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.
The Daily Cougar
2 \\ Wednesday, March 27, 2013
FLASHBACK
Spring Specials
Honesty is the best policy Thirty-nine years ago, The Daily Cougar covered a story regarding University Bill 19099 to revise the University’s academic honesty policy. Proposed by Senators Fran Friend, Sherry Zivley, Catherine Cominsky and Carolyn Smith of the Student Association, the bill was composed of 10 pages of guidelines for dealing with questions pertaining to honesty on campus, which applied to all colleges within the University, according to The Cougar’s archives.
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The bill would have allowed a professor who suspects a student of dishonesty the opportunity to come to a mutual agreement on the issue at hand without having to go before a committee hearing, as was outlined in the bill prior to 19099. However, if the student provided no response upon notification, they would then be required to go before a committee hearing. The vice president and dean of Faculties in 1974 were in charge of dealing with honesty matters. Today, the senior vice president for Academic Affairs and provost have taken the jurisdiction. The bill offered a professor 15 steps to gain student honesty by limiting the desire to be dishonest such as maintaining adequate precautions in the preparation and handling of tests and providing ample room for proper spacing of students during examination periods, if room is available. According to UH.edu, the University recognizes that a large student body will include students who do not understand, appreciate and practice these principles. As a consequence, alleged cases of academic dishonesty will inevitably occur, and students will be accused. For more information on what can cause a student to be accused or what to do when being accused, please visit www.uh.edu/academics/catalog/policies/academ-reg/academic-honesty.
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The Daily Cougar reported on March 21, 1974, that the Students’ Association was vying for a honesty policy change. | Nichole Taylor/The Daily Cougar
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013 // 3
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NEWS EDITOR
Natalie Harms
news@thedailycougar.com
ONLINE
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OPTOMETRY
Center draws eyes to UH Tara Gonzales Contributing writer
The Vision Source Ambulatory Surgical Center housed in the Health and Biomedical Sciences Building, which opened in early February, is one of only 50 centers in the United States. The center is owned by the College of Optometry and provides classes for its students. It provides all ambulatory surgical procedures such as cataract surgery, muscle work surgery, glaucoma surgery and cornea transplant surgery. It is the only ambulatory surgery center in Houston that is licensed to provide bladeless cataract surgery. “There are only two of these cataract bladeless machines in the city, and we have one of them. This bladeless surgery helps the eye heal faster because the wound architecture is perfect in that it enables the healing process to be better and seal the wound better,” said Aaron Thibodeaux, VSASC clinical manager. VSASC is an open facility and accepts all patients and is willing to hire any qualified surgeon that meets the criteria. The center is also a unique setting in the U.S. because UH’s optometry students have the opportunity to get
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firsthand training on pre-operative and post-operative evaluation of the surgical patient. “The students are also being trained to work in a co-management relationship with the ophthalmologist to help facilitate pre-op and post-op evaluations for the ophthalmologist and surgical care of that patient,” said Marilyn Christian, the VSASC clinical administrator. “The students just can’t perform the surgery.” VSASC is a licensed service that provides the same type of service in any other ambulatory surgical facility. The inside of the clinical area mimics the inside of what a hospital would be but even nicer looking. “We are even better than a hospital because here we have each bay (or) patient post-operation area, walled off for maximum privacy for our patients,” Thibodeaux said. “If you go to another hospital or surgery center, the most you might see for privacy is a curtain in between each bay.” The new center also includes storage lockers for patients who have items they need to store before surgery, a pharmacy where the clinical area stores their drugs for the different surgeries, storage areas, a designated instrument cleaning facility and two surgery rooms.
However, VSASC has only done a handful of surgeries since they have opened in February because their Medicare certification is still pending. This can be a long process for any medical facility. Biology senior Ta’Coya Le said having this covetable center at UH makes perfect sense. “I can see how this new surgery center in the new vision institute can only help the College of Optometry even more,” Le said. “UH has one of the top optometry schools in the nation. We deserve the best.” news@thedailycougar.com
Nurse Paula Jones and Clinical Manager Aaron Thibodeaux work with multiple machines like this Lasik surgery instrument. | Tara Gonzales/The Daily Cougar
The Vision Source Ambulatory Surgical Center serves patients outside the UH community. | Estaban Portillo/The Daily Cougar
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4 \\ Wednesday, March 27, 2013
OPINION EDITOR
Aaron Manuel
opinion@thedailycougar.com
ONLINE
thedailycougar.com/opinion
FACILITIES
Obsolete Technology Annex
The ceiling in the main hallway of the Technology Annex is pockmarked with loose and damaged tiles, as well makeshift patches particle board drilled in to the tiles. The tiles themselves prevent a worse danger as they contain asbestos. Every time a tile files, asbestos particles are kicked up in to the air, filling lungs and sticking to clothes. Long-term exposure to asbestos can cause diseases like mesothelioma. Currently, Facilities Planning and Construction is sitting “in committee” on a plan to abate and replace the tile. | Aaron Manuel/The Daily Cougar
I
t is a rare gift for a building to be historical and so overlooked. When you walk from the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library across to Philip Guthrie Hoffman Hall, if you veer right Aaron of PGH, you’ll Manuel notice the old one-story Technology Annex. T1, as it is known as, is not visually impressive; it has a quaint charm about it that belies its history. The building, constructed in 1941, is the third-oldest permanent structure on campus. The funding for the construction came from local industry leaders, according to the College of Technology’s website. The outside of the building is constructed from
Texas or Cordova shellstone and is the material used to build the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building. The college opened during World War II and was immediately connected to the war effort. Fred Lewallen, the associate dean of Academic Affairs for the College of Technology, said the college’s first program was a naval training program. “We were teaching Navy recruits the art of radar before it was called radar,” he said. As rich in history as it is, though, the time has come to replace T1. As a history lover, it is not easy to replace such an enduring structure, but there is no avoiding it. As UH revels in its Tier One research institution status, with so little room on campus to build, the University must look
THE DAILY COUGAR EDITORIAL BOARD Joshua Mann Amanda Hilow ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR Samantha Wong NEWS EDITOR Natalie Harms SPORTS EDITOR Christopher Shelton LIFE & ARTS EDITOR Paulina Rojas CO-PHOTO EDITORS Nichole Taylor, Mahnoor Samana OPINION EDITOR Aaron Manuel ASSISTANT EDITORS Channler Hill, Kathleen Murrill, Jessica Portillo EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
within to replace and expand if it wants to compete with other Tier One campuses, especially the three in Texas — the University of Texas, Texas A&M University and Rice University. Take UT — as reported by Amanda Voeller of The Daily Texan on Jan. 24, the UT System Board of Regents approved the removal of the Engineering-Science Building and its replacement by a new $310 million Engineering Education and Research Center. According to the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Master Facility Plan for Engineering, it is the first of five buildings to be built over the course of the next few years to accommodate the expanding Cockrell School of Engineering. In the UH Master Plan, there seem to be plans to expand to the
side of the College of Technology Building opposite the side facing T1, but that is still just one building with no immediate plans to renovate the other three buildings; the Cockrell School Master Plan calls for renovations to three of its other four existing structures. Aside from keeping up with the Longhorns, there is a more pressing need to at least do something with T1 — the building within is in bad shape. Though the College of Technology and the University have spent money fixing up various parts of the building, there remains a litany of problems with T1 that must be dealt with, some sooner than later. “We have spent a lot of money within the college refurbishing various parts of it,” Lewallen said. “The University, a few years ago,
spent a lot of money fixing up one end of the building in terms of classroom; that’s the 120 hallway. All the rest, we’ve done out of college money.” “The (main) hallway needs to be completely revised — we need a different ceiling. It has tiles containing asbestos that fall down. The dark brown (floor) tiles that you see over there, the tile itself does not contain any asbestos but the mastic glue that was used to stick them down contains some asbestos. It’s not a problem as long as it’s not disturbed, but it should be changed,” he said. Lewallen went on to describe other problems, such as problems with the floor rising and falling with the weather and a faulty ANNEX continues on page 5
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.
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013 // 5
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The hallways are scarred with long cracks. Years ago, the floor was raised and leveled with a mixture of cement and mud, which swells or retracts based on the amount of moisture in the mixture. | Rebekah Stearns/The Daily Cougar
ANNEX
continued from page 4
and leaking air conditioning system. These are issues that need addressing as well, but the asbestos is the big issue. Every time an asbestoscoated tile hits the floor, it could have lasting consequences for anyone unfortunately around it. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, asbestos particles are small and light and can stay in the air for a long time; asbestos particles also stick to clothing, so you take it back with you to your home or dormitory and expose anyone you meet that day to asbestos. Even though the air conditioning system in T1 is having problems, it still works well enough that if asbestos particles get in to the system, those particles could eventually circulate into every classroom and office in the building. The ceiling in the main hallway of the Technology Annex is pockmarked with particle board patches where missing tiles used to be, and each missing tile represents a potential exposure to asbestos over the years. While some who are exposed to asbestos never get sick, the thought of potential health risks like mesothelioma would scare anyone. Lewallen says there is a proposal to abate, remove and replace the tiles though a decision to do it is “in committee� with Facilities, Planning and Construction and has not been submitted for funding. It is imperative that Facilities, Planning and Construction put student, faculty and staff
safety first and have these tiles replaced before the year is out. This is something that should have been done decades ago, but for the long-term future, it would be more cost-effective to replace the building altogether. “A three- or four-story building with roughly the same footprint as T1? Maybe a $60 million building — that’s a lot of money,� Lewallen said. “We figure it will take $5 to $10 million to put T1 back in first-class shape — fixing all the hallways, all the floors, all the ceilings — everything. Unfortunately, when you got through, you would still have an old building that wouldn’t have as much room as we’d like.� T1 is a building with a lot of history and carries with it the affection of College of Technology’s staff and faculty, like Lewallen. It was difficult writing this piece because after talking with him and several College of Technology staff, I understand that affection; however, that does not change what that building is. Lewallen says the building was “nearly abandoned twice� and that “the University looked several times into tearing the building down.� Perhaps it’s time the University finally did so and did something with the space that would be more conducive to the College of Technology. If the ongoing demolition drama with the Astrodome is teaching us anything, it is that not everything, no matter how historical, is worth holding on to. Aaron Manuel is a print journalism senior and may be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com.
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SPORTS EDITOR
Christopher Shelton
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BASEBALL
Cold bats cause winning streak to end Harrison Lee Staff writer
BEAUMONT — Head coach Todd Whitting once said that sooner or later UH would stub its toes. Lamar proved to be a problem for the Cougars, foiling them with a 6-3 victory. The Cougars’ offense and pitching, which had been dominant in previous games, was noticeably absent as they found themselves on a long drive back home in the dark after their fifth loss of the year. Nothing was working for the Cougars as they were slow out of the gate against the Cardinals. Before the ninth inning, the Cougars advanced only one runner past first base. The Cougars and the Cardinals had trouble making contact for most of the game as both teams combined for less than seven hits through the first six innings. The teams combined for three errors as well, two of which were made by redshirt sophomore shortstop Frankie Ratcliff. The Cougars’ pitching staff allowed six runs and eight hits,
UH had a hard time swinging the bats and scored only three runs against Lamar on Tuesday on the road. | Shaimaa Eissa/The Daily Cougar four in the sixth inning. Sophomore starting pitcher Aaron Garza, a right-hander, had trouble finding the strikezone and was relieved in the sixth by senior left-hander Ryan Bonnot, who in turn was relieved by junior right-hander Daniel Smith. Smith didn’t allow
any runs in his appearance. UH relievers, senior left-hander Matt Hernandez and sophomore righthander Logan Piper, pitched an inning of scoreless relief. In the batter’s box, seven Cardinal pitchers handcuffed the Cougars’ batting order, holding them
to only four hits for the game. All of the Cougars’ runs came in a rush in the ninth inning through singles and sacrifice flies. The Cougar offense consisted of four hits and three walks. Freshman infielder Josh Vidales, in one of the few offensive bright
spots for the Cougars, reached base safely for the 20th consecutive time this season. Freshman infielder Justin Montemayor was able to get two hits and an RBI. sports@thedailycougar.com
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Younger Cougars have chance to better develop after losses Kevin Cook Staff writer
The Cougars’ loss to George Mason in the second round of the College Basketball Invitational could be a microcosm for the entire season as they were down by 19 in the first half before rallying to force overtime and eventually losing 88-84. While UH made some encouraging progress and achievements, it failed to live up to their potential. UH entered the year with lofty aspirations, its high hopes fostered by a recruiting class that media outlets Rivals.com, Scouts.com and ESPN ranked 10th, 13th and 20th respectively in the nation. The centerpieces of the incoming class were forwards Danuel House and Danrad “Chicken” Knowles, both highly touted athletes on the national scale. House produced at a high level for the Cougars and eventually became the first player in school history to be named Conference USA “Freshman of the Year.” Knowles, however, never
suited up for a game because he was declared ineligible to play before the season. The 6-foot-10 forward could rejoin the Cougars for the upcoming season, but his absence is just another adversity faced this season. Before the season started, head coach James Dickey said his team would need to play more reliably. “There were some good things that happened, but the biggest problem (in the 2011-12 season) with our team was we were inconsistent,” Dickey said. That inconsistency happened again this year, plaguing the Cougars and leaving fans wondering what could have been. After ripping off five straight victories to start the season, UH faltered, losing to Prairie View A&M on the road and to Texas A&M at home by 12. The Cougars drew five nationally televised games this season, but failed to maximize the opportunity. After righting the ship by finishing out December with six straight wins against a soft nonconference schedule
and clobbering conference rival SMU by 11, the Cougars fell victim to their struggles with inconsistency, losing four straight in C-USA games, two of those within the friendly confines of Hofheinz Pavilion. UH spent the next three weeks alternating wins and losses with conference opponents, culminating in a triple-overtime loss to Tulsa that preceeded two additional losses to Memphis and Tulane. Meanwhile, sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas was named C-USA “Player of the Week,” and House was named C-USA “Freshmen of the Week,” but UH’s moments of achievement couldn’t overcome its inability to play up to its potential. Thomas said his goal was to leave an impression before the season. “I want to leave Conference USA with a bang,” Thomas said. “I want everybody to remember that we did something special before we left.” The College Basketball Invitational GROW continues on page 7
Forward Leon Gibson (No. 15) is the Cougars’ only senior this season. Their top four scorers are freshmen or sophomores. | Courtesy of John Irwin
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 // 7
The Daily Cougar
SPORTS BRIEFS
UH takes on Alabama in sold out game Daily Cougar Sports Services The Cougars are in for a test at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when No. 4 Alabama, the 2012 National Champions, come to Cougar Softball Stadium. Tickets are sold out. The Cougars are coming off a three-game sweep of ECU that brought their conference record to 8-1. Freshman outfielder Katie St. Pierre is on a 14-game hitting streak. Since the streak began, she has improved her batting average from .257 on March 1 before the streak started to .375 clip. Alabama (29-4, 6-3) began the season with a 22-game winning streak. New Members UH’s athletic conference next season, the soon-to-be-renamed Big East, has added a new member, updated a member and will be put to a vote for the league’s presidents next week, according to ESPN. Tulsa will join the conference in 2014 and East Carolina, initially a
football-only entrant, is expected to be added as a full member, according to ESPN. A source told ESPN that the addition of Tulsa is “imminent.” The addition of the Golden Hurricane would give the league 12 football schools when Navy joins in 2015. The moves mean more alterations for a league that has specialized in changes, as 16 schools have left or announced their departure from the league in the past two years. The Catholic 7 will take the Big East name with them in a new league including Butler, Creighton and Xavier starting July 1. League commissioner Mike Aresco said the conference is hoping to have a new name by late April. “We are getting closer,” he said. UH will face familiar foes as nine of the projected 11 members of the conference left Conference USA. Connecticut and Temple are the only schools that didn’t arrive from C-USA.
Basketball TV deal UH’s next conference has signed a basketball television deal with CBS that lasts through the 201920 season, the league announced Tuesday. The soon-to-be-renamed Big East Conference announced that the contract includes up to 12 appearances per season. At least six of those television appearances will be conference games. League commissioner Mike Aresco said he was happy to continue a relationship with CBS. “We are delighted to be extending the historic and successful relationship that we have enjoyed with CBS Sports since 1983,” Aresco said. “This agreement further illustrates the excitement and anticipation that surround the re-invention of our Conference, and it will provide our fans across the country the opportunity to watch our games on network television.”
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sports@thedailycougar.com
The Cougars were down 15-0 to start the game against George Mason after a sluggish start. | Courtesy of John Irwin
GROW continued from page 6
offered a final opportunity to make the sort of statement Thomas wanted the team to make. Playing at home against Texas, the Cougars made that statement. Thomas notched his team-leading 15th double-double of the season against the Longhorns and four of the five Cougar starters scored in double figures in the thrilling onepoint victory over Texas, sealed with a last-possession jumper by House that put away with Longhorns.
Then the Cougars went on the road to VA and failed to score a point in the first three minutes and 20 seconds of play against the Patriots to go down 17-0 in the contest. Inconsistency is not just a problem for this team, it is a hallmark. UH will return the squad for next season, except senior forward Leon Gibson. Freshman center Valentine Izundu, sidelined late in the year by nagging injuries after showing promise on the defensive end, will return ready to contribute meaningful minutes for the squad. Redshirt sophomore guard Joseph
Young, House and Thomas — the leading scorers this season — return as well, as the Cougars leave behind another conference to move to the soon-to-be-renamed Big East. Knowles will also join the Cougars as they try to compete for a conference championship. The true test for UH and Dickey is turning the promise that the Cougars showed by defeating Texas for the first time in 13 years into wins. The proof would be a trip to the NCAA Tournament and a chance to compete for a national title. sports@thedailycougar.com
Hot. Fresh. Daily. www.thedailycougar.com
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8 \\ Wednesday, March 27, 2013
LIFE & ARTS EDITOR
Paulina Rojas
arts@thedailycougar.com
ONLINE
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SCHOOL OF THEATER AND DANCE
Making it under the spotlight Putting on a dance production is a true labor of skill and love Julia Davila Staff writer
The art of dance is not just about moving across a stage or wearing pretty leotards and tights; it is a way for dancers to tell a story without having to say a word. The movements of the dancers show not only their physical strength and technical ability, but also a strong variety of emotions. “At the university level, I look for dancers who are fully engaged in the rehearsal process, who have a sense of humor, demonstrate a strong work ethic and usually,” said Karen Stokes, head of the Dance Division at the School of Theatre and Dance. “I try to pick dancers I have not worked with before.” Teresa Chapman, director of the pre-professional group Dance Ensemble, seeks similar qualities. “I look for a dancer that has potential, passion, commitment, strong work ethic, dedication, performance ability and a higher level of technical ability,” Chapman said. Watching a dance performance can be an exhilarating experience. The final piece is rewarding for the dancers and choreographers who have been rehearsing and straining their bodies for numerous hours and countless days in the studio. “Most importantly, potential Ensemble members should possess the ability to work as a team and be a leader in the dance program,” Chapman said. For the fall, students are encouraged to create their choreography and pick their cast for the student-choreographed works. These works are given three showings for faculty to give feedback
and constructive criticism. On the third showing, the faculty selects the works that will be shown in the emerging choreographers showcase. Bryan Peck, a senior dance m a j o r, t a l k e d a b o u t h ow a rehearsal works for the Ensemble Dance Works. “Learning and setting new choreography on the dancers while nailing down spacing, formations and patterns. Right before show, we have to fit costumes. Then you have your lighting and spacing rehearsal on stage,” Peck said. The spring dance concert is cast by Chapman in coordination with the choreographers. Students who wish to be part of the Dance Ensemble audition during the spring semester for the following season. Some of the decisions are based on the dancers the choreographer is interested in working with, but under equal consideration is the number of dances each dancer is cast in and the overall composition of the show itself. Dancers rehearse Monday through Friday and have technique classes and times where their main goal is to rehearse for the performance they are working on. Each choreographer has a different teaching style, so each rehearsal is different. Katey Tidwell, a senior dance major, weighs in on what a typical rehearsal is like. “First, we usually go over what we have previously learned and clarify questionable areas. Then the choreographer will begin teaching new material. Sometimes their ideas work and sometimes they don’t,” Tidwell said. “Not everything works out how you imagine it will in your head. Some choreographers will ask for your input,” she said. “They might ask you to make
DANCE ON Upcoming dance production UH Dance Goes to the Barn is a set of performances that have been produced, danced and created entirely by UH students from the School of Theater and Dance. Where: Barnevelder theater at 2201 Preston When: Today at 7:30 p.m. Go to www.uh.edu/class/theatre-and-dance for more information. Send us your thoughts on these performances by sending us an email at arts@thedailycougar.com.
Dancers rehearse Monday through Friday and attend technique classes in which the main focus is to rehearse the performances they are working on. | Courtesy of the School of Theater and Dance up a phrase yourself to contribute or just make variations to movement phrases they have already taught you. It all depends on the choreographer and how they put together their own dances.” Jerrica Mark, a dance and mathematics senior, loves expressing herself in dance. “My favorite thing about dance is that I can express what I want to say through movement,” Mark said. “It drives me crazy — those moments that you can’t find the right words or the right way to say something. I find that movement gives me a greater range of vocabulary and possibilities to give a voice to my thoughts and feelings that I could not find with words,” she said. The Dance Ensemble Works concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 5 and 6 and 1:30 p.m. April 7 at the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre. arts@thedailycougar.com
This semester students had the opportunity to create an original performance. It premiers today at 7:30 p.m. | Courtesy of the School of Theater and Dance
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 // 9
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LIFE+ARTS
Making the most of the sunlight
C
omputer engineering seniors Evan Adams and Fabiola Sanchez enjoy some down time while sipping on some warm drinks. Meanwhile, students lie out on a sunny Tuesday afternoon by the fountain. — Bethel Gulmac and Nichole Taylor/The Daily Cougar
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ACROSS 1 Heirloom location 6 Genderless ones 9 Political contests 14 Indian penny 15 Cat food container 16 Wetlands wader 17 Flynn of “Robin Hood� 18 Lennon collaborator 19 River at Orleans 20 Where to hear letters recited 23 Org. with rats and moles 24 Hullabaloo 25 Raided the fridge 27 State of abundance 32 Huron’s neighbor 33 ___ Rio, Texas 34 Forceful flow 36 Referring to birth 39 Midocean 41 Streetside pickup 43 Sweettoned musical
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DOWN 1 Primatologist’s subjects 2 It covers all the bases 3 It wears on you during a road trip 4 Princess in a Wagner opera 5 TV Frasier’s clientele 6 Mouse user’s selection 7 Astronaut’s beverage 8 Elitist types 9 Brush up on 10 “All Those Years ___� (George Harrison hit) 11 It may be swung in Sussex 12 Ghastly strange 13 “Bed� or “home� addition 21 Not up to the task 22 Point opposite WSW 26 “See you later,� Italian-style 27 Abbreviations on vitamin bottles
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Soft Contact Lens Wearers Needed The Ocular Surface Institute at the University of Houston College of Optometry is recruiting patients 18 to 69 years old to partcipate in a clinical research study evaluating the performance of soft contact lenses with 4FDA-approved contact lens care solutions. The study involves 11 visits over 9 months. If eligible, you will receive a $30 Target gift card for each completed study visit (a total of $330).
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Additional information about this study is available by calling Laura Cardenas at 713.743.2849 or email: tosl@optometry.uh.edu – Mention Study 104 The study was reviewed by UH 713.743.9004
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013 // 11
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NEWS
FORENSICS continued from page 1
competitors. Fain said this event is particularly intense. “On the college level, there are 13 different types of national championships. Pi Kappa Delta is, without question, the oldest and one of the biggest in the country, if not the world,� Fain said. Between 1951 and 1998, the UH forensic team won three individual titles but none as a team. “In 1998, the program on this campus absolutely and totally died,� Fain said. “What I mean is that there was not a faculty member, there was not an office or a cent or a kid that competed for the University until 2002.� Fain became director in 2002, when he was working at a high school as a speech coach. He then began to work with his students at UH, who are “ugly brilliant,� he said. “These kids are extremely coachable and smarter than you could ever believe,� Fain said. One of the debaters was economics and political science junior Angela Kao, who won with a speech
about a 13-year-old Chinese gymnast who was defected from China on international television at a gymnastics competition. Fain said they rewrote parts of the story for the performance by adding some Chinese language to the speech. “I incorporated Mandarin Chinese, the national dialect, in order to make the performance more authentic, which may have helped to captivate the audience,� Kao said. “While performing, I strive to connect with the character, so any emotions I may feel are entirely those of the character of which I am portraying.� Fain said most of the pieces the team performs are controversial or emotional, and that is what sets them apart. “That’s the kind of thing that we do,� Fain said. “We do very emotional pieces. Put it this way: You never know what is going to pop out of University of Houston’s mouth.� After this competition, UHFS has 41 national titles, almost 15 times more than it had when it started in 2002. Fain said this is because of his focus on everything but competition. “I always tell the kids the reason
why we win is because there is an inverse relationship between how little I care to win and how much you win,� Fain said. “If I don’t care to win, I don’t put any pressure. The UH Forensic Program is one that wins lots of competition, but it is because we focus on the needs of the community.� UHFS goes to Star of Hope to help buy, transport and serve food to homeless families three times a year. Last year, it judged 18 different speech events and five nonrelated events throughout the city as well. “Volunteering as a team builds up unity and keeps us grounded and invested in the topics we may discuss,� said Marcus Smith, an English and political science junior who is part of the society. “Everyone on the team is very close, like brothers and sisters. � Working together as a team will bring success no matter what, Fain says. “If I teach the team how to be a team first, then winning will happen,� Fain said. “What helps you win depends on what you do in the meantime.� news@thedailycougar,com
HOPE organizers are trying become an official nonprofit. | Courtesy of Kim Mai Le
HOPE continued from page 1
District. They also diversify the students they reach by offering advice for college admissions in different languages. “This year, in addition to our regular sessions, we also provided Spanish sessions for Spanish-speaking students at our Project Grad Houston event,� Hernandez said. Le said college students who want to get involved can visit thehopecollaborative.org. “Currently, we are looking for volunteers as leadership coaches at our next event at Sharpstown High School on April 12,� Le said. By becoming a nonprofit organization, HOPE will be able to help
more students. “By becoming a full nonprofit organization, we would be able to expand our organization, have greater access to funding and be able to better serve our students by providing greater assistance, more programs and scholarships,� Hernandez said. Medino said she is excited at the prospect of helping more students and that the students inspire her just as much as she has inspires them. “I realized I was capable of inspiring high school students to pursue their dreams despite the challenges they have,� Medino said. “It amazed me to see the numerous challenges many are going through and at the same time, I became extremely thankful for what I have now.� news@thedailycougar.com
THE DEAN OF STUDENTS OFFICE presents,
The Dean’s Award To promote service to the University of Houston by recognizing students for their outstanding contributions to the quality of campus life through service, leadership and spirit. Online applications are available on the e Dean of Students website at:
www.uh.edu/dos For more information, call Writer Amber Dermont, who has penned a couple books in her career, took the stand Monday to give aspiring authors a piece of advice for their writing. | Isabella Serimonteikul/The Daily Cougar
CRAFTY continued from page 1
that the closing of a story can be a cathartic release for the writer and reader, said creative writing graduate student Michelle Mariano. “Even if there are no solutions on how to get to an ending, just to have things to think about for it are pretty interesting,� Mariano said. “I had no
idea how to end a story.� To conclude, Dermont gave some insight on the indefinite nature of endings, as every ending provides each reader with a different resolution. “Endings are often the measure of a writer’s true power,� said Dermont said, “yet it’s ultimately the reader that writes the story.� news@thedailycougar.com
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APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 4, 2013
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