Thursday, February 7, 2013 // Issue 72, 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
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
HOUSING
Students buzz about new dorms Mary Dahdouh Contributing writer
Although noise from construction around campus has been ongoing, the commotion and excitement for the projects being built have just begun. Don Yackley, the director of residential life and housing, revealed the features and amenities of Cougar Village II and Cougar Place, the new student dorms being built on campus. “Besides just offering students housing, we want to also be about helping students to be successful,” Yackley said. “Everyone says that, but we want to actually do that.” The design of Cougar Village II mirrors that of the original Cougar Village, as it offers first-year students with the same suite-style dorms, yet it will now have compartmentalized bathrooms. This means the shower and toilet will be in separate rooms, which allows all four students to use the different areas of the restroom at the same time, Yackley said. Cougar Village II will also
Some sex has consequences LIFE+ARTS
The resounding clinks and clanks coming from the construction site of Cougar Village II will soon cease to annoy passersby with its completion by Fall 2013. | Mary Dahdouh/The Daily Cougar become the home of two new classrooms and residential life offices. Cougar Village II is not met without opposition. “I’m a bit upset with Cougar Village II because they took away that huge expanse of grass,”
said English sophomore Trisana Woodworth. “I saw it as sort of a park area, and now it’s just more living quarters. And the campus is going to be so cramped now with all these people living here.” Co u g a r P l a c e w i l l h o u s e
sophomores and upperclassmen. Cougar Place will have many of the same amenities as the Cougar Villages, such as two new classrooms, laundry facilities and full kitchens on each floor. Each suite
Dance club kicks into gear SPORTS
DORMS continues on page 11
CITY
UH to help connect the dots Expansion project will make public parks more accessible Jessica Crawford Staff writer
New kids on the block The Cougars picked up their first five-star recruit by signing Deontay Greenberry last year. Find out how they did on National Signing Day on Page 6. — File photo/The Daily Cougar
In order to expand and improve parks in the Southeast area of Houston, the U.S. National Park Service chose UH as a partner in its project to combine three major greenspaces. MacGregor Park, Park at Palm Center and Nelson (George T.) Park will be connected with the Houston Bayou Greenway Trail, creating the new 31-mile Brays Bayou Trail. “Houston Bayou Greenway Initiative” is being coordinated by UH; the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program; and The National Park service. Carroll Parrott Blue, principal investigator for the National Endowment for the Arts who funded Southeast Houston Arts Initiative based at UH, believes Houston has a lot more to offer than advances in energy.
“While touted as the world’s energy capital, Houston is also a lush green canopy of trees and multiple waterways of bayous, streams and lakes,” Blue said. The goal of the project is to make more of these hidden spaces available to Houstonians, according to Margarita Reza, a chemistry freshman and leader of the UH grassroots group. “Currently, only 27 percent of Houston community can access parkland within walking distance. With this project, that percentage will increase to 60 percent,” Reza said. Reza noted that in order for the expansion to be successful, they need consistant financial backing. “Our goal is to encourage City Council and keep them on board with the project,” Reza said. “Work has already started in some places, but lack of funding will impede progress.” Roksan Okan-Vick, executive director of the Houston Parks Board, believes the project is worth the price PARKS continues on page 11
Levine recruits bigger players GET SOME DAILY
thedailycougar.com
ONLINE XTRAS The SGA nomination process is in full swing. Faculty and staff act as catalysts for student motivation. Treatment of servers reaches tipping point.
COUNTDOWN
7
Days until Valentine’s Day.
You’re not going to BuildA-Bear again this year, are you?