Thursday, January 31, 2013 // Issue 68, 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 PA P E R
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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
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OPINION
ADMINISTRATION
Board of regents approves health center Minh Dam Contributing writer
President and Chancellor Renu Khator applauded members of the Board of Regents Wednesday after it unanimously approved the creation of a Health Science Center at UH. “The creation of a Health Science Center, which would include patient care, workforce training, research and community outreach, is critical to the economic and social well-being of the region and state,” Khator said.
“With numerous academic, research and clinical programs in the health sciences, our university plays a vital role in meeting these needs. (The Health Science Center) brings a new level of synergy and focus that will broaden the impact of our research and education programs and provide a clear point of access for the community,” Khator said. Health care is the largest and fastest-growing industry in Texas, employing 1.3 million workers in
more than 200 careers. UH enrolls almost 11,000 students in 97 healthrelated degree programs and awards more health degrees than any other institution in Texas. Facilitation of the Health Science Center will enhance the University’s ability to address regional and state health care needs. The new Health and Biomedical Sciences Building, adjacent to the College of Optometry, opened in the fall, and a new Pharmacy and Biomedical
Sciences Building is planned for the same part of campus. The newly approved Health Science Center will complement the expansion. With a diverse array of programs, UH is well positioned to be at the forefront of developing fresh, innovative models for educating health care professionals and providing patient care. “My hope is that this center will
Immigration needs reform LIFE+ARTS
REGENTS continues on page 3
SGA
Voting process evolves
Piano festival hits 30 years SPORTS
Students will have to cast ballots on campus this year, trial board established for election Katherine Morris Contributing writer
The Student Government Association election season will soon be in full bloom, and voters should take note of the changes this year. The modifications include the addition of a new trial board and removal of online voting. These are both results of the strides SGA has taken to prevent scandals in the upcoming election with its new election code, which was presented last semester by SGA President Cedric Bandoh. “In the past two years, the Judicial Branch Harris encourof the Student ages students Gover nment of colleges Association has that need more representation in seen two cases of violations student governof the election ment to apply. code and we have all come to realize that there were many flaws with the election, code and a very unorganized court process,” said Sepi Tabrizi, election code Task Force VOTING continues on page 11
The Career Fridays seriesis open to all students of the University and takes place in the Honors Commons on the first Friday of every month. To RSVP, visit thehonorscollege.com. | Courtesy of The Honors College
HONORS COLLEGE
Students prepare for post-grad world Mary Dahdouh Contributing writer
Every college student wants to stand out in the job market after graduation. With more than 500 undergraduate students graduating from the College of Natural Science and Mathematics, 1,000 from the College of Business and 2,000 from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in 2011 from UH alone, the task can be overwhelming. For this reason, the Honors College is continuing Career Fridays this semester, in which all UH students can participate to receive experience regarding interviews, resumes, internships and other areas that can define a new graduate in the job market. “The Career Fridays series was initiated by the Honors College to give students interviewing and job search skills as well as access
to some of the top companies in the Houston area,” said Christie LeVeaux, political science professor and interim dean for academic programs at the Honors College. “We want our students to stand out among other qualified job candidates.” Even students who attended the event series last semester plan on returning to continue strengthening their resume and presentation. “The most important skill I gained from them is that I became more aware of the necessity of basic things, such as consistently tweaking your resume, being mindful of your etiquette and wearing the appropriate attire,” said Erika Lai, an English literature sophomore who participated in the Career Fridays in the fall. “People are aware of every little thing when they first meet you, and you have to make sure you are representing
yourself in a proper and professional manner.” The Career Fridays will offer students a networking event training session with coaching, mock interviews with Honors College alumni and help with their elevator pitch to present themselves to a potential employer in a minute or less. Many UH alumni are encouraging students to take advantage of the Career Fridays. “I had a lot of help from staff at Bauer Honors while at UH, but they are busy and it took scheduling meetings and sometimes cutting them short to snag time with them,” said UH alumna Chelsea Cross, who graduated in May with a degree in supply chain management. “Having a designated day where faculty and staff take time to meet with students and discuss HONORS continues on page 11
Fueled by exhaustion GET SOME DAILY
thedailycougar.com
CORRECTION In Tuesday’s issue, the article about the computer donation incorrectly named the company TOTAL E&P USA Inc. as Total Gas & Power North America, Inc.
COUNTDOWN
14
Days until Valentine’s Day.
That’s just a fortnight to find your lady something as sweet as her.