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By Alan Delon THE DAILY COUGAR The 2010 Student Government Association spring general elections are over, and senators from nearly every college on campus have started to plan out how they can best meet students’ needs. Four senators will represent the C.T. Bauer School of Business, including Tushar Chawla, who was reelected in March. Chawla has also worked in the Office of Admissions since 2008, solving not only his problems, but also those of other students through SGA. “I started seeing SGA as a window to maneuver or get over problems and try to solve them at a student level and take them to administration,” Chawla said. “I have seen students come up to me with a billion problems.” Chawla’s co-senator, Aurangzeb Jalili, considers Chawla “a veteran in this process” who can help make the team stronger. “We have to work hard consistently. The Bauer senators, along with the rest of the 47th [administration of] SGA have very talented people,” Jalili said. “We can get the job done as long as we stay focused and work with the administration throughout the week.” For Jamy Abraham, winning an SGA Senate election allowed her to improve UH from a student perspective. “This is my first term as senator, so I’m excited to start working and bring a fresh perspective to SGA,” Abraham said. “As a senator, I feel that the biggest advantage is being able to serve the student body and represent their voice.” These three senators have similar goals and agendas for their terms. Their biggest priority is beginning a program with Barnes & Noble in Fall 2010 that will allow students to rent books from the University Center College Book Store. They also agreed that the improvement of Internet Wi-Fi connections, especially in classrooms and auditoriums, creates a better student life. “From the number of students I’ve spoken to since elections, I have found that they want to see the Wi-Fi on campus improve, which I agree with just as much as them,” Jalili said. The senators also said that SGA still serves as the students’ voice, and they intend on working to see SGA, page 3
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Issue 128, Volume 75
Business senators encourage feedback
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Fashion show gains Khator’s nod By Sarah Raslan THE DAILY COUGAR The UH Graduate Indian Studies Organization celebrated its annual 2010 Indian Cultural Extravaganza, “Maitri,” on Saturday at the Cullen Performance Hall with an event included cultural and traditional music, dance, skits, fashion, sand animation and food. “The University of Houston is a global university. We have 4,300 students in the UH System from 141 countries this year,” UH President Renu Khator said. “Twenty-five percent of these students are from India.” She also said part of the event offers students an opportunity to expose themselves to global paradigms, cultures and forces. “The value of this event, I think, is that it exposes other students, faculty and staff to the different kind of paradigm, which I think is
very important for students because after they graduate they have to work in the global economy,” Khator said. “I value every kind of international event here and every kind of global exposure.” The word “maitri”, or harmony, set the theme for the event, from the student artwork displayed in the lobby to the fashion show that united all four regions of India on one stage. “Some of the costumes in the fashion show were handmade by the Indian students because you can’t find all the traditional Indian wear in Houston,” Vice President of Public Relations for GISO Tejas Chitnis said. Khator wished the students and organizers good luck and thanked them for their efforts. “I wanted to come here to simply support the students and tell you how proud I am of you. Not just because you are from India,
JOSH MALONE THE DAILY COUGAR
The UH Graduate Indian Studies Organization celebrated its annual 2010 Indian Cultural Extravaganza, “Maitri,” with a fashion show that emphasized the theme of harmony and put clothes from all four regions of India on display. but because you are also the best and the brightest,” Khator said. “You really carry the torch for our University, and I am very, very proud of your accomplishments, as
well as the accomplishments of all the graduates. “There are several things that we see GISO, page 3
Veterans torn on benefits Students weigh in on their preferences, military experiences
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By John Brannen THE DAILY COUGAR
me that there is a lot of attention in the American media that the Christian community in Gaza are oppressed,” Omer said. “I asked them (Christian students in Palestinian schools) if they experience any problems … they didn’t mention any difficulties.” Omer mentioned that Father Manuel Musallam, the senior Roman
Although some veterans are willing to share their stories, others walk across the UH campus unidentified and are treated like any other student. Engineering sophomore Anthony Martinez served two tours in Iraq as an U.S. Army infantrymen. His main roles were either as a radiotelephone operator or vehicle gunner. He enlisted on March 19, 2003, a day before U.S. troops were deployed to Iraq. Like many soldiers, he said there were pros and cons to serving his country. “It wasn’t the best time of my life. I certainly learned a lot of lessons that are valuable to have as a civilian, but a lot of times I had lots of people trying to kill me,” Martinez said. “There were ups, and there were downs.” Martinez said the reaction of his classmates usually results in their curiosity about his time in the Army. He says serving was worthwhile and that he has no issue taking advantage of benefits
see OMER, page 12
see VETERANS, page 3
COURTESY OF MOHAMMED OMER
Home demolitions in Rafah, located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, are done by Israeli bulldozers, forcing residents to live in tents in refugee camps.
Journalist speaks on life J
Students for a Democratic Society sponsor Palestinian reporter on tour
By Hiba Adi THE DAILY COUGAR International journalist and Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism award winner Mohammed Omer presented “Reflection on Life and War in Gaza,” at the University Center as part of his international speaking tour. The ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict affects the Gaza Strip, home
to 1.5 million Palestinians, in many ways, but Omer said on this speaking tour he wants to talk about life more than war. Omer emphasized that not all stereotypes put on this region are true. For example, Omer said unlike many religious clashes that occur in this area, the accusation that Palestinian Muslims and Christians don’t live together peacefully is false. “My news editor in Norway told