Issue 87, Volume 79 by The Cougar

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STUDENT GOVERNMENT

New administration aims to lift students’ spirits Nora Olabi Assistant news editor

President-elect Charles Haston and Vice President-elect Erica Tat of REDvolution won during the runoff elections and will lead almost all of the party into the 51st Student Government Association administration starting this fall. The presidential slate was up for grabs during the runoff elections, which ended the evening of March 6. REDvolution captured more than 60 percent of the votes, beating out the “We” Party for the posts. “I feel very humbled to follow behind (current president) Cedric (Bandoh) — I have very big shoes to fill. I just hope I don’t disappoint,” Haston said. Though he declined to make his agenda public at this time, he hopes to push the Improve UH initiative forward, which Bandoh has done during his tenure. “The first thing we will do is spend a month listening to students. Improve.uh.edu is a great tool, but students need to hear about it,” Haston said. “I plan to get SGA out hitting the pavement. We will have

REDvolution claimed the presidency and twenty-six of the thirty-seven Senate seats in the SGA general elections. President-elect Charles Haston and running mate Erica Tat hope to continue the current administration’s work with Improve UH in an effort to reach out to students. | Emily Chambers/The Daily Cougar several tables out in Butler (Plaza) and the UC advertising Improve UH and talking to students to hear what their concerns are and letting them get to know their representatives.” One of the points of REDvolution’s campaign platform was campus culture. The vice presidentelect hopes to use her experience

as director of the Council of Ethnic Organizations to complement Haston’s experience in SGA. “It’s a really pivotal moment for the University. I’m really looking forward to how we can work together with the student organizations and administration to work together to see what we can do to improve

student life on campus,” Tat said. “I would like to help SGA gain more visibility, more face-to-face opportunities, to help promote the Improve UH program.” Though the “We” Party had the fewest candidates of the four that ran, they were able to successfully make it into the runoffs. Its presidential

candidate, Naeem Abdullah, said many of the candidates of REDvolution were “bandwagoning” and “riding the wave” into office. “All I want is for people to change and the betterment of the student body. I feel that REDvolution has SGA continues on page 2

NATION

Freshman experience linked to long-term success Jade Bailey Contributing writer

The integration of new students into campus life and culture is linked to academic success, according to a new study. | Izmail Glosson/The Daily Cougar

Nationwide university freshman retention rates show that as many as one in three first-year students don’t make it back for their sophomore year. While there are many factors to consider when determining preservation among the student freshman body, the rates provide a direct link to the successful and not-so-successful student longevity programs across the spectrum. When contrasting the percentages of returning first-year students, UH fell low on the list of highly ranked Texas universities with a retention rate of 81 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report. Meanwhile, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin tied at 92 percent, and Rice University reached 96 percent. The first factor observed when considering differences among the

rankings is first-year experience intervention. “Despite being rather withdrawn and coming in as a freshman in the fall of 2011, the old UC still offered an orientation fair welcoming new students, where I was approached by other students and then later welcomed by first-year professors. It seemed like a reassuring enough welcoming,” said psychology junior Corey Helfand. Orientation, which incoming students must attend or face a hold on registration, seems to serve more than just an informative purpose. According to Tara Boyle, director of prospective and new student programs, 96.7 percent of freshmen who attend orientation continue on to enroll in courses and remained enrolled in courses through the 20th class day. “Orientation promotes getting involved, which truly changed my entire motives after my first year on

campus. It helped me feel more like I belonged to something,” said orientation leader and architecture junior Candela Beistegui. Along with orientation comes one of the several first-year prospective student programs optional for newly admitted students — Destination UH, through which students are able to explore careers and make a connection with their chosen department. “Every student that comes through the program is accounted for, whether it is for a missed orientation or through the enrollment process,” Boyle said. However successful these introductory programs and services seem to be, UH continues to see a significant percentage of freshman dropouts. U.S. News & World Report claimed that successful integration of new students into college has direct links to academic success. SUCCESS continues on page 2

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THE DAILY COUGAR

NEWS EDITOR

Amanda Hilow

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CAMPUS

ROTC sees upswing in recruitment Reid Ritter Contributing writer

The UH Reserve Officers Training Corps continues to set goals for future growth despite evaluations from the Government Accountability Office, which is attempting to determine whether similar programs across the country are subject to budget cuts as part of the recent military drawdown. UH’s battalion has seen a 66 percent rise in recruits and a 300 percent increase in scholarships offered since August 2012. Most UH Army ROTC candidates are students of the school; other battalion cadets attend local universities. Lt. Col. Michael J. Smith, battalion commander and professor of military

SGA

continued from page 1

done a great job campaigning and being a united force… It’s going to be more of the same,” Abdullah said. “I’m not saying that they haven’t created great relationships with the administration, but their challenge is that they’re going to have to change it up.

science, said he expects the program to grow to at least 200 students. “We hope to provide additional scholarship funding to recruits and retain quality candidates for officer training while earning a college degree,” Smith said in an email. “Currently, we have 124 cadets and hope to grow to between 200 and 225 cadets.” Of those cadets currently enrolled, 106 are either officially contracted or working toward a contract with the U.S. Army to become commissioned officers upon graduation. Fifteen commissioned officers are on track to graduate this year, but Smith’s projections have the number of officers more than doubling by 2017.

If you want to be an agent of change, you have to empower your people to have a revolution.” Twenty-six of REDvolution’s 28 running senatorial candidates won seats. House of Red won one seat, and Cougar Pawlitics won two. Of the five candidates in The “We” Party, one captured a position. news@thedailycougar.com

“UH has been designated by the U.S. Army Cadet Command as a growth program,” Smith said in a UH news release. “This simply means UH Army ROTC will receive additional campus-based scholarships to incentivize enrollment into ROTC. The scholarships pay for full tuition and fees, $1,200 per year for books and monthly tax-free stipend of $300 to $500 per month the student is enrolled.” The recent military drawdown, in response to the attempt to return troops home from wars in the Middle East, may have little effect on the efforts of Smith and his battalion cadre, who train cadets in many different subjects. The program includes

SUCCESS continued from page 1

UH was recently accepted by the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education to take on a project to push for a first-year experience at UH that establishes a stronger foundation for incoming students.

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tactics, land navigation, leadership training and other physical training. College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences dean John Roberts said in the news release that he hopes the drawdown will not affect the progress of UH’s program. “The reduction in military personnel is understandable with the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan,” Roberts said. “However, I am hopeful it will not have a dramatic impact on productive ROTC programs, such as the one at the University of Houston.” While UH has a diverse campus, the ROTC program is diverse as well. Its demographic profile, which creates a diverse group of officers, sets it apart from other campus-based

programs. Smith said that programs like UH’s provide nearly 78 percent of new Army officers needed each year. RTC programs are critical in meeting that need. It is uncertain what impact the GAO evaluation or Pentagon budget cuts will have on the program, but the goal is to keep progressing and continue to produce graduates who are ready to serve. “The best way to ensure we do not become a victim of the report is to continue recruiting, retaining and commissioning quality college students to the officer ranks of our Army,” Smith said.

“We need to think about ‘what are the variables that impact student succes,” said Daniel Maxwell, assistant vice president of Student Affairs and co-director of the Foundations of Excellence. “If we don’t ever change the variables, we are never really going to change the outcome.” With this issue brought to the surface, the Foundations of Excellence can take data from an extensive field of participants and pull evidence that leads to determining whether the problem is systematic — an issue within the process of recruitment or acceptance — or whether the available programs and services are achieving their intended purposes. Throughout the 2013-2014

academic year, the Foundations of Excellence has taken on the mission to uncover the truths of freshman retention rates and undergraduate educational achievement at UH and other college campuses nationwide. Maxwell said he believes that with this data, the University is one step closer to digging up real solutions, which now lie hidden behind “anecdotal stories of freshman dropouts.” “We need to ask ourselves, ‘what are the things that we can control,’ and if we tweaked them, changed them, incorporated them into a different delivery, we can then support students and their success at a higher rate,” he said.

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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

Monday, March 17, 2013 // 3

THE DAILY COUGAR

OPINION EDITOR James Wang EMAIL

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MONEY

UH financial literacy classes will save students

aying bills, getting loans, calling the bank and managing and spending money is nothing new to the average college student. However, it is questionable how many students feel confident in their ability to do these things themselves after leaving home. Juanita The likely Deaver answer is not many, considering the rise of financial illiteracy in the United States — which is hardly shocking considering that in Texas you may not have to take Algebra II to graduate from high school in the next few years. According to the Government Accountability Office, financial literacy is the “ability to make informed judgments and take effective actions” when dealing with the present and future use and management of your money. Students who came from Texas’ public education system may have had a lesson here or there dumped into their economics class but didn’t, for the most part, have the luxury of actually taking a finance class. In many private and parochial schools in Texas, these classes are rarely emphasized, if present at all. Biomedical engineering freshman Vladan Vukovic said

Had it not been for my parents educating me on the matter, for the sake of me being prepared should I have been out of the house at 18, I probably would be totally clueless on the subject” Vladan Vukovic, on how he became financially literate.

David Delgado/ The Daily Cougar he remembers his high school economics class touching on the subject, but it was never the primary focus. “Had it not been for my parents educating me on the matter, I probably would be totally clueless on the subject,” Vukovic said. “I know tons of people who are. They got credit cards and didn’t manage their finances and now have worse debt than 40-year-olds.” Vukovic also said high school information would not have been enough to help him deal with his own bills, pay for college and haggle with insurance. Yet rather than trying to make public high schools introduce a new program that would inevitably lead to rushing, cramming and inefficient add-ons to already-existing classes, we can instead incorporate them into the curriculum here at UH. In the state of Oklahoma, as a result of legislation passed in 2007 and becoming effective this

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

May, students are mandated to demonstrate a knowledge of taxes, banking, investing, insurance, loans, identity theft and about eight other areas in order to graduate high school. Students will now be financially literate upon entrance to a university — a skill that has been lost on many college-bound students as well as current college students in the United States. “Oklahoma has some of the strongest standards in the country,” said Amy Lee, the executive director for the Oklahoma Council on Economic Education. “Where other states require four or five standards regarding earnings, savings and investing, Oklahoma has fourteen.” In Texas, we, like all states, have an education code that specifies the requirements for school curriculum and how schools should consider going about to meet these standards. Chapter 28, sub-chapter A of the Texas Education Code briefly discusses what will be done about

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

teaching students financial literacy. It says that no later than January 31, 2012, Texas would “identify essential knowledge of personal financial literacy” instruction that will include teaching students methods for paying for college. This supposedly began at the start of the 2013-2014 school year, and most public schools, which didn’t create a class for the subject, included it in the economics credit. Thomas L. Harnisch with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities wrote an extensive paper on educating youth on financial literacy, the repercussions the U.S. is facing now as result of financial illiteracy and what methods can be implemented to alter this trend. His paper, “Boosting Financial Literacy in America: A Role for State Colleges and Universities”, says financial illiteracy is a rapidly growing problem in the U.S. The country has high levels of debt and low levels of economic security for

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

its citizens. He further notes that this is an issue that needs to be brought back to the forefront of concern. Harnisch proposes that higher education institutions should have a hand in implementing new financial management and literacy programs. He believes that because universities generate more chances for creating these classes and because the nation as a whole is in need of more sophisticated financial knowledge, it should be the responsibility of these institutions to educate students for the future. Vukovic said he agrees. He said he knows many undeclared students, and as part of not having a major, many students are required to take study-skills classes, among other things. He said it would be a great idea to “replace these seemingly pointless classes and instead of teaching kids who already know how to study ‘how to study,’ use that as an opportunity to create financial education programs instead.” It makes sense that while attending college — the hub of educational training that will prepare us for the future — we would be educated not only in the 100-plus hours of our major but also in financial literacy. We should work financial literacy in as a new part of the curriculum. Managing finances, budgeting, paying for bills and understanding how to keep up with a credit score and how to approach a bank to borrow money are paramount and prevalent in everyone’s lives. Rather than take a class on how to prepare for an exam, take that course on financial preparation. Only time will tell, but I hope this is something that is seriously considered for students of the future — as it is a subject that will forever be present in each student’s future. Opinion columnist Juanita Deaver is an anthropology freshman and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.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 N221, University Center; e-mail them to letters@ thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

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THE DAILY COUGAR

SPORTS EDITOR

Christopher Shelton

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BRANDING

Becoming one with Houston Christopher Shelton Sports editor

Less than five miles from UH’s oncampus sports facilities is a billboard enticing downtown drivers to join the growing chorus of Houston Dynamo fans. Just across the freeway, the faces of NBA stars James Harden and Dwight Howard are plastered on the right side of the George R. Brown Convention Center, which is not far from the Houston Astros’ 41,000-seat Minute Maid Park in the heart of the Bayou City. The battle for Houston, a sprawling metropolis with a thriving economy, is being waged by several collegiate and professional teams. UH is looking to brand itself with its host city, but has challenges that its peers aren’t facing. While Texas and A&M are the biggest sports teams in Austin and College Station, respectively, UH has to compete with the Houston Texans in the football-crazed Lone Star State, the two-time NBA champion Rockets and the Astros, a popular squad when the team is competitive. Making the most of its resources Houston’s four professional teams also have bigger marketing budgets so UH tries to compete by capitalizing on grassroots campaigns, unplanned opportunities and increasing its retail presence. “There is a challenge of how you can compete effectively and efficiently and stay under budget, which may mean sometimes some of the mass media outlets aren’t as available as they would be to a professional organization,” said Rob Stewart, the associate athletic director for Marketing, Promotions and Sales. “From there, it’s trying to tie in as best we can to alumni groups or a lot of grassroots marketing and the social media aspects and trying to pull from recent graduates to be able to really make a difference.” After billboards, which proclaim “I choose Houston,” and scoreboards that bear the Bayou City’s name as opposed to UH, the next plank in the University’s plan to brand itself with the city is its $120 million project. “To be able to walk around with parents and prospective students athletes and for them to see the changes that are happening on campus — it has a great impact,” said athletics director Mack Rhoades. “What it shows is that this University is improving each and every day... and that gets people excited.” UH’s new football stadium, which opens in August, will prominently

UH believes branding its athletic programs with Houston is key to having marketing success and increasing its footprint throughought the state. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

feature the Houston skyline through an opening in the western corner. The “trademark area of the stadium” is expected to serve as a visual link to the city. UH hopes the stadium will allow it to pull in the casual Houston sports fan. To accomplish that, the University is hoping to create a great game-day experience. “If somebody’s not fortunate to be there for the first game, I want them to talk to somebody who was. ... The best thing you can do is hear from your friend that they had a good time and that this is the place to be,” Stewart said. “The most powerful marketing that we can have is being able to brand and create an exciting event.” Managing the unknown Branding success will also take some flexibility. UH was thrust onto the local and national sports stage when legendary former quarterback Case Keenum earned his first NFL start in October. The city buzzed with enthusiasm when the local collegiate star earned playing time with the Texans. Each time the Houston Chronicle or a national media outlet did a story about Keenum’s ascension, his UH roots were mentioned along with his record-setting college stats. UH was ready to capitalize on the publicity. Once Keenum became more

The Cougars provided a visual link to the Bayou City by leaving open a view of the Houston skyline in the western corner of its new $120 million football stadium. | Fernando Castaldi/The Daily Cougar recognizable, the Cougars used the former quarterback as the face of the program and made its current coaches and players more accessible to media outlets to expand the buzz around the program, which could allow UH to sell more retail gear as more people become familiar with the brand. Matching product with demand But the push to increase its retail presence has been in place for three years. Key adjustments have helped UH place more products in the hands of Houston residents. Since UH switched to Licensing Resource Group three years ago, it has almost doubled licensing revenue and put more UH products in stores, Stewart said. LRG brand manager Brad Coley said working closely with UH has helped the two navigate a tough

Houston market. “Houston is similar to most major markets. Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas — It’s a crowded marketplace,” Coley said. “You’re competing with several other schools. The other difference is you’re fighting for floor space with professional teams too.” In February, the athletics department and the Student Government Association created a task force for lobbying retail stores to see the value in carrying more UH products and finding areas where there is demand. SGA President Cedric Bandoh said there is a need for a greater diversity of products, especially with women’s clothing. He said the University hopes to expand the amount of colors and styles and hopes to increase the amount of plus-size clothing for women. The new base of clothing will

also include UH products for pet owners, Bandoh said. But for as many factors as UH can control in its branding efforts, there are just as many that it can’t. Stewart and Rhoades can’t call plays on the football field or force NFL coaches to play former standouts, so working frugally and capitalizing on organic opportunities to grow the brand will always be key for UH to reach its marketing goals. “As a marketer, it’s your job to adjust and react to it,” Stewart said. “It’s being able to adjust and build off that, and hopefully while the city is going crazy, you can make it go crazier, and you can kind of build on that to be able to help you brand and market your program.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Monday, March 17, 2014 // 5 THE DAILY COUGAR

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THE DAILY COUGAR

LIFE & ARTS EDITOR

Monica Tso

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ORGANIZATIONS

Getting into Greek Students reflect on lifelong benefits of joining sororities, fraternities BoJanay Posey Staff writer

A 2.69 GPA is a no-no for Sigma Nu brothers. In fact, show up with a 2.69 and you’ll get summoned to face the Honor Board, which consists of eight brothers and alumni. “You can come to Honor Board for a lot of things,” said Sigma Nu Sergeant at Arms Tyler Henderson, “like saying something out-of-line toward a sorority sister or messing up and talking bad about the fraternity or grades.” Henderson, a hotel and restaurant management junior, said his brothers are always pushing each other to do well in and beyond school, hence the Honor Board and other traditions and commitments, such as house-cleaning parties and philanthropic events. As a result, some of his brothers have gone on to start businesses such as law firms, work for major institutions like NASA and be present in about every career field. Sigma Nu is an example of many fraternities and sororities that have produced leaders in our society. According to a 2012 USA Today article, “85 percent of Fortune 500 executives were part of Greek life … and college graduation rates are 20 percent higher among Greeks than non-Greeks.” It also said people who go Greek build networks and gain communication, interaction and leadership skills that assist them in life. Civil engineering sophomore Kimberly Gonzalez of Sigma Lambda Gamma said networking is a major aspect of being Greek. She said before she joined she had few friends, but now she has many from her sorority; their brother fraternity, Sigma Lambda Beta; their cousin fraternity and sorority, Phi Beta Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta; and the other UH Greeks who often host events together. Her network extends across the country. “Even though I haven’t met (Gammas from other universities), I can contact them and say, ‘Hey, I’m a Gamma at U of H.’ Like you know people everywhere,” Gonzalez said. “I have sisters who have gone to Vegas, and they just contacted sisters over there and they had a place to stay.” Phi Sigma Rho secretary Sarah Hinojosa, a chemical engineering sophomore, said being Greek has taught her invaluable leadership skills. She said in the beginning she would sometimes feel stress, but she has learned to use her time wisely

because her sisters were there to support her and help her succeed, since they share the same sorority and many classes. “We feel this is a safe haven,” Hinohosa said. “We push for our girls to graduate. You have a backbone here.” Business marketing senior McKinney Stokes of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated said the article is accurate. He joined to receive guidance on making better decisions in college and life from the older fraternity brothers. He said his brothers — no matter where they are across the

country or in life — are always eager to help each other. “When you go Greek, there’s always someone that was before you, and there’s usually going to be someone after you. When you get into a fraternity, that’s a great opportunity within itself, and you wouldn’t have that opportunity if it wasn’t for the people who came before you,” Stokes said. “It’s an individual aspect and also paying your dues to just help the next person get the opportunity that you were given.” arts@thedailycougar.com

In addition to building friendships, networking and gaining leadership skills, students in Greek life support their brothers and sisters in academic affairs to ensure success after graduation. | Courtesy of Zeta Tau Alpha

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