ARTS
FITNESS
HEALTH
Students can expect more upgrades at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.
Growing concerns that children will have allergic reactions to vaccines might prove harmful to society.
New equipment to fill gym SEE PAGE 9
Anti-vaccination: In our best interest? SEE PAGE 5 APRIL
CALENDAR CHECK: 20
Easter. How do you celebrate this holiday?
THE DAILY COUGAR
T H E
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N E W S PA P E R
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Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Issue 100, Volume 79
H O U S T O N
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ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM
STEM
Students represent UH in national energy challenge Amanda Hilow, Andrea Sifuentes News editor, staff writer
A team of three UH students will compete Thursday in the national finals of BP’s Ultimate Field Trip competition, which asks college students in technical fields from leading U.S. universities to solve real-world energy
challenges. “We were extremely impressed by the entries from the University of Houston, but ultimately team The Joules of Science (with UH students Ysabelle Abraham, Nora Elghetany and Heba Hijazi) was chosen because of its creativity and demonstrated knowledge of
critical areas,” said Khymberly Booth, BP’s director of U.S. university relations, in a statement. “The UFT (Ultimate Field Trip) competition is just one example of BP’s commitment to higher education and to developing the next generation of scientists and engineers to take on the
world’s biggest energy challenges.” The UH team, The Joules of Science, will compete against contestants from Georgia Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University, University of California at Berkeley, University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, University
CITY
of Michigan and University of Texas at Austin, said Chris Milliken, USUR project manager at BP. The 2014 challenge asked students to identify an innovative solution that would significantly reduce energy CHALLENGE continues on page 3
UH SYSTEM
Conference provides model for future leaders UH-V seeks
to enhance on-campus experiences
Ryan Graham Staff writer
originally hosted at UH, several local schools have hosted it while the University Center was being renovated. When the final renovations are complete in January 2015, the program will return to UH to be held in the New UC’s conference rooms. “I think (what’s) really important about GCE compared to other conferences, it focuses more on education about current issues,” said Sebastian Agudelo, president of Model United Nations at UH and an organizer of the event. “UH has been involved since
UH-Victoria is preparing the Quality Enhancement Plan, which will be enacted in the fall with the goal of placing more emphasis on learning communities in the school. “The main focus of the QEP is to turn the learning experience into a community experience,” said UH-V Director of Assessment Jill Fox, who is leading the initiative. “Students living on campus will be grouped into the same classes in small groups and encouraged to study and participate in activities outside of class together.” The QEP, the latest component of UH-V’s 2014 accreditation review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, is intended to change the way students and educators approach campus life. The “living and learning” program attempts to combine the two facets of the college experience into a more effective program. Aside from the linked classes and extracurricular activities, the plan will provide each team of students with additional resources, such as tutoring availability, a support team
UNITED continues on page 3
VICTORIA continues on page 3
Laura Gillespie Assistant news editor
(Top) Middle school students debated at Saturday’s Global Classrooms Houston Model UN conference Saturday at Lanier Middle School. (Bottom) High school students representing France and Columbia raced against the clock to convince China and the U.S. to call off missile attacks at a Model UN conference Saturday. | Laura Gillespie/The Daily Cougar
Roughly 200 middle and high school students gathered behind circles of desks in cramped classrooms at Lanier Middle School on Saturday to debate issues of diplomacy, environmentalism and even nuclear warfare under the guise of a United Nations gathering. The United Nations’ Global Classrooms Houston Model UN Conference worked with UH to bring together low-income students to tackle issues that real diplomats debate every day. Though the pro gram was