 to 9.
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Eats fast Floats downriver Egg — yung Cello kin South Bend team Drag along Photo holder Ditto (2 wds.) Birthday count Comply Support a church Tried Meals Looked hard Remove glitches Unit of weight Piddling Feminine principle 37 Pass along 38 Like cool cats 40 Roomy bag 43 Western capital 45 Decade parts 46 Eye surface 47 Lustrous fabrics 50 Generosity 51 Mall booth 52 Hang open 53 Left Bank pal 54 Suggestions 57 Pocket change 62 Util. bill 63 Gives Novocain 64 Antipasto goody 65 Newspaper execs 66 Painter’s undercoat 67 Rumpus
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Md. neighbor Fossil fuel Slow pitch Winter woe Cream-colored dog 6 Used a stopwatch 7 Nobel chemist Harold — 8 Harness part 9 Paul Anka’s “— Beso” 10 Field event (2 wds.) 11 Theater scenery 12 Word of duty
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13 Curved moldings 21 Part of B&B 23 Bard’s villain 24 Observe 25 Unflinching 26 Condo luxury 27 Comic-strip prince 28 Like a monarch 29 Online auction 31 Blunts 33 Comes closer 34 Dry white wine 35 Toady’s answers 37 Meg — of films 39 Potpie veggies 41 Blended whiskeys 42 Smelly 43 Monotony 44 Assn. 46 Mushroom morsel 47 Aquarium denizen
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2009 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE INC.
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TODAY’S CROSSWORD ACROSS
Robbie and Bobby by Jason Poland
Friday, March 12, 2010
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Friday, March 12, 2010
SGA continued from page 1
which was inducted into the University on Feb. 6. The group is the first nationally recognized all-inclusive lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and straight-ally sorority in Texas. The members were honored with the award for their support and achievement of the goal of further diversifying the University by establishing the sorority. “I feel they’re making history here,” Ramirez said. “They are expanding what we take pride in here at the university, which is diversity.” The sorority’s president,
NEWS
Jacqueline Keasley, appreciated the recognition by the SGA. “We hope to greatly contribute to UH by adding diversity as one of our main goals and creating a sense of family and a support system for people who normally wouldn’t have it,” Keasley said. College of Social Work Sen. Josephine Tittsworth said she is proud of the advancements towards accepting diversity at UH that made this organization possible. “We’ve had a cultural change on this campus,” Tittsworth said. “In 2006, this sorority would not have been recognized, and because of the efforts of this SGA, we have made a difference on this campus.”
ELECTION continued from page 1
in advance to prepare, but the current election commissioners have had much less time to get their bearings. Chief Election Commissioner Jamie Naugle agrees. “Myself, along with the other two election commissioners, have been in our positions for a little over a month now,” she said. “Because of the short time we have spent in our positions thus far, we have had to learn as we go.” Naugle denies any notion that the commission’s funds were used irresponsibly.
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“The vast majority of our budget was actually spent on marketing materials,” Naugle said. “Had we been elected to our positions earlier, we could have had the opportunity to advertise the filing period to a greater extent, but due to our time crunch, we were not able to advertise as widely as we would have liked to.” Radley said the SGA “really dropped the ball” on this issue. “I was asked in November to be a part of it, and I agreed, but it wasn't until a few days prior to February that the other two commissioners were going to be voted on, which means (over) the entire vacation, no work could be done on the election,” Radley
said. “I withdrew because, to me, the time allowed would not have been enough to do all that should be done and all that the University deserves.” Regardless, Radley praises the people doing the job that she deems “very difficult and very stressful.” For Naugle, this statement is all too familiar. “Although no process, organization or entity is free of mistakes or flaws, we take every experience as a learning experience that can be improved upon in the coming years,” Naugle said.
and alcohol education class. Blunk said student response to the policy has been overwhelmingly positive. Polling conducted by the Students for Sensible Drug Policy — for which Blunk serves as the Executive Director of the UH chapter — reveals that a vast majority of students are proponents for such a policy on campus. Blunk’s hope is to propose the bill once again to the SGA on March 24 — the last meeting of the 46th administrative term. If passed, his
and the supporting senators’ goal is to help implement the policy on campus and to heighten awareness of the bill by posting fliers and giving presentations. Blunk said campus policies should protect students, not scare them off. “A Good Samaritan Policy recognizes that drug and alcohol abuse happens and that we need to focus on getting students the help they need — not just punish them,” he said.
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SAMARITAN Employment Seminar 'PS *OUFSOBUJPOBM 4UVEFOUT 4DIPMBST 6) 4UBGG Fri., March 12, 2010 2:00-4:30 PM Melcher Hall Room 180 C. T. T Bauer College of Business Work Options Practical Training (CPT/OPT) The Job Search H-1B Visas & EmploymentBased Immigration • Immigration Lawyer
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off the hook.” Instead, for those students on campus who seek help — either by calling the police, contacting their resident assistant or otherwise — the Good Samaritan bill offers alternatives to harsh punitive actions that are currently in place. These may include various educational or developmentalbased sanctions, such as counseling, treatment or a drug
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