Issue 18, Volume 85

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Wednesday, January 29, 2020 Issue 18 Volume 85

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Backcourt Kings of the Boards Houston is one of the nation’s best rebounding teams. An unlikely corps leads the way — the guards. | PG. 9

News With Spring 2020 ramping up, some students resort to using “study drugs” to gain an edge . | PG. 2

sports Coach Todd Whitting mourned the death of longtime friend and former captain John Altobelli. | PG. 5

Opinion The Barnacles rolled out by Parking are one of many systemic issues with self-funded services. | PG. 8

2 | Wednesday, January 29, 2020

NEWS

ian everett, EDITOR

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campus

Study Drugs A dive into the illicit use of Adderall and Ritalin by students and why they choose to take them Trey Gifford

staff writer

As exams and assignments start to pile up, students may come across illicit use of ADHD medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin.

The “study drugs,” as many call them, have become more prevalent at universities across the country. A study from the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry conducted over five years found non-prescribed use of Adderall by young adults went up by 67 percent and associated emergency room visits rose by 156 percent over that span.

Some students said their illegal use of the stimulant is out of fear for their future if they don’t academically perform well.

Experts at UH said the misuse of the drug on campuses can pose serious dangers.

“I think people don’t often consider the unwelcome side effects that come with these medications,” said Tyler Varisco, a researcher with the College of Pharmacy.

Seven out of 10 nonprescribed stimulant-using college students said the drugs are easy to obtain – mostly from friends, according to a survey conducted by Ohio State University.

One student, who did not want their name revealed, admitted their illicit use of the medication was caused by the pressures of adult and college life.

“There’s too much at stake

for me not to,” they said. “I need this for my future, and when everything is graded on a curve, I need as much help as I can get. I can’t afford to see a doctor about it, and I can worry about everything else later.”

Misuse and overuse can come with some serious health consequences, Varisco said.

The drugs may cause people to take other medications to counteract detrimental side effects.

“A lot of people will forget to eat when taking stimulants … I hear from a lot of patients how sleep disturbances are very common,” Varisco said.

“These patients will often take additional medication to help sleep.”

Thousands of fake Adderall pills that were comprised of methamphetamine were found in December 2019 during a raid at UTSA, according to ABC13.

Students may unknowingly take counterfeit Adderall in some cases, said UHPD Capt.

Bret Collier.

“Commonly, the pills are actually caffeine, tramadol, acetaminophen, or even methamphetamine,” Collier said.

“They can also have any number of other adulterants, or filler, that be harmful in unexpected ways.”

Addiction is another risk of these study drugs.

Co-director of UH’s PREscription Drug MIsuse Education and Research Center

Adderall is used to treat ADHD, but some students illicitly use it to perform better in classes. | Juana Garcia/The Cougar

Doug Thornton said stimulant use poses significant dangers.

“Stimulants can be one of the more difficult medications to withdrawal from because your body gets used to having that extra boost,” Thornton said.

“There’s a lot of organs that adapt to that additional stimulant. It’s hard to stop both psychologically and physically.”

Stimulant use doesn’t stop after graduation, Varisco said. He has witnessed its use continue on into professional life.

“I think starting early, building that tolerance, and continue to escalate dose … it just creates this pattern of misuse and that potentially leads to harm later in life,” Varisco said.

This long-term harm, according to National Institute of Health, most commonly includes high blood pressure and irregular heart rate.

Decreasing use With so many potential

consequences, UH experts offer a few solutions for decreasing illicit stimulant use.

Varisco believes more scrutiny from the Texas State Board of Pharmacy could reduce the amount of medication that’s improperly filled and able to be diverted for illicit uses.

One UH student admits to selling Adderall to supplement income and said higher standards from doctors on prescribing stimulants would be the biggest incentive to quit selling the medication in excess.

“Trips to the doctor are expensive and time-consuming,” the student said, who asked for their name to not be revealed.

“If getting and re-upping were harder, I wouldn’t be able to sell like I do.”

Vaishnavi Tata, a doctoral student specializing in education and medication at the College of Pharmacy, believes the issue and solution demands a mental health perspective.

She believes the University could better promote Counseling and Psychological Services and help teach students better ways to cope with stress without illicit drug use. The student said mental health checkups could be a vital tool utilized by educators.

“You could sit down with somebody for maybe 30 minutes even,” Tata said, “just to check up on you and figure out if everything is okay. So, (students) are aware of the services available at least.”

Thornton said our culture plays a role in convincing people they need to misuse prescription drugs to perform better.

“I think we’ve incentivized (the misuse of ADHD Medication) in our society because there are people that believe it doesn’t matter what the long-term risks are,” Thornton said. “I need something to benefit in the short-term.” news@thedailycougar.com

alumni

Former UH punter Dane Roy raises thousands for Australia fire relief autumn rendall

news editor @autumnrendall

For former Houston punter and Australia-native Dane Roy, the

ravaging effects of the Australia wildfires hit close to home.

As an 18-year resident of the Gippsland community, a region in southeastern Australia, Roy said seeing the area’s devastation was saddening.

To lend a helping hand to his former home, Roy has been working with the UH Alumni Association, the Houston Astros and local businesses to fundraise and auction off collectible UH memorabilia and other prizes. All funds raised will be split evenly between helping rehome displaced Indigenous Australians in the Gippsland area and the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund.

“I know that anything can

happen at the drop of a hat that could change your life,” Roy said.

“And whether it’s good or bad, sometimes you just need that support there to help you when you can’t do anything.”

Because of the destruction that faced the Houston-area after Hurricane Harvey, Roy said he feels that Houstonians are sympathetic toward communities in need, and they want to reach out and support in any way they can.

“I know there’s a few people out here already that want to help the bushfires and the recovery efforts

roy

Continues on page 3

Dane Roy, former punter for Houston and Australia native, has raised thousands to benefit people in the Gippsland region of Australia. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

Wednesday, January 29, 2020 | 3 IAn eVereTT, editor

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cOmmutinG

The impact of commuting on students class has attendance-based scores.

“The commute eats two hours of my day each day I go to class, and that time could be used to work on assignments,” said advertising senior Carlos Malespin. “Traffic has repeatedly made me late and occasionally made me absent simply due to the fact of not wanting to deal with the commute.”

lower costs

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Commuting is a huge part of the University’s soul: roughly 83 percent of students commute instead of living on campus.

But students who commute face many challenges that on-campus residents don’t — driving in a city ranked as one of the worst for traffic, parking passes that students complain are too expensive, and the difficulty of managing travel times with classes and socializing.

Marti Trummer-Cabrera, Counseling and Psychological Services psychologist, said mental-health might be impacted, or existing issues made worse while commuting.

“Feeling angry or scared while navigating traffic is more likely to occur the more we are on the road,” Trummer-Cabrera said.

roy

Continued from page 2 in Australia, but they don’t really know how to,” Roy said.

After the fires began, people reached out to Roy wondering what they could do for the continent’s fire relief.

After connecting with some citizens of his former home and discovering the volunteer efforts out of the Gippsland area, Roy decided to set up the Houstonbased fundraiser.

“I just have the mentality, it’s like, if you do good things, good things will happen to you,” Roy said. “You never know when you

“These feelings may become more of an issue for someone already managing a mentalhealth concern.”

For the most part, commuter students said they felt isolated from their networks because of commuting.

Students also said they stressed over traffic and preparations for the day. After all, if they forget a necessity, it’s not a simple walk to their residence hall to fix it.

“Being so far from home I’m always stressing about if I have everything,” said Spencer Vandigriff, a flute performance and music junior. “It’s definitely impacted my mental-health.”

to do when time is devoted to commuting,” Trummer-Cabrera said.

That time spent driving is less time for studying, socializing, exercising or tending to self-care.

Vandigriff said he has resorted to practicing his flute in his car to make up for the lost time.

Cutting into class

The average commute time for drivers in the HoustonWoodlands-Sugarland metro area is about 30 minutes one way.

“Students are under pressure to be productive with their time, which is more difficult

Trummer-Cabrera said commuting students sometimes cite trouble with grades, mostly because they struggle to get to class on time or want to leave early to avoid congested roads.

“I usually do pretty well of leaving my house with enough time to make it to class early,” said public relations junior Alberto Huichapa, “but there have been instances where road construction or an accident puts me back, and I’ll barely make it to class on time or be late.”

Commuting could be detrimental to grades, TrummerCabrera said, especially if the

actually need help yourself.”

Roy also found that displaced Indigenous Australians out of the Gippsland area weren’t seeing the amount of help they needed, which he saw as an injustice.

“That’s pretty annoying that they can’t even get anything to help them out,” Roy said. “Everyone needs help.”

For fans of Cougar football, six throwback jerseys from the 2018 Houston-Temple game are up for auction from the UH Alumni Association. One jersey, a No. 74 that’s a 2XL, has surpassed $200.

The group also donated a signed jersey from Washington Redskins quarterback Case Keenum

UH football donated a “football experience” to the fundraiser, and its benefits depend on how high the bid goes in the auction. The experience could include meeting the coach, attending a practice, tickets to a 2020 home game, club lounge passes, a chance to join in the Cougar Walk and pre-game sideline access.

And from MLB, the Astros donated a baseball signed by pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. that has reached $75 with five bidders.

“It just shows that people want to help out,” Roy said. “And I think that’s the main thing, you see people in need and say, ‘What can I do to help out?’”

lost time

The cheapest option for living on campus is a Moody Towers double at $2,690 a semester per student and the required meal plan starts at $1,993 per semester.

Parking passes are also more expensive for students who live on campus. A zone parking permit is $205 more for on-campus residents compared to what commuters pay.

For mechanical engineering freshman Tommy Nguyen, the convenience isn’t worth it.

“I’d probably choose to live on campus if it wasn’t for the high costs,” Nguyen said. “You can save quite a bit of money (commuting).”

easing the impact The University provides resources to commuters to ease the burden of driving, parking and walking more than the resident students.

Commuter Services offers a carpool program that provides discounted parking passes and guaranteed spaces to groups of two or more students driving together and 50 percent off Metro fares with a reloadable student card.

There is also the Commuter Assistant Program, which offers peer guidance and networking to incoming commuter students. news@thedailycougar.com

Roy said there have been some who didn’t want any of the auction items, but still wanted to donate.

So, Roy set up a GoFundMe that has reached $4,480 of its $100,000 goal as of Jan. 28. The fundraiser is open until Feb. 14, and Roy will attempt to personally deliver the funds to the charities.

“Really anything, any amount, is grateful,” Roy said. “Obviously we’re not all billionaires like we want to be, but even if you’ve just got a couple of dollars to spare, or even some time so you can like help people out, not sure how, but everything really helps in the end.” news@thedailycougar.com

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men’s BasKetBall

‘All programs have an identity’: for Houston, it’s the rebounding guards Andy yAneZ

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Previewing Houston matchup at eCu Andy yAneZ

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Mikol K

./The Cougar indle Jr

The Cougars are having a strong season with a 16-4 record seven games into the American Athletic Conference play, and the team’s biggest asset up to this point has been rebounding.

“All good programs have an identity,” head coach Kelvin Sampson said. “We pound the rock every day with rebounding and (we make sure to have) multiple rebounders.”

Houston is third in the nation when it comes to rebounds per game, averaging 42.6 a contest, and are first in The American when it comes to offensive boards (14.6 per game) and rebounding margin, (+10.7).

A lot of the rebounding for the Cougars comes from the guards, which is the least expected position to be crashing the boards at a high rate.

Well, least expected for everyone besides Sampson.

“Every team I’ve ever had, the guard’s been the leading rebounder,” Sampson said. “That’s just a by-product of our program.”

The leading rebounder in the 2016-17 season was Damyean Dotson. In 2018-19 the leading rebounder was Armoni Brooks and in 2019-20 the leading rebounder is sophomore guard Nate Hinton. All three players played, or in Hinton’s case, plays, the guard position.

The stat is not just a coincidence either. Sampson makes sure to stress the importance for guards to rebound the ball.

“It plays into our favor, coach emphasizes it every day,” Hinton said. “It definitely plays into our favor cause when the guards get it we can just get out and run.”

Fast-break opportunities in transition are the advantage that Houston wants.

“It’s really easy to score because everyone is scrambling,” said

ASSISTAnT SPorTS eDITor @AYAneZ_5

when: 6 p.m. Wednesday

where: Williams Arena Greenville, North Carolina

tune in: ESPN3, KPRC 950 AM

Series vs. the Pirates: Cougars lead 17-5

what to look out for:

Houston has become one of the best rebounding teams in the country, and much of it can be attributed to junior DeJon Jarreau (left) and sophomore Nate Hinton. | Kathryn lenihan/the Cougar

junior guard DeJon Jarreau on the advantage fast-break chances provides. “Somebody could be running beside you, and (that means) you have the upper hand.

When a point guard rebounds, it’s easier to start the fast break than to get the outlet pass. I’m trying to get my focus on that.”

The advantage in transition is not the only reason Houston focuses on crashing the boards. The team needs it because they struggle to convert on a lot of the first shots taken.

Houston shoots only 43.5 percent from the field, which is fifth in the conference, yet are third in The American when it comes to scoring offense and the reason is rebounds.

The Cougars practice rebounding by using a bubble that blocks the rim, so every shot taken bounces off and forces the players to box out and go for the ball. Houston even keeps track of potential rebounds that ultimately lead to extra possessions.

“There’s a stat that we keep, it’s called tips,” Sampson said. “When the ball is shot, you’re not always gonna get two hands when you keep it, but somebody has to keep it alive. We want to get between 25 and 30 tips a game.”

Like a lot of what the Cougars do, the rebounding load from the guards can be carried by any player on game day.

Houston has had five different guards finish with five rebounds or more in at least one game.

Freshman guard Marcus Sasser has one such game. Sophomore guard Quentin Grimes has seven.

Jarreau has seven, Mills has two and Hinton leads the pack with 18 games.

Grimes, Jarreau and Hinton

each have at least one game with nine or more rebounds.

Houston’s enormous strength also provides an extra benefit: confidence.

“The way we rebound, as long as we just get the ball up… we’ll be able to get it back,” redshirt freshman Caleb Mills said. “I’m never stressed about taking bad or good shots, I know my teammates have my back.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Freshman Marcus Sasser (left) and sophmore Quentin Grimes have contributed with games with of five boards. | mikol Kindle Jr./the Cougar

The No. 21 Cougars enter winners of four-straight games and are coming off a dominant defensive performance against USF, holding the Bulls to only 49 points, when they take on the ECU Pirates on Wednesday.

Houston is 16-4 and 6-1 against AAC opponents.

Junior guard DeJon Jarreau, who had 12 points and six assists in the win, and freshman guard Caleb Mills, who had 11 points with three boards, both enter the game with American Athletic Conference honors.

During the win streak, junior forward Fabian White has also posted strong outings, scoring double-digits and finishing with five or more rebounds in three of the four games.

The Pirates have a 9-11 record, 3-4 in The American, and enter the game off a 81-62 victory against the Tulane Green Wave.

However, they lost threestraight before Saturday’s contest.

Sophomore forward Jayden Gardner dominated with 27 points, 13 rebounds and three steals to go along with three assists and a blocked shot against Tulane.

Gardner leads the Pirates averaging 20.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Tristen Newton leads the team with 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals.

The Pirates are last in the conference when it comes to defending teams. ECU’s opponents are averaging 71.3 points per game. In comparison, Houston is giving up the thirdfewest points per game in the conference (63.8).

The Cougars have won their last eight contests against the seventh-place Pirates. sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, January 29, 2020 | 5 JHAIr romero, editor

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BaseBall

UH remembers, honors former captain John Altobelli JHAir romero

SPorTS eDITor @JuSTJHAIr

At first, head coach Todd Whitting could not believe it.

“For a split second,” he said in a Monday afternoon news conference, “I was like, ‘No way Alto was on that helicopter.’”

It was not until hours later, what felt like a lifetime, that Whitting’s fear became true and the helicopter crash that left legendary NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna among nine dead hit home.

John Altobelli, a 56-year-old former captain and UH assistant coach in the 1980s and longtime friend of Whitting, died along with his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa after the helicopter he was riding in with the five-time NBA champion and others slammed into a hillside 30 miles outside Los Angeles.

All onboard, en route to a youth travel game in Thousand Oaks, California in which Gianna and Alyssa were set to play, were killed.

Just a day after the accident, a mournful Whitting at Schroeder Park discussed the “unbelievable tragedy” and remembered Altobelli for his “unique” persona that attracted everybody from his former teammates to the players he coached.

“He was a people guy,” Whitting said of the 2019 ABCA National Coach of the Year, who was set to start his 28th season as head coach of Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. “Everybody loved him. The players that played for him loved him. The guys who played

Former captain John Altobelli was honored by UH with a scoreboard tribute after the 56-year-old was killed along with his wife and daughter in a Sunday morning helicopter crash near Los Angeles that also claimed the lives of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and five others. | Kathryn lenihan/the Cougar

with him loved him.”

Over three decades after Altobelli played and coached at UH, the feeling remained.

Houston, as a tribute to a man who “loved this program and wanted to see it do well,” lit up its scoreboard at Schroeder Park with a photo of a younger Altobelli in his days with the Cougars in the mid-1980s.

Despite over 1,500 miles separating Houston and Orange Coast College, the West Coast college baseball legend, as Whitting called him, kept a close connection with his alma mater.

It wasn’t unfamiliar to see one of Altobelli’s OCC players make the jump to Division I and join Houston on the diamond, most recently pitcher Ryan Randel in 2018.

“If a year went by,” Whitting said, “and we didn’t have one of his guys, he would give me a hard time about it.”

When the first Cougar steps up to the plate in Houston’s Feb. 14 season opener against Youngstown State, take a look at his batting helmet.

On it will be a decal in memory of the Altobellis, a season-long

commitment to honor one of Houston’s own and his family whose untimely deaths devastated many in the world of the sport, including Whitting.

“Really sad day for the program, me personally,” Whitting said, “College baseball lost a great one yesterday.” sports@thedailycougar.com

men’s BasKetBall

Behind Hinton’s rise from struggling freshman to sophomore ‘alpha dog’ ArmAndo yAneZ

STAff WrITer @ArmYAn_16

Houston’s success in 2019-20, which includes a couple of wins against Top 25 teams and tied for the top spot in the American Athletic Conference so far, has fed off the performances of several players, but one has stood above the rest — Nate Hinton.

Hinton, who is averaging the second-most rebounds per game (9.4) in The American, 10.7 points

and has started in every game, has been a force on the court and a spark plug for the No. 25 Cougars.

“Nate is an alpha dog; he’s comfortable being up front,” said head coach Kelvin Sampson.

“Not all dogs can be up front, some need to be in the middle where you can hide their weaknesses. So, if Nate was a sled dog, he’d be very comfortable up front.”

But it has not always been that

way for the sophomore.

“I just think it’s the experience,” Sampson said. “Nate struggled early last year, as all freshman will. But he played on a team where he learned a lot from all of those seniors. Galen (Robinson) and Corey (Davis Jr.) were unbelievable role models for him.”

Hinton saw firsthand what

Hinton

Continues on page 6

Guard Nate Hinton “struggled early last year,” head coach Kelvin Sampson said, but he has seen in improvement in 2019-20. | mikol Kindle Jr./the Cougar

6 | Wednesday, January 29, 2020

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wOmen’s BasKetBall

dymond in the rough How Gladney, uH’s most improved player, became a ‘floor general’

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STAff WrITer @JDm2186

As a freshman in 2018-19, a young Dymond Gladney rode the bench for a Houston team stacked with experienced and high scoring players, but with many of UH’s veterans from last year now gone, her stats, and role, have skyrocketed.

The Cougars lost four of their five scoring leaders from last season, but Gladney, who averaged 1.8 points, 0.9 assists and 0.6 rebounds per game her freshman year, has grown into a confident, more mature offensive leader that fills the gaps.

“My work ethic has gone up most definitely, because I knew I had to take on a different role this year, which is being the floor general,” Gladney, who now averages 11.5 points per game, said. “Building a whole bunch of confidence in myself came with the work I put in in the offseason and practice.”

Head coach Ron Hughey has taken notice of Gladney’s improvement in a season where her load has grown exponentially.

“The first thing I’d say Dymond has grown in is just her maturity,” Hughey said of the guard. “When you have to go from your freshman year to your

sophomore year and playing a lot of minutes you have to mature on the court.”

With the growth Hughey and Gladney’s teammates have seen from her has come leadership, which is vital for the brain of the backcourt to possess.

“She had to understand that she’s the point guard,” Hughey said. “She dictates the plays. She tells everybody where to go, what to do, and when to do it.”

Confidence boost Another aspect of her game has seen a boost since Gladney has stepped up — her confidence.

She has always had the talent and skill set to excel on the court, Hughey said, but Gladney’s conviction has brought her performance to the next level.

“She can shoot the basketball, get to the rim and defend, but she’s had to get confidence to do all those things each and every day,” Hughey said. “I think she’s grown in (her confidence) so much.”

The sophomore attributes her confidence boost to her increased work ethic since she knew she would be taking on a bigger role this season.

Gladney has quickly come to grips with what her role as

Sophomore guard Dymond Gladney went from averaging under two points as a freshman in 2018-19 to being one of Houston’s leading scorers. | trevor nolley/the Cougar

Houston’s on-court offensive leader entails.

“I have to make sure everyone’s in their positions and keep everybody on the same page,” Gladney said. “Staying composed and letting people know it’s okay to mess up and just to go to the next play is also part of my role.”

Not only has Gladney’s production and leadership on the court increased, Hughey said, but the amount of preparation she puts in before each game has left the sixth-year head coach astonished.

One example Hughey had came two days before one of the Cougars’ games when Gladney approached him and said she thought they should focus on ball screen sets and asked for his opinion on different sets they could run that feature ball screens.

“I was blown away,” Hughey

Hinton

Continued from page 5

Hinton attributes much of his improvement to his time with the 2018-19 Cougars who went to the Sweet Sixteen. | mikol Kindle Jr./the Cougar

it takes to succeed throughout Houston’s Sweet Sixteen run last season, coming off the bench and playing quality minutes while learning and practicing with 2018-19’s seniors.

The guard, who is No. 46 in the country in rebounds, has been a leader for UH this season.

Hinton attributes much of his improvement to playing with the best Cougars’ team in over 30 years that was stacked full of veterans, who excelled at their roles on the team.

“It’s just the details,” Hinton said. “If there were certain things I didn’t pick up all the way, they’d

On top of her increased scoring, Gladney’s 0.9 assists and 0.6 boards per game last season turned into 2.6 and 2.9, respectively, this year. | trevor nolley/the Cougar

said. “It’s finally clicking. It’s two days before, and she’s already thinking about the game.”

That attribute, Hughey added, is a testament to Gladney’s growth as Houston’s most improved player.

get on me, or if I didn’t know how to do something, I would ask them a question and there would just be open arms.

“Them embracing me and the leadership of how they did things, led by example, and just talked to me to help me out and help everyone else out.”

For Sampson, Hinton’s potential became immediately visible, and he knew the Gastonia, North Carolina, native could one day be better than the veteran corps already under the coach’s wing.

Hinton, Sampson said, could make the kind of impact that not many others do.

“When I recruited Nate out of high school, you could tell he was

“She’s already putting herself in the moment and saying, ‘This is what I think we need to do,’” he said, “and that’s another area she’s grown so much.” sports@thedailycougar.com

going to be better than them,” Sampson said. “Just because you are a senior doesn’t mean you are going to be a leader, because some guys just don’t have that personality.”

With the Cougars sitting at 16-4 overall and 6-1 in the AAC, Hinton looks to continue developing into the leader Sampson recruited him to be and to lead UH into the next stretch of conference play.

“I’m just trying to be the best version of myself I can be and not worry about anything on the outside,” Hinton said. “Just focus on winning and just leading the team.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, January 29, 2020 | 7

Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy Parker September 19, 2018

ACROSS 1 Region 5 In no time ____ 10 Touched land 14 Easy win 15 Major web portal 16 Busch Gardens attraction 17 Egomaniac’s dream 20 Sharp pens?

21 Broadway offering 22 Carve, as initials 25 Do retail 26 ___-di-dah 29 Talk casually 31 Look for 35 Busy commotion 36 Old-style excited 38 IV bag’s innards 39 Mechanically smoothed 43 Shaking fit 44 Hot-weather ermine 45 Brief commercials?

46 Bun variety 49 Has dinner 50 AI game participant 51 Plunge 53 Have the look of 9/19

55 What some make out of nothing 58 Loamy deposit 62 Performed with sincerity 65 Shamu, for one 66 Latin American plain 67 Ensemble of three 68 Hitter’s hot streak 69 Country near Oman 70 Like dry ground DOWN 1 Softball pitch shapes 2 Ginseng, for one 3 An acting award 4 Trillion dollar co.

5 Skipper’s yes 6 Use a shuttle 7 Guttural interruption 8 Scene of an event 9 Sets free 10 Some drawers are in there 11 Old Italian bread?

12 Massive star

13 ___ Aviv 18 Chinese nut (var.)

19 Cairo’s waterway 23 Julie on TV 24 Loathes 26 Holy Tibetans 27 Tried-andtrue saying 28 “Pocus” go-with 30 Massachusetts school 32 Back-tohealth program 33 Formal belief 34 Possessed, per King James 37 Prayerful 40 Caps and helmets

41 Shirt tag locale 42 In ___ (intrinsic) 47 Long skirt 48 Fair way to split 52 America’s bird 54 Castle defenses 55 Dig into 56 Sunworshiping empire 57 Fertile earth 59 Island republic 60 Incite in a bowl?

61 Monopoly token 62 j thing 63 RBIs on a solo homer 64 Slip into, as clothing

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OVER HERE By Timothy E. Parker

8 | Wednesday, January 29, 2020 Santiago gaughan, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/OPINION

OPINION

@theDAILYCOUGAR

PARKING

Oh, Barnacles: shining a light on UH’s parking issues Editorial Board editor in chief

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Staff editorial The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A parking Barnacle that attaches to a vehicles windshield. While Barnacles were a hot topic on social media to begin the new semester, the problem with parking on campus is Parking and Transportation Services is forced to be self-funded. | Courtesy of Parking and Transportation Services

ANNA BAKER

Opinion Columnist

Parking and Transportation Services in December began using Barnacles, a device put on the windshield of cars to keep them from moving. The Barnacles are put on cars with multiple parking citations and no permits.

This is not only unfair to students unable to afford parking passes, but also part of a larger problem of how PTS is completely self-funded.

The Barnacles were brought to the limelight by a student who tweeted a picture of one on her car. In her caption, she said the University lacked affordable campus parking. She then proceeded to crowdfund for the cost to remove the Barnacle.

The tweet went viral, and students were understandably outraged.

Here are some facts about the Barnacles from PTS. The Barnacles are put on cars with five or more citations with no permit.

Barnacles cost only $75 to remove, which is $25 less than the cost to tow the student’s car, UH spokesperson Chris Stipes said.

Additionally, students must also pay a $200 hold fee, which

is refunded once the Barnacle is returned.

The Barnacle is also arguably more convenient than towing because the car owner doesn’t have to find a way to get to their towed car.

If a student cannot immediately pay the $200 deposit and $75 to remove the Barnacle, there are payment plans, Stipes said.

He also said there are still permits available for purchase at the Parking and Transportation Services customer service locations, and if a student can’t pay immediately they can sign up for a payment plan.

Since they removed towing and have payment plans, PTS seems to have implemented the Barnacles to make it easier for students. However, they didn’t succeed.

Since December, 37 people have been Barnacled, with an average of nine citations with no permit, Stipes said. With that many people being Barnacled in only a month, it’s clear that PTS still has an issue with affordability.

If a student cannot afford a permit, they probably can’t afford to take off a Barnacle in a short amount of time either.

While PTS offers payment plans there begs the question of why parking is so expensive in the first place?

Systemic issue The explanation of outrageous prices and Barnacles points to a larger systemic issue.

As an auxiliary service, PTS doesn’t receive any state or University funding.

They are self-funded, so to pay their employees and pay off the debt of building parking garages they make money by selling permits.

This explains why permits are so expensive. Because PTS cannot get any funding, they’re required to charge high prices for permits.

Students can’t afford these permits, they park illegally, get citations, get Barnacled and so on.

It’s ridiculous that a department at a public institution does not receive any state or school funding. This is not because UH can’t afford to fund parking.

UH can spend $30.4 million on expanding the Hilton Hotel on campus.

It can pay the head football coach $4 million a year.

Auxiliary services are self-

funded, but since UH clearly has enough money, they should be allowed to send some of it to PTS so that students can park their cars.

Something PTS can do is seek out private donors to fund PTS. This could lower permit prices for students, or maybe even provide money for parking scholarships.

However, to make sure that prices stay consistently affordable for all students, UH would have to be able to put money into services like parking.

No student should have to crowdfund to park at their own school.

In order for students to be able to afford parking permits and for the Barnacles to stop, UH should be allowed to allocate funds to PTS. This system where students’ out of pocket money is the sole funding of auxiliary services needs to change. Otherwise, prices will just keep getting higher and Barnacles will continue to be stuck to windshields.

Opinion writer Anna Baker is an English sophomore who can be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com

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