Wednesday, August 29, 2012 // Issue3,Volume78 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
THE DAILY COUGAR
T H E
O F F I C I A L
S T U D E N T
N E W S P A P E R
O F T H E
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
H O U S T O N
S I N C E
1 9 3 4
OPINION
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Death of an astronaut LIFE+ARTS
Freshmen pose with their newly-learned Cougar paws near Cougar Village. From left to right: Whitney Walters, Morgan McBurnett, Gabriela Blanco, Lauren Poland and Beau Enochs. | Hendrick Rosemond/The Daily Cougar
Fall freshmen bring UH variety
Fun on a budget in the city SPORTS
First-year students continue to improve UH rankings; all come for different reasons Kathleen Murrill Contributing writer
If finance and mathematics freshman Michael Scott were to drive home for the weekend, he would spend about 21 hours in the car and pass through a couple different states to end up back in Wrightstown, Wis., but that’s part of the price he pays to attend his dream school. Scott is not alone, though. Students have historically traveled from all over the city, state, country and even the world for a variety of reasons. Spring 2012 enrollment
statistics show 21.5 percent of students traveled from counties adjacent to Harris county while 10.9 percent traveled from counties even farther away. After declining a full National Merit Scholarship package to several schools, such as the University of Central Florida, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the University of Nebraska, Scott accepted a full-ride scholarship to UH and journeyed more than 1,300 miles to Houston. “I wanted to get more exposure and explore, and Houston is the
place for that,” Scott said. A scholarship can take care of college fees, but some freshmen came to UH to prepare for the post-college expenses. Mechanical engineering freshman Juan Gallegos and finance freshman Stephanie Reyes decided to enroll for the career opportunities made possible by both a UH degree and living in Houston. “UH has a world-class engineering program in the energy capital of the world. No other college that offers such a good price in tuition can offer such a high-quality education in a
city where the petroleum industry is growing like crazy,” Gallegos said. Others, like pre-business freshman Becky Ho, were enticed by the single-loss football season last fall, and the major renovations and construction happening across campus. “I chose UH because I’m from Houston, and I wanted to be a part of its growing prominence. From the new buildings to sports, it seems as if everything is getting better,” Ho said.
Defense on the offensive GET SOME DAILY
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FRESHMEN continues on page 2
ONLINE XTRA
Tenured teaching positions dwindle
Check out our new online calendar. Updated daily!
Since the ’70s, there has been a steady decrease in job security for university faculty Channler Hill Staff writer
According to a 2009 survey given by the U.S. Department of Education, 75.5 percent of university teachers are hired on non-tenuretrack positions. Meaning, these faculty members either work as adjunct faculty members, nontenure-track faculty member or graduate students. This number has only increased
over the past three years, despite the dismay of many faculty members who wish to eventually reach the perceived job security and benefits often associated with this status. Statistics have shown that the number of full-time tenure and tenure-track positions has steadily declined from 56.8 percent since the mid ‘70s. The Coalition on the Academic Workforce released “A Portrait of Part-Time Faculty Members” in June
detailing the issues faced by these off-tenure-track teachers. “Part-time faculty members demonstrate a level of commitment to teaching and to the institutions that employ them, but this commitment is not reciprocated by those institutions in terms of compensation or other types of professional support,” CAW said. “Pay-per-course is strikingly low, especially in the light of the professional credentials and length
of service of many of these faculty members.” Despite the benefits, tenure does not necessarily come with a job that a teacher can never lose. “Tenure does not mean that faculty have (acquired) guaranteed job security. As with any job, inappropriate behavior or failure to fulfill job duties can result in dismissal. Faculty at UH are reviewed TENURE continues on page 3
TOMORROW West Nile virus is spreading. How do you keep yourself healthy?
COUNTDOWN
15
Days until the last day to drop a class with no grade.
Syllabus days are done, you actually have to attend now.