Issue 139, Volume 75 by The Cougar

1934 – 2009

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

THE DAILY COUGAR Will the Astros finish April on high note? sports »

What did South Park do now to get people so upset? OPINION »

THE DAILY COUGAR.COM

years

WEATHER » hi

81 Lo 55

Forecast, Page 2

Set up a blog on our Web site to share your thoughts with us Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Issue 139, Volume 75

thedailycougar.com

Law Center dean pushes vision By Sabrina Lloyd The daily cougar Having the UH Law Center becoming one of the top 40 nationally recognized law schools is just one of Dean Raymond Nimmer’s goals. Nimmer, who was interim dean from 2006 until that label was removed in April 2008, began his

academic career in Indiana and went on to become a research attorney at the American Bar Foundation. After teaching at several different universities, he ended up at UH in the late 1970s. “I came to UH because the law school was expanding and trying to achieve a national reputation,” Nimmer said. “I had choices to come

here or go other places and thought the (UH) law school and the city were perfect places to be.” Nimmer has been approached with an offer for dean position on two occasions. “Once 16 years ago, I was acting dean for two years, but I declined the invitation to stay on permanently because I had more academic stuff

that I wanted to do,” Nimmer said. “The second time, we had a dean that left abruptly, and I was asked to take over almost four years ago and (then) became permanent dean two years ago.” He has also has been the author of more than 20 books. “One of my books in the 80’s won a national book award as the

best new book in law. It was called The Law of Computer Technology,” Nimmer said. Four years ago, Nimmer was distinguished chair in international commercial law, which involved teaching and participating at a Catholic university law school in see DEAN, page 8

Health course joins CLASS By Michelle Villarreal The daily cougar The Department of Health and Human Performance will move from the College of Education to the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in the beginning of fall 2010. “What HHP is doing, has evolved over the last few years into areas of research and training that are closer to Psychology and Communications Science and Disorders,” Provost John Antel said. The decision for the move was for more than one reason. “I was initially somewhat surprised, but upon learning more about the programs in the department, I could see various reasons for the fit with CLASS,” CLASS Interim Dean Cynthia Freeland said. Freeland said they would arrange all the details for the transition in the summer. The COE and CLASS both associate with research concerning health, which is a contributing factor to the transition. “Some of the HHP faculty do research on health issues in relation to quality of life and social factors … they will find common interests with some of our faculty,” Freeland said. “Faculty in kinesiology already have a relationship with the Houston Ballet to study movement issues for professional dancers, and they will have a good fit with members of our faculty in the School of Theatre and Dance.” With the move, the HHP may undergo some minor changes. “Whether (CLASS) will have a unit with the same name depends see HHP, page 8

TRAVIS HENSLEY The Daily Cougar

Final words

s the Spring 2010 semester winds down, students are stressing about completing their final projects and studying for exams. For The Daily Cougar staff, this means handling schoolwork while completing the final newspapers for the semester. The Cougar’s final day of printing is Friday, and the editors will then take a break before preparing for the summer session.

Advertising students win first place District triumph guarantees spot in national competition gg

By Ashley Evans The daily cougar Cougar Concepts, the UH student advertising agency, made history by winning the district National Student Advertising Competition for the first time in 16 years. This win means that UH will be

one of 17 schools participating in the national competition June 1011 in Orlando, Fla. The NSAC is sponsored by the American Advertising Federation and is the world’s largest advertising pitch with more than 150 colleges and universities representing 15 districts. UH is part of District 10, which is one of the most competitive regions in the competition. For the NSAC competition the students were given a product, a target market and a case study to

use in order to create an inventive campaign book. The product was State Farm Insurance, and the target ages were 18-24 years old. Students were challenged to sell the product to this particular age group. For the campaign book, students had to come up with a ‘big idea.’ The Cougar Concepts team chose to use the slogan ‘life starts with State Farm’ to conceptualize the idea that the age demographic targeted were ‘transitioners,’ or those young

adults who are moving from financial dependence to financial independence. “When we were coming up with our big idea, we tried to think of the reasons why we would choose a slogan and then dig deeper into the emotions behind our decision,” team member Maria Prachyl said. Prachyl said she believes the win came from the fact that the team went in depth in their research. The campaign book was see ADVERTISING, page 3

2 n Tuesday, April 27,2010

The Daily Cougar

CAMPUS BEAT FORECAST Wednesday

Thursday

82˚64˚

81˚72˚

CALENDAR

86˚72˚

» Send event information to calendar@thedailycougar.com

TODAY Don’t Stress: It’s Only Finals: 10-11 a.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 mission of UH Wellness, a campus-wide education and prevention program, is to promote healthy choices and create a healthier, safer learning environment across all dimensions of wellness, including: social, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, physical, and emotional wellness. These workshops promote various dimensions of wellness and are offered to support student development, to increase retention, and to provide students with skills-building opportunities throughout the semester. For more information, contact Gaylyn Maurer at gmaurer@uh.edu T-Mobile Movie Night for the students of the University of Houston: 5-9 p.m., University Center, Cougar Den. Take a study brake and join us for an evening as T-Mobile presents

CO R R E C T I O N S gg

Friday

the movie Zombieland. Social Hour will be held from 5:00pm and 6:00pm. During the Social Hour students can network with T-Mobile employees from multiple business lines and learn about T-Mobile, the devices or services, and opportunities to jump start your career. T-Mobile will be providing refreshments, food and a chance for you to win a HTC HD2. Learn about how a technology career can flourish and what it means to drive your own destiny in large corporations. Bring questions with you and don’t miss out. For more information, contact T-Mobile at christine.mann@t-mobile.com Census on campus: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., UC Satellite, University Center and the Center for Public Policy (Heyne Building, Room 104). Census on Campus/Census representatives and CHIP interns will provide assistance and resources about the 2010 Census at various information tables. For the Houston community (including UH) to prosper, everyone should participate. For more information, contact Mike Angel at 713-7433976 or mangel2@uh.edu

» Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com

Corrections will appear in this space as needed.

Newsroom (713) 743-5360 n

Editor in Chief

Ronnie Turner (713) 743-5362 editor@thedailycougar.com n

Managing Editor

Matthew Keever (713) 743-5361 me@thedailycougar.com n

News Editors

Patricia Estrada Hiba Adi (713) 743-5314 news@thedailycougar.com

i n v e n t yo u rs e l f

Sports Editors

Phillipe Craig Robert Higgs (713) 743-5303 sports@thedailycougar.com

Life & Arts Editor

Travis Hensley (713) 743-5302 arts@thedailycougar.com n

Special Projects Editor

Jarrod Klawinsky jklawinsky@thedailycougar.com n

Opinion Editor

Alan Dennis opinion@thedailycougar.com n

Photo Editor

Kendra Berglund (713) 743-5304 photo@thedailycougar.com n

Web Editor

Matt Miller webeditor@thedailycougar.com n

Advertising (713) 743-5340 ads@thedailycougar.com n

Classifieds

(713) 743-5356 classifieds@thedailycougar.com

Business Office

Phone (713) 743-5350 Fax (713) 743-5384 n Mailing address n n

Room 7, UC Satellite Student Publications University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4015

Blog Editor

Abby Lee blogs@thedailycougar.com

about 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.

our Want to get your college degree faster? SJC can help. With credits in Holiday Mini session, you can earn transferable college

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.

today. just three weeks. Classes start December 17, so register

issue staff

Visit sanjac.edu/schedule.

(281 ) 998- 6150

SANJAC.edu

eoi

Copy editing

Michelle Reed, Meagan Washington

Production

Alan Dennis, Newton Liu

Closing editor Ronnie Turner

NEWS

The Daily Cougar

Tuesday, April 27,2010 n 3

Endowment assists energy program By Sarah Wiggins-Goff The daily cougar The Department of Energy has awarded a $2.5 million stimulus endowment to the UH Energy program through a team effort led by the UH College of Technology. These developments will help fund a training program, which will help guide future workers within the electric power industry. The DOE award was given to the Smart Grid Energy Training Coalition, which includes UH, San Jacinto College, CenterPoint Energy, SkillsNET, the Power Technology Institute and the Texas Business and Education Coalition.

Research professor and program manager Raymond E. Cline Jr. said that one of the main goals is to establish a Power Training Campus within the UH Energy Research Center. “UH will be the focal point for hands-on training, in partnership with the Power Technology Institute, through the establishment of training facilities at the University’s Energy Research Center,” Cline said. “All members of the Smart Grid Energy Training Coalition will be able to leverage the facilities and capabilities that will be established in the Energy Research Center.” The DOE award was the result

of a group effort from these organizations. “This was a fully competitive award. UH developed a team of partners, established a direction and program plan, wrote and submitted the proposal,” Cline said. “The UH Energy team was selected based on addressing the merit criteria established for the competitive award by the Department of Energy.” According to the team’s written proposal, the emerging electric power sector workforce will be affected by three major factors, which they refer to as “the three A’s,” including attrition, augmentation and acquisition.

ADVERTISING continued from page 1

courtesy of mariam mouna

UH advertising students, Cougar Concepts, won first place for the first time in 16 years at the district National Student Advertising Competition, the world’s largest advertising pitch that represents 15 districts. UH falls under District 10 and is one out of more 150 colleges and universities in the competition.

Because your words matter. Have you been misquoted? Though The Daily Cougar strives for accuracy and fairness in its reporting, mistakes happen. Please report any errors you see in the paper to the editorial staff. Corrections will run on Page 2 as needed to amend the record. To report a correction, e-mail editor@thedailycougar.com or call (713) 743-5362.

Teaching Opportunities in Pasadena ISD Plan to attend our Career Choice Seminar:

SATURDAY, May 1st 2010 @ 10AM at the Beverly Hills/Challenger Location:

11111 Beamer Houston, TX 77089

The Pasadena ISD Alternative Teacher Certification Program is offering Career Choice Seminars for anyone interested in becoming a Texas certified teacher. Potential candidates must have a bachelor’s degree or above by May 2010 and must have an overall GPA of 2.5 on the 4.0 system in ALL semester hours attempted or a 2.7 GPA in the last 60 hours attempted. The application deadline for the 2010-2011 academic year is May 14, 2010 The seminars will provide an opportunity for potential candidates to learn about our program and the areas of certification offered.

For more information, please call:

(713) 740-0029

also, visit our website at: www.pasadenaisd.org/atcp

an in-depth analysis of the brand, the target market, the creative strategy and execution. This year, District 10 had 18 teams competing in the contest, and the competition was split into two groups. Texas State University won the first competition, and UH won the second competition. The judges determined that UH had the best overall score out of the two teams giving them the win for district. The first-place finish also puts UH in the top 10 percent of all the schools in the competition like Southern Methodist University,

As a result of the element and technological changes, the industry is looking for new recruits, who will need training in both traditional and smart grid topics. Although all of the organizations within the coalition will help in different ways to attain these goals, UH will play a major role by housing the “Power Training Campus,” where it will provide general project management as well as conduct training classes. “UH will provide existing and augmented training capabilities in the areas of power engineering technology, digital energy, cyber security and program/project management,” Cline said. “The

CoT will also work to design specific course, degree and certificate content that will address the emerging needs of the national clean energy smart grid.” Cline and the rest of the coalition said they expect enormous success. Their proposal states that an estimate to develop new employees and expand the economic potential of existing employees would be in surplus of $44 million. The program anticipates 500 students by 2013, as well as a minimum of 100 undergraduate students from the UH CoT within the electric power sector.

Oklahoma State University and Baylor University. UH also won the Best Media Plan Award. Senior Seth Johnson won the best Individual Speaking award, and Cheng-En Lee won an AAF scholarship worth over $1,500. Advertising professor Robert Kelley said he was extremely proud of his team. He said that they had a lot of help from faculty and staff, calling it a Valenti School of Communication team effort. “This win says that our students can really rise to the occasion. They are typically first generation college students and all hold down jobs. They come from a very different environment than the students at SMU and Baylor,”

Kelley said. Not only did the students have work schedules to compete with, they had other obstacles as well. One team member just had a baby, one had surgery and another got married. Though that didn’t stop the team from backing down. The Cougar Concepts team overcame all this to take the title at the competition. Members dedicated the win to professor Robert Culpepper, an advisor in the competition for the past 14 years who suffered a brain aneurysm and a series of debilitating strokes in November that prevented him from participating in this year’s competition.

news@thedailycougar.com

G.Y.T. APRIL IS STD AWARENESS MONTH the Health Center is offering affordable STD testing to UH students

Women’s Clinic Wednesday, April 28th 9:30am to 3:00pm STD tests as appropriate

FREE Cougar Condom Covers to first 100 folks to drop by the WRC or Student Health Center

UH HEALTH CENTER: Entrance 6 off Wheeler; Building 525 on campus map. Visit: www.uh.edu/admin/hc

Tests will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Students will pay for the office visit and STD testing at time of service. For more information call 713-743-5156.

WOMEN’S RESOURCE

CENTER

4 n Tuesday, April 27,2010

The Daily Cougar

OPINION

COMING WEDNESDAY: Did Apple go too far in its efforts to retrieve the prototype iPhone one of its employees lost?

EDITOR Alan Dennis E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/opinion

THE DAILY COUGAR editorial B oard 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

First Amendment rights not to be violated at any level

S COMEDY CENTRAL

Radicals don’t understand religion One of the great things about living in a free country is having the right to say just about whatever you want. Some people, however, can go too far with their comments. South Park celebrated the airing of its 200th episode, “200,” on April 14 by bringing back almost every famous figure in Alan Dennis the show’s history for one more lambasting. From Tom Cruise to Mel Gibson, no one was spared — not even the Prophet Muhammad. After the episode aired, Internet blog Revolution Muslim posted a warning to the show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, saying they made themselves targets for murder because of their depiction of Muhammad. “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show,” the posting said. “This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.” For those of you who don’t know, van Gogh was a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered months after completing a documentary about violence against women in certain Muslim cultures.

His attacker, a Muslim radical named Mohammed Bouyeri, shot van Gogh eight times in broad daylight and stuck his dead body with two knives before attempting to decapitate him in a public street. Fully grasping the gravity of the situation, Comedy Central immediately moved to censor out all images and references to the Muhammad in South Park’s sequel episode, “201.” The administrators of the Revolution Muslim blog issued a subsequent post to clarify their stance on the issue, claiming they simply wanted to warn Parker and Stone of the severity of their actions, nothing more. “Our intention with this explanation is only, Allah willing, to create the possibility that a deeper and more productive dialogue may be initiated,” the posting said. “We hope that the creators of South Park may read this and respond, that before sending hate mail and condemning us that we may partake in dialogue, and that the Western media’s degradation of the most blessed of men ceases. “Otherwise we warn all that many reactions will not involve speech, and that defending those that insult, belittle, or degrade the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a requirement of the religion.”

The curious thing about the Web site’s claim is that although it purports to be merely sending a warning to Parker and Stone, the original post also listed several mailing addresses where people could contact them, as well as a link to a Nov. 9 story from the Huffington Post that talks about their retreat home in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Did I forget to mention the post also began with a picture of van Gogh’s dead body? Anyone who sees this as anything but a threat is certifiably insane. The message is loud and clear, and it’s not one of peace. Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee — the author of the original post — and the rest of the people responsible for the Revolution Muslim Web site need to be condemned for attempting to incite violence against Parker and Stone. Their behavior does not reflect that of most Muslims, but threatening to kill people has unfairly thrust the entire religion into the spotlight. Free speech has very few limits, which can sometimes seem unfair. The best way to combat these cowards is by using words, too — words that show them their threats will never extinguish the flame of free speech. Alan Dennis is a communication senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

Government blurs line of belief Judeo-Christian values have affected America’s foundation; a large percentage of the American population has adopted a belief in God. Yet, the concepts of religious freedom Patrick Levy and the separation of church and state remain hotly contested issues. U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb of Madison, Wis., ruled April 15 that the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional, given the fact that it explicitly calls for engagement in some type of religious activity. President Barack Obama said he planned to appeal the decision through the Justice Department. The issue here isn’t someone taking a position fundamentally against religion,

but that the church should remain separate from the state in America. The district court was justified in its decision that a national holiday advocating religious activity was unlawful. Those who say such a concept is absent within the Constitution need only look to the First Amendment, which says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Conservatives who are advocates of the National Day of Prayer should abandon such a hypocritical stance. Despite calling for limited government in certain aspects, religion is the one thing in which they continue to support government involvement. Having a National Day of Prayer only makes people who aren’t believers feel like

outsiders; any time the government takes a position on a religious issue should be cause for alarm. When the government begins to promote one particular religion, however, it only opens the door further to the slippery slope of legislating morality. Excessive government influence on religion and excessive religious influence on politics only results in discrimination against dissenters. The best way to convince others of any religious value, belief or system is not through declarations on a national level, but through individual persuasion. The federal government should not play a role on either side. Patrick Levy is a communication freshman and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

everal newspapers, both professional and collegiate-level, wrote editorials rebuking the actions of the Harrisonburg Police Department and the Commonwealth’s Attorney Marsha Garst concerning the James Madison University newspaper, The Breeze, last week. We decided to join the party. According to the Student Press Law Center, “Garst and several police officers executed a search warrant in the Breeze newsroom, seeking photos of recent rioting in Harrisonburg. They threatened to take computers, cameras and more, and eventually confiscated more than 900 photographs. The photographs have since been given to a third party to hold pending further negotiations between the newspaper and the authorities.” This is an outrage as far as we are concerned, but it’s the public that should be furious. When big stories break, sometimes it’s college newspapers that pick up on them first. Take, for example, the Duke lacrosse hoax. In the 10 days immediately following the rape charge of the students, the Duke Chronicle student journalists refused to print rumors and gossip and suggested in their newspaper that the the New York Times and CNN were both reporting rumors and gossip provided by people who clearly did not care for male athletes and fraternity members. Day after day, student reporters wrote articles in which each allegation against the lacrosse team was listed in detail along with statements detailing the complete lack of evidence for each allegation. Several faculty members tried to shut down the student newspaper, and the student journalists reported that effort as headline news. All of this took place while network reporters were pounding on the door of the student newspaper or sitting outside in the parking lots in huge news truck with satellite dishes pointed towards the sky. Duke did not want a jury to read those stories and see the student reporter’s notes. So they should be able to confiscate them, right? Wrong. The press, at every level, is free. The First Amendment should protect even student journalists, and other students should be supporting them. All our rights are being hindered here.

E D I TO R I A L policy 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.

Tuesday, April 27,2010 n 5

The Daily Cougar

SPORTS

COMING WEDNESDAY: Find out if the baseball team was able to snap its four-game losing streak against Sam Houston State

EDITORS Phillipe Craig, Robert Higgs E-MAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/sports

baseball

Cougar’s pitching collapses By Tristan Tippet The Daily Cougar After being on the wrong end of a three-game sweep against Southern Miss last weekend, in which they were outscored 31-18, the Cougars fell to last place in Conference USA with a 4-8 conference record and are 16-22 overall. The Cougars will try to snap their four-game losing streak when they take on Sam Houston State at 6:30 p.m. today in Huntsville. Since March 14, when UH capped off a six-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory over Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif., it is 8-17. UH’s downfall, as it has been all season, is its pitching. The Cougars’ have a team ERA of 6.09 while their opponents’ ERA is 4.95. Head coach Rayner Noble attributed the team’s struggles to their starting pitching. “We didn’t have one starting pitcher go out there and really give us much of a chance, and that’s really the name of the game in terms of what we do in college baseball,” Noble said. “You’re really going to struggle when you don’t have very good starting pitching, and that’s what happened to us this weekend.” On the plus side, the only place the Cougars can go from here is up.

“We’re just in a pretty good valley right now, and we really need a couple of guys to step up on the mound and start pitching like they’re capable of,” Noble said. Houston’s next opponent, Sam Houston State, also struggles on the mound. The Bearkats’ team batting average is .300, with five starters hitting above .315, but their team ERA is 6.29 compared to their opponents’ 5.11. The Bearkats don’t have one pitcher with an ERA under 4.00, and the lowest is 4.38. As a result, the Bearkats have struggled even more than the Cougars and are currently 16-25. The Bearkats started the season with a seven-game losing streak and were 1-9 in their first 10 games. Then the Bearkats then went 11-4 in their next 15, including a seven-game winning streak. Since then, the Bearkats are 4-12 and have lost seven of their last eight. During this slide, they lost a relatively low-scoring game toUH, 4-2, on April 6 at Cougar Field. The Bearkats were shut down by Michael Goodnight, who had one of his better games of the season. Goodnight tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings, allowing five hits and no walks while striking out eight batters. Noble said he’d take that kind

Fighting Words

Talking smack and sports

of performance from anybody in today’s game. “We’ve got to get somebody that’s going to take the ball and go out there and give us a chance,” Noble said. “If we can get a starting pitcher to give us five solid innings, I’ll take that right now. That’s what I’m going to be looking for today.” For Noble, until someone steps up, the Cougar’s woes will continue. “Until we get somebody out there on the mound that gives us a chance, you can probably expect more of the same,” Noble said. The Cougars will return home for their next game, a rematch against Lamar, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Cougar Field. sports@thedailycougar.com

C-USA Baseball Standings Team

W L GB W L Pct

Rice Marshall Memphis Tulane East Carolina Southern Miss UAB Central Florida UH

11 9 8 6 6 5 5 6 4

Conf.

4 6 7 6 6 7 7 9 8

0 2 3 3.5 3.5 4.5 4.5 5 5.5

OVERALL

26 20 19 25 24 21 20 26 16

16 .619 20 .500 21 .475 16 .610 17 .585 17 .553 17 .541 17 .605 22 .421

Str

W-3 W-7 W-2 L-2 L-5 W-3 L-6 L-3 L-4

Standings accurate as of April 26

hard. This series will be a fun one to watch, and, although I think the ‘Stros will take the series, they won’t sweep the Reds. My prediction is the ‘Stros will take the final two games and finish 10-11, which, after the slow start to the season, is not too bad.

At issue: Will the Astros have a winning record by »»Alan Dennis: Bringin’ the the end of the month? funny gg

»»Keith Cordero Jr.: Charlie Brown’s mom was easier to understand

Having won eight of their last ten games, the Houston Astros are back on track and are far removed from a brutal 0-8 start to the season. Coming off a sweep of the Rockies and a current 5-1 record on a nine game home stand, the Astros could be 11-10 by the end of the month, with three more home games against a mediocre Cincinnati Reds team. Not so fast my friend. The Astros have won a few games, so what? The reason why Houston won’t go 4-0 in the final four games to end the month is because they just don’t hit well enough, and their pitching is not so hot either. Their big slugger Carlos Lee is crushing the ball, hitting a giant .162 with zero home runs, and your team homerun leader, Jason Michaels, has two home runs and does not even start. Also despite a nice sweep against the Pirates—who doesn’t sweep the Pirates?—Kaz Matsui is down in the dumps, barely hitting .138, and the golden child, Hunter Pence, is at .208. When it comes to pitching, yikes. Other than Roy Oswalt (2.42 ERA, 21 K’s) and closer Matt Lindstrom (6-6

on saves), there can’t be any fans of starter Felipe Paulino, can there? Paulino is 0-2, with a sky high 5.94 ERA and a team-high 10 walks. I say the Astros go 2-2 in the next four games as we hit May on the calendar, and they should play .500 ball the rest of the season.

»»Patricia Estrada: What you talkin’ about, Keith? Keith, did you answer the question? I can’t tell with all that rambling. I had to read your response five times and I still don’t know what you are talking about. At first you said they will finish with a winning record, and then you say they won’t. Please make up your mind. Also, stop relying on so many statistics. Can you make a point without them? Because I don’t think you can. The Astros will not finish with a winning record this month. Yes, they have been playing pretty well these past couple of games, taking the last three series from the Cubs, Marlins and Pirates, but they are playing the Reds in the final three games of the month. And although the Reds have started worse than the Astros so far, every time they come to Minute Maid Park they play the home team

Will the Astros finish the month with a winning record? There hasn’t been a question this easy to answer since the last time someone asked Ben Roethlisberger if he wanted to do a body shot off a 20-year-old. Both of you are correct in your assessments of the Astros’ chances, but the ways in which you arrived at your answers were flawed. Let me break this down for you calculusstyle. I’m no mathlete, but with the Astros sitting at 8-10 with four games left in the month (three at home against the Reds and one in Atlanta), it would seem to me that the team would need to sweep those games just to finish above .500. Baseball at its core is a game of managerial matchups — something even general manager Ed Wade can’t quite wrap his inept head around — and against the Reds, the Astros manager Brad Mills will be matched up with Dusty Baker. In his six sub-par seasons in the National League Central as manager of the Cubs and Reds, Baker is 50-47 against the Astros. While that record isn’t exactly setting the world on fire, history says there’s a good chance Baker will get one of those three games. And even if they were to sweep

daily cougar file photo

If the Cougars are unable to find some consistent pitching from either their starting rotation or bullpen, they will have trouble pulling themselves out of a four-game skid.

the Reds, they’d still screw things up and lose to the Braves. But now that Lance Berkman has returned from the disabled list, we can all get back to drinking Wade’s delicious Kool-Aid and believing that the team is oh-so-close to contending for a playoff spot. Fantastic.

»»Ronnie Turner: And bringin’ the hammer Keith is a perfect example of what the Astros have come to represent. Here’s a guy who trots out the same poor material every time — same as the Astros — and gets the same sorry results — same as the Astros. Like the Astros, he keeps trying to make us believe that he’s improving with each go-round, but at the end of the day, he’s still producing the same mess. Thus, Keith couldn’t debate his way out of a paper bag, but he thinks he’s about to make a turnaround. The Astros are probably thinking the same thing after sweeping the Pirates over the weekend, but that doesn’t mean this team is suddenly decent. The Astros swept a Pittsburgh team that now has a run differential of minus-82, the worst in the majors, so they didn’t dethrone a worldbeater. Plus, the Astros are tied with Cleveland for the lowest runs scored (60) in the majors. Combine that with a starting rotation that isn’t much to look at outside Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez, and it’s clear to see why the Astros are probably going to fall off Cloud Nine in a few games. As Allan eloquently pointed out, the Astros would need to sweep their next four games to finish April with a winning record. There’s as much a chance of that happening as there is

that Keith will ever gain a grasp of the English language.

»»Judge Higgs: No mercy You know, you guys are being awfully hard on Keith. Now, I’m not saying you three need any help to look smart and funny (well, let’s be honest, Patricia could use a little help, but she’s new to this, and she bakes me cakes, so she gets a pass), but he could make a 5-year-old’s writing look brilliant. Let’s jump to answering the question. There’s no way the Astros finish the month on a seven game win streak, which is what winning the last four games of the season would give them. So they won’t finish April with a winning record. But who cares? After starting the month on an eight-game losing streak, the fact that we’re even having this conversation is a minor miracle. They’ve gone 8-2 since their abysmal start and, in doing so, have managed to appear almost respectable.

Verdict Alan’s funnies make it hard to pass him up, but, between Ronnie’s eloquence and his stellar tenure as editor-in-chief, he gets the face time.

Facetime It’s been a good run with Fighting Words during these last five years, but my time here is done. Thanks to everyone for all the memories!

LIFE & ARTS

6 n Tuesday, April 27,2010

The Daily Cougar

‘Harvey’ brings laughs, awakens sense of awe By Robert Higgs The Daily Cougar Endless strip malls, horrible traffic, mediocre sports teams — if those are some of the first things that come to mind when you think of Houston, chances are you’ve never taken in a play at the Alley Theater. Because when I think of Houston, I think great theater. And if you’re among those who have never been to the Alley, you owe it to yourself to go see their new play, Harvey — it’s fantastic. Harvey, a Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, tells the story of the Dowds: mother Veta Louise, daughter Myrtle and uncle Elwood. And then there’s Harvey. For Elwood, Harvey is a best friend and constant companion. But for the rest of the Dowds, the fact that Harvey also happens to be a 6-foot tall invisible rabbit, is a source of constant embarrassment. You read that right — the title character of this play is a 6-foot tall invisible rabbit, a figment of uncle Elwood’s imagination. Or is he? The play opens in the library of the Elwood’s mansion, and we’re introduced to Veta, played by the commanding Kristine Nielsen, and Myrtle, performed by the versatile Elizabeth Bunch. The two are anxious that the party they are throwing will go off without a hitch and that Myrtle will make a fine impression on the local upper crust. Think of a 1950s-era sweet 16.

Their anxiety is heightened by the worry that feeble old uncle Elwood will crash their party and introduce everyone to his imaginary friend. Which is, of course, what happens. The audience is treated to one hilariously hysterical monologue after another, as mother and daughter see not so much their standing in society but their very identity as upstanding society women threatened by their senile uncle and his imaginary rabbit friend Harvey. It’s enough for them to want to have him committed. And that’s just what they decide to do. But at Chumley’s Rest, a sanitarium that comically captures that former era’s smug assurance of the clear distinction between the sane and the insane, we begin to get the idea that there is some almost magical force protecting Elwood from harm. Or maybe it’s just the sexism of the times. Because, as Veta describes with nerves fraught like wires over her brother’s condition, the overexuberant doctor decides that she must be the one in need of care. Elwood, helped in large part by the simple fact that he is a man (but is there something else protecting him?), is assumed to be the sane one, and his sister, contrary to the scheme she had cooked up, is committed in his place. This play does a marvelous job of capturing the stereotypes of a

Courtesy of the alley theatre

James Black plays Elwood P. Dowd, the uncle whose relationship to his friend Harvey, an imaginary rabbit, creates laughter and wonder for audience members in the Alley Theatre’s production of Harvey. bygone era. We have the frivolous society woman, frantic to increase her standing in her circle, and we have the myopic psychiatrist, unable to see past his own sense of superiority into the heart of matters. Uncle Elwood, on the other hand, breaks from the stereotype of the effectual leading man — his simplemindedness may seem like wisdom, but then again he could just have a few screws loose. But as the action ratchets up, the doctor’s mistake becomes clear, and

the family and sanitarium staff begin their frenetic search for this wayward man. The carefully crafted fiction of these stereotypes begins to be undermined by, most surprisingly, the truth Harvey represents. Is he a creation of Elwood’s mind, a sign of his deteriorating mental condition? Or is he actually what Elwood calls him, a Pooka, a friendly spirit from Celtic mythology? This play — performed with a competency and subtlety worthy of Broadway — explores the value of

CLASSIFIEDS E-MAIL classifieds@thedailycougar.com

Bulletin Board

Help Wanted

(713) 743-5356 Help Wanted

ATTENTION

T HE M AGN OL I A

Apply in person

Front Desk Agent Restaurant Server Banquet Server PT

is currently seeking individuals for the following positions:

Hiring All Positions

Driver’s License Training School near campus has required DPS program. 713-227-4409 at 4009 Polk.

Mon-Wed 4-6pm

All positions require proof of work eligibility upon hire date. Magnolia Houston performs criminal background checks and is a drug free workplace. Apply in person at 1100 Texas Avenue. HR hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, from 11am to 1pm. Email resume to sferoze@magnoliahotels.com or applications can also be filled out online. AA/EOE

Egg Donors Needed. Ages 21-32. Earn $5,000+, High demand for Asians. Surrogate Mothers Needed. Earn $25,000+, Ages 21-39.

Tangible Difference Learning Center

(713) 771-9771

www.cooperinstitutearm.com email : ivf@cooperinstitutearm.com

www.tangibledifference.com We provide ABA therapy, Speech therapy, and LPC services for: Autism, PDD-NOS, Speech Delays, and Behavior Problems. Currently interviewing: -ABA Therapists, no exp. required -SLPs and SLP-As -OTs and OT-As Part or full time, internships, or volunteers welcome to apply. Email resume to: director@tangibledifference.com

EARN $1000 - $3200 a month to drive new cars with ads. www.youdriveads.com SURVEY TAKERS NEEDED. Make $5 to $25 per survey. www.getpaidtothink.com

Help Wanted BUS DRIVER NEEDED for private school in Museum District. Class B license required. Short distance driving (around the Museum District) for a private school. Call 713-520-0738

713.462.6060

Tutors Needed For Fall Great Experience! Great Pay!

MONTESSORI SCHOOL in Museum district. Looking for Subs/Assts. Flex hrs. Excellent for child dev, Education or Psy majors! Call 713-520-0738

832-842-2122

UScholars@ UH College Success Program

NEED PT File/Scanning Clerk - 20 hrs flex during day. Email Resume to randyc@intonline.com

TELL ’EM YOU SAW IT in The Daily Cougar!

Help Wanted

In the heart of downtown Houston

18-25 and no driver license?

*STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM* PAID survey takers needed in Houston. 100 percent FREE to join! Click on Surveys.

arts@thedailycougar.com

Place an ad today

ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/classifieds

Help Wanted

a sense of joy and wonder society might well deem mad. And as the play moves you from aligning with society to aligning with Elwood, you begin to feel that sense of joy and wonder awakening in yourself. It is an experience not to be missed. The play runs through May 9, and students can buy heavily discounted tickets through the Alley website by using the promo code, “student.”

FIND A

PLACE

FIND YOUR NEXT JOB. Read The Daily Cougar classifieds every day — in print or online.

TO LIVE

IN ThE DAILy COugAr

CLAssIFIEDs

2303 Smith St. Houston, TX 77006 www.pubfiction.com

Mentors Needed for Fall Great Experience! Great Pay! 832-842-2122 College Success Program SUMMER WATER SAFETY instructors & lifeguards needed for private school in Museum District. Good pay & fun working w/ children 3-12 yrs. Cert. required. Call 713-520-0738

Looking for receptionist • Full time summer job • Hours from 7:30am to 4:30pm • Clerical work, such as: • Answer phones & take messages • Type bids • Ship parts • Run errands • Paid holidays • Medical insurance available

call 713-782-6776 rentals

rentals

1 BR TOWN HOME $480 per month. $195 move in. 843 sq ft. Call Brad at (713) 392-3248.

REMODELED ONE BDRM APT. At Greenway Plaza, hardwood floors, new A/C, covered parking $780/ month 713-444-0710

ONE BDRM APT Medical Center $525/ mon. One Bdrm Apt Medical center $660/mon. One Bdrm Apt Medical Center $752/mon with Washer/Dryer. 713-505-4548 THANKS for reading The Daily Cougar!

$1,500 - 3bdrm, 2 bath renovated bungalow 1,650 sf, Lawn maintenance included, private gated driveway/ property Less than 1 mile from campus. Ready for move in. Call 713-309-5873 after 5 PM.

SELL YOUR BOOKS DIRECTLY TO OTHER STUDENTS. Use a FREE online classified ad!

To get started, sign up with your UH e-mail address at: thedailycougar.com/classifieds Click on “Post classifieds”

COMICS & MORE

The Daily Cougar

COUGAR COMICS

Find more daily strips at thedailycougar.com/comics

Dim Sum by Ho Yi Lau

today’s crossword ACROSS

At the Hot Dog Stand by Mishele Lamshing

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.

Previous puzzle solved

Tuesday, April 27,2010 n 7

1 Window part 5 Get slippery (2 wds.) 10 Close-mouthed person 14 Take to one’s heels 15 Bellini opera 16 Improve, as skills 17 Syrup brand 18 Disreputable nightspots (2 wds.) 20 Like snow 22 Proverbs 23 Raw edibles 25 Shaman’s quest 26 Familiar threat (2 wds.) 27 Ms. Sumac of Peru 28 Promote 32 Tree product 33 Penn and Lennon 35 In that case (2 wds.) 36 Tierra — Fuego 37 Numerical prefix 38 Drop behind 39 Boulevard liners 41 The L in LEM 43 Heroic tale 44 NASDAQ rival 45 Yellow Pages 46 Diminishes 48 Third power, in math 50 Black suit 51 Start liking (2 wds.) 54 Plaid wearer 55 Child prodigy 57 Hubble component 61 Comics canine 62 Palette adjunct 63 Epochs 64 Poses for a portrait 65 Personal journal 66 Mortgage or car loan

DOWN

1 N.Y.C. airport 2 Huntsville loc. 3 Cousteau’s

18 20 23

37 40

44 48

43 47

66 ©

domain 4 Grendel’s foe 5 Eggs on 6 Peyton’s team 7 Canal of song 8 Referee 9 Slumber party sight 10 Red table wine 11 — time no see 12 Poker stake 13 Jumble 19 Keats opus 21 That man’s 23 Voluntarily 24 Kingdoms 25 “— vincit amor” 26 Of the past 27 Fish stories 29 Recently (2 wds.) 30 Customs 31 Forum wear 34 Chopin offering 40 Withdraws

4 1 Toiled 42 In no time 43 Loaded down 47 Cakelike cookie 49 Salt Lake City player 50 More levelheaded 51 Pairs 52 Honda rival 53 Clingy fabric 54 One Simpson 56 Chiang — -shek 58 Prior to 59 Suddenly seize 60 Former JFK arrival

2009 United Feature Syndicate INC.

Previous puzzle solved J O T Y UMA U N I T L O T T O A C T O J OU S O A T B L U E C V A GU OC E A C U E D A T NO L E A R

C L E E R A K R S T H A M R E E R N I C A N

R E D Y E T R A P C I N E

A N K DON D I E R E H N P A OMA H O E D D E S T L T E E A P S A L E SWE R C A NO Y S T S

S E M I N A R

A P A R T

P E T E R

S E E D Y

S V WO M I T OG E S A T E I S L C A K S R S

P O S E

U niversity of HoU ston s t Ud ent s at is fact ion s Urv ey

HOW IS UH DOING TO MEET YOUR NEEDS? Take a survey on: • course availability • campus recreation • student services • advising • UH Libraries

We can’t hear you.

• dining services • study Lounges • safety • student Government association • Parking & transportation • Health & Wellness • the daily cougar • student financial services • University center • counseling • campus activities • Welcome center • residential Life and Housing • student Program Board

Log on & take the survey today!

Mostly because we’re a newspaper and we don’t have ears. But we would love to get your voice heard. Send us a guest column, around 400-600 words on a topic of your choosing, to opinion@thedailycougar.com.

THE DAILY COUGAR

Every 50th student who completes the survey will receive a $50.00 gift card! (up to $3,000) the information that you provide will be of great value and benefit to the University of Houston. student satisfaction survey is administered by Measurement and evaluation center, Learning & assessment services.

R A E

NEWS

8 n Tuesday, April 27,2010

PRAYER FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS 59th Annual Observance

“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him” Nahum 1:7

Hosted by Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International @ UHCOP FREE EVENT & FREE GIVEAWAYS!!! Join us for an informal time of fellowship, and a powerful time of prayer!

Date: May 6, 2010 Time: 12:00 - 1:00 pm Place: Lynn Eusan Park (b/w Conrad Hilton & E. Cullen Building)

The Daily Cougar

HHP continued from page 1

on other decisions,” College of Education Dean Robert Wimpelberg said. “Dissolving HHP in the COE does not mean that all of the degree/ certificate programs and their faculty currently associated with the COE Department will necessarily move to CLASS.” Course requirements for the HHP will correlate with existing degree plans. “Students in CLASS are required to take a combination of courses

DEAN continued from page 1

Portugal. As dean, Nimmer has many plans and ideas to improve the law center itself, its students and its faculty. Nimmer said that one of his plans is to reduce the size of the law school, even though in the last few years it has seen a 10 percent increase in applications. “The goal is to increase the quality of the student body and to improve the student/faculty ratio,”

in disciplines outside their major, but most undergraduates in HHP already do this because of how their requirements are structured,” Freeland said. Wimpelberg said that Antel and himself would make the final determination about which programs and faculty will move to CLASS. “We are studying the nature of the program,” Wimpelberg said. “(This includes) how the students in them can best be supported and how they fit with the nature of programs already residing in each college.” news@thedailycougar.com

Nimmer said. “We have over 3,800 applications, and our next class will be only 250.” Nimmer said he strongly believes that in order to raise the reputation of the law center, increased alumni participation is necessary. “We have moved the law school very aggressively to be nationally prominent,” Nimmer said. “We have hired a bunch of new faculty, 12 or 13 in the past four years, and have experienced a much needed increase with the support of our alumni.” news@thedailycougar.com

Try our SOUP

& SALAD deal

get

Or trade your soup for our delicious cheesy pizza!

712 Gulfgate Center, Gulfgate Shopping Center, Houston, TX 77087 (713) 643-9464

Pepperoni, sausage or other meat for only $1.25 extra!

get

at your SUBWAY in the Law Center APARTMENT SEARCHING?

with any Wing purchase on your next visit to this Wingstop.

with purchase of any Family Pack on your next visit to this Wingstop. 8326 Broadway St., Broadway, Belfort Center, Houston, TX 77061 (713) 847-9464

One coupon per guest, per visit. Valid only on future visit. Coupons may not be combined. Valid at participating Winstop Restaurants thru 3/31/10 to 5/31/10.

$2 Mimosas Every Sat & Sun

RECEIVE $125 FOR LETTING US HELP YOU!

Get a fresh mimosa with our Brunch Open-Faced Tenderloin Medallions on Rye!

Once we help you find your new apartment, we will send you a $125 Gift Card to Target or store of your choice!

Just 5 minutes from the UH campus!

We are a Fast and Free Service! John Milam-real estate agent (713) 784-APTS (2787)

501 Pierce

713-751-0660

www.ApartmentSearchHouston.com

the right Movers

832-594-2392

Mention the Daily Cougar anD

get 10% off!!!

• • • • • • •

2 Hour Moves Under $150 Local & Long Distance Moves Last Minute Moves Fully Insured & Licensed Commercial/Residential Moves Pro-Rated Prices Protective Equipment

• 7 Days A Week • Unload/Load Jobs (w/o truck) • Experienced, In Shape & English Speaking

“Moving You The Right Way” www.therightmovers.com Owned by U of H Alumni!!

Your coupon ad can be on this page.

* Major Credit Cards Accepted

Call (713) 743-5340