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
®
GET SOME DAILY
thedailycougar.com
82 LO 53 Tuesday HI
Cougars take the court for exhibition game against Concordia
Be prepared, Houston Beer Week is back
November 8, 2011 Issue 45, Volume 77
STATE
Proposition to extend loan program Passage would provide more funding, giving Texas residents lower interest rates for college
Board to issue general obligation bonds for the purpose of financing educational loans to students. More specifically, the amendment will allow the continued funding of the Hinson-Hazlewood College Student Loan Program, which offers low-interest student loans to Texas residents. The Hinson-Hazlewood Program offers these loans under its College Access Loan Program. The program appeals to middle income families; it is not need based and now carries an annual fixed income rate of 5.25 percent in contrast to the 6.8 percent rate attached to federal unsubsidized loans. UH professor and lobbyist Nancy Sims said she supports the proposition as an initiative to help college students burdened in tough economic times.
Ryan Rockett, Jennifer Postel and Joshua Mann
THE DAILY COUGAR In the wake of rising tuition costs and state budget cuts in college funding programs, UH students have the opportunity to vote for some extra help in the form of low-interest student loans proposed on today’s city election ballot. Proposition 3 on the ballot is a state constitutional amendment allowing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
The proposition, composed by Sen. Royce West (D-TX), arrives as the state reaches its $1.9 billion mark for lending under student loan programs accumulated for 45 years and seven voting sessions authorizing increased lending authority. With its passage, the state will be approved to continue issuing new bonds, as old bonds are retired without the need of continued votes, provided the amount lent remains at its $350 million annual cap. The amendment has generated several detractors, the most vocal of which are members of the organizations Empower Texans and the Houston Tea Party. “Unelected bureaucrats can forever borrow money on behalf of the state, turn around and loan it to students in
expectation that it will all be paid back, without ever coming back to the voters to approve of their actions,” Empower Texans social media coordinator Dustin Matocha said on the organization’s website regarding Proposition 3. “Government should not be in the business of subsidizing any part of the market, let alone tuition loans.” Matocha did not respond to calls seeking further comment in time for publication. The Legislative Budget Board states that the bonds issued will be self-supporting, and the debt authority will not be included in the constitutional debt limit. This selfsufficiency also means that the bonds will PROPOSITION continues on page 8
WORKSHOP
CITY
University to host sexual assault prevention seminar
Repercussions of NBA lockout yet to be seen
The UH Equal Opportunity Office, in conjunction with the Women’s Resource Center and Fort Bend County Women’s Center, will host a presentation from 1-3 p.m. Wednesday in the Office of Equal Opportunity Services conference room, in Student Service Center Building 2. “Primary Prevention 101: Preventing Sexual Assault” will engage attendees with vital information to create awareness of sexual assault and how to spot potentially dangerous situations. For more information about this free event, visit http://www. uh.edu/wrc. — Michelle Casas
University, city reacts to the possibility of a future without basketball on TV Love Patel, Pedro Pinto and Edgar Veliz
THE DAILY COUGAR
FACULTY
UH art professor produces featured work in airport UH School of Art professor John Reed and his collaborative partner Esther Mera are among the 17 contributors of digital artwork for the “Wow Project.” Located at the Los Angeles International Airport’s newly renovated Thomas Bradley International Terminal, the art contains two main elements. One is a video wall comprised of 25 video screens. The second is a ribbon of 58 video monitors that is suspended along the ceiling of the waiting area. Reed is the former director of UH’s School of Art and is currently on a Fulbright Research Residency in Spain. — Karishma Sakrouja
Veterans Speak Up
A
s part of Veterans Awareness Week, UH Veterans’ Services and the Veterans Collegiate Society hosted “Veterans Speak Up,” on Monday. The discussion focused on the challenges of transitioning back to civilian life and being a college student. | Emily Chambers/The Daily Cougar
» Full story: To get the full scoop on this event, read the article at thedailycougar.com/news
As the NBA lockout drags on, the students and businesses around UH are adapting to the reality that there might not be an NBA season. Many fans have moved on, choosing to watch other sports instead of local basketball. “I am currently watching a lot of football,” business major Kevin Phung said. “I am, though, following the updates on the CBA negotiations religiously.” For Phung and many other students, UH basketball is not too appealing. According to a report released by the NCAA in 2010, UH averaged 3,202 fans a game. C-USA averaged 5,701 fans and is ranked ninth in the nation in attendance. One student who has attended UH basketball games said the improving program will definitely help him survive until the NBA season begins. “I’m focusing on both football and UH basketball,” Dyllon Braun a broadcast journalism major said. “They’re underrated but good.
“This (the focus on football) is no surprise. When the season starts, the first thing I’ll do is tune in to the Rockets.” If UH moves to the Big East they will move into the fourth largest attendance conference in the nation. The Big East averages 11,014 fans a game. “This will be a great basketball move,” Braun said. “New competition is always exciting.” While students have numerous options, some businesses, such as sports bars, do not have such luxuries. Management at The Den, the University pub, is not worried about losing customers to basketball, reporting that they are thriving with the success of the undefeated football team. Unlike The Den, businesses near the Toyota Center are feeling the effect of the lockout as they lose money when games are not played. Saint Dane’s Bar & Grille has specials for nights that the Rockets are playing, and usually attracts customers who are in the area to attend the game, or want a place to watch it with friends. William Baker, a manager at Saint Dane’s, said the lockout hasn’t taken its full toll just yet. “We’re staying pretty steady because we’ve got football season, but we suffer a little during the week,” Baker said. “If we don’t NBA continues on page 8