SPORTS
BASEBALL
OPINION
Cougars return premier players UH’s upperclassmen performance leaves team with high expectations. SEE PAGE 5
Can neglecting your teeth affect job prospects? Future employers turned off by not-so-pearly whites. SEE PAGE 4 JANUARY
CALENDAR CHECK: 20
Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Sit back, relax and enjoy your three-day break.
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
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Issue 59, Volume 79
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ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM
CITY
Lecturer aims for bench Natalie Harms Managing editor
Law and ethics lecturer, UH Law Center alumnus and former judge Steven Kirkland is campaigning to return to the bench in hopes of becoming the judge of the 113th Civil District Court. After 20 years of practicing law, including 12 years serving in several judicial roles, Kirkland said he thinks he is a standout in the race. The Daily Cougar sat down with Kirkland to talk about his campaign and his work as faculty at UH. For more information about Kirkland’s campaign, visit judgestevenkirkland.com. Early voting begins next month, and the primary election day is March 4. The Daily Cougar: What has inspired you to dedicate your life to the bench, specifically for the 113th Civil District Court? Steven Kirkland: I’ve been involved
in public service pretty much all my life. Even though part of the time has been working in the private sector, I’ve always been engaged in community activism. At Texaco, I was working with groups and environmental support groups, and I was also involved in neighborhood empowerment projects. But I’ve had a lot of commitment to the community. The bench and serving as a judge is pretty much the most fun you can have when practicing law, and I did it for a lot of reasons. One, you don’t have to go chasing for it; it comes to you. Also, you don’t have a particular agenda. People and the law lead you to where the right answer is, and you find justice. So I guess your agenda is to allow the process to work. And what is most fun is that you’re helping people find a resolution to the dispute. Even in minor decisions ... you’re helping them find a resolution, and in criminal cases’
context, that’s helping them to accept responsibility. In civil context, you’re helping them find a balance. And that is really gratifying. TDC: What among your qualifications has most prepared you for the position? SK: My years of being a judge already. I’ve been a lawyer for 20 years now, and I’ve worked with a wide range of people — whether it be the taxpayers, which I’m doing now, or individual homeowners. And I’ve worked with an international company, so I’ve been on all sides of the courtroom. I have the professional experience to do that. I graduated cum laude at the UH Law Center. And my life experience: I have three years of activism — being out in the streets with real people — and I’m a recovering alcoholic for nine years now. BENCH continues on page 3
Former judge Steven Kirkland, a UH adjunct professor, is a candidate for judge of the 113th Civil District Court. | Courtesy of Steven Kirkland
UH SYSTEM
UH SUgar Land SHUttLe Service UH is beginning a pilot program to sHUttle stUdents from tHe main campUs to tHe sUgar land campUs.
$ Students can board the shuttle on the main campus at the bus stop in front of the University Center and can board the Sugar Land bus at the west entrance of the Brazos Hall building.
UH
There is no charge for this service, but students riding the shuttle need to be enrolled in at least one class at the Sugar Land location and possess a UH Sugar Land student ID.
SHUttLe ScHedULe Departures
Main Campus
Arrivals
7 A.M.
Sugar Land Campus
7:35 A.M.
Sugar Land Campus
8:40 A.M.
Main Campus
9:10 A.M.
Main Campus
11:50 A.M.
Sugar Land Campus
12:20 P.M.
Main Campus
5:20 P.M.
Sugar Land Campus
6:35 P.M.
Sugar Land Campus Main Campus Sugar Land Campus
4:30 P.M. 6 P.M. 7:10 P.M.
Main Campus
*Shuttle service will not be available on student holidays. Infograph by Andres Garcia
8 P.M.
Digital media program leaves nest Channler K. Hill Editor in chief
The University’s digital media bachelor’s program has outgrown its home in the College of Technology and will be solely offered at UH-Sugar Land. President and Chancellor Renu Khator said that the UH System Board of Regents will consider transitioning UHSL from a regional teaching center to a branch of the main campus, according to the Houston Chronicle. “We will continue to make the transition in the early part of 2014,” Khator said to the Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce. “We are hearing you loud and clear: You want to have a full presence of the University of Houston, with full rights and privileges that come with it.” Starting this semester, enrolled students can take shuttles to UHSL that will run throughout the day
from both campuses. All digital media faculty members have moved into offices in Fort Bend County, ensuring students’ access while in Sugar Land. Technology professor Jerry Waite, who oversees the program, said he received a call from College of Technology Dean William Fitzgibbon who asked him if he would be interested in moving to UHSL. “Since our entire college is growing rapidly, and since none of the current construction on campus benefits us, the only way we can grow without being strangled by lack of space to handle student demand would be to go to Sugar Land. It is important to note that sophomore digital media classes are still offered on the main campus, but that Wharton County Junior College, our partner at Sugar Land, also teaches the equivalent courses,” Waite said. “This will result in substantial
cost savings for students. However, first-time-in-college students who elect to study on the main campus can still do all their coursework from UH and just catch the shuttle for Sugar Land.” The program will be located in a new building at UHSL, equipped with the latest Mac Pro computers and a substantial amount of space to house the growing student demand. Assistant technology professor Monika Zarzycka has been involved in the transitioning process and said she believes its new home at UHSL is a good idea for the program and its students, most of whom responded positively to the news. “Since we will have newer and bigger facilities at UHSL, we will not only focus on perfecting our current digital media program but also on expanding into other areas of the MEDIA continues on page 3