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Every religion celebrates a winter holiday
Issue 51, Volume 77
Cougars carve across campus
The Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture will be hosting its 3rd annual UH Green Building Expo from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the architecture building. The expo will be presenting the work of various teams and their projects dedicated toward the green initiatives and maintaining technological components that help rather than harm the environment. The inventions presented at the event have the potential to be sold on the market. This event is free and open to the public. For more information about the event or about UH Green Building Components, visit www.UHGBC. org. — Bryan Dupont-Gray
Skateboarding grows in popularity among students Lindsey Falcon, Imelda Vera and Deisy Enriquez
THE DAILY COUGAR
JOB HUNT
ISSSO to help international students find employment Jonathan Tran does a kickflip in front of the E. Cullen building. | Paul Crespo/The Daily Cougar
While some students struggle to make it to their next class amid the chaos of slow-walking groups, a few Cougars have found a more efficient solution — skateboarding. According to some skateboarding commuters, the form of transportation is popular at UH because students can take their skateboards everywhere, and skating is easier than having a bike that needs to be secured to racks before heading into class or to hang out with friends. “It’s easier to transport than a bike,� mechanical engineering
HONORS COLLEGE
Speaker tackles ‘Islamophobia’ Zahra Ahmed
THE DAILY COUGAR The UH Center for Immigration Research, in conjunction with the Department of Sociology, hosted a talk on Tuesday in the Honors College Common Room at the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library featuring Dr. Chantal Saint-Blancat, associate professor of sociology
Theatre and dance school to take Scrooge to court The UH School of Theatre and Dance will be kicking off the Christmas season with “The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge�, a satirical spinoff of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol.� The play will be held at the Jose Quintero Theatre. It will be showing at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Nov. 18 and Dec 2, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Nov. 19 and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 20 and Dec. 3. Prices range from $20 for general admission to $15 for UH faculty and $10 for seniors citizens and students. For more information visit www. theatredance.uh.edu. — Bryan Dupont-Gray
November 17, 2011
TRANSPORTATION
College of Architecture hosts annual Green Building Expo
THEATRE
69 LO 46 Thursday HI
GERALD D. HINES
As part of the International Education Week, the International Student and Scholar Services Office will host an employment seminar from 2 to 5 p.m. on Friday at Melcher Hall, Room 180. Directors and counselors from various student services offices will discuss employment options, the job hunt and practical training. Counselors from ISSSO will be available to specifically cater to the needs of international students. The seminar will also allow a question and answer portion. The event is open to all students, faculty and staff. For more information, contact ISSSO at 713743-5065. — Zahra Ahmed
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Chantal Saint-Blancat studied different cultural communities in Europe for more than 20 years. | Yulia Kutsenkova/The Daily Cougar
at the University of Padua in Italy. Saint-Blancat said that there has been a growth of Muslim communities in Europe, which has a population of 16.7 million people. Muslims make up about 6.5 percent of Italy’s national population. This expansion, however, is not always welcome. She said because of previous terrorist attacks, a sense of “Islamophobia� is growing in the European society.� “Muslims are expected to organize in the community, but Italians prefer them when they are invisible,� Saint-Blancat said. “They are often seen as a threat to democracy. “Muslims in the European Public Space: The Italian Case� focused on Blancat’s study of the social, cultural, and religious aspects and changes in gender identity and family structure within the Muslim community, specifically in Italy. She also focused on how Muslim immigrants develop ties at the local level and manage to carve out a place for themselves in European regions. Since the expansion of the Muslim community, more
mosques have been built on public space. Her analysis showed the importance of economic factors concerning citizenship and identity. Muslim immigrants, because of the ongoing Arab Spring, come to Europe with low socioeconomic backgrounds. But, she said, there has been a gradual emergence of a young middle-class elite. “The European Muslim is from a young, fertile population,� SaintBlancat said. “The younger Muslim population, born from immigrants, knows how to be a part of the society.� Blancat has degrees from the University of Paris and the University of Padua. She received a doctorate in sociology and social research at the University of Trento in Italy. At the University of Padua, she serves as associate professor and vice director of the doctorate program in sociology. Her work deals with national, ethnolinguistic and religious socio-cultural changes among minority groups. news@thedaiycougar.com
freshman Anthony Byrd said. “It’s way smaller, and you can bring it into class.� Byrd, who lives on campus, said even though he does walk a lot and started skateboarding for fun, there are days he relies on it for transportation. “I skateboard whenever I want to get to class fast or something,� Byrd said. “Today I was kind of late, so I had to make up for lost time.� Some students, like media relations junior Athena Armylagos, who has been skating for almost thirteen years, prefers a longboard, a skateboard variant designed for cruising that is likened to a SKATEBOARD continues on page 3
CYCLING
Student cyclists struggle Bikers, pedestrians clash on campus routes to class Nicole Carter, Karishma Sakrouja, Brian Jensen and Saniya Maya
THE DAILY COUGAR With bicycle safety and theft a constant worry for many riders, many UH students are speaking up about their experiences riding to and from class. Bicycles are a healthy and efficient way to get around UH’s huge campus. Industrial design major Aaron McEuen lives on campus and finds riding a bike to class much better than walking, even though he says pedestrians can be hostile. “I’ve almost hit a couple people who were walking and texting. I’ve BiCYCLE continues on page 3