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THE DAILY COUGAR
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February 8, 2012 Issue 71, Volume 77
STAFF
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Senate agenda boasts few changes Officer SGA to discuss grade replacement, MAP, fair pricing at UTS, stipends Joshua Mann
THE DAILY COUGAR Many of the bills that were on the Student Government Association senate’s agenda for last week will be discussed again at 7:30 p.m. in the M.D. Anderson Library’s Rockwell Pavilion, but there is no new legislation being introduced according to the senate order of business. The fair pricing bill, the grade replacement bill and the student-
teacher stipend have been on the agenda since the beginning of the semester, and an earlier form of the GENDA bill was passed last semester before being sent back to the SGA by the Board of Regents. “The main reason (for the delay) is just politics,” said Michael McHugh, author of the GENDA and Good Samaritan policy. “These bills are going to become law; there’s no doubt in my mind. They just want to make sure they have widespread political support.” McHugh said there will be no more action on the new GENDA bill. The SGA is dropping the bill in its current form and intends
to push the original resolution, which would protect faculty and staff as well as students, through the proper channels. The SGA will attempt to bypass the Board of Regents on the old GENDA issue, as it is no longer considered a “major policy change.” Also on the agenda, the Medical Amnesty Protocol, or Good Samaritan bill, will grant students academic amnesty if they call for help from medical or law enforcement officials, although they will still be required to “undergo counseling or psychological services.” “Students need to be rewarded for doing the right thing. After
MEETING What: SGA Meeting When: 7:30 p.m. today Where: Rockwell Pavilion all, this is a public health issue,” McHugh said. At the meeting, the senate will discuss the resolution to provide student teachers with stipends, a bill implementing the Good Samaritan Act, the grade replacement bill and the University Testing Services fair pricing bill. At the time of this writing, the GENDA bill had not yet been removed from the agenda.
retires after 27 years UH Chief of Police Davis: he will be greatly missed campus wide
news@thedailycougar.com Ariana Benavidez
Bills and resolutions on student government’s agenda: UB48006
UB48009
UB48010
Reinstate grade replacement policy
Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act
Allows students who retake a course to erase the grade from their first attempt. Only the grade from the repeat of the class would factor into a student’s GPA. This would only be applicable to a student’s first-45 undergraduate credit hours.
Would have edited the student handbook to protect students from discrimination based on “gender identity,” but no further action is to be taken on this version of the bill, said author Michael McHugh.
SGAR48006
Fair pricing at University Testing Services Would resolve that students who frequently retake institutional tests with UTS should have the fee reduced after the third, sixth and ninth attempts.
Good Samaritan Act Implements the Medical Amnesty Protocol, which protects students who seek medical or police assistance in alcohol or drug-related emergencies from academic sanctions aside from counseling and an exit interview with the dean of students.
SGAR48009
Providing stipends for student teachers Would officially set the SGA in favor of providing students required to teach at grade-schools with stipends. According to the bill’s text, restrictive work schedules make it difficult for student teachers to find other sources of income.
THE DAILY COUGAR For almost 30 years, Larry Adams woke up each morning, put on his UH police uniform and headed to campus to serve the students of the University. Adams has worked under seven UH presidents, knew Shasta when he was a real cougar and was helping students more than 10 years before University of Houston System at Sugar Land existed. Adams’s stay at the University of Houston ended Jan. 31 when he retired. “Larry is one of the most honorable individuals I have ever had the privilege to meet,” said Malcolm Davis, UH Chief of Police. “Larry had a great outlook on life. He always had a smile on his face and knew where the cookies were. Larry understood that life was not always fair, accepted it, and concentrated on what was good in life.” ADAMS continues on page 3
UH SYSTEM
HCC to partner with UH to establish unversity centers The UH System will become a primary partner with the Houston Community College System in a collaborative effort to establish new university centers for the HCC Northwest and Northeast branches. The partnership will create the development of upperdivision and graduate-level programs at both campuses that primarily focus on energy
and health care, Houston’s biggest employers, said Marshall Schott, assistant vice president for Instructional Support and Outreach programs at the UH System, in a UH press release. Plans include expanding academic programs, especially those tailored toward the energy industry, and building more facilities to promote enrollment growth at the Northwest campuses. The Northeast branch, which already boasts a strong technology portfolio, will see considerable improvements to programs in energy and technology-related
fields. “This strategic initiative will advance the most important goal of the UH System, which is to benefit students,” said UH System Chancellor Renu Khator in the release. — Max Gardner
HONORS COLLEGE
Progressivism’s future to be discussed in lecture A lecture titled, “Does American Progressivism Have a Future?” will take place at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
The lecture, put on by the Honors College, will feature speaker William Galston, who is a writer for The New Republic and former advisor to President Bill Clinton. He has also written more than 100 articles on American politics, public policy and the questions of political and moral philosophy and eight books. This lecture is part of the Conservatism and Progressivism in America lecture series. “The aim of the Conservatism and Progressivism in America lecture series is to deepen and
enrich contemporary political discourse by taking an intellectual, historical, and philosophical approach to political debates,” said the release. For more information about and to register for this and future lectures in the series, go to tinyurl.com/7nq6edj. — Cougar New Services
CORRECTIONS Repor errors to editor@thedailycougar.com. Corrections will appear here as needed.