Issue 04, Volume 81 by The Cougar

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Issue 04, Volume 81

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Gas on the go Two UH alums know the difficulty of filling up their cars in college, so they're working to make it easier for the Cougar community. | PG. 3

SPORTS

Former Duck hopes to make a new start After being dismissed from the University of Oregon program, a new UH signee is looking to make the most of his second chance. | PG. 8

NEWS

Where did all the water go?

Construction began on the Cullen Family Plaza Fountain and Reflecting Pools last December, yet no progress has been made since the beginning. | PG. 2

2 | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

NEWS

713-743-5314

thedailycougar.com/news

news@thedailycougar.com

Sonia Zuniga, Interim Editor

CAMPUS

Prolonged construction of iconic campus fountain confuses, worries students

The Cougar

thedailycougar.com

ABOUT THE COUGAR The Cougar is published every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters, and twice 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.

COPYRIGHT No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the consent of the director of Student Publications.

ISSUE STAFF COPY EDITING

Taelor Marquetti-Gadison CLOSING EDITORS

Sean Alder Mónica Rojas Glissette Santana

ABOUT THE COVER

The Cullen Family Plaza Fountain construction project started in December and was projected to be completed in May, but the completion date is yet to be specifically deteremined. | Leen Basharat/ The Cougar

LEEN BASHARAT

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @LEENCUISINE

The flyers surrounding the Cullen Family Plaza Fountain’s fences say its deadline was back in May. Yet it’s still closed and with no due date announced. The construction team was

held up due to funding, principal project manager Vicky Alsaker said. “We just don’t have control of some things," Alsaker said. "Sometimes people don’t respond, or you just don’t have enough funding. In those six months, we hoped we would

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have the funding in time. We hope to be done by mid next year – hopefully before graduation. Currently we are a month into (construction), but we don’t have a lock on the date.” The project was expected to last only six months, starting in December, to address the fountain’s deteriorating structural condition. Because of its age, the fountain’s pipes are leaking and concrete sections in the pool allow water to seep through, causing the soil below to become saturated. Project manager Theron Mathis said this six-month period was only a “design and exploratory phase.” The prolonged closure has caught students' eyes, especially those who spent a lot of their time nearby. “The fountain was pretty much a place where anyone could chill and relax in the outdoor scenery,” psychology junior Jesus Rivera said. “I feel really disappointed that it’s still under construction. They should get it finished as soon as possible.” For bystanders, this construction has been an obstacle from getting to class. “I just feel as though it is a prolonged eyesore so I don’t really find myself walking through there anymore,” business sophomore Reza Mousavidin said. "I can’t wait for it to open back up because I did find that to be a very peaceful area on campus.” In the new school year, incoming students will continue to

wait to see the fountain at work and its well-loved scenic spot on campus. “I’d really love to see it,” human resource development junior Liah Hext said. “At orientation they hyped us up about it and I really want to see what all the hype’s about.” news@thedailycougar.com

The Cullen Family Plaza Fountain Located in the heart of the campus, the Plaza Fountain is a place where students relaxed momentarily. Overall costs for the fountain repair: $750,000. Part of detecting the probelm was finding detectable issues under the surface using GPR testing which utilizes electromagnetic radiation.

It held 200,000 gallons of water that flowed daily. Many students took their break by napping or studying by the fountain while waiting for their next class.

Due date was in May, now plans are for construction to be done by the middle of 2016. Seniors hope to see the finished project before they graduate in May.

Wisam Nahhas, co-founder of the FuelMe app, says each trailer carries 440 gallons of premium and regular gas. — Photo by Justin Tijerina

Center for Student Media uh.edu/csm

ABOUT CSM The Center for Student Media provides comprehensive advisory and financial support to the university’s student-run media: The Cougar newspaper, Student Video Network and COOG Radio. Part of the Student Life portfolio in the Division of Student Affairs, the CSM is concerned with the development of students, focusing on critical thinking, leadership, ethics, collaboration, intercultural competence, goal-setting and ultimately, degree attainment. While our students are engaged in producing and promoting media channels and content, our goal is to ensure they are learning to become better thinkers and leaders in the process. CENTER FOR STUDENT MEDIA

(713) 743-5350 csm@uh.edu www.uh.edu/csm N221 University Center University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4015 ADVERTISING

(713) 743-5340 advertising@thedailycougar.com thedailycougar.com/advertising ADVERTISING REPS Summer Davis Diana Nguyen Jose Salazar DESIGN TEAM Josue Diaz Alex Tomic

Wednesday, September 9, 2015 | 3

713-743-5314

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NEWS

Sonia Zuniga, INTERIM EDITOR

ALUMNI

FuelMe brings revolutionary way to fill up your tank SONIA ZUNIGA

INTERIM NEWS EDITOR

Commuters have too many things on their plate to worry about whether or not they have enough gas in their car. The FuelMe smartphone app promises it can at least take that task off students’ backs by bringing the gas station to you. "Cars sit idle for 96 percent of their life," said alumnus and FuelMe co-founder Wisam Nahhas. "Why would you want to fill it up in the 4 percent when you’re actually using the car?" C.T. Bauer College of Business' Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship alumni Nahhas and Nour Baki, along with two other partners from California, worked together to build the FuelMe app. The bright orange FuelMe trailer has four separate tanks carrying 440 gallons of premium and regular gas, all piped down in the same hosing system. The 13-foot long trailer weighs

Wisam Nahhas, co-founder of FuelMe, said they plan on a no delivery fee for the first months of school to get students on campus to try the services. | Sonia Zuniga/ The Cougar

roughly 5,000 pounds. It took Nahhas two months before he felt comfortable driving

it. “I’ve never driven a trailer before this,” he said. “I hit some

stuff along the way near my house… I hit the side of my garage wall. It was a nightmare.

Now, I can pretty much go in and out anywhere.” FuelMe started in 2014, but it wasn’t until they were registering their company name that they found another FuelMe company just starting in California. “I called the guy on LinkedIn, messaged him and we partnered with them,” Nahhas said. “Initially ,they didn’t have these trailers set up, and we did, but they had an app that semiworked,” FuelMe’s process mirrors Uber’s— you sign in and supply your payment information with the make, model, year and color of the car. With just a few clicks, a driver is sent to your parked car and fills it up for a set delivery charge of $5 plus the price of the gas. During the summer, the company received around 50 requests per week, mostly from UH staff.

FUELME

Continues on page 5

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NEWS

thedailycougar.com/news

news@thedailycougar.com

Sonia Zuniga, Interim News Editor

EDUCATION

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With the school year off to a fresh start, several schools throughout Texas are struggling to fill their classrooms with appropriately experienced and fully trained teachers because of a statewide teacher shortage in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as bilingual areas, according to the 2015 Texas Education Agency report. Many school districts are even allowing new hires to train on-the-job, but these type of issues are making recruitment of new teachers tough. “I find it really upsetting that people are always quick to blame teachers for every little thing that goes wrong in the education system, but hardly ever take the time to appreciate them when they do anything truly incredible,” education junior Victor Gonzalez said. Gonzalez said he feels the positive impact his teachers left on his life and hopes to have the same effect on his students in the future. “My parents are immigrants and they worked any job they could find,” Gonzalez said. "So getting an education was always important to them and myself. If it weren’t for my amazing teachers who believed in me and helped me with basic things like English, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to even go to college and try to make something of myself.” Parents and administrations suggested raising salaries for educators, but the problem is more complex than an abun-

dance of allegedly underpaid employees. Earlier this summer, TEA approved certain shortage areas, such as English as a second language, math, science, special education and computer science. This gives administrators the ability to reward teachers for their work by using loan forgiveness. Proposals continue to be drafted in efforts to eradicate the statewide teacher shortage, as current students prepare themselves to take on the responsibilities of teachers and fill the void after graduation. Education sophomore Jennifer Wu said she believes more needs to be done to address the current teacher shortage. “I appreciate that efforts are being made to help and encourage teachers, but I think it’s going to take more than loan forgiveness opportunities to solve this,” Wu said. John Kun, superintendent of Perrin-Whitt C.I.S.D. and educational activist, spoke to the College of Education at the Cullen Performance Hall in August to motivate and inspire teachers to fight for their students, regardless of common obstacles like budget cuts and test scores. “Be advocates for the system and the promise it holds for kids,” Kun said. “Public school teachers have to advocate for the kids and (teachers) have to be more forceful about what they do and what it means for the state and for the nation.” news@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, September 9, 2015 | 5 thedailycougar.com/news

news@thedailycougar.com

NEWS

Sonia Zuniga, Interim News Editor

FUELME

Continued from page 3 dred fill-ups a week — doubling their summer status — and that number is expected to rise. "Around 50-60 new customer accounts are being made every day since last week, so the word is getting out there, which is great," Baki said. The FuelMe app group has sponsored its services with the help of UH through emails, mentions and promotional giveaways, but getting students to stay is a challenge because they are on a budget. Advertising senior Jennifer Moran just found out about FuelMe and finds she'd probably

“It’s a challenge to get people to realize this is safe, it’s not a hazard.” Wisam Nahhas , FuelMe co-founder

use it just in extreme cases like getting herself stuck on campus with no gas. "Other than that, I don't think I'll be interested in using it much," Moran said. "I wouldn't feel safe giving information and access to unknown people." Another challenge FuelMe faces is not having access to fuel in parking garages. Whoever requests a fuel service will get a notice indicating they can’t request now and invites them to send an email to auxiliary services at UH. Department of Public Safety Fire Marshal Christopher McDonald said he received a request from a student this summer, but explained that interior fueling operations can only be carried out in special-purpose industrial occupancies. “The parking garages are not designed for, (nor), have the proper fire protection systems in place to safely accommodate the fueling of vehicles,” McDonald said. It would require more robust construction and additional fire protection features like a sprinkler system. “FuelMe may be new, but mobile refueling is not new," McDonald said. I have been involved with mobile refueling since 2003. The issue here is not that Fuel Me is new and we have misgivings about allowing them to fuel in the garages, it is that fire code does not allow the fueling of vehicles in parking garages.” Aside from UH, FuelMe is beginning to work with hospitals, airports and other companies this

The two UH alums stopped developing phone games and decied to dabble into a different business. The two found partners in California with similar interests and together made what is now the FuelMe app. The FuelMe trailer can be spotted on campus at events like Cat's Back and when their services are called forby students, faculty and staff. | Sonia Zuniga/ The Cougar

fall. In the near future, the goal is to work at a 24/7 basis and to

service anyone. “It doesn’t take much,” Nahhas

said. “Just a trailer, a driver and our fuel network and we can go

pretty much anywhere.” news@thedailycougar.com

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OPINION thedailycougar.com/opinion

opinion@thedailycougar.com

Anthony Torres, EDITOR

COLUMN

The Octogenarian: Hi, I'm Ken KEN LEVIN

OPINION COLUMNIST

ctogenarian is the name given to someone who has lived into their ninth decade. In fact, at age 84, I believe that I am the oldest fulltime undergraduate student on campus. If I’m wrong please let me know, because this is a lonesome position. If you do see me running around KEN campus on LEVIN OPINION my little red COLUMNIST scooter, don't hesitate to approach. I will see you but not well — mostly because I am legally blind and profoundly deaf, but if you communicate so will I. I start my tale in early 1962. I lived with my family in a middle-class residential neighborhood in southwest Houston off of Stella Link Road. Across the street lived a family and, when the mother became pregnant, her husband, who was

working in Germany, secured her a new wonder drug to aid with morning sickness called Thalidomide. Because of the drug, their son was born with no normal limbs. The boy was named John and he was born with a strong mind, will and was blessed with a magnificent woman for a mother. I watched John play with the neighborhood children and when the other kids started running, John started rolling around. We moved away and I lost touch, but 20 years later a young woman on this campus named Judy Bluestein created a television piece called "Barrier Free." She took a TV crew and followed John as he tried to circumvent the University of Houston campus. UH back then was loaded with barriers to wheelchair-bound students. There were no electronic, button-controlled doors and many were extra hard to open for the chair bound. There were many doors that a chair couldn't fit through and John didn’t have to worry about non-handicapped students using

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Glissette Santana

MANAGING EDITOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

t’s freshman year, and I’m power-walking because I’m late to a class. Suddenly, a tall, attractive guy makes eye contact, smiles broadly and walks towards me. He hands me a newsletter. I stop, happily accept the paper and move on after enjoying the view. What is this? I notice it's a little heavier than the advertisements I typically get from other SARAH organizations KIM ASSISTANT asking me to OPINION EDITOR join. As freshmen tend to do, I followed the lead of the person who came before me. When the person ahead of me immediately trashed it, I followed suit. I didn't stop and wonder if it was worth my time.

By junior year, I’d discovered that I threw away The Cougar. Occasionally, I would flip through a couple pages when a somewhat-desperate student tried to get someone — anyone — to take a copy. I never did read the entire paper all the way through. What could a student paper offer that I didn't already have? Why do I care about the opinions of students when I can get the opinions of experts from around the world? “I don't read it because I fail to see how it is valuable to me,” history senior Jordan West said. I’m not proud of this, but the first time I actually read The Cougar cover to cover was junior year when my professor was late to class. I noticed that half of the class was reading it and took an abandoned copy from a nearby desk. A semester later, I still remember a couple of the stories I read that day. It was then that I realized the value of the student

COOGLIFE EDITOR

Karis Johnson PHOTO EDITOR

Sean Alder

Justin Tijerina

INTERIM NEWS EDITOR

Anthony Torres

Sonia Zuniga CHIEF COPY EDITOR

Taelor Marquetti-Gadison COMMUNITY MANAGER

OPINION EDITOR

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Leen Basharat Efren Diosdado Sarah Kim Brittaney Penney

Jasmine Morris

STAFF EDITORIAL John (bottom left) was a member of Campus Ministries | Houstonian 1982

handicapped bathroom stalls because such stalls were almost non-existent. He had to be carried into and out of most buildings and sometimes had to use freight elevators. Most sidewalks ended with curbs and there were no ramps to allow wheelchair access. Building signage and bathroom sinks and mirrors were out

of sight and reach. John had a live-in attendant and could not circumvent the campus without his assistance. Individually, many educators tried to help. One instructor even moved his class from the second floor of a building to the first to accommodate John.

OCTOGENARIAN

Continues on page 7

Why I never thought of reading The Cougar SARAH KIM

SPORTS EDITOR

Bryce Dodds

Mónica Rojas

COLUMN

ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR

EDITORIAL BOARD

paper. The Cougar is an integral part of life here at UH, and yet it stands alone. If President Renu Khator walked into the newsroom and demanded that an article be changed for whatever reason, we have the power to deny her request. What appears to be a flaw is actually one of the highest merits of The Cougar. It is dynamic, and constantly improving and transforming. The vast majority of students at UH are young. We are passionate – whether it’s about social issues, politics, business, science or art. We are bubbling with creative ideas, opinions, ambition, and most importantly, we want our voice to be heard. Some of the students are angry. The student paper offers all students the chance to share their passion with the entire University. Maybe you don’t want to read

about how UH is doing at the latest football game, you don’t care about what is being done about the school fountain, the parking situation or who’s going to be our next mayor. Perhaps you think reading it is not worth your time. With each new writer and voice that joins the team, The Cougar shifts and transforms. It’s constantly welcoming passionate new writers, designers and photographers. It offers each of us the opportunity to learn how to share our voice. It tells us what we need to know as students attending school in the fourth largest city in the U.S. We have dreams for ourselves, the future and society. In the end, the student paper offers us the chance to share our passion with the entire University. Assistant opinion editor Sarah Kim is a political science senior and may be reached at opinionassist@ thedailycougar.com

The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The 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 Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The 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 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.

ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole. The Cougar is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press.

studentpress.org/acp

Wednesday, September 9, 2015 | 7

thedailycougar.com/opinion

opinion@thedailycougar.com

OPINION

Anthony Torres, EDITOR

OCTOGENARIAN

Continued from page 6

Even though September 11th happend 14 years ago, our society reflects how the event changed our lives. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

STAFF EDITORIAL

Our upbringing in a post-9/11 world

he morning of September 11, 2001, most of us were too young to comprehend what was happening. Some of us were just excited that we got to go home early from school, only to come home and find out that something really bad had happened. Terrorism, the lowest form of human behavior, wasn’t something you grew up knowing. We didn’t experience it. September 11th reflects a distant memory of how the world stopped turning. Maybe we couldn't comprehend the magnitude of the tragedy, but none of us could have foreseen that this was the event that would shape the environment we would all grow up in. Many of our parents became more protective of us, some even indoctrinating us with the idea that we should treat Muslims or anyone from the Middle East with scorn. A sense of added security

surrounded us, our privacy was shortened as the government responded by creating agencies like the Transportation Security Administration and using the National Security Agency to wiretap people's phone calls in an effort to "combat terror." Younger Americans might not realize it, but 9/11 didn't just change the way airport security was conducted. When the U.S. decided to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, many of us began to develop a strong anti-war attitude. We became the new generation to experience the War on Terror, with half of us answering the call of duty and the other half taking to the streets to protest what we thought was an unnecessary war. Some of us even became the children of veterans and if not, we more than likely know someone who served in Iraq or Afghanistan (or both). Younger students might not have the same experience, but

all of us need to be aware and acknowledge that 9/11 didn't just impact New Yorkers or military families. We all felt the aftereffects of this tragedy in some way. We’re stronger than ever, but to the young community, 9/11 doesn’t hit hard enough. Moving forward, the memory of that day gets slightly fainter, we were just kids when it happened. But we owe it to this nation to go back and always remember this tragedy as a mark of unity, forgiveness and awareness. To know what’s best for the present and our future, we must get to understand the past. No matter where we came from or what we did, that day of silence became golden. We all came together to lend a hand or a gesture, signifying that we weren’t alone. We'll continue to move forward.

RESPECT IS NEEDED FROM BOTH STUDENTS, PROFESSORS

Opinion Columnist Ken Levin is a political science senior and may be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com

FREAKY FAST! FREAKY GOOD!

— The Cougar Editorial Board

Got an opinion? Visit us at thedailycougar.com/opinion

NEW TEXAS LAWS LEAVE STUDENTS TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES

Look at our campus now. It is hard to find a sidewalk that does not end in a ramp and lots of strategic ramps in between. Numerous ramps for buildings, electronic doors for building access and plenty of elevator service. I know firsthand that the handicap stalls in the restrooms are available. I am attending this University and I do have a couple of minor handicaps. I hate that word: handicap. It belongs in horse racing, not the human experience. I am on this campus full-time needing a chair for mobility. On our campus today there are only two noticeable hazards to those with mobility problems. One is bike riders locking their bikes to the inside railings of ramps that are not marked by signs to not do this. The other day, I rammed my knee up against a bike. But the biggest problem is the

cracks in most of our sidewalks. Some of these hazards would have slowed down General George Patton's famous tank corps in World War II. In fact, since the beginning of this semester, I have taken to driving in the street to avoid crevices in the sidewalks. Most importantly, the Center for Students with Disabilities is staffed by a team of caring, knowledgeable, compassionate people who try to eliminate these blockades and hazards. I consider their little building on campus a “House Of Heroes!” And remember Judy, who produced that video about John? Well, nine years after she did that story, I was already slowing down in my 60s and she ran me to ground. We were married and our son — now in his early 20s — and I are attending classes together.

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8 | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

SPORTS 713-743-5303

thedailycougar.com/sports

sports@thedailycougar.com

Bryce Dodds, EDITOR

MEN'S BASKETBALL

New Cougar finds a second chance in Houston

SHARDANNA JONES

STAFF WRITER

@ SHAYGOTIT

New Houston basketball signee Damyean Dotson is getting a second chance, and he's eager to prove his worth. After playing two years at the University of Oregon, Dotson was dismissed from the program last spring because of an alleged sexual assault. No charges were filed because of lack of evidence. He hasn't played since. Dotson returned to Houston upon his dissmisal and began taking classes at Houston Community College. “I always believed I would get a second chance,” Dotson said. “I never gave up. Throughout the entire time, I continued to work out so I wouldn't get out of shape. I never let up.” Dotson worked with NBA veteran John Lucas, who contacted head coach Kelvin Sampson. Sampson had never seen Dotson play, but was aware of

the incident. “When we got word that Damyean was interested in coming to (UH), it was about this time last year,” Sampson said. “John (Lucas) asked us if we’d be interested and I said ‘not right now'. I just didn’t think the timing was good for both parties.” Sampson sat on it while extensive research and background checks took place. “I couldn’t say ‘Oh, he’s a good player — let's sign him'," Sampson said. “We needed to find out what happened." So, he went to the Internet, and he read the reports, but he needed to find out more. “We had to figure out if this was a pattern,” Sampson said. “We can all make a mistake. What we had to decide was if this young man was worthy of a second chance. In all the research we did, all the communication we’ve had, it came back a resounding 'absolutely'. ” After sitting down with Vice

! E T A D E H SAVE T

Junior guard Damyean Dotson is excited to get back on the court, following a year where he sat out of college basketball while attending Houston Community College. | Bryce Dodds/The Cougar

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www.uh.edu/familyweekend

Sampson met with President Renu Khator. “I said ‘President Khator, I’ve thought long and hard about this’, and I gave her all this information,” Sampson said. “I said, ‘You’re the president of this university, I’m just the basketball coach. I would recommend we give this young man a chance'." For Sampson, Dotson has proved to be a quality young man. “I couldn’t ask for a kid who’s a better teammate and someone I enjoy working with,” Sampson said. “He has above a 3.0 GPA, he goes to every class, meets every tutoring assignment and treats everyone with respect. But more importantly, his teammates love him. We’re not going to bring in someone that’s contrary to our culture.” Assistant coach Alvin Brooks said the team has added a great asset. “He brings talent, obviously, but also two years of experience having played in the Pac-12,” Brooks said. “We needed that experience and that savvy that a veteran brings. He brings that to the table.” The basketball team traveled to China this past August — Dotson’s first competitive game in over a year. He scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his debut. “For a guy that hadn’t played in 17 months, I was really impressed,” Brooks said. “It’s a whole new system that he’s playing in—a new system and a new

coach, new teammates. He did a pretty good job of just allowing the game to come to him and fitting in well and giving us what we needed.” For Dotson, however, he has yet to make a statement. “That was a good start, but I feel like I still haven't played in a real game because I haven't played in a collegiate game yet,” Dotson said. “Once I get an official collegiate game with a jersey and a referee…back in the college atmosphere, then I'll feel like I'm back.” He said he’s anxious to get back on the court just to see how different the game would be, because he has been out for such a long period of time. “I just want to see how it comes to me,” Dotson said. Feeling blessed for his second chance opportunity, Dotson is looking ahead and ready to learn from his new coach. “He has been at the highest level, so I'm just listening to him right now, " Dotson said. "I just plan on playing my hardest and hope everything works out.” Eager to add a spark to this rebuilding team, Dotson isn’t looking to simply fit in. “I feel like I can bring leadership, that other edge of scoring and just being the toughest person on the team,” Dotson said. “I come from a winning background, and I like to win, so whatever it takes to win." sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, September 9, 2015 | 9

SPORTS

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ROUND TABLE

Can the Cougars capitalize in their five-game home stand? In this week's round table, The Cougar sports staff takes a look at the early season of the women's soccer team.

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The Houston offense finally found its legs against the University of Incarnate Word, tallying four goals on the night. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

TEVIN MILLS Staff writer

What is the biggest strength of the women’s soccer team this season? The goalkeeping abilities of Jordan Brown. The senior is serving as a saving grace for the Cougars’ back end, just as she was last year. Despite only playing one full season at UH, she is the seventh Cougar to record 100+ saves for the soccer team. Her admirable play will be desperately needed as the season continues.

SHARDANNA JONES Staff writer

What is the team’s biggest weakness? Their biggest weakness is the fact that they have so many new faces and are in the rebuilding stage, and that they tend to be more of a second-half team. They play from behind a lot, playing catch up, instead of coming out and dominating from the beginning. The role players need to step it up and show they aren't afraid to get on the ball.

BRYCE DODDS Sports editor

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What do you expect out of their upcoming five-game home stand? I expect the team to come away with at least three wins in those five games. The win against Incarnate Word was a great way to bust a bit of a slump, and the four goals scored in that game will give this team some confidence as they look forward to the start of conference play.

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SPORTS

MEN'S TRACK & FIELD

Senior hurdler will play crucial role on, off the track PETER SCAMARDO STAFF WRITER

Issac Williams has left the entire nation with no doubt that he is one of the best hurdlers in the entire world. The defending AAC champion in 110m outdoor and 60m indoor hurdles is entering his final season of competition for UH and after three straight seasons of qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Williams has his eye set on winning gold on the grand stage. “Last season I had a great year,” Williams said. “I stayed healthy, I made it to indoor nationals for the first time and I made it to outdoor nationals. Last year I felt was a pretty successful season and its motivation for me going into this season.” While Williams has accomplished a lot, he isn’t satisfied yet. “I feel that as long as I can stay healthy it shouldn’t be a problem for me making nationals,” Williams said. “So since this is my last year, my goal now is to win nationals both indoor and outdoor.” For the track & field coaching staff, Williams' string of success has not come as a surprise, but more as the culmination of his hard work and raw talent paying off. “He’s a hard worker and always willing to do the workouts,” assistant coach Carl Lewis said. "I think that’s where it starts in regard to why you’re so successful.” Following a historic season, one where he finished third in the nation at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles and set the fastest national time for the event when he ran a 7.72 at the Houston Indoor Opener, Williams is set to springboard into a fourth and final championship season — hopefully leading to further competition internationally. “Looking at this season, the two guys who finished ahead of him at the NCAA meet were both seniors,” head coach Leroy Burrell said. “So he has a chance to be the best collegiate hurdler coming out this year, which I think will give him a good chance to compete internationally. Everybody starts the year wanting to win but not everybody has a legitimate shot, and he has a legitimate shot.” But being the only senior hurdler means Williams is going to have to be a leader for the younger athletes. That task becomes more

Senior hurdler Issac Williams is entering his senior season at UH and will be looking to build on the successes of last season. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

important since he has two All-American athletes joining him as teammates, freshmen Amere Lattin and Marcus McWilliams. Even with this new role, he plans on taking on everything the same way he always has. “Issac’s pretty low key,” Lewis said. “A tremendous talent, very competitive, but he’s a little laid back and I think that’s good for him. That fits his personality.” Lewis said that, while Williams isn’t the most vocal of leaders, he sets the standard for his team. “Issac is not the guy who’s going to stand up and be a leader, it’s just not his personality,” Lewis said. “He’s the kind of guy who’s going to lead by example. He’ll lead by working hard, he’ll lead by running fast, and he’ll lead by being a champion. As long as he does what he’s been doing he’ll be a tremendous leader.” Not only is Williams' success on the collegiate level beneficial for his team’s success, but for mentoring the younger athletes coming in. “The younger guys out of high school have to make adjustments to the higher hurdle and running at a higher barrier and he’s lived it,” Lewis said. “He made that adjustment really quickly and has grown over the past three years.” “They’ll have a living breathing model, for what it means to be a world class hurdler.” sports@thedailycougar.com

12 | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

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FOOTBALL

The good, bad and ugly: Opening win good start for Cougars MICHAEL CALDERON

STAFF WRITER @ MWC0052

With the football team defeating the Tennessee Tech University Golden Eagles in their season opener Saturday night, it is a good opportunity to take a closer look at the high and low points from the game.

The good: Getting off on the right foot Kicking off the Tom Herman-era of football in Houston with a win is a big deal for the team. While the team was favored to win over underdog TTU, losing the contest would have been a rough way to start what fans hope to be a new age on the gridiron. Last season, the team was also favored to win over the University of Texas at San Antonio, but ended up losing 27-7. Good teams win the games that they are suppose to, and they won in convincing fashion this time around. “It felt good," senior safety Adrian McDonald said. "Last year we lost to an underdog, so just to go out with this one for my last year, it was big, and it was a great start for (coach Herman) too.” With all of the excitement sur-

rounding Herman coming to UH and all the changes he is bringing, it is easy to forget that he is a first-time head coach. The players didn't forget though, as they had plans to celebrate Herman's first Collegiate win after the game. “The W is good enough, but the team was nice enough to plan ahead of time and the captains presented me with a game ball inside the locker room," Herman said. "That meant a lot to me. It will certainly go up on a shelf and be cherished for a long time."

The bad: First game jitters In a game where the Cougars won handily, it is hard to come up with too many things that went wrong, but there were certainly some areas that need to be cleaned up before the team heads to Louisville. For starters, there were first-game nerves for several players that resulted in potential turnovers and could have been more costly, had the game been a tighter contest. The offense put the ball on the ground five times, three were the product of bad snaps from a red-shirt freshman center, Colton Freeman, seeing his first collegiate action, and the other two

The Cougars defense, led by junior linebacker Steven Taylor, center, swarmed the Golden Eagles, holding them 29 total yards rushing on 33 attempts. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

were from veteran players. While the botched snaps can be chalked up to rookie mistakes, the ones from senior running back Kenneth Farrow and junior receiver Demarcus Ayers are more concerning for Herman. “The two fumbles were interesting to me, because we pride ourselves on being absolutely fanatical about the way that we teach and demand ball security," Herman said. "If we need to have a whole period on how to carry the football next week, then we will." While the Cougars were able to

“The W is good enough, but the team was nice enough to plan ahead of time and the captains presented me with a game ball inside the locker room...That meant a lot to me. It will certainly go up on a shelf and be cherished for a long time.” Tom Herman, head coach recover four of the five fumbles themselves, ball protection will be a major area of concern during this week's practices. “That’s just something about the first game and being too excited. We weren’t as patient as we should have been," junior quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. said. "If we correct those, there's no telling what the score would have been."

The ugly: Defensive lapses

Junior quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. had a solid game for the Cougars, combining for 400 yards and three touchdowns on the night. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

For the most part, the defense played well against the Golden Eagles, coming up with two sacks, an interception and holding the TTU offense to just 10 points before replacing some of their starters in the fourth quarter. Against the run, they held their opponent to a mere 0.9 yards per rush for 29 yards on 33 attempts, but were not so efficient against the pass. While most of the night, UH was able to handle TTU quarterback Jared Davis and his receivers, there were "three gigantic plays" that have to be alarming for even the Cougar

faithfuls. On three different occasions, Davis was able to find his favorite target, TTU wide receiver Brock McCoin, for huge gains of 46, 71 and 77 yards. McCoin found holes in the coverage and broke multiple tackles en route to a monster 264-yard, two-touchdown performance. “For 59 snaps, I thought we played hard, (but) four or five cost us really big," Herman said. "They played their butts off, but we obviously need to eliminate those four or five mental lapses that cost us those plays" Though it was far from a flawless performance, the first game of the Herman-led Cougars had far more good than bad by the end, and was a good beginning to the new season. If the Cougars can smooth out some of their issues before they hit the field against the 0-1 University of Louisville Cardinals this Saturday, they have a good shot to build on an impressive win. sports@thedailycougar.com