Issue 02, Volume 85

PRINT WEEKLY. DIGITAL DAILY

Breaking news online thedailycougar.com

Daily updates to your inbox thedailycougar.com/subscribe

Cat’s back and Glow Party Thursday, August 22

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Chasing the adrenaline

The area between the student centers has all the right features to make it a hot spot for the skating community. | PG. 6

Issue 2, Volume 85

Follow us on Instagram @TheDailyCougar

2 | Wednesday, August 21, 2019

NEWS ian everett, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/NEWS

NEWS@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5314

CAMPUS

Skating is more than a way to travel on campus, students say

The Student Center Plaza is a hot spot for skating, long viewed as a counter culture, but that is changing as more people become aware of the sport and the skill involved. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

MCKENZIE MISIASZEK

NEWS EDITOR @MISIASZEKUH

Between the two student centers, in the heart of campus, students will hear the rhythmic clacks of skateboards gliding over concrete, and the crashes of the hard wheels against the ground after jumping over the stairs.

Kelis Woods began skating in his freshman year of high school after watching a cartoon called “Kick Buttowski: Surburban Daredevil.” In the show, Buttowski was a kid daredevil who did impossible tricks on a skateboard in hopes to be the best daredevil ever.

The show began Woods’ fascination with skating. Now, he skates every day, for hours a day, and his Instagram is comprised mostly of videos of him skating.

“He was a rebellious character that defined all of the rules,” digital media junior Woods said. “Mostly, he was known for his crazy stunts that he attempted everyday. Adrenaline, desire, and fear led me to chase

the same feeling I got from watching that show.”

The University is a hot spot for many Houston skaters, who come together to make up an unofficial community.

UH skaters usually spend their time skating between the two student centers where there are stairs, railings and a ramp, all of which makes it a prime spot for skaters.

“It has amazing stair sets,” said architecture freshman Jetrin Vongsouvanh. “It’s just the spot. There’s so many things I can do. As soon as I came here I was like, ‘I can hit that, I can hit that, I can hit that.’ It’s crazy.”

As an incoming freshman Vongsouvanh did not find out about the UH skating spot from seeing others use it or finding it for himself, but was told by other Houston skaters.

“In the skate community there’s word of mouth,” Vongsouvanh said. “Instagram posts, like ‘yo check this out this place has amazing stair sets.’ ” Not everyone who skates at UH is jumping over stairs and gliding over rails. Psychology

freshman John Muhamad started skating a month ago as a way to get around campus and is learning how to do tricks.

“I always thought skating was pretty dope, but I never could get into it because I was afraid of injury and all that stuff,” Muhamad said. “I needed an excuse to buy a skateboard and travel campus, and I didn’t want a longboard. So why not get into skating now?”

Skating offers a community and a freedom few other activities do, Woods said.

Many skaters share videos of them skating to Instagram, like Woods, and practice frequently in skate parks where, often, the same people will come back to hone their skills.

“I love the community in skateboarding. Everyone who skates is connected, we are just one big happy family. I’ve met some of my closest friends through skating,” Woods said.

“Skating is just about having fun, falling, getting back up, and falling again.”

Vongsouvanh agrees and says his and his friends’ lives center

around skating.

“I got my best friends skateboarding, that’s all we talk about now. Most of my friends who are skaters are people who are in the same realm because of the culture we’re in,” Vongsouvanh said. “It translates into what we want to do in life and how we approach things in life and our mindsets.”

Vans, Thrasher and Supreme have flooded the mainstream fashion culture, with articles and Instagram gurus showing you how to perfect the ‘skater’ look.

Those in the skating community have mixed reactions about their clothes being popularized and worn by many who have never touched a skateboard in their life.

“Skateboarding is getting more out there, getting more open to people who want to try skateboarding but then there’s people who want to just use it for fashion,” Vongsouvanh said.

“That’s where I’m king of like, ‘ugh.’ “ More than skating fashion, but skating itself is

becoming more integrated with mainstream culture.

Skateboarding will make its debut as a sport in the 2020 Olympic Games, which will take place in Tokyo.

New skaters should not let the thought of injury scare them, Woods said.

“The people who don’t skate are afraid to skate,” Woods said.

“They fear falling or trying new things. But I get it, I’ve been there.”

The skateboarding community is welcoming, Vongsouvanh said. He believes anyone can skate and said he has even seen blind skaters.

He encourages those new to skating to not let their fear hinder them.

“Don’t feel intimidated if you go to the skatepark and people look at you, they’re just dumb.

They all started where you are at, don’t feel bad,” Vongsouvanh said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are or what disability you may have.” news@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 | 3 CAMPUS

College of Technology unveils innovation program New minor and major options provide students with skills that will help them in their careers

i

The Cougar

thedailycougar.com

About the Cougar The Cougar is published every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters and online everyday at thedailycougar.com. The 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 Closing editors

Michael Slaten Morgan Horst COPY EDITING

Mason Vasquez COVER

Trevor Nolley

The first session of the “Innovation Principles” class drew a diverse class of students interested in expanding their creative and business acumen. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

IAN EVERETT

FEATURES EDITOR @IANEVERETT8

The College of Technology this fall updated its degree programs to emphasize innovation, and introduced a new minor designed to be accessible to all UH students.

CoT is changing the name of the organizational leadership and management major and minor to technology leadership and innovation management, or TLIM, and adding new courses that reflect their program of innovation.

“We see (innovation) as a skill set that helps you in your everyday life, as well as the company that you’re going into,” said David Crawley, a professor of practice who has taught on innovation at UH for four years.

“This is really important right now as technology becomes a driving force in organizations, and it will continue to be important.”

The change was approved this last spring by the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, alongside a completely new applied innovation minor.

Crawley sees the new program

as a marriage between a business degree and a technology degree, equipping people with resources and knowledge to contribute unique ideas to the economy.

“Innovation is something that’s meaningfully unique,” Crawley said. “It’s got to mean something to somebody, whether that means they spend time or money on it, it’s got to have value.”

Brian Mehring, the TLIM program coordinator and associate professor at UH, is excited for the opportunity the degree presents, the interest shown by the industry, and the engagement with students.

“The responses from innovation stakeholders have been overwhelmingly positive,” Mehring said.

Stakeholders including current and new students, employers, non-profits and governmental communities, Mehring said.

One of the centrepieces of the program is the TLIM 3330 class “Innovation Principles,” which covers the fundamentals of the program and also provides students with a special certification.

“Students who successfully complete the required Innovation Principles course will earn an industry recognized Blue Belt

Certification from the Innovation Engineering Institute,” Mehring said.

Crawley said the certification is useful not just through the class.

“The student who gets that certification, they not only get experience and tools, but they get access to a portal with functionality and support for two years,” Crawley said. “They can use the portal in their courses, in research, and beyond.”

The portal also allows students to crowdsource, asking trained professionals across the world questions pertaining to their projects.

The “Innovations Principles” course covers coming up with an innovation purpose, stimulating creativity, outlining the idea for others, estimating profits and costs on the fly, and best practices for enacting the idea.

Crawley hopes that the program will give students the edge they need in the market ahead.

“Every year there’s hundreds of thousands of young people looking for a job, and many of them have a three point something GPA,” Crawley said.

“We believe the (program) will make you unique and give you that competitive advantage.”

There are already students with declared TLIM majors, as well as students transferring from the old OLS program, Mehring said.

The TLIM major is a Bachelor of Science degree and has six new required courses from the old major and requires the “Innovation Principle”s class, while the TLIM minor has the option to complete that course.

The applied innovation minor has only four required classes, including the TLIM 3330 course. “(The minor) is designed to be accessible to any UH student,” Mehring said. “Dean Ambler promoted this initiative in order to foster increased collaboration with other UH colleges and programs.”

Mehring suspects that the demand for the program from students and for TLIM graduates in the workforce will rise.

“We expect this minor to continue to become more popular for students outside the College of Technology and to remain very popular with other college majors,” Mehring said. “Students tend to be attracted to the blend of leadership, technology and innovation skills which dynamic organizations are seeking.” news@thedailycougar.com

i

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, CoogTV 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, inter-cultural 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 Student Center University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4015 Advertising

(713) 743-5340 advertising@thedailycougar.com thedailycougar.com/advertising Design Team Ruchi Khakta

4 | Wednesday, August 21, 2019

NEWS

ian everett, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/NEWS

NEWS@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5314

ADMINISTRATION

Faculty need a mandatory retirement age, UH professor says While the average adjunct is 69 years old, some students prefer younger instructors, finding them more relatable

UH professor asks if older professors are “still performing in a way (they) would expect from their teachers when they were students,” and if not, to “make way” for younger educators. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

Mckenzie misiaszek

NEWS EDITOR @MisiaszekUH

A University of Houston modern and classical languages professor in an op-ed for The Washington Post laid out his belief that a mandatory retirement age is needed for all professors, including himself and his colleagues.

No studies have been done to determine the scholarly output by academics 65 and older, but there are studies showing that cognitive function starts to decline at about age 70, according the the article written by Robert Zaretsky. He believes that once professors begin to perform in a way their younger selves would find less than satisfactory, they need to take a step back, reevaluate and retire. “ ‘Are you still doing, are you still performing, in a way that you would expect of your teachers, professors, when you were either an undergraduate or graduate student,’ ” Zaretsky said to The

Cougar. “If not, it’s time to make way for those who are younger and are struggling to find jobs in an increasingly bleak market.

The average age of all professors at UH, including adjuncts, is 69 years old, according to an open records request. Excluding adjuncts that drops to 51 years old.

The oldest professor at UH is 92-year-old part-time research professor Roy Weinstein.

Weinstein, while called a professor, does not teach.

“My position does not displace a younger person,” Weinstein said in an email. “I fund my own very small salary from gifts to UH, and grants for my research.”

Weinstein said he still works because he would loaf around the house and drive his wife crazy if he retired.

His team’s research is also still making strides, and he just submitted a paper to the Materials journal, which details a finding his team discovered in 2012 beats an overheating

problem.

That, Weinstein said, has held back work on superconducting permanent magnets for 13 years.

“This year my research

retirement age over night, he said.

It was just something he came to notice with his colleagues at UH and at other schools. He has also noticed that, in some cases,

“The reasons for tenure are good, but they’re easily prone to abuse, especially when a mandatory retirement age doesn’t exist.”

Robert Zaresky, modern and classical languages professor team set a world record for superconducting permanent magnets capable of being used in real applications,” Weinstein said.

“One company in the USA and one in China are now designing a new class of motors based entirely upon our findings. If these motors work as expected they will be more powerful, smaller and less costly than the Tesla motor.”

Zaretsky did not form his opinion about a mandatory

tenure can be misused.

“The reasons for tenure are good,” Zaretsky said. “But, they’re easily prone to abuse especially when a mandatory retirement age doesn’t exist.”

Students often seem to prefer younger professors to older ones because they believe the professor understands what it was like to be a student and is more relatable that way.

Mechanical engineering freshman Nick Touch said he

prefers young professors in the classroom than compared to older ones.

“They were just in our shoes so they kind of relate to how much stress we go through and try to make it less stressful,” said mechanical engineering freshman Nick Touch. “They work on our level instead of going overboard.”

At the end of his op-ed, Zaretsky briefly mentions that older professors need to find a way to retire while also sharing their knowledge. The Voluntary Modification of Employment is a program offered by UH that allows just that, according to the Faculty Handbook. The program allows professors to negotiate how often they work and more.

Zaretsky is turning 65 next year, according to the op-ed. But, he says he will follow his own advice.

“I plan to retire in five years,” Zaretsky said. “When I turn 70.” news@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 | 5

jhair romero, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/sportS

Sports

Sports@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5303

Baseball

Houston alumni getting comfortable in minor leagues Jhair romero

sports editor @justjhair

Life in the minors is rough, especially for guys diving into the world of professional baseball for the first time.

From the intense schedules to the higher levels of talent, it is easy to fizzle out quickly in the farm system.

For Jared Triolo and Fred Villarreal, two former Cougars that were drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Seattle Mariners, respectively in 2019, life after their time in Houston has been much more forgiving.

“It’s always been a vision and a goal to make it to professional baseball,” said Triolo, who in 2019 slashed .332/.420/.512 as an infielder for the Cougars. “Wouldn’t say that I knew it would be like this from the beginning, but I’m excited with how it’s worked out so far.”

Since joining the Class A West Virginia Black Bears, Triolo has recorded 47 hits and 76 total bases.

Along with his success at the plate, the native of Nashua, New Hampshire, and 2019 New YorkPenn League All Star has started 44 games in the infield for the Black Bears, nabbing a .952 fielding percentage.

The minors has also given Triolo an opportunity to meet new people

Jared Triolo with the Cougars led the team in batting average, hits and runs in his final season. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

with the same mindset as his.

“I’m hoping just to get acclimated to minor league baseball and establish relationships with some of the other players and managers,” Triolo said. “The best part is being able to make new friends that are on the same mission as you.”

One of the more important connections he has made, however, has come from off the field with his host family.

The Pirates are one of the few organizations still using host

families for its farm players, according to Triolo, and his has “been really good and kind of like another piece of home in West Virginia.”

While Triolo laments his departure from Houston and subsequent move to Monongalia County, West Virginia, after three years, he promises to occasionally return to the place that crafted him into a professional baseball player.

“It was tough telling these coaches that have helped me grow

so much over the past three years that I wouldn’t be coming back for my senior year,” Triolo said. “I will definitely be back around the campus frequently to give back to the program that helped me out tremendously.”

Across the country in Washington, Villarreal, currently pitching with Class A Everett just 30 miles outside of Seattle, has also enjoyed his time in the minors.

“Best part of it all for me would probably be just still getting an

opportunity to play the sport I love in a professional level,” Villarreal said.

The 21-year-old, despite being on his second team after being assigned from the Arizona League Mariners to his current Aquasox, has embraced his role as a reliever, a part in which he improved greatly during his time at UH. “If you look at my baseball stats from my freshman and sophomore years you’d cringe,” Villarreal admitted. “But junior year was a different story.”

Villarreal in his final year at UH in 2019 lead the team as its top reliever with a 2.29 ERA en route to 10 saves and five wins on the season.

So far with the Aquasox, Villarreal has gotten the nod seven times, letting up only one run and taking home a win Aug. 13.

The righty, proud of his play through his first season, believes his stats and future in baseball “right now look promising.”

While Houston prepared him in “every aspect” for his professional career, there is one thing Villarreal will not miss from his college days—the hitter-friendly aluminum bats.

For Villarreal, it’s simple: “Facing wooden bats is nice.” sports@thedailycougar.com

soccer

Soccer looks toward improvement in new season

Returning junior midfielder Mia Brascia started in 18 games for the Cougars in 2018, scoring two goals and tallying eight assists. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

Armando yanez

Staff writer

@odnam16

Coming off a 3-0 victory in its first exhibition match of the season against Houston Baptist, Houston heads into its Aug. 22 season-opening away matchup against Sam Houston State, striving toward the next step in contending for a spot in the American Athletic Conference

Championship Tournament.

That feat has eluded the team in recent years.

Last season saw the Cougars go 7-10-2 overall, with seven games heading into overtime and five games resulting in a one-goal difference.

Led by head coach Diego Bocanegra, UH showed competitiveness at home last season, going 5-3 in tight matches

played at the Carl Lewis Complex.

The road proved to be a tougher challenge for Houston, going 2-7-2 while being outscored 12-23 in those games.

This will be the Cougars’ third season under Bocanegra since his arrival in 2016, and the team has progressed to better records than seasons prior.

They now look to take that extra step and contend for a spot in the postseason.

Houston has players returning from last season who now have one more year of experience under their belt.

Twenty-three out of 31 players will be returning, giving the team a touch of veteran leadership to help the incoming freshmen make their mark.

Senior forward Desiree Bowen, junior forward Jazmin Grant and junior midfielder Mia Brascia are all returnees, who, in their respective ways, filled up the stat

sheet with a combined 14 goals and nine assists that took UH just a tiebreaker away from reaching the postseason tournament last season for the first time since 2014.

Sophomore midfielder Reid Morrison and sophomore forward Natalie Anderson return after completing their first full season of collegiate soccer last season, and the pair are off to a hot start in 2019.

Morrison scored two goals in the exhibition match against HBU, both of which were assisted by Anderson.

Some key matchups for UH heading into this season include an Oct. 6 matchup at home against reigning ACC regularseason champion UCF, which ran the conference table with an 8-1 record last season, with its only loss coming from Memphis.

On Oct. 24, the Cougars will face the Tigers, the reigning AAC tournament champion, in

a game down the stretch that, much like the two teams’ meeting last season, can hold much significance in the AAC playoff race.

Awaiting Houston on the last day of the regular season is an Oct. 31 matchup at SMU, which handed UH a season-ending 3-0 loss to eliminate it from AAC Tournament contention at the last game of conference play last season.

The cross-state rivals have met in the last three regular season finales, with the Mustangs bestingthe Cougars in each by a combined score of 7-1.

The 2019 season holds a lot of promise for Houston. With the yearly improvements and late season stretches that it has made in recent campaigns, the Cougars are built and experienced enough to make a run and push for a spot in the postseason tournament. sports@thedailycougar.com

6 | Wednesday, August 21, 2019

SPORTS jHAIR ROMERO, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/SPORTS

SPORTS@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5303

BASKETBAll

Takeaways from the Cougars’ trip to Italy bRAylEy CROWE

STAFF WRITER @BRAYLEYCROWE

The Cougars prepared for the upcoming season with a weeklong trip to Italy where they impressed with four wins in just seven days.

Houston won three of their four games by double digits, with the closest competition being a 95-88 win over BC Silute of Lithuania.

Head coach Kelvin Sampson’s squad also defeated Lithuania’s LCC International University 75-32, as well as Dream Italy 91-60 and the Roseto Sharks 68-32, also from Italy.

One of the brightest parts of the Cougars’ four-game stretch was sophomore guard Quentin Grimes, who will likely sit out this season after transferring from Kansas due to NCAA transfer rules.

Grimes was the leading scorer in two of the games, averaging 11.3 points, 4.3 assists and 6 rebounds per game.

In terms of immediate productivity and impact, freshman guard Marcus Sasser impressed with his ability to score.

The Red Oak native averaged 9 points per game, including a 19-point showing, a game-high, in his UH debut against the Sharks, The game against the Sharks

was called off early due to issues with players slipping.

Over the course of the four games, Sasser drained 41.6 percent of his 3-point attempts and showcased his ability to control the game with five assists and just two turnovers. Sasser could become a crucial backup guard.

Junior DeJon Jarreau is expected to take the reigns as a starting guard. Jarreau, 2018-19’s AAC Sixth Man of the Year, continued his impressive form as he averaged 13 points in three games, as he missed the second match with an illness.

Jarreau’s 22 points against Dream Italy were a game high and tied for the most by a Cougar in any of the four games with Grimes.

The New Orleanian also recorded 2.3 steals and 4.6 assists a game, but his 3.6 turnovers will warrant improvement come November.

Fabian White Jr., a junior forward, returns to the Cougars as a predicted staple of Sampson’s starting lineup, and, like Jarreau, has a high ceiling.

While in Italy, White Jr. averaged 8.8 points on 57.1 percent shooting along with 5.5 rebounds. He averaged 18.3 minutes per game last season, including 21 starts.

Along with the four games, the team visited many famous Italian monuments across the country. | Jiselle Santos/The Cougar

With former forward Breaon Brady graduated, White Jr. will likely be seeing even more minutes.

A signature of Houston’s play last season was suffocating defense. UH ranked No. 11 in defensive efficiency and No. 1 in defensive effective field goal percentage.

This commanding ability was apparent in Italy, as Houston held its opponents to just 34.9 percent shooting from the field. UH averaged 5 blocks and 10.5 steals a game.

Despite the loss of several key players from last season’s monumental success, Houston is

backed with another set of skilled and experienced players set to lead.

With the Cougars’ successful run in Italy, confidence and capability will be a core part of the 2019-20 season. sports@thedailycougar.com

TRACK AND FIElD

Pros ‘eye-opening experience’ for Amere Lattin JhAIR ROMERO

SPORTS EDITOR @jUSTjHAIR

One month track and field athletes are running the 400-meter hurdles in Hungary and London, the next they’re winning a silver medal in the event at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

“It has been an eye-opening experience,” said Amere Lattin, who has done just that since departing Houston to join the ranks of some of Earth’s fastest people. “It has allowed me to grow, learn from my mistakes, along with seeing the world and competing with the world’s finest athletes.”

But Lattin’s pursuit of greatness on the track was not always cut and dried. Before solidifying his path in the sport with the Cougars, the product of suburban Houston had another sport in mind until track and field caught his attention.

“I was a football guy, so I thought the NFL was going to be my way out,” Lattin said. “But I worked day

in and day out to just get to this point where track and field became my bread and butter.”

Lattin saw instant success after settling on track and field and committing to UH. In 2015-16, his freshman year with the Cougars, the then-19-year-old was integral in both Houston’s American Athletic Conference titles.

The former Cougar added points after a 7.98 60-meter hurdles time at the indoor meet and tied the outdoor meet record in the 110meter hurdles after taking the gold in 13.59 seconds.

Even then, Lattin, 22, could have told you where he’d be in 2019.

“I’m just a young kid out of Missouri City, Texas chasing a dream,” Lattin said. “If I said I never pictured this I would be lying. It’s a dream come true; I’m doing what I love.”

Since his transition from college, one of the highlights of Lattin’s young career was one of the first challenges he faced as

a pro: the USA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

“It was the first time I ran three rounds with the top guys, and it was also the first time I had to change to

Even with the challenge and room for improvement, the 2019 AAC Co-Track Athlete of the Year took home bronze in the 400-meter hurdles after a 48.66 mark.

Yeah, being the third-best 400-

Amere Lattin played a crucial role in several of the American Athletic Conference championships the program has won in recent years. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

improve every round,” Lattin said.

“I’m still learning this race, and I have so much improvement left.”

meter hurdler in the nation is cool and all, but Lattin knows there is a medal that sits high above the rest.

And he wants it.

“Every track and field athlete wants to gain an Olympic gold medal,” Lattin said. “That’s the end goal, along with a world record.

That’s what I expect to gain as well.

Track and field is a rewards sport when you put in the work.”

Much of the success and ambition Latin carries attributed to two of the biggest names in track and field: head coach Leroy Burrell and assistant coach Carl Lewis.

“My coaches were with me 110 percent of the way,” Lattin said. “I did things the right way. I followed the vision that was put in place the day I was recruited. Complete my NCAA eligibility, obtain my bachelor’s degree and be the best hurdler in the world. I’m doing just that.”

In other words, he’s just getting started.

“My success has just begun,” Lattin said. “NCAA was a warm up.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 | 7

MARYAM BALDAWI, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/OPINION

OPINION

OPINION@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5304

COllEGE

Free tuition is not the way to eliminate student debt MARyAM bAlDAWI OPINION EDITOR

Eliminating student debt and making college free sounds like a good idea, but nothing is really free. Making college free would cost $453.7 billion a year over many years, and it would be coming from taxes.

Students should still pursue higher education despite the cost because there are always affordability options, from online school to serving in the army, even with rising debts.

Also, a few tuition-free accredited colleges already exist in the United States for students who meet certain criteria, including Alice Lloyd College and Webb Institute, to name a few.

Pursuing higher education leaves many graduates with so much debt that it makes it hard to achieve at least a middle-class lifestyle.

Many students may choose alternate routes to attending university when the cost is too high. But that makes those students who do not pursue higher education less likely to find good employment or find their dream job.

Eliminating student debt sounds like a great idea, but free tuition is not the answer. | Jiselle Santos/The Cougar

Some people often complain that college was once free, at least a public land-grant college. But that was possible because there were fewer students. As enrollment grew and a higher percentage of Americans applied to attend college, it required more funding to keep the colleges.

The total amount of student loan debt in the United States was about $1.5 trillion in 2018. Also, student loans are “the most dominant type of financial aid,” according to the

National Center for Education Statistics. Ten million college students received student loans in the 2012-2013 school year alone.

The federal government spent more than $80 billion in 2014 on higher education financial aid, not including loans. In the 20122013 school year, the $80 billion accounted for 70 percent of all financial aid given to students.

In addition to government spending, there are numerous programs in place around

the country. For example, the Kalamazoo Promise in Michigan is a four-year scholarship that has been in effect since 2006.

All students who were continuously enrolled in the Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) district since at least the beginning of high school and successfully graduate are eligible to have all their tuition and fees covered for undergraduate years at any public college or university in Michigan.

The University of Houston

has a program similar to the Kalamazoo Promise called the Cougar Promise, and students can graduate from any Texas high school to be eligible. Eligibility is determined by listing UH in FAFSA forms. It may guarantee tuition and mandatory fees for freshmen with family incomes at or below $50,000 as long as they meet certain academic requirements.

With the options and programs mentioned above, student debt has to fall on someone. One solution is to increase tax rates on people making above a specific income.

Another solution is a speculation tax that would charge those in trade markets for each bond, stock or derivative they sell. It’s often referred to as a Robin Hood tax.

While raising taxes like this isn’t ideal, when combined with other options such as students joining the armed forces and programs like the Cougar Promise, there are many ways to help decrease student debt without making colleges tuition-free.

Opinion editor Maryam Baldawi is a biology junior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

HOMElESSNESS

Efforts to combat homelessness are more common than you might think

KylE DIShONGh OPINION COLUMNIST

There are more than 500,000 homeless people living in the United States. Many of them are being relocated, pushed out of public spaces and not receiving proper support from their cities.

It seems like very few people are actually aware of how prevalent this serious problem is.

Recently, officials from West Palm Beach, Florida have found a unique way to keep their homeless off a piece of city property. They’ve begun playing the notoriously annoying songs “Baby Shark”and “Raining Tacos” on loop throughout the night. While their efforts have been somewhat successful, several people have voiced their issues with the practice.

Of course, this is not the first time a city has made an effort to keep their homeless out of public areas. While it’s easy to chuckle about the use of these songs for this purpose, many practices implemented to fight the problem of homelessness are either far more subtle or egregious.

A shockingly common example of these subtle practices is hostile

architecture, which are structures such as benches and rails built in such a way that they prevent unintended uses. One of the more frequently used structures is a bench that’s impossible to lay on comfortably and is specifically designed to keep the homeless from sleeping or resting on them.

If you need an example of this, look around the next time you’re on campus. Many of the benches have handrails in their centers.

On an even more serious note, several cities don’t stop at hostile architecture and will go so far as to shut down homeless camps entirely, and it happens all the time.

These cities are legally required to provide alternative locations for their newly displaced. Sometimes, however, too little is put into these alternatives, causing people to sleep on sidewalks or overcrowd shelters throughout their cities.

But it’s not all doom and gloom.

Houston is treating its homeless population very well. The systems are excellently organized, and the workers involved are acute and attentive to what they need to do.

Much of the funding that Houston receives, however, is from the Department of Housing and

Urban Development. Alarmingly, this money is awarded through grants rather than budgets. This means cities have to compete for a limited number of funds, and the ones that already have the means to help their homeless will be given the money, leading to a rich-getricher situation.

This system is obviously flawed and is likely a large contributor to the lackadaisical and callous treatment of homeless all across the country. Perhaps more cities would be as well off as Houston if they received the same level of support. But as is, the system comes off as yet another entry on the long list of slights against some of the country’s most disenfranchised citizens.

These attempts to ignore or sweep the homeless out of sight, in an effort to prevent excess spending or decreasing property values, are bizarrely inhumane.

One wouldn’t be wrong for pointing out the situation’s similarities to that of a leper colony.

Homeless people are treated like a blight, the areas they inhabit are viewed as infected or tarnished and helping them is often viewed as throwing money down the drain.

Homelessness is a serious issue across the U.S. | Kathryn lenihan/The Cougar

Perhaps a change in attitude would help the homeless situation, but current conditions don’t inspire hope for an expedient change. A huge number of people would need to rise up and take a stand, calling for expensive, systemic changes.

Unfortunately, too few people seem to even be aware of how deepseated these problems are, or they simply don’t care enough to want to make a difference.

For non-politicians, however, there are some ways to help on a street level. One could find out what shelters in their area are accepting help and make some donations, or they could contribute

to campaigns and fundraisers that intend to aid the homeless.

Even doing something as simple as spreading the word about their plight can go a long way to making a difference.

Hopefully some eyes have been opened by this. Good changes have been made in these regards, but the system is still broken. As is, it’s another unfortunate example of greed taking precedence over human decency.

Opinion columnist Kyle Dishongh is a sophomore finance major and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar. com

8 | Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg August 21, 2019

ACROSS 1 Ice-skating comedy duo half 6 “Up in Smoke” comedy duo half 12 Curl tightly 14 Adjective for the “Iliad” or “Odyssey” 16 Walgreens competitor 17 Falsehood 18 Steely Dan’s best-selling album 19 Adjusts a time sheet 21 HBO rival, briefly 22 Klink and Sanders: Abbr.

24 Like some bandages 25 Asia’s Tien ___ Mountains (NASH anagram) 26 “A Fish Called Wanda” star Kevin 28 Fuel additive brand 29 Physicist Ohm 30 ___ Gay 32 City south of Berkeley 34 South African currency 36 Home, in Hamburg 37 More small-minded 40 Abominable Himalayans 43 Zellweger of “Chicago”

8/21

44 On the ___ (at large) 46 “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” girl 48 Burned, digitally 49 Finish cleaning a spill 51 Hose holder 52 Serena Williams’ org.

53 Event such as water turning to wine 55 Mineo or Maglie 56 Pet carrier opening 58 Ten-gallon, e.g.

60 Chocolaty spread 61 Immunity trigger 62 “Laugh-In” comedy duo half 63 Radio/early TV comedy duo half DOWN 1 It’s often refried in Guadalajara 2 ADHD medication 3 Suffix for “real” or “actual” 4 Bigwig 5 Filming light type 6 Shameless selfconfidence 7 Favorite food of Winniethe-Pooh

8 Revivalists, for short?

9 Always, to a bard 10 Catch feelings for 11 Devastate 12 Ice-skating comedy duo half 13 Norse works 15 “Up in Smoke” comedy duo half 20 Ford or Lincoln 23 Grunted like a pig 25 Ocean critter that often has five arms 27 Delight 29 Used Elmer’s 31 What’s far from fair?

33 “Every Kiss Begins With ___” (jewelry slogan)

35 ’80s auto that opened up 37 Intel chip 38 Onetime Microsoft encyclopedia 39 ___ Nui (Easter Island) 41 Quitter’s declaration 42 Dirtbags 43 “Laugh-In” comedy duo half 45 A lot, to Alejandra 47 Radio/early TV comedy duo half 49 ___ Vanilli 50 Backup strategy 53 Shed like a snake 54 Caesar’s words to Brutus 57 That ship 59 Madam’s counterpart

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

8/20

© 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com

Rolling in the Aisles by Jake Scheele