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
T H E
O F F I C I A L
S T U D E N T
N E W S PA P E R
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T H E
U N I V E R S I T Y
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Monday, April 7, 2014
Issue 99, Volume 79
H O U S T O N
S I N C E
1 9 3 4
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