Wednesday, March 27, 2013 // Issue 95, 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
CAMPUS
S I N C E
1 9 3 4
OPINION
Cougars bring HOPE to Houston Jessica Crawford Staff writer
A few students and recent alumni are in the process of turning their almost 1-year-old group, which works to enable and increase access to higher education among minority
students who attend Houston-area high schools, into an official nonprofit organization. Houstonians Organizing People for Education also provides scholarships, training and other assistance to students through its High School
Houstonians for Organizing People for Education visit high schools across the city to encourage a college education. | Courtesy of Kim Mai Le
Leadership Development Initiative. HSLDI helps students and parents navigate the college admissions process and succeed throughout their secondary academic career. Kim Mai Le, a chemical engineering junior and co-chair of the Scholarship and Recruiting Committee, said she can relate to the high school students with whom she currently works. “The stories that I have heard from these high school students are inspiring. It made me cry thinking about the struggles these students have overcome at such a young age,” she said. UH alumna Melissa Hernandez, an accounting graduate student at the University of Texas and co-founder of HOPE, said she was also inspired to help students succeed because she knows how difficult it is to access college education with little help.
FORENSICS
Students of all religions are welcomed to the Campus House of Prayer’s semesterly event. The 72 Hours of Prayer tent has been open since Monday, and it will last through today in Butler Plaza. Cougars were seen enjoying the week’s weather together in song, conversation and prayer.
Erika Forero Contributing writer
FORENSICS continues on page 11
HOPE continues on page 11
Proud to pray
Debate, speech takes first The UH Forensic Society was awarded its first National Championship win as a team since its first competition 62 years ago. Contrary to popular belief, Director of Forensics Mike Fain said there is no crime scene investigation involved in this type of forensics. “People think I’m a director of a scientific organization,” Fain said. UHFS, the speech and debate team for the University, used its speech communication talents to get it to first place at the Pi Kappa Delta National Championship’s 100th anniversary competition on March 13 to 17 in St. Louis, something that has never been accomplished by the team since its founding in 1951. Under Fain’s guidance, they competed against 500 debate teams and roughly 1,800 individual
“As a first-generation (college) student, I understand the challenges that one must overcome during the college application process as well as the stress of financing a college education,” she said. Adilene Medino, a civil engineering junior and recruiting leader for HOPE, helps students with the essay portion of college admissions during her “Story of Self” session. “During this session, the students receive a brief presentation on how important and powerful a personal story can be,” Medino said. “We help the students develop their personal stories in order for them to have a personal statement they can use for scholarship or college applications.” HOPE has been involved with campuses throughout the Houston area and Alief Independent School
Tech Annex wears, tears LIFE+ARTS
Behind the dancers’ curtain SPORTS
Winning streak ends at ten GET SOME DAILY
— Nichole Taylor/The Daily Cougar
thedailycougar.com CREATIVE WRITING
ONLINE XTRA
Author gives students crafty advice
Faculty Senate meeting brings Mayor Annise Parker.
Mary Dahdouh Staff writer
From grade school to college, students have been taught that the beginning of a story is the lungs, the rising action is the veins and the climax is the heart of a tale, but an author and UH alumna told students Monday that the end is an ambiguous, yet likewise essential, part of the anatomy of a fiction narrative. “There are a number of strategies and triggers and suggestions for how to begin a story, but there is
very little insight offered on how to end a story,” said Amber Dermont, author of “The Starboard Sea” and “Damage Control.” “Perhaps no one makes it that far in the process,” she said. “It’s too daunting” Students and professors listened as Dermont’s craft talk, hosted by The Honors College, presented three very different endings to the same story. “She was complicating the notions of endings instead of giving
us any sort of quick solution for ‘This is how you do it,’” said creative writing graduate student Jameelah Lang. “Instead, she made our notion of how to end a story or what makes a successful end into something that can be looked at in a lot of different ways at the same time.” Although Dermont didn’t offer any clear process on how to write the ending to a story, many were intrigued by the provoking idea CRAFTY continues on page 11
TOMORROW Residential halls experienced a minor mold dilemma.
COUNTDOWN
4
Days until Easter.
We’re so egg-cited we can bunny hold it in.