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August 30, 2011 Issue 6, Volume 77
STATE
Book bill mandates info Universities must inform students on alternatives Joshua Mann
THE DAILY COUGAR
The bill passed unanimously through the Texas Legislature and will help students make better decisions on textbook purchases by forcing universities to provide important information before the semester starts. | Nine Nguyen/The Daily Cougar
A bill that will require university bookstores to supply students with information on textbooks before the start of the school year was signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry in June and will take effect Fall 2012. CSHB 33 will require, among other things, for universities to post “the book’s retail price, author, publisher, most recent copyright
date and the ISBN [...] no later than 30 days before the start of classes” on the school or bookstore website, said the House Research Organization in their analysis of the bill. Universities will also have to make an effort to inform students on ways to save money, such as textbook rentals, guaranteed buyback programs and opportunities to buy used textbooks, the bill said. Some students do not feel that this information is readily available. “(The information) is on the price tags, but other than that, no,” sophomore Elisebeth Novak said while on her way to buy her textbooks at the bookstore in the UC.
“Students need something like this to reduce the sting of buying costly textbooks,” junior Sammy Emerson said. “If they’re paying five, six, seven or even 800 dollars for books, that’s too much.” Emerson and Novak would have bought their books elsewhere at a better price had they known the details beforehand, they said. Other students, though, do not think that the bill will make much of a difference. “Anybody can pretty much just look up the books on Amazon and TEXTBOOKS continues on page 3
STATE
FACULTY
University to participate in Harlingen UC grand opening
Professor writes book challenging man-made global warming beliefs
UH officials will be in attendance at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of a new university center at 10 a.m. on Thursday at Texas State Technical College, located in Harlingen, Texas. Study programs and courses will be designed so students can study for two years at TSTC before transferring to the university center. As part of a partnership between the two institutions, the UH College of Technology will be offering courses at the new building. — Cougar News Staff
R. Nicole Blanton
THE DAILY COUGAR
FACULTY
UH tech prof recognized as PGSF Educator of the Year The Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation named technology professor Jerry Waite the ninth recipient of the organization’s Educator of the Year award. The award is given to educators who show outstanding talent and excellence in graphic communications and printing instruction. Waite will recieve the award at the Teacher’s Conference on Sept. 11, during GRAPH EXPO in Chicago. — Cougar News Staff
CORRECTIONS In the briefs on Monday, we reported that Shasta’s Cones and more would be hosting a “Shasta’s Wet T-shirt relay.” The event has been canceled. The UC Welcome Back is still planned for Wednesday.
Settling into the new year tudents crowded the path in front of Philip Guthrie Hall on their way to class. The return to school is often filled with new introductions and old reunions, making for a memorable week. See the impressions some of your fellow Cougars had of the new semester on page 3. | Nine Nguyen/
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The Daily Cougar
A UH professor aims to refute claims that the Earth is in a permanent warming period in his new book. Larry Bell, an endowed professor of space architecture, said he blames misrepresented statistics and misleading politicians for the widespread belief in global warming in his book, “Climate of Corruption: Politics and Power Behind The Global Warming Hoax.” “The notion of carbon dioxide being a pollutant is silly because carbon dioxide is what makes plants grow; it’s what whales breathe,” Bell said. “There’s a lot of shenanigans with words.” Bell also said that the idea of the earth being in a climate crisis is scientifically inaccurate, and that though we are currently in a warming period, climate change is cyclical, not constant. “(A) misrepresentation is that global warming is bad; that it’s a crisis. No. There is no scientific evidence that we’re in a crisis,” Bell said. “These warming periods happen with the irregularity of electrocardiogram for lots of
reasons.” He said there is no evidence that humans are the primary cause of global warming. “Climate models predict if there’s human global warming occurring, satellites will detect warming in the atmosphere,” Bell said. “What are they detecting? No warming. There’s no human signature of warming caused by carbon dioxide levels.” He said that the result of the effects humans do have on climate are unknown. “If you were to ask me or anyone I know if humans have an effect on climate, we’d say yeah, sure,” Bell said. “But no one knows whether those effects are good or bad.” Bell said that powerful figures, former Vice President Al Gore included, have misled the public on the issue of global warming. Additionally, Cap and Trade legislation, which would provide economic incentives for companies to reduce their amount of hazardous emissions, is a “total scam.” Although many politicians, including President Barack Obama, have championed a Cap WARMING continues on page 3