Monday, February 11, 2013 // Issue 73, 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
CAMPUS
O F
H O U S T O N
SOCIAL MEDIA
S I N C E
1 9 3 4
OPINION
Dancing in solidarity Not your Channler K. Hill
father’s confessional
Assistant news editor
Natalie Harms
UH’s annual marathon fights for sick children
The line dance is one of Dance On’s oldest routines taught to participants of fraternities, sororities, campus organizations and visitors at the sixth annual dance marathon coined CougarThon. Development chair Jessica Ha, corporate communications and accounting junior, set high expectations for the event. The goal was to raise $10,000 in proceeds for the Charity Care Program of Texas Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “For the turn out this year, we’ve been trying to make it bigger, and we worked on getting more organizations involved since people like to work as a group,” Ha said. The event held Saturday lasted from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the University Center Houston Room. Participants were encouraged to stay the full nine hours and stand for those who can’t. The majority of the event’s fundraising came from the $10
News editor
families.
While the UH Confessions Facebook page participants don’t begin their posts with “forgive me Father for I have sinned,” the posts have one thing in common with that of the church’s: anonymity. “People can say whatever they want without (anyone) knowing about it. They can be kind of stalkerish or confess about cheating without getting in trouble,” said hotel restaurant management freshman Abby Mondlock. The page, which invites people to write whatever they want anonymously through a survey, was created Jan. 25 by a group of UH students. In its brief existence, the page went from several hundred likes to more than 10,000. Despite the page’s popularity, UH media representatives have a more solemn approach to what the page offers.
DANCING continues on page 12
SOCIAL continues on page 3
The dancing participants play a vital role in the event by showing their support through dance and movement, which some children have lost because of their illness. | Aisha Bouderdaben/The Daily Cougar registration fee that in return led participants to a personal Website where sponsors donated to local
CITY
Guest lecturer suggests friendly relations with Middle East Mary Dahdouh Contributing writer
The chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell told a group of UH students Wednesday that, in regards to the United States and Iranian relationship, “we need not be enemies.” Many college students were in elementary or middle school when 9/11 ignited the War on Terror. As this generation has grown older, the situation in the Middle East has grown worse and it’s a world issue that has been inherited. “We have a significant and immediate problem confronting us,” said Col. Lawrence Wilkerson. “I really feel like my generation has bequeathed on your generation, the young people, a real mess, and I don’t see you being able to get it in hand and fix it unless you really know what you’re doing.” In his lecture, Wilkerson showed how American relations with Iran
have changed considerably in the last few decades. “How do we get from the point where I, as the captain, am sitting in a helicopter with an Iranian teaching him how to fly that helicopter to the point today where we don’t even talk?” Wilkerson said. “Where, for example in Washington, the secretary of state tells her diplomats, ‘I’m sorry, but you are absolutely forbidden to talk to your counterpart in Iran upon penalty of being guilty of material support of terrorism.’ How do we do that? How do we make such a transition? Well painfully, and over time and delusion marks it all.” For 26 years, Iran was an ally but now the situation in the Middle East has become a power-play and a battle for security, Wilkerson said. “Iran is another traditional power, especially in that region,” said Cyrus Contractor, political science professor.
Students face social media LIFE+ARTS
UH rapper album review SPORTS
Khator, Rhoades lay groundwork GET SOME DAILY
thedailycougar.com
CORRECTION Students must work out a housing payment plan through Student Financial Services rather than Student Housing and Residential Life as said in Thursday’s residence halls article. “Not only is there no reason for us to be enemies, Iran and the United States, but there are many reasons, and some of them are critical and important for us?” said Col. Lawrence Wilkerson Thursday. | Mary Dahdouh/The Daily Cougar “I think if you remove a lot of those characteristics — it being a Muslim country and particularly a Shiite Muslim country — you can remove all that rhetoric and, in the end, what are they trying to
do? They’re trying to secure their borders and have safety and also to win, when necessary and beneficial, an extension of power just like any LECTURE continues on page 11
COUNTDOWN
3
Days until Valentine’s Day.
Are you going to pour your heart out in person or just on UH Confessions?