LIFE AND ARTS
BLAFFER
FOOTBALL
Artists cook up a feast of a gallery
Spencer’s explosiveness
The art museum continues exhibition with beer and friends
SEE PAGE 5
SEE PAGE 7
CALENDAR CHECK:
Junior receiver Daniel Spencer’s work ethic has made him a consistent playmaker NOVEMBER
8
Cougars will tip-off against Texas State here at UH
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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T H E
U N I V E R S I T Y
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Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Issue 41, Volume 79
H O U S T O N
S I N C E
1 9 3 4
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM
CITY
Annise Parker wins in landslide mayoral race Laura Gillespie News editor
As the early votes began to trickle in Tuesday night, incumbent mayor Annise Parker was announced the winner of the 2013 mayoral election. Lead opponent and Democrat Ben Hall conceded late Tuesday night,
while Republican attorney Eric Dick came in a “distant” third, according to the Houston Chronicle. The other six
Parker
candidates received a small fraction of the vote. Proposition 2, which proposed a $217 million bond to reuse and renovate the Astrodome, barely failed, and the so called “eighth wonder of the world” will likely be demolished. The nine state propositions passed.
Incumbent city controller Ronald Green was reported to have won against opponent Bill Frazer. Incumbent Houston School Board members Anna Eastman and Harvin Moore will also retain their positions. This year’s election pulled a high number of early voters and 20 percent
of registered voters at the polls on Tuesday, according to Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart in an article with the the Houston Chronicle. This will be Parker’s final term as mayor, beginning January 2014. news@thedailycougar.com
STUDENT FEES
Campus organizations make their pitch Groups short on space, services Laura Gillespie News editor
Office space, marketing changes and overlooked students — from commuters to aged-out foster youth — were the topics of choice at this fall’s first day of Student Fees Advisory Committee meetings. SFAC, which consists of seven students, two members of faculty and a non-voting adviser, receives and reviews requests from student organizations and departments that are funded through student fees. Last year’s total projected revenue at $240 — the amount that
students who take six or more credit hours pay in student fees — totaled out to $20,096,842. This amount is split among more than 30 student organizations which must ask SFAC for the amount they desire, with justification. The Daily Cougar receives funding allocated by SFAC. Tuesday saw the Dean of Students, Counseling and Psychological Services, UH Wellness, the Health Center, Department of Campus Recreation, the Center for Students with DisABILITIES, University Career Services and Urban Experience Program speak.
Forensics was scheduled to speak, but was delayed to Monday. The Dean of Students Office representatives spoke on how they plan to improve engagement, support and community in order to help transfer and commuter students. “Our target is not to bring more transfer students; our target is to contribute to the students who have already been admitted,” said Associate Dean of Students Kamran Riaz. The office will implement a
Assistant news editor
The Department of Campus Recreation has struggled to keep up with facility and equipment maintenance, so it has appealed to the Student Fees Advisory Committee for a fee increase to help cover costs and ease its budgetary strain Tuesday in the Rotunda Meeting Room of the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. In the presentation for SFAC,
DCR Director Kim Clark expressed her dismay at the state of facility maintenance and athletic equipment caused by several factors — including time and duration of use, design and natural aging — and told committee members that maintenance is a crucial component for sustaining the center. “(In) the last couple years, we’ve really discovered that both our equipment as well as this facility in general had not been as well-
Committee members saw eight of the more than 30 presentations Tuesday, which requested funds for the next fiscal year
Dean of Students
maintained as they should have been,” Clark said. “And so the result of that, there was a long list of deferred maintenance, facility projects, as well as the need to replace capital equipment.” As a result, Clark asked for an $8 increase in the dedicated recreation fee from the current $84 per student. This increase would provide an additional $688,000 that could go toward HIKE continues on page 3
Base budget: $1, 052, 065 Requested to increase by: $37, 397 Base budget: $1, 470,823
Requested to increase by: $73,824
UH Wellness
Center for Students with DisABILITIES
UH Health
Base budget: $425, 564
Base budget: $474, 154
Urban Esperience Program
Counseling and Psychological Services
Base budget: $287,858
Base budget: $1,741, 541
SPACE continues on page 3
Recreation center requests increase Nora Olabi
DOING THE MATH
Department of Campus Recreation
Base budget: $131, 602
Base budget: $799, 173 Requested to increase by: $52, 457 One-time request of: $26, 228
University Career Services