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Japanese chef to hold cooking demonstration on campus
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The deadline to apply for a scholarship created by the Tagore Society of Houston to celebrate the life of scholar Rabindranath Tagore is next Friday, Oct. 15. The scholarship, which was also developed by the Department of English, is open to graduate students in the arts, literary studies, the humanities, social sciences and sciences involved in a creative project that honors the teachings of Tagore. Applications should be submitted to the Office of the Chair of the Department of English in Room 205 of the Roy G. Cullen Building. Contact Judy Calvez at 713-743-2395 for more information. Got an item for Newsline? Let us know! E-mail newsline@thedailycougar.com
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ON CAMPUS
UH Family Weekend Bring your parents and your whole family and share the college experience with them! UH will be hosting a family weekend where many activities will be provided to you and your family. For a list of what all is going on, visit www.uh.edu/parents for more info.
AROUND TOWN
LCD Soundsystem and Sleigh Bells Dance-punk bands LCD Soundsystem and Sleigh Bells will be performing at the Verizon Wireless Theater tonight at 8 p.m. Come enjoy a lively show and get your dancing shoes on! Find more campus and local events or add your own at thedailycougar.com/calendar
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October 8, 2010
Valenti breaks ground Jimaniece Ware
THE DAILY COUGAR
“We’re hopeful that those who appreciate the art of Japanese cuisine will take part in these opportunities to learn from the master how to prepare these dishes in their own kitchens,” Chef Masahiko Yanagihara said in a news release.
Tagore scholarship deadline
Friday
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Master Chef Masahiko Yanagihara of Tokyo’s Sushi Koma will host a cooking demonstration and lecture at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday Oct. 26 and and Wednesday Oct. 27 at the Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management’s demonstration kitchen in room S116.
The event is free and open to the public, but those interested in attending should contact info@cgjhou. org regarding reservations. Please include in the e-mail which day you would like to attend and if you are a UH student.— Sara Nichols/The Daily Cougar
Issue 039, Volume 76
A watercolor rendering shows the north face of the Valenti School of Communication building once construction is completed. | Courtesy of the School of Communications
Demolition for the multi-million dollar extension to the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication began last month, but the effort to increase awareness and support for the construction is just beginning. This Sunday, the school will host a reunion party at the Alumni/Athletic Center, followed by a groundbreaking ceremony at the School of Communication. Officials hope the renovations will increase awareness of UH’s Communication program and also get alumni excited.
“It’s already energized a lot of people around the college to support us,” Director of the School of Communications Beth Olson said. “We’ve gotten a lot more attention than in the past and have raised scholarship money in addition to money for the building itself.” Some members of the faculty feel the addition of the Lance T. Funston Communication Center will not only redefine the school physically, but mentally. “Previously, we have been hidden in the courtyard and didn’t have any building identity. Well, now we are VALENTI continues on page 8
Students provide for city’s refugees Anam Ghias
THE DAILY COUGAR On a road in Baghdad, Ghada Fouad’s life changed forever. Iraq was engulfed in sectarian violence in the wake of the US-led invasion in 2003, and Fouad’s husband was to be its next victim. As he was driving with his family, his car was ambushed by gunmen. Fouad, at the time pregnant with her third child, watched her husband die. Eventually, in order to protect her children, she fled with them to neighboring Jordan. Fouad found herself in a UN refugee camp in Jordan and applied for asylum. Fouad and her children were sent to Houston with only the clothes on their backs and a handful of possessions. Social workers provided her with an apartment, enrolled her children in school, and gave her food stamps for about six months. Fouad’s apartment was in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Houston. Unable to speak English and surrounded by violence in a country foreign to her, she refused to open the door for anyone and wouldn’t let her children attend school. The food had run out. It was then that a refugee neighbor mentioned Fouad’s situation to Ghulam Kehar. In 2007, the UH campus was unfamiliar to Ghulam Kehar. He was CHARITY continues on page 8
Students from the T.R. Rogers school sit under the recently completed amphitheatre, which was designed and built by UH graduate students over the summer. | Courtesy of Patrick Peters
Student-built project unveiled Ashley Evans
THE DAILY COUGAR After 17 weeks of planning, preparation and grueling manual labor for students in UH’s Graduate Design/Build Studio (GDBS), all their work culminated Oct. 8 with the unveiling of an outdoor amphitheater at a local alternative school. The T.H. Rogers School will host a dedication ceremony to show their appreciation for the hard work of the students, contractors and GDBS director Patrick Peters. “This was the student’s job the entire summer,” Peters said. “It was a trade-off because the kind of learning experience they were able to get couldn’t be replicated in a normal studio.” John Wilkinson, a graduate student in the Gerald D. Hines School of Architecture, agreed. “Everyone saw this as a valuable experience for our careers and futures, so we all made sacrifices to be a part of it,” Wilkinson said. The students worked together to come up
with viable designs tailored to fit the school’s wants and needs. The build team used feedback from students, faculty and PTO members at T.H. Rogers in order to come up with the final design, which is a wheelchair accessible outdoor amphitheater with three rows of bench seating and a tensile fabric canopy. The Design-Build Studio has been designing and building non-profit community enhancing projects for over 20 years, with the generous support of community sponsors and contractors. This year the husband and wife team, Elizabeth and William Murrell of Murrell Tensile Works, were crucial in guiding the students through the technical difficulties involved in the roof design. Patrick Peters said he was pleased to be able to work with such a cohesive group of students and an appreciative client. “The community at T.H. Rogers is exemplary,” Peters said. “Both in their appreciation demonstrated to us and expectations of themselves as clients and users.” PROJECT continues on page 8