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BUDGET CUTS SERIES A scheduled report on the affect of budget cuts on community colleges, and its subsequent effects on UH, will be published the week after Spring Break.
Khator elected to national higher education board for one year Chancellor and President of UH Renu Khator has been elected to the Board of the American Council of Education, according to a post on Khator’s Twitter account Monday. ACE, which consists of over 1,800 accredited colleges and universities, conducts research and public education advocacy. It was originally formed as an emergency council in 1918 to educate military personnel in World War I. ACE has been instrumental in development and passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the founding of the US Department of Education and, more recently, the passing of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Khator’s term is set to end March 2012. — Nick Ragan/The Daily Cougar
Yale professor to present seminar on development of embryos The Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling will be hosting a seminar at 10 a.m. today in Room 102 of the Science Center. The topic will be “Translational Regulation of Oocyte and Early Embryo Development.” Presenting at the seminar will be Dr. Emre Seli of Yale University, an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences and director of the Third Party Reproduction Program. Jan-Ake Gustafsson will host the event. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 832-842-8803.
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March 10, 2011 Read. Recycle. Repeat daily.
Shadow cast over SGA elections Jack Wehman
THE DAILY COUGAR The Daily Cougar received firsthand knowledge of potential SGA election fraud Wednesday night — and the consequence may be disqualification. Vice Presidential candidate Craig Premjee was seen using his iPhone as a polling location at the Den around approximately 7:45 p.m. There were numerous witnesses, including Daily Cougar Opinion Editor Andrew Taylor, who saw the incident take place. “Craig came up to us and asked, ‘Have you voted yet?’ I said no,” said economics senior Joeanthony Leyva. “He (Premjee) said, ‘If you want to vote right now, I’ve got it pulled up on my phone.’ So I signed in and I voted on his phone.” The SGA election code prohibits this type of campaigning. Article 5, section 7, clause 1
defines a polling location as “a voting apparatus used by an individual other than the owner.” Article 7, section 4, clause 1 — titled “Prohibited Methods of Campaigning” — states that candidates are prohibited from setting up any polling location, or interfering with a person using a voting apparatus in any way. If this is found to be a violation, Article 10, section 1, clause 4 states three different penalties for election violations. A class three violation, which is the most serious, results in disqualification. Premjee did not deny allowing people to vote on his phone. However, he did say that people asked to use his phone, not the other way around. “Whenever someone asks me if they can use my phone to vote, I’m not going to say, ‘No, you can’t use my phone.’ I’m just going to give them my phone and walk away. I
think that’s perfectly fine,” Premjee said. “It may be explicitly stated like that in the election code, but when it comes down to it, an iPhone is just an electronic device that’s able to do these things.” When asked about the situation, Presidential candidate Michael Harding said that he was aware of what Premjee was doing. “OK, yeah, I mean, that’s what’s up, you know? People are trying to vote. A lot of times when people hear that we’re running, they just want to vote right then and there. And I know Craig provides them with a computer resource,” Harding said. “Personally I have yet to see Craig use his phone to let people vote, but he has informed me that that has happened.” For a full copy of the SGA election code, visit http://sga.uh.edu/index.php/electioncenter.html. news@thedailycougar.com
LEGISLATURE
Breaking for capital for second round SGA representatives to hold educational meetings with officials Anna Gallegos and Tap Nguyen
THE DAILY COUGAR
— Julian Jimenez/The Daily Cougar
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Issue 111, Volume 76
TUEE TU
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EVENTS Grand Opera Symphony Orchestra The Moores School of Music is presenting a performance by the Grand Opera Symphony Orchestra from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $15, $10 for seniors and students. Rascal Flatts The grammy-winning country music trio is headlining tonight’s show at RodeoHouston in Reliant Stadium. The show begins at 6:45 p.m., and ticket prices are ranging from $18 to $300. Parking starts at $10.
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Instead of going to the beach this spring break, 16 UH students are headed to the state capital March 14 and 15 on behalf of all students. “The Student Government Association will be having one-on-one meetings with state representatives on Monday and Tuesday,” said Kate Gaviola, director of external affairs for SGA and the current secretary for the Texas Student Association, in an e-mail interview. “For each day, we have scheduled to meet with at least three state representatives. We are also willing to meet with other state representatives’ staffs who are knowledgeable on the higher education topic.” Because of a projected $27 billion shortfall in the Texas budget, state support for UH’s operating costs will drop 12 percent for the 2011 fiscal year compared to what it was 10 years ago, as reported in a Faculty BREAK continues on page 3
Chemistry Senior Ayman Abdelrazek plays a game of ring toss at Green UH’s RecycleMania Olympics in Butler Plaza on Wednesday. | Jasmine Umenyi/The Daily Cougar
Bowling for Green Taylor McGilvray
THE DAILY COUGAR To help get students excited about recycling, Green UH held its RecycleMania Olympics from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday in Butler Plaza. “We want to show the UH community how fun recycling can be by bringing various games made of recycled and salvaged materials out for them to enjoy,” said Billy Garner, marketing coordinator for University Services. Students played skee ball, horseshoes, ring toss, tic-tac-toe toss and competed in a tug-ofwar tournament. “It was really fun,” said kinesiology freshman Kathy Nguyen, after playing skee ball and waiting in line for horseshoes. Prizes included lanyards, sanitizers, Green
UH pens, Cougar trading cards, candy, and coupons. Students who competed in all five events received a recycled medal, Garner said. The games were all created using recycled material such as aluminum foil, paper towel tubes and plastic bottles. They were all made by UH students, Garner said. “We [played] a bunch of games to promote RecycleMania, which is pretty cool,” construction management sophomore Maegan Waggoner said. “I got a bus pass from the UC Satellite during the first event,” said Waggoner, who was working her way through the lines for each game. There was also an information booth where students could learn more about RECYCLE continues on page 3