Issue 20, Volume 79

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

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U N I V E R S I T Y

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Monday, September 30, 2013

Issue 20, Volume 79

H O U S T O N

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ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

TRADITIONS

Shasta celebrates his second birthday with a growl Laura Gillespie Assistant news editor

Shasta VI, who celebrated his second birthday in the Houston Zoo, had frozen rooster and a blood popsicle as his birthday meal. UH President Renu Khator, students, and on-lookers were on hand to celebrate Shasta’s big day. | Fernando Castaldi/The Daily Cougar

UH’s cougar mascot, Shasta, celebrated his second birthday Sunday at his home at the Houston Zoo surrounded by music, fanfare and a crowd of UH students, alumni and their families.

The tradition of a live cougar mascot began in 1947 and lasted until interim President George Magner ended it in 1989. Since then the University has had five Shastas.

Through the various Shastas new traditions were born — from the “Cougar Guard” that took care of her to “Shasta’s Den,” her cage at the southwest corner of Lynn Eusan Park. The Cougar Paw hand sign began as a taunt by UT students because of Shasta I’s missing paw. It was embraced as a symbol of pride and is still used today.

The current Shasta VI is not only

the first male Shasta, but his formal adoption in 2012 is what re-started the tradition.

“Someone shot his mom – she had three cubs. Two were recovered quickly and Shasta was kind of left out there. Once they were able to get him out of the wild, he came to (the Houston Zoo). We’ve had him for a while now; he’s really rambunctious and fun,” said Shayla Andreas, a member of the marketing department for the Houston Zoo. Shasta was adopted in a partnership between the Houston Zoo and the UH Alumni Association. Though he never leaves his enclosure at the Houston Zoo with Haley, the five-year old female cougar that he shares a space with, he remains a vital part of UH. “There were several cougars that SHASTA continues on page 3

STATE

Khator aims to make UH school for all Natalie Harms Managing editor

AUSTIN — In a discussion on the future of higher education for the Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday at the University of Texas at Austin, the audience might have expected an earful of education technology, but President and Chancellor Renu Khator stressed how important it is to inspire the student body to graduate.

“Those who graduate from the University, they are outstanding alumni. They are so successful; they

do very well,” Khator said. “However, I am very worried about those that are being left out — those who are not getting into college or those who drop out.”

Khator said she spends her first week of classes every year visiting classes of freshmen and transfer students to give them a simple message, to thank them for choosing UH. “I (tell) them to look to (their) right, and (I say,) ‘Of the two of you sitting here, only one is going to graduate,’” Khator said. “I give them my email address and I tell them,

‘Before you think about dropping out, you will send me an email. I will not let you drop out.’”

Part of the problem with the college dropout rate, according to former Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken, is that a fouryear higher education institution is not for everyone.

“We can’t get trapped in the idea that the higher education solution is right for everyone, and I think there is too much of an elitist idea in Texas,” KHATOR continues on page 3

CITY

Houston mayoral race comes to campus Manuella Libardi Staff writer

Late push leads to convincing victory UH survived an early offensive onslaught by UTSA to win 59-28. Supporting freshman quarterback John O’Korn’s 312 yards and four touchdowns, the Cougars forced four fourth quarter interceptions to put the game away.

Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

Incumbent Mayor Annise Parker and candidates Ben Hall and Eric Dick talked to UH students Thursday about their plans and what they envision for Houston’s future.

With the Nov. 5 election just around the corner, the UH College Democrats, UH College Republicans and Student Government Association worked together to bring the

three mayoral candidates to campus to promote local politics, education and student involvement.

“The reason why we put this together is so the University of Houston’s students know more about local politics,” said Catherine Tassin De Montaigu, president of the UH College Democrats. “These people are the people who change our everyday lives.”

Parker laid out her plans for

bringing in and building new businesses to boost the city’s economy.

She also had ideas on public safety, infrastructure, quality of life and fiscal responsibility. “(Houston is) the best place for young professionals, the best place to launch a career and the No. 1 relocation city,” Parker said. “Forbes magazine last year named us the MAYOR continues on page 3

The Daily Cougar

2 \\ Monday, September 30, 2013

CALENDAR

St. Francis Episcopal Day School is

NOW HIRING

Today

Part-time After School Instructors

Art: The AURA Contemporary Ensemble presents Borderlines: Works by Asia, Constantinides, Copland, Hodkinson, and Lash in the Moores Opera House. The cost of the event is $12 for general admission and $7 for students and senior citizens.

Hours: 2:30–6PM Monday–Friday Minimum two years of previous child care or teaching experience required $12.00 per hour

Workshop: The Honors College will be hosting a Career Planning Workshop titled “What to do Today to Prepare for Tomorrow” from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Honors College Commons.

To apply stfrancishouston.org

To apply stfrancishouston.org

Your chance to enrich lives through education!

Tuesday Art: The Blaffer Art Museum presents “Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.

St. Francis Episcopal Day School has openings for 2013-14 Academic Year Training: UH is holding a webinar from 1 to 2 p.m. called “InfoEd Training: Getting Started with the 8 Steps and Setup Questions to Create a New Proposal.” The session will teach how researchers go about creating proposals.

DON’T MISS ONE OF ’

THE YEAR S BEST FILMS* s

Los Angeles Daily News

s s

s

Celebration: The UH Police Department will host the National

s s

s

Career Fair: The Fall 2013 Internship Career Fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the UC Houston Room.

Speech: UH President Renu Khator will speak on the University’s plans for the future and its past successes at the President’s Fall Address from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Moores Opera House.

Meeting: The Student Government Association will hold a Senate meeting from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Rockwell Pavilion of the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library.

Concert: The UH Choral Concert will present New Voices: Music

by D.A. White, Schurch, Paulus, McGlynn, Mendelssohn, Brumel, Gardner, Martin from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Moores Opera House. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $7 for students and senior citizens.

If you would like to suggest an event for The Daily Cougar calendar, please submit a time, date, location and brief description to calendar@thedailycougar. com. The Cougar calendar runs every Monday and Thursday.

Honestly earns every bit of its emotional impact.”

–Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES

“WORTHY OF THE HYPE.’’ – Cheryl Eddy, SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN

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a perfect combination!

Wednesday

s

“A WONDER. EXCEPTIONAL, MOVING AND INTIMATE.

+

Night Out from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Walk in the Dark from 8:30 to 10 p.m., both at Lynn Eusan Park.

Errington Harden

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

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Closing editors

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Channler K. Hill, Jenae Sitzes

Monday, September 30, 2013 // 3

The Daily Cougar

NEWS EDITOR

MAYOR

continued from page 1

coolest city in America, and I know it has nothing to do with the weather.

This year, Forbes magazine named us the global city of the future.”

The annual budget for Houston is $5 billion, and that money should be invested into local firms so local tax dollars can be kept in the local economy, Parker said.

With regards to improving Cullen Boulevard, Parker admitted street repair and maintenance is a challenge that needs attention.

“We have decades of deferred maintenance on the streets of the city of Houston,” Parker said. “We

are now spending $100 million or more a year on street and drainage improvements, and over the Parker next 20 years you’re going to see significant changes, but infrastructure problems are not a short-term fix.”

Ben Hall disagreed with the mayor’s plan and strategies.

“We’re using old technology to address a persistent problem … they actually have an epoxy road surface that actually gives and takes with the contraction and expansion of soil,” Hall said.

Hall also said the current

administration has done little to address the No. 1 crime in Houston: burglary. He said that if elected Hall mayor, he would harness face-recognition technology to fight this crime.

An FBI statistic shows that this technology decreases criminal activity almost 85 percent, Hall said.

Hall stressed the importance of investing in entertainment and fun in the city.

“Just imagine if we could add to that entertainment, where people can go have fun,” he said. “I’ve reached out to some investors and said, ‘Would you bring in an

Mary Dahdouh

EMAIL

news@thedailycougar.com

The ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday celebrated the re-establishment of the Cullen Rifles, a historic organization that in years past won several marksmanship competitions and also served as Honor Guard for President Eisenhower when he was in Houston.

thedailycougar.com/news

underground center the size of the Galleria?’

I have an investor who wants to bring down $1 billion to do Dick precisely that.”

Dick addressed liability problems in Houston. “(In) next year’s (budget), there is an $80 million gap, and the current administration’s solution is to borrow more money,” Dick said.

He said he would address the problem by setting an example and reducing his own salary and capping the salaries of high-paid executives.

He would also make budget cuts.

Students demonstrated concern

about Houston ending up like Detroit, but Parker said pensions didn’t bankrupt the city.

“Thirty years ago, Detroit was the fourth-largest city in the United States,” she said. “It lost two-thirds of its population. No city can lose two-thirds of its population and not adjust its spending and survive. Pensions were just part of the collateral damage, and Houston is not going the way of Detroit.”

A poll conducted by Bob Stein and Stephanie Post at Rice University found that Parker leads with 34 percent of intended voters. Hall stands at 13.6 percent and Dick at two.

SHASTA

a matter of weeks,” Riger said.

Shasta’s birthday began with a bang with the UH band, cheerleaders and Shasta’s costumed counterpart.

Anyone wearing UH apparel received free admission from 9 a.m. to noon, and Houston Zoo staff taught the red-clad crowd huddled around his enclosure about Shasta’s eating habits and how he is trained. Shasta himself celebrated with a “cake” – really a frozen rooster – a blood popsicle and meat cube treats handed to him by zookeepers on a stick through the fence.

Shasta lives in his enclosure yearround, and UH students can see him with free admission if they bring their Cougar Card.

continued from page 1

UH brings back the Cullen Rifles

ONLINE

actually lived at UH,” said Houston Zoo Carnivore Supervisor Sara Riger.

“When (the Houston Zoo) got this young cat, it was a partnership. We were approaching UH, but they were also coming to us. We thought it would be a really good combination to say, ‘You know what, we’ve got cougars here at the zoo anyway, we got this great habitat for them, we got this great technology – we put on this (Shasta) Cam – why don’t we just have the cougar here?’”

Both Shasta and Haley serve as UH ambassadors, and they guard the class rings before the ceremony and are to appear via webcam at some UH events.

“We lost our older male, Rocky, who used to live here, who was here before him and Haley. We let the Zoo Association know that we were looking for another cougar, and it was just

news@thedailycougar.com

news@thedailycougar.com

To learn more about the traditions that have helped shape the University, read online at thedailycougar.com/traditions

— Fernando Castaldi/The Daily Cougar

KHATOR continued from page 1

said Pauken, a 2014 candidate for governor.

Pauken used his family as an example. He said his son, who dropped out of college, had a passion for cars and didn’t warrant a need for a degree. His son now makes more than his school-loving daughter who earned a Ph.D. Western Governors University of Texas Chancellor Ray Martinez said there’s a population who have put their education on hold indefinitely.

“Right now, we have at least 3.5 million adults who have started college and never completed a degree,”

Martinez said. “They prioritized higher education at some point in their lives, and then life got in the way.”

Both UH and WGU Texas offer solutions to this group of people who might return to higher education as nontraditional students.

The issue then becomes providing them with a flexible learning environment, now that they have different priorities than a typical 18- to 22-yearold college student. One of the ways to provide this is through innovative technology and massive open online courses.

“Our student body is heavily nontraditional,” said Student Government Association President Cedric Bandoh.

“When you have a population that

has all those varying needs, you need to have a system there to support that. The online, the traditional and the hybrid models — all those different ways of delivering instruction are important to meet the needs of people.”

WGU Texas provides complete, career-focused online degrees, something UH is moving toward developing as necessary, according to Khator.

For instance, the Subsea Engineering program is one of a kind.

Therefore, it’s in high demand. The University is in the process of moving it online in order to educate more students, Khator said, but that is not the catch-all answer.

“We are doing so much more with

technology, but I don’t think that there is one solution for every student,” Khator said. “When we have less than 30 percent of the adults in the state that are college graduates, there is room for trade schools, there’s room for massive open online courses. We can double up all of our efforts.”

The University is at a pivotal time in its history because of all its innovation and transformation, Khator said, and in 25 years it will have a legacy to look back on.

“We, at the University of Houston, look like what America will look like 25 years down the road,” Khator said.

“We have this huge burden on our shoulders to make sure what I call this experiment is successful.”

UH’s demographic and how it uses

its situation is going to set a precedent for itself and for other universities.

Khator said she is working to make it a positive one.

“My dream and my hope is that we are able to use our location, our diversity, our drive, our economy and everything together to create something that people are able to use as an inspiration,” Khator said. “When you are the first one, you can be a successful role model or you can be a role model for failure.

“I definitely want us to be flexible enough, to be aspirational enough and to be inspirational enough to make sure that we become a role model of success for higher education.” news@thedailycougar.com

The Daily Cougar

4 \\ Monday, September 30, 2013

OPINION EDITOR James Wang EMAIL

opinion@thedailycougar.com

ONLINE

thedailycougar.com/opinion

ACADEMICS

Influence, standards of teaching assistants concern for students Catalina Campos Opinion Columnist

I

t’s no surprise for a college student to walk into a class the first day and be introduced to the two authoritative figures who will hold a heavy influence on their semester and their potential GPA: their professor and the teaching assistant.

TAs are typically undergraduate or graduate students who assist the professor in grading, tutoring or teaching the class if the professor is unavailable. TAs are everywhere, from Bauer to the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

It can be unsettling that the TA has a strong influence on the student’s grade in the class.

Students can study diligently for the course, but the TA has some say in their grades. This occurrence doesn’t usually happen in classes that teach math or science, but when you enter courses such as government, history or theater, it can become a huge problem.

The main complaints students

have with TAs is that they grade the tests too hard, they are hard to understand or the student doesn’t feel comfortable having an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student teach their class instead of the professor.

For example, suppose that there was a TA for an art history course at the University. The TA selected is a post-baccalaureate student with little knowledge on the specific material revolving around the course subject. The TA likes to teach or step in for the professor, only to give out erroneous information mixed in with unnecessary life stories.

While pitched as a hypothetical scenario, this is an all-too common situation that students find themselves in when dealing with TAs. It raises questions on whether it is appropriate for a department to hire a TA who isn’t a graduate student and whether it is OK for a TA to be an undergraduate student to begin with.

“I would try my best, but if I

David Delgado// The Daily Cougar felt cheated on a grade and the TA was expecting more but not giving us enough to learn, I would give a complaint,” said chemical engineering senior Hari Patel.

“I think it’s OK for a post-bac or undergrad to be a TA; I just think there should be a thorough evaluation before someone is given that responsibility. It depends on your department and your ability.”

First-year biomedical engineering graduate student Ernest Anoma was a TA during his undergraduate studies at UH.

Anoma believes TAs are “the Sparknotes to your class. You already read the book and get a grasp of it, but the Sparknotes are there to help you focus on the key elements that are essential.”

However, he said allowing TAs to teach is “a slippery slope. TAs shouldn’t replace professors.”

There should be a more structured environment for students in the classroom. In the ideal classroom setting, the primary authority figure should be the professor. TAs should be there in a supportive role

rather than actively being responsible for teaching or grading.

“Most TAs are there to help you out. Many of them can seem like complete jerks, but they mean well, Anoma said.

“They are upperclassmen with tons of responsibility — more than most students should have at times.

If the problem persists, it doesn’t hurt to confront the professor.”

Opinion columnist Catalina Campos is an English literature senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

GUEST COLUMN

Moores student refutes music career article

A

n opinion article was run last week about military bands as a career choice for aspiring musicians and the author said the Moores School of Music was not promoting these opportunities to its students.

The author vented her frustration that trained musicians only have orchestral performance and education as career options and that these fields offer such miniscule monetary compensation that all musicians must either live far below the nation’s poverty line or become baristas for that international coffee brand with

the mermaid logo.

What the author missed in her one short semester with the Spirit of Houston Marching Band was the countless flyers and posters that cover the boards around Moores.

Many promote summer music festivals locally and abroad, teaching opportunities in the Houston area, contemporary music workshop projects and audition opportunities with ensembles across the globe.

Perhaps she also missed the memo that our own David Ashley White, the director of the Moores School of Music, was employed by and performed with the United

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

States Air Force Band from 1968 to 1972. Not to mention the countless students, both current and alumni, who have achieved careers as military musicians. Finally, she may have missed the obvious attitude of music majors on our campus.

Money is not the drive for those of us who choose a career in performing or writing music. The idea of six-figure paychecks is not why we spend years striving for a perfection that cannot be fully realized. The prospect of owning a large home with all the “bells and whistles” is not why we subject ourselves to the countless rejection

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.

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

letters and negative reviews that we will have throughout the course of our careers.

The simplest way I can explain the reason musicians choose this life is to say we are all insane in the best possible way. Like the infamous best-selling book series, musicians have our own “fifty shades.” All the financial instability and rejection we endure during the course of our careers is embraced for the sole fact that we want nothing more than to devote ourselves to the art of music. Some pursue music as a way to help others or become closer to God. I pursue

words and signed, 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.

GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must

music simply because it speaks to me on a level that religion and philosophy cannot touch.

The Moores School of Music and its faculty have encouraged every possible performance and employment opportunity available to music majors. Students and teachers at our school share bonds that cannot be compared to others’ majors. Dear readers, for what it’s worth, you can take that to the bank.

Karleigh Dansby is a music performance senior and may be reached at kdansby4@ gmail.com

be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification 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) 7435384. All submissions are subject to editing.

Monday, September 30, 2013 // 5

The Daily Cougar

W 62-13

vs.

Southern

W 22-13 @ Temple*

W 31-26 @ Rice

W 59-28 @ UTSA

OCT. 12

vs.

Memphis*

OCT. 19 vs.

BYU

OCT. 26

@ Rutgers*

OCT. 31 vs.

USF*

NOV. 9 @ UCF*

NOV. 16

NOV. 23

NOV. 29

@ vs.

Louisville* Cincinnati*

vs.

SMU*

* conference game

SIDELINE REPORT

GAMEDAY: UTSA

STANDOUTS Freshman quarterback John O’ Korn had his best game of his young career. He went 24-36 for 312 yards and four touchdowns and spread the ball around to seven different receivers.

COMMENTARY

UH turns up its defense After a shaky first half, Cougars create turnovers that lead to lopsided victory

Freshman defensive tackle B.J. Singleton changed the game’s momentum when he blocked a field goal that was returned 78 yards for a touchdown to put the Cougars up by 10.

Andrew Valderas Assistant sports editor

SAN ANTONIO — The Cougars’ 28 points scored in the fourth quarter were produced by an abundance of forced turnovers that put the game well out of reach. However, in the first three quarters, the defense was nowhere to be found.

After the Cougars took a 21-14 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the first half, head coach Tony Levine said he didn’t want the Roadrunners to score any more points before halftime.

Levine’s wish didn’t come true.

The Roadrunners methodically drove 75 yards down the field to tie the game at 21 — the most points the defense has allowed in the first half all season.

“We needed a stop there at the end, and we didn’t get it. Defensively, we didn’t accomplish creating turnovers in the first half,” Levine said. “A lot of that has to do with (UTSA senior quarterback) Eric Soza and their offense. He does a great job getting the football out and he is very active.”

The UH defense couldn’t stop Soza for most of the game. He was simply playing pitch-and-catch with his receivers. At the end of the third quarter, he passed 22-28 for 268 yards with two touchdown tosses and picked the UH secondary apart early and often.

The defensive line was unable to apply any pressure on Soza either, as they didn’t sack him all game.

UH allowed him to go through his progressions smoothly and find holes in the secondary that went

FREE TUTORING

Senior receiver Xavier Maxwell had only three catches, but two of them went for touchdowns, including one that was tipped, and allowed him to score from 22 yards.

His other reception went for a first down.

STAT LEADERS PASSING

The Cougars allowed 21 points before halftime, the most allowed before the break this season, but held the Roadrunners to seven points and forced five turnovers in the second half. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar for big gains.

After freshman quarterback Greg Ward Jr. scored his first collegiate touchdown to make it 14-7 early in the second quarter, the Cougars’ defense was victimized again. The defense allowed the Roadrunners to drive 75 yards and tie the game at 14 when Soza scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak.

Freshmen defensive tackle B.J. Singleton and defensive back Brandon Wilson saved the afternoon for the Cougars. Singleton’s blocked field goal was picked up by Wilson, who returned it 78 yards for the touchdown, changing the trajectory of the game, as it put the Cougars up 31-21 instead of being tied at 24 late in the third quarter.

Levine said they have been changing up their block schemes

from week to week and showed the Roadrunners one they haven’t seen.

“I was just hoping nobody touched me, like it happened. The coaches always say, ‘don’t hit the kicker, don’t hit the kicker,’” Singleton said. “I tried to just come in flat, and they said ‘don’t jump,’ but I jumped anyway. ... I think (the ball) hit me right in my face mask. Next thing I know, I look up and (Wilson) is already at the 50-yard line.”

The Roadrunners should have never been in that position.

Two plays earlier, the Roadrunners nearly executed a reverse-wide receiver pass that was wide open from Jones to Soza on second-andfour from the Cougar 12-yard line.

However, the pass was well short of Soza, who was unable to come back

to the ball in time to haul it in for the touchdown. Had the pass been caught, the Roadrunners would have gained a 28-24 lead and altered the momentum.

Never theless, the Cougar defense showcased its talent with five forced turnovers — four interceptions and a fumble recovery — all in the fourth quarter, capped off by sophomore defensive back William Jackson’s 96-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final minute.

“We had to change a couple of looks up and be more multiple than we probably have been,” Levine said. “We had to create turnovers, and that made the difference in the football game.” sports@thedailycougar.com

www.LAS.UH.EDU

All students are welcome!

Room 109N Cougar Village 1

Player

YD

TD INT

John O’Korn

24-36 312

4

0

Eric Soza

29-40 316

2

3

Player

YD

TD

Ryan Jackson

72

0

Justin Hicks

27

1

Jarveon Williams

29

0

RUSHING

RECEIVING Player

REC

YD

TD

Deontay Greenberry

9

149

1

Xavier Maxwell

3

42

2

Larry McDuffey

5

34

0

Brandon Freeman

5

50

0

Kam Jones

4

77

1

The Daily Cougar

6 \\ Monday, September 30, 2013

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Rentals RENTAL. 3 BR. 2 BA. carlosrrivera@hotmail.com

UPDATE WEB CONTENT & get paid.

Photoshop exp or equivalent. Email michael@eyewearshop.net

Email

LG 1 BDRM APT in nice neighborhood near UH. Like a small house. Grad student preferred. 713-743-2734.

BEAUTIFUL GARAGE APT in University Oaks. 2 blocks from UH. Furnished, w/ internet. Ideal for international students. $600+deposit+electricity.

713-748-5064 1 BDRM TOWNHOME. $580/month.

898 sq. ft. $199 total move in. Call 713-259-4996.

CHECK OUT Cougar Classifieds online: thedailycougar.com/classifieds

The secret to finding a job?

That’s Classified.

COMICS Telly

by Tiffany Valle

ACROSS 1 Computer communique 6 Toward the back of the boat 11 Greek letter that looks like a trident 14 Drum accompanying a sitar 15 Broncobusting affair 16 Inc., in the U.K. 17 Finishing a rigorous workout 19 Feel out of sorts 20 New Mexico art town 21 In a sneaky way 23 Give over to another for safekeeping 27 Most frozen 29 Brings together 30 Hoi follower 31 Triple Crown trio 32 Buggy versions, often 33 Not yet known, on a TV schedule 36 Oceanfront

37 38 39 40 41 42 44 45 46 47 48 49

50 57 58 59 60 61 62

room feature Like some shoulders Read the UPC, e.g.

Historical period of time Wails in lamentation Push upward Low A, on a test Goes back to square one Beginning Troops on horseback Quizmaster Impressive rating City encompassing Ipanema Low but sweet lotto prize “Dear Yoko” subject Make books into movies, say Weird, in a spooky way Musical scale note By its nature Gave everyone a hand?

DOWN 1 “No need to elaborate” 2 He was quoted in the “Little Red Book” 3 Blood type letters 4 “___ Be There” (Jackson 5 classic) 5 Non-clergy groups 6 Fluorescent bulb filler 7 Sites of abs and lats 8 Bustling commotion 9 Lucky number?

10 Adenoids’ neighbors 11 Doesn’t let on under pressure 12 Elevated walking stick 13 How to stand by?

18 Can’t stop henpecking 22 A July baby, perhaps 23 One reason for slowing down 24 Disc jockey’s cue 25 How to handle pressure?

26 Cook, as prunes for breakfast 27 Minuscule amounts 28 Attired 30 Indiana

state flower 32 Butler of “Grace Under Fire” 34 More lowbrow, as humor 35 Nervous 37 Nirvana song “___ a Son” 38 It’s in the can, sometimes 40 What a mob goon threatens to break 41 Like many a mirror perimeter 43 “___ got my eyes on you” 44 Indian princess 45 Kind of acid 46 Monte Cristo, par exemple 47 Greek equivalent of Cupid 48 Setting for “Heidi” 51 Admirer’s poem 52 Item fitted into a thole 53 “Lighthorse Harry” 54 Taxdeferred savings plan 55 “Lorenzo’s ___” (film) 56 A monarch may be caught in it

Your Comic Here Draw something witty, cute, funny and turn this in to the g g managing editor:

The Daily Cougar newsroom, UC Satellite, RM 12

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Monday, September 30, 2013 // 7

The Daily Cougar

LIFE & ARTS EDITOR

Paulina Rojas

EMAIL

arts@thedailycougar.com

ONLINE

thedailycougar.com/life-arts

The Student Program Board hosted a pool party on Friday at the Campus Recreational Wellness Center for students to get involved in team sports, dancing and socializing. | Courtesy of Student Program Board

CAMPUS

Cougars enjoy big splash of semester Ciara Rouege Staff writer

Summertime ended with loud splashes for those who attended the Student Program Board pool party on Friday before diving into midterm studies.

The event was organized by SPB’s newest department, the Late Night and Weekends committee, which is led by psychology senior Ody Ezeigwe.

“It’s still summertime. We felt that we should have an event that would help people cool off as well as socialize with each other,” Ezeigwe said.

The event, held at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center’s outdoor pool, was serviced by SPB

members and volunteers.

Throughout the night, students participated in water activities including pool basketball, water slides and swimming. A few students gathered on the sand volleyball court for matches and an open grass area for video games, but the main attraction was the chance to make new friends.

“You get to meet a lot of new people,” said nursing freshman Irma Chavez.

Many students socialized with other guests and ate snow cones in the patio area, where people enjoyed popular line dances and tossed Frisbee discs.

The festivities also included vendors who gave out free posters,

wristbands and other prizes for “follows” and “likes” on Facebook and Twitter.

Kandy Kruisers, a new company founded by supply management senior Hamza Amir, attracted the most attention with a photo station. In the pictures, party guests posed with a teddy bear mascot and an array of mini-skateboards with fruit-inspired names.

“Our boards are the right length for riding around campus easily.

It’s a very small longboard. You can carry them around in your backpack,” Amir said.

“At the same time, they have wheels that are better than a skateboard, so you can ride over cracks.”

The warm weather and upbeat music kept ever yone entertained despite the dark clouds overhead.

“I had a good time,” said communications junior Cameron Ochoa. “I’ve danced a little, drunk sodas and other refreshments that they have here … and then I dipped into the pool.”

The event attracted mostly freshmen because of the ample amount of advertising in the Cougar Village residence halls.

“Fliers — they had them all over (Cougar Village II), but they should have had more people advertising the event instead of just putting out fliers,” said biology freshman Malari Williams.

Although a few guests said the turnout was a little lower than expected, the dozens of students who did attend enjoyed the activities and warm weather.

“It’s my first time at (this) pool,” said communications freshmen Regal Deen. “Tonight I went swimming, got free ICEEs and played volleyball.”

After a long night of dancing, games and poolside conversation, students were either energized or drained by the festivities.

“It’s been a lot of fun, especially being here with the girls. We’re just going to continue hanging out after this,” Williams said. arts@thedailycougar.com

BLAFFER

Fallen Fruit tells stories of neighborhoods Diana Nguyen Contributing writer

In the simple culinary sense, a fruit is usually any sweet-tasting plant product, which is good for ones health. Los Angeles-based artist group Fallen Fruit takes fruit to another level, breaking free of being merely the healthy portion of the food pyramid.

As part of the Blaffer Art Museum’s Visiting Artist and Scholar series, artists David Burns and Austin Young spoke Thursday afternoon on how their art collaboration Fallen Fruit started, how their projects interact with the community and how it expanded throughout the nation.

It started off in 2004 in their

old neighborhood, Silverlake, Los Angeles. Burns and Young noticed how overlooked the fruit trees in public spaces were — how nobody would walk in the neighborhood and take advantage of these bountiful fruit trees, instead driving to the grocery store to buy fruits.

They began to map out where the fruit trees in public spaces in Los Angeles were and soon expanded throughout the nation, documenting their adventures.

Thus, their project Public Fruit Maps started. Public Fruit Maps is one of Fallen Fruit’s core projects and has been exhibited in museums and gallery exhibitions internationally.

Throughout the artist talk,

Burns and Young described their various projects, including their Public Fruit Jam, a social experiment in 2006 which asked people to sit with others they do not know and make jam with them.

Fallen Fruit often collaborates with the community, creating their works to reimagine public interactions with the margins of urban space.

Viewers of their work may wonder why they focus on fruit.

“The reason why we use fruit and what we learn from it is, it is a subject of something and at the same time it is an object,” Burns said. “It is one of the only things FRUIT continues on page 8

Visiting artists opened a lemonade stand on Saturday at the Blaffer Art Museum in exchange to hear attendants’ personal stories. Visitors were also encouraged to draw self-portraits. | Diana Nguyen/The Daily Cougar

The Daily Cougar

8 \\ Monday, September 30, 2013

LIFE+ARTS Celebrating Shasta VI’s second birthday Students, friends and family joined the Houston Zoo in celebrating Shasta VI’s second birthday on Sunday.

From 1947 to 1989, the live cougar mascot tradition was born, and UH has had five Shastas.

Shasta VI is the first male Shasta, and his adoption restarted the mascot tradition.

Fernando Castaldi/The Daily Cougar

FRUIT continued from page 7

in the world that is transnational and it is completely generational.

It is one of the few things on this planet that can be celebrated by everyone and that everyone has a childhood memory of.

“We’re actually not thinking of the actions we make as much as we’re thinking about the materiality we’re transforming.”

Visitors, such as photography and digital media senior Brenda Franco, responded positively to the artists’ work.

“I was not quite sure what the artist talk was about, but once they began to explain their work, I was pleasantly surprised to find the amount of layer and meaning it had. I enjoyed how they were really interested in creating communitybased artwork, but also creating awareness along with it,” Franco said.

“They touched upon broad audiences from galleries and museumgoers to the everyday citygoer. I think seeing how they found meaning in every detail of their work was inspiring because it meant they were truly invested in what they are doing.”

Fallen Fruit held a lemonade stand in front of the Blaffer Art Museum, asking participants to create self-portraits on lemons using black Sharpies in exchange for a glass of lemonade. The artists asked participants to speak into a voice recorder and share stories of the best and worst days of their lives.

“I was invited through Blaffer’s Facebook event and thought I would be drawing random things on lemons, not my self-portrait,” said education junior Angela Nguyen.

“I don’t draw faces very well but went for the challenge and I think I look rather ... kiddish. It’s a cartoon version of me, something a five-year-old could have drawn, but I enjoyed the event. The lemonade was delicious.”

Fallen Fruit’s artists Burns, Young and Matias Viegener — who wasn’t present during the Blaffer events — are passionate about bringing awareness to our relationship with fruits and the world around us. arts@thedailycougar.com