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Check out the Convenient Truths podcast on the new Web site Friday, F id M March h 12, 2010
Issue 112, Volume 75
thedailycougar.com
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