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Lecture on ‘Fate and Geography’ presented by various groups Nirvana Tanoukhi, a Martha Gano Houstoun Distinguished Visiting Scholar, is presenting “A Matter of Setting: Fate and Geography in Coetzee” at 5 p.m. today in room 110 of the Roy G. Cullen building. A question-and-answer session will immediately following the lecture. Tanoukhi holds a doctorate in modern thought and literature from Stanford University and is a resident fellow at the Harvard Humanities Center. The lecture is presented by the University, the Departments of English and History, the Martha Gano Houstoun Endowment, the African American Studies Program, the Center of Public History and Voices Breaking Boundaries. — Moniqua Sexton/The Daily Cougar
New facility to be dedicated There will be a dedication ceremony for the new University of Houston Nanofabrication Facility at 1 p.m. Friday in the courtyard of the Science and Engineering Research Center. The ceremony is free and open to the public. The specialized setting will enable UH scientists to build the incredibly tiny mechanisms in circuits, microfluidic devices, microelectromechanical systems and other complicated technologies. The state-of-the-art facility is a clean room equipped with special filters that remove all dust particles and other contaminants from the environment that could interfere with the delicate and sophisticated tools used in research. For more information about the new facility, visit www. uh.edu/nanofab/.
Issue 101, Volume 76
Thursday ®
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February 24, 2011 Read. Recycle. Repeat daily.
Staff hit by reductions first Recent cuts in state-allocated funding affected over 100 staff positions, bills may lead to more Nick Ragan, Emily Holley and Moniqua Sexton
THE DAILY COUGAR The University eliminated 136 staff positions over the last three years, and that number could increase if budgetary bills proposed in the Texas House and Senate are passed. Budget cuts proposed by the Texas House would cut up to $100 million of the UH system budget over the next two years; $65 million of those cuts would be for the UH main campus. According to data presented to The Daily Cougar by Carl Carlucci, vice president for administration and finance, a reduction in force, or RIF, has been occurring at UH since 2009, which saw 32 positions eliminated. In 2010, after the state requested a 5 percent reduction in the 2010-2011 biennial budget, a total of 60 positions were either eliminated or
Phases to take UC into future
consolidated. The State requested an additional refund of 2.5 percent in December, and so far in 2011, 44 staff positions have been either eliminated or consolidated. Whether or not the total of 136 positions means that 136 people are now without jobs was not made clear by administration. At times, positions that have yet to be filled are simply eliminated from the University’s job postings. In other instances, personnel whose position has been eliminated are sometimes reassigned. There are four reasons why reductions have occurred, according to the office of administration and finance. The first is a lack of revenue for either a program or a business. Staff positions within programs that are funded from sources outside the University are affected by this, as are staff
SPECIAL REPORT
Budget cuts Every Thursday, The Daily Cougar will take an in-depth look at how proposed cuts to the state’s higher education allocation will affect the University and its future. Feb. 17: Tier One initiative Today: University staff March 3: Athletics programs March 10: The role of community colleges March 24: Public vs. private debate March 31: Financial aid Track this series and find expanded resources on thedailycougar.com/budgetcuts2011
CUTS continues on page 3
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Emily Holley
— Julian Jimenez/The Daily Cougar
THE DAILY COUGAR
CORRECTIONS J
Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com. Corrections will appear in this space as needed.
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EVENTS Honky Tonk Blood Premiere The comedy/thriller/western is premiering at the Landmark River Oaks Theatre. For showtimes and tickets call (713) 866-8881. Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo World Championship BBQ Cook-Off The first day of the three-day barbeque starts at 5 p.m. at Reliant Stadium to begin the 2011 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
FOR MORE EVENTS, CHECK OUT thedailycougar.com/calendar
UH’s University Center celebrated its 34th birthday on Valentine’s Day, and plans presented on Tuesday evening revealed its future growth and transformation. Keith Kowalka and Micah Kenfield, administrators for the UC, introduced floor plans and future additions at a meeting in the UC Lone Star room. “We really got a sense from the students not to bulldoze what we have here but in a sense transform the existing University Center,” Kenfield said. The first of a two-phase renovation plan is slated to begin in Spring 2012. In this phase, the underground will stay the same. Student Affairs offices are to be determined, and the lounge will be repurposed but remain, Kenfield said. The ground floor’s game room and bookstore support will stay the same. The second floor will feature the addition of a Student Government Association senate chamber, a 400-seat theatre and, tentatively, RENOVATIONS continues on page 3
From left: Michael McHugh, Michael Harding and Jared Gogets took the stage for a series of questions that the UH community submitted online via The Daily Cougar’s website. | Brianna Leigh Morrison/The Daily Cougar
Debate focuses on cuts, guns SGA, The Daily Cougar host presidential candidates David Gonzalez
THE DAILY COUGAR The three candidates running for president of the Student Government Association debated for over 90 minutes Wednesday afternoon in the University Center Houston Room. Each candidate provided input and resolutions for problems that face the University, especially regarding the main topic of discussion, budget cuts. When asked which programs or services each candidate would vow to protect in the midst of budget cuts, each provided different answers.
Current Education Senator Michael Harding wants to make sure that student success is the most important priority of SGA. He told the audience about his friends who had recently dropped out of college because they were “not equipped” to handle the rigorous work at the University. “We have to keep graduation rates high,” Harding said. “As president of SGA, I will make the free tutoring programs we have on campus more accessible. I want to make sure programs like these are on your doorstep.” When asked the same question, former senator Michael McHugh said that he would protect the Health Center and athletics. Candidate Jared Gogets took a slightly different approach to the question. Gogets did not list the programs or services DEBATE continues on page 3