life+arts
sports
Pirates pillage Cougar victory
That's Doctor Franco to you
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 thedailycougar.com
@thedailycougar
newsline
Blaffer Art Museum holds reception for student master painters Graduate art students at UH will be showcasing the results of their hard work at the 33rd Annual Masters Thesis Exhibition, which is kicking off with an opening reception at 6 p.m. today at the Blaffer Art Museum. “Our MFA graduates this year are some of the most driven and creative people I’ve met. And they defy any sort of ‘sizing up’ that anyone might try to corral them with,” said School of Art Director John Reed in a press release. “It’s a very impressive show.” The exhibition will be running from April 23 to May 14, and is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Blaffer Art Gallery at (713) 743-9521. — Julian Jimenez/The Daily Cougar
Professor receives prestigious leadership, professionalism award The University garnered another distinction as one of its faculty members, College of Technology professor Jami Kovach, was named as the 2010 recipient of the American Society of Quality’s Feigenbaum Medal. The medal is awarded every year to someone under the age of 35 for the outstanding leadership and professionalism with which they carry out their work — work that will, in the eyes of the award committee, have a distinct benefit for the future of mankind. Kovach’s work has focused primarily in quality engineering and management. Kovach will be presented with her award at the ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement, which will be held May 16 - 18 in Pittsburgh.
Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com. Corrections will appear in this space as needed.
today
89 LO 72 HI
Hottest day of the week....
87/71 /
88/72 88/ /
April 22, 2011 Read. Recycle. Repeat daily.
UC renovation funding proposed Resolution would add $50 to current fixed fee to help in second phase of project David Gonzalez
THE DAILY COUGAR The senators of the Student Government Association were urged to pass a proposal to raise student fees that would help fund renovations to the University Center Wednesday night. The UC renovations are scheduled to begin in Spring 2012. The renovations will take place in two phases that will close off
different parts of the UC while never being in the position where the building is shut down completely. During phase one, the underground will close off, with offices moving upstairs and into temporary trailers. During the second phase, dining services will shut down as the UC underground reopens. The renovations will add a theatre, ballroom and move the student services office to the third floor. The renovation is advertised as a way to help transition the University to a higher status. The senators were given a presentation as to the progress of the planned renovations of the UC. In the presentation was a proposal to the
senators asking them to raise the student fees $50 in order to aid the second phase. Senators raised questions regarding the survey taken in 2008 involving the student’s wishes to refurbish the UC. “Today is about growth. UH students deserve the best of the best,” said Prince Wilson, former SGA president and a member of the student group addressing the senate. “The exciting part is that the students won’t have to go underground to get involved in all the student centers.” President Michael Harding also spoke at the meeting, discussing his activity throughout the week. SGA continues on page 3
STUDENTS
Safety trek aims to take back campus Event co-sponsored by multiple departments highlights safe routes THE DAILY COUGAR
CORRECTIONS
SUN
®
Jasmine Umenyi
— Julian Jimenez/The Daily Cougar
SAT
Sign up for daily e-mail alerts
Friday
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Got news? E-mail news@thedailycougar.com or call 713-743-5314
!!
facebook.com/thedailycougar
Issue 137, Volume 76
MON MO
88/73 88 8/73
TUE TU UE
88/73 88 8/73
EVENTS IT Training An instructor-led training class will be introducing Abobe InDesign CS5. The class is being offered to students, alumni and faculty from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m in room 110L of the Social Work Building. Register online at http://www.uh.edu/ittraining. Now This, A World Premiere, by Scott Kaiser The show will be from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Jose Quintero Theatre. Tickets cost $20, $10 for students.
FOR MORE EVENTS, CHECK OUT
thedailycougar.com/calendar
The Women’s Resource Center hosted its second annual “Take Back the Night” event on Wednesday evening to bring awareness to the campus about the safety of women walking on campus at night. The Wellness and Recreation Center, Cougar Peer Educators, Counseling and Psychological Services, Department of Public Safety and the Women’s Resource Center teamed up to co-sponser and take part in a march in order to raise awareness to the campus about sexual assault. “Women are the majority on college campuses across the nation and yet often they are afraid to walk across campus at night to go to the library. Things must change,” said Beverly McPhail, director of the Women’s Resource Center, during her introductory speech for the “Take Back the Night” march. “In Texas, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 20 men are raped over their lifetime and things must change,” McPhail said. Out of about 23 people who came SAFETY continues on page 3
RecycleMan and Super Earth made the rounds at UH’s Earth Day Carnival on Thursday. UH celebrated the green advances the campus has made over the past year. | Courtesy University Services
GREEN UH
UH celebrates Earthly advances Campus, community turn out to honor planet; energy company donates sonar array Taylor McGilvray
THE DAILY COUGAR Students came out to play games, educate themselves about green initiatives and celebrate Earth Day Thursday in Butler Plaza. Games such as skee ball, Tic Tac Toe and horseshoes drew crowds competing for various recycled prizes. “I think I learned the most from the clothesline trivia,” said Cynthia Velasquez, a communications senior. “It actually taught me something.” The purpose of the games was to educate students about sustainability while providing them with a fun activity between classes.
“I liked Tic Tac Toe because I won,” said biology junior Emily Vo while waiting in line to play horseshoes. The event also celebrated another year of practicing green habits on campus through RecycleMania and other green initiatives. “Earth Day [is] an event that initiated a world-wide sustainability movement,” said Billy Garner, marketing coordinator of University Services. Other highlights included a weather balloon launch, face painting, an Earth Day cake, Super Earth mascot, Recycle Man and free gifts. “UH has become one of the leaders in sustainability among the nation’s universities,” Garner said. Green Mountain Energy Company also came out to the event and presented UH with a $140,000 check for the University’s first solar panel system, which is expected to be completed on May 30 and will be EARTH DAY continues on page 3