SPORTS
TRADITIONS
HEALTH
Spirit sparks involvement
UH prepares for flu season
Coog Crew and Bleacher Creatures hope to become the motivators of the student section at athletics events.
The Student Health Center encourages students to come out to recieve needed vaccinations this fall. SEE PAGE 7
SEE PAGE 5 SEPT.
CALENDAR CHECK: 21
Bayou Bucket. It’ll be fur against feather at the Rice game in three days.
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
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Issue 14, Volume 79
O F
H O U S T O N
S I N C E
1 9 3 4
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM
SCIENCE
NASA to research Houston pollution Tristan Reickhoff Staff writer
Two NASA aircraft will fly over the Houston area to study air pollution throughout the month of September. The project studies air
quality between pollution at the surface, where people are exposed, and pollution overhead. “We are measuring air pollutants and weather variables to develop a better understanding of the chemical and meteorological
processes that contribute to Houston’s poor air quality,” said Barry Lefer, associate department chair of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Measurements are taken from multiple locations in Houston,
including UH, the UH System at Sugar Land, Conroe, Liberty County, UH Coastal Center and Galveston. NASA scientists have been working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality,
UH, University of Texas, Rice University and Baylor University on the project. The larger aircraft, the NASA P-3B, flies as low as 1,000 feet over POLLUTION continues on page 3
POLICE
UHPD seeks accreditation Hadiya Iqbal Staff writer
Defined Space remains undefined ”Sandy in Defined Space” is a work of art featured near the Science and Engineering Research Center. It was created by artist Richard McDermott Miller in 1967, and has multiple interpretations, including escaping a “boxed in” space. Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar
The process has begun for campus police to become accredited with the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. The IACLEA sets high professional standards for campus law enforcement and is dedicated to keeping campuses and communities safe. The organization offers numerous programs and educational resources that promote the advancement of public safety. IACLEA is regarded as the leading organization in the campus law enforcement community. Chief of Police Ceaser Moore Jr. is working toward accreditation, which would improve the status of the department nationwide. The process is painstaking. Less than 10 campus police departments have achieved accreditation in Texas and Chief Moore wants to make UH the next campus. “If you want to be a Tier One university, the University should have a Tier One police department,” Moore said. The accreditation process has five stages that all agencies must go through: initial inquiry and application, policy compliance and review, agency evaluation, commission review and maintenance.
UH Police Chief Ceaser Moore Jr. is leading UHPD to seek accreditation with the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. | Courtesy of uh.edu
Each phase is in-depth and the department must look at a substantial amount of policies and directives. Capt. Katherine Smith is heading the effort to review all of the department’s policies and make them compliant with IACLEA’s standards. This poses a challenge, since each policy not only has to comply with IACLEA’s standards, but also has to adhere to internal, University and other policies. This is a difficulty that is unique to campus police departments, Smith said. “Most city or county departments don’t have to worry about all of the different levels of
compliance,” Smith said. The IACLEA process is voluntary, but Moore has taken the initiative to set the standard for other campus police departments. This recognition of the department’s hard work and dedication to public safety would also reflect well on UH and is a part of Moore’s vision for the Department. “The vision for the Department is for us to be the best,” Moore said. “I don’t want it to be good, or better than some.” Despite the challenges the Department faces, Moore hopes to achieve accreditation by summer 2014. new@thedailycougar.com
The Daily Cougar
2 \\ Wednesday, September 18, 2013
FLASHBACK UH defeats Rice in first rival game in 1971 For more than 40 years, the Cougars have been facing off against their Rice University rival in what has been deemed the Bayou Bucket. In 1971, UH defeated Rice in a close game that eventually ended with 2321 on the scoreboard. Saturday marks the last Bayou Bucket game for the next four years at least since the two teams are not in the same conference, and non-conference games are planned four years in advance. However, both teams have expressed interest in bringing back the Bucket again. Head coach Tony Levine said that the game against Rice is one of UH’s most highly anticipated competitions.
The high-tension game was the first of the now traditional football games between Rice and UH. | 1971 The Daily Cougar
“You look at what’s gone on year after year after year,” Levine said at the Tuesday press conference. “This is a highly competitive game.”
— Jessica Crawford
CLARIFICATION *Source: American College Health Association -National College Health Assessment II, Fall 2008
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Tuesday’s article regarding the recipients of the Richard Murray Scholarship should have listed Sarah Aimadeddine’s most recent internship as her position as a Hobby Fellow with the Hobby Center for Public Policy this past spring, as well as her internship in Austin with Representative Jim Murphy for the 2013 legislative session.
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ABOUT THE COUGAR The Daily Cougar is published Monday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and Wednesdays during the summer and online at thedailycougar. com. The Daily Cougar is supported in part by Student Service Fees. The first copy is free. Additional copies cost 25 cents. SUBSCRIPTIONS Rates are $70 per year or $40 per semester. Mail subscription requests to: Mail Subscriptions, The Daily Cougar, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-4015. NEWS TIPS Send tips and story ideas to the editors. Call (713) 743-5314, e-mail news@ thedailycougar.com. A “Submit news” form is available at thedailycougar.com. COPYRIGHT No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the consent of the director of Student Publications.
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Closing editors
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Natalie Harms, Channler K. Hill
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 // 3
The Daily Cougar
NEWS EDITOR
ACTIVITIES
UH celebrates national history Daily Cougar News Services UH is honoring Constitution Day with a library exhibit, luncheon and essay contest. The week, according to a University news release, is supposed to encourage UH students, staff and faculty to keep appreciating the more than 200-year-old document that still plays a daily role in the nation. The exhibit at the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library features original documents from some of the United States’ founding fathers. “The UH Libraries’ Special Collections Department owns a number of books written by Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Charles Pinckney and George Washington,” said Pat Bozeman, head of Special Collections, in a news release. Constitution Day celebrations will last until Friday. news@thedailycougar.com
Mary Dahdouh
news@thedailycougar.com
ONLINE
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POLLUTION continued from page 1
Houston, taking in air directly to analyze it for various pollutants. This aircraft can fly up to 15,000 feet above the atmosphere. The NASA P-3B flies over eight different locations in the Houston area including Galveston, Smith Point, UH, West Houston, Conroe, Channelview, Deer Park and Manvel Croix. “The P-3B flies for eight hours. The King Air flies for four hours; lands to refuel, and flies again for four hours on each flight day,” said NASA research scientist James Crawford. NASA King Air, the smaller aircraft, flies at approximately 27,000 feet, overlooking Houston with a laser ranging instrument to examine the pollution. A spectrometer looks at the light reflected from the ground to assess gaseous pollution. “The NASA King Air has two remote sensing instruments: a special camera that measures air pollutants that form photochemical smog; and the other shoots multiple eye-safe lasers downward to measure the optical properties and layering of particles below the aircraft,” Lefer said. The P-3B holds two pilots, a flight engineer, a mechanic and 19 scientists while the NASA King Air holds two pilots and two scientists. The principles behind the pollution sensors are taken in measurements that are either charge- or light-based. “These sensors use some physical or
NASA will send aircrafts over a number of locations in Houston, including UH, to survey pollution in the area. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons chemical property of the molecule or particle to allow for its detection. Could be that it absorbs specific wavelengths of light, scatters light, reacts with another compound, dissolves in water and conducts electricity ... All of these physical characteristics are measured and quantified with calibrated sensors,” Lefer said. The photochemical smog that impacts all of Houston is highest during the day.
“Pollution is quite different at night; however, during this project, we will not have any nighttime flights simply because the current air quality satellites use reflected sunlight to measure pollution, so they do not collect data at night,” Lefer said. Results will be analyzed and presented at the end of 2014. news@thedailycougar.com
Instructor Certification Sunday, October 6 9AM–5PM, MP 1 & 2
Student/Member Registration: $159 Must enter promo code ‘HOSTCLUB’ for member discount Non-student/member Registration:$189 Registration can be completed at
www.turbokickevents.com/piyo We will be hiring UH students as Insanity and PiYo instructors for employment at the rec. Auditions will be held in mid-late October Contact information:
Mhanbury@central.uh.edu, 713.743.9503, University of Houston – Fitness Programs
The Daily Cougar
4 \\ Wednesday, September 18, 2013
OPINION EDITOR James Wang EMAIL
opinion@thedailycougar.com
ONLINE
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ACADEMICS
College athletes balance study, practice time
A
thletes fight for excellence at every practice and game they play. This is especially true for UH Football, which seems poised to rock the scoreboards this year. Just look Rachel at the football Lee season opener’s final score against Southern University, a whopping win for the Cougars with 62-13, followed a week later by a 22-13 win against conference rival Temple. But all of this practice time for an athlete to further themselves in their sport interrupts crucial study time. By requiring intense practice hours that can interfere with study and homework time, student athletes can sometimes receive a subpar education. However, athletes can also receive some fantastic scholarship opportunities for athletic excellence, propelling them into a great school with great educational prospects, like UH. So it can be hard to sympathize with student athletes having a hard time in school when faced with the notion that they often get fantastic scholarship opportunities that many students do not. Yet there are three major time consumers causing struggle in the life of a student athlete. One of their academic issues stems from having too many time commitments.
David Delgado/The Daily Cougar All those extracurricular events involved with their sport of choice can draw on the time needed to study. And let’s face it: most student athletes would like to savor their free time like other students. If a student needs downtime — or time to socialize with friends — they have to write it into their schedules or find themselves drowning in piles of homework that was not done because of a lack of time. When test days roll around, it can be hard for the classic university athlete to keep up if they haven’t had time to study. That goes without saying for most students who have no time study. But the largest factor hurting the modern American student athlete is the preconceived ideal
that sports are more important than academics. According to the 2010 Delta Cost Project — a study at the American Institutes for Research — schools involved in the Big East spent an average of just more than $102,000 spent per athlete, but only an average of $17,620 per regular student. Now UH is part of the American Athletic Conference. But an athletics program can be helpful. The sense of spirit that comes from individuals screaming at a game brings students closer together, creating one of the best forms of camaraderie. Scholarships help student athletes get an education they otherwise might not be able to afford. The best thing
a college sports program can offer its athletes is the chance to reach public exposure through television. This publicity provides an opportunity for student athletes to be seen by recruiters in hopes that the athlete will “go pro.” Look at one of UH’s own, Case Keenum. Now a quarterback for the Houston Texans, he is one of the all-time best quarterbacks in UH history who got his big break in college. However, it took him six years to get his degree in KinesiologySports Administration with a minor in Business Administration before he made that leap to the professional football world. It is obvious that sports can interfere with school. UH offers an array of tutoring
opportunities for student athletes. According to the UH Cougars web page, the Academic Center for Excellence is a unit of Academic Services geared toward student athletes and has a staff including “six full-time academic counselors, a senior learning specialist, two parttime learning assistants and a full-time tutoring coordinator who assist over 350 UH student athletes in 16 sports.” The hard part is finding the time to get help. But it might not be such a huge issue at UH, where all freshman student athletes have mandatory study hall hours and study hall time is designed around each individual team. There are even 20 part-time tutors available to Cougar student athletes. All in all, football isn’t going away anytime soon — as it shouldn’t — but student athletes need to continue to receive the time they need to further their education through studying. It is imperative that universities keep this in mind. Give student athletes tutorial and study time, and remember academics come first, not second. Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I couldn’t agree more, and it seems UH does, too. Opinion columnist Rachel Lee is a English sophomore and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com
Show your Constitution pride to win a prize tion Day u t i t s n o C contest!
1.
Pick P a constitutional amendment. (You have 27 to choose from.)
2.
W Write a guest column (400 words max.) about what it means to you and how it makes the U.S. a better country.
3.
S Send your submission to opinion@thedailycougar.com by noon on Sept. 19.
The winning essay will be announced on Sept. 26 online and in print and win a prize package from the Center for Student Involvement. Th
THE DAILY COUGAR EDITORIAL BOARD Channler K. Hill Natalie Harms WEB EDITOR Jenae Sitzes NEWS EDITOR Mary Dahdouh SPORTS EDITOR Christopher Shelton LIFE & ARTS EDITOR Paulina Rojas PHOTO EDITOR Kayla Stewart OPINION EDITOR James Wang ASSISTANT EDITORS Jessica Crawford, Laura Gillespie, Justin Tijerina, Monica Tso, Andrew Valderas EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
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.
including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing.
and affiliation with the University, including classification
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed,
GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address
743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.
and major. Commentary should be limited to 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies, but rather should present independent points of view. Deliver submissions to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713)
Wednesday,September 18, 2013 // 5
The Daily Cougar
SPORTS EDITOR
Christopher Shelton
sports@thedailycougar.com
ONLINE
thedailycougar.com/sports
Coog Crew and Bleacher Creatures take over the first two rows of the student section and promote spirit at sports events. | Steven S. Chambers/The Daily Cougar
TRADITIONS
Spirit organizations promote participation Kathleen Murrill Senior staff writer
You probably heard them loudly leading the crowd in one of UH’s chants before you ever actually laid eyes on them, and you probably saw most of them without their shirts on before you knew their first name. The Bleacher Creatures and Coog Crew expose their bodies to the cold and blistering heat, stand the entire game ignoring the plastic red seat behind them, lose their voices from yelling “Coogs’ House” one too many times and arrive to an empty stadium two hours before a game even starts, which is their idea of a fun Saturday. Both organizations have been like spirit ambassadors for UH, not only cheering at football games, but
all sports events across campus. The Bleacher Creatures, the spirit organization for Honors College students, and Coog Crew, an organization open to all students, have set the standard for student fans for more than a decade. Senior psychology major and Bleacher Creatures president Gabbi Hauser said her shortened Saturdays are worth it for the opportunity to root for her beloved University. “We love our team, we love UH and we want to support the Cougars. (Being at the game) is a very fun release for everyone,” Hauser said. “It is a really big time commitment, but we love our team. We are willing to sacrifice our Saturdays or Friday nights to support the team that we care so much about.” For sports administration senior
and Coog Crew president Joshua Giles, the experience of looking up from the bottom of the stadium to see the entire student section is made worthwhile by the people he’s with and by the opportunity to meet new people. “When I came to UH, I was socially awkward and I didn’t talk. I was a shy kid. Then I met one of my best friends, who was the recruitment chair for Coog Crew. He was a very outgoing guy and very loud. He was basically who I wanted to be, so I started (being involved with Coog Crew),” Giles said. “Coog Crew is an umbrella organization that everyone can join. There are very (few) organizations that everyone can join. And I think athletics is one of those things that brings together every university
student and lets them socialize and make connections with people they wouldn’t have otherwise met.” Game day, although full of chances to make new friends, is often long, especially for the officers of these spirit organizations. Starting several hours before kickoff, the leaders must, in dealing with the temporary change to Reliant Stadium, arrive at Reliant early and enter into the stadium to reserve their respective sections while attempting to coordinate the body painting of their members before they board the shuttles. Then, they all stand and yell for what could be three hours, according to Hauser. With goals of uniting the University and promoting school spirit, Coog Crew and the Bleacher Creatures will continue to strive to have
the loudest sections in any stadium and hope to increase active student involvement in Athletics for future seasons. Senior education major and Coog Crew vice president Victoria Weast said the people she has befriended because of Coog Crew and the sight from the front row section — especially events like ESPN College GameDay’s visit during a 2011 contest against SMU — have made her love UH more than she ever thought. “It’s amazing. Josh (Giles) gets goose bumps every time (he thinks) about it,” Weast said. “But looking up in (the stadium) to see the entire student section — it’s just beautiful.” sports@thedailycougar.com
The Daily Cougar
6 \\ Wednesday, September 18, 2013
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The Daily Cougar
LIFE & ARTS EDITOR
Paulina Rojas EMAIL arts@thedailycougar.com
ONLINE
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BLAFFER
Video artist brings flurry of colors Nora Olabi Contributing writer
Internationally renowned experimental film and video artist Michael Robinson was invited to the Blaffer Art Museum to present a screening of his work for the inauguration of the “On Screen at Blaffer” series Monday night. Much of Robinson’s work revolves around 1980s and 1990s American pop culture. He incorporates film, television and music into new narratives that skim the surface of nostalgia and pull the audience into a different dimension. “I think my work (has) the potential to put viewers in a mental space reminiscent of a funny nightmare which feels urgent, personal and engrossing, yet teetering on the edge of nonsense,” Robinson said. “I’m inspired by both the things I love in the world and the things I find troubling or terrifying. I’m not really trying to replicate either, so my practice ends up centering around making sense of the things I feel
conflicted about.” Robinson presented eight short films that ran for about 70 minutes. Much of his art is a collage of found footage that creates intricate and sometimes sinister worlds where beauty and horror can be felt simultaneously. His visual vocabulary is familiar to those accustomed to avant-garde movies. The use of flickering, solarizing, inverting and superimposing multiple images were tools in his arsenal, but those tools in his hands were used in different ways. One of the most visually captivating films was “These Hammers Don’t Hurt Us,” in which Michael Jackson’s music video “Walk Like an Egyptian” was seamlessly stitched with clips from the 1963 movie “Cleopatra,” starring Elizabeth Taylor. Bright images of jewels, luxury and royalty that tied the new and old worlds together seemed to take the audience down a dizzying and exponentially alarming path to self-destruction. Though he relied
Famous video and film artist Michael Robinson screened his colorful work during the On Screen at Blaffer series on Monday evening at the Blaffer Art Museum. Mixing media from the 1990s, Robinson’s film produced emotional and personal stories. | Courtesy of Michael Robinson on familiar images, Robinson created a unique universe that did not require context for immersion into his world. “Every screening is different, and I try to take each one on its own terms,” Robinson said. “I was very happy to show my work at Blaffer, and honored to be the inaugural event of their new ‘On Screen’ series. I think it was definitely a success; we got a good
crowd. Everything ran smoothly and the audience had lots of questions.” Many of the videos screened were originally produced on 16 mm film and transferred onto a digital medium. Because of this, Robinson created kaleidoscopic narratives of old and new worlds meeting. Though his films were colorful, they told stories about love, loss, beauty and the human experience. Bl a f f e r i s a b l e t o i n v i t e
international artists like Robinson through funding from the Innovation Grant program, which is provided through the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts and funded in part by the Houston Endowment Inc. More information about Robinson and his free viewings of his films can be found on Robinson’s website at poisonberries.net. arts@thedailycougar.com
HEALTH
Center prepares students for flu season Sabrina Lloyd Contributing writer
The Student Health Center encourages students to get vaccinated for the upcoming fall season to prevent sickness. Medical assistant Kenya Williams provides flu vaccinations not only for students but for faculty and staff as well, including Dr. Scott Spear, executive director and chief physician. | Monica Tso/The Daily Cougar
Fever, chills, body aches, fatigue, sore throat — flu season is right around the corner. With the hectic schedules of most Cougars, getting the flu is not an option. The flu vaccine is now available at the University Health Center for students as well as faculty. Flu season is typically from November to April, and the UHC is encouraging students to get vaccinated as soon as possible. “The annual flu vaccine is the best way to reduce the chances that you will get the flu,” said Jennifer Nguyen, chief nurse at the UHC. “Students should keep in mind that it takes two weeks to build up immunity in the body after the vaccine has been administered.” Nguyen said in an average year, the flu causes 36,000 deaths and more than 200,000 hospitalizations in the United States. She sees about five to 10 student cases per week
during peak flu season and thinks students should be aware of how easily the virus spreads. “Flu viruses are spread through droplets made when people with the flu cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people nearby or possibly inhaled into the lungs,” Nguyen said. “It also spreads by (a person) touching a surface or object that has the flu virus on it, then touching the eyes, mouth or nose.” The best way to prevent the virus from spreading is to cover the nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing, wash hands often with anti-bacterial hand soap, and avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth. The influenza vaccine contains antigens representing three or four influenza virus strains for the current season. The vaccine is grown by manufacturers in fertilized chicken eggs. People with severe allergies to chicken eggs should consult with a
doctor prior to getting vaccinated. Dietetics freshman Sarah Cowanbitz makes a point to get the flu shot every year and feels it is important for all students to get vaccinated. “I have had the flu before, and it isn’t fun,” Cowan-bitz said. “Even if I get the shot, I might get a little sick, but if I didn’t get the shot, it would be much worse.” Not all students get the flu shot. Theater senior Caleb Travis said he has never had a flu shot and prefers a more natural method of flu prevention. “When I feel myself starting to get a scratchy throat, I take bee propolis,” Travis said. “It is a natural supplement made from bee honey. I have used it for years and haven’t gotten sick as long as I’ve been taking it.” The vaccine is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the UHC for $25. arts@thedailycougar.com
The Daily Cougar
8 \\ Wednesday, September 18, 2013
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