Issue 99, Volume 79 by The Cougar

ARTS

BLAFFER

BASEBALL

Art students’ works lined the Blaffer Art Museum on Friday.

UH was out-matched by Rutgers in the first game Saturday but left New Jersey with two wins on Sunday.

Viewing masterful art SEE PAGE 7

Finishing in strong fashion SEE PAGE 5 APRIL

CALENDAR CHECK: 12

Earth Day Houston. Visit UH’s Sustainability Zone at Discovery Green.

THE DAILY COUGAR

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O F F I C I A L

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N E W S PA P E R

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Monday, April 7, 2014

Issue 99, Volume 79

H O U S T O N

S I N C E

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ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

NATION

High schools see decline in graduates Marilyn Faz Contributing writer

professionals. Event planning junior Clara Snelson, who served as the communications resource manager of the event, stressed the independence they were given as a student committee. “Whenever I try and explain this to people, and I tell them I’m on a planning committee, oftentimes they don’t realize the full scope of (the independence we’re given),” Snelson said. “This,” she said, pointing to the twelve other students around her, “is

Universities around the country are likely to be affected by a “modest decline” in high school graduates after almost two decades of growth but an overall increase in racial and ethnic diversity within the graduate pool, according to a study by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. “This trend has been predicted for years as a natural result of an aging population in certain geographic areas, along with immigration trends and economic prosperity (and) employment opportunities,” said senior associate director of admission and coordinator of minority recruitment at Rice University Tamara Siler. National high school graduates peaked at 3.4 million in 2010-11 but have declined to 3.2 to 3.3 million in 2013-14, according to the study. Not all regions or states will follow the national trend exactly, however. The report projects that the Northeast and Midwest are expected to decline compared to the total high school graduates from 2008-09. Conversely, the South and West will continue to have sustained growth in graduates. In fact, the report predicts that by 2024-25, the nation’s overall number of high school graduates will return to a modest growth that is sustained by the West and South while the Midwest and Northeast continue to decline. Specifically, the continued growth in the South will be led by Texas, which has a projected increase greater than 15 percent. The state is one of the faster-growing, drawing people in because of employment opportunities, affordable housing and a lower cost of living, Siler said. The result is that there will be

GOURMET continues on page 3

GRADUATES continues on page 3

President Renu Khator has high hopes for new head coach Kelvin Sampson (right) after the two clicked in their first meeting. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Sampson sells Khator on ambition Christopher Shelton Sports editor

It took only 10 minutes for Kelvin Sampson to convince President Renu Khator that he was the right person for the job. Though Sampson has a proven track record as a basketball coach,

his 18 consecutive winning seasons and 11 trips to the NCAA tournament in 12 years isn’t what made him the right fit, Khator said. Khator said she saw a coach who was contrite after NCAA violations at Oklahoma and Indiana derailed his career and a person with ambitions

that matched those of the University. “He said he regrets whatever happened. He said he’s hungry, has a fire in his belly. He wants to build the program,” Khator said. “He believes in the same goal that we have here, which is the pursuit of excellence. I could see in his eyes

and through his body language that he means it, and he would just be the right fit for us.” In turn, Khator sold Sampson on the UH experience and made him feel comfortable about leaving a job SOLD continues on page 5

EVENTS

Gourmet Night serves experience to remember Cara Smith Staff writer

Months ago, President and Chancellor Renu Khator had written in her planner that her attendance at an event in April was “non-negotiable.” As the year went on, Khator received invitations to two other black-tie events, scheduled on the same night as the event she had promised herself — and more importantly, her students — that she would attend. And yet, Khator took the stage at Gourmet Night at the Hilton UH

Grand Ballroom on April 5, brimming with admiration for the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management students who had spent nearly a year preparing the penultimate event of their college careers. “My staff informed me of the other events, and I asked them if either of the other events would give me the kind of emotions that Gourmet Night does,” Khator said. “I told them, ‘If no, forget it.’” Since 1974, Gourmet Night has served as the Hilton College’s

showcase of the talent that has continually made it one of the highestranking hospitality programs in the world. An evening of sumptuously lavish décor and delicacies, the 41st annual Gourmet Night catered to nearly 400 high-rolling Houstonians, UH alumni and hospitality industry giants. The event is entirely planned and executed by an elected committee of 13 elite Hilton students who have spent nearly a year preparing the evening without the help of faculty or

2 \\ Monday, April 7, 2014

THE DAILY COUGAR

NEWS

CALENDAR Today Workshop: Courses in Microsoft Office, Photoshop, iMovie and other software are available and open to students, faculty and staff in varying time slots from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the M. D. Anderson Memorial Library Learning Commons. Lecture: A senior process engineer from Valeri Energy Corporation will lecture on a shift in the energy industry from crude oil to tight oil and the impacts of the shift from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in Cemo Hall, Stubblefield Auditorium. Music: The opera “Cold Sassy Tree,” written by American composer Carlisle Floyd and based on the novel of the same name about small-town Southern life, will be performed from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Moores Opera Center. Student tickets are $12.

Saturday’s Gourmet Night, hosted by Hotel and Restaurant Management students, was the culmination of a year’s work by students, and students alone. | Cara Smith/The Daily Cougar

GOURMET continued from page 1

all of us.” Each Gourmet Night is centered on a theme designed by the student committee that influences every aspect of the event, and no expense was spared in honor of this year’s theme, 41 Diner – which the event’s program described as a “tribute to the scores of eateries that once dotted historic Route 66 with our own rendition of the classic diner.” “There’s such intense freedom. The reporting back to the executive committee doesn’t happen so much as keeping them in the loop,” co-event manager and event planning junior Jordan Grace said. “From brainstorming the theme to the night of — that’s all students. The adults facilitate, but we do everything.” Students operating the complementary valet service greeted guests dressed to the nines in whitewashed jeans and leather jackets as students in pink poodle skirts and thick-rimmed China-style glasses guided attendees to the second floor, where guests were encouraged to try their hand in a silent auction held in the Waldorf-Astoria Ballroom before dinner. The silent auction, which raised nearly $25,000 for student scholarships offered through the Hilton College, boasted more than 150 items, including a UH football helmet autographed by Case Keenum, dinner for five with Mayor Annise Parker at Tony’s Restaurant, wine and hors d’oeuvres with Khator, autographed headshots of Brad

Pitt and Angelina Jolie and a basketball signed by former Cougars players Clyde Drexler, Elvin Hayes and Hakeem Olajuwon. “Tonight’s event is exceptional,” Hilton College Dean John Bowen said. “Walking past students dressed up, drinking their malts, and then all of the sudden you’re in a ballroom — it really put a top to this evening.” The menu, designed entirely by banquet chef and catering management senior Ali Taylor and sous chefs restaurant managing senior Martina Bahr and catering junior Andrea Fuimara, treated guests to a five-course meal with corresponding wine pairings. The first course, Pot Pie on the Plains, was described as “the most American of meats, particularly out west, (served up) in this diner classic reminiscent of mom’s cooking, but presented with a twist,” and featured slow-cooked bison and roasted vegetables tucked snugly into a biscuit crust. The Blue Plate Special, an iconic staple of diner culture, underwent an elegant transformation. The special presented “Thanksgiving staples” drenched in a sweet roulade of duck contrasted with pecan cornbread and tangy cranberry. A swirled blend of sweet and mashed potatoes and snappy garlic green beans enclosed the entrée to “round off the flavor and color.” “Me and my sous chefs are the dream machine,” Taylor said. “Everyone else is responsible for it moving forward, but ultimately everything that comes out on the plate came from our heads.”

Guests enjoyed the five-course meal in the Grand Ballroom, where each table was adorned with opulent centerpieces and vases swelling with candy, sweets and pastries. Bursts of neon light danced across the walls of the ballroom, and local band The Mockingbirds kept the good vibes rolling with covers of old-school rock and cult classics. “If people want to experience something new and different in college, it provides an avenue where you don’t experience the typical ‘go do a blood drive or go help in a soup kitchen’ thing,” wine and spirits management junior and beverage service manager Brett Sanders said. “(Gourmet Night) might not benefit the community, but it benefits the college, which benefits the University, which is developing tomorrow’s leaders, who then benefit the community.” The evening was capped off with events management senior and general manager Sara Morrill welcoming the nearly 300 volunteers to the front of the ballroom to exchange high-fives with Bowen, Khator and the entire Gourmet Night staff. The ballroom erupted in uproarious applause, recognizing the evening the students presented. “My favorite part of this is when the students come together at the end who put in so much work into this. It is something that brings tears to my eyes,” Khator said as she addressed the ballroom. “When they come out and line up, I just think to myself, ‘Oh my goodness, here are the leaders of tomorrow.’” news@thedailycougar.com

Business: Students in the C.T. Bauer College of Business can participate in a week-long event of mock interviews with prospective employers in the Rockwell Career Center at Cemo Hall. Students should sign up through their Bauer Career Gateway account to reserve a time slot. Networking: An alumni-student happy hour will be hosted by alumna Isabella Yibirin from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Gourmet Fresh Fusion at 3306 S. Shepherd Drive. Attendants should RSVP.

Tuesday Music: Soprano Melissa Givens will give a guest master class from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Moores School of Music, Room 147. Music: Yezhou Tan, from the studio of Abbey Simon, will perform a doctoral piano recital from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Dudley Recital Hall on the first floor of the Fine Arts Building.

Wednesday Art: A five-day art festival called counterCURRENT will include performances, collaborations and projects produced through the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Blaffer Art Museum and other Houston locations. Lecture: A talk about the relationship between sleep and academic performance will be given from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in the Health and Biomedical Sciences Building Auditorium. Screening: An alcohol screening day will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Rotunda Room. Workshop: Counseling and Psychological Services will seperate Fact from fiction during an Alcohol 101 Food for Thought workshop presented for free from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 210D of Student Services Center 1.

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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Issue staff Copy editing Rachel Sloan

Copy chief David Bryant

Closing editors

Natalie Harms, Jenae Sitzes

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, April 7, 2014 // 3

THE DAILY COUGAR

NEWS EDITOR

CITY

Historical opium trade brought to life Trey Strange Staff writer

The India studies program will host award-winning novelist Amitav Ghosh at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Asia Society Texas Center. Ghosh is the author of the Ibis trilogy, which includes “Sea of Poppies,” “River of Smoke” and the upcoming “Flood of Fire.” The historical fiction trilogy highlights the journey of the 19th-century opium trade between India and China and the events that led to the First Opium War in 1839. His lecture, titled “From Bombay to Canton: Traveling the Opium Route to 19th Century C h i n a ,” w i l l explore the parGhosh adigm through which an Indian trader might have viewed the port city Canton, which is now the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. “Amitav Ghosh’s literary work spans centuries, continents and cultures. It is said that to understand India, you must live in five centuries at once — and so you do when you read his novels. He allows you to inhabit several cultures at once,” chair of the Department of Comparative and Cultural Studies Lois Zamora said in a press release. Assistant Director of the India studies program Anjali Kanojia also expressed her anticipation for Ghosh’s upcoming visit. This December, Kanojia will lead a group of India studies students abroad to India through the course GIS 3300. However, this is not the first accomplishment of the program. The growth of the India studies program through the last few years is exemplified by the arrival of Ghosh, whose novels “Sea of Poppies” and “River of Smoke” were, respectively, finalists for the 2008 Man Booker Prize and the 2011 Man Asian Literary prize. Read the full story at thedailycougar.com/news. news@thedailycougar.com

GRADUATES

Amanda Hilow

news@thedailycougar.com

That’s the most important thing we can brag about, that an individual can stay in Texas, get their college degree, and then go right into the workforce...”

continued from page 1

consistent rises in the number of high school graduates and higher education enrollments. “More non-Texas universities are coming to Texas to recruit,” UH director of student recruitment Jeff Fuller said. “That makes it much more of an opportunity for public universities and private universities to do things differently to try to make sure the students in Texas stay in Texas for their college education.”

Jeff Fuller, UH director of student recruitment One of the key points that Texas universities like UH can sell is the opportunity for employment after graduation, Fuller said. “That’s the most important thing we can brag about,” Fuller said, “that an individual can stay in Texas, get their college degree and then go right

into the workforce and still be at an edge for jobs because they know the state and they’re already in the state.” Another challenge is one almost all states will face: addressing the particular needs of a diversifying student body. WICHE expects sharp drops in white, non-Hispanic and

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black, non-Hispanic graduates to be made up for by a growing number of Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander graduates. “The changing landscape is already something that we are continuing to make adjustments to our recruitment efforts,” Fuller said. “Just making sure that if there are new techniques or avenues or new opportunities (by which) to present the University of Houston in front of different populations, then the University continues to do that.” news@thedailycogar.com

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4 \\ Monday, April 7, 2014

THE DAILY COUGAR

OPINION EDITOR James Wang EMAIL

opinion@thedailycougar.com

ONLINE

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ACADEMICS

College becoming integral part of American Dream

aking college mandatory may be inevitable. Richard Reeves and Quentin Karpilow, researchers of economic mobility for the Center on Children of Families, cite a frightening disparity of income between high school and college graduates in their article for the Brookings Marcus Institution, “Is It Arceneaux Time for K-16?” “In today’s economy, a high school diploma is not enough,” according to the article. “Now, more than ever, college is the gateway to the American Dream.” A college degree, despite its presumed subjective or objective needlessness, is preferred by most companies that pay $40,000 and above. Also, according to a Georgetown University study, even a dishwasher with a degree will earn 83 percent more than one without, and a plumber with a degree earns 39 percent more. But enacting compulsory K-16 education may draw skepticism from those who feel placing an emphasis on college draws attention away from millions of other jobs. Mike Rowe, host of the TV series “Dirty Jobs,” is an outspoken proponent of highly skilled trades. His website, profoundlydisconnected.com, denounces the focus on college: “The goal of Profoundly Disconnected is to challenge the absurd belief that a four-year

In today’s economy, a high school diploma is not enough. Now, more than ever, college is the gateway to the American Dream. Richard Reeves and Quentin Karpilow, on why college attendance should be a mandatory part of life

David Delgado/ The Daily Cougar degree is the only path to success,” it says. Rowe said millions of jobs are not being filled because young folks are constrained by the idea that college is their only option. One doesn’t often hear about someone passionately pursuing a skilled trade over college, and in many upper-middle class families, there’d be an underlying shame in proclaiming such a pursuit. Think about what jobs are considered to relate to the “American Dream,” and jobs such as lawyer, doctor, marketing wiz or CEO spring to mind. But if someone’s dream was to become a power line technician, it’d probably be assumed the person failed at a different pursuit and is now chasing mediocrity. Blue-collar work is not something typically desired as the first option. Thus, jobs like doctor or lawyer — which are deemed

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

“sophisticated” trades, as they go through rigorous training and, in the end, receive a certificate that validates their ability — are held in higher regard. It’s unfortunate, but the brawny nature of trade careers overshadows their very necessitous intellectual aspects. What Reeves, Karpilow and Rowe all touch upon, however, is the fiscal path to success. Yes, money is integral to living a comfortable life. And to Reeves and Karpilow’s credit, their main concern was low-income students’ access to schooling so they might climb the social ladder. However, higher education is not only important for financial reasons. There is a cultural awakening that occurs upon entering college. Not only do youths from varying worlds collide, but one is also exposed to more complex forms of education. “The humanities are a

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

foundation for getting along in the world, for thinking, for learning to reflect on the world instead of just reacting to whatever force is turned against you,” said writer and social critic Earl Shorris in his essay “On the uses of a liberal education: 2. As a weapon in the hands of the restless poor.” Shorris created The Clemente Course in Humanities. It was his effort to bring college-level courses to impoverished kids. Shorris was a firm believer that, to be on par with the rich, one had to be educated like the rich. However, his ultimate goal was not to simply give students the tools to relieve themselves of their squalid economic conditions — he wanted to enrich their spirits. “Will the humanities make you rich? Yes. Absolutely,” Shorris said. “But not in terms of money. In terms of life.” Degrees in such fields as

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

philosophy, anthropology, sociology and the fine arts are laughed at for their money-making impotence. But what needs to be fully recognized is the selfrefinement that these areas of study provide. Even “academic incompatibilists” — those who can’t seem to get into the groove of college life — would benefit from exposure to the humanities. And consequently, even if they drop out, they would benefit society. Students develop tunnel vision in their efforts to graduate. Reflection, self-awareness and any type of introspection is put on the back burner until that day when everything seems to have fallen apart and all that’s left is one’s thoughts. At the root of this zombified quest is the attainment of the American Dream, which, if scrutinized, often revolves around a surplus of money. But despite the worship of monetary excess, the sobering fact remains that — skilled trades aside — college will only become more and more important, just as high school became more and more important in the early 20th century, eventually causing K-12 education to be mandatory. At minimum, a college degree is tangible evidence that an individual stuck with something for several years and finished it. This alone is enough to attract employers — tipping the scales to favor graduates over non-graduates. So unless a student finds solace in a highly skilled trade as Mike Rowe suggests, or unless a student is even one-fourth as clever as Mark Zuckerberg or Matt Mullenweg — the UH dropout who created WordPress — it seems likely that a college degree will be necessary for future financial stability. Thus, mandatory K-16 implementation may not be the worst thing in the world. Opinion columnist Marcus Arceneaux is a print journalism junior 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.

Monday, April 7, 2014 // 5

THE DAILY COUGAR

SPORTS EDITOR

Christopher Shelton

sports@thedailycougar.com

ONLINE

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SOFTBALL

BASEBALL

Sweep keeps UH unbeaten in AAC play

Pitching allows UH to gain road series win

The Daily Cougar news services UH softball completed the series sweep over Connecticut by posting an 8-4 win on Sunday at Burrill Family Field. It improves to 23-10 on the season and remains a perfect 9-0 in the American Athletic Conference during the 11-game winning streak. UH found itself behind after Connecticut took a 2-0 lead in the first inning coming off a two-run home run. The lead didn’t last long, as the Cougars came back in the top of the second to regain the lead with a four-run rally. Senior Haley Outon drew a walk, advanced to second on a fielder’s choice and then joined forces with Kayla Holland to execute a doublesteal, moving both runners into scoring position. Junior Jaime Edwards then hit an RBI single, and freshman Jordan Rain hit her first career home run. UH took care of UConn in the first two games on Friday with 12-2 and 16-2 wins. Barraza sets personal best Freshman Brian Barraza finished second in his section of the men’s 5000meter run with an overall personal best time of 14:13.54 at the Stanford Invitational. His time leads all Cougar runners this season and enters the top five alltime list. Junior Yonas Tesfai placed sixth in the men’s 1500-meter with a seasonbest time of 3:51.63. He finished in the top 15 of the 800-meter run with a team best time of 1:50.96. Freshman Chris Ibarra set an overall personal best in the 800-meter with a time of 1:51.52 to place in the top 25 along with junior Anthony Coleman, who ran a time of 1:51.54. Bremer ears second straight top 10 After sophomore Raegan Bremer slipped into a tie for seventh after posting a 75 on Saturday for a total of 147, lightning in the area of the Dallas Athletic Club/SMU Invitational forced the cancellation of Sunday’s final round. Saturday’s second-round results will stand as final. It was Bremer’s second top-10 finish this week after winning the HBU Husky Invitational on Tuesday at Sugar Land’s Riverbend Country Club. With the completion of Saturday’s second round, junior Courtney Ferguson moved into a tie for 16th at 151 for her third top-20 finish of the season. No. 48 Baylor won the team championship with a score of 591. sports@thedailycougar.com

Lemoine’s complete game sets stage for Cougars to earn conference road wins Harrison Lee

Senior staff writer

The first in-conference road trip of the season, which featured a contest against Rutgers, was a net positive for No. 10 UH. The Cougars (25-6, 4-2) battled soggy and windy conditions, but enough sun shined down for UH to come away with a 2-1 win on Sunday to earn a series victory this weekend. “We are extremely lucky to get out of Rutgers with two wins. I thought they played hard all weekend,” head coach Todd Whitting

said. “We caught some breaks in that game, and if we don’t, we don’t win that game. But a sign of a good team is one that can win while not on their best day.” The series, played in Piscataway, New Jersey, saw the first game replaced by a double header on Saturday. Rutgers took the first game 7-3, with UH taking the second game 9-1 behind Jake Lemoine, who amassed a career-high nine strikeouts and got his fifth win and the first comLemoine plete game of his UH career. “My fastball was working for me,” Lemoine said after his Saturday win.

“ KELVIN SAMPSON

The Cougars found their man. After a national search, UH pegged former Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson as head coach. Here’s what his former and current players have to say.

SOLD continued from page 1

as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets. “Listening to Dr. Khator go on and on about all the great things that are happening in academia and in the University, and you get excited about it,” Sampson said. “You’re the basketball coach, but you’re a part of the University family. And I just want to be a part of the family.” Now Sampson just has to convince the players who fill the Cougars’ roster to buy into his program, which is something he has experience with. “The first thing I do with a young man is find out what his dreams and goals are. And those become my dreams and goals. ... I gain their trust by being honest with them and getting them to understand the difference between playing hard and competing,” Sampson said.

“I can’t say enough about the defense effort behind me.” Whitting, who was named Midseason Coach of the Year by Perfect Game USA, praised Lemoine’s Saturday outing as a well-timed lift up. “I told Lemoine after the game that his team really needed that. We didn’t play well in the first game, and we really needed a great pitching performance under horrible pitching conditions,” Whitting said. “Wind is blowing hard, and pop-ups are blowing out of here. That was a big outing for him in really bad conditions.” Senior closer Chase Wellbrock, who notched his second win of the season during a pitcher’s duel on Sunday by handling a bases-loaded jam with his normal, calm aplomb. After they opened the ninth with back-to-back hits with no outs, I tried

Mack Rhoades spoke with us and the first thing he said was James Harden was heartbroken that (Sampson) left… To see that he showed up (to the press conference) showed us that he wasn’t selling a wolf ticket.”

to calm myself down. I knew I had great defense behind me, and they were going to make the plays. My job was to throw strikes and make the right pitches and, luckily, I was able to induce the ground balls that I needed,” Wellbrock said. UH batters were good for 14 runs across the three games. The second game of the Saturday double header saw senior first baseman Casey Grayson go 3 for 5 with four RBIs, while the rubber match saw sophomore designated hitter Justin Montemayor go 2 for 4 with two RBIs. “We have some things we need to address next week in practice. I am proud of them on a weekend where we didn’t really have it to come away with two wins,” Whitting said. sports@thedailycougar.com

“

Off the court, he has established himself as a dedicated leader, who prepares young men for life, in and away from the game of basketball. On the court, he has been a proven winner.” UH AD Mack Rhoades

Senior Mikhail McLean

“

He knows my family. I know his family... The energy he brings — he preaches defense, and that’s a real key to winning every game… Most of all, other than a coach he’s a friend.” Rockets PG Patrick Beverly

Proven winner Before becoming UH’s ninth head coach, he compiled a 500-270 record in 25 years with Indiana, Oklahoma, Washington State and Montana Tech. Sampson’s teams have made 13 NCAA tournament appearances, including 11 in 12 years with the Sooners from 1994 to 2006. While at Oklahoma, Sampson led the team to 10 consecutive 20-win seasons, including an appearance in the 1999 Sweet 16, the 2002 Final Four and the Elite Eight in 2003. High standards Sampson wants UH to regain the national prominence it once enjoyed. However, the Cougars (17-16, 8-10) haven’t won an NCAA tournament game in 30 years, since legendary coach Guy V. Lewis patrolled the sideline. “He spoke with us (Thursday) before this press conference, and he told us what his expectation for this season is. He told us we’ll run a

fast-paced offense. He said he wants us to play great defense,” said senior forward Mikhail McLean. Former coach James Dickey, who resigned in March for personal reasons, didn’t leave UH with an empty cupboard. The Cougars return their top five scorers from a talented squad that underachieved at times. UH also has a closer connection to the city following Dickey’s tenure. After bringing in Houston-area fivestar recruit Danuel House and fourstar talent Danrad Knowles three years ago, the Cougars will welcome in Yates product J.C. Washington and Wesleyan Christian player JaQuel Richmond for 2014. “We’ve built a foundation already, so we’re just going to continue to groom us and continue to get better,” McLean said. NBA history Sampson’s six-year stint in the NBA could help the Cougars attract players who have professional hoop dreams. He served as an assistant coach with

“

I’m happy he has another opportunity at it. For us as Rockets we have to figure out a way to pick his coaching up.” Rockets SG James Harden

the Milwaukee Bucks before joining the Houston Rockets’ staff in 2011. Second chance Being hired at UH is Sampson’s return to college for the first time since 2008 after impermissible and excessive telephone calls and text messages led to a five-year show-cause penalty. A 2008 NCAA report that charged him with five major violations led him to leave Indiana before the end of his second season. The violations extended from his tenure at Oklahoma. He vowed to run a clean program with his second chance. “I made mistakes; I learned from my mistakes. I didn’t agree with all of the NCAA’s conclusions but accepted them and moved on, and I respect the NCAA as an institution,” Sampson said. “The head coach is responsible for his program. I will be responsible for the University of Houston basketball program, and compliance will be a high priority.” sports@thedailycougar.com

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LIFE & ARTS EDITOR

Monica Tso

arts@thedailycougar.com

BLAFFER

Works of art paint walls of museum Sara Samora Senior staff writer

From origami to photography to paintings to sculptures, the Blaffer Art Museum was filled with works of art by graduate students on Friday. The School of Art held its 36th Master of Fine Arts Thesis exhibition, featuring the works of 18 candidates. Third-year sculpture graduate Betsy Huete said the exhibition had a great turnout. “This is really fantastic. Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Huete said. “People seemed engaged with everybody’s work. I’m personally really excited about it. I want to thank everybody that came out. We really appreciate it, and this has been a lot of fun. I really enjoyed my graduate experience here.” Huete materialistically translates poems that she wrote and works intuitively by grabbing materials and rearranging them. Her sculpture “Harbor” uses dirt, a taxidermy rooster, wood, needles and a television. “I don’t think my work is about anything specifically. It’s not, ‘this means happy, this means sad,’” Huete said. “Instead of sculpture, it’s more like writing. I’m considering the pacing of it. I think of it like sentence structure and materials and what they’re doing and, like, what kind of lines they’re creating.” Graphic design alumni Sereen Zaini and ShaoShao Chen visited the exhibition. “The artwork was very diverse,” Zaini said. “Everything looks very clean and modern. I like the photography work from Arnea William’s installation, because she has some typography elements too. I thought the decoration between photography and typography was really interesting.”

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FASHION

Empowering professionals with style Zoe Quezada Contributing writer

Visitors entered a realm of diverse artwork that featured photography, sculptures, videos and more on Friday at the 36th Master of Fine Arts Thesis exhibition, hosted by the School of Art. | Sara Samora/The Daily Cougar Zaini and Chen are friends with third-year graphic design graduate Tom So, who had his work on display at the museum. “It’s really awesome to see the final product. I’ve seen it in progress but never as a final thing. It’s fulfilling,” Chen said. “Anything from the graphic design program, like the origami letters — I saw it in progress, and it’s so amazing to see it completed. I almost wanted to take one.” So was trying to create something that encapsulated his collection process as a designer. “I collect a lot of different things,” So said. “I collect records and movies and things like that. I was trying to create something that captures that process. It was a lot of silk screening at night.” It took him two-and-a-half weeks to complete his piece, “Oblivia,” a 45-layer silk screen on the wall. “With design, the possibilities of creating something is really up to

person. You can really sort of push it,” So said. “Me, I wanted to create this imaginary world, this imaginary place.” Candidate Arnea Williams said her work was an eclectic combination of self-portrait and her experience as a triple minority: female, black and lesbian. “I just experience a lot of things that I think by studying history made me understand it better,” Williams said. “It made me kind of find myself in the world.” Her installation featured a photograph of a woman being lynched, which she said was the source that inspired the entire project. She also weaved in personal items, such as the house her mother grew up in. “I think the ugly things and the scars and the bad things that we go through, those are the things that really shape us,” Williams said. “I think that, say, for instance, the lynching image that I have, it’s not necessarily to

throw things in people’s face, but I feel like oftentimes, we often tried to forget things, and I don’t feel like they should be forgotten, even the bad things.” Chen said many of the works look like something special. “A lot of the artists and designers, they do take (a) mundane thing and weave this really fascinating narrative out of it,” Chen said. “It’s kind of like the way you would never see things that way. It’s putting something you always look at, making you think about it, so that is something that needs more exploring, and it’s really cool that they’re doing that.” arts@thedailycougar.com

The exhibition runs until April 20 at Blaffer Art Museum and will feature “Gallery Talks” on April 9, 16 and 17, at which the candidates will discuss their work.

Colored powder celebrates spring Students threw colored powder at the Council of Ethnic Organizations and the Hindu Student Assocation-hosted event Thursday in celebration of the awakening of spring. Jimmy Moreland/The Daily Cougar

The UH Association for Women in Communications held its first public fashion show on April 4. The event was held to raise money for the organization and its scholarships and to empower its members to look and feel confident as they begin their professional careers. The AWC invited local stylist Thomasina Burns to help style the members and create professional looks out of their current wardrobes. “Think about this. When you first walk in the room, before you can share your degree, your accomplishments, accolades or any of your credentials, they are going to make a decision about you before you even open your mouth,” Burns said. “So it’s important that when you walk in that door that everything you want that person to think of you is exactly what they see before you open your mouth. That is an image, a professional image.” The AWC has held previous fundraisers for its members that follow more traditional routes, such as hosting bake sales, but when brainstorming for a bigger fundraising event, the members grew excited for the idea of incorporating all of their skills to create a fashion show. “It kind of just came out of nowhere,” media production junior Ana Garza said. “We were just all brainstorming, and it kind of just came out. We all got very excited.” Organizers of the event used their networking skills to gather sponsors and vendors for the event. They reached out to students skilled in media production, photography, lighting and sound. They added layers of entertainment to the event by bringing in musicians, dancers and a spoken-word poet. Each of the students modeling received applause while walking down the catwalk. At the end of the show, Burns informed the audience that the fashion show consisted of clothing that the students had already owned. “What was so awesome about this was that those ladies were styled from stuff they already had in their closet,” Burns said. “We took the clothes that they had, which were very fashionable and trendy, and turned them into something professional. You can see their personality come out in it as well. Anybody can look cute, but you really can’t rock your look unless it’s you.” arts@thedailycougar.com

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