Issue 86, Volume 77 by The Cougar

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Cougars head East to take on Ragin’ Cajuns VOTING

Student government run-off elections held for candidates Student Government Association presidential candidates Cedric Bandoh and Michael McHugh, along with senatorat-large positions one and three, will be taking part in run-off elections until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. Students can use their PeopleSoft ID number, name and birthday to vote online at www. election.uh.edu. The final results of the election will be announced at noon Thursday in the University Center World Affairs Lounge, according to the SGA website. — Cougar News Services

SURF

UH alum returns to roots for poetry reading

Complaints under investigation Taylor McGilvray

THE DAILY COUGAR The Student Government Association is continuing to investigate election complaints. Arsalan Razakazi, chief election commissioner for SGA, said two students have come forward since elections began Feb. 27 — one of which The Daily Cougar reported on Thursday. “When people vote, we can’t tell who they voted for — it’s a privacy issue,” Razakazi said. “We don’t know that. Nobody knows that. The computer does that itself because we want students’ privacy to be there.” Razakazi said there were no cameras to

reference where the students said they were approached, so he was unable to identify the people asking students to sign a petition. Because similar fraudulent practices occured in last year’s elections, Razakazi said he added more security measures to voting by asking for students’ last names. “The people who do fraudulent activities always have one thing up on us. You change something this year, they change their game. As election commissioner, you are more reactive than proactive,” he said. “As proactive as I want to be... the thing is we’re only three people. We’re students first and then SGA later on. It’s hard to maintain 40,000 students out there. It only takes one bad apple.”

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UH Sleep and Anxiety Center helps kids, teens Children with disorders get treatment, provide research oportunities Tristan Tippet

THE DAILY COUGAR The Sleep and Anxiety Center for Kids, established at UH in September, has provided stateof-the-art treatment along with cutting-edge research concerning sleep and anxiety disorders in children. “We work with children between the ages of three and 17

years who sometimes struggle with only one problem,” said associate professor Candice Alfano, who helped establish SACK. “But in many cases, they struggle with several different problems related to anxiety and fear.” Alfano said the fact that SACK is both a research facility and a treatment center is what separates SACK from many other places. “Because we’re a researchbased clinic — meaning that we SLEEP continues on page 3

LIBRARY

LGBT

USS Houston exhibit shown at UH for survivors, family

Professionals to talk about being LGBT in the workplace

Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com. Corrections will appear here as necessary.

Razakazi said students should protect themselves and their voting rights by never giving out their PeopleSoft ID numbers or birth dates to other students, whether it be for a petition or some other matter. “I’m still looking into it — even if it’s one person. I’m still going to be looking into it because to me, when somebody does voter fraud like that it’s taking away someone else’s right,” Razakazi said. The investigation is on-going and Razakazi will continue to take complaints until 7 p.m. today. To file a complaint, email Razakazi at sgaelectioncommission@uh.edu.

UNIVERSITY

The deadline for applications for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship is March 23. Sophomores, juniors and seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA are elgible to apply and must have a faculty mentor and research project secured before they apply, according to SURF’s website. Students enrolled in the program are not allowed to take courses that would give credit for the same research project over the summer, according to the website. The 10-week program gives students a $3,500 stipend and faculty a $300 reimbursement stipend for whatever costs come up during the research, according the website. For more information or to apply, go to http://tinyurl.com/ SURFUH. — Cougar News Services

CORRECTIONS

Issue 86, Volume 77

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Undergraduate research applications due March 23

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender professionals from various fields will give a lecture from 5:30 to 7 p.m. today in the University Center Lone Star room. The discussion will focus on the general attitude towards LGBT individuals in different careers and the speakers’ experiences in the workplace. — Cougar News Services

March 6, 2012

Sheriff on mental health

arris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia delivered an address, “The Harris County Jail: The Largest Mental Health Provider in Texas” Friday in the Rockwell Pavilion. The event was part of the 12th Annual Greater Houston Area Social Work Awards Breakfast, which honored social workers in the greater Houston area. | Mary Curtis/The Daily Cougar

Attendees gather on 70th anniversary of disaster Kimberly O’Neal

THE DAILY COUGAR Friends, family and survivors of the USS Houston’s crew gathered around an exhibit featuring memorabilia from the ship — including blueprints and a photograph of the crew — in the University of Houston library to remember the fallen. The heavy cruiser was sunk

in the Battle of Sunda Strait on March 1, 1942. There were 1,068 crew members on the ship — only 368 survived. The survivors swam to shore, but were held captive by the Japanese for nearly four years. The event was held from 1:30. to 3 p.m. in the Rockwell Pavilion. Julie Grob, Special Collections Coordinator of Digital SURVIVOR continues on page 3

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

NEWS

The Daily Cougar

CAMPUS LIFE

Event showcases wheelchair sports

Y O U C A N D O I T A L L O N T H E D A I L Y C O U G A R . C O M . T R Y I T T O D A Y.

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Where do I get the latest UH news?

Playing sports helps wheelchair-bound individuals take a more positive outlook, said construction management senior Diego Barragan. | Tristan Tippet/The Daily Cougar Tristan Tippet

THE DAILY COUGAR Adaptive Athletics at UH assisted in the fourth annual Metal and Muscle Expo, a Friday and Saturday event in which wheelchair-bound individuals played various sports at the George R. Brown Convention Center. However, the expo wasn’t necessarily just an opportunity to expose the community, said construction management senior Diego Barragan, who is a member of Adaptive Athletics. The event was a showcase for an actual league. “It’s like the NBA but in wheelchairs,” Barragan said. Barragan plays for a local wheelchair rugby team. “There are guys that have been playing 20 to 25 years; I’ve been playing about five years. The age range varies.” Barragan said. “We’re really trying to get a

(UH) team together to try to compete with these guys, but it’ll take a few years. That’s the main goal of Adaptive Athletics at UH.” The Adaptive Athletics program at UH was officially began in November, Barragan said, but lost steam because of the holidays and started up again in January. “This is our first event that we’re doing outside of UH for our organization,” Barragan said. Barragan says he enjoys playing not only for the health benefits, but also for the positive effect it has on his outlook. “It changes your mentality on everything — it’s not a selfish mind set,” he said. “Other people who have been injured ... sometimes whenever they’re barely out of the hospital or they’ve recently gotten injured, they think that life is over. So it’s also psychological. We show them that it won’t matter, you can pretty much live a normal EXPO continues on page 3

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ABOUT THE COUGAR The Daily Cougar is published Monday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and Wednesdays during the summer, at the University of Houston Printing Plant and online at http://thedailycougar.com. The University seeks to provide equal educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status, or sexual orientation. The Daily Cougar is supported in part by Student Service Fees. the first copy of the Cougar is free; each additional copy is 25 cents. SUBSCRIPTIONS Rates are $70 per year or $40 per semester. Mail subscription requests to: Mail Subscriptions, The Daily Cougar, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-4015. NEWS TIPS Send news tips and story ideas to the News Desk. Call (713) 743-5314, e-mail news@ thedailycougar.com or fax (713) 743-5384. A “Submit news item” form is also available online at thedailycougar.com. COPYRIGHT No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the written consent of the director of the Student Publications Department.

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SLEEP continued from page 1

not only treat these problems, we conduct research that is funded by the National Institutes of Health — the treatments and the techniques that we use are based on the latest evidence in terms of what has been shown to be effective,” Alfano said. “That also means the families that call us have the opportunity to be involved in our research, which sometimes means they can receive treatment at no cost, and it’s really cutting-edge treatment that’s already been shown to be effective.” Children don’t have to be eligible for research to receive treatment though, she said. “If they don’t fit into any of our research studies, we can provide clinical services, and I oversee all of the work at SACK,” Alfano said. “I have about 15 years of expertise in working with these problems, and so not only do

EXPO continued from page 2

life. People here are enjoying themselves.” Barragan says the plan of Adaptive Athletics at UH is to create a community at the University where people like him can come together and establish

families who come to us have that level of expertise, (they) also can be sure they’re getting the latest and most effective treatment that’s available.” Anxiety in children can be caused by commonly acknowledged fears like spiders or heights, or more complex issues that Alfano says many people wouldn’t suspect children to worry about. “We have a good number of kids who, at the age of sevenyears-old, are already worried about where they’re going to go to college and worry extensively about things like finances, paying household bills, the future and making sure that the house is secure and taken care of, or things going on in the world,” she said. Alfano said the reason SACK also focuses on sleep is that sleep and anxiety can often be interrelated. “Not only do they co-occur, meaning that kids who are anxious very often have sleep problems, kids who have sleep

problems often don’t get enough sleep at night and they tend to be kind of more anxious and avoid the next day, but we also know from research that when you have one problem, you’re much more likely to develop the other problem over time,” Alfano said. “It can morph into something more complex, and of course the more complex it is, the harder it is to treat.” Alfano said having SACK at UH is critical because children in Texas tend to be under-served in terms of mental health issues. “In many cases, the sleep problems that kids have are really behavioral problems; they’re not medical problems and for the most part, physicians aren’t sure where to begin in behavioral therapy,” she said. “So this is really adding something to the community — the care we can provide to children in the Houston area that to my knowledge wasn’t available before.”

their own bond — their own identity. “We are thinking of doing a basketball tournament with the fraternities,” Barragan said. “We have to talk to them first to see if they want to and if that happens, we already have a lot of support from the CRWC Center.” Adaptive Athletics is also about reaching out to the

community, Barragan said. “You bring awareness to those who have never seen or heard of wheelchair sports in general,” he said. “It’s the UH community that’s going to be in the Houston community, and that’s who we’re ultimately helping.”

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Tuesday, March 6, 2012 ! 3

Howard Brooks is one of the 368 survivors of the crew. Of the 15 alive today, two were able to attend this year’s event. | Brianna Leigh Morrison/The Daily Cougar

SURVIVOR continued from page 1

Projects and Instruction opened up the event by telling the guests about the Survivor Association, founded in 1946. Two of the goals of the Association are to digitize materials such as diaries, scrapbooks and photos of the crew and to preserve the historic authenticity of the items, Grob said. The Survivor’s Association is interested in the history of the

ship, Grob said, and is in possession of photographs and letters from war camps. It is interested in acquiring more items for the collection. “It’s very important to understand the historic value of veteran experience relative to all of our military experience,” said Allen Grundy, director of the Veterans’ Service Office at UH. “If you don’t know your past, you don’t know where you’re going.” news@thedailycougar.com

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When?

We have...

Feb 27 — March 1 General Election March 5 — March 7 Run-Off Election How?

IT’S FAST AND EASY! Head to election.uh.edu to cast your vote!

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Who?

SGA is a group of elected representatives who work hard for YOU to make change happen on campus. It’s time to vote for who you want to be YOUR voice!

Be the change you want to see on campus! www.election.uh.edu

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Daily Cougar

OPINION THE DAILY COUGAR EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITORS SPORTS EDITOR LIFE

& ARTS EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR COPY CHIEF

Daniel Renfrow Mary Baak Taylor McGilvray, Joshua Mann Joshua Siegel Jose Aguilar David Haydon Amanda Hillow

STAFF EDITORIAL

Millenials helped, crippled by technology

recent survey from the Pew Research Center reveals the complicated relationship millennials will have with technology by the year 2020. According to the survey, millennials will benefit from the “networked world” of 2020 because it will be easier for them to quickly find answers to pressing questions. However, the survey also warns that the hyperconnectivity resulting from a technologyladen world could make it difficult for young people to foster deep connections to the people and knowledge made readily available to them. According to the survey, a stagnation of innovation could occur because of the “quickfix” aspect of technology-facilitated information exchanges. Because of the speed and ease of exchange, the survey predicts that young people will focus less on critically analyzing the information they are consuming and more on the simple act of accumulating information. “The human brain is wired to adapt to what the environment around it requires for survival,” said cyberanthropologist Amber Case, who offered feedback on the results of the survey. “Memories are becoming hyperlinks to information triggered by keywords and URLs. We are becoming ‘persistent paleontologists’ of our own external memories, as our brains are storing the keywords to get back to those memories and not the full memories themselves.” Consider Case’s arguement, and then think about what would happen if our collective access to all of this stored information is suddenly taken away — we would be completely crippled. It is important for college students today to deeply consider the results of this survey. Students need to determine how they can analyze — not just collect and store — the large quantities of information made readily available to them. If we cannot find a way to do this, we will become even further crippled by our inability to think critically without our favorite crutch.

E D I TO R I A L P O L I C I E S STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Daily Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing. ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole. GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Commentary should be kept to less than 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies to material already printed in the Cougar, but rather should present independent points of view. Rebuttals should be sent as letters. Deliver submissions to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

EDITOR David Haydon E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/opinion

Students do away with Chick-fil-A L

ast week, Northeastern University’s Student Senate voted to halt plans to include a Chick-fil-A location on campus because of their donations to anti-gay organizations. Spokeswoman for the college Renata Emily Nyul said the uniBrooks versity is happy with the outcome. “We are proud of the decision that affirms our university’s commitment to be an inclusive, diverse community that is respectful of all,” she said. Similar petitions and requests have been popping up at colleges all across the country. NYU students obtained over 10,000 signatures to ban Chick-filA from campus. Ultimately the student government elected to allow the location, largely because — as with UH — the university does not have a direct relationship with the restaurant organization, but with Aramark instead. These students are angry because over the last few years, Chick-fil-A’s charitable arm, The Winshape Foundation, has donated millions of dollars to groups like Exodus International, Focus on the Family, The National Organization for Marriage and the Pennsylvania Family Institute. All of these organizations support anti-gay causes. Exodus International is an “ex-gay” organization that promotes treatments to “cure” homosexuality, largely by reinforcing gender stereotypes. Focus on the Family is infamous as well. Founder James Dobson has claimed in the past that “Same-sex relationships undermine

the future generation’s understanding of the fundamental principles of marriage, parenthood and gender.” The National Organization for Marriage and the Pennsylvania Family Institute both seek to pass a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage. Anyone who has craved a chicken sandwich on a Sunday already knows that the owners of Chick-fil-A are conservative Christians. They are closed on Sundays and include the phrase “to glorify God” in their mission statement. However, Christianity is by no means synonymous with homophobia. There are many Christian organizations that support gay rights, but Chick-fil-A donates to none of them. The affiliated Winshape Foundation has co-hosted conferences with same-sex marriage opponents. The Foundation’s retreat center does not allow homosexuals. Potential hires at Chick-fil-A are required to divulge their marital status and religious beliefs before they can even be considered for employment. The restaurant chain has had little to say on the matter. “We’re a restaurant that has a hospitality that says we’re here to embrace everyone who wants to come and be part of Chickfil-A,” Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy claims, “So to be identified with some sort of hate group that has a political agenda — that is not Chick-fil-A at all.” But how can Cathy not think he would be identified with groups to which he gave millions of dollars? He would still like to have the business of the LGBT community but, “At the same time, we will continue to offer resources to strengthen marriages and families.’’

We all know what this is

CHICKEN’S REBUTTAL by David Delgado

code for. It seems apparent that the owners and operators of Chick-fil-A have an anti-gay agenda — but does that mean that Chick-fil-A restaurants should be removed from college campuses? That depends on the campus. Petitions and student government actions have their place and can act to a certain extent, but, as seen with NYU, they do not always have the power to remove a popular restaurant from campus. You can take a stand for gay rights on your own. The University has many inexpensive and healthy options that lack the stigma of bigotry. If you support marriage equality — stop eating at Chick-fil-A. A vote with your wallet will be worth as much, if not more, than SGA action. Emily Brooks is an economics senior and may be reached at opinion@thedialycougar.com.

GOP amendment undermines Obama

n amendment that would have restricted the ongoing health care legislation was defeated by a narrow 48-51 vote on Thursday. This amendment, endorsed by Republican candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Saniya Santorum, would have Maya allowed any employer or insurance company to refuse coverage for any activity they claim a religious or moral objection against. For example, if an employer does not approve premarital sex, the insurance company would not cover sonograms. The amendment would have been senseless. One of the reasons it was proposed was to tear down President Barack Obama’s health care reform law. Most Republicans oppose Obama and therefore want to destroy every single change he has made during his presidency. Obama’s health care reform, for the first time in history, required all insurance policies to cover a package of preventive services, including flu shots, prenatal care, etc. The policy has made a mark for the upcoming years and will also help the citizens by providing them with a better treatment at a lower cost. The Obama administration expanded the law in August that list to include birth control

and screening for H.I.V. and cervical cancer, among other services. The final decision of the voting was agreeable, and provided justice to women and the undermining of the separation church and state. They both are rough on women’s issues, including their health care issues. They do not look at the perspective on giving women the freedom of choice. They also brought in a matter of freedom of religion dealing with women taking birth controls and unmarried women being pregnant. It is ridiculous on how the two are bringing the topic of religious freedom in the matter of women taking birth control and being pregnant out of wedlock. The matter was not actually about religious freedom, but about denying the consumers — mainly women — the right to make their own medical decisions and keeping up the antigovernment and anti-President Obama rhythm. If one of the two wins the presidency in November 2012, America is going to be in danger and will undergo gender discrimination from the White House. They are also going to destroy the law if either one becomes a president. A fear comes into people’s mind that what the next president is going to do to America after this amendment was so close to being in the Constitution. Are

If the amendment were to pass, it would have had an extremely bad effect on America and its people. The few votes have saved America and its people from gender discrimination and a misunderstanding of the freedom of religion aspect of the Constitution.” women going to have the same amount of freedom they have currently or is it going to change? This comes in every person’s mind after such close defeat to the amendment. If the amendment were to pass, it would have had an extremely bad effect on America and its people. The few votes have saved America and its people from gender discrimination and a misunderstanding of the freedom of religion aspect of the Constitution. The only purpose of this amendment was to fail Obama’s health reform and Republicans were unable to achieve the goal. Saniya Maya is an journalism senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Daily Cougar

EDITOR Joshua Siegel E-MAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/sports

BASEBALL

Cougars hittin’ the road Gilbert Requena

THE DAILY COUGAR Coming off a winning weekend at the Houston College Classic, the Cougars are hitting the road for the first time this season. Seven of their next 10 games are on the road.The first destination on the roadmap — Lafayette, La. The Cougars (6-5) will take on the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns at 6:00 p.m.at Moore Field. The Ragin’ Cajuns (6-5) enter the game having dropped two out of three contests at the UTSA classic in San Antonio over the weekend. Their lone win came against Kansas, 8-6. Pacing the offense for the Ragin’ Cajuns is sophomore shortstop Ryan Leonards. He is hitting .415 with 17 hits and 11 runs in 41 at bats. In order for the Cougars to have success on this road trip, they are going to have to continue their stellar starting pitching and keep up the assertive approach at the plate. “We’re going to have to do what we did last week against Rice,” head coach Todd Whitting said. “(Pruitt) had a great outing and kept us in the game. “I thought we made a great adjustment over the weekend as far as being aggressive at the plate. Our defense has been pretty solid, we had a few hiccups (Sunday), but we’ve had good defense and quality starting pitching in just about every game this year.” Following his solid outing against Rice, Austin Pruitt will once again get the Tuesday-game nod. Like many fathers and sons, or friends that have been on road trips know, these trips can make enduring memories, but they can also be filled with tension. “There’s going to be a few distractions,” Whitting said. “But those are things that are good for your ball club and something that every college team has to overcome. “I think there are great benefits to being on the road. You get to spend a lot of time with the players and they

Austin Pruitt hopes to keep the trend of strong pitching alive for UH tonight against Louisiana-Lafayette. In his last outing, Pruitt went six innings, striking out seven against Rice. | Courtesy of UH Athlectics get to hang out with each other. It’s a great bonding experience.” Whitting said being on the road for an extended period of time doesn’t mean the club has an excuse for sloppy play or losses. Their play should be consistent no matter where they are. “We were a good road team last year, and I expect us to be one again this year,” Whitting said. Ray, Kay recognized for weekend performances After posting a career-best 10 strikeouts in UH’s Friday win against Tennessee, UH starting pitcher Jared Ray was named Conference-USA Pitcher of the Week. Ray scattered five hits and one earned run over seven innings of work on Friday in the Cougars’ 7-4 win over Tennessee. Ray’s efforts were also recognized as a member of the Houston College Classic All-Tournament Team. Also selected to the team was UH freshman Cody Kay, who hit his first career home run in the Cougars’ 4-1 win over No. 4 Arkansas on Saturday.

MATCHUP

Team overview Last three games: 3/2 vs. Tennessee 3/3 vs. Arkansas 3/4 vs. Texas Tech

Schedule W, 7-4 W, 4-1 L, 10-4

Team leaders: Avg Chase Jensen .361 R C. Grayson/L. Appling 8 HR Three tied with 1 RBI P. Jacobs/C. Jensen 9 W Jordan Lewis 2 ERA Jared Ray 1.42 IP Jared Ray 19.0 SO Jared Ray 20

Upcoming games 3/6 at UL-Lafayette 3/9 at Ole Miss 3/10 at Ole Miss

6 6:30 1:30

Projected lineup: C John Cannon 1B Casey Grayson 2B Chase Jensen SS Jake Runte 3B Taylor White LF Price Jacobs CF Landon Appling RF Jacob Lueneburg DH Zach Gibson

.263 .220 .361 .350 .286 .278 .250 .295 .222

sports@thedailycougar.com

TENNIS

UH doubles its chances with Ring Albert Torres

THE DAILY COUGAR

Senior Laura Ring has helped turned a weakness into a strength for the Cougars this season. Ring plays doubles exclusively and is 5-0 this season. | Courtesy of UH Athlectics

The Cougars (5-3) have won five of their last six matches. Despite losing a close match against No. 58 Tulane to snap their five-match win streak a week ago, the Cougars intend to go on another tear as their quest for a national ranking continues. One player that has come on strong during UH’s recent dominance is senior Laura Ring. Ring, a doubles specialist, has gone 5-0 in doubles play while teamed up with freshmen Charlotte Phillips and Liselot Koenen. When the spring season started, head coach John Severance noted that the team needed to improve in doubles play and brought in Ring after she took a year off to focus on academic to address that need. “Laura is a great player and competitor,” Severance said. “She plays

with great energy and is an animal at the net — she doesn’t stop. “She really is seizing her second chance to play.” Ring is enjoying her comeback and has become a vital part of the Cougars’ success. “I believe that I bring energy to the team,” Ring said “ I really want to play and do well while helping the team win.” Ring plays doubles exclusively. She said it is completely different game than singles. “It is totally different in every way,” she said. “First off, you have a teammate right there cheering you on and you pump each other up, but you also have to communicate and work as a team.” She has proven herself over the past month as she has helped make UH a force in doubles play. Last week against Tulane, she and Liselot Koenen earned UH only win

out of three hotly-contested doubles matches for Houston. Ring started her collegiate tennis career at Texas Tech, but decided to transfer to play in Houston for Severance. “I came here because I wanted to be a Cougar,” Ring said. “UH has the best fans, best facilities and I love my teammates.” She feels that coming to Houston was the right decision. “It’s great, I love my teammates,” she said. “We all get along and it gives you a chance to build lifelong friendships.” Ring’s answer for wanting to play for Severance was simple. “Because he’s the best — go Coogs.” Despite taking a year off, Ring shows little signs of rust. “I have played since I was around seven years old,” Ring said. “I love it.” So far this season, Ring and her TENNIS continues on page 6

SPORTS

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

TRACK & FIELD

THE DAILY COUGAR Tai’Shea Reese was unable to improve her mark, but still qualified for nationals on Friday at the Arkansas Last Chance Meet in Fayetteville, Ark. Reese placed fourth in the women’s long jump with a mark of 20-.50. Reese qualified for nationals with her previous mark of 20-6.25. Isaiah Sweeney placed fifth in the men’s long jump with a mark of 24-5.50, just short of the 25-2.00 mark needed for nationals. Sweeney was unable to participate in the 60-meter dash due to an injury. Head coach Leroy Burrell said it is a pretty tall order to qualify at a last-chance meet, especially

CROSSWORD \\\\\\\\\\\\\\

TENNIS

Reese qualifies for nationals Eduardo Venegas

The Daily Cougar

continued from page 5

with a lingering injury. “In the events that he does, it’s best to be a hundred percent, I thought Isaiah competed admirably at the conference meet,” Burrell said. “He was able to recover slightly and compete fairly well at the last chance meet.” Burrell said that Sweeney’s failure to qualify for nationals does not take anything away from the season he had. “He has scored a whole lot of points for this team at the meets and has really asserted himself as a team leader,” Burrell said. Senior hurdler DeMeeka Jones placed fourth in her event with a mark of 8.36. Jones needed to improve her season’s best mark of 8.38 by .18 to be considered at nationals.

partners have found the perfect pre-match formula to produce wins. “I just pump myself up, get ready mentally, I drink water and just listen to loud music,” she said. “Me and my partner just pump each other up.” The Cougars brought in Ring to help improve their doubles play as part of their larger goal to obtain a national ranking. “My team goal is to get nationally ranked, and my personal goal is go undefeated,” Ring said. Severance is confident that the Cougars can accomplish both of those goals and spur on another win streak — or as he put it, “kick butt.” Laura Ring and the Cougars will be back in action at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the John E. Hoff courts as they take on Prairie View A&M.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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ACROSS 1 Baby food 4 Baseball team less one 9 Oversentimental 14 “Flags of ___ Fathers” 15 Coen brothers film of 1996 16 Blender setting 17 Check text for errors 19 Accessorize, maybe 20 California ballplayer 21 Bathtub swirl 23 Storklike bird 24 Give an OK 26 “Fiddler on the Roof” character 28 American dogwood 31 A fairy may leave money for it 33 Ballplayer’s headgear 36 About to snap 37 Three-note chord 39 Baby-feeding finale 41 Alpine echo 44 “... golden days of ___” 45 “Bottoms up!” 47 Dashing style 49 ___ and improved 50 Carpenter’s fastener 52 Coated with

hoarfrost 54 Downspout site 56 Desk chair feature 60 Ends’ counterparts 62 Things you can connect 65 Easily taken advantage of 66 Common still-life subject 68 Manipulated, say 70 Strong suit 71 Fertile soil ingredient 72 Unit of work 73 Blender variable 74 Prognosticators 75 “Does she or doesn’t she?” item DOWN 1 “Where’s ___?” (George Segal film) 2 Indefinable somethings 3 Cattle zappers 4 Football side 5 One thing to travel by 6 Lemur’s hangout 7 “Bejabbers!” 8 Hot winter drink 9 Hydrotherapy facility 10 Acoustic 11 Trial period 12 “Scope” prefix, in subs

13 Cravings 18 Filled cookie 22 “The best is ___ to come” 25 Well-ordered 27 “Death Be ___ Proud” 29 “Me, me, me” attitude 30 Winona of “Edward Scissorhands” 32 “The Tortoise and the ___” 33 Semi professionals use them 34 Arctic seabirds 35 Particular course of action 38 Glistening grass stuff 40 Leech or tapeworm, e.g. 42 Wallach of film 43 Beats it

46 “My Name Is Asher ___” 48 State of novelty 51 Commit matrimony 53 “Buenos ___!” 55 Second-year coeds 57 Gripped on a bench 58 Partner of each 59 It may be just outside your window 60 “Tip” or “rip” finish 61 Bit of medicine for the eye 63 “I can’t deny that” 64 Unspecific amount 67 Kennedy or Danson 69 Certainly not a purebred

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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Daily Cougar

EDITOR Jose Aguilar E-MAIL arts@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/arts

ALUMNI IN THE ARTS

Poet drops ‘heavy’ poems for public Jed Ocot

THE DAILY COUGAR UH alumnus Ryler Dustin, who read from his book “Heavy Lead Birdsong,” was just one of the poets featured at a Public Poetry reading Saturday at Park Place Regional. The event also featured Hayan Charara, Marcell Murphy and Susan Wood. A finalist in the Individual World Poetry Slam, Dustin graduated from the University’s Master’s of Fine Arts program. He has received Inprint’s Paul Verlain Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. Dustin read three selections from the book, which was published in 2008 — “Baptism,” “Damaged Transcript” and “Blackbirds.” “I haven’t read this one for a long time,” Dustin said before reading the last. “I used to read this a lot more when I was doing Slam Poetry and touring and stuff like that,” he said. “I used to have it memorized, but I’m not sure I trust myself.” During his second round of readings, he introduced new poems, “White Water,” “For My Little Sister,” “Thin Smoke” and “Vicuñas.”

“Vicuñas are a small animal, kind of like an Alpaca, that lives up in the Andes,” he said on his inspiration behind the poem. “I was reading an article about them and I thought they were cool.” Dustin currently teaches poetry to Houston middle school students through the Writers in the Schools program and for Inprint at Project Row Houses. In the spring, he will offer an adult workshop for Inprint. Fran Sanders, founder of Public Poetry, has showcased various poets at Park Place for the last three months. This reading was the organization’s last for the Winter 2012 Series. On April 7, the Spring Series begins and will move to different Houston libraries and will also feature a new group of poets to keep the program fresh. “Our purpose, simply put, is to expose as much of the public to as much good poetry as possible,” Sanders said. With a partnership between Public Poetry and Houston Public Library, these events feature an array of both local and visiting poets. Each program features at least one student reader and begins with a local guest celebrity or public figure. A book signing follows at the end of

COOG RADIO

DJ shares beats, acts in top show

Broadcast journalism major Aimee Rivas hosts “Pulse” on Coog Radio, UH’s first and only student-run radio station. | Courtesy of Kim Grady

Kim Grady

THE DAILY COUGAR With a love of music and aspirations to never have to work a typical job, Aimee Rivas is making the most of her disc jockey stint at Coog Radio. Rivas hosts “Pulse,” the show with the highest listenership on Coog Radio, according to CR

administrators. “Pulse” features music and artists from the electronic and dance genres. The show is a starting point for Rivas. “I’m going to school for broadcast journalism, so this is something that I will definitely use in my career,” Rivas said. Along with her gig at Coog COOG RADIO continues on page 8

UH alumnus and poet Ryler Dustin shared his work at the Public Poetry event on Saturday. The event also featured Hayan Charara, Marcell Murphy and Susan Wood. | Courtesy of Public Poetry each event. For more information on Public Poetry, visit www.publicpoetry.net. For more information on Dustin or to

hear some of his poetry, visit www.myspace.com/rylerpoetry. arts@thedailycougar.com

LIFE +ARTS

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Daily Cougar

COOG RADIO continued from page 7

Radio, Rivas interns with the Rod Ryan show on Houston radio station 94.5 The Buzz. Rivas is building her experience in order to pursue her future endeavors as a radio host. “I love the music and I plan on working in radio when I graduate,” Rivas said. Rivas mainly features music from the EDM scene, but also throws on some drum-and-bass, dubstep and some hard dance at times. The show is a chance for Rivas and her audience to meet new artists and interview them about their style of music. Most of her guests are budding artists still building their careers. The show is also a chance for Rivas to ensure that her path doesn’t end in a routine nine-tofive job. “I didn’t want one of those boring office jobs. I wanted to do something with my ideas and be heard,” Rivas said, adding that

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she wants to “speak to the world.” On the show, artists get the chance to discuss how their lives have inspired them to make music and share how their journey began. One of the artists that Rivas interviewed recently was DJ Daze One, also known as Abel Moreno. Moreno said that he likes “Pulse” and Rivas because she provides a platform that is a necessity for artists like himself. “She is doing what a lot of other shows aren’t doing and that is giving me, as an artist, a chance to show the world the skills I have,” Moreno said. “Pulse” is gaining new listeners every week, Rivas said. “Be sure to listen to the show, I have giveaways every week for Underworld Fridays that you don’t want to miss,” Rivas said, referring to the local night at the Montrose club, Numbers. Visit www.coogradio.com to tune into Rivas as she hosts “Pulse” every Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m. arts@thedailycougar.com

LISTEN What: “Pulse,” an electronic dance music program hosted by Aimee Rivas Where: Online at www.coogradio.com When: Every Wednesday, 3 to 5 p.m..

www.thedailycougar.com Stay in touch.

RECREPORT

DEPARTMENT OF CAMPUS RECREATION SPOTLIGHT

Volleyball Seeks Another Championship Appearance

he UH Women’s Volleyball Club start the spring 2012 Tseason with high expectations. Last season the club was successful in Houston Club Sports Conference play, boasting a 5-3 conference record. The Houston Club Sports Conference includes LSC- Tomball, Rice University, LSC- Harris, UH-Downtown, HCC- Northwest, HCC- Central, and TSU.

Ranked as the fourth best team going into the 2010 HCSC Championships, the lady cougars looked to play their best ball in their efforts in obtaining the conference title. The lady cougars met with the crosstown rival, Rice University, in the championship match. The cougars fell short to the owls in a four set thriller 23-25, 27-25, 26-24, 25-22. This year the lady cougars are

off to a good start, ranked second in their conference with a 2-1 record. Club Coach Jonathan Shin and new club president, Courtney Carrel, aim to lead the club back to the HCSC Championship. Come support the lady coogs at their next volleyball match on the March 7th, located in the CRWC at 7pm. The lady coogs will be facing 5th ranked LSC- North Harris.

The Biggest Loser: UH Edition aturday, March 3rd marked S the final assessment for the participants of the Biggest Loser: UH Edition fitness incentive program and proved a success! Some of our participants had never spent time in the Rec Center before, but the Biggest Loser has taught them the valuable nutrition, fitness, and healthy-living knowledge they need to utilize Campus Recreation and all it has to offer.

Of the 85 active participants in the program, 30 were in attendance for their final assessment for a combined weight loss total of over 133 pounds! Two of our participants lost over 15 pounds in the six-week program and almost everyone made progress within the components of the fitness assessment. If you missed this year’s Biggest Loser incentive challenge, be sure to register next Spring 2013!

The Rec Report is a paid advertising section for the Department of Campus Recreation.