Issue 34, Volume 78 by The Cougar

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 // Issue 34, Volume 78 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

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

Job market may be favorable to all majors among UH grads Studies have shown saleries for liberal arts do not plateau as early as those for STEM may Demetrious Mahone Staff writer

With unemployment on the rise, students have been enrolling in universities with a different attitude toward choosing a major. A study done in 2010 by Anthony P. Carnevale, the director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, showed the median income for those whose highest degree was a high school diploma was about $32,000, while those

with a bachelor’s degree made about $55,000. Studies have also revealed a nationwide trend wherein liberal arts majors experience a steady upwards progression in salary, while the salaries of technical majors start high but plateau early, said David Small, executive director of University Career Services. This growth in salary for liberal arts majors is comforting to some students, like media production senior Angie Brown, who is graduating in December.

“That’s good to know,” Brown said. “I don’t regret getting this degree because I’m passionate about it, but as I’m out there looking for jobs, I’m thinking I may end up having to go back to school for something more practical — like nursing — where a job is a sure thing.” The trend also makes sense, said Tyler Brittain, a mechanical engineering sophomore. “It makes sense that STEM majors have a higher starting salaries in order to encourage

more to (go into) the field of natural sciences. STEM students are less plentiful, so because of the demand they have a higher start,” Brittain said. “Because of the higher start, the salary can’t go much higher. CLASS students are more plentiful so they have a lower starting salary and to make up for the disparity they have more opportunities for pay increases.” One of the most useful reasons JOBS continues on page 3

1 9 3 4

OPINION

Robertson deserves crowd LIFE+ARTS

Artist to talk inspiration SPORTS

Early voting shuttles transport students to polls E

arly voting for the 2012 presidential and congressional elections has started and TXPIRG and UH have joined to provide early voting shuttles for students. Shuttles will run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

S I N C E

from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They will be located outside the University Center. Ody Ezeigwe (right), a psychology sophomore, boards one of the buses to go to one of Houston’s polling locations to vote.

Young follows father’s path GET SOME DAILY

thedailycougar.com

CORRECTION The Daily Cougar reported that the Wi-Fi was out on Monday. The Internet was down, not the wireless network.

COUNTDOWN Bethel Glumac/ The Daily Cougar

Julie Heffler/ The Daily Cougar

Days until Halloween,

A bedsheet with eyeholes is not a costume.

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2 \\ Wednesday, October 24, 2012

CAREERS IN:

NEWS

JOURNALISM GRAPHIC DESIGN MARKETING ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHY PUBLISHING COMMUNICATIONS

THIS WEEK IN UH HISTORY Sexual assault and kidnapping took campus by suprise in 2000 On Oct. 30, 2000, The Daily Cougar reported that a UH student was held at gunpoint and sexually assaulted after being taken off campus by the assailant. “The suspect allegedly told the student to get in her vehicle and made her drive to an off-campus location where she was reported he sexually assaulted her,” the article said. After a week of follow-ups, the Cougar reported on Nov. 7, 2000 that the suspect had been identified as Samuel Prophet Davis, 21. Davis was arrested during a routine traffic stop, the Cougar reported on Nov. 13, 2000.

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The sexual assault was first reported on Oct. 30 (above) and the suspect was identified (above) as Samuel Prophet Davis and arrested (not shown) seven days later. | File Photo/The Daily Cougar

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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 and online at thedailycougar.com. The Daily Cougar is supported in part by Student Service Fees. The first copy is free. Additional copies cost 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 tips and story ideas to the editors. Call (713) 743-5314, e-mail news@ thedailycougar.com. A “Submit news” form is available at thedailycougar.com. COPYRIGHT No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the consent of the director of Student Publications.

Channler Hill Joshua Mann THE DAILY COUGAR IS A MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 // 3

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NEWS

EDITOR Julie Heffler EMAIL news@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/news

LECTURE

Symposium to talk death and dying Channler Hill Assistant managing editor

Artists and scholars from various humanities will discuss their thoughts on concepts concerning death and dying at “The Art of Death and Dying” symposium beginning at 6 p.m. today with an opening reception at the UH Honors College. The three-day symposium will take place in the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library and will feature roughly 60 speakers who will talk about countless subjects related to death, dying and commemoration. Each presenter was selected by a blind jury that was unaware of their rank. The event was initially designed for 30 speakers, but after 140 proposals were received, it was expanded. Associate librarian Catherine Essinger was part of the planning

committee. “Because they were really good, we were in a position where we were going to have to reject some really good papers and we felt bad about it. They all went before a jury that was made up of people who were on the University faculty,” Essinger said. “They ended up selecting people from all over the world, both professors, scholars, writers, curators and even grad students (from UH).” Those selected will present papers in the fields of architecture and landscape architecture, art criticism and theory, art history, cultural studies, dance, film and television, literature and music, Essinger said. The topics of death, dying and commemoration are seen across art forms. The chance to host the event could bring further scholarship to UH as each paper is going to be published.

“Death studies is an emerging field — there are programs that are in it here and in Europe where you can major in death studies. You can get a certificate in it,” Essinger said. “And so, it’s sort of a new field, both in the social sciences and the humanities. It’s growing increasingly important. (The event) gives the University of Houston an opportunity to further scholarship in that area.” Each day of the symposium will showcase a variety of events, including tours of some historic Houston cemeteries and the Menil Collection, a screening of Issac Julien’s documentary “Looking for Langston,” a visit to the National Museum of Funeral History and a gallery talk at the Blaffer Art Museum. Kerry Creelman, coordinator of instruction for the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library, also helped plan the event and is interested

LECTURE

Talk discusses empathy and disasters Zachary Burton Staff writer

Ethnographers and folklorists from Japan and northern Ohio came to UH Monday for a special presentation on the scale and regularity of natural disasters and how to efficiently react to victim’s needs. The discussion was part of the Center for Public History’s El Paso lecture series honoring the Medical Anthropology program. The event was held from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Honors College

JOBS

continued from page 1

for obtaining a degree is students can cultivate skills they can use as leverage when applying for employment in a competitive workplace. “UH graduates do better in starting salary across the board,” Small said. “Many students take advantage of the opportunities that are presented by being located in an

Commons of the M.D Anderson Memorial Library and was cohosted by the English and Comparative Cultural Studies departments, as well as the Center for Public History, the Honors College and the Asian American Studies Center. Amy Shuman, who teaches English and Anthropology at Ohio State University, Taniguchi of Senshu University and Koji Kato of Tohoku Gakuin University served on the discussion panel. Shuman spoke about the aspects of empathy that help survivors cope and the power it has to heal when

combined with narrative. Shuman went on to describe empathy as aesthetic sympathy. Yoko Taniguchi of “Empathy shows us we are all fundamentally the same,” and Kato referenced the earthquake and tsunami that recently struck Japan and talked about the use of ethnography to meet survivors’ short- and longterm recovery necessities. “There is nothing that requires empathy more than human suffering,” Shuman said.

urban environment. At the University of Houston, 74 percent of our students work, compared to the national average of 50 percent. That makes the students more mature when they graduate.” University Career Services posts over 18,000 jobs and internship opportunities on its website. According to Jamie Belinne, assistant dean for Career Services at the C.T. Bauer College of Business, there are some common skills employer’s value and look

for in college graduates. “I can say, based on about 50 guest speakers I’ve had, that they all agree the best indicators of long-term success are communication skills, interpersonal skills and work ethic,” Belinne said. “If you are a self-motivated, hard-working person who can communicate well and influence others in a positive way, you will be successful regardless of your major.”

news@thedailycougar.com

in the intersection of the arts and humanities. “To me, the highlight of the event will be the interdisciplinary of the conversation. Arts and humanities are increasingly in conversation with each other and the breadth of the conversation leads to more indepth, insightful readings of artistic presentations, which is very exciting,” Creelman said. “And of course, we are looking forward to showing off Houston

and the University of Houston, with our partners, to a national and international audience.” The event is open to the public with registration. Tickets are $20 for students and $50 for faculty, staff and other guests. For more information, visit www.artofdeathanddying.blogspot. com. news@thedailycougar.com

Jess Hewitt 713.305.3133 jess.hewitt@valic.com Securities and investment advisory services are offered by VALIC Financial Advisors, Inc., member FINRA and an SEC-registered investment advisor. VALIC represents the Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company and its subsidiaries, VALIC Financial Advisors, Inc. are VALIC Retirement Services Company. Copyright The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company. All Rights reserved. VALIC.com VC 19097 (12/2009) J76380

BE SMART. BE SAFE. The University of Houston Police Department is available around the clock to respond to your reports of suspicious or criminal activity. Make use of that resource! If you do experience or witness activity that would benefit from a police or security response, be a good observer, and report the incident as soon as possible. These factors are key to successful prevention and resolution. The University has more that 110 emergency call boxes placed strategically around campus; use them! Your call will go directly to a police dispatcher. For information on how to stay safe and help prevent crime visit uh.edu/police. To report a crime or suspicious activity, call 713-743-3333 or 911.

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OPINION Farewell to Robertson Stadium EDITOR Lucas Sepulveda

EMAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com

ONLINE thedailycougar.com/opinion

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

James Wang Staff columnist

y the end of this season, Houston will have lost another piece of its heritage to the constant march of time — this is Robertson Stadium’s last year in existence. In 1942, Houston Independent School District and the Works Progress Administration finished work on Public School Stadium, or Robertson Stadium as it is now known. UH played at Public School Stadium for its first few seasons until 1951, when it started to share the field with Rice University at what was then called Houston Stadium — now just Rice Stadium. The Cougars would jump around from what had to be every stadium left in

town and ended up playing at the Astrodome around 1965. It wasn’t until 1994 that UH returned to what is now considered to be home field, and even then the University was bussing back and forth between the stadium and the Astrodome. By then, Public School Stadium had been renamed twice — first to Jeppesen Stadium and then to Robertson Stadium in 1980 after Corbin J. Robertson provided the funds necessary to renovate the stadium as well as bring it under full UH ownership. It’s already been decided that Robertson will be done away with for good. In its place will be a brand new stadium, with all the fancy flair and sparkle that a Big East competitor expects from a venue.

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on extra fees in order to pay for this new stadium, so the naming of that stadium should be left up to the students. It will give them a sense of accomplishment — no matter where they end up, they can always know they had an impact on their alma mater. The problem with having a new stadium isn’t with who gets to name it or who’s funding it. The problem is that performance at this campus has been shoddy at best, and I’m not talking about the football team. Lately, the greatest offenders have committed more harm with inaction rather than action. It hardly seems fitting for students to turn Robertson into a ghost town every home game in its last year of operation. If the low attendance of the last two home

games persists through 2014, it’s a solid guarantee that UH will be the laughing stock of the entire collegiate community. When the Cougars played their first season at Public School Stadium, UH lost its first game and ended up with a 4-6 record. This year, despite the football team’s valiant efforts, things are looking a bit grim. I have no idea how the stands looked when the Cougars first walked onto the field in 1946, but if UH is worthy of another stadium, then when it faces Tulane for the last game at Robertson, there better not be an empty seat left in the house. James Wang is a history sophomore and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar. com.

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.

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.

and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Commentary should be limited to 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies, but rather should present independent points of view. 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.

ASSISTANT EDITORS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes

GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted

Ellen Goodacre, Bryan Dupont-Gray, Christopher Shelton

letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed,

from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address

ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole.

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

With barely 20 years of play time at Robertson, it at first hardly seems wise or prudent to be spending so much money for a new stadium. That is only the case if it’s ignored that the University was built for momentum. UH is a dynamic university, and it is constantly changing. The University’s strength is in its ability to adapt itself to the constant shifts in society. This is why its second in the nation for diversity, ranked Tier One for research and has managed to burst into national headlines as one of the best colleges in the country. It’s been said before, but it needs restating: The burden of change once again falls on the students. Students voted to take

& ARTS EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

Joshua Mann Amanda Hilow Channler Hill Julie Heffler Andrew Pate Allen Le Lucas Sepulveda

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 // 5

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SPORTS

EDITOR Andrew Pate EMAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/sports

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Following in his family’s footsteps Sophomore guard seeks to assist Cougars in return to greatness not seen since father’s UH playing days Christopher Shelton Assistant sports editor

Redshirt sophomore guard Joseph Young says he wants to be the best basketball player in UH history. On the list of legends to pass is his father, Michael Young, who was part of Phi Slamma Jama — a team that made two consecutive national title games. Michael led the Cougars in scoring in 1983 with 17.3 points per game, and his retired jersey number hangs next to Clyde Drexler’s in the rafters at Hofheinz Pavilion. Joseph said he is working hard to recapture the greatness at UH that his father once was a part of. While the Cougars held summer workouts at 7 a.m., Joseph woke up at 5:30 a.m. to hit the weight room before going to practice. Joseph still works out before practice begins. “If you bring hard work and be an everyday guy and practice hard, it will be easier in the game,” Joseph said. “If you come out in practice giving 100 percent, in the game it will be 110 percent because you’ve seen it before.” Joseph’s role within the team will change this season. He will shift from the primary ball handler

Going down through the tunnel to the court, just seeing my dad’s jersey up there printed and retired, it really motivates me.” Joseph Young, UH redshirt sophomore speaking about living up to his father’s basketball legacy and point guard to shooting guard — the position he played when he averaged 27 points per game in his senior season at Jack Yates High School. Head coach James Dickey is expecting more from Joseph as a leader coming into his third season in the program. “I think he’s a lot more relaxed, a lot more comfortable. He understands not only the way we want to play, but his game has evolved to more than just thinking about shooting the basketball,” Dickey said. “He does a good job of getting his teammates involved.” Michael said the responsibility to succeed is on Joseph. “I don’t make it easy. I’m not going to make your bed for you.

I’ll show you how to make it. That’s something that (Joseph) wants to do,” Michael said. “Because when that game is being played, I can’t play it for you. I can’t make shots for you or play defense for you.” He has seen Joseph’s love for the sport from an early age. “Even when Joe was a little kid in his baby crib he had a basketball goal there,” Michael said. “He’s always loved the game.” Joseph has been a basketball aficionado for as long as he can remember. At Yates, where he was a part of the 34-0 squad that won the Class 4A state championship team in 2009, Joseph brought a basketball to school every day and dribbled it in the hallways to the chagrin of some teachers and administrators. “When I was born, I had a basketball in my hand, my mom told me. When I was younger, I always slept with a basketball for some reason. I really want to follow great players and become the best one to come out of Houston,” Joseph said. “Going down through the tunnel to the court, just seeing my dad’s jersey up there printed and retired — it really motivates me.” sports@thedailycougar.com

The Yates High School product made the Conference USA All-Freshman team last season and led UH with 904 minutes played. | Photo courtesy of UH Athletics

Homecoming jerseys revealed

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n Tuesday Tony Levine helped unveil the Cougars’ 2012 commemorative Homecoming jerseys which are set to be worn Nov. 10 against Tulane. The grey jersey will offer a change from the traditional red worn at home games. — Photo courtesy of UH Athletics

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COMICS

ACROSS 1 Soap site 5 Voting coalition 9 Cocoon residents 14 Infinitesimal amount 15 Turn over and over 16 Palate dangler 17 On the road, in sports 18 Tripledecker cookie 19 A “Cosby” episode, today 20 Quit fighting 23 Sister 24 The water you drink in Paris 25 Ending with “spy” or “web” 28 Lake Tahoe lift 31 Puget Sound seaport 36 Scandinavian royal name 38 King of the comedians 40 “The Dark Knight” director Christopher 41 Exaggerating greatly 44 Certain Arabian

45 46 47 49 51 52 54 56

66 67 68

69 70

71 72

Peninsula native Get bushed Egg-shaped Reds used by painters Remember to forget Ram’s mate Margarine portion Sticky, yucky stuff Emotionally presented one’s case Sanskrit’s language group Paint crudely 6/6/44 remembrance Baby deliverer of legend Pulpit of yore It can come after “no one” or “someone” Chip arrangements Number on many an almanac Not distant

DOWN 1 Part of an old phone 2 Davenport’s state 3 Inn time 4 “The Clock” composer Franz Joseph 5 Common lunch holder 6 Sad ending for “love” 7 Muffin spread 8 Dead ringer 9 According (to) 10 Eye layer containing the iris 11 Contented cat’s sound 12 Styptic pencil stuff 13 Without, in France 21 In the open 22 Absorb, as a loss 25 Laser printer option 26 Texas shrine to remember 27 Ancient pyramid builders 29 Came down and settled 30 Pi, for instance 32 Small

salmon 33 Antipasto goodie 34 Bird with a harsh voice 35 Electronic bracelet site 37 Grape place 39 Societal standard 42 Overdoes the criticism 43 The guy next door 48 Wasn’t left standing 50 Winning X or O 53 “Without delay,” facetiously 55 Bygone, like days 56 Cindy Brady’s impediment 57 Prefix with “bacterial” 58 Someone who’s looked up to 59 Like some circumstances 60 Luggage tag datum 61 Part of a military band 62 Out of work 63 Space shuttle agcy. 64 Peeping Tom

You saw it in the Cougar. Remember that.

Pepe by Felipe Campos

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I Found UH by Catherine Mussio

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012 // 7

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LIFE +ARTS

EDITOR Allen Le EMAIL arts@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/arts

MITCHELL CENTER FOR THE ARTS

During the discussion, artist Darlo Robleto will describe the contrast between life and death through the observation of voices and sounds. A tape containing Electronic Voice Phenomena is used to provide the contrast. It features a compilation of military drum marches, weapon fire and soldiers’ war cry as they fight in battlefields. | Courtesy of the Inman Gallery

Artist to discuss project inspiration Kevin Cook Staff writer

A conceptual artist from San Antonio will discuss his work, “The Boundary of Life is Quietly Crossed,” as part of the UH Libraries’ “The Art of Death and Dying” symposium at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Dudley Recital Hall. Dario Robleto’s piece explores ideas and narratives that focus on the complex relationship between death, humans and memory. Robleto argues that humans have an uncomfortable split between life and death, and his work is often cast in a negative light as a result. “That’s one thing that bothers me. An argument I have to fight against is that my work is morbid or macabre,” Robleto said. “I am not interested in the morbid. It’s a very contemporary and privileged position to look at death as a removed process.” In artistically addressing human experiences of death, loss and pain, Robleto said he strives to remain

firmly rooted in fact. “The role of history is very important to what I do as an artist. I would never say that I’m a historian in any academic sense, but I do take their profession very seriously,” Robleto said. “I feel like I’m using their standards when I approach a story.” For Robleto, there is a fine line between the fields of science and art, he said. “That is a sort of guiding philosophy for how I approach art — that you can have both,” Robleto said. “You can have the facts of science and the wonder of art all in the same experience.” Art and science are two different languages used to analyze the universe in its infinite complexity, Robleto. He said that he has the tools that will allow him to contribute a new dimension to the discussion. “The language of science is not quite equipped to talk about emotional impact,” Robleto said. “I’m a big believer in that this is where

artists can step in, and I have the vocabulary to build the right metaphor for what the scientist is seeing.” In the upcoming talk, the artist will address the Voyager space project and look closely at the Golden Records that Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 carry. These records, carrying a hodgepodge of sounds, information and greetings in various languages act as an emissary of human knowledge and ideals to the unknown depths of the universe. The odds of tiny crafts being stumbled upon by alien intelligence are virtually nonexistant given the vastness of space, but to Robleto, this is a work of humanity and a foundational part of what it means to be human, he said. “What becomes beautiful about it and what is very human is that you do something even when it is against the odds,” Robleto said. arts@thedailycougar.com

Did somebody say

ROAD TRIP!? We’re headed your way! See you at the grad fair on your campus.

PENN GSE

University of Pennsylvania / Philadelphia / PA www.gse.upenn.edu

8 \\ Wednesday, October 24, 2012

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