Issue 02, Volume 83 by The Cougar

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Issue 02, Volume 83

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Right to speak? First Amendment protections are under fire from all sides. Our campus's stance: only police can end a controversial event.

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Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

RESEARCH

Study finds texting overrides driving instincts C. MCRAE PEAVY

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @MCRAEPV1

Researchers partnering with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute have identified three kinds of distractions that plague drivers: cognitive, emotional and, perhaps the most dangerous, sensorimotor — which includes texting. Director of Computational Physiology Ioannis Pavlidis and Robert Wunderlich, the director of the Center for Transportation Safety at Texas A&M, published a paper Aug. 15 in Scientific Data on their research, which utilized a video game-like driving simulator to test the effects of various stressors on human driving performance. “The experiments took place at Texas A&M, but we did a major part of the design of the whole thing, and we did, exclusively, the quality control, curation and data analysis,” Pavlidis said. The entire data set contained more variables than they could look at, Pavlidis said, so they published their findings for other scientists to peer review.

Improving safety The research was funded by a class-action lawsuit against Toyota for which Wunderlich was the principal investigator. He said his role in the project was “to establish the framework for what the big questions were.” “We needed to look for deviations that would make a difference to safety,” Wunderlich said. “If the jitter in your steering wheel goes up, that doesn’t really make any difference unless you’re driving outside your lane, right? What we were looking for was: In what circumstances did you make a move outside your lane?" The research team used multiple variables to determine the subject’s level of distraction while driving. Pavlidis said nasal perspiration was a proxy for stress level, or sympathetic arousal, which indicates how much stress a driver is experiencing. Steering wheel angle measurements showed how much the wheel deviated from a neutral position

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ISSUE STAFF CLOSING EDITORS

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Compared to emotional and cognitive distractions, texting is the most diverting action behind the wheel, according to joint research between the University of Houston and Texas A&M University. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

while distracted, and lane deviation showed how much the vehicle deviated from the center of the lane, Pavlidis said. The other performance variables were acceleration, speed and braking. "That’s where we found in the texting — what we call sensorimotoric, where you’re having to use your eyes and your hands and your brain while you’re trying to drive — we saw deviations that are potentially important to safety," Wunderlich said. The team used a sophisticated driving simulator at the Transportation Institute that contained software allowing the researchers to control every aspect of the driving experience, Wunderlich said. The research was conducted in cars on a test track. “It’s very similar to a video game, only it’s as if you can program your video game yourself to say, ‘OK, I want you to drive along this road,’ and at some points there’s gonna be a construction work zone with cones, and sometimes you have to stop at a signal — that kind of thing,” he said. “It allows us to program and make it the same experience for everybody.” Computer science doctoral candidate Ashik Khatri has been a student of Pavlidis since he was an undergraduate at UH and worked with him on the research. Khatri was a part of

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the data collection team and ensured the software of the research was working correctly. Khatri said the research can ultimately help people become safer drivers. “The first step would be obviously to measure the things that can lead to a lot of stress and bad driving, which we’ve done," he said. "The next step is to see how we can intervene and help the drivers become less distracted and bring their focus back onto the driving itself.” For the sensorimotoric distractions, Wunderlich said they just had the subjects text on their phones while in the driving simulator. Wunderlich said researchers operating the simulator asked subjects questions to cause cognitive and emotional distractions. To create cognitive distractions, subjects were asked things like math questions or the capitals of different states. For emotional questions, they were asked about their personal lives. Wunderlich said that emotional distractions were harder to induce because there are safeguards in research against getting people too emotionally stressed. “They don’t let you get people really emotional,” Wunderlich said. The sympathetic, or uncontrolled, responses they tested for were heart rate, heart rate variability, hand and paranasal perspiration and facial expression, giving researchers a picture of how the stressors physically affected the drivers.

Instinctive corrections “The second result was that, in all three cases ... when they were under the three types of stressors, the steering was becoming a lot more

intense," Pavlidis said. "So, they had, in informal language, a lot more jittery steering." Wunderlich said researchers had control tests where drivers were not challenged with distractions, so they could compare them to the actual stressor test results. "The third result," Pavlidis said, "was that although the steering was a lot more jittery, it resulted in lane deviations only in the case of texting and driving.” The reason lane deviation was not present during cognitive or emotional distractions was because the lane deviations were automatically counterbalanced by instinctive motions, Pavlidis said. They believe the instinctive corrections were due to a small part of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex — the part of the brain that handles conflict — which, Pavlidis said, cannot work properly when texting and driving because the person's eyes are not focused on the road. This deprives the anterior cingulate cortex of necessary resources such as vision needed to instinctively correct driving deviations. If a person is texting while driving, they are using their eyes as well as their hands for two tasks at once, Pavlidis said. “We’re really excited about putting this data set out so that other people can use it to see if they can discover things that we couldn’t,” Wunderlich said. “Even though we had a long project that was funded pretty well, you never ask or answer all the questions that you might, and we put a lot of effort into this. It was a great collaboration.” news@thedailycougar.com

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Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

CAMPUS

Threat of violence would halt controversial speakers KAYLEE DUSANG

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @KAYLEEMDUSANG

It has become difficult to determine the limits of freedom of speech on campuses as police break up protests between the so-called "alt-right" and leftist groups, and white nationalists such as Richard Spencer are blocked from speaking on campus. If controversial speakers or groups decide to come to UH, administrators said only the threat of violence would prevent that speech. According to the University's Manual of Administrative Policies and Procedures, the University is a place where freedom of expression is encouraged, and will not be denied based on viewpoint. There are six areas on campus, including Butler Plaza and Lynn Eusan Park, where students or various outsiders can pass out pamphlets, host events and protest. Associate Dean of Students Kamran Raiz said the University does not censor the content of a person or group on campus, whether they are University-affiliated or not. “We will allow free speech, but our concern is the safety for the person or property, which is university policy,” Raiz said. “We are not going to look at what someone is saying and make a decision that you can or can’t protest based on what you are saying. As long as it’s within the law, then it will be allowed.” UH spokesperson Mike Rosen said in an email that the University does not approve speakers; it approves events they are affiliated with, as long as they follow the principles of the MAPP. “The decision is not made based on the speaker or viewpoints,” Rosen said. Only Cesar Moore Jr., the chief of UHPD, could make the call to halt a campus event in the case of violence or threat of violence. In September 2016, conservative Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos spoke at the Student Center Theatre as part of his "Dangerous F****t" tour, which faced criticism at a number of universities nationwide. Carrie Miller, the theatre director for the Cullen Performance Hall said that if Richard Spencer attempted to reserve a time to speak, it would be approved. "We don't limit content," she said. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech. Dean of the Law Center Leonard M. Baynes said in a featured discussion with Houston Public Media that the government may not

prohibit offensive political speech, but that the judicial system has needed to re-evaluate the extent of the First Amendment at times.

Divergent views Students like political science senior and vice president of UH College Democrats Odus Evbagharu think differently about campus speech. “We are at a climate right now where being divisive is not helping,” Evbagharu said. “It’s not helping anyone’s cause, especially on a college campus, where you’re trying to find yourself, you’re trying to better understand yourself, and then for other people to come and try to divide you even more makes zero sense.” Allowing someone like Spencer to speak on campus would create more division, Evbagharu said. Marketing senior and president of the UH College of Republicans Tony Cruz said that he believes the only limits to freedom of speech are the Constitution and harm or panic among participants. “If you disagree with someone, you don’t have to listen to them, but you have to let people speak, because that’s what you would expect people to do toward you,” Cruz said. Cruz said that even though he does not agree with people like Spencer, or "alt-right" and "alt-left" groups, he still supports their ability to speak. When it comes to universities hosting controversial speakers on campus, Evbagharu said he believes that campuses should host someone that can counterbalance their argument to protect free speech. “If you’re going to bring the Richard Spencers of the world, then bring the Angela Davises,” Evbagharu said, referring to a progressive activist. “Bring people that severely oppose them and let them have a forum. Don’t just make it exclusively an alt-right thing, especially on a college campus because it’s not productive. Let’s hear both sides.”

Violence prohibited Where freedom of expression is allowed, the MAPP states that violence or damage to property is prohibited when it comes to stating your opinion on campus. Cruz said that he believes people become violent because they are taking what the other side is saying too personally, and they feel the need to take action. “In their mind they might be thinking that they’re doing something good, but it’s one of those

The University does not prevent any events or speakers based on content, said Associate Dean of Students Kamran Raiz. The concern, he said, is whether or not the event poses a threat to the safety of the community. | File photo/The Cougar

things to where the path to hell is paved through good intentions,” Cruz said. “They believe they’re doing something good, but it’s going to lead to something really bad — a place where people having freedom of speech will be taken away altogether.”

If safety becomes an issue during an on-campus protest or speech, Raizsaid police will become involved. More regulations about reserving an event or holding protests at UH can be found in the MAPP. “People are more than welcome to

exercise their rights to free speech at the University of Houston,” Raiz said. “We don’t stop anyone on their content. Our concern is the safety of our community members and property.” news@thedailycougar.com

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Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

WORLD

Family continues search for kidnapped journalist Five years into son's captivity, Austin Tice's parents are devoted to seeing his return from war-torn Syria

From committed to engaged

TRAYNOR SWANSON

NEWS EDITOR

@TRAYNORSWANSON

Austin Tice filed his last story and was set to leave war-ravaged Syria for neighboring Lebanon several days after his 31st birthday. It was Aug. 13, 2012, and the Marine-turned-freelance journalist had spent the summer away from law school at Georgetown University to report on the convoluted situation in Syria at a time when few journalists dared to enter the country; but before he could leave, he was kidnapped in Darayya — a suburb five miles southwest of Damascus. Five years later, former UH student Austin Tice is still in captivity, and his whereabouts are unknown. His parents, Marc and Debra Tice, have been steadfast in their efforts to return their oldest son to the United States. They have no doubt that he’s alive, and the Trump administration, they said, is making their son's release a priority — reportedly creating a back channel with the Syrian government specifically for his return. “We have a strong idea about who’s holding Austin, but we aren’t free to share that,” Debra Tice said. “We know that Austin’s alive. … Here we have an American being held in Syria, and so that gives us a focus for what we are going to do; we’re going to do everything we can to motivate Austin’s government to locate him, advocate for him and bring him home.” Last December, Sen. John Cornyn announced on the Senate floor that James O’Brien, the presidential envoy for hostage affairs, told him that they have “high confidence that Austin is alive in Syria along with other Americans who are being held captive.” What’s important is not so much who’s holding him, Marc Tice said, as what needs to happen to begin and finish the process of getting him home safely. “That’s the bigger question: what needs to be done to secure his release?” Debra Tice said.

A precocious child In hindsight, Debra Tice didn’t fully realize how gifted the young Austin was until her grandson — Tice's nephew — had a one-

Marc and Debra Tice have relentlessly fought for the release of their son Austin, a freelance journalist who was kidnapped five miles outside of Damascus on Aug. 13, 2012. Austin Tice attended UH in the 1990s. | Traynor Swanson/The Cougar

year check up, when children are expected to speak at least one clear word. “Austin was speaking in complete sentences at his first birthday,” Debra Tice said. His applied intellect and astute knowledge of international affairs led a 9-year-old Tice to write a letter to then-President Bill Clinton questioning his decision for military intervention in Haiti — a letter the Tices discovered after their son’s disappearance. “Apparently he never said, ‘I’m 9 or 10,’” Debra Tice said. “He typed it on (Marc’s) typewriter, and the president responded to him saying, ‘Dear Mr. Tice, I appreciate your thoughts about this.” Marc and Debra Tice were astounded by his intuition. “We’re looking at this going, ‘What? He’s sending letters to the president?’” Marc Tice said. “We didn’t even know about it.” By 16, Austin Tice, who was homeschooled by his mother, was ready for college. His parents were weary of sending him off to a distant university, but they agreed he could attend UH, not far from the couple’s home in Meyerland. The admissions employee at UH was skeptical, Debra Tice said, asking Austin what made him think he was ready for college and what his plans were once he received a higher education. “He goes, ‘Well, I’d really like to be a foreign correspondent for NPR,’” she said. “I think that was

basically when she went, ‘Alrighty then, we’ll give you a whirl.’” Austin was placed on probation as a condition of his early admittance, but by the next semester, he was writing for The Daily Cougar and attending school on a full scholarship. Though he was successful at UH for two years, Austin had his sights set on another institution: Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Georgetown, however, doesn’t encourage transfer students, Debra Tice said, so Austin faced an uphill battle. On the day the admissions process opened, his application was in the mail. Then, he calculated how long it would take the letter to arrive in Washington D.C. and called them the day they received it. When he found out they had yet to review it, he began calling them back daily. Eventually, he got frustrated and laid out all his aspirations on the table with Georgetown's admissions office. “Finally he just says, ‘The next stop of my education is that I’m going to go to Georgetown,’” Debra Tice said. “‘So, whether I begin this semester or next semester or five semesters from now, it’s my only choice, so I’ll be reapplying if I’m not accepted this semester.’” Marc and Debra Tice said they have a theory that Georgetown finally acquiesced just so Austin would stop calling every day.

A fighting chance His parents continue to fight for their son’s release with the same resolve Austin displayed when applying to Georgetown. “If you’re around them for a while, you’ll understand that they are people who have a great deal of love for other people, but also you’ll understand that these are persons who are well read,” said Rep. Al Green, the couple's representative. Austin’s parents have learned everything they can to secure the release of their son, he said. “They know the locations. They understand the terrain. They understand what’s going on in Syria,” Green said. “They’re not persons who just showed up and said, ‘Bring my son home.’ They have literally said, ‘Help us bring our child home.’” Not content with the government’s efforts to return her son, Debra Tice traveled to Damascus in 2014 to search for Austin and raise awareness of his ongoing captivity by handing out fliers with his picture to local markets and reaching out to members of the Syrian government. “I did not live in luxury,” Debra Tice said. “I lived with internally displaced people.… It was challenging, but the Syrian people are just so incredibly welcoming and hospitable, and (they’re) willing and wanting to help.” Given the opportunity, she said, they’ll return to the Levant once their visas are renewed.

Prior to 2015, the U.S. government did not have any broad policy or approach toward returning American hostages held overseas, leaving the families of captives in the dark about what strategy the government was pursuing, Marc Tice said. One year after summer 2014, which saw the beheadings of other captured journalists like James Foley and Steven Sotloff, the campaign to free Austin Tice benefited from then-President Barack Obama’s executive order establishing the presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Debra Tice said. “The creation of that new policy, which created entities staffed by career public servants, created a situation where now there’s great collaboration within the government, (and) much, much better collaboration with families,” Marc Tice said. “When there was the transition between the Obama administration and the Trump administration, it wasn’t starting all over again.” The Trump administration, Debra Tice said, is committed to the return of foreign-held American hostages. “For me, the difference is the Obama administration was committed; the Trump administration is engaged,” Debra Tice said. “We have been hugely gratified by how quickly they’ve gotten up to speed (and) how action-oriented they are as far as securing Austin’s release.”

'Zero-sum equation' Regardless of their progress, Debra Tice said she and her husband are still failing their primary goal. “This is a zero-sum equation," she said. "He’s either home, or he’s not home. That’s the measure.” Still, Green, who described the Tices as the most amiable, amicable people he’s worked with, said they’ve made the system better for other people who might experience the same thing. “Those who follow them will benefit from the way they’ve not only tried to extricate their son, but how they’ve tried to make the system respond positively so that others can get faster results,” Green said. “They help the government, too, but … they’ve had a hand on the wheel, and they have demonstrated that they can make a difference for themselves as well as others.” news@thedailycougar.com

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

Applewhite wants it his way this season FRANK CAMPOS

SPORTS EDITOR

@ FRANKCAMPOSJ

Major Applewhite is ready to take the helm as head coach this season after more than 13 years of preparation with some of college football’s greatest minds. With a resume that includes coaching with the likes of Mack Brown and Nick Saban, most would assume that he should have gotten his shot earlier. But this opportunity came at the right time for a coach that has found comfort as a leader since his days as a University of Texas quarterback. Now, after finally getting his shot, he is preparing his team to continue the success and culture he started as offensive coordinator two years ago. “I want smart, tough, dependable football players,” Applewhite said. “There are a lot of tough guys in football, but they are not always smart and dependable. I want all three of those qualities from our players.”

After 13 years of coaching, Major Applewhite finally has a chance to prove himself as a head coach with the University of Houston. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

Making an impact Since joining the Cougars in 2015, the Louisiana native has lit a fire under the offense and boosted the team to the best twoyear total in program history with 22 wins. This win total puts them fourth nationally behind powerhouse schools Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State.

Ward finished the 2016 season with 3557 yards passing and 518 yards rushing.Although quiet in nature, Applewhite knows exactly what he wants out of his program — and that is to do it his way. “I trust my coaches but at the same time I’m going to give my opinion. I am the head coach,”

the way that they demand things, and they don’t ask, and they don’t make suggestions, and that’s why they have been really good.”

Player's team The Cougars are just days away from facing UTSA in their first game this season after starting the last two years with 5-0 records. This was led by Applewhite’s offense, which averaged 45.3 points per game. Even though the longtime assistant coach wants to move on to his new regime, he hasn’t forgotten the players who have helped the team get to where they are today. “This is their school. I am a hired hand right now and I want them to feel welcome," he said. “That’s why I put all their names and all their faces along the side of our wall in our team meeting rooms. It’s all of them. Those are the guys in the last two years that have helped put this program

back together.”

year coaching, and he has been with a lot of college programs Low expectations over his career. He said this is The loss of key figures from last among his favorite to be part of year has lowered expectations and one that he has the highest among college football talking hopes for. heads. “Looking at Major, I can foresee Those within the team refuse to that good things — that brighter things are going to happen for him because of the way he runs the program,” Pope said. “It’s going to be fun to watch, and I think the people of Houston are going to be really proud of what they have.” Whatever happens, Applewhite's Major Applewhite, Football Head Coach goal is to focus on his new role as the team's head coach. conform to expectations and have "The biggest difference is that their sights set on much bigger you coach grown men now. aspirations. Running backs coach Instead of just coaching kids, Kenith Pope sees a bright future 18-22 year-olds all the time as with Applewhite at the helm. a quarterbacks coach, you are “At the end of the day it’s about now coaching coaches," said winning championships, and we Applewhite. "We are all human. can win championships here. It doesn’t matter if you got the That’s the bottom line on all of name coach or head coach or it,” Pope said. “He is going to president or whatever next continue to take this program in to your name, you have to be the right direction. I think it will focused each and every day to do be a strong program for years and your job." years on his leadership.” sports@thedailycougar.com This season marks Pope's 38th

“This is what I see, this is what I want and I make no apologies. I have been around winning football programs and winning head coaches and seen the way that they demand things, and they don’t ask, and they don’t make suggestions, and that’s why they have been really good.”

Applewhite took firm charge of the team on the first day of media availability, and wanted it known that it was his team now.| Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

Led by Greg Wards Jr.’s arm and legs, the offense averaged 300 yards passing and 157 yards rushing per game in the 2016 regular season under Applewhite.

Applewhite said. “This is what I see, this is what I want and I make no apologies. I have been around winning football programs and winning head coaches and seen

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

OFFENSE

Duke of hazard: Catalon aiming for injury-free season REAGAN EARNST

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @REAGAN EARNST

Running back Duke Catalon burst onto the scene last season after waiting more than two years to see his first collegiate game action. After redshirting his freshmen year at UT-Austin in 2014, then sitting out the following year due to NCAA transfer rules, Catalon showed flashes of his capabilities in nine games for the Cougars. Despite a shortened season due to a head injury, the Houston native found the end zone seven times with 809 total yards in nine games. Having a year of experience under his belt helps the junior feel prepared to take the next step as a college running back. “I’m more comfortable with the plays, so I think I can go faster than I did last season,” Catalon said. “I want more. I missed four games last season.

That hurt me and hurt the team, so I want more.” Catalon’s season was off to a quick start before he suffered a concussion against the Texas State Bobcats on Sept. 24. Not taking any chances, the coaching staff pulled Catalon from the game after accumulating 70 yards on just 10 attempts. The Cougars slid out of San Marcos with a 64-3 win but would lose their starting running back for the next three games. Upon his return to the field Oct. 22, Catalon displayed the versatility the team had been missing by collecting 54 yards on the ground in addition to 66 receiving yards. “The thing about Duke is that he runs extremely well out of the back field and can really catch the ball,” said Kenith Pope, the Cougar running backs coach. “He can stretch the defense in many ways in the back field as well as when we get the ball to him through the air. He’s one of

After a sophmore year ridden with injuries, Catalon wants to show what he's capable of in a full season of work at running back.|File photo/The Cougar

those backs who can do it all.” Versatility has become a theme in Cougar football over the last three seasons as multiple players showed their ability to play more than one position. Pope said he has complete confidence in Catalon in the team’s passing and running game but wants to see his running back play a full season.

“He’s like a receiver. It’s not like putting a running back out there and saying, ‘Can he handle it?’ He can handle it," Pope said. "That’s what I’m excited about — if he can have an injury-free year, then I think we will have got something going really well.” Football has added depth at running back, which allows Catalon to take less hits over the

course of the season. Operating in a multi-tailback system with the likes of Mulbah Car, Josh Burrell, Dillon Birden and others allows Catalon to get muchneeded rest during games, keeping him healthy in the long run. “I feel good this year. (The running backs) are all healthy. So far, everything is going good right now,” Catalon said. “I think we’re going to be good. Everybody is tuned in and coming along, so I think we’re gonna be just fine.” Catalon will get his first run at improving upon last season on Sept. 3 when the Cougars open their season in San Antonio. In addition to staying healthy, the soft-spoken running back has his goals for 2017 clearly defined. “I want to go undefeated. I want to go to a good bowl game, and I want to put up some big numbers,” he said. sports@thedailycougar.com

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

Jeff Van Gundy has had a long absence in coaching since being fired from the Houston Rockets. He is primed for a comeback with his new job as head coach of USA basketball. | Frank Campos/The Cougar

NBA

Ex-Rockets coach returns to basketball on Cougar grounds REAGAN EARNST

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @REAGANEARNST

Silence fills the walls of the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility’s practice court, where NBA scouts and journalists wait patiently for USA Men’s Basketball to begin practice. Many of the players' one-way flights to Houston landed only hours ago. The team was assembled just weeks earlier and is attending its first meeting away from sight. After more than 45 minutes, the shrill of a heavymetal door located in the corner of the shiny gymnasium ends the whispering conversations. Seventeen jet-lagged players make their way across the hardwood and begin to put binders of materials away and stretch.

Rockets coach making making his first return to professional coaching since being fired in May 2007. His fate was sealed one day after suffering a game seven loss to the Utah Jazz, his third firstround exit in four years. In the last 11 years, Van Gundy has found his niche as the lead NBA analyst in ESPN broadcasts and has become a staple in the basketball community. Many have speculated over the years that a return to

burden either, to try to do right by the players and try to do a good job for USA Basketball.”

New challenges

In preparation for the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup, USA Basketball is practicing at UH from Aug. 17 through Thursday, then traveling to Uruguay for a final tune-up before beginning international play on Monday. “We’re very thankful that (UH) afforded us this opportunity to practice,” Van Gundy said. “I am so very impressed with the commitment the University of Houston has put into their ( facilities). The football stadium, this practice court, the Fertitta Center, really Jeff Van Gundy, USA Basketball head coach a tremendous commitment. Administration sideline might be in the works has done a great job in providfor Van Gundy, and on this day, ing them resources. It’s very it finally happened. impressive.” “The level of respect I have Van Gundy makes his home in and the honor that it is coaching Houston but admitted the decifor USA Basketball, to coach sion to host the training camp these guys, there’s no higher in his residing city probably had honor than that,” Van Gundy more to do with direct flights to said. “You’ll never feel a greater South America than personal

“I am so very impressed with the commitment the University of Houston has put into their (facilities). The football stadium, this practice court, the Fertitta Center, really a tremendous commitment.”

Return to the sideline The last person to enter the gym is head coach Jeff Van Gundy, a former Houston

convenience. Regardless, the organization routinely plays in state-of-the-art arenas, and the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility is just that. The team needs all the practice time it can get as the players have close to zero familiarity with each other or their coach. Team USA is not sending the high-profile athletes that normally fill its roster — instead, a group of players who have 622 combined games of NBA experience will compete. Van Gundy has coached multiple Basketball Hall of Fame members in his career, but this go around will be different. “They’re smart guys, and they’ve played at a high level of basketball,” Van Gundy said. “Certainly we’re behind as far as preparation time, practice time, exhibition games and continuity that the other teams have. But that’s why we have to have a great passion and intensity about what we do.”

Learning opportunity The team’s roster largely consists of players from the recently renamed NBA G-League and American-born players who play professionally overseas who may or may not have spent time on NBA Rosters. Guard Kendall Marshall

brings four years of NBA experience to the team, including starting 45 games for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013-2014. He recognizes that he and his teammates have a unique opportunity to learn from one of the top basketball minds of the day. “I’m excited,” Marshall said. “Anytime you have coaches from the highest level of basketball, who have been there for a long time, you’re eager to learn from them, be in front of them and be a sponge around them.” In the end, only 12 of the 17 training camp attendees will make Team USA’s roster. Those who do will have a chance to impress scouts on an international scale. Van Gundy’s decision will come within the next week, but for now his focus is set on developing intangibles among the crop of players. "I think (our biggest goal is) having the right mindset," Van Gundy said. "Knowing the competition, knowing how good the players and coaches are. You know, finding the right 12 (players) to bring. "Developing a team spirit, country pride and a passion for how we’re going to play.” sports@thedailycougar.com

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SPORTS

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

TRACK

USA Team stocked with Cougars for Taipei contest PETER SCAMARDO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @PLSCAMARDO2

Four of Houston's track & field coaches have 15 Olympic medals between them. Each day at practice, head coach Leroy Burrell, assistant coaches Carl Lewis and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie and volunteer assistant coach Frank Rutherford represent a model of success to student athletes. The Olympic games are still three years away, but this week 22 Cougar track & field athletes are competing as members of USA Team at the 29th Summer Universiade through Monday. Altogether, Cougars make up the majority of the 30 spots on the national team. "When I took the position here that Coach Burrell offered me, I said that day that we wanted to be the best team in the world," Lewis said in a November interview. "And how do you do that? By entering international competition." The Universiade is a bi-annual competition where the world's top university athletes gather to compete in events ranging from basketball to badminton. It is essentially a miniature Olympic games. In November, Burrell was named the head coach for the USA Track & Field Team, meaning the vast majority of USA Team's track & field athletes would be coming from UH. USA Team has chosen an entire university team for one competition in the past. The University of Kansas Jayhawks notably represented USA Team in basketball at the 2015 games and took home the gold medal.

Validation of success The track & field world knows very well who the Cougars' coaches are, but USA Team's decision for Cougars to represent the United States in collegiate track & field serves as validation for everything the Cougars have achieved in recent years in the NCAA. "Being named as the USA representative for the World University Games is a tremendous honor for our program," Burrell said in a news release last November, using another name for the competition. "This is an opportunity for the University of Houston to prove that we can compete not only on the collegiate stage but on an inter-

national platform as well." The Cougars are coming off their best season in recent memory. Not only did the men defend their conference titles, but the women had their first podium finish in three years. And at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the men's 4x100m relay team ran 38.34s in the final, winning the title.

Glory as a team But for the Cougars, being named to the USA Team is a unique opportunity. Unlike the Olympics or the World Championships, where each athlete qualifies through their individual results, the coaching staff chooses athletes for the Universiade. There is no qualifying tournament. Coach Burrell has seen first hand what his athletes can do, making it an easy decision to select a majority-Cougar team. At the Universiade, the Cougars get to showcase their individual skills and win acclaim for the United States and themselves — as a team. After training together on a daily basis in Houston, USA Team will hope into camaraderie turns into success on the track.

Veteran unit Of the 22 Cougars going to Taipei, five have experience in international competition and seven have competed at the NCAA championships. Senior sprinter Eli Hall-Thompson qualified for Team USA at the IAAF World Championships, but he decided to skip Worlds in order to fully rehabilitate an injury he suffered during the outdoor season. Hall-Thompson holds the school indoor 200m record, 20.75 seconds. Senior sprinter Cameron Burrell did not qualify for the World Championships in the 100m, but he still ended his season on a strong note. Burrell ran sub-10 seconds in three straight races on his way to the NCAA Outdoor 100m final, where he finished in second place. In the process, he broke two records — UH's and his father's — with a 9.93 second run. Junior Amere Lattin, a fourtime AAC hurdling champion, competed at the IAAF U20 World Championships in Poland last summer, where he won a silver medal for USA.

The Cougars are bringing a veteran unit to Taipei as they take on the world's best. | Peter Scamardo/The Cougar

But 2016 graduate sprinter LeShon Collins is the only one with a gold medal from a senior track competition. Collins, an All-American sprinter in each of his four seasons with the

Cougars, has continued to train at his alma matter as a member of Team Perfect Method, Lewis's training program. Collins ran the first leg for Team USA 4x100m relay team at

the IAAF World Relays in April. The U.S. won the gold medal and qualified for the IAAF World Championships. sports@thedailycougar.com

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Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

The Black Lives Matter movement's 'Destroy the Confederacy' protest advocated for the removal of a statue that represents hate and slavery. BLM was met with counterprotesters. | Dana C. J ones/The Cougar

CIVIL RIGHTS

'Spirit of the Confederacy' crumbles at protest

n the wake of Charlottesville, its riots proved to be more political than simply an exercise of the First Amendment. A statue of Robert E. Lee was voted to be taken down in the Virginia town, and that sentiment came to Houston, as Black Lives Matter protested for the removal of the "Spirit of the Confederacy" statue at Sam Houston Park. Compared to the violence in Charlottesville, DANA C. JONES this protest OPINION EDITOR might as well have been a Buddhist temple. The BLM “Destroy the Confederacy” demonstration was a textbook example of the First Amendment protection for “the

congregation as a whole — it was also clear in each interaction between the protesters. Houston’s diversity was shown in this protest that was headlined by Black people. More important than diversity, solidarity — or diversity in action — was shown. White, Asian, Native American and transgender allies were present and all spoke on the shared grievances of oppression. Front line protesting has always been an activity for the younger generation, especially students. Anthony Collier, a political science major at Texas Southern, was watching as protesters took turns speaking on the bull horn. He is no stranger to the resistance, as he has been on the front lines and has acted behind the scenes on the Board of Directors for Shape Community Center Inc. Collier was on the side calling

Anthony Collier is a civil rights activist attending Texas Southern Univeristy. He believes that the statue represents hatred. | Dana C. Jones/The Cougar

right to a peaceful protest.” BLM has been described as a terrorist group, but no acts of terror have happened. Not only was peace displayed in the

for the removal of the statue. “We wouldn’t expect Jewish people to celebrate Hitler, and we wouldn’t expect Japanese people to celebrate Harry Truman,” Collier

said. “Black citizens in Texas who pay tax dollars should not have to sit here and memorialize a statue that represents hate.” The quick mobilization of the BLM movement calling for the removal of the Confederate statue is in direct response to Charlottesville voting to take down its statue. “It’s definitely a response to what happened in Charlottesville. The statue should have never gone up in the first place,” Collier said. The statue depicts an angel with a sword and a branch. Its name, “Spirit of the Confederacy,” is portrayed as angelic and brave. There is nothing brave about enslaving people and using them as the foundation for your economy. The true "spirit of the Confederacy" is hate, racism and bigotry. The memory of the Confederacy is not brave men fighting for the preservation of a noble culture. They were fighting for the continuation of oppression. Another student protester, an Indian woman named Manju Bangalore from the University of Oregon, studies physics and math. She spoke a testimony of her own on the bull horn condemning racism and sexism from the stand point of an Indian American woman. “I know what racism is like,” Bangalore said. “It baffles me when other marginalized groups aren’t willing to step up for other marginalized groups because if we’re not all unified, the other side wins.” Over the bull horn, she spoke about how her parents did not want her to go to the protest. Bangalore noted that sometimes you must risk your professional

Manju Bangalore is an Indian American woman that shows solidarity with other marginlized groups. She is shown speaking on race. | Dana C. Jones/The Cougar

and personal life to make a difference. “Black lives matter and when we’re not saying that, when my community specifically isn’t saying that, they’re hurting themselves and everyone here,” Bangalore said. Along with BLM, other politically charged groups arrived to show support. Members of the New Black Panther Party came donning vests, black bandannas and berets. They spoke on how minority and progressive groups' movements have been segregated and that there should be more outreach. Outreach and solidarity was the theme of this protest. Banding together under one cause and moving as a unit is the answer. Even though Houston Police Department did a great job with keeping everything under control and peaceful, that did not mean BLM was not met with counter protesters. Each side was blocked off by separate barricades with a few police on horseback. It did not seem that the counter protesters were unified under

movement but rather an ideal of traditionalism rooted in ignorance. One thing was apparent between the two sides. They both painted a picture of America. The BLM side was what America sells to foreign nations. There were young people of different ethnicities and sexes. It was full of progressive ideals: inclusivity and tolerance of difference. The counter-protesters were a picture of America for what it is. It was homogeneous. Everyone was white and angry at the multiculturalism in a country that does not belovng to them. This was a protest that only Houston could have created. Our city's slogan of diversity was used for good, and it positively affected everyone. The next protest, for whatever cause, is going to need the help of everyone if its organizers want it to succeed. Opion editor Dana C. Jones is a print journalism major and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

WORLD

Western humanitarianism does not include all humans

ast semester, a tragedy took the University and its students by storm. The dearly beloved white tailed squirrel passed away, and Cougars could not keep calm. How could they, when their good luck charm, a campus "legend," an "icon" and unofficial mascot had abruptly IQRAA perished due BUKHARI to reasons COLUMNIST unknown? This calamity had been utterly unprecedented and unexpected. Students coped with their trauma in versatile ways ranging from decorating the memorial site to remembering the late squirrel on social media. One student started a fundraiser for a commemoration ceremony and taxidermy. To an international student like me, it seems humanitarianism and benevolence for humans and animals runs deeply within the hearts and minds of Americans and Westerners. At the same time, so does ignorance. It is great that people of the West feel such grief for their deceased, especially animals, but would the squirrel have had been honored with such tribute had it been Muslim or if it had been killed in a drone

attack by America, or perhaps in an invasion? Ideally speaking, magnanimity, social consciousness, compassion and understanding should not be limited or discriminated upon. It is a harsh reality that most Westerners choose to ignore that millions of innocent, harmless civilians — including women and children — in numerous Muslim majority countries, excluding Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are butchered on a daily basis due to the decisions their democratically elected leaders make. There has been proliferation of civilian casualties in most Muslim dominated countries that are currently going through the American-led war on terror. For instance: In Afghanistan alone, 31,000 civilians have died in vain since 2001. In many cases, the drone attack strategists mistakenly choose the wrong location, resulting in carnage in non-combat areas, such as the December 2013 drone strike in Yemen, in which a wedding party was mistaken for Al Qaeda militants. The list of Muslim countries that have lost magnitudes of people to invasions, occupations or drones is long and does not seem to end. Syria and Iraq, just like those other predominantly Muslim nations, have lost more civilians than extremists in this war on terror led by the United States.

This list does not even include captivity of people with no proven charges by the American military, proxy wars propelled in the pursuit of oil through provocation of sectarian violence, U.S.motivated coups against democratically elected establishments, invasions or human rights violations. Causing thousands of 9/11s in Muslim countries is not legitimate retribution; it is murder of innocent people who have absolutely nothing to do with September 11. Muslim countries have to go through tragedies like 9/11 everyday and end up losing millions. The Iran-Iraq War is one such example. Iraq alone lost a staggering 500,000 people during the IranIraq War, which happened as consequence of U.S. invasion and political exploitation of the Sunni-Shia conflict. This figure far surpasses the total number of casualties from the historically horrifying American atomic bombing in Hiroshima. The attack on Hiroshima is considered to be one of the most violent and brutal massacres in history and still impacts the people of that area today. Yet the attacks on many preponderantly Muslim countries have casualties that far surpass even the Hiroshima bombing. This haunting list of mass casualties in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Libya and many other Muslim nations

continues. So, here is a country — rather, world power — that touts peace, justice and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, yet massacres countless civilians after labeling them terrorists. Extremists using the name of Islam and Americans calling it a war on terror; both seem to be like two sides of the same coin, not having stayed true to the alleged causes that they say they are fighting for, and instead brutally executing mass genocides while knowingly violating basic human rights. Anatol Lieven, author of “Pakistan: A Hard Country,” described this illusion of patriotism as: “city on a hill and embattled fortress: An anatomy of American nationalism.” As history repeats itself, it seems Agent Orange and Napalm were only the beginning of incendiary chaos that soon followed. Attitudes and decisions keep recurring through the decades, except it gets bloodier, more lawless and more inhumane each time. American and Western attitudes of bigotry have to change. All militarily active, powerful nations, no matter how high they hold themselves in regard, should be held accountable and take responsibility for how they have impacted so many countries around the globe. They cannot offer compensation for the damage they have done through their

supposedly generous aid that comes with stipulations and makes the receiving countries even more economically dependent on the United States. Terrorism severely hurts more Muslims than nonMuslims. In fact, some Muslim countries themselves are going through civil wars with different terrorist insurgent groups — Al Qaeda and Daesh being just two of many. Fundamentalists, whether they are in Al Qaeda, Taliban, Daesh, Bharatiya Janta Party or the Ku Klux Klan, have no religion. A striking similarity between all these groups is that they shamelessly subvert the law, be it Shariah law or national constitutions, then prosperously claim to be ambassadors and scholars of religious beliefs and jurisprudence. Terrorism should be recognized for what it is: Godless. The world needs to not just realize but acknowledge that not all Muslims are radicals, just like how not all Americans and Westerners are invidious. At the end of the day, world citizens share a mutual agenda of peace. A life lost in vain is an unjustifiable murder, regardless of any faction. Mass negligence, inequity and insensitivity have to end. Columnist Iqraa Bukhari is a print journalism sophomore and can be reached at opinon@ thedailycougar.com

Western humanitiarianism is exclusive and does not show the same human compassion to their fellow species in the middle east. They mourn over squirrels before Muslims. | Sonny Singh/ The Cougar

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Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

ENVIRONMENT

Global warming affects the community

limate change legislation is needed at the local level in order to spur government-wide preventative action. Legislation to protect Houston, like Mayor Sylvester Turner's Climate Mayors plan, maintains the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and will lower our carbon JACKIE WOSTREL footprint COLUMNIST in order to positively impact society. This struggle to control the rapidly deteriorating Earth can be slowed by enacting protective environmental legislation and in giving people the resources needed to make educated choices. Climate change is one of the contributing factors to rising waters and an increase in natural disasters, like repeated widespread flooding in Houston. While Houston legislation set to protect its residents from the effects is not called climate change strategy, assistant professor of environmental law, Tracy Hester, says “it looks a lot like climate change strategy response.” Houston needs more climatefriendly legislation considering the city's power plant and oil business. Climate change affects more than just the temperature, it affects people and construction. Construction projects using paint, like home and road line painting, can take longer to construct due to humidity melting the materials and keeping them from solidifying. Those same concrete roads are prone to lifting in the extreme heat. The economic cost across

various nationwide sectors is 1.2 percent of gross domestic product each time the temperature rises 1 degree Celsius, according to a 2017 article in Science. Though the Paris Agreement creates a goal for countries to prevent a global temperature rise over 1.5 degrees Celsius, we must continue to think at a local level. Voters have the most control over local government and have the ability to enact change with the greater influence they have in their own cities. The Trump Administration withdrew from the Agreement earlier this year, but initiatives like Turner's prove that that stance is not nationally adopted. Turner hopes to enforce the Paris Agreement on a city level by joining the league of “Climate Mayors.” This will help Houston tackle its own environment issues with the accountability of over 60 other mayors nationwide, will force the city to keep its emissions under control and will enable more strides toward being environmentally friendly. Once we begin to develop a local barrier against climate change, we can start thinking about enacting national standards, such as those adapted from the Clean Air Act. By starting at the local level, we are able to increase our control over the local government's climate change standards. Climate change is a reality in all cities. It affects people's lives, the environment and the economy, and the best way to prevent further damage to the environment is by starting with local governments. Jackie Wostrel is a public realtions sophomore and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

When citizens vote on local climate reform in their own cities, it affects the rest of the country worldwide and makes the planet cleaner. | Sonny Singh/ The Cougar

The University of Houston boasts diversity but is doing little to show appreciation for it. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

STAFF EDITORIAL

Ripping off our diversity bumper sticker

he University of Houston is the second most diverse university in the country. We’ve all heard it before. What we have not sensed is the University caring about its diversity, which is not a product of any superior recruitment or clever marketing to minorities. It is the product of UH belonging to Houston, one of the most diverse cities in the country. According to UH’s Office of Institutional Research, 77.9 percent of students here live in the greater Houston area. You cannot tout diversity if you do not acknowledge, support and nurture its presence and your appreciation of it. That goes further than saying “thank you” and offering foreign language courses. Ethnic groups from around the world are represented on campus. You have the black diaspora with Black Student Union, African Student Union and Caribbean Student Organization. From South America, you have Mexican American Studies Student Organization and Venezuelan Student Union. For Asia, there’s the Vietnamese Students Association and the Indian Students Association. Of course, the largest student organization on campus is the Muslim Students Association. How many of these organizations have you heard of before? Just because we have diversity does not mean that we make our diverse population feel important. This multiculturalism is not just a check mark on a list of aspects that make us desirable to prospective students. When

you celebrate the University for being diverse and not the students who make it so, your claim to excellence is null and void. This isn’t just about people of color, either. Diversity happens when students of various national origins, ethnic and gender identities, sexualities, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds and more take classes together. Some aspects of diversity are well appreciated on campus. The Women and Gender Resource Center and its neighbor, the LGBTQ Resource Center, help marginalized students feel welcome and understood through events like the Vagina Monologues and Take Back the Night. Other organizations and departments that cater to minorities also do good work, but they are not as visible to less-involved students. The recently-created Center for Diversity and Inclusion hosts an annual event called Culture Connect Week that features programs designed to bring students of wildly different backgrounds together and share and engage in their stories. The Council for Cultural Activities, formerly known as the Council of Ethnic Organizations, hosts similar events, such as the upcoming Cultural Taste of Houston. While these efforts are needed and engaging, more can be done. Having a seat at the table is not indicative of acceptance, nor is it an adequate considering the city we live in and the school we attend. We are not celebrating diverse students enough for how much they give us. One solution would be to expand Culture Connect Week

and host an international heritage month. Each week could be dedicated to a continent or region to showcase where the students come from. Activities like music, dance, art, movies, language and, of course, food would give the entire student body a deeper understanding of the different cultures that surround them. Simply celebrating is enough to make people feel important. The sentiment of inclusion becomes even more genuine as international students and others celebrate the best way they know how: in the ways of their own cultures. The act of solidarity will benefit both the University and the students in the long run. This is not solely the job of the faculty, administration or even Renu Khator. It starts with other students. Particularly those in registered and feefunded student organizations, and especially the reporters and editors at this newspaper. We must support our diverse cast of on-campus organizations beyond just attending their events. For inclusion to happen, we must form supportive relationships with solidarity and give under-supported groups a feeling of visibility. The University should also consider allocating more funds to the Activities Funding Board, which gives money to registered student organizations who ask for it. If AFB has funds left over, the committee should make it rain on these ethnic organizations. We cannot take for granted the diversity we have been given. Diversity is neither a slogan nor a bumper sticker. editor@thedailycougar.com