Issue 103, Volume 77 by The Cougar

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Issue 103, Volume 77

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

SGA makes appointments at meeting Joshua Mann

THE DAILY COUGAR Several appointments were made to positions within the Student Government Association during the senate meeting Wednesday. Positions filled included chief of staff, speaker for the senate and pro tempore

speaker, as well as various positions in the four committees. Stephen Cronin was endorsed for the position of speaker for the senate by former Speaker Reyes Ramirez and was later elected to the position by the senate members. “He’d be a good one,” Reyes said. “He knows (the rules) like the back of his hand and I think he runs an efficient

meeting.” Cronin said he plans on taking a “transpartisan” role as speaker and will not sponsoring or writing legislation while in the position. “I don’t really believe in partisanship from the speaker’s position,” he said. “My perspective on what the speaker SGA continues on page 3

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Christopher Holly, chief of staff Stephen Cronin, speaker for the senate Sean Tarver, speaker pro tempore Maggie McCartney, academic affairs chair Josephine Tittsworth, internal affairs chair Sean Tarver, internal affairs chair

STUDENTS

Cougars advertise for Honda

Cougar receives 2012 Goldwater scholarship Miriam Villalta

THE DAILY COUGAR

UH group helps with Civic’s 2012 ad campaign Kimberly O’Neal

THE DAILY COUGAR Students crowded around the new 2012 Honda Civic Coupe parked in front of the University Center on Tuesday for a promotional event organized by Cougar Concepts. The attendees played with the radio and other dashboard gadgetry and enjoyed free food, games and giveaways while asking questions about the car’s gas mileage and price points of the Cougar Concepts crew. The students of Cougar Concepts were required to do a campaign briefing and create ads for Honda during the semester. This year’s event was centered on the theme, “How do you Civic?” According to Chelsea Lewis, a member of the student-run agency Cougar Concepts, the theme has

APPOINTEES

Cougar Concepts promoted the 2012 Honda Civic Coupe in their “How Do You Civic?” event Tuesday in front of the University Center. | Courtesy of Angela Finnelsr to do with a person’s individuality and style, and the way they drive their car. Cougar Concepts worked with Honda and EdVenture Partners to encourage college students to communicate and share how they interact with the Honda Civic Coupe. The students of Cougar Concepts collaborated and developed this marketing campaign for Honda. The students produced 900 flyers, posted ads, placed 50 yard signs strategically on campus and wrote a press release, which was posted on the group’s Facebook

page. Jerne Davidson, an event coordinator for Cougar Concepts, explained that UH was one of 22 universities chosen by EdVenture Partners to represent them and create a real campaign for the Civic. “A lot of our success is going to be measured by how this event turns out — the number of attendees — the number of people that are swayed by us to buy the car and everything of that nature,” Davidson said. news@thedailycougar.com

UH junior Mason Biamonte has been named a 2012 Goldwater Scholar, a scholarship awarded to undergraduate science students. Biamonte, physics and mathematics major, is being recognized as one of the nation’s top science students. “It is very satisfying to be recognized for the work that I have carried out in the research lab and in the classroom by such a prestigious institution,” Biamonte said. “At the same time, there is a huge responsibility associated with carrying this distinction because it means that I am supposed to be one of the top scientists in the country.” Originally a chemical engineering major, Biamonte realized his passion in fundamental science and changed his major to chemistry but remained unsatisfied. “Realizing that physics

“Realizing that physics explained everything about modern chemistry, my curiosity could not be satisfied without having a deeper understanding of why chemical reactions proceeded the way they do” Mason Biamonte, on why he majored in physics explained everything about modern chemistry, my curiosity could not be satisfied without having a deeper understanding of why chemical reactions proceeded the way they do,” he said. “I chose to double major in mathematics to strengthen my physics education and progress in research.” Biamonte, who also serves as the vice president of the UH chapter of the Society of Physics Students, began working in SCHOLAR continues on page 12

CITY

Banking CEO talks global economy with employees, public Cameron McHugh

GUEST SUBMITTER Issues including the global economy, particularly the Euro-crisis, sovereign debt and the effect of the financial crisis on capital markets worldwide were the focus of a lecture given by JP Morgan Chase &

Co’s chief executive officer Jamie Dimon on Wednesday at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. Dimon said there is an increase in global demand for financial services because of the increase in educated workers in foreign markets. He said the amount of clients has doubled worldwide through the increase in client needs within global

capital markets. JP Morgan Chase & Co. does not focus on developed and developing countries, but rather on addressing the needs of each individual country. He said he asks where the clients are going to determine where his company goes. Social responsibility is also important among corporations, and corporate

executives should not be able to run away with large amounts of money while their companies crumble beneath them, he said. His company spends $300 million a year on philanthropic projects and he highlighted the fact that JP Morgan & Chase did not require a federal bail-out. ECONOMY continues on page 12

NEWS

Thursday, April 12, 2012

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CAMPUS WALK

SYMPOSIUM

AFSP to host campus walk to raise suicide awareness

UH to host Texas Tribune environment, energy event

The American Federation for Suicide Prevention will host a campus walk at 9 a.m. Saturday at Lynn Eusan Park. The walk was started three years ago when members of the Greater Houston Chapter of AFSP were looking for a university to host the event approached Kathy Zerda, director of the Program for Mastery in Engineering Studies in the Cullen College of Engineering. “Since PROMES is a large student success community, I knew my students would be up for the challenge,” Zerda said. Registration and check-ins for the 2.5 mile walk start at 8 a.m. and the event is open to the public. A brief remembrance program will follow the walk. The event is to bring awareness to depression and suicide. For Zerda, it has personal meaning. “I took it on because I lost my own 24-yr old son to suicide in 2006. I knew nothing about suicide before that event, and as a university professor I wanted to make students aware of issues related to suicide and depression,” Zerda said. “Since the first UH Campus Walk in 2010, our university community has lost friends and family to suicide, and participation in the Walk has spread well beyond the Engineering student community. We get great support from students of all majors, from the UH Counseling and Psychological Services team, and many faculty and staff.” For more information about the campus walk, go to www. afsp.donordrive.com/event/UH/. — Ariana Benavidez

The Universiy of Houston will host “The Texas Tribune Festival on the Road: A Symposium on Energy and the Environment” from 7:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Friday in Wortham Center of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts. “This day-long program of lectures, panel discussions and conversations will explore federal energy policy as it impacts the state of Texas, state policy as it impacts communities like Houston, the promise of clean and renewable energy in all its forms and the impact of one of the largest shale plays anywhere on the economic and environmental health of South Texas,” says a Texas Tribune press release. UH President Renu Khator will open the event at 8 a.m. after the complimentary breakfast. Other speakers include the chairman on the Texas Railroad Commission, members of the House Energy Resource Committee and representatives from various energy companies. People who plan to attend should RSVP because seating is limited. For a full list of events and to RSVP, go to www.tinyurl.com/ tribunefestUH or email rsvp@ texastribune.org. — Cougar News Services

CORRECTIONS In Wednesday’s issue of The Daily Cougar, in the story titled “Gas company gives University $1 million,” the reporter’s byline should be Chelsea Whiting, not Courtney Johns. Report errors to editor@ thedailycougar.com. Corrections will appear here as necessary.

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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.

NEWS

The Daily Cougar

Thursday, April 12, 2012

How do you feel about construction on campus?

“Well, I think it’s a really good idea that we’re rebuilding campus, but I think that the structure of the new cafeteria looks pretty unattractive, and I wish they’d come up with a better schematic.”

“I mean, it’s good. It’s developing pretty well.” Ayeswarya Ravikumar optometry doctoral candidate

“I think it makes commuting and the traffic around here a little hectic, but I think it’s cool if it improves the campus.” Fred Olivares mathematics senior

Catherine Martin hotel and restaurant management junior

“I find it annoying. I think it’s a real hassle to get around; it makes it really inconvenient to get around campus — you have to walk around campus to get from point A to point B ... It’s just basically a real big inconvenience.”

“It would be better if we had more natural park kind of things rather than filling the campus up with a lot of construction.” Ashmita Gupta economics doctoral candidate

Johnathan Richards history senior

What do you think?

Let us know by commenting at thedailycougar.com. Compiled by Joshua Mann and Taylor McGilvray

SGA continued from page 1

does is more limited, perhaps, that what the last speaker did.” SGA President Cedric Bandoh laid out a schedule for the task forces reforming the bylaws and election and judicial codes, with the task force meeting over the rest of the week and the final vote by the senate as early as April 25. “It is a lot to get done in a matter of two and a half weeks, but I believe with the expertise of the individuals we have on the task forces, this will get done,” Bandoh said. “It’s necessary for us to move forward and do a good job this school year.” Vice President Turner Harris presented a possible change to the current methods of open forum between students, SGA and the administration — the use of MindMixer software to create an online forum allowing students to share support ideas. “Also, kind of an accountability aspect there that students are posing ideas and the right people are looking at them,” Harris said. The reason Harris wants to make the change, he said, is that the senators in the last administration fell far below their town hall budget. “Instead of allocating $5,000 and spending $1,500 on pizza, how about lets get some software to replace that,” Harris said. The first problem facing the implementation of the software, however, is the cost. “I don’t really see this getting implemented until we get our new budget,” Harris said. “We currently have $5,000 in the senate budget, and for a campus of 40,000 students, it would cost us about $8,000, which is actually not bad ... I think $8,000 is actually pretty reasonable.” Other SGA appointees include Christopher Holly to chief of staff and Sean Tarver to speaker pro tempore. news@thedailycougar.com

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

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OPINION THE DAILY COUGAR

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

IN FOCUS: BODY MASS INDEX

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITORS SPORTS EDITOR LIFE

& ARTS EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR CHIEF COPY EITOR

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

STAFF EDITORIAL

McCarthyism tries to make a comeback

cCarthyism could be making a comeback if one Florida congressman has his way. Congressman Allen West (R-Fla.) told supporters at a town hall meeting on Tuesday that he believes over 80 democrats in the legislature are members of the Communist Party.

That’s right. He didn’t say they were Communist leaning. Oh, no. He said they were actual members of the party. “What percentage of the American legislature do you think are card-carrying Marxists or International Socialist?” the moderator of the event asked West. “It’s a good question,” answered a seriously faced West, before grimacing and looking up at the ceiling while composing his answer. “I believe there’s about 78 to 81 members of the Democrat Party who are members of the Communist Party. It’s called the Congressional Progressive Caucus.” Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said he objected to “being associated with Stalin or Khrushchev.” But should we really believe Frank? He looks pretty convincing as a communist if you photoshop a Stalin moustache onto his face. Perhaps that’s why he goes facial hair free — he doesn’t want to attract attention to his secret membership. “It is exactly the opposite of those of us in the Congressional Progressive Caucus who are in support of freedom, in support of democracy, in support of people’s basic rights and civil liberties,” Frank told The Huffington Post. “Communism is really a reference to some of the worst human rights abuses of our time ... It is meant to delegitimize people and allow no basis for debate. It’s a very nasty label.” This is a nasty label indeed. Even Libero Della Piana, a vice-chairman of the national Communist Party said he thought West’s allegations were “absurd.” Della Piana said there are no Communist Party members in Congress. “I just think it’s an absurd way to cast a shadow over his colleagues. It’s kind of a sad ploy,” he said. “It’s just guilt by association taken to an extreme.”

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.

Calculating the body mass index requires multiplying your weight (in pounds) by 735, divided by your height squared (in inches). A BMI over 25 means overweight. BMI over 30 is obese. | Wikimedia Commons

You’re fat S

omeone had to say it. But it wasn’t me. Lan Bentsen, the agent for Shape Tomorrow and Shape-up Houston, said it. Bensten, along with Wendy Hall, the PR director for Yaffe Deutser, met with the editorial writers at the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday to talk about the Houston community regarding obesity and health. He also brought a 25-pound weight disk. “I want everyone to David pick up this 25 pounds Haydon and feel it. Twenty-five pounds extra is overweight. Fifty pounds extra is obese,” Bentsen said. A Gallup-Healthways poll that came out a few weeks ago measured the obesity rates of major metro areas. Texas took the cake — and probably devoured it. The poll showed the McAllen/Edinburg/Mission area of Texas was the most obese in the nation at 38.8 percent. The Houston/ Sugarland area was 26 percent obese. A few cities topped Houston — but who are we kidding? The average Houstonian thinks breakfast means three kolachis wrapped in deep-fried bacon and washed down with whole milk. Bentsen wants to reach every community possible to raise awareness about obesity in hopes of prompting people to pick up a little responsibility. After reaching out to the large-scale community agencies, Bentsen wants Shape-up Houston to work with the religious community, service agencies and, finally, school districts. Adults can be overweight and obese,

but so can children. Many think kids should be a priority (children are our future and all). But there’s a practical problem when trying to save kids from a super saturated fatty diet. “It’s really hard to fix a kid if you’ve got an obese parent at home,” Bentsen said. “If you starve your kid, that’s abuse. If your kid is obese, is that abuse? No one wants to talk about that.” So, first come the adults. The perpetual problem with solving obesity is that people want to make their own choices without having the government step in and slap the multi-sprinkled jelly doughnut out of their grubby hands. If the government does something like regulate the food industry, restaurants get upset and political pundits start calling the US a “nanny state.” If people are left to their own affairs, they shove triple-decker beef cheeseburgers into their mouths and wash them down with 40 ounces of sugarladen soda. But with crazy work schedules, scarce grocery stores and late-night food options restricted to burger joints, why would anyone in Houston be surprised that choosing to eat healthy is near impossible? Bentsen did not mention any plans to help regulate people at the Chronicle meeting, so don’t expect any advice here other than eat less/exercise more. Another piece of advice: Be aware of what is going inside your pie hole. “We’re going to have to get into the math of it,” Bentsen said. “People need to ask what 2,000 calories a day looks like.” Fact is, 2,000 calories a day can easily look like an egg muffin, pumpkin

If the government does something like regulate the food industry, restaurants get upset and political pundits start calling the US a “nanny state.” If people are left to their own affairs, they shove triple-decker beef cheeseburgers into their mouths and wash them down with 40 ounces of sugar-laden soda.”

empanada, hash browns, coffee with five sugars, a barbecue sandwich, fries, soda and a fruit smoothie. That’s just breakfast and lunch in Houston, and statistics say people get most of their calories during dinner. Everyone knows the fried okra and chicken fried stake won’t eat themselves. The only real solution to the obesity epidemic — other than government regulation — is awareness. People need to see how many calories are in everything they eat. And even then, people need to realize that burning 2,000 calories a day can’t be done behind a computer. So, if the government has to pull restaurants by the hair to get them to admit that the cheesecake shake is worth 2,500 calories, don’t consider it overregulation. David Haydon is a political science senior and may be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com.

OPINION

The Daily Cougar

ONLINE COMMENTS “‘War on Women’ is not a myth”

The Republicans’ War on Women is very real, from blocking the renewal of the laws against domestic violence, to weakening the laws against rape in many of the States.” — user “mike271828” “Tracker app proves privacy does not exist”

“It was pulled because it scraped Foursquare’s data improperly, not because its purpose was to track women. It’s a marvelous proof-ofconcept – perhaps people shouldn’t be broadcasting their location to the world at all times, if this is so easy to do(especially if you subscribe to something like Intellius). ” — user “Yoyo”

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Presents: “Santorum pulls out of Republican primary”

“I didn’t think Santorum believed in pulling out.” — user “Tektok” Smartphones are no longer a useless luxury

“People got to be real when buying a smart phone. Even with a dual core CPU and high capacity storage, there is so much a tiny device with limited battery can do. ” — user “Jack” “UH Parking Unfair to Employees”

“As a student i’m glad to see that the shoe is finally on the other foot. Doesn’t feel good does it? Think how the students have felt all these years as you take away parking and up the rate for parking permits.” — user “Equality ”

Think you can do better than this? You might be right, but there’s only way to prove it. Join The Daily Cougar staff today. We offer paid positions for reporters, photographers, columnists and editors. For more information, e-mail editor@thedailycougar.com or visit www.uh.edu/sp/jobs

THE DAILY COUGAR

Missed a print edition? Browse recent publications in our virtual newsstand.

THE DAILY COUGAR.COM /print-edition

“Acknowledging our Similarities, C e l e b r a t i n g o u r D i ffe r e n c e s ” Friday, April 20, 2012 from 9:00 am– 4:00 pm M.D. Anderson Library, Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion FREE BREAKFAST AND MULTICULTURAL LUNCH! SPEAKER-DEAN JOHN ROBERTS ! PANEL DISCUSSION MULTICULTURAL FASHION SHOW ! ACTIVITIES ! PRIZE DRAWINGS For more information, contact Dr. Tamalia Hanchell at tshanche@central.uh.edu

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Daily Cougar

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

BASKETBALL

UH makes a big splash with Izundu Joshua Siegel

THE DAILY COUGAR When James Dickey took over as head coach of the Cougars in 2010 he said that one of his priorities was to recruit the Houston area. He wasn’t kidding. On Wednesday, the Cougars added Lamar Consolidated 6-10 center Valentine Izundu to an already impressive, Houstonheavy recruiting class. Izundu rounds out a recruiting class ranked 18th in the nation by ESPN that also features small forward Danuel House (Hightower) and Danrad “Chicken”

Knowles (HCYA). “He really likes to block shots and defend,” Dickey said. “We thought that this would be a special place for him, being able to keep another outstanding player from Houston at home. And he’ll fit in great with Danuel and Chicken and we’re just thrilled. “Finding centers is always difficult and finding one that can really defend the paint.” Izundu led Lamar to a 27-9 record as a senior, averaging seven points, seven boards and four blocks per game. “He is certainly capable of blocking

Class of 2012

Danuel House, SF, 6’6, Hightower, !!!!! ESPN ranking: 6th SF, 19th overall; Rating: 97 Danrad Knowles, PF, 6’9, HCYA, !!!! ESPN ranking: 19th PF, 51st overall; Rating: 94 Valentine Izundu, C, 6’10, Lamar, !!! ESPN ranking: 25th C; Rating: 90

SIGNING DAY continues on page 7

BASEBALL

UH heads to Lubbock Gilbert Requena

THE DAILY COUGAR

In her last outing, Diedre Outon (above) shutout UAB. Outon went seven innings, allowing nine baserunners and striking out four. Outon leads UH with nine wins on the season. | Hendrick Rosemond/The Daily Cougar.

SOFTBALL

Pirates on deck

Cougars look to stay hot against East Carolina in three-game weekend set Matt Straw

THE DAILY COUGAR After two weeks off from conference play, the Cougars will host East Carolina this weekend at Cougar Softball Stadium. The last time the Cougars faced a conference foe, they won two-of-three against UAB in Birmingham, Ala. UH (22-15, 9-3 Conference USA) is second place in C-USA, just one game behind Tulsa. The Cougars have a six-game winning streak and have won 14 of their last 16 games. UH is undefeated since placing

junior infielder Holly Anderson into the leadoff spot. They are 4-0 with Anderson leading off and were previously just 18-15 when she was batting elsewhere in the lineup. Sophomore catcher Haley Outon leads the team in just about every offensive category. She leads in batting average (.359), hits (37), home runs (11), RBI (37), total bases (78) on-base percentage (.433), and slugging percentage (.757). Outon has a nine-game hitting streak and has reached base in 14 straight games. East Carolina (16-23, 4-8) comes into the weekend series struggling.

They have lost six of their last seven games. ECU struggles on the road as well. They are 3-11 away from their friendly confines. The Pirates have a hard time shutting down powerful offenses like the Cougars. They have a team ERA of 4.22, which ranks 217th in the nation. Game one of Saturday’s doubleheader will be televised on Fox Sports Net at 2 p.m. Saturday. Game two will follow at 4 p.m. with the third game of the series taking place Sunday at noon. sports@thedailycougar.com

Looking to build some momentum after Tuesday’s 4-3 victory against Lamar, the Cougars will head north to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech for a threegame series. The Cougars (12-18-1, 1-7-1 Conference USA) have already faced Texas Tech (18-15, 3-9 Big 12) once this season, losing 10-4 on March 4 at the Houston College Classic. “That stuff is all in the past,” head coach Todd Whiting said. “We’re playing a really good Texas Tech team. “They’ve got a great balance of speed and power in their lineup, they’re going to play defense on the turf and they pitch just enough. They’ve got some pretty good guys that they run up there on the mound.” In the midst of a 10-game home stand, the Red Raiders have split the first four games and dropped a weekend series against Texas. They have also dropped seven of their last ten contests. “It’s once again, for us, another tough weekend,” Whitting said. “It’s on the road and it’s part of our rigorous schedule, which is ranked No. 1 in the country. “We just got to go out there and get after it and try to come with a couple of Ws.” The Cougars offense is coming off of a solid offensive outing. In Tuesday’s win, UH tallied eight hits and were led by center fielder Landon Appling’s 2-for-3, two-run performance. “I thought we won the game before the game ever started,” Whitting said. “We played (well), fundamental baseball. When we do that, we’ve got a pretty good

Jacob Lueneberg

Landon Appling

club.” Jacob Lueneberg has taken over the team lead in batting average for regular starters with a .308 mark and Chase Jensen leads the team in hits and RBIs with 34 and 27, respectively. The Cougars have a combined 5.21 team ERA and are led on the mound by Austin Pruitt. Pruitt has a 2.17 ERA in 49-2/3 innings to go with 33 strikeouts. He will most likely start on Saturday or Sunday, according to Whitting. “He’s been Mr. Consistency to this point,” Whitting said. “He’s going out there and throwing strikes. “He hasn’t had a whole lot of run support, so hopefully he can go out and give us the same outing that he’s been giving us and we can put some runs on the board and give him a chance to get a win.” Pacing the Red Raider offense has been Barrett Barnes. Barnes has a team leading .362 batting average to go along with 12 doubles and six home runs. On the mound, the Red Raiders have a combined 3.90 ERA. They’re best pitcher this season has been Duke von Schamann who is 4-3 with 43 strikeouts and a 1.97 ERA. The series gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Rocky Johnson Field. sports@thedailycougar.com

SPORTS

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

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SIGNING DAY continued from page 6

multiple shots on the same possession,â&#x20AC;? Dickey said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He also has a great knack for the basketball; he can go get it. He does a great job of anticipating.â&#x20AC;? Izundu has a very high ceiling and room to grow both physically and skill-wise. He only began playing basketball in the ninth grade. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The more he plays, the better heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to get,â&#x20AC;? Dickey said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought he made tremendous progress over the summer and over the course of the season. Because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very young, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to mature physically as well as playing the game more and having a better understanding of the game. I like the way his reaction to the ball. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For not playing anymore than he has, he has a good feel for the

game.â&#x20AC;? ESPNU has Izundu ranked as a three-star prospect with a 90 scouting rating. Dickey said that the Cougars will continue to look for another point guard and post player and fill the 13-man roster. Harris becomes a Razorback According to Scout.com, forward Alandise Harris will transfer to Arkansas. Harris, an Arkansas native, told the Houston Chronicle that his decision to leave Houston was based on being closer to his family. Harris was the Cougarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; second leading scorer last season, averaging 13.3 points per contest. Harris also pulled down 6.4 rebounds and blocked 1.3 shots per game. sports@thedailycougar.com

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

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

LITERATURE

Journal hosts final reading of semester

Senior editors fulfill position after two years, will share mic at public reading event before moving on Jed Ocot

THE DAILY COUGAR The “Gulf Coast” Reading Series will conclude its final reading from the students in UH’s nationally acclaimed creative writing graduate program at 7 p.m. Friday at Brazos Bookstore. “Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts” editors Ian Stansel and Rebecca Wadlinger are scheduled to appear at the event Friday night as well as Ph.D. candidate in Creative Writing and Literature Zack Bean. The series is a way for not only UH, but the larger Houston community to get to know what is happening in the graduate program, Stansel said. “We’ve had a really exciting series so far this year,” Stansel said. “It’s always great to have a lot of first and second year students up at the mic.” The series has also featured a few graduating students, which makes for a bittersweet experience. “You get to hear what they’ve been working on for all these years, but to each graduating student it also means it is the end of a small era,” Stansel said. Bean and Stansel are the fiction writers while Wadlinger is the managing editor of the literary magazine as well as the sole poet who will be at the public event Friday evening. “Everyone always loves Zack’s readings,” Stansel said. “His stories have a wonderful mix of blunt humor and well-earned pathos. Rebecca’s work manages to be slightly surreal but remains fully engaging on an emotional level, which is a difficult feat.” Every two years, the senior staff of “Gulf Coast” brings in new members as Stansel and Wadlinger are set to move on. Stansel will not be working with the magazine anymore as he plans to move to Ohio with his wife. The couple is expecting a daughter together this summer. “This is exciting, but of course also a little sad,” Stansel said. “The reading, though, feels appropriate. I get to read my work alongside Rebecca who I have worked so closely with. And with Zack, he has been a dear friend over the past five years.” The future of “Gulf Coast” is to continue to grow in quality and readership. The UH creative writing program continues to support the magazine along with a board of directors who offer continuity over the transitions. Stansel said that Friday night’s reading will be more than an enjoyable time. “I’m proud to be sharing the mic with these two.” arts@thedailycougar.com

LITERATURE

Professor visits UH, showcases work Award winning author mixes humor and strong emotions in memoir Darlene Campos

THE DAILY COUGAR Former librarian and now a creative writing professor at the University of Texas at Austin Elizabeth McCracken gave a reading of her works at the Honors College Commons on Tuesday followed by a reception. McCracken is the author of 2008’s “An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination,” finalist for the National Book Award “The Giant’s House” and L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award winner “Niagara Falls All Over Again.” She is the recipient of several awards and grants from prestigious organizations including the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1996, McCracken was named as one of the Twenty Best Young American Novelists by “Granta” magazine. “An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination,” her latest memoir, outlines her experience of having a stillborn child. “When I was writing (‘An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination’), I was not thinking of who my readers might be at all,” McCracken said. “I decided I needed to write about the experience. I wanted to get it on the pages before I forgot it. I certainly couldn’t have written about my first pregnancy during my second pregnancy. When Gus, my second child, was born I started writing. The initial manuscript was really short — only 130 pages. I still had no idea it would necessarily be a book.” Even though “An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination” deals with a tragic experience, McCracken eloquently uses humor throughout the book. “When I wrote this book, I had no idea I was being funny. It didn’t seem like there was a joke anywhere near the book, but because making jokes is part

Author Elizabeth McCracken stopped by UH earlier this week to discuss her works of literature. She promoted her memoir as well as sat down in a guest lecture and gave students advice toward getting their writing published. | Courtesy of Darlene Campos of my personality, it was just inevitable,” McCracken said. “It is absolutely true in writing that humor makes the sad stuff sadder and sad things make the humor funnier, it’s just the complexity of life. Readers are grateful for humor that comes out of horrible moments. If you’re a person who uses humor in your everyday life, it’s

going to come out naturally.” McCracken also spoke of her other writing techniques. “When it comes to my fiction, I have to edit so much. I can’t think abstractly about what I’m going to write,” McCracken said. “The way you write AUTHOR continues on page 9

FINE ARTS

Broadway brings classic Ol’ Blue Eyes to life

“Come Fly Away” is an exclusive production that is currently running for one week only in Houston. The musical will have its final run on Sunday evening. | Courtesy of Joan Marcus Alexandra Doyle

THE DAILY COUGAR “Come Fly Away” is a 90-minute dance concert choreographed and

directed by Tony Award-winner Twyla Tharp with all of the vocals piped through speakers to bring the late, great Frank Sinatra back to life. Twyla Tharp’s vision and award-

winning choreography meet Sinatra’s enchanting melodies and distinctive voice onstage in a musical that tells the story of four couples’ experiences with love, hate and jealousy in a crowded nightclub. The couples range from the awkward girl-next-door and her budding romance with a local lanky bartender to a sultry femme fatale and her new hunky beau. The scenes are filled with background dancing as well as foreground action, usually by a pas de deux, or a duet. Each character made a few costume changes during the course of the production. The dancers adjusted between casual attire to evening attire and were accompanied by the dulcet tones of a Sinatra ballad and the glimmering flashes of a disco ball suspended high above the

MUSICAL continues on page 9

LIFE+ARTS

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MUSICAL continued from page 8 promenading couples. “Come Fly Away” also sports a live onstage band that performs not only accompaniment for the vocal tracks of Sinatra, but a few jazz classics on its own such as Take Five. Dance captain of the production Amy Ruggerio, enjoyed working with the living choreography legend Twyla Tharp and the moves she created to reflect the energy and romance of the days of the Rat Pack. “As a dancer, it’s a thrill to work with Twyla Tharp because her choreography has made a major impact on the world of dance,” Ruggerio said. “There’s also a lot for the dancers to relate to in this production; we switch between roles for different performances and each role has something for us to relate to either our current situations or previous

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Hobby Center box office at (713) 315-2525 or visit thehobbycenter. org. arts@thedailycougar..com

The dancers in the limited showing of “Come Fly Away” based their performance around the classic show tunes of Frank Sinatra. Their wardrobe consisted of sleek suits and romantic dresses.| Courtesy of Joan Marcus

continued from page 8

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experiences that we’ve had.” The musical was a successful synthesis of modern-meets-vintage dance style and costumes. Although it consisted of eighty minutes of the same voice (albeit a sweet and familiar one), it was entertaining and captivating for its duration. The variety of archetypal characters also made it endearing to almost every member of the audience who like the performers could find something of themselves on the stage. “Come Fly Away” will be performed every evening between today and April 15th, with two performances each on Saturday and Sunday as part of the Gexa Energy Broadway at the Hobby Center 2012- 2013 season. For more information regarding show times and tickets, call the

AUTHOR fiction is the way you think about the world and how you process information. There’s a spectrum for everybody.” McCracken gave words of advice for amateur writers wishing to be published. “It’s a combination of luck and perseverance. You hear stories about amazing books that make millions. It’s (the) right place, right time — but sometimes when you don’t get (the) right place, right time in your first submission, you have to be willing to send it out to another place,” McCracken said. “Sometimes you might get published on the first try and sometimes you might get published on the 17th submission, but once the book is published it doesn’t make any difference.” For more information on Elizabeth McCracken, please visit http://www.elizabethmccracken. com/.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

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COMICS

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ACROSS 1 Wharf pest 4 Condescending 10 “A Raisin in the Sun” star Ruby 13 Worldwide labor org. 14 Singing pigeon? 15 Ash stash? 16 Marksmanship contest 18 Hardly a girl’s dream date 19 Decision maker at home 20 Alaskan boat 22 A battery pole 23 Barracks locale 25 “Wild Blue Yonder” mil. group 28 Scandinavian man’s name 29 Bad thing to yell in a crowded theater 30 Belly to the ground 31 Blowout result 32 Humdingers 33 Parts of some clowns’ attire 37 Fuel mining site 38 TV friend of Jerry and George 39 Breathe like a dog 40 Page who

played Juno 41 Where to hear a lot of grunts? 42 Actress Spelling 46 H.H. Munro’s alias 47 Kind of mother or child 48 Like granola, largely 49 Beginning stages 51 Put the kibosh on 52 Prepare to burn rubber 54 No-sweat job 57 Anger 58 Many garden plantings 59 Diminutive 60 ___ capita 61 Liturgical hymn 62 Word near the bottom of a dipstick DOWN 1 Ceremonial act 2 Female graduate 3 Extreme sluggishness 4 Affliction of the eyelid 5 Refusals 6 “How impressive!” 7 Woman’s garment 8 Community of plant and animal life 9 Tibetan snowman 10 Simple task 11 Timeline

period 12 Place to burn a candle? 14 All dried up 17 Goats’ progeny 21 Hearingrelated 23 Hindrance to fair judgment 24 Stuff left hanging? 26 ___-lock brakes 27 Ending for “slug” or “gab” 29 Beat a hasty retreat 30 ___ moss 31 Huck of fiction 32 Very skinny 33 Quilters’ gatherings 34 Crock 35 Easy win 36 Advertising connection 37 Counselor’s

employer 39 ___-K (before kindergarten) 41 Avoid being a no-show 42 After-bath soother 43 Canada’s capital 44 Made a big stink 45 “A friend in need is a friend ___” 47 River through Paris 48 Bungling sorts 50 Brief brouhaha 51 Celeste of stage and screen 52 ___ cord (parachutist’s pull) 53 Earlier, in a poem 55 Billiard stick 56 ___ de toilette

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

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CALENDAR

Browse more events and submit your own at thedailycougar.com/calendar

TODAY

Bagby St. Houston, TX 77002. For more information, call (713) 315-2400 or visit houston. broadway.com. Tickets start at $24.

ON CAMPUS An afternoon with the artists 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Benefiting the Cecil J. Pickett Scholarship Endowment Fund, Ernie Manouse will moderate a presentation in the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre. For more information, call (713) 7432929. Tickets are $20 to $60.

Sixth annual Midtown Art in the Park 10 a.m. Featuring live music, photography, paintings, pottery, sculptures, jewelry, hand-blown glass and the Midtown Graffiti Wall. Elizabeth Baldwin Park. 1701 Elgin St. Houston, TX 77004. For more information, call (713) 526-7577 or visit www. midtownartinthepark.com. Free.

AROUND TOWN Gexa Energy Broadway presents ‘Come Fly Away’ 7:30 p.m. at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. 800 Bagby St. Houston, TX 77002. For more information, call (713) 315-2400 or visit houston.broadway.com. Tickets start at $24.

Coming out on top

ougars celebrate the two-consecutive winning homeruns in their last matchup with Memphis. The Cougars aim to continue their six-game winning streak in a doubleheader against East Carolina this weekend. The games will be televised on Fox Sports Network at 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday. | Hendrick Rosemond/The Daily Cougar

FRIDAY ON CAMPUS Pro Rec Zumbathon 8 to 11 p.m. Featuring several Houston-area, this event will be a night of high energy dance workshops, focusing on samba, salsa, hip hop and zumba. The event will be held at the rec. For more information, visit www. uhrecreation.com/prorec or email UofHprorec@yahoo.com. Tickets are $10 to $25. Blaffer BBQ and Hard Hat tour 7 to 9 p.m. in the Blaffer courtyard. For more information, contact Emily Church at (713) 743-9357 or via email at echurch@central.uh.edu. Free.

AROUND TOWN Discovery Green’s fourth birthday with The Fab 40 7:30 p.m. Houston-based Beatles tribute band, The Fab 40, will perform in celebration of Discovery Green’s fourth birthday. 1500 McKinney St., Houston, TX, 77010. For more information, call (713) 400-7336 or visit www. dicoverygreen.com. Free. Spoon with A Giant Dog 8 p.m. House of Blues, 1204 Caroline Houston, TX 77002 Downtown. For more information call 888-402-5837 or visit

www.hob.com/houston. $28.50 to $48.50. Gexa Energy Broadway presents ‘Come Fly Away’ 8 p.m. at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. 800 Bagby St. Houston, TX 77002. For more information, call (713) 315-2400 or visit houston.broadway.com. Tickets start at $24. Cursive with Cymbals Eat Guitars, Conduits 8 p.m. Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak Houston, TX 77007. For more information call 713-8623838 or visit www.fitzlivemusic.

com. $12 to $15.

SATURDAY AROUND TOWN Concerts at the Square 8 p.m. Market Square Park. 420 Travis St., Houston, TX 77002. For more information, call (713) 845-1000 or visit marketsquarepark.com. Free. Gexa Energy Broadway presents ‘Come Fly Away’ 2 and 8 p.m. at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. 800

Earth Day at the Arboretum 10 a.m. The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center invites families to take it outside for Earth Day. Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. 4501 Woodway Dr., Houston, TX 77024. For more information, call (713) 681-8433 or visit www.houstonarboretum.org. Free. Menil Community Festival 2012 11 a.m. A festival putting the spotlight on the diversity of the Menil arts community, featuring films, chamber music, literary readings, performances and workshops. The Menil Collection. 1515 Sul Ross Road, Houston, TX 77006. For more information, call (713) 525-9400 or visit www. menilcommunityartsfestival.org. Free. Fifth annual Houston Indie Book Festival 11 a.m. Featuring the Houston humanities. The Menil Collection. 1515 Sul Ross Road, Houston, TX 77006. For more information, call (832) 858-1755 or visit www. indiebookfest.org. Free.

— Compiled by Mary Baak

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NEWS

Thursday, April 12, 2012

SCHOLAR continued from page 1

Cullen Distinguished Professor Donald Kouri’s theoretical chemical physics group writing computer programs to solve for the behavior of quantum particles confined to small regions of space before his first semester. ”I published paper on supersymmetric quantum mechanics applied to the hydrogen atom and co-authored a textbook chapter involving my study of system-

specific coherent states for arbitrary bound quantum systems,” he said. Biamonte then began working with Cullen Distinguished Professor of Physics Arthur Weglein in the Mission-Oriented Seismic Research Program, a theoretical geophysics research group. Winning the Goldwater Scholarship has given Biamonte the pressure to advance more in his studies and research work. “I must keep pushing ahead, learning new things about nature every day,” Biamonte said, “and

thinking of creative ways in which this understanding can be used to benefit humanity as a whole in order to make sure that I deserve to be labeled as a Goldwater scholar.” The Goldwater scholarship program, established by US Congress in 1986 in honor of former Senator Barry M. Goldwater, awards scholarships to students who intend to pursue careers in science, mathematics and engineering. news@thedailycougar.com

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ECONOMY continued from page 1

The speech was followed by a questionnaire moderated by Edward P. Djerejian, former US ambassador to Syria and Israel and the founding director of the Baker Institute for Public Policy. The questionnaire focused on student loans, Occupy Wall Street and the “too big to fail” mentality of banks. Many banks are skeptical about giving loans to university students because graduation rates are about 50 percent, and they are concerned about the ability of students to pay the loans back in the future, Dimon said. He said some banks engaged in practices that hurt the reputation of the financial industry, and if people wanted to change the industry practices, they would have to become involved in financially supporting hospitals and educational systems through supportive loans rather than protesting on the streets. Regarding the US corporate tax structure and the proposed “Buffett Tax,” Dimon emphasized the importance of America’s ability to maintain a competitiveness over foreign countries. He said he and his colleagues have been presented with scenarios in which companies would have to choose new locations for manufacturing plants, and they always knew the plant would go overseas because of the favorable tax structures the countries offered. He said creating jobs in the US

Jamie Dimon has been JP Morgan Chase & Co.’s CEO since March of 2008. | Courtesy of Cameron McHugh should be a priority. Small businesses alone do not create jobs, he said, because large companies provide the capital required for the manufacturing and helped keep smaller companies afloat, and American jobs were created by the ability of these larger companies to continue servicing smaller ones. Dimon said some big banks are necessary because there is a global market that requires servicing from larger banks, and large companies like Caterpillar cannot depend on smaller community banks to provide the services for their global operations and financial services. At the end of the lecture Dimon stuck around to talk to and take pictures with members of the audience. news@thedailycougar.com

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