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Longhorns take Cougars deep in Striking Out Breast Cancer Game ORGANIZATIONS
KONY 2012 documentary to be screened in Cemo Hall The University of Houston’s Invisible Children chapter will host a screening of the KONY 2012 documentary from 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday in room 100D of the Michael J. Cemo Hall, The viewing will be followed by a presentation by Ugandan student Adong Vicky with a Q-and-A session. “(Vicky) is a student from Uganda, so I think it will be great for people to hear someone around our age talking about what it was like to grow up in Northern Uganda and experience these horrors,” said Tessa Long, vice president of the UH chapter. The Q-and-A session will give attendees the opportunity to ask Vicky and representatives of Invisible Children any questions they may have. Merchandise, such as bracelets, DVDs and shirts, will also be sold to help raise funds for the humanitarian organization. “Making this event huge is our main focus for the semester,” said Long. “We want students to come and hear Vicky’s story.” — Max Gardner
CITY
Japanese festival returns to Houston’s Museum District The annual Japan Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Hermann Park in Houston’s Museum District. The event will be hosted by the Japan-America Society of Houston. It will allow visitors to immerse themselves with the flavors and sounds of Japanese culture. The festival has more than 20,000 visitors each year. Martial art demonstrations, musical performances and children’s activities are some of the entertainments that will be provided. Admission to the festival is free, although the event’s website asks for donations or for attendees to become sponsors of the event. — Jennifer Pearson
CORRECTIONS Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com. Corrections will appear here as necessary.
Alum helps you get classy at new boutique
March 29, 2012 Issue 96, Volume 77
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
SGA candidates to be replaced Joshua Mann
THE DAILY COUGAR Although the Student Government Association Court of Appeals decided to disqualify four members of the McHugh-Aijaz party from the elections, it did not order a new election. The disqualified students will be replaced by the candidates with the second-highest number of votes in their respective elections, said Chief Justice Taylor Kilroy in an email announcing the decision. Cedric Bandoh and Turner Harris received the second highest number of votes in the election for president and vice president, and Bandoh said he intends to accept the position as SGA president on Sunday, the first day of the SGA’s next administration. “I’m very humbled and honored to serve the student body as student body president,” Bandoh said. “I can definitely tell you this is not the route that I thought I was going to go on to come to this position.” The original disqualification by the Election Commission was struck down due to violations of the election code, Kilroy said. The Election Commission said it respects the court’s decision because they are upholding the election code and the SGA’s integrity. The unprecedented nature of this type of fraud and incongruences within the election code made the situation difficult to deal with,
Cedric Bandoh will become Student Government Association president on Sunday. | Emily Chambers/The Daily Cougar said Chief Election Commissioner Arsalan Razakazi. “We did the best we could,” he said. Although Michael McHugh could not be reached for comment, Cameron McHugh — Michael’s brother and the person who represented the appellants in the hearing — said it was good that the Election Commission’s decision
was formally overturned, even if the students were still disqualified. “It shows that there was bias existing in the Election Commission,” he said. “I think it was really unfortunate that the Election Commission was able to bypass some of the laws in PRESIDENT continues on page 2
ALUMNI
Cougar fights for women’s rights Ariana Benavidez
THE DAILY COUGAR Frustrated with recent legislation, like the mandatory sonogram bill, alumna Reesa Graham decided to create an event, “Wear White For Women’s Rights,” which will take place Monday. The purpose of the event is to encourage people to stay informed, talk about issues and vote. “The real goals of this movement are empowerment, education, motivation and change. I want us all, average citizen and lawmaker alike, to remember who has ultimate control over this — and that’s us — the voters,” Graham said. “I know our political system is far from perfect, but if we don’t speak up when it matters, then it will never get any better.” Graham, who currently lives in New York City, said she never
considered herself political until recent events “forced” her to pay attention. “This whole thing started because I was so frustrated at what was happening in the world around me,” she said. “I was home on a Saturday evening, reading yet another article about yet another crazy bill that impeded on women’s rights. This particular one was the one in which a Georgia Senator compared women to livestock. And reading the comments that people had written (online) as well, the outrage that people had.” Graham said on that evening she came across Nobel Peace Prize-winner Leymah Gbowee’s nonviolent protest for women’s rights in Liberia. Gbowee inspired Graham to start her own movement. “There is so much outrage online, but no one does anything with it. We make our comments
on bulletin boards and articles and then walk away,” Graham said. “I wanted to find a way that the average American could support this movement — Americans who may not have the resources to travel or even the ability to take the time off work.” As far as her critics go, she said what is most important to her is that she and her board respond to any feedback by being polite and civil. “I am tired of politics being about who can out-rude the other. “No one learns anything that way; people spend too much time defending against the attack,” Graham said Graham asks people to wear all white or a white shirt with pink “I support women’s rights” on it Monday to remind those who write and pass bills to think twice about the laws they are trying to pass.
“I know our political system is far from perfect, but if we don’t speak up when it matters, then it will never get any better.” Reesa Graham, on why she created “Wear White For Women’s Rights” “I want everyone to have a voice, and I want to find a way in which all those voices are heard,” Graham said. “Restrictions or laws that effect only on a single subset of people — in this case, women — is discrimination, pure and simple. Discrimination, in all its forms, should be fought against at all times and by all people.” For more information, go to www.facebook.com/ WearAllWhiteForWomensRights. news@thedailycougar.com