Issue 92, Volume 77

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Get your

CAREER

Check out the Career Guide inside today’s Daily Cougar Going to the job fair? Take a shuttle from the Welcome Center 9am-3pm

in gear HI

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thedailycougar.com

Issue 92, Volume 77

March 22, 2012

Thursday

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 GREEK LIFE

Fraternity to host clothing, voter registration drive The Eta Mu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity will host the ‘Eta Mu Block Party’ from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the University Center circle. The event has two main focuses: The voter registration event, “A Voteless People is a Hopeless People,” and “Shirt off my Back” clothing drive. The fraternity will also provide free food, music and games for students. “I’m excited to have the block party and renew some of the genuine fun on campus while at the same time providing awareness politically and socially to the UH student body. We do everything for the people,” said Elliot Wright, vice president of the Eta Mu chapter. “Shirt off my Back” is a movement the fraternity has been involved with for three years. Clothing collected during the block party will be donated to the OOEIM Orphanage in Accra, Ghana. Their campaign has spread awareness about disparity in Ghana and has aided kids since 2010. — Kimberly O’Neal

CAMPUS

The College Store is no more Textbook resale shop experiences declining sales because of online alternatives, rental services Mohammed Haider

THE DAILY COUGAR After more than 20 years of offering students less expensive books, The College Store is closing its doors. Nebraska Book Company, a textbook industry titan who owns 290 stores nationwide, including The College Store, filed for a Second Amended Plan for Reorganization and Disclosure Statement with the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on March 7.

Although NBC received an extension when it came to the performance evaluations of about 40 off-campus bookstores, The College Store still wasn’t up to par. The College Store Manager Jessica Brost said business started to decline with the popularity and convenience of online sales. “We are among several stores on the list that will be closing,” Brost said. “To be honest, it’s very difficult to say. They were looking at our fall and spring sales. Our sales have been declining over time.” According to NBC, online purchasing isn’t the only factor contributing to the decline of sales in the off-campus bookstores. Recently, many colleges and universities have offered the option of renting textbooks, and then selling them back for lesser value.

“This store definitely coincides with what the whole industry is going through when it comes to textbooks,” Brost said. “It is very difficult to compete with Amazon or E-book. “We pay more for books than they do. It’s a very tough thing to go through.” The increase of online sales, textbook rentals and the popularity of tablets have left many employees of the industry jobless. “Most of us here are going to be on the job market very soon. I’m just hoping for the best for all of us,” Brost said. “It’s unfortunate because the minute we put everything on sale, a long line of people showed up.” news@thedailycougar.com

Cougars browse housing options

S

CORRECTIONS

tudents visited informational tables about housing for the 2012-1013 academic year in the University Center Circle. Bayou Oaks, Cullen Oaks and Cambridge Oaks were also represented. Students attending were also treated to free popcorn, cotton candy and drinks. | Catherine Lara/ The Daily Cougar

In Wednesday’s issue of The Daily Cougar in the article titled “President, VP, senators disqualified,” senators-elect Brandon Balwant and Laxmi Ramana represented Natural Sciences and Mathematics, not the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

ONLINE

Faculty UH’s Faculty Senate had its monthly meeting Wednesday with speakers: President Renu Khator Provost John Antel VC/VP for University Advancement Eloise Stuhr Faculty Senate President Dmitris Litinov.

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Student Government The Student Government Association had its biweekly meeting Wednesday night. Check out these and other stories at thedailycougar.com/news

BAUER

UH sales team wins first in competition Cougars awarded top honors in national event Nici Wright

THE DAILY COUGAR A team of four students from the University of Houston Program for Excellence in Selling brought home the University’s

second win in a row after competing in the National Collegiate Sales Competition March 2 to March 5 in Georgia. Coached by Amy Vandaveer, the team competed against 116 contestants from 58 different schools. “I was extremely nervous,” said marketing and finance

senior Sonya Brooks. “The competition is so nervewracking knowing that you are competing against so many other students and the people you are selling to have been doing this professionally for years.” To prepare, the team roleplayed not only amongst themselves and their coach, but also

with other students in Program for Excellence in Selling, alumni, corporate partners, directors and managers of the UH sales program and the UH students who competed and won last years NCSC. “The team last year was NCSC continues on page 3


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