Issue 86, Volume 79 by The Cougar

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THE DAILY COUGAR

T H E

O F F I C I A L

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N E W S PA P E R

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U N I V E R S I T Y

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Issue 86, Volume 79

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ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

DINING

Leftovers sent to needy youth Channler K. Hill Editor in chief

UH System Dining Services donate left-over food from the Cougar Woods Dining Hall to Houston’s Covenant House, but uneaten food that has already been exposed to the consumer is thrown away by the end of the day. Employees are not allowed to take food home for health and sanitary reasons. | Carolina Trevino/The Daily Cougar

The food in Cougar Woods Dining Hall doesn’t just serve the students, but its leftovers do too, feeding the homeless youth of Houston. Aramark partners works with a third-party company, Food Donation Connection, which matched the University with Covenant House and other charitable organizations. “Let’s say we bake lasagna, and it never goes out onto the service line. We bake it, we cool it down; we store it in the freezer to use later. That type of thing could then be donated to a charitable organization if it turns out we, at the end of the day, never needed that,” said Geoff Herbert, resident district manager for the UH System Dining Services. “For the purposes of making sure that there aren’t any unintended consequences, we want to donate the

food, we want it to not be wasted, we want to support people who need that support, but we don’t want anyone to be put in harm’s way should the food not be handled properly.” Food Donation Connection has set strict stipulations as to what food can be donated in order to avoid such instances. Any food that is sent out onto the food line, like pizza, cannot be donated because it has been exposed to the consumer. Likewise, produce cannot be donated. However, these restrictions, along with Aramark’s internal process to minimize its amount of in-house waste, don’t leave the opportunity to give often to the Covenant House, leaving students desirous to find a way to make use of its pre-consumer waste. Herbert said he was contacted by FOOD continues on page 3

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Paving the way SGA passes bill to redevelop Cullen Blvd, further beautification Nora Olabi Assistant news editor

As the new stadium inches closer to completion, Cullen Boulevard’s ownership has come under further scrutiny. Student Government Association President Cedric Bandoh’s Rebuild Cullen Boulevard initiative culminated in “Cullen Boulevard Redevelopment” Bill UB 50005, which passed Wednesday night in the Senate Chambers. Bandoh established the initiative in 2012 to voice student concerns and push administration to prioritize fixing the state of the street, a state which he called “pathetic.” “The condition is horrible, and

there have been multiple talks for years on trying to do something about it,” Bandoh said. “We have a stadium opening up in the fall, more and more people are choosing Houston — they see the value of our University. We have more people living on campus. This street is not in the condition of a Tier One research university.” The bill suggests that the space across from the stadium between the Entrance 14 loop and Cougar Place Drive be completely closed off from vehicular traffic. The space would be recreated as a “green space multi-use plaza” that would come under the ownership of the University rather than remain with the city. “We students have played a big SGA continues on page 3

SNAPCHAT continues on page 4

Marching on Several students in the UH Army ROTC program took a major step in their military careers Tuesday when they became officially contracted cadets in the United States Army. After graduation, they will enter the Army as commissioned officers. — Fernando Castaldi/The Daily Cougar

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THE DAILY COUGAR

CALENDAR

MARCH 7TH 2O14 AT THE NEW UC THEATER FREE SHOWINGS ARE AT 4PM, 7PM, & 1OPM

Film: Student Program Board will host screenings of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” at 4, 7 and 10 p.m. in the New UC Theater. Music: Andrea Ponte, from the studio of faculty member Peggy Russell, will perform her senior flute recital from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Moores School of Music Choral Recital Hall, Room 160. Music: Kyla Knox, from the studio of faculty member Cynthia Clayton, will perform her masters soprano recital from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Dudley Recital Hall on the first floor of the Fine Arts Building. Music: Katrina Van Maanen will perform her masters soprano recital from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Dudley Recital Hall on the first floor of the Fine Arts Building.

Saturday Art: Blaffer Art Museum will host its Saleri Studio, where the public will have a guided tour of the exhibitions and will be able to try their hands at bookmaking and artmaking from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside the museum, located on the first floor of the Fine Arts Building.

Sunday Religion: Weekly worship and bible study will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the A.D. Bruce Religion Center Meditation Chapel, Room 201.

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Voting: Student Government Association will have its final day of run-off elections from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. More information about polling locations can be found at uh.edu/sga. Celebration: Michelle Plair will have a farewell party to celebrate her 20 years of service in the College of Education from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in the College of Education Farish Hall, Room 302. Session: Information will be given about the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Certification Program from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Graduate College of Social Work, Room 439. Reading: First Thursday Readings will take place 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Honors College Commons. Film: The Department of Modern and Classical Languages will screen the Italian film “Kryptonite” from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Agnes Arnold Hall Auditorium. Kickoff Party: CounterCurrent will host a party to celebrate its upcoming experimental art festival from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Mongoose vs Cobra at 1011 McGowen St, Houston, TX 77002. Complimentary passes for the five-day festival in April will be given. Music: A wind ensemble performance will perform works by Felix Mendelssohn, Samuel Barber, Michael Colgrass and others from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Moores Opera House.

Friday

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.

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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. The Daily Cougar is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press. studentpress.org/acp

Thursday, March 6, 2014 // 3

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NEWS EDITOR

Amanda Hilow

news@thedailycougar.com

ONLINE

thedailycougar.com/news

p.713.500.3591 Oﬃce of Academic Aﬀairs SBMIAcademics@uth.tmc.edu

ORGANIZATIONS

MPA to announce Public Official of the Year The Daily Cougar news services The UH Master of Public Administration program will kick off its third annual Public Official of the Year Ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Hilton UH’s Waldorf-Astoria Ballroom. During the ceremony, one official out of five finalists will be named Houston Metropolitan Area Public Official of the Year, an esteemed title awarded based on the qualities that the MPA program admires.

“In addition to emphasizing trust, accountability, performance, ethical decision-making and crossing boundaries to solve problems, the MPA program encourages its students to make these qualities a priority as they develop their careers within the public sector,” said MPA Program Director James Thurmond. “These qualities are certainly mirrored in the (five) finalists for the prestigious honor of the Houston Metropolitan Area Public Official of the Year.” The nominees are district engineer

SGA

FOOD

role in shaping the future of the campus. Because of these strong relationships that we have with the administration in the Board of Regents, I’ve been able to build some really strong relationships with them,” Bandoh said. “When you have that climate as a student, you have to capitalize on that and really use that and get a discussion going on campus.” The multi-use plaza could be used for tailgating, pedestrian space and outdoor programming. Graduate-atlarge Senator Charles Haston, who is running for the presidency in this year’s SGA elections, supported Bandoh but was unsure about the costs associated with the reconstruction. “I think it’s a great idea to shut down that area,” Haston said. “I think we absolutely need the space for tailgating, Frontier Fiesta and other major events.” Part of Haston’s platform is to facilitate a growth of campus culture and event programming across campus. College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Senator Guillermo Lopez sees the bill as having several positive impacts on campus life. “I think that if Cullen Boulevard gets fixed, it’ll make the University more pedestrian-friendly by allowing students to go from their classes to the stadium and everything else on that side of campus,” Lopez said. “I also hope it helps in preventing crime by not having a major road cut right through the middle of campus.” Though not all of Cullen Boulevard is addressed by UB 50005, SGA has taken a step in pushing students’ concerns, especially from a largely commuter base. The bill will be sent to the Board of Regents as a suggestion as talks continue between the University and the city about the state of Cullen Boulevard.

a graduate student who was interested in creating a program to convert vegetable remains into compost — something Aramark had participated in years ago when the University’s campus garden, which is now located in front of Cougar Woods, requested its pre-consumer vegetable waste to be composted. The donations were unable to be sustained. “We’d be happy to donate vegetable scraps to that, but it has to be a sustained program, and people have to be able to come by every day to pick that stuff up because there’s an apparent amount of waste,” Herbert said. According to the Dining Services website, the University eliminated trays in the dining halls to encourage students not to take more food than what they were going to eat, which resulted in a reduction of food waste per person by 25 to 30 percent. Food that Aramark is unable to

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news@thedailycougar.com

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for the Houston district of the Texas Department of Transportation Mike Alford; Dickinson City administrator Julie M. Robinson; Houston Airport System director Mario Diaz; La Porte councilmember-at-large Dottie Kaminski; and Sugar Land city manager Allen Bogard. The event will also feature keynote speaker James Calaway, CEO and president of the Center for Houston’s Future.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS Now accepting applications for summer summeerenrollment enrollment

news@thedailycougar.com

donate — post-consumer waste — is immediately thrown out once it comes off the food line. The dining staff members are not allowed to take home the post-consumer waste after their shift or the closing of the facility itself. “It wouldn’t be safe for them to take it home at that point. We don’t want them to get sick,” said marketing manager of the UH System and Victoria College Amber Arguijo. The fast food restaurants on campus, such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, have their own franchise guidelines to abide by concerning what to do with remaining food. Aramark can control only the residential dining halls, like Cougar Woods, which is a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design-certified facility. Herbert said being mindful that reducing waste is a good business practice and a good social practice supports the University’s sustainability mission of becoming a greener campus.

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THE DAILY COUGAR

OPINION EDITOR James Wang EMAIL

opinion@thedailycougar.com

ONLINE

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CROSSFIRE

Minimum wage: examining the options The economy is not stable enough to handle minimum wage increase, recession in near future

Increase in minimum wage should be the decision of business, not a national mandate

orking at the minimum federal wage of $7.25 an hour for 40 hours a week results in $290 a week, without taxes. That’s $1,160 a month and $13,920 a year, again without taxes deducted. Families USA reported the new 2014 federal poverty line for the 48 contiguRachel Lee ous United States as $11,670 a year. So technically, one person working fulltime at a minimum-wage job is above poverty level in the U.S. But let’s face it, that’s cutting it awfully close. For a single parent with a child, it’s just not enough anymore — and apparently, members of Congress are beginning to see it, too. Yet in spite of the legislative branch’s recent epiphany, the only thing worse than their government shutdown issues in the last six months is their timing. Those employed under the federal minimum wage of $7.25, understandably, have the desire to raise that wage immediately, but with a large — and expensive — health care act still being worked out, now couldn’t be a worse time. The Huffington Post showed CNBC’s Dan Mangan’s report in 2013 that expressed the startling finds by a Gallup poll commissioned by employment law firm Littler Mendelson It found that as a direct result of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, nearly 41 percent of the businesses polled had frozen hiring completely, with one-fifth of those same businesses having reduced the number of employees

he hot topic that has politicians and economists buzzing is whether the federal government should raise minimum wage to $9 from $7.25 an hour. The last time minimum wage was raised was on July 24, 2009. At the 2014 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said raisGemrick Curtom ing the minimum wage could be the step that could benefit millions of working families. Obama’s message to help reduce poverty has been misconstrued. The decision to seek a raise in minimum wage comes with good intentions, but this may not reduce poverty in America. For decades, many labor economists and business executives have held the view that forcing companies to increase pay will lead them to hire fewer employees. Sure, employees will get a higher wage, but companies might have to lay off another employee because of limited resources. According to USA Today, Republicans are saying an increase in minimum wage could translate to a decrease of jobs. If the price of employment is raised, there will be fewer jobs to go around because all firms have to budget for the influx of current employees. Even then, economists are also split on whether the minimum wage should be raised. “Raising minimum won’t kill jobs; it will kill job vacancies,” said economist at the University of California at Berkeley Michael Reich. According the LA Times, the case against a higher minimum wage is

David Delgado/The Daily Cougar

RECESSION continues on page 5

THE DAILY COUGAR EDITORIAL BOARD Channler K. Hill Natalie Harms WEB EDITOR Jenae Sitzes NEWS EDITOR Amanda Hilow SPORTS EDITOR Christopher Shelton LIFE & ARTS EDITOR Monica Tso PHOTO EDITOR Izmail Glosson OPINION EDITOR James Wang ASSISTANT EDITORS Laura Gillespie, Nora Olabi, Justin Tijerina, 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. 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, 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 N221, University Center; 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

VACANCIES continues on page 5

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 N221, University Center; e-mail them to letters@ thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

Thursday, March 6, 2014 // 5

THE DAILY COUGAR

waalk to class w

OPINION

RECESSION continued from page 4

they had as a “specific result of the Affordable Care Act.” Businesses have already been hit hard with being forced to provide health care to their employees. Ethics aside, now that employers have to fork out extra to stay in compliance with the Affordable Care Act, they aren’t going to want to fork out even more to pay a new $10 minimum wage. The arguments of what an employer should be required to provide for his or her employees is a heated one, including contraception — just look at the federal court decision in Chicago concerning Notre Dame’s health care and birth control — that hasn’t died down yet, and a lot of people aren’t under the new health care coverage rules. CNN Money reported that the Congressional Budget Office estimates anywhere from 500,000 or fewer jobs lost to maybe just more than a million. If it stays at 500,000 jobs lost, that’s only a “0.3 percent decrease in employment.” But that still hurts families, especially the members that are minimum-wage earners, who aren’t always just teenagers and the unskilled.

VACANCIES continued from page 4

that it makes it more expensive for firms to hire workers. In turn, the people who get to stay employed will earn more, while those who lose their jobs and fail to get new ones will suffer. The general consensus seems to be that raising the minimum wage will hurt employment among teenagers and restaurant workers — the people whom the decision would impact the most. Workers who earn minimum wage tend to be younger and largely unskilled. For these inexperienced workers, an increase would make it more difficult to find a job because these businesses would have to eliminate available openings or choose to hire someone more experienced. Individual states have increased their minimum wage laws, and I think that’s a better response to fit each job market and the demand. Companies such as Whole Foods, Costco or Gap Inc. — which also operates Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta — have raised their minimum pay to at least $10. It’s a decision that can be made because these companies can afford to. Gap Inc. had discussed raising

Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported about 284,000 Americans with college degrees were working minimum-wage jobs. A report from the National Employment Law Project reported that three-fifths of the middleincome jobs lost were replaced with “low-wage work.” The job market has changed, making it difficult to look at since a lot of the open jobs are in the low paying sector — not to mention, it hurts more in a recession. The Denver Post reported one of America’s foremost “privatelyheld economic research facilities,” the Institute for Trend Research, as predicting another recession this year. The company has had a well-developing reputation since 1948 for “making accurate calls on the business cycle.” Therefore, ITR’s prediction for another recession in 2014 is nothing to scoff at and set aside with any printed-out articles of the latest grassy-knoll theory. If that wasn’t enough, The Denver Post included ITR economist Alan Beaulieu’s thoughts on the effect of health care reform on the economy, including the recession as a result, saying that “the added costs associated with healthcare reforms will cause employers to cut hours this year and next, reducing

wages for a period of time, and the decision was unrelated to the nationwide minimum wage debate, said Old Navy vice president Lynn Albright. These companies believe higher wages will be more profitable to them because it will minimize employee turnover and maximize employee productivity, commitment and loyalty, said Costco CEO Craig Jelinek. This was a decision these companies made on their own and not because of federal law. If Obama wants to help the poor, I don’t think this would be an effective long-term solution. Rather than increasing minimum wage, start by cutting back on the costly regulations that prevent job creators and limit the job market. The move toward a higher wage looks unlikely to progress and pass. The wage increase might bring 900,000 out of poverty but could in turn take away 500,000 jobs. The minimum wage should not be increased — at least not until there’s a hike in the cost of living, which I don’t see happening for about another decade. Opinion columnist Gemrick Curtom is a public relations junior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

incomes.” In the end, with the Affordable Care Act and a recession predicted for the near future, our economic instability is not something to bombard with further changes. We need to work through each major change at a time, and when the time is right and our economy is more stable, we can up the minimum wage and change some people’s lives.

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Opinion columnist Rachel Lee is an English sophomore and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

STATISTICS  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, minimum wage workers account for 4.7 percent of hourly paid workers in 2012.  A poll done by Post-ABC reported that 66 percent of Americans support raising the minimum wage.  The last time there was a minimum wage change on a federal level was on July 24, 2009 when it rose to $7.25 per hour from $6.55 per hour.

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THE DAILY COUGAR

SPORTS EDITOR

Christopher Shelton

sports@thedailycougar.com

ONLINE

thedailycougar.com/sports

BRIEFS

UH reaches top 25 for first time The Daily Cougar news services The Cougars have risen to the top 25. They moved up nine spots to No. 21 in the country this week and have become the first American Athletic Conference team to be ranked within the nation’s top 25. “This is a big moment for the program and a day that we’re all going to look back on very fondly in the future,” said head coach Patrick Sullivan. The team had success against Temple on Wednesday for its first conference opponent. The Cougars came out and made a strong statement, blanking the Owls 4-0. UH led from start to finish. Freshman Despoina Vogasari and junior Elena Kordolaimi teamed up to defeat Temple’s Mariana Bedon and Minami Okajima in a dominating fashion, 8-2 on court one. Moments later, senior Celia Fraser and sophomore Rocio Martin recorded an 8-5 victory on court two to clinch the doubles point for the Cougars. Senior night success The Cougars extended their winning streak to four games as they defeated South Florida 78-69 on Tuesday in their final home game of the regular season, but this game meant even more than conference seeding to the four seniors who were playing for the last time in Hofheinz Pavilion. UH is making it a point to finish off this season on a good note — going into the American Athletic Conference tournament. The win assured the Cougars the sixth seed and a first-round bye in the AAC tournament. Seniors J.J. Richardson, Brandon Morris, Tione Womack and Lawrence Paye were all honored prior to the game. “I know they wanted to win this game bad for their teammates and the seniors,” said head coach James Dickey. The Cougars sent an early message, making seven 3-pointers in the first half. Tied at 59 with 5:26 left in the game, UH immediately responded with a 15-3 run, ignited by sophomore guard L.J. Rose’s jumper. “We felt like this game was the only thing that could stop us from reaching our goal. Now we just have to get ready for Central Florida and gain some momentum going into the tournament,” Rose said. Houston’s record now stands at 16-14 and 8-9 in conference play. sports@thedailycougar.com

Senior Brittany Wallace overcame early adversity to solidify herself as a ‘role model’ and become one of the team’s best runners. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

TRACK AND FIELD

Carving a path to success Wallace uses college education, athletics to earn her way out of a tough neighborhood Khristopher Matthews-Marion Contributing writer

Brittany Wallace was one of a handful of Cougars who took center stage Saturday at the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory in New York City during the first American Indoor Conference championships. Wallace, a senior, won both the 200 and 400-meter events, breaking her own school record in the latter with a time of 52.93. Competing despite a short rest time between events, she helped the UH women’s team place third overall and moved herself into No. 19 in the NCAA 400meter rankings. Her story, intertwined with failure and success both academically and athletically, is more about her decision to trump destiny than the awards she received on the collegiate level. However, she said awards do not define her; rather, they are a result of who she has become, due largely in part to three years of hard work and the emotional, physical and mental growth that has been cultivated by the coaching staff’s rigid guidance and stringent standards. “Though she has always been

academically sound, Brittany endured quite a bit of struggle during her first three years — from injuries to acclimating to the expectations we have for all of our athletes and adapting to our training style — but what you are seeing now is her maturation,” said head coach Leroy Burrell. “In the past, if we had asked her to compete in back-toback events, mentally it would have been difficult for her, even though we knew she was physically capable. Now she is the whole package, very mature and talented.” In order to compete, she has adhered to the minimum 3.0 GPA standard Burrell enforces for every athlete. The University requirement is 2.5, and the average for the 17 sports UH offers is 2.95. “As an athletics coach, if you don’t impress the importance of education, you are doing your athletes a disservice,” Burrell said. “We expect them to come in and put in upwards of four hours of training in addition to numerous hours of study time. It’s really easy for all the work they put into athletics to overshadow the academic side, so balance is important.” Becoming a role model Her maturation as an athlete has made her a threat to the 400-meter crown, signaling her ascension to role model and making her a polarizing figure in the eyes of student athletes wishing to follow in her

footsteps, she said. The role of hero or heroine, one that Wallace, Burrell and freshman Cameron Burrell share, is formed from a special bond. They are all from in or near Darby, Penn. — a city known for its high crime and its ability to trap young minority students in a cycle of ignorance and poverty. “People don’t leave Darby,” Wallace said. “Every time I go back, I see people that I graduated with, stuck in the same routine, not doing anything with their lives. I do see myself as a role model for young AfricanAmerican girls, especially those from my neighborhood. When I do go home, it makes me really happy when they come up to me and tell me that I’m the reason that (they) continue to run track and haven’t given up.” Stressing education African-Americans and Hispanics in the state of Pennsylvania, especially ones from the Darby area, have far lower graduation rates compared to other races and are far less prepared for college in comparison to other states like Texas. Those races’ graduation rates in Pennsylvania are at least 22 percent lower that the state average while being a mere six percent away in Texas. Despite attending Penn Wood Senior High School, which is currently unranked by U.S. News and boasts only 27 and 23 percent of its

student body proficient in reading and mathematics, respectively, Wallace graduated near the top of her class with a 3.9 GPA. “My parents always made sure that education came first,” Wallace said. “If my grades weren’t good, then I didn’t run, end of story. The motivation to never be complacent came from them.” Wallace’s drive seems neverending; she graduated in the top 20 percent of her class, was a member of the University’s National Honor Society and is currently taking postbaccalaureate classes in preparation for a master’s degree in sports administration. Meeting her potential In her collegiate career, she has outpaced expectations and raised more than a couple of eyebrows, none more notable than resident Olympian-turned-volunteer coach Carl Lewis. Lewis noted that the current generation, the “Facebook generation,” has a tendency to want instant success and not be willing to sacrifice for the things they want. “There was a very short time in between her events, but she ran tough and didn’t whine or complain,” Lewis said. “Other people simply live to exist, but people like Brittany actually succeed.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Thursday, March 6, 2014 // 7

THE DAILY COUGAR

SPORTS GOLF

Cougars strive for national title after win

Junior golfer Roman Robledo and the Cougars feel they are one of the best teams in the country after sweeping the team and individual titles at the Bayou City Collegiate Championship and Querencia Golf Club. | File photo/The Daily Cougar Christopher Shelton Sports editor

Though it has been 27 years since UH captured its 16th national title, junior golfer Roman Robledo said he thinks this could be the year the Cougars earn another banner. “They can tell we’re here for a reason. Talking to coaches, they’re fully

aware of how bad we want that title. We’re headed in the right direction,” Robledo said. “Right now we’re determined to bring back that legacy and 17th title. The way we’re playing right now, there’s no reason that we can’t compete at the highest level.” His confidence is backed up by recent results.

In consecutive tournaments, UH has chopped down the past two national champions. After defeating 2012 national champion Texas by sweeping the team and individual titles in the Bayou City Collegiate Championship, UH accomplished the same feat south of the border. The No. 11 Cougars defeated No.

1 and defending champion Crimson Tide by one stroke to stop their 11-tournament winning streak. UH defeated Alabama by shooting an 863 at the Querencia Golf Club on Tuesday. Both tournaments featured multiple ranked teams. The Querencia Cabo Collegiate had more ranked teams than unranked squads. “This has been a great week for us. Our guys played hard on a very demanding course. Any time you are in competition with the No. 1 team in the country, you better play at your best, and our guys did that,” said director of golf Jonathan Dismuke. “We stumbled a bit coming down the stretch but did enough to win the title.” Robledo earned his fourth championship in eight events, including his second straight individual title, by finishing at 4-under-par 209. Robledo became the first UH golfer to earn consecutive championships since 1999 with the victory. Robledo finished one stroke ahead of Baylor’s Kyle Jones and two strokes in front of Alabama’s Robby

Shelton, who was ranked No. 4. That tournament’s top three finishers were the only competitors to finish at par or better for the tournament. “Roman played well all tournament long,” Dismuke said. “This course is demanding and handcuffs the strength of his game in many ways, so this was a special win for him. For him to perform and play as he did was just an outstanding achievement.” Four UH competitors placed among the top 20, including two among the top eight. Senior James Ross tied for eighth at 216 and posted the team’s lowest round of the day with an even-par 71. Ross earned his third straight top-10 finish and his fourth of the 2013-14 season. Senior Curtis Reed tied for 14th at 219, while senior Wesley McClain finished in a tie for 20th after shooting a final-round 72. Junior Kyle Pilgrim tied for 20th at 229, while freshman Matt Scobie, playing as an individual, finished 70th at 244. sports@thedailycougar.com

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THE DAILY COUGAR

LIFE & ARTS EDITOR

Monica Tso

arts@thedailycougar.com

ONLINE

thedailycougar.com/life-arts

MOVIES

Abortion film balances life, choices Maritza Rodriguez Staff writer

Students were able to uncover a different side to abortion by watching a documentary presented by the Women’s Resource Center. WRC screened the documentary “After Tiller” Tuesday at the New UC Theater. The film was based on the lives of four doctors who were trained to perform third trimester abortions by Dr. George Tiller, who was murdered by antiabortion activist Scott Roeder in May 2009. The film depicts the risks that the doctors and their families go through because of anti-abortion activists and show their daily work environment. WRC director Beverly McPhail said that although abortion is a controversial topic, the film showed a different aspect of the subject. “This film did a great job showing the complexity and the humanness of the doctors and the women involved, and we just wanted to share that to the campus community,” McPhail said. While it is against the law to perform an abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy, these doctors are the only ones in the country trained to perform abortions after the cut-off date. Most of the abortions done during the film

On Tuesday, the Women’s Resource Center screened the documentary “After Tiller” to bring information about the controversy of abortion to light. | Jessica Sunny/The Daily Cougar were because the fetus threatened the mother’s life, was stillborn or might be born with lifethreatening disabilities. Political science freshman Darcy Caballero is a pro-choice activist and said that it’s nice to see

the dedication and struggles of both the women and doctors. “It was very moving to see this film,” Caballero said. “The doctors have a very important job to do in promoting the rights of women and

allowing these women to make their decisions for their own bodies.” The film also showed anti-abortion activists standing outside of the doctors’ clinics praying and trying to talk women out of their decisions. Social work graduate Chinyere Eigege said that everyone is entitled to his or her own decision when it comes the choice they decided to go with. “The choice to have an abortion is a difficult one,” Eigege said. “I think when a women has come to the decision to make this choice, she has the right to have that choice, and it’s important that women are given these choices and rights.” The film showed a different aspect of the lives and struggles the doctors had to go through. McPhail said she hoped the audience was moved by it and in some way educated by it. “I feel like the film gave everyone a new awareness and information to base their own decision on,” McPhail said. “We weren’t trying to change people’s decision but just to give people information, so they could make their own decision and see where they stand on the issue.” arts@thedailycougar.com

EVENTS

Roping up Cougars Sonia Zuniga

Contributing writer

The Spirit of Houston Marching Band showed off its UH spirit by kicking off the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade, a tradition taking place every February since 1938 as the downtown streets of Houston transformed into

a Western celebration. The marching band opened the show while the Cougar Dolls and the Cheer Squad spread enthusiasm into the crowds. “The marching band’s 375 members once again served the greater community in the Houston Rodeo Parade,” said interim director of

The Spirit of Houston Marching Band, cheerleaders and Cougar Dolls represented UH and flooded the streets with red in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Saturday. | Conny Ramirez/The Daily Cougar

Athletic Bands and visiting assistant music professor Marc Martin. “Our students, our program and our institution were thrilled to contribute to the tradition and excitement that only the Houston Rodeo can bring.” The band rotated classic pieces such as “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” “Horse” and “The UH Fight Song” as it strutted its talent across the mile-long parade. “The rodeo is a huge Texan tradition,” said music education freshman and band member Tyler Hardee. “While the whole procedure was pretty repetitive, the fact that everyone was getting super pumped-up from the music we played, it made it really exciting.” Some of the band members considered the parade as a way to repay the excitement the rodeo has brought to them throughout the past years. “I enjoyed the energy of the audience. As a music performance major, you are not required to do any years with the marching band, but I do it because I get to meet and greet people, you just can’t miss out on that experience,” said music performance sophomore Chad Henry. “It means something to the RODEO continues on page 11

Biochemistry junior Tosobia Ogbe is visiting family and taking her brother to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. for Spring Break. | Courtesy of Wikimedia

TRAVEL

Students prepare to spring into break Sara Samora Senior staff writer

The week is winding down, and many students on campus have plans for Spring Break. Broadcast journalism sophomore Dymond Lee planned to go to South Padre, but the plans fell through. Instead, she will visit Austin next week, helping her brother network at the annual South by Southwest Conferences and Festivals. “It’s new to me; I’ve been hearing about it, and my friends are always talking about,” Lee said. “My brother

is a music producer who creates beats for rappers. He’s trying to get out there and take some of the classes.” The classes being offered at the festival range from engineering to how to get into the music business. “You don’t have to be a music artist,” Lee said. “You can basically go into anything in the industry and just get tips from people who know what they’re doing.” In addition to networking, she will also see up-and-coming artists. BREAK continues on page 9

Thursday, March 6, 2014 // 9

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Creative writing junior Karina Sokulski will attend the annual Anime Matsuri convention with her fiancé during Spring Break. | Courtesy of Wikimedia

BREAK

continued from page 8

“I want to go there and discover people because I looked at the list, and I didn’t know who all those people were,” Lee said. “I listened to little snippets, and they sounded really good.” Creative writing junior Karina Sokulski will focus on her writing during the break. “(The writing) is personal,” Sokulski said. “It’s for a blog and for things I’m publishing online — kind of everything at once.” Although she does not have any followers, she enjoys spending her time formulating stories. “I’m playing around with a fantasy story ‘Vagabond’ where mankind is basically introduced to a new predator,” Sokulski said. “My other story is a 1920s drama ‘Honey Suckle.’” Sokulski is also attending the Anime Matsuri convention with her fiancé March 16 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. “Even though I’m not dressing up, I’m so excited,” Sokulski said. “I’m going to blow all my money, but who needs to eat?” Biochemistry junior Tosobia Ogbe is going on a road trip to visit family in Georgia and South Carolina. She is also visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. She said it’s the first big family trip they have taken in a few years. Ogbe is especially excited for her younger brother. “My little brother has never really gone anywhere big like that. He’s going to love it,” Ogbe said. “My family and I will be in Orlando for a few days, and it’ll be enough time to kind of get to see everything and do everything.” arts@thedailycougar.com

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ACROSS 1 Arles’ river 6 Word of regret 10 Provide too much of a good thing 14 Eagle abode 15 Whimsical adventure 16 Roll call reply 17 Where a judge will hear a sad tale 20 Dundee hill 21 Slayer of the Minotaur 22 Final ending? 23 Night vision 24 Counter by argument 28 Grow choppers 30 Blue state 32 Listening, in times of yore 35 Agent, briefly 36 Physically working off a debt 40 A friend may lend one 41 Give an answer 42 It grants permission to

drive 45 Like an active chimney sweep 49 Drug used to treat Parkinson’s 50 Stone paving block 52 Paddle kin 53 Art of folding paper 56 Harp of yore 57 They often involve many phone calls 61 Greeneyed monster 62 Smallest margin of victory? 63 Puts money in the pot 64 Abound 65 Practice punches 66 Hon DOWN 1 Animal in a warren 2 The Munster family car 3 All fancied up 4 Big name in sneakers 5 Always, poetically

6 First Greek letter 7 “Bye for now” 8 Circle segments 9 Hebrides terrier 10 Selected 11 Romanian currency 12 Hockey legend Bobby 13 “Are we there ___?” 18 Speakers, essentially 19 Muffet morsel 23 Fake bedding item? 25 Capital of Switzerland 26 Exploited 27 Dosage amt. 29 Lord’s Prayer word 30 Scissors sound effect 31 Without faith in God 33 Football players can take one 34 Part of TGIF 36 Picked up the tab 37 With a bow, in

Telly by Tiffany Valle

Household Haiku by Marian Smith

Puzzle answers online: www.thedailycougar.com/puzzles

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music 38 Half hitch, for one 39 Words said at an altar 40 Wing of a building 43 Person for whom something is named 44 One who bluffs a dealer? 46 Camry maker 47 One who brings in the bucks 48 Suitable for evening wear 50 Spicy condiment 51 One spelling for a mideast prince 54 Tiny particles 55 Unappetizing cafeteria serving 56 Word with “punch” or “ticket” 57 Voided tennis shot 58 Slender figure? 59 Hail, to Horatio 60 Wee bit

Thursday, March 6, 2014 // 11

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LIFE & ARTS

HIRE COOGS CAREER 101

JOB OPPORTUNITIES, CAREER ADVICE AND MORE EVERY THURSDAY brought to you by University Career Services

Don’t underestimate the value of a liberal arts degree

Exploring emotions in exhibitions Associate professor of art history Rex Koontz investigated and evaluated the exhibition, “Tears and Politics: Works by Phil Collins and Christian Jankowski,” on Tuesday at the Blaffer Art Museum. Having studied the art of Ancient Americas, Koontz discussed the greater evils among emotion, pain and theatricality. Channler K. Hill/The Daily Cougar

RODEO

continued from page 8

crowd, and that’s something we consider, and you can do that in a very broad scheme in the rodeo parade. I’ve been to the rodeo for the past five to six years. It’s just a big party, very entertaining, and now I’m a part of the experience, so I’m enjoying it so much more.” For the second time in a row, UH’s float was awarded the originality award. The float showcased Cougar pride with the attendance of President Renu Khator, Homecoming King Michael Szymanski, Homecoming Queen Channler K. Hill and members of the dance and cheer squad. “This year we had about six of the (Cougar) Dolls with the University of Houston Alumni Association float, which received the originality award, a huge honor for the University and the dance team,” said mechanical engineering junior and captain of the Cougar Dolls Christina Dillon. “The rest of the team marched with the Spirit of Houston and opened the parade. It was exciting. It’s very important to have a University presence at events like the rodeo parade to show what a great influence UH is.” This is also a big step for the Cougar Dolls as they promote their talent, get their name out into the

public to achieve recognition and compete alongside prominent dance teams such as the Louisiana State University Tiger Girls and the University of Oklahoma Pom Pon Squad. “It’s my third year being able to walk in the rodeo parade, and it’s always a good feeling seeing people’s faces light up or when they tell you that the University of Houston has such great spirit and supports us,” said kinesiology sophomore and Cougar Dolls co-captain Brittany Castilleja. Unlike most members of the Spirit of Houston, some performers experienced this yearly tradition for the first time, such as pre-pharmacy sophomore Tiarra Pereda, who moved from Missouri last year to complete her medical degree. “For me, the rodeo is very new. I never knew of the Houston Rodeo until I came to UH last year,” Pereda said. “I experienced my first rodeo last spring break and am really looking forward to what’s next. It was thrilling to see all the people who came out to the parade and even participated in the races,” Pereda said. “Since moving into Texas, I’ve fallen in love with their pride and traditions. There’s so much to do when it comes to the rodeo, and I can’t wait to keep going each year,” Pereda said. arts@thedailycougar.com

Have you ever heard that liberal arts students can’t get jobs? Do you worry about what your options are as a psychology major? Are you tired of your parents asking you what you can do with an English degree? Do you secretly (or not so secretly) wish you had chosen business as your major? Do you fear you are doomed to work in retail for the rest of your life? Well fret no more liberal arts students, and have hope. Your degrees DO have worth and can be valued by a variety of employers! As a liberal arts student, you have developed strong critical

thinking skills and possess the ability to research, write, analyze, and synthesize information. A liberal arts education teaches students to view problems from multiple perspectives and to think independently. Put simply, you have been learning to learn,

which makes it easy for employers to train you. Furthermore, you’ve taken a wide variety of classes across multiple disciplines, including foreign languages, which have increased your language skills and multicultural sensitivity: two highly marketable skills in today’s workplace. Employers want to hire you because they see you as creative, open-minded, well-rounded candidates with excellent communication skills and the ability to relate to people easily and effectively.

NOW HIRING Log onto JobBank at www.uh.edu/ucs and search for the ID number Administrative Assistant (52459) The Administrative Assistant will be in charge of Management & scheduling of advisor’s appointments, Clerical duties Recruiting Assistant (52462) CareerStage is an employment-agency type organization focused exclusively on helping recent graduates connect with employers in Greater Houston for career and temporary positions. Legal Assistant (52469) Plaintiff’s litigation firm seeks legal assistant to join their busy midtown Houston office. Entry Level Civil Engineer/ Project Engineer (52471) Candidate will be trained under Project Engineer or Project Manager. Sales and Membership Intern (52472) This position will assist with the data integrity project for

Salesforce. Liaise with sales team and Sr. Salesforce Admin to resolve data challenges. Graphic Designer (52475) We are a Custom Sign Company & Marketing Firm, specializing in providing sign packages & marketing materials for high-end Apartment communities throughout the U.S. Traffic Manager (52476) Supervise and manage internal project coordination for all creative and production projects. Act as a liaison between Creative Department and Account Service. Receptionist (52477) Joyce, McFarland + McFarland is seeking a part-time receptionist. The part-time Receptionist will be an important client-interaction position for the firm. Cost Accountant (52488) Maintain cost related data in Syspro

including BOMs, LCT elements and routes, purchase contracts, new item and/or warehouse setup, and GL accounts. Environmental Field Technician (52501) Maintenance and operation of gas chromatographic air monitoring equipment in local Texas air monitoring networks. Student Trainee (Financial Management) – GS – 04 (52504) Serves as an Intern in the DFAS Internship Program performing a variety of assignments. SQL Application Support Analyst (52511) Responsible for internal and external client application support. Sourcing Specialist/ Recruiter (52518) The basic functionality involves locating and qualifying candidates within the industry that we service.

IT Intern (52519) Programming/CS Intern, preferably a CS student, to assist in the development of automation for various processes. Garden Grille Bartender/ Server (52523) Greets all guests with enthusiasm and friendliness. Professional Internship: Event Planning (52525) LSI is seeking individuals for a threemonth professional internship program that would focus on coordinating events for clients, starting in March 2014 Accountant (Tax) – Intern (52530) Preparation of Federal, State and International income tax filings for subsidiaries of TOTAL Holdings USA, Inc. Civil/ Electrical/ Construction Engineer (52549) Toll way and highway project in Houston needs a project engineer/ project manager.

INTERVIEWS Log onto Campus Recruitment at www.uh.edu/ucs and search for the ID under the Employer Search & Interview Request link Consolidated Graphics TSSG Leadership Development Program Associate (Technology) (ID# 3950) Pape-Dawson Engineers, Inc. Engineer I (ID# 3935) Renewal By Andersen Canvasser (ID# 3952) Seismic Exchange, Inc. Processing Geophysicist (ID# 3953) National Oilwell Varco Supply Chain Management Development Program (ID# 3946) Beta International Marketing Strategy and Planning Intern and Marketing & Communications Intern (ID# 3961)

EVENTS Internship and Summer Jobs Career Fair Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Time: 1pm to 4pm Where: Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Multipurpose Activity Court Registration Required: www. ucsjobsforcoogs.eventbrite.com This event is open to all majors, with opportunities for internships, summers jobs (part/ full-time), and volunteer work.

COUNSELOR OF THE WEEK

Andrew Tessmer Andrew serves students from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Science, the

College of Education, and the Graduate College of Social Work. He also assists students interested in a career in law. Contact Andrew with your career concerns at ajtessme@central.uh.edu.

Click www.uh.edu/ucs Visit 106 Student Service Center 1 Call 713-743-5100 Follow us on social media uhcareers

@CoogCareers fb.com/uh.ucs Find us on Google Plus University Career Services at UH

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