LIFE AND ARTS
HOMECOMING
BASKETBALL
Rubbing paws for luck
Cougars seek improvement
Students visited cougar statues and were given goods in spirit of Homecoming week.
With several returning starters, UH hopes to return to the post-season after its first appearance last year since 2011.
SEE PAGE 7
SEE PAGE 8 OCTOBER
CALENDAR CHECK: 19
Homecoming. Cougars will pile into Reliant for the third home game.
THE DAILY COUGAR
T H E
O F F I C I A L
S T U D E N T
Issue 30, Volume 79
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
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
H O U S T O N
S I N C E
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ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM
FACULTY
UH professor knighted by French government Daniela Di Napoli Contributing writer
For UH French professor Claudine Giacchetti, director of the French Program and the study abroad program to Angers, France, a call from the French Embassy about sending some important documents turned out to be much more.
Giacchetti was announced last month as a Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, or the Knight in the Order of Academic Palms, by the French Ministry of National Education for upholding and promoting French culture abroad. “I had been nominated for this prestigious award more than a year ago,” Giacchetti said, “but it
was still a big surprise to learn that the French Ministry of Education had approved my nomination.” Though Giacchetti has received many accolades Giacchetti throughout the
years, to her, this award is the most prestigious she has ever received. “To be recognized by the French Ministry of Education is something really big,” Giacchetti said. “It was just a great honor to have been selected for this title ... It really pleases me that all I’ve done has been noted and is being recognized.” The Order of the Academic
Palms was created by Napoleon I in 1808 and is the oldest nonmilitary French decoration. John W. Roberts, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, recognized the importance of the award. “We are thrilled to learn that our colleague, Dr. Claudine FRENCH continues on page 3
LECTURE
Series shows power of women through history Lesley Saenz Contributing writer
The panel discussion “Women’s Activism Then & Now” was the first event of the year for The Friends of Women’s Studies and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies. | Emily S. Chambers/The Daily Cougar
The Friends of Women’s Studies and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies programs held their first event at the Barbara Karkabi Living Archives Series on Monday afternoon. The event began with the discussion “Women’s Activism Then and Now” by panelists Frances Miriam “Poppy” Northcutt, Representative Senfronia Thompson, Sarah Slamen and Rebecca Robertson with
moderation by Nancy Sims. Northcutt, the first woman to work in NASA’s Mission Control Center on the Apollo program, shared her thoughts on why it is important that college students should be involved in what is going on in the country. “You’re going to inherit the world, so you might as well start now,” Northcutt said. Throughout the discussion, the panelists discussed women in WOMEN continues on page 3
ORGANIZATIONS
Speaker brings in personal history on Palestinian-Israeli conflict Dina Kesbeh Staff writer
Students for Justice in Palestine hosted “Beyond Zionism,” a talk Monday evening with Israel peace activist Miko Peled about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through his experiences and his hopes of shedding light on a conflict that is still happening decades later.
Born in Jerusalem, Peled comes from a family that is intimately tied to Israel’s history. His father fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, became a brigadier-general and was perceived as an Israeli hero. Peled’s grandfather was among many who signed the Israeli Declaration of Independence. His father later regretted the role he played in the 1967 war
and became a Knesset member, dedicated to promoting a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. “I think it was great that he made the speech simplistic for many to understand the conflict while providing his personal insight as a prominent Israeli general’s son,” said finance senior, treasurer for SJP and main
organizer of the event Shadi Rafeedie. Peled spoke about the different meanings behind the idea of “the right of return” from both Palestinian and Israeli perspectives. “Everyone almost accepts that this is the realty of (the conflict), that Jews have a right to live in Palestine. Now, when we think of the right of return, we think that
it applies to everyone, that people have a right to return to their homeland, but when we talk about the right of return for Palestinians to their homeland, that is taken off the table,” Peled said. Peled published a book titled “The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and signed CONFLICT continues on page 3