opinion
The Cougars are getting ready to pounce
Something we can all agree on
sports
t h e o f f i c i a l s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e 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 » Breaking news, blogs, discussion and more: thedailycougar.com
newsline New student photo blog officially launches As of today, The Daily Cougar website launched a photo blog. It can be found at www.snap.thedailycougar.com. Aspiring photographers, be they novice or expert, should feel free to submit photos of campus life as well as Houston on-goings. The goal of the website is to promote student involvement as well as provide an outlet for students to showcase abstract photography that wouldn’t normally run the print edition of the paper. The website will feature posts like photo-of-theday, photo essays and photo completions. Students can also voice their opinion on what they would like to see on the blog. Submit ideas and photos the to photo desk at photo@thedailycougar.com.
library
Rare book gets put in digital preserves The UH Digital Library recently preserved "India Illustrated,” a book already part of the UH Special Collections for students to be able to read and skim through images online. There are only three copies known to exist. "The book itself is remarkable. When we saw it, our first thought was, ‘how can we get it out there,'" Digital Projects Program Director Michelle Reilly said in a UH news release. "The paper is very slick and doesn't preserve well. The binding is coming off . We wanted to digitally preserve it.” Icons Set1 by DragonArt
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ON CAMPUS
Beyond the Wall - Poster and print sale The poster sale will continue today at the UC almost all day. International Luncheon Baptist Student Ministry will host a weekly lunch for anyone interested in exploring different cultures. Drop by at the A.D. Bruce Religion Center at 11 a.m. SVN Outdoor Movie Festival for “The Big Lebowski” The Student Video Network will present another movie screening tonight. “The Big Lebowski” is a classic for those who have not yet seen it. Be at the UC North Patio at 7:30 p.m. Find more campus and local events or add your own at thedailycougar.com/calendar
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Issue 009, Volume 76
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Regents finalize two-part project The UC renovations set to be complete by May 2012 Danielle Upshaw
THE DAILY COUGAR It’s been two years since students voted in favor of the University Center renovation, and recently the Board of Regents unanimously approved the 100,000-squarefoot addition to finalize the decision. Some students are unaware of the project, while others are concerned about what would happen to current stores and restaurants located in the UC — junior John Safley, a campus bookstore employee,
being one of them. “If they can do it unobtrusively then that’s fine,” Safley said. “If they are going to shut down everything, I don’t think it’s a good idea.” The new addition, which will be the home to the current stores, organizations and restaurants is set to be completed by May 2012. It will be adjacent to the building currently occupied by Lot 1E. Campus organizations utilize the UC as a housing ground for their current promotions. Some students directly involved with these organizations are hesitant about what will happen to the area they use to promote events while this change occurs. History sophomore Loren Wright uses the UC as a study place before and between
classes, and said she feels the redesign will be a great addition to the campus despite the longevity of the reconstruction. “Even though it doesn’t affect us,” Wright said, “It’s still awesome to think that future generations will benefit from the change.” Joseph Anaya, an engineering freshman, is one of many students looking forward to having a larger UC, simply to cater to the size of our school. “I think it will be better and there will be more space available,” Anaya said. “I hope whoever designs it does a good job.” The new facility is one of two planned phases; phase one includes a theater and RENOVATION continues on page 3
Theatre & dance
Profs join in on new Master's program Director proud of first graduating class Gordon Furneaux
THE DAILY COUGAR The new UH Master's of Fine Arts Acting program recently graduated its first class to attend the three summer sessions. The program is built around teachers who work full time and are unable to attend classes during the regular school year. They are admitted into the program and study intensively throughout the summer. This was what director Steve Wallace intended when he began the program three years ago, and said he is proud to have graduated his first class since its inception. “We brought in 16 — which was the limit — the first year, and we had no idea if they would come back the second year because they have their own lives going on,” Wallace said. “They’re teaching for nine months, some as far away as Japan. This year we graduated our first class, and all 16 of them are graduating.” Once they graduate, these teachers will resume their work with a master’s in theatre arts immediately. MASTERS continues on page 3
The supplies collected by the UH Pakistan Student Association has reached and been distributed to victims of the flood in the Sindh region. | Courtesy of the Pakistan Student Association
groups & organizations
Students initiate relief effort Donations, items collected for Pakistan flood victims Anam Ghias
THE DAILY COUGAR The Pakistan Students’ Association at UH is working to send aid to Pakistan, after being hit by a flood that has claimed over 2,000 lives. “This disaster is so much bigger than the recent natural disasters that we have had,” PSA Vice President Faiza Raza said. “They are depending on all of us to help them.” An estimated 20 million people have been injured or made homeless by the flooding that began in July, making it one of the worst natural disasters in history. More than the combined total of the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the Kashmir earthquake in 2005, and the tsunami in 2004, according to the United Nations website.
PSA immediately held meetings when the flooding started in South Pakistan, developing plans to send aid overseas. “We have held a raffle in order to collect donations for the flood victims,” Raza said. “We have also collected donations at the Pakistan Day Parade event held in downtown Houston.” The donations collected through the efforts of PSA have already been used to send items of necessities to the victims of the flood in Pakistan. “The amount raised by PSA was used to buy waterproof tents, food, medicine and other essentials,” Raza said. “These items have already been distributed around the Sakhar and Thata regions of Sindh, Pakistan.” The Muslim Students’ Association at UH has also participated in relief efforts for Pakistan. They are collaborating with other organizations to send aid to flood victims. “Helping Hand USA is heading a drive by PAKISTAN continues on page 3