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Issue 01, Volume 82

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Before nearly 42,000 UH students arrived on campus, younger Houstonian scholars prepared for their own school years. | PG. 4

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Letter from the Editor: Welcome back

T

his certainly has been a fun summer, hasn’t it?

If you’re just setting foot on this university, here’s a quick update: We elected an SGA vice president TREY who shook the University STRANGE with a comment about EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Black Lives Matter. Then, when students of all colors lobbied for a punishment, we raised hell on national television over freedom of speech. We trended on Twitter. We were on the Fox News channel.

And then we got guns, too. Do you feel safe yet? All around you — in classes, in the parking garage, in the line for Chick-fil-A — guns have infiltrated our once-safe university.

Now, the paranoia can set in.

Or maybe it won’t. Our reporting over the last few months has shown a greater willingness to work with the policy, which was crafted in extreme detail by a group of University representatives, than liberals might have anticipated.

That doesn’t mean I like it, but here’s what it does say about the University: We’re practical. We compromise. We work within the limits of what we have. And we hope — and pray, if that’s your thing — that no one gets shot.

As I enter my senior year, I’m aware that this might be the most tumultuous semesters of my college career. Our football team, which went nearly undefeated last year, has a real shot at the Big 12. The University system is set to expand into Katy. A few weeks ago, I sat in on a CoogTV interview where President and Chancellor Renu Khator claimed plans to focus the next few years of her term on issues of the Third Ward.

And internally, we’re getting our fountain back, after — how long has it been? — nearly two years.

After multiple promises and pushed-back deadlines, the dried-up concrete bowl had become something of an existential metaphor for the University’s treatment of its students, who complained about money catered to Athletics instead of fountain repairs, and who quietly fixated on the fairness of filling it up for just one night to present Donald Trump with a pretty campus back in February.

This year, I aim to lead The Cougar to tell

the stories of students like those, who feel a gap between themselves and the administration. Because, ultimately, we exist to inform you; to tell both the good and the bad stories of your neighbors and your community, which does not stop at Scott Street; and above all, to hold the University accountable for actions that always affect you, directly or indirectly.

Behind me is the most talented and hardworking staff with whom I have ever had the privilege of working. You may not see them, but they are the news-junkie heroes in the shadows.

Guns, casual racism and national infamy aside, I’m looking forward to bringing you the news every week (and online daily). I hope you’ll stay informed.

i

The Cougar

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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 COPY EDITING

Nguyen Le CLOSING EDITORS

Bryce Dodds Trey Strange Leah Nash

ABOUT THE COVER

Elementary students from all over Houston tried out the college life for a day at the Mayor's Back 2 School Fest. — Emily Burleson/The Cougar

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, Student Video Network and COOG Radio.

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CITY

Back 2 School: Trying the University on for size Thousands of Houston children and parents gathered at UH for free school supplies, immunizations and check-ups DMITRIY BOROVYKH

STAFF WRITER @ARMADAOFAWESOME

Eager students, kindergartners to fifth graders, rushed into the Athletics/Alumni Center, drowning in fanfare from the Spirit of Houston, to take part in the sixth annual Mayor's Back 2 School Fest.

The event, which offers free school supplies and other back to school necessities, originated under the tenure of former Mayor Annise Parker. This is the first time since Mayor Sylvester Turner’s inauguration that he’s hosting it.

“Public service is a relay. It’s not a one-person, one-thing race and it’s over, and no one person can do it all," Turner, who is a UH alumnus, SYLVESTER said. "Mayor TURNER Annise Parker MAYOR OF HOUSTON advanced the ball, I picked up the ball from where she left and I’m going to carry it a little further, and the next person will carry it a little further after I finish.”

Each of the registered students received a backpack and school supplies kit. They could also get a free dental exam, vision check and receive immunizations.

This event also falls under UH Chancellor and President Renu Khator’s overarching initiative to engage with the community surrounding the campus. She said she was excited about providing the young students the opportunities they deserve.

“In these students here you can see a Simone Manuel, you can see a Simone Biles, you can see Mayor Turner, you can see a president of the United States," Khator said in her opening speech. "We are here to support these students.”

On top of those, they were also offered vouchers for a free haircut, coupons for a visit to the Children’s Museum of Houston and tickets to a men’s basketball game.

“It’s really a great opportunity for us to partner with the city of Houston and education community, especially University of Houston,” Scott Ballard, human resources manager for Shell Oil,

TOP: Necessary immunizations and the flu shot were available for free to any children who brought shot records to the Mayor's Back 2 School Fest. Mayor Sylvester Turner volunteered to go first by getting his annual influenza vaccine.

BOTTOM: Xavier Rios Perez got into the Cougar spirit by growling for the camera at the Back 2 School Fest. | Emily Burleson/The Cougar

said.

Shell has been the main contributor to the event even before it had found its place at UH’s campus.

Several non-profit organizations, including Crime Stoppers, an organization focused on maintaining public safety, and Undies for Everyone, which is dedicated

the help of hundreds of volunteers from both UH and the larger Houston community.

“For a lot of students, who will probably be first-generation college students, it’s setting a framework for them,” said Susie Molina, director of UH community relations, who has been involved with the annual event

“Public service is a relay. It’s not a one-person, one-thing race and it’s over, and no one person can do it all. The only thing that we can do is advance the ball a little further down the field, and someone else comes along and takes it a little further.”

Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston to providing underwear to financially disadvantaged kids, were also present.

This is fourth consecutive year that UH has hosted the event.

To keep everything running smoothly, the organizers enlisted

since 2013.

This year’s B2SF was focused on health, with organizations such as Delta Dental offering on-the-spot dental check-ups, and Walgreens providing free immunization shots. Mayor Turner set an exam-

ple to the children by getting a flu shot himself.

UH’s Center for Hearing and Speech therapy and College of Optometry were also on site to offer check-ups, information and resources for future reference.

Tiffany Mills, who brought her four boys to the event, said all the supplies she received made

it easier for her to prepare her kids for the start of the semester.

She is hopeful about all of them making it through the University.

“I had the opportunity, but I got off-track – hopefully I can further my own education so I could do better for them,” Mills said. news@thedailycougar.com

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Emily Burleson, EDITOR

Eunice Adebayo, pictured far right, and other elementary students receive vital services before heading back to school.

Dentist checkups and vision exams were available for free.

Participants finished off the event by receiving new underwear and backpacks full of school supplies. | Emily Burleson/The Cougar

A.D BRUCE RELIGION CENTER Your home for FREE Lunch every Wednesday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters www.uh.edu/adbruce

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GET INVOLVED.STAY HEALTHY.GET SUPPORT.LIVE ON CAMPUS.TAKE CHARGE. A.D. Bruce Religion Center | Admissions | Campus Recreation | Center for Students with DisABILITIES | Children’s Learning Centers Cougars in Recovery | Counseling and Psychological Services | Dean of Students Office | Diversity and Inclusion | Fraternity and Sorority Life Health Center | LGBT Resource Center | Scholarships and Financial Aid | Student Centers | Student Housing and Residential Life | Student Involvement Student Media | UH Wellness | University Career Services | Urban Experience Program | Veteran Services | Women and Gender Resource Center

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BULLET POINTS

Faculty Senate president says campus carry not based in safety TREY STRANGE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

@TREYNORMAL

As a geochemistry professor, Jonathan Snow isn't terribly worried about the effects of Texas Senate Bill 11, which allowed for the concealed carry of firearms starting just this month.

But as Faculty Senate president, Snow has been vocal about his concerns regarding safety for both students and professors.

In the sixth installment of our weekly Bullet Points series, The Cougar interviewed Snow to hear about the concerns of both professors and the faculty senate have over Campus Carry.

The Cougar: Are you for or against Campus Carry? Why? Jonathan Snow: Personally and in my capacity as president of the senate, against campus carry. We had a resolution about campus carry — multiple resolutions in each legislative session going back many years — rejecting the notion of campus carry, and the reason is the that carrying weapons or using weapons in the context of a university is far outside the university tradition in the United States. And, it’s far outside the original vision of the founding fathers when they originally put together universities in the United States. There’s really no originalist argument that you can make about that. People just want to carry their guns and so they want to create something new so that they can carry their guns in the classroom and It’s absolutely against everything the university stands for.

TC: Do you think professors are at risk with guns on campus? Do you feel safe to teach?

JS: I feel safe to teach. The risk to professors is comparatively small. One of my biggest problems with campus carry is not so much the prospect of getting shot, which of course is bad enough.

But it’s a very small risk. it’s a very rare thing to have happen. It’s how the discourse between faculty and students and students will be affected by some fraction of them carrying weapons designed to end human life rapidly.

TC: Do you think that the presence of guns will censor what professors teach? Do you think that’s intentional?

JS: I think each professor would probably answer that in their own way.

Personally, it’s not going to affect the way I teach, simply because I teach a very dry subject. People really don’t get that excited about volcanos in a political, sexual or religious context in a way that could get them angry or upset enough to do something dumb.

Geochemistry professor and Faculty Senate President Jonathan Snow said campus carry seems to be an idea imposed by people who are not part of and do not understand any university community. | Trey Strange/The Cougar And that’s what we’re talking about, too. The danger is really, as Police Chief Moore said, that people sometimes do dumb things. And doing dumb things when you have a gun in your holster is a greater danger to everybody than if you don’t have a gun in your holster.

It’s really hard to impute motive, because I don’t really know that people who wrote the legislation. But for them, it could very well be a win-win-win situation. If you get all the liberal coop professors to leave the state, then you you’ve got less liberal coop professors.

From a certain point of view, that’s a good thing.

If anything, I think it might be an imposition of a certain worldview by people who aren’t a part of the university community. That might also be a way of thinking about it. They simply feel that this is their inherent right, and why should they have to give it up just to step on a university campus, which they have never done very much?

And I think there’s a certain hostility to higher education in the legislature. We see this because higher education is getting hammered by the legislature in funding. We’re getting another budget cut again this year.

TC: Will you teach next semester?

rather unfortunate policy.

“I think that faculty at UH are learning somewhat to adapt to campus carry, but they still don’t like it. Deadly weapons will never be an acceptable part of University life."

Jonathan Snow, Faculty Senate President JS: I’m not teaching next semester but it’s by coincidence. It’s because I’ve been doing so much with the faculty senate that I’ve been given teaching release. I am returning teaching in the Spring. I’m not bolting the University, but like many other faculty, Campus Carry has really made me reassess where my future might lie.

I can’t lie about that. I’m very committed to the University and its mission, but it’s impossible to not think about leaving to other places. I’m certainly not alone.

I think that faculty at UH are learning somewhat to adapt to campus carry, but they still don’t like it. Deadly weapons will never be an acceptable part of university life.

TC: Last year, a University PowerPoint slide was leaked that told professors to not ‘go there.’ How do you feel about the University’s response to

this?

JS: Just to be clear, that wasn’t a University PowerPoint — that was my PowerPoint. That wasn’t university policy being discussed; it was a discussion exactly about the relationship between faculty and students in the context of campus carry amongst faculty. The university administration was not really involved in that discussion.

But the important thing to say about that is that the university administration response to campus carry and their discourse—the faculty on campus carry—has been impeccable. They have, at every turn, been inclusive in responses and involved faculty and students and staff in the planning and decision-making around campus carry.

I’m very proud of our university and the process by which we’ve proceeded to the campus carry policy and dealing with this as a university community. It’s worked out very well even given this

TC: Are there other methods you think the University could have taken to improve safety measure on campus?

Like what?

JS: First off, I dispute the notion that campus carry improves safety. I think that maybe for certain individuals, campus carry improves their feeling of safety. And the whole discussion is about feelings, right? It improves their feeling of safety at the cost of the feeling of safety of everybody else. Some people, then, feel less safe.

In fact, safety is always at the very forefront of people’s thinking at the University.

At the University of Houston, we live at the edge of a couple of struggling communities, and I think the administration is properly cognizant of that. I think that, in fact, if you compare the metric of crime rate between UH and Rice, UH would come off very, very well.

I’m not an expert on campus security — I personally have never felt particularly threatened on campus at night, and I’ve been around here a lot. I spend a lot of time on campus. I hope that’s not naïve.

news@thedailycougar.com

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Emily Burleson, EDITOR

CONSTRUCTION

Cougar Lights ceremony planned to re-open fountain After 18-month wait, event will showcase updated fountain's colored LED lights JULIE ARAICA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Finally, the fountain's back.

After months of construction and years of sitting dry, the Cullen Family Plaza Fountain will reopen with the event Cougar Lights, beginning at 8 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Cullen Family Plaza.

The first 500 guests will receive a commemorative Cougar Lights glow stick. At 9 p.m., an LED light celebration will commence in front of the fountain with remarks by Chancellor and President Renu Khator.

Despite the fountain being closed since winter 2014, actual repairs did not begin until spring 2016. Principal project manager Joujou Zebdaoui said UH Facilities Planning and Construction worked with engineers, contrac-

tors and the campus community to rebuild and preserve the fountain and reflecting pool in the most ideal way.

Zebdaoui said repairs were finished ahead of schedule. “The fountain was shut off to preserve water and money,�

Zebdaoui said. “Our team picked up the project three months ago, so we have actually made quick progress on the project.�

Many students have been anticipating the fountain's reopening. Nancy Du, a psychology graduate and research assistant at the Personality Across Development Lab, has rarely seen the fountain in action. The fountain was closed almost throughout her entire undergraduate year after she transferred to UH in 2014. “The times that they did open it up and filled it with water during events were incredibly nice, and it made the University more welcoming and dynamic,�

Du said. “The fountain is sort of

Although it has been closed for over 18 months, construction on the Cullen Family Plaza Fountain only began after the spring 2016 commencement ceremony on May 14. | Emily Burleson/The Cougar

our own university landmark.�

The fountain was shut down and dried up to work on a number of different problems that had been growing since it was built in 1972. Ground-penetrating radar testing was done

worship DIRECTORY

to determine the extent of the damage, and the tests revealed where the failing concrete joints and the leaking pipes were.

The reflection pool has been a central landscaping feature of UH since 1937. It was transformed into the plaza it is today in 1977 by Fred Buxton & Associates with a donation from the Cullen family.

With its beautified landscaping, seating elements, a bridged walkway across the fountain’s pool and Lee Kelly’s sculpture “Waterfall, Stele and River,� the plaza has since been a popular photo backdrop.

Lush landscaping, shaded areas and relaxing running water sounds made the Cullen

Fountain a place students can gather and study. This makes the repairs not only important to the campus atmosphere, but also the quality of student life.

Now that the fountain is going to be reopened, it will again play an important role in giving students a scenic area to unwind after class or a calm and quiet place to focus on their studies. “I’m excited that it’ll be ready soon,� Du said. “I’ll be on campus randomly to see the sight of students relaxing under beautiful weather with birds chirping and water glistening. It’s a must to see the beautiful fountain reopening.� news@thedailycougar.com

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Students should arrive at Butler Plaza at 8 p.m. on Aug. 26 for the Cougar Lights ceremony. The first 500 attendees will receive a commemorative glow stick, according to event organizers. | Courtesy of Facilities Planning and Construction

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STUDENT LIFE

Financial aid office to help after FAFSA deadline changes DMITRIY BOROVYKH

STAFF WRITER @ ARMADAOFAWESOME

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)'s opening date has officially been moved up from Jan. 1 to Oct. 1.

The Department of Education is implementing this change as the fall term begins for 2016. It is also now possible to use the tax information from the previous year in order to fill out the application.

These changes allow students to complete and submit their applications for grants, low-interest loans and work-study programs earlier than usual. They will also expedite the application-screening process.

“I think the biggest challenge will be in changing the culture, getting students to understand the availability and importance of filing the FAFSA earlier,” said Briget Jans, the executive director of Scholarships and Financial Aid (SFA) at UH.

Those applying for the 20172018 academic year can use their tax information from 2015 to complete the application. The tax info can be accessed directly from the Internal Revenue Service with the "Data Retrieval Tool" that should help avoid any inconsistencies or errors.

The deadlines for FAFSA vary from state to state. In Texas, the applications have to be submitted by March 15.

According to Jans, it is beneficial to submit early to get a quicker response and plan accordingly, even though Texas is not one of the states where applications are processed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“The challenge we face in that it is human nature: many people procrastinate or haven’t really planned ahead,” Jans said. “Often people don’t complete forms or submit documents until they are faced with a deadline — so our processing times are impacted by that.”

Bruce Chao/The Cougar

Jans said that some other sources of aid might also move up their dates in response to these changes and advised students to stay informed about the deadlines. Jans encourages students to contact SFA to work out any issues, for example, if their family financial situations change substantially in the period between filing 2015 taxes and fall 2017.

“About sixty-five percent of my tuition was covered by FAFSA,” said Yritzi Sanchez, a mechanical engineering senior.

Since FAFSA’s introduction in 1992, the process has been gradually improved and simplified. The online application was launched in 1997 and afterward added the ability to share data with IRS. According to Arne Duncan, the former U.S. secretary of educa-

tion, FAFSA gives out $150 billion in loans and grants every year.

In order to be eligible to receive Federal Aid, students have to be a citizen or eligible non-citizen of the U.S., have a valid Social Security number and have a high school diploma or a GED certificate. Another requirement is to be enrolled as a student while maintaining satisfactory academic progress and not having convictions for possession or sale of illegal drugs.

If male, students also have to be registered with selective service.

Mechanical engineering senior Victor Fraja had no issues applying for student aid throughout his academic career, but said that being able to use previous year’s tax information would make it more convenient.

“It might have helped a little bit, but I’ve been fine doing it like it was,” Fraja said. news@thedailycougar.com

UNIVERSITY CAREER SERVICES Fall 2016

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Emily Burleson, EDITOR

NATION

Jill Stein talks her long shot at presidency During the Green Party's convention at UH, Stein campaigned to end the student loan crisis DOUGLAS VAN

firing line. Half of our budget is going to these wars for oil.

Third parties get a bad rap sometimes in U.S. politics.

The leader of one such party, Jill Stein, visited UH early August as the Green Party again nominated her for president. On Wednesday, Stein and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka, will be featured on CNN at 8 p.m. for a town hall session.

While Stein was in town for the Green Party Nominating Convention, reporter Douglas Van of The Cougar spoke with her about millennials' struggles and why we should consider voting third party.

We have a system that’s in meltdown.

The climate is in meltdown as well.

Houston is going to be underwater before too long. This isn’t working. This is our time. This our window to turn it around. This is about our standing up.

People have already rejected politics as usual. The disapproval and dislike of the major party candidates is off the charts.

People don’t have to be persuaded to rebel. They have already rebelled.

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Cougar: During your speech today you talked about student debt as a gateway issue. Can you talk more about that?

Jill Stein: It’s really critical for young people to end that debt. It’s critical that we have free, public higher education going forward. But there is a huge burden for people who are in school now. Until we come to power, there will be no free public higher education. We are going to be accumulating student debt until Greens come to power. It’s a life-changing issue for young people who are locked in debt because you cannot move forward in the current economy. The jobs aren’t there that enable that debt to be paid off. People just live with that debt for decades, really for the rest of their productive lives. It is crippling.

We are seeing a generation that doesn’t have jobs, that doesn’t have a place to live, that doesn’t have health care, that does not have a future to look forward to, that does not have a family. The birth rate is plummeting. This is a sign of a generation in distress, of a human rights crisis which is generational. It’s like the elephant in the room here. How does any side survive by devouring its young? That’s effectively what is happening.

TC: Third parties in this country have had a hard time playing more than an influencing role on the two major parties. Why should people vote Green in this election?

JS: Because we see where politics as usual, the way the game is played, has led us. So, we have lousy jobs. Average workers’ wages are barely above poverty. The jobs that we have are part time and low wage. A generation is trapped in debt. Black lives are on the

TC: In your party’s last two presidential races your campaign only won 0.36 and 0.12 percent of the popular vote. Do you expect to do better now?

What does success look like for you in this election?

JS: So, we’re well above that now. We recently have been at 4,5,6, even 7 percent in the polls. What’s remarkable is that we’ve come up in the polls from essentially invisible about two months ago to 5, 6, and 7 without really any significant media coverage. This is as opposed to Donald Trump who had over $2 billion worth of free media. Hillary Clinton had about $1 billion, Sanders had about half as much as that. And we’ve basically had none, yet we’ve come up doubling, and even tripling our initial standing in the poles.

When you say success, I think success should not be measured for a candidate. Success should be measured for the American people. If we don’t win jobs, if we don’t win a solution for the climate, if we don’t win an end to these catastrophic wars that are only creating worse terrorist threats, failed states, mass refugee migration, if we don’t win an end to this predatory Wall Street economy that is bankrupting working people and throwing them under the bus, we don’t have much of a future.

So, to my mind, it’s not an academic question. This is something we must do. We will fight with every fiber in our body until we win, because this is that day of reckoning. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, it’s a choice between chaos and the common good.

TC: During your press conference immediately following your nomination for the Green Ticket, your running mate, Ajamu Baraka, talked about a Southern electoral strategy. He mentioned that the Democratic Party wrote off much of the South. What is that Southern strategy? Is that a part of why you chose to have your convention at UH? JS: Yes, actually. I think Texas is a good

example of where the Democratic Party has kind of thrown in the towel and doesn’t put up much of a fight, not much of a principled fight, that sets them apart from the Republicans.

Texas is a trend nationwide that when the Democrats become a lesser-evil party, people stop coming out to vote for them. This has been true for quite some time in the South. There are very substantial constituencies that are not being served and that are responsive to a progressive message that the Democrats are not pretending to compete with.

I would maintain that the Democrats are not a progressive party. They have a progressive party line, but their talk is very different from their walk. In the Southern states you don’t even really see the presence of the progressive party line. That’s essentially the Southern strategy, is that people are really hurting for a progressive voice and for a vehicle to fight for jobs, to fight for healthcare, to fight for affordable higher education and to cancel student debt, and the rights of immigrants, to end police violence. These fights are very much alive, but don’t have representation.

That is very much why we wound up in Houston where we had a vibrant Texas Green party that we wanted to support and help lift their voices.

Read Douglas Van's full interview with Jill Stein online at www.thedailycougar.com/news. news@thedailycougar.com

TOP: Delegates for the Green Party nominated their candidate for president, Jill Stein, at the Student Center Theatre as part of their nominating convention.

BOTTOM: Most of the delegates at the convention were Texans, and many are running for city and state office in their home states. | Greg Fails/The Cougar

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | 11

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Emily Burleson, EDITOR

worth the move overseas.

After visiting the Swansea campus, however, Bott acknowledged several things he will miss about UH. “I was just looking around at the town and the campus and I thought ‘I am going to miss the diversity that we have here,’” Bott said. “And there are many of the students [at UH] that are willing to work for what they get. It’s refreshing, and it really makes you want to work with them.”

Bott's legacy

Simon Bott will be leaving UH to restart the chemistry department at the University of Swansea in Wales, U.K. | Courtesy of UH Media Relations

FACULTY

Iconic chemistry professor leaving after 18 years ALEX MEYER

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @ALXMEY

Instructional professor of chemistry Simon Bott has been a fixture at UH for longer than most incoming freshmen have been alive. But he’s leaving before he can teach the newcomers the basics of chemistry and Cougar spirit.

After 18 years as a student-favorite chemistry professor at University of Houston, Bott has decided to move on to the next chapter in his career — as founding professor of the University of Swansea’s chemistry department.

“I know I’m taking away in my heart just great memories, fantastic students and a lot of people that I hope will stay in touch with me for a long time,” Bott said. “I hope I’ve left behind in those students some love for the University and a little bit of chemistry knowledge.”

Over the past decade, Bott has been the recipient of eight awards for his instructional teaching, advising and faculty member excellence.

At annual freshmen orientations, he was often the first college professor the new stu-

dents met, introducing them to the University with his speeches about UH spirit. During Bott’s time at UH, he also published hundreds of works pertaining to organic and inorganic structural chemistry and molecular recognition.

Old and new horizons Although Bott has considered UH home for the majority of his academic career, he was recently offered a position at Swansea University in Wales that he considers an “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“They’re a major university,” Bott said. “Twelve years ago, they closed their chemistry department for funding reasons.

It was a good department but it sort of hit hard times, and now they’re reopening it. I’m going to go over pretty much with a blank canvas to how I want to build a chemistry department.”

Swansea is ranked similarly to UH, but with a leadership not quite as “dynamic” as UH Chancellor and President Renu Khator, Bott said. Even so, he believes the opportunity to assemble a chemistry department with the experience he gained from teaching at UH is

News of his departure before the start of the fall term has saddened many of his former students, whom often compare him to the character “Doc” in the film "Back to the Future."

Public relations senior Kimberly Fulmer considered her first class with Bott one of her most memorable experiences at UH. “There were 550 students lined up to enter the largest teaching auditorium on campus,” Fulmer said. “Dr. Bott brought a student up to the front of the class that was wearing a UT shirt, gave him a UH shirt and told him to change. He was one of my absolute favorite professors because he cared about all 550 of us and our university.”

In addition to holding the Undergraduate Chair position of the Department of Chemistry as well as the Director of the Honors Program in the Health Professions, Bott was the founder and director of the UH PALS and Cougar Trading Cards programs.

Fellow professor of chemistry Steven Baldelli fondly remembers working alongside Bott for the past few years.

“There is no one in our department I admire more than Simon,” said Baldelli. “He has made our chemistry education program one thousand percent better and he will be greatly missed.”

Over the next several weeks, Bott intends to focus on helping his family transition from the U.S. to the U.K., where he was born and earned his undergraduate degree.

In his new position, Bott hopes to utilize his connections at UH to enhance international collaborations, including study abroad, between Swansea and Texas universities, especially UH. He also won’t be leaving behind his never-ending Cougar spirit.

“Of course, I'll probably yell so loudly over there that you'll hear me here when we beat Oklahoma and then get into the Big 12,” Bott said. news@thedailycougar.com

ACROSS 1 Petri dish gel 5 Shoulder-bag feature 10 Compass drawings 14 Be a nomad 15 Conversation piece?

16 Type of bean or milk (Var.) 17 “As before,” in footnotes 18 Numbered highway 19 Diplomat’s skill 20 Shun caution 23 Slightly burn 24 Pure-and-simple 25 Bundling cotton 28 Itsy-bitsy parasite 30 Slack-jawed 31 Attack, as a wasp 33 Greedy sort, animal-wise 36 Abet 40 Combine numbers 41 Natural fertilizer source 42 Jazz legend Fitzgerald 43 A Muppet 44 Market used merchandise 46 Fly-trapping sticky stuff 49 Like a noble gas 51 Stands totally apart 57 Quote, as a passage 58 Salk vaccine target 59 ___ Major (Big Dipper constellation) 60 Oscar winner Guinness 61 In any way 62 Spellbound 63 It gets on one’s nerves 64 Is allowed to, to Shakespeare 65 What anything can be in front of?

DOWN 1 Seed case 2 Vast desert 3 Tel ___, Israel 4 Make a new preliminary sketch, e.g.

5 Bounded 6 Minimal bikini bottom 7 Blush 8 At times it’s upped 9 Your equal in society 10 Very perceptive 11 Celebrity ribbing event 12 Word with “business” or “life” 13 Mythical goat-legged reveler 21 Racket 22 Income’s opposite 25 Cake with a kick 26 Like fine scotch 27 Amount of laundry 28 Japanese soup 29 ___ and outs 31 Leave in haste, as a cat 32 Baker’s dozen minus three 33 Gomer of Mayberry 34 “___ do” (faint praise) 35 Word screamed by soccer announcers 37 FBI worker 38 Junkyard canine 39 Burnout preventer, often 43 Split down the middle 44 Rise in opposition 45 Major time period 46 Part of a sportscast 47 Napoleon’s punishment 48 Building locations 49 Mosaic, for one 50 What manicurists do 52 Email filter target 53 Itsy-bitsy amount 54 Caspian Sea tributary 55 Priority Mail agcy.

56 Final check?

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Emily Burleson, EDITOR

Bruce Chao/The Cougar

RESEARCH

'Drunkorexia' more common than researchers predicted ALEX MEYER

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @ ALXMEY

Research from a UH psychology professor has led to the discovery of a new trend in college students’ drinking habits.

Dipali Rinker, research assistant professor of psychology, studied the risky consumptive habits of college students. She found that “drunkorexia,” defined as a non-medical term that refers to food restriction, excessive

exercising, or binging and purging associated with alcohol use, is used as a way to get drunk faster.

“We know that over and above the frequency and amount that college students

drink, the manner in which they drink puts them at higher risk for experiencing alcoholrelated problems than other populations,” Rinker said.

Rinker’s findings concluded that college athletes were mwore likely to engage in “drunkorexic” behaviors. Although male students were more susceptible, Dipali also discovered that women who engaged in bulimictype behaviors drank more than men who similarly exhibited “drunkorexia.”

“A large predictor of this type of behavior, especially among college students, is that it is considered a very normative and prevalent behavior among average college students,” Rinker said.

The study was based on a survey of 1,184 individuals primarily from Texas colleges and universities. Participants had to be between the ages of 18 and 26, and report at least one heavy drinking episode in the previous 30 days to the study.

Of the total participants, 481 students were from UH. Fine arts sophomore and sorority member Annie Smith (alias to protect privacy) didn’t know college students intentionally stopped eating to get drunker faster until she witnessed her friends do just that.

Smith considers social media the principal catalyst for this type of behavior.

“We’re constantly being force-fed images of skinny girls in bikinis with bottles of vodka in each hand,” Smith said. “As if having to be a size four or below to be deemed skinny wasn’t enough, we also have to be able to hold copious amounts of liquor and stay out until two in the morning or risk being labeled a ‘grandma.’”

Houston-based eating disorder specialist and dietitian Amanda Holben agrees that “drunkorexia”

is definitely something to be aware of on college campuses.

“I often see college students who engage in patterns of calorie restriction during the day to ‘prepare’ for the calories they will ingest by going out at night,” Holben said. “The obvious concern is that the individual is more susceptible to the adverse reactions to alcohol due to drinking on an empty stomach.”

In some cases, Holben said an individual may self-induce vomiting after drinking to void any calories they consumed from drinking. She also sees frequent instances of “cross-addiction” in which an individual utilizes both eating disorders and alcohol consumption to lessen emotional distress or be “numbed.”

An intervention may be a successful way to address individuals who are engaging in “drunkorexia,” Rinker said. She encourages interventions that include “normative feedback” for each individual so they can understand the risks of their behavior.

“The way it works is that we present back to the student how many drinks they drink, how many they think the average college student drinks, which is typically much higher than their own drinking, and then report how much the actual college student drinks,” Rinker said.

“Seeing this discrepancy does work to reduce risky drinking levels.”

To Smith, measures to prevent risky drinking behavior seem to be lacking in college communities.

“We need to encourage students to put themselves first and teach them how to do so,” Smith said. “Too many college students have resulted to extremes because they simply don’t know better.” news@thedailycougar.com

SPORTS

EDITOR Reagan Earnst EMAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/sports

OFFENSE PG. 2

A one-two punch Senior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. has some new firepower in the backfield with running back Duke Catalon, who's ready to finally show what he can do.

2 | Wednesday, August 17, 2016

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Reagan Earnst, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

After two years of waiting, Catalon's ready to shine REAGAN EARNST

SPORTS EDITOR

@REAGANEARNST

The 2016 college football season is less than a month away, and the start does not come a moment too soon for one member of the football team.

Redshirt sophomore running back Duke Catalon is in his third season as a DUKE collegiate CATALON RUNNING BACK athlete, but he has yet to see game action.

“I’m eager. It’s been a long time,” Catalon said. “I’m kind of nervous because (OU) will be my first game; I’m ready to get on the field and play.”

A Houston-native, Catalon attended Eisenhower High School in the Aldine Independent School District.

Dominating on the gridiron, the 210-pound tailback impressed scouts and was quickly touted as a four-star prospect and as the twenty-fifth best player in a state known for producing outstanding football talent.

Following his senior season, the University of Texas came knocking. Former UT co-offensive coordinator and now current UH offensive coordinator Major Applewhite recruited the running back out of high school and was a driving force in Catalon’s decision to attend UT. “I just liked him,” Applewhite said. “The more time I spent with him, talked to him about his mother and talked to him about his dad and his siblings and what kind of kid he was from peewee to junior high to high school, he’s just a really great name in the community.”

Catalon accepted a scholarship offer with the Longhorns and began fall practice months later. Lost in the bevy of talented running backs on the Longhorns’ roster, Catalon would redshirt his freshman season and postpone his college career.

At the start of 2014, a change in the coaching regime at UT led Applewhite to step down from his position at the university.

With a similar change happening at UH, Tom Herman was hired and wanted Applewhite to be his play-caller.

Catalon (middle) chose to transfer to UH after coach Applewhite accepted the offensive coordinator job for the Cougars. As a Houston native, the running back was ready to return home. | UH Athletics Courtesy Photo

With the familiarity gone, Catalon announced he would transfer to UH on Aug. 19, 2015. Due to NCAA eligibility rules, the former UT running back would have to sit out yet another season.

“I’m from Houston, so it was home,” Catalon said. “I got recruited by coach Applewhite when he was at Texas, so I just thought it was a great fit to come here. I’d rather be at home with Coach Applewhite.”

Catalon is a reticent guy and Herman admits that he wasn’t sure what to make of his new running back in the beginning.

As a player who transferred from arguably the most high-profile football program in the nation to a Group of Five school in Houston’s Third Ward, it was tough to gauge how the 19-year-old would respond.

Although it took a bit longer,

Applewhite’s views on Catabacks Ryan Jackson and Kenlon eventually rubbed off on neth Farrow thinning out the Herman, who has big expecCougars’ depth, the starting job tations for his newest starting belongs to Catalon. running back.

Heisman-hopeful quarterback “I really Greg Ward like Duke,” Jr. is excited Herman said. to have him “Took me a on the field while to like as well. Ward him, because knows a he’s such a strong runquiet guy, ning game I thought will make he was a his job much ‘too cool for easier and is school guy.’ hoping that Turns out Tom Herman, Head Coach is exactly he was just what hapreally serious pens. and really “Duke is a focused, and that’s okay. He’s a great player,” Ward said. “He is punishing runner. When you hit going to make a lot of plays. He him, you feel it, not the other takes a lot of the pressure off me way around.” running the ball.”

With the exit of running Despite entering his third

"He's a punishing

runner. When you hit him, you feel it, not the other way around."

year of college and enduring hundreds of grueling practices, Catalon does not yet see himself as a vocal leader on the team.

Instead, the redshirt-sophomore follows the leadership of Ward, who Catalon says already knows how to get to a bowl game.

When he takes the field on Sept. 3 to take on the University of Oklahoma at NRG Stadium, it will be the first chapter in a story that has had a far-toolengthy prologue. Two years of practices have prepared him for this moment, and he is ready to seize the opportunity.

“I felt like I just wanted to stop at one point, but I just had to keep on going,” Catalon said.

“It’s my first time in two years to come out and play so I’m just trying to do whatever coach wants me to do.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | 3

Saturday, August 20th | 4-7 PM | Lynn Eusan Park

PARTY IN THE

PARK

Kick off the semester with free food, music, games and giveaways at Lynn Eusan Park!

uhcsd@central.uh.edu 713-743-5400 or uhcsd@central.uh.edu.

Sponsored by the Center for Student Involvement, Center for Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Housing and Residential Life, Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Baptist Student Ministries, Church at UH and the Center for Student Media.

If you will need accommodations for this event, please contact the Center for Students with DisABILITIES, uhcsd@central.uh.edu 713-743-5400 or uhcsd@central.uh.edu.

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VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball making each day of practice count JONATHAN VALADEZ

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @JONOUNSEEN

One season removed from an eighth-place finish in the American Athletic Conference, the Cougars volleyball team will look to compete for the conference championship by conquering the basics and taking it one day at a time.

“We’re doing a lot of simple things that are fundamental that we’ve got to master to be good,” Fifth-year head coach Kaddie Platt said. “For us, it’s just about getting better every day.”

Under Platt’s direction, the Cougars will build a foundation through working on things like ball control, footwork and passing. Platt is also looking for her veteran players to step up and help the younger players with their skill work.

The volleyball team enters the season with 10 returning players and a bevy of transfers and 10-10254_Cougar Newspaper freshmen, some of whom will be

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After a 19-13 season in 2015, many believe that volleyball could be even better in 2016. | Jonathan Valadez/The Cougar

expected to play right away.

“We’ve got a talented (incoming) group, and the returners know that they’re pretty talented, " Platt saud, "Then we had some transfers come in the spring who should contribute right away on the court."

The Cougars will not have many holes to fill, as they lost August_PRINT.pdf 8/15/16 2:52 PM only four players2to graduation.

However, they took a hit to their defense with the departure of libero Olivia O’Dell.

While Platt believes that she will not be able to replace O'Dell's four years of experience and skill, she is looking forward to seeing the defensive specialists who came in this year compete for the job.

“I think when you can create

a competitive environment like that, it’s going to make everyone better,” Platt said.

O’Dell was also the leader in digs for the team, but the Cougars will return the players who led in several other statistical categories, such as redshirt-sophomore middle blocker Chenelle Walker and sophomore outside hitter Brookah Palmer. They led the team in blocks and kills, respectively.

During her freshman year, Palmer started in all 32 matches and won All-AAC First Team honors. Walker also played in all 32 matches and had the highest attack percentage of anyone on the team.

While Platt said that Palmer will be able score points in bunches, Walker has other advantageous intangibles, like her leadership qualities, that statistics can't measure.

Another player looking to make an impact for the Cougars is junior setter Keandra McCar-

dell, who led the team in assists.

McCardell believes the Cougars can compete for a conference title as long as they stay consistent throughout the year.

“Last season, we started out really strong and then as the season started to go we kind of fell off a little bit," McCardell said.

"We started to play with teams instead of dominating them, like how we did in the beginning.”

Whether the Cougars will move up to the next tier in the conference remains to be seen.

For the time being, however, Platt and company are starting out with a new canvas that they will gradually turn into a masterpiece.

“Really, it’s as simple as we’re trying to get better every single day and for them to grow as people and teammates and players,” Platt said. “That’s the foundation of what we’re trying to do.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | 5

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Reagan Earnst EDITOR

Brian Bell (left) and Amere Lattin (right) have their sights set on bringing another American Athletic Conference title to UH after competing for the USA in Poland over the summer. | | UH Campus Photography

TRACK

Successful summer inspires runners PETER SCAMARDO

STAFF WRITER

Over the summer, several members of the Cougar track and field team competed at the 2016 International Association of Athletics Federations World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

For sophomore sprinter Amere Lattin and sophomore mid-distance runner Brian Bell, this experience competing for the U.S. national team has given them greater motivation for future competitions. It also has them primed for the upcoming indoor track season that begins this fall.

“It’s an experience, really it is,” Lattin said. “Being able to do it not once, but twice. I can’t be any more happy to be able to bring a teammate with me.

There’s nothing like traveling overseas with the USA team.

When you’re there you’re like superstars, everybody there wants to be around the USA, so it’s the greatest feeling in the world.”

Lattin and Bell were able to continue their successes from the outdoor track and field season where both men took home conference titles and qualified for the nationals in Oregon.

In Poland, Lattin reached the

Brian Bell hopes to use his experiecence at the U20 Championships to his advantage in the indoor track & field this fall. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

finals for the 110m hurdles and took silver with a time of 13.30s.

Bell also reached the finals for the 800m, but was not able to make the podium. However, Bell sees his time in Poland as a building experience that will propel him to further accomplishments in the future.

“It was a real blessed opportunity,” Bell said. “Something I’d been training for all season.

It was a goal, making the team and it was a goal, finishing top eight in the final. By making this team, it only gave me motivation

for my next goals.”

Success has come fast in Bell's short time running for the Cougars.

Highly sought after out of high school, the Ohio native could have gone to any school in the country.

Buying into the message of Coach Leroy Burrell and Coach Carl Lewis’ system, Bell came to Houston to create his own legacy.

By setting school records, winning conference titles and breaking personal records, the

trip to Poland only legitimized what was already a stellar debut season for Bell.

“Brian’s actually a really talented kid,” Lattin said. “He has to get his head on right and continue to train at the highest ability he can. Brian’s capable of shaving times that are magnificent because he works extremely hard. If he can just continue to do what he’s doing, he’ll be OK. If he continues to stay headstrong and focused then he’ll win many championships, world championships.”

Lattin, on the other hand, had the benefit of training with Issac Williams, who is arguably one of the best hurdlers for the Cougars in the last several years.

Coupled with the fact he got to push himself daily with fellow top recruit Marcus McWilliams, both had tremendous success last year.

The runners split conference titles: McWilliams with the 60m hurdles in the indoor and Lattin with the 110m hurdles in the outdoor.

But now with Williams gone, Lattin and McWilliams will be considered to fill the leadership role.

“It’s been a storybook season,” Lattin said. “I’m writing chapters in my book, and I’m not

stopping 'til it’s full. Now that Issac is gone, that leadership role falls on Marcus and I, we have to lead the rest of the pack and show everyone the ways things are supposed to be done.

"We showed that any freshman could do it. Not just special freshmen — anyone can do it just as long as you come in and train. That’s what we did, and that’s what helped us stay together and be so successful on the collegiate level.”

Coaches Burrell, Lewis and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie are attending the Olympics right now, but upon their return, they will focus on having the Cougars winning as many events as possible, and having the best possible times and scores the fall's indoor track season.

“I just want to feel confident enough in my training and compete in every race like I did last season,” Bell said. “Really try to win and set bigger records this year, as in national records, as in world records. Coach Lewis says if I’m not in it to be the best, then why do it? I really want to motivate the whole team on a national level and show the world that Houston is the best track team in the nation.” sports@thedailycougar.com

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FOOTBALL

Inexperience a non-issue for Cougars' secondary JONATHAN VALADEZ

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @JONOUNSEEN

When the Cougars’ defense takes the field against the University of Oklahoma on Sept. 3, there will be some new faces at various positions.

The secondary lost the most starters of any group following last season, as William Jackson III, Adrian McDonald and Trevon Stewart graduated. Jackson III was selected in the first round of the NFL draft, while McDonald is competing for a spot on the San Diego Chargers roster.

“It’s hard to replace 3000–3500 game reps with Adrian (McDonald) and William Jackson and Trevon Stewart,” Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said. “You’re not going to replace a first-rounder with somebody that doesn’t have his experience or just his athleticism.”

The only remaining starter from last year’s American Athletic Con-

Last season, Brandon Wilson was the only player in the nation to score on offense, defense and special teams. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

ference Championship secondary, Brandon Wilson, was a Swiss Army knife of sorts. He was called on to play defense, special teams and offense.

This year, Wilson is expected to play only in the secondary. He knows that it’ll be up to him to ensure that the incoming corners and safeties are up to the task of

replacing NFL-caliber talent.

“I’m going to have to step up and be a leader and lead the younger guys and the guys that are not as experienced,” Wilson said.

Sophomore safeties Garrett Davis and Joeal Williams, junior safety Khalil Williams, and sophomore cornerbacks Howard Wilson and Jeremy Winchester

are expected to compete for the remaining slots in the secondary.

Most of the mentioned players have logged some game time, but many of the minutes have come while on special teams. Players like Khalil Williams have seen some time in the secondary, but only when an injury occurred or when the defense went into a nickel package that called for five defensive backs.

While many players have limited playing time, Orlando believes the secondary can become a solid unit and make up for their inexperience because of who is coaching them.

“We’ve got two of the best defensive back coaches in the country,” Orlando said. “To me, it goes back to your teacher. If you don’t have the experience, your teacher has to take you through the place you are going to get and try to gain that experience in the classroom.”

Despite how well the secondary was perceived last season, they actually ranked near the bottom of

Division I schools in passing yards allowed. Much of the defense’s success came against the run, where they ranked in the top 10.

Head coach Tom Herman believes that for a corner to do his job well, a pass rusher must be able to put pressure on the quarterback.

Fox Sports said the Cougars are projected to have a top-10 defensive line that should be able to get after a quarterback and, using Herman’s logic, ultimately help the secondary cover their receivers downfield.

While Herman believes that a strong pass rusher will benefit the unproven secondary, he and Orlando have faith that the crew will be well prepared when the season rolls around.

“The talent is there,” Herman said. “It’s youthful and it’s inexperienced, but it’s physically and mentally mature enough and will be ready.” sports@thedailycougar.com

FOOTBALL

Impact of OU game will be felt all season long NICHOLAS WILLIAMSON STAFF WRITER

It’s not often that the first game of a season holds as much weight as the Cougars' in 2016 —especially when they face the University of Oklahoma Sooners on Sept. 3.

In the playoff-era of college football, every game is critiqued harsher than ever before. The Cougars will open their season versus a Big 12 Conference power, providing them with an early opportunity to make a forceful statement to the nation.

With Big 12 expansion speculations looming, the Cougars have been gifted the opportunity to prove they are capable of competing with another Power-Five opponent.

The opener will also have a drastic effect on the entire College Football Playoff landscape at the end of the season.

The outcome and manner in which the game is played will be an influencing agent in playoff committee discussions.

In the two seasons that the playoff system has been used in college football, the playoff committee has proven they do

Rest time is over for the Cougars as they are scheduled to open their season against the No. 3 ranked University of Oklahoma Sooners in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff at NRG Stadium | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

not favor Group of Five teams with weaker schedules and insignificant wins. Although the Cougars eventually landed in the Peach Bowl, many considered them under-ranked for much of the season.

Barring any significant injuries or upsets, the Cougars are expected to run the table in the American Athletic Conference. A solid showing against Oklahoma combined with a conference championship will likely spell

another automatic bid for a New Year’s Six bowl game.

However, a win against Oklahoma would mean much more for the Cougars. It surely will shake up the entire playoff selection process this season.

An undefeated Cougars team would make the selection process difficult for the committee.

They would be forced to consider putting a Group of Five team in the Top 4 to battle for a national championship for the first time.

Although this has yet to happen, there is precedent set for the Cougars’ case as being a top ranked team.

In 2016, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes were controversially ranked in the Top 4 due to their undefeated record although their schedule lacked quality wins.

This bodes well for the Cougars entering 2016 despite being a Group of Five team. The committee has proven they will

reward perfection over strength of schedule in most cases.

Perfection is a goal the Cougars have been adamant about achieving, after falling short by only one game last season.

The opportunity for the Cougars to break through the glass ceiling set over Group of Five universities is here. With a playoff system that is tailored toward the Power Five, and has recently favored the Southeastern Conference, the Cougars are facing an uphill battle.

Besides Oklahoma, later matchups against the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and University of Louisville Cardinals prove the quality games are there for the Cougars.

The outcome against Oklahoma will not affect football’s quest for another conference championship, but it has the potential to propel the season to new heights.

When the Cougars face off against Oklahoma, they will be looking to continue to prove that they are not just a "Group of Five Cinderella story." sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | 7

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SOCCER

Soccer shifts focus to future after troubled past REAGAN EARNST

SPORTS EDITOR @REAGANEARNST

They wake up before the sun rises, get their equipment and make their way to the Carl Lewis Complex for the first day of fall workouts. In the scorching Houston climate that provides enough humidity to suffocate, the girls of the UH soccer team are beginning to prepare for a season in which they have much to prove.

It hasn’t been easy for the upperclassmen of the soccer team, though.

The team has been bad for three consecutive seasons. Not just miss-the-postseason-bad, but historically bad. In these last three seasons combined, the team has managed just a 6-36-8 overall record and is still searching for their first American Athletic Conference victory at 0-25-1.

“It’s hard to put in the work everyday just like other teams are and not see results,” Junior midfielder Kristina Schulz said.

“It’s just hard to kind of regroup the girls and be like ‘we need to keep working.’ What we’re doing is obviously not good enough, we need to keep going to not lose and have faith in this program.”

Many people have never considered what it is like to be a member of a struggling collegiate athletic team.

From the outside looking in, it’s easy to see the perks of being a student-athlete. Most, however, do not recognize the sacrifice it actually takes, especially when things are not going your way. Imagine how easy it must be to lose sight of your team’s goals when the victories become scarce.

Selena Peters, the second leading scorer last season. looks to use her experience and leadership to help soccer turn the corner in 2016. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

“It’s definitely made a lot of us more humble because we came from top-select soccer teams in high school and we were used to just smashing everyone," Junior Selena Peters said. "Then we come here and it’s just like ‘what the heck happened?' It has made a lot of us more humble and now we know we are taking steps in the right direction. We’re just ready to take over.”

An unfortunate byproduct of the team’s lack of success has been stunted attendance numbers. In 2015, the soccer team had an average home attendance of just 166 fans per game. To put

Sophomore Hayley Hubbard hopes to use her freshman season as a learning experience for the future.| Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

"We work really hard

every single day to be the best. It may not show up from the score yet, but we're getting there.

Hayley Hubbard, Defender that number into perspective, the team averaged about 506 fans per game while on the road.

The team admits that they can feel a surge of motivation when playing in front of sizable crowds, something that rarely happens while playing on their home field. The players admit that when they see their friends and fans filing in, it gives them extra motivation to succeed.

Looking to the future, sophomore Hayley Hubbard believes that the extra work the team has put in will go a long way for their success in 2016.

“We work really hard every single day to be the best. It may not show up from the score yet, but we’re getting there,” Hubbard said.

Soccer’s trials have not come

in vain, but have served as an wimportant learning experience that the team hopes to use to their advantage going forward.

With more experience and cohesion, soccer believes that they corner as a program.

“Now we’ve been through two seasons with most of us together and we know how to react to things. We know how teams are going to play, and so I feel like it’s just raw experience for us now,” Schulz said. “We know what it feels like to not win a game. It’s just a reminder every time we step on that field that we don’t want to lose again.”

Knowing that they need to change the narrative that surrounds their team, players have gone as far as staying at other teammates' houses this summer

to get extra practice together.

The NCAA prohibits coaches from organizing these types of events, but there is no rule against players going out of their way to practice with their team while on vacation.

As one of the leaders on the team, Peters thinks that improving next season begins with a two-step approach.

“We need to get these freshmen and newcomers adjusted to our style of play,” Peters said.

“The last step is our mental focus and staying mentally into the game because in the last minute we would all break down mentally.”

The women’s soccer team understands what they need to do to be successful. They appear to be taking steps in the right direction.

Despite all they have been through, the team still does not lack any confidence. The players are anxious to get back on the field and believe they will surprise a lot of people.

“We have a lot of heart. It shows on the field, it shows in practice,” Peters said. “Our goal is to go undefeated, we want to win the conference tournament.” sports@thedailycougar.com

OPINION

EDITOR Frank Campos EMAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/opinion

ESSAY PG. 2

Are your guns really worth it?

An editor's personal brush with the military's gun culture and why we need gun control legislation more than ever.

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

GUN CONTROL

We need gun control now more than ever

I

’ll never forget the day I finally decided to join the military.

At 19, I walked into a recruiter’s office and started asking questions.

A couple of weeks later, I was sitting in front of a man FRANK CAMPOS offering a sixOPINION EDITOR year contract and bonus if I signed up to become an infantryman.

For me, it was a no-brainer.

No, not because I loved guns since my youth and my pappy took me hunting every year.

Actually, I had only two choices after I took the Army aptitude test, and I couldn’t see myself driving a truck for the military.

So, there I was, one year out of high school and raising my hand to join the Army. Just a young kid looking for fun and a little adventure. A few weeks later, I was handed an M4A1 semiautomatic assault rifle. I was also told that it would be there for me — as long as I treated it right and learned how to use it properly.

These weapons are nothing fancy, but are easy to use and maintain. They are perfect for a large military because they are deadly when used properly and don’t need a lot of attention.

Now, more than 10 years later, rifles like the M4 Carbine have become some of the most popular guns purchased by consumers today. But they are also a staple for mass shootings in the United States.

As reports became clearer, the country realized this was not just a domestic dispute or a fight gone out of control. This was much worse — something that has become all too familiar in a supposedly civilized society.

Certain factions don't realize that access to and want for guns slowly kills us. The violence and death will continue until we drastically change our laws to reflect the time we live in today.

I headed to Baghdad, Iraq for my first deployment just a little more than a year after the Army first gave me my rifle. I spent a more than two years in Iraq during two deployments.

Twice, I spent time in Baghdad and Sadr City patrolling the streets, conducting missions and spending almost every day outside "the wire," a phrase referring to soldiers leaving the safety of the base for a military operation.

My rifle became part of my everyday life, as danger and death felt constant out on the streets or when we raided houses. The necessity of a semiautomatic rifle and a 30-round magazine is unquestionable when you consider the dangers of a war zone.

Despite what fearmongers

“The necessity of a semi-automatic rifle and a 30-round magazine is unquestionable when you consider the dangers of a war zone."

Waking up I started writing this right after the tragedy that happened in the engineering building on the University of California, Los Angeles campus. Right before I finished, I woke up on June 12 and put on the news to rumors and early reports of a nightclub shooting in Orlando.

I didn't realize it then, but I had just slept through the deadliest massacre in modern U.S. history.

At 2 a.m. Sunday morning, a shooter entered Pulse nightclub, a well-known establishment among the LGBTQ community, and committed an atrocious act.

Forty-nine were killed and 53 were hospitalized.

ignore the children, who might injure themselves or just end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, on the mere principle of keeping gun laws unchanged.

An obvious change is needed.

Although it won’t fix the problem, adding an extensive background Successful lobbying from the National Rifle Association has led to a craze over firearms and heavy check, a weaponry, especially among military personnel and veterans; as a result, many loopholes allow people complete | on the no-fly list and at gun shows to get guns without a license. Frank Campos/The Cougar mental health evaluation terrorism to feed on your fears. not apply to people who buy, sell and a better safety mechanism The NRA and pro-gun or trade guns privately. on each weapon could do lobbyists have placed this Through tears, Obama wonders to prevent countless country into a political war. We called people to look past gun-related tragedies. are against each other when, their political affiliations and together, we could save lives. concentrate on the innocent Change of heart Too many times our president people dying across the country.

The life I lived during my six has stood in front of the nation Obama also hosted a live years in the military was filled begging for a change — not town hall session to discuss with guns. And I loved it.

When we were deployed, the relationship between soldier and weapon is obvious. Back in the States, it was all about who knew the most about guns, who had the most badass gun at home and who could shoot the best.

Back then, I was a staunch Republican who, at the time, hated the thought of Obama and his left-wing ideals like gun control. For so many years, I have lived hating the idea that someone would try to take for the sake of re-election or gun control. Many expected the away my guns or limit people front-page relevance, but for the NRA to take the opportunity from purchasing whatever they people who have died from gun to discuss their opposition to wanted. violence over the years.

Obama, but were ultimately Like many soldiers, my love They will continue to fall disappointed when the for firearms extended past my because of a divided country organization declined to attend service and into my daily life. that can't seem to place lives the “spectacle event.”

The relationship changed on first.

This is the same NRA who the seventh month of my second have continuously fought to deployment to Iraq. The crazy Ignoring what’s right make gun purchasing as easy as part was that it wasn't related With so many yearly possible — the same NRA who with my tour of duty. Back in shootings, Obama issued has also donated millions of the U.S., on the same base I was executive orders at the dollars to senators to influence assigned, Major Nidal Malik beginning of the year to help gun control legislature.

Hasan killed 13 and wounded prevent the loophole that While children suffer from more than 30 unarmed soldiers granted people the right to buy gun violence, conservatives before their deployment. a gun without a background seem content with more death JUMP HEADLINE check at gun shows. and pain as long as they can Continues on next page Unfortunately, this still does polish their guns at night. They

may tell the country, we don’t need easy access to guns like the ones used by soldiers in Iraq to feel safe. We are not in a war zone. We need to figure out a way to ensure firearms do not get into the wrong hands because of loopholes in the law and an outdated background check system.

The argument that we focus too much on gun control and too little on the actual issue of terrorism is the exact problem and a reflection of the National Rifle Association pundits' cowardice. They would rather distract you away from the topic of gun control and bring up

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GUN CONTROL

Continued from previous page It was later discovered that Hasan had a documented history of red flags and odd behavior linked to radical Islam.

Hasan, an army psychiatrist, was able to walk into Guns Galore LLC — a gun shop many soldiers frequented — and easily obtained the gun he used in the massacre.

Just eight months earlier, my battalion and I were in the same building and going through the same process as the unfortunate soldiers. One among the fallen was six-weeks pregnant and returning from a rotation to a foreign outpost.

This tragedy showed a lot of people just how vulnerable we were as a country. We were fighting two wars overseas; at home, another one brewed.

After finishing my second tour, I stayed in the Army for almost two more years, but the love I had built for guns started to fade away. I finished my second enlistment in May 2012, honorably.

Less than five years after the Fort Hood shooting, a soldier with mental and behavioral health issues walked into the same gun shop, purchased a gun and killed four people before military police ended his rampage.

Opinion Editor Frank Campos, who toured twice as an infantryman in the U.S. Army, spent time in Iraq and, like most military members, learned to both love and respect firearms. | Frank Campos/The Cougar

“This is not 1700, 1980 or 2000. It is 2016, and individuals trying to get their hands on guns and kill innocent people are running amok. Change the laws.”

The life of an infantryman is rarely glamorous. | Frank Campos/The Cougar

This is not isolated.

Incidents like the ones in Aurora, Colorado; Newtown, Connecticut; and San Bernardino, California have reaffirmed my belief in the need for stricter gun laws.

I believe in the right to bear arms, but current gun laws should not stay the same.

With so many men, women and children who have died at the hands of unlawful gun ownership, only change makes sense.

Even now as a veteran, I go to the shooting range for hours on the weekends. I'm usually

wearing a shirt depicting a muscle-bound bald eagle with a combat helmet and the phrase “Back-to-Back World War Champs” proudly placed in front of the American flag.

As important as it has become for me to own a gun to protect my two children and wife, I — like many other individuals with common sense — have decided to set aside my infatuation with guns and instead support gun control and stricter gun laws.

Work in progress Having a deeper background check and expecting a complete mental health evaluation will

cost consumers and might be a major hassle. I know that.

Nonetheless, it would be worth it to save just one life.

It is also common sense. I don’t get why changing policies to help protect law-abiding citizens is so hard for people to grasp. Changing laws that will lead to the same thing, gun ownership, does not equate to taking your guns away.

And it's not just a conservative thing. Marcus Luttrell, a known conservative and war hero whom actor Mark Wahlberg portrayed in “Lone Survivor,” has a surprising reaction to the thought of stricter gun laws: He agrees with Obama.

Technology grows rapidly in the U.S. — including the gun industry. Almost daily, all types of cool toys are added to shelves.

It’s about time to call for a better safety mechanism for guns that are soon to be on the market.

If we can have a fingerprint scanner on our smartphones, there is no reason major gun manufacturers can't figure out similar technology to expand gun safety for owners and their children.

This technology could also deter criminals from stealing

guns — or make it at least a little harder for them to use one.

This is not 1700, 1980 or 2000.

It is 2016, and individuals trying to get their hands on guns and kill innocent people are running amok. Change the laws.

We are so quick to respond to the tragic death of a gorilla, but, in Chicago alone, 69 people were shot over Memorial Day weekend. The shooting resulted

in six deaths, and yet there was almost no word from the media.

Now, with yet another tragedy happening, I wonder if this is the moment in our history that will get us all to realize that gun control isn't a farce. The real joke lies in thinking we are safe because we have access to guns.

Those 69 people should be the last to die because of inaction on gun control.

Twenty children from Newton, Connecticut deserve these changes.

Thirteen soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas will never see their families again because nothing has changed.

Fourteen people from San Bernardino, California died because the NRA fought hard to keep gun laws the same.

And 49 people in Orlando have died at the hands of a man who walked into a gun shop and reveled at the easy access to guns.

It could be triple digits next time.

Sadly, this will likely not be the last time this year news outlets report on a heinous body count, innocents perishing and a country that remains divided, despite gun control being the obvious answer.

We need to realize that something must be done. Stop hiding behind the Second Amendment. This is more than politics. It's too important to be pushed off as a too polarizing issue that can't be solved.

It’s time we prioritize human life and change laws to benefit society and discourage mass shootings around the country.

Opinion editor Frank Campos is a media production senior and may be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com

Campos changed his views on gun control after the Fort Hood Shooting, in which 13 servicepeople in Texas were killed. | Frank Campos/The Cougar

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | 5

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OPINION

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

With multiple gyms on campus, the new app Pokemon Go has exploded at the university. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Clinton has lied and gotten away with it — don't reward her with the presidency. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Pokemon Go: the good and bad

HILLARY CLINTON

When it comes to voting, no way in Hill

H

illary Clinton cannot be trusted with the lives of 320 million Americans.

Clinton has flip-flopped on countless issues. She lied under oath about Benghazi and lied to the FBI about the CRYSTAL email scandal.

ROSE She cannot COLUMNIST even handle classified emails as the secretary of state, and yet, half the nation is ready to give her the most powerful position in the country.

In September 2012, a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi was attacked resulting in the death of four Americans. The facility was warned of the attack two days prior and had requested increase of security numerous times. They received none.

During the event, Clinton told the public that it was an act of terror, even though she knew full well that it was a terrorist attack.

An act of terror is about intimidating or coercing to attain political or religious gains. A terrorist attack is a surprise, purposeful violent act against civilians to obtain political or religious gains.

Prior to the attack, a YouTube video smeared Islam’s image. The Obama administration initially claimed the video sparked protests which developed into the attack.

Clinton repeatedly said for several days that the attack was due to the video. However, a Libyan terrorist group said the attack “had been planned for approximately one month” and the soldiers were “well-trained, hardened killers.”

Eventually, Clinton admitted that it

POKEMON

was a purposeful, violent terrorist attack which had nothing to do with the video.

Many reports concerning Benghazi reveal mixed reviews about whether Clinton knew of the Americans’ request of security or not. A U.S. Senate committee says she is innocent. I can accept that ruling.

What is unacceptable is her statement during the committee,“What difference, at this point, does [the reason for their deaths] make?” The reason makes a huge difference. Insight can be given for who is responsible, what procedures should change, and most importantly, can bring closure to the families.

Clinton has deleted numerous classified emails despite what she claims was an an innocent mistake. FBI Director James Comey said that out of the 33,000 deleted emails, 113 contained classified information,and three of those had classification markers.

Clinton claimed that she never sent or received classification information. Although Comey called her mail setup “extremely careless,” he said that she generally dealt with classified information in an appropriate way.

Months after Comey investigated Clinton and she still sticks to her pinholed story, Comey responded, “Participants who know or should know that the subject matter is classified are still obligated to protect it.”

She said that she has taken responsibility for her actions, but all I have seen from her is lying about the transportation of them and borderline telling the truth about it. If that is responsibility, then sure, she has gone above and beyond.

Clinton flip-flopped on many

issues, one of which is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

She explained the purpose of TPP is to “lower barriers, raise standards, and drive long-term growth across the region. It will cover 40 percent of the world's total trade and establish strong protections for workers and the environment.

Better jobs with higher wages and safer working conditions, including for women, migrant workers … rebalance the global economy."

Originally, she was all-in and wholeheartedly supported it. She referred to it as the “gold standard” for providing Americans with new, better jobs.

Recently, she changed her mind and said that she “hoped it would be the gold standard,” implying hesitation in the decision. If that was really what she said, then why did she also say that it will be “cutting-edge,” “high-quality,” “innovative” and “ambitious” if she questioned its ability to help Americans? She would not.

She believed in the cause, but backtracked and covered up the truth.

Scandals also follow the Clinton family. First it was former President Bill Clinton with the Whitewater scandal, and now two scandals, Benghazi and the emails, from the wife.

How many times will she get involved in a scandal and get away with it? How many times must Americans have to turn a blind eye to her wrongs? The answer should be none.

Do not be pressured into voting for Clinton this November. I know I won't.

Crystal Rose is a corporate communications senior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

A

dults and adolescents are revisiting their childhood after the release of Pokémon Go in the US in July.

Social media has seen many fads come and go, but Pokémon Go should be considered a success among failures.

Like any wildly popular trend, the CAPRICE Pokémon CARTER COLUMNIST Go app has seen its fair amount of opposition.

"Pokémon Go is an augmented reality game that uses real-world aspects and overlays the magical, slightly deranged world of Pokémon in a thinly-veiled ploy to get people out of their houses and exercising for once.”-AJ Willingham, CNN The app requires the player to travel to the Pokémon in order to catch it. Sometimes, it's several miles, and often on foot. To many, it has become a source of exercise and a way to socialize.

Within the week of the app's debut, Pokémon Go had become a hit, and the amount of people milling the streets in search of Pokémon was staggering.

A few weeks in and the excitement has cooled, but the opposition is steady. Iran recently became the first to ban Pokémon Go, citing security concerns, although some believe it is to stop the Pokémon effect that brings hordes of trainers to one area for hours on end.

A class action lawsuit was filed by a New Jersey resident against Pokémon Go creators, Niantic Lab, after players began loitering outside of his home and knocking on his

door in order to gain access to Pokémon.

Many players of the game are willing to do anything to get their hands on a rare or even common Pokemon, including trespassing. Some criminals even figured out a way to lure people to a certain spot so that they could rob unsuspecting gamers.

However, in the midst of negative scrutiny, Pokémon Go has succeeded in doing what countless PSA's and nagging parents have been unable to do for years: Getting their children off their bottoms and out of the house.

While the Pokémon Go app hasn't necessarily cured the “cell phone zombie” problem the U.S. has seen of late, at least one of its most controversial issues is being tackled. A man from London recently claimed he lost 28 pounds and walked 141 miles in 20 days because of the app.

According to US News, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported as of 2014 that 37.9 percent of adults over 20 in the U.S. struggle with obesity. The number of obese adolescents age 12 to 19 has gone up to 20.5 percent.

If there was ever a need for an app that promotes exercise, it is right now.

Where social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter fail to give people the opportunity of face-to-face interaction, Pokémon Go has succeeded in that area, too.

As with all new apps and technology, Pokémon Go is subject to its problems, but glitches do not a failure make.

Opinion Columnist Caprice Carter is a communication junior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar. com

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

Gun Violence in America

Weapons

The total number of weapons used during the five incidents.

The map shows the location of five incidents of gun violence beginning in 2009.

Dec. 14, 2012 Newton, CT

27 People killed

Weapon: Bushmaster A-R 15 Jun. 17, 2015 Charleston, SC

Dec. 5, 2015 San Bernardino, CA

9 People killed

14 People killed

Weapon: .45 caliber handgun

Weapon: two A-R 15 rifles, two handguns Nov. 5, 2009 Fort Hood, TX

Jun. 12, 2016 Orlando, FL

Weapon: .45 caliber handgun

Weapon: Sig Sauer MCX

13 People killed

49 People killed

American deaths caused by terrorism vs. gun violence The gun fatalities number covers all manner of death, including homicide, accident, and suicide.

American death by firearms on US soil

3,380

American death by terrorism

406,496

90

People die from gun violence every day

2,624

Kids die from gun violence every year

8,607

People have died in 2016 (Aug. 11th)

Ray Hernandez | The Cougar

ATHLETICS

Better athletics means worse education W ith the 2016 Rio Olympic Games well underway and the U.S. a veritable force to be reckoned with, it is a perfect example of why our nation is behind in education.

The U.S. CAPRICE doubtlessly CARTER COLUMNIST dominates in almost every area, from the “Final Five” in gymnastics led by the first-time gold medalist, Simone Biles, to swimming trailblazers like Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky.

Team USA has expeditiously put their best foot forward and reaped the rewards.

When it comes to athletics, the U.S. is a metaphorical giant.

But on the topic of education, many in the States are scratching their heads.

Pearson showed that, as of 2014, the U.S. ranks 11th in

cognitive skills and 20th in educational attainment. Overall, our country comes in as the 14th best country for education.

Considering that this is on a scale of 40 countries, it doesn’t seem so bad. For a country that integrates competitiveness into everyday society, it’s an ink stain on a white shirt.

Fair Reporter also weighs in on education, knocking the U.S. down to No. 29 for countries ranked by math and science results.

In cities nationwide, athletics have become a lucrative business in which Americans spend an exorbitant amount of money to attend, gamble on and participate in.

The Huffington Post revealed that 29 of the NFL’s 31 stadiums received public funding i.e. taxpayer money to renovate stadiums, which amounted to over roughly $3 billion.

In 2015, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker slashed $250 million from the University of Wisconsin in order to build an arena for the

Milwaukee Bucks. His decision is the perfect example of the U.S. and how it prioritizes education.

USA Today showed Division I schools spent over $90,000

of money being spent on schools every year, but not where it would count the most.

The average college professor makes $58,000 annually, while

The U.S. ranks 11th in cognitive skills and 20th in educational attainment. Overall, our country comes in as the 14th best country for education.

Pearson Institute

per athlete and only $13,000 on the average student. Division I schools without football spent $39,000 per athlete, more than triple the average student spending. While the country’s obsession with sports isn’t the only reason for the lag in education, the economics of it provides a pretty steep curve.

There is a staggering amount

an NCAA coach makes over $100,000 at the least.

Sports is an equal opportunity activity that brings in enough revenue to keep a nation running, but at the cost to thousands of teachers and students.

What could be used to maintain schools, raise instructor salaries and provide

students with advanced technology that will aid in learning is used instead for traveling expenses, equipment, stadiums and coach salaries.

Athletics is pushed to the point of mania in the U.S. while students weather eight hours of outdated material Monday through Friday.

And they still leave scratching their heads.

The best education can be found in private schools and Ivy League universities where the tuition is unaffordable and the rate of acceptance is low.

The value put into athletics versus education is readily apparent in how far more advanced our athletes are.

It is, however, far enough down the ranks that if educational Olympics were a thing, team USA wouldn’t even qualify.

Opinion Columnist Caprice Carter is a communication junior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar. com.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | 7

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

CAMPUS CARRY

Dispelling the misconceptions about campus carry

O

n August 1, after months of debate and protest, campus carry (SB11) finally went into effect on college campuses across the state, including our own.

Although nothing has happened since campus carry has been implemented, the new semester will bring a horde of students to campus soon.

Some of these students will be legally carrying a firearm, which will unnecesJORDEN sarily worry SMITH COLUMNIST some students.

I want to take this chance to dispel some of the myths surrounding campus carry as perpetuated by some interviews in The Cougar’s Bullet Points series, and why I think it’s a good idea.

First off, not everyone can get a concealed handgun license (CHL). The government isn’t giving out handgun licenses like t-shirts on the first week of school. For some reason, people seem to think that 18-year-olds can get a gun.

You must be at least 21 years old or an active part of the military to even apply for a CHL. Along with that, you cannot have committed any felonies or particular misdemeanors, and you have to be an individual of sound mind. Applicants must also complete a six hour course, a written test and a shooting test to ensure those obtaining CHLs are able to handle the responsibility of carrying a handgun.

The people who hold CHLs aren’t getting them to shoot people, rather, they’re getting CHLs to protect themselves and others. Young adults only made up about 3 percent of all CHL-approved licensees in 2015.

There seems to be this idea being perpetuated by those who don’t like campus carry that allowing CHL holders to carry on campus somehow puts student and staff lives in danger. Allow me to say, that is incomprehensibly ridiculous.

Over the past year, two professors have been killed in their offices.

One was at the hand of an unstable colleague who was also connected to another murder, and ultimately ended up killing himself after being on the run.

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF

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NEWS EDITOR

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COOGLIFE EDITOR

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OPINION EDITOR

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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

The second incident is the murder-suicide that took place at the University of California, Los Angeles earlier this summer.

This was not a student upset with grades; he was upset about possible stolen code. Not only had the shooter been making comments about the professor (an obvious warning sign), but he also had a

diverse campuses in the nation.

People at UH protect and care for one another. CHL holders aren’t seeking out minorities on campus. That way of thinking is just ridiculous. And, if people are so worried about being targeted by those who have a CHL, go get one for yourself. That is your right.

“As someone who has friends that are CHL holders, I honestly can say that campus feels safer because they are allowed to carry on campus. ” Jorden Smith, columnist

kill list. This is not someone who would pass the CHL application process.

Let’s stop equating CHL holders to killers.

Along with that, there seem to be those who believe that allowing campus carry will create problems for minorities as those with guns will be able to do them harm.

Let me say this again – stop equating law-abiding CHL holders to the people that mean to do harm. UH is one of the most

CHLs are for the protection of you and others, so that when police can’t be there, you are.

CHL holders are not here to harm. The people who are CHL holders and will be bringing guns to campus to protect their lives and the lives of their fellow Coogs. That is the only intention of campus carry.

Now, there are complaints that those with CHLs don’t actually stop crimes. In news, there’s an old saying: “If it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t lead.”

Those who legally carry firearms stop crimes all the time.

There’s a story from April 2015 about an Uber driver stopping a potential mass shooting. In 2002, two law students at the Appalachian School of Law stopped a shooter. They would’ve stopped him sooner if it hadn’t been for a Gun-Free Zone, which the shooter surprisingly ignored.

Good guys stop the bad guys all the time. You just don’t hear about it because it’s not juicy.

As someone who has friends that are CHL holders, I honestly can say that campus feels safer because they are allowed to carry on campus. There’s a lot of misinformation surrounding this change in policy, and there are those who are trying to perpetuate the idea that CHL holders are gun nuts.

Let’s start this school year informed and with an understanding of how our campus has changed. As the new school year starts, remember, the good guys with guns are here to keep you safe.

Opinion columnist Jorden Smith is a political science junior and the president of the College Republicans.

He can be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com

The Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major.

Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to N221, University Center; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing.

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

Bruce Chao/The Cougar STUDENT GOVERNMENT

SGA debacle proves actions are better than words

O

n Sept. 9, 2009, when President Obama was delivering a speech during a joint session of the 111th U.S. Congress, Republican Joe Wilson interrupted him and cried out, “You lie!”

Wilson was promptly booed and drowned out by the Democrats who, at the time, held majorities in both the House and the Senate.

What I remember most from that event is the postcoverage. In regards to Wilson's outburst, one commentator said something along the lines of, “When you're attending something like this, and you aren’t a part of the majority in the audience, all you should THOMAS be doing is DWYER keeping your ASSISTANT mouth closed OPINION EDITOR and sitting on your hands.”

I hadn’t reminisced on that memory until last month with Student Government Association Vice President Rohini Sethi’s post on social media.

Just because the First

In one of its better decisions, SGA created a townhall meeting for students to voice concerns. | Emily Burleson/The Cougar

Amendment says you can doesn't always mean you should.

I understand that it is a right in this country to practice free speech in almost any capacity.

Yet even so, it doesn't hurt to exercise a little bit of common sense. Does publicizing your opinion on hot-button issues mean you can be punished for it, even if it is not widely accepted?

Not quite. Can it lose the respect that people once had for you?

Most definitely.

Nine times out of 10, someone losing respect for another person is perfectly fine. People don't always agree with each other and life goes on. Sethi’s case is, unfortunately, the tenth.

She was elected to represent the students.

It’s safe to say that at UH, the sentiments that she wrote about on her Facebook account are not widely shared among the students.

When you represent something that big and that diverse, it serves no good to form and publicize an opinion upon such a trending issue without being expressly asked or told to

do so. It only disrupts cohesion among the very students she represents.

Sethi missed the perfect opportunity to sit on her hands and sit this fight out. The damage has been done.

SGA has won some of my respect back by relenting on the sanctions it had originally placed upon Sethi. Now that she has declared to take a threeweek leave voluntarily, they are no longer wide open for a civil rights lawsuit.

Another action that SGA took that I thought was a big step forward for them was holding several town hall meetings to initiate dialogue between senators and students. That is what SGA should do all the time — not just when an SGA official messed up.

Discourse creates a clearer message to our leaders about what we as students want, and don't, from them. I only hope that next time something this big goes down, it is about actions rather than words.

Assistant opinion editor Thomas Dwyer is a broadcast journalism sophomore and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

A special section of The Cougar

Interfaith Week Program February 13-17, 2016 A.D. Bruce Religion Center

www.uh.edu/adbruce

/UHADBruce

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FAITH 713-743-5314

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Nguyen Le, EDITOR

EDITOR'S NOTE

Faith can be divisive, but it is always meaningful NGUYEN LE

COPY CHIEF @ NLE318

Point upward, and we will all say it’s the sky. Ask who governs that space, and get ready for conflicting answers.

Depending on the person you talk to, the figure that looks

after and over us assumes different names and is described in different ways. For me, it’s the Buddha.

Back in Vietnam, whenever Tet comes around, my family goes to a monastery about 30 miles from the city where my elders and theirs are residing.

It is here that I can express my gratitude toward the Buddha, whom my parents said has been looking after everyone in the household since my first breath and will continue to do so for the next in my bloodline.

You give thanks to the Buddha by lighting an incense (or a

bunch on special occasions), clasping them with your palms, raising them to your forehead and gently whispering your prayers. With complete focus and all my heart, my parents assert that whatever goodness I yearn for will be realized: be it safe travels, freedom from ailments, a passing grade or being able to support my family now — and my families later.

Of course, how I make contact with the higher power is different from someone else’s method.

A few might use their access to the omnipresent figure to get "permission" to do harm. There are also those who deem there’s little proof to comprehend the person upstairs, or simply that there’s no one there at all.

Vietnam, like the U.S., has a couple of lines in the constitution stating how all faiths in the universe can have a place in everyday life. In reality, the differences in who and how you worship is an agent to raise scorn or draw a rift in the community.

There has been plenty of the latter here in this nation — something to which recent headlines and the comment section underneath them can attest. It has reached a point where the world seems to have only two religions to name, and “with prejudice” is the only appropriate way for one to show awareness of the other.

This is where the Faith Issue

comes in.

In the pages that follow, I hope you will find a snippet of your faith among others, and how each is good and perceived.

"Snippet" is the key word here: only a peek, only a piece, only a patch in the whole canvas that make up your creed.

But sometimes people forge a definition out of this particular patch. Like all definitions, it is a simplification of a grander thing.

Rather than be contented, the tree you see should encourage you to inspect the whole forest.

Stay open-minded as you read on. Use an element of a faith that you will read through here as new knowledge, known information to share and a topic for civilized discussions. Too often religion, when brought up, is handled with silence, aversion or hostility when it is one of the most crucial topics to know about.

Yes, faith can be heady, weighty and, at times, ugly. It also has everything that is otherwise, too.

As with all published materials from The Cougar, the articles in the Faith Issue will personally enlighten you and continue the global exchange of ideas — in particular those about the force overlooking all lives and the guidelines from said force that we have chosen to upheld.

I have faith that what I wish for can happen.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | 3

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FAITH

editor@thedailycougar.com

Nguyen Le, EDITOR

HOUSTON

Artistry, universality are the gifts of Rothko Chapel KARIS JOHNSON

COOGLIFE EXECUTIVE EDITOR @ KARISINPARIS95

The longer I gazed at the towering portraits, the deeper my mind slipped into thoughts of eternity.

The more I lingered, sitting in front of the paintings in solitude, the more quickly the moments flew by, like shooting stars in the galaxy of my mind.

Sounds like an excerpt from a sci-fi novel, right? Good guess, but these were just my thoughts after first setting foot in the meditative space of the Rothko Chapel, located in Montrose and directly next to the Menil Collection.

John and Dominique de Menil, who also founded the Menil Collection, commissioned the interfaith chapel. Its doors were opened in February 1971.

Its interior is dedicated to the work of abstract expressionist Mark Rothko through 14 colossal portraits.

But the chapel is devoted to

The Rothko Chapel offers an unrivaled experience on several levels that can appeal to even those who don't consider themselves religious. | Nguyen Le/The Cougar

something more than artwork, although the paintings surely play a definitive role in its purpose. An article from NPR revealed that the

de Menils envisioned creating the chapel as a place for people to unite through their common humanity. “(It is) a gathering place of people

who are not just going to debate and discuss theological problems, but who are going to meet because they want to find contact with other people," Dominique de Menil said.

Before the octagonal brick chapel was completed, Rothko had finished the art that is now on the walls. The artist never got to see the final project: He committed suicide in 1970, which was a year before the establishment's opening.

His art speaks for itself, however.

Each painting is dark in both mood and color, an attribute uncharacteristic for Rothko’s other, lighter work.

The paintings, the largest of which stands 15 feet by 11 feet, appear monochromatic at first glance. A closer look will unveil an overlay of pigment and alternating hues. They give off an almost tangible depth that adds to the sensation, and even a sense of obligation, to go deeper into thought, prayer or worship.

The chapel's inclusive notion is

visible throughout. Before coming in to the foyer, holy books like the Bible, the Quran, the Kordeh Avesta (Zoroastrianism) and the Bhagavad-Gita (Hinduism) are neatly displayed and arranged. Each year, over 90,000 people seek peace and worship in the Rothko Chapel, according to their website.

Many people have been impacted spiritually and mentally by the atmosphere and art of the chapel. Visitors are encouraged to record their unique experience in an extensive comments book upon exiting.

The de Menils’ vision for a space of open congregation for those all faiths, or those without it, is beautifully realized and commemorated in this piece of living Houston history.

So take an hour – or two, or three – and get lost discovering the beauty and depth of the Rothko Chapel. arts@thedailycougar.com

Catholic+Coogs CATHOLIC NEWMAN CENTER Whether you're a freshman or a transfer, starting out can be hard...

Join us for the FRESH retreat for a smooth transition to UH AUGUST 27 NEWMAN CENTER

10:00AM-6:00PM UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

TO REGISTER, CONTACT CLAIRE MCMULLIN VIA EMAIL C.MCMULLIN2003@GMAIL.COM BY AUGUST 15

ALL CURRENT AND PAST FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS ARE INVITED TO THE PRESIDED BY BISHOP GEORGE SHELTZ LUNCH IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING RSVP-C.MCMULLIN2003@GMAIL.COM

Mass of the Holy Spirit SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2016 10:45AM AD BRUCE RELIGION CENTER CHAPEL

THE CATHOLIC NEWMAN CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON IS THE “HOME AWAY FROM HOME” FOR SO MANY.

Picture yourself with us!

DIRECTOR: FR. JOHN PAUL BOLGER, CC CAMPUS MINISTER: CLAIRE MCMULLIN

VISIT UH_CSO ON INSTAGRAM AND CHECK OUT #MYCSO TO READ THE STORIES OF THESE AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO CALL THE CSO/ CNC HOME

4805 CALHOUN ACROSS FROM THE REC CENTER (713) 748-2529

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FAITH 713-743-5314

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Nguyen Le, EDITOR

While rather unassuming from the outside, this ordinary-looking building is the quite controversial home to the Greater Church of Lucifer in Old Town Springs, Texas. | Nguyen Le/The Cougar

RELIGION

In a small Texas town, a place to follow Lucifer NGUYEN LE

COPY CHIEF @NLE318

There is a church in Old Town Spring, but God is not worshiped there.

It has been a while since the Greater Church of Lucifer's controversial, headline-grabbing first service. But while the protesting is no more, the emotions remain.

“There were some people boycotting Old Town Spring,” said Matthew Lynn, the local chef and owner of Ellen's Cafe.

“Somehow they thought the shop owners have a say on who could open up down here. We’re just individually owned properties.”

Talk of the town Except for an episode in which his patrons reacted to the pentagrams, black clothing and tattoos that adorn the church's members, Lynn said GCoL has been a quiet neighbor.

He, however, regarded the Luciferian establishment as a challenge from the higher power.

“I didn’t want the church here when I first heard about it,” Lynn

said. “I was four-square against it, but if you don’t give it any energy then it doesn’t have any energy.”

The place also unnerved followers of the other religious establishment in the area, the Immanuel United Church of Christ, where Rev. Ron Krueger is the pastor. He has not yet visited GCoL, but did say that he would make time to do so in the future.

It will be a welcome-to-the-neighborhood kind of gesture, Krueger said. It would be something different to the sign-waving, the shouting or the praying that occurred on Oct. 31, 2015.

“There were concerns about the people who were in that church that they may not be following a very good path,” Krueger said. “It sounded like something that wasn’t fulfilling and certainly wasn’t Christian, which is our path. I had a concern for the people of the church, too, that hopefully they would find the right path for them.”

On June 13, the church's board of directors, HopeMarie Ford, Michael W. Ford and Jeremy

The GCoL has caused quite a stir in the local community. | Nguyen Le/The Cougar

Crow, posted a statement on GCoL's Facebook announcing the resignation of co-founder Jacob No due to mismanaging donations and funds.

The post also revealed his real name as Jacob McKelvy, the owner, digital marketer and consultant at JBM Consulting.

"Obstacles and challenges which we currently face will be overcome and conquered," the statement read. "We are now putting together steps to ensure this does not happen again in the future."

GCoL's official website is currently down as it is being

transferred to an in-organization owner.

Operators of GCoL declined to comment when contacted via email.

GCoL went through two vandalism incidents. Their Facebook page has a video titled "GCOL HATE CRIME" showing a couple smashing the front window with a cherub statue.

The second one, which made local news, revolved a branch of a 200-year-old pecan tree getting sawed off to damage the church's roof.

Maria Gagis, manager of The Black Sheep Bistro and

The Italian Joint restaurants, thought the acts were horrific reactions to "something you don't like." She is also a member of the Old Town Spring Preservation League, an association overlooking the area’s lands and merchants.

“I’d like to know in what church that any minister, rabbi, congregation thinks that that kind of behavior is OK?” Gagis said. “If you have enough time to chop down a tree, you should come to my house, trim some of my trees and I’ll pay you for it.”

Friction between faiths To Pat, a metaphysical shop owner who kept her last name and business name hidden, extensive media coverage on the Luciferian church placed the town on the map.

“Why don’t people come and find out what they are?" Pat said. "If you truly believe in your faith, you shouldn’t be afraid.”

Besides GCoL's leaders, Pat would be the first to know about the happenings around the church because her shop is close

LUCIFER

Continues on page 7

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | 5

WELCOME We’ve been waiting for you!

LUNCHEON DATES

Oct 19, 2016 & Feb 22, 2017 on UH campus

SERVICE TIMES

Sunday 8:00am 11:15am & 6:00pm Wednesday 7:30 pm

SERVICIOS EN ESPAÑOL

Domingo 10:00am & 6:00pm Miércoles 7:30pm

4308 STONEWALL STREET HOUSTON, TEXAS 77020 WWW.FWCOC.ORG 713-672-2654 (I-10 EAST AT THE WACO EXIT)

We are just minutes from the University of Houston.

If you are new to the city, or just searching for the right place, we believe the Fifth Ward Church of Christ is a great place to start. Hope you pay us a visit real soon.

6 | Wednesday, August 17, 2016

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Nguyen Le, EDITOR

ATHLETICS

Glory in the game: Faith as agent for athletes' success REAGAN EARNST

SPORTS EDITOR @REAGANEARNST

Belief will get an athlete far, be it toward a golden career or betterment in life.

Take a look at some of the greatest athletes crediting faith as guidance for them to win every match in-competition and conquer every minute as an ordinary person.

Stephen Curry’s opening statement of his 2015 NBA MVP speech “This is a tremendous honor.

First and foremost, I have to thank my Lord and savior Jesus Christ for blessing me with the talents to play this game, with a family to support me day in and day out. I’m his humble servant right now and I can’t say it enough how important my faith is to how I play the game. I’m just blessed and I’m thankful for where I am.”

Sugar Land-native Simone Manuel on becoming the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming: “All I can say is all glory to God, it’s definitely been a long journey these last four years.

And I’m just so blessed to have a gold medal."

Former Houston Cougar and NBA champion Hakeem Olajuwon on rededicated himself to his Islamic faith following the 1988-1989 season: “I would arrive at the mosque after practice each day and I would pray and study, and before I knew it, it was eight at night. I was trying to memorize some of the chapters and verses of the Quran in the beautiful rhythmic tone in which it is recited properly. My time became very valuable to me, there weren’t enough hours

hello &

W E LCO M E

TO W E S T U M E T H O D I S T A WELCOMING FA M I LY O F FA I T H We are a welcoming family of faith, taking our next steps together to become more mature Christians.

No matter who you are or how long you have been on this Christian journey, we invite you to take the next step with us.

J O I N U S F O R S U N D AY W O R S H I P 9 am Traditional • 11 am Contemporary

3611 University Blvd • 713-664-8111 • www.westumethodist.org

Boxer Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay, had strongly-held Sunni Islam beliefs. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

in the day to read. I had found a community, and I felt completely at home.”

Tiger Woods’ public apology after his sex addiction was exposed worldwide: “People probably don’t realize this, but I was raised a Buddhist and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years.

Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside of ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught."

Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL running back Ricky Williams on his unique faith: “Religions are something that were developed based on culture. The religions are many, but God is one. I believe based on what I've studied, all religions

say the same thing but in different ways. I really enjoy learning about different religions and different ways of doing things and different ways of looking at the world. Some people would consider the occult a religion or the mechanism behind religion.

It's using words and using your thoughts to create an internal reality."

The late Muhammad Ali’s message to his daughter, Hana, before his passing: "There is only one true religion, and that is the religion of the heart. God never named it Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc. Man gave the titles, and that's what separates and divides us. My dream is to one day see a world that comes together to fight for one cause — the human cause." sports@thedailycougar.com

Houston legend and former Cougar Hakeem Olajuwon also holds closely to the religion of Islam and spoke openly about it. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | 7

LUCIFER

Continued from page 4 by. It was also the proximity that got her harassed by the protesters.

On GCoL's opening day, a protester used oil to flick a holy cross onto the porch of Pat’s shop. When Easter came, two of Pat's weekend employees got heckled while they were on a smoking break. She also said that the church's sign was dented the night before.

“The shop owner next door told me, ‘This is not the Christianity I was taught,’” Pat said.

“She was appalled. They think religion gives them a right to do what they want."

There is a petition on Change. org calling for GCoL to be jettisoned for the sake of the town’s image and prosperity. It has yet reached the halfway mark of its 500-signature goal.

Pat believes the petition's purpose ignores the true damaging agents to the town: layoffs from the recession, election year and lowered oil prices. "(GCoL members) only meet, at most, twice a month," Pat said. "They’re not missionaries going around and trying to convert you.”

The Path ahead Pat said protesters won't be around if the news cameras aren't.

“As long as you don’t harm other people or children, what you believe is your own business," Pat said. "How you treat other people tells who you really are.”

Aaron Ott, an anthropologist and lecturer for UH’s Religious Studies program, was not surprised at the visceral outbursts and GCoL’s reclusive nature. He cited that, even though the West is in a post-Christian era, people don't want to give up what they know.

“Because Luciferianism and Satanism are conflated by those historically Christian assumptions, a person may not be Christian at all but they will still react to it," Ott said. "They think it’s an attack on the homeland.”

Ott trusts that GCoL and Luciferianism can have a future in the U.S. One suggestion: refrain from using anti-Christian symbols such as pentagrams or the horned deity Baphomet.

Back at Immanuel United Church of Christ, Krueger said he would not shun people from the church should they come to his establishment.

He specified that there won't be a form asking your beliefs upon arrival.

"Jesus welcomes all," Krueger said. copychief@thedailycougar.com

At the Downtown Campus of Houston's First Baptist Church, you'll meet people from different walks of life and dozens of countries around the globe. The eclectic group gathers each Sunday to share their experiences, talk about the Bible, and worship God together. No two people are alike, so you are sure to fit right in.

GETTING THERE Take the METRORail Purple Line from Robertson Stadium Station to the Central Station Capitol stop then walk to 1010 Lamar. Visit HoustonsFirst.org for driving and parking information.

CONNECT WITH US! HFBCDowntown @HFBCDowntown Houston's First Baptist Church Downtown Campus—1010 Lamar (Tunnel Level) Worship Service @ 11a Life Bible Studies @ 9:30a

Pastor Gregg Matte Downtown Campus Pastor Lee Hsia HoustonsFirst.org

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Nguyen Le, EDITOR

The Fresh Food Company, the dining hall located inside of Moody Towers, is one of several locations on and around campus to offer halal and kosher options to students. | File photo/The Cougar

DINING

Search for halal, kosher eats is made easy at UH RAFA FARIHAH

STAFF WRITER

Living on campus can be a struggle, especially if you have dietary restrictions such as consuming strictly halal or kosher products.

For some, that may even be the reason they avoid living on campus. If you aren’t vegetarian, but are forced to temporarily become one due to the lack of food variety offered on campus, living in one of the residence halls probably isn’t worth it.

Thank goodness we go to UH, where halal and kosher options are all around campus.

Cougar Xpress Markets in the Student Center, Cougar Village and Calhoun Lofts We understand the random cravings college students have throughout the day. If you ever feel the urge to snack on some kosher SkinnyPop popcorn, chocolate-covered fruit snacks or Golden Oreos, Cougar Xpress is the nearest campus convenience store to sprint to. In case you are looking for "real food," you can even find here prepared meals like a Korean-style taco with halal chicken, or halal chicken tikka masala served

with basmati rice.

Chopped N Smoked Halal BBQ Food Truck This halal barbecue joint fulfills so many cravings that we often have, and it is within our very own campus. This food truck serves smoked brisket, ribs and beef sandwiches along with healthy sides of beans, coleslaw and potato salad. Don't forget the signature barbecue sauce that will intensify all these delicious flavors.

Bullritos Meet your competitor, Chipotle. Never mind, the match is over and Bullritos wins because it offers halal food on request.

This place serves amazing tacos, burritos, and bowls. Located next to The Nook, Bullritos is a convenient walk from class.

They also have free ice cream.

With a wide variety of options on campus, students are afforded choice when it comes to diet. | File photo/The Cougar

day. Whether you are craving flavorful ethnic food with an abundance of masala or something spicy to please your taste buds, welcome to the perfect lunch spot.

Tandoori Nite

Crisp Doner Café and The Kebap Crew

This is the only on-campus restaurant that offers a completely halal menu. Located in the University Center Satellite Food Court, Tandoori Nite is open from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m, Monday through Thurs-

These two food trucks often take shifts throughout the week.

As if Houston isn’t hot enough, they bring the hottest kababs to town. The Crisp Doner Café Food Bus serves German street food with Turkish origins. The

Kebap Crew offers a variety of halal chiken and beef shish kebabs galore with rice and veggies on the side. A heavenly pairing indeed.

Fresh Food Company in Moody Towers This on-campus dining hall has opened a station just for halal, gluten-free food. Goodbye, bland salad, fries and soda. Have a meal plan? You may enter.

Don't have a meal plan? Enter, too — but you'll just have to pay at the door.

Coreanos Austin’s culinary scene is taking over Houston! No matter, as long as we get good food, who cares? Coreanos food truck claims to serve “Mexican cuisine with Korean in between,” and it is quickly gaining popularity.

They will serve halal meat on request. You can find everything from Korean barbecue tacos to hot dogs and fries here. editor@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | 9

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FAITH

editor@thedailycougar.com

Nguyen Le, EDITOR

OPINION

Small-screen sermonizing cheapens power of churches THOM DWYER

ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR @ THOMTHETHOMATO

Televised preaching does not, at all, fall in line with original Christian teachings.

While it does reach and inspire a massive audience, one of the primary perks of attending a church is that it helps one create relationships with the community.

Televangelism is something that has been rapidly growing across the United States since the 1950s when televisions began appearing in more and more households. Now, churches such as Houston’s Lakewood Church and its primary minister Joel Osteen have managed to turn their services into multimedia, internationally broadcast spectacles.

As someone who was raised Catholic, I couldn't help but notice that televised services seem like some sort of show or performance. The opening of a

Pastor Joel Osteen reaches thousands of people through the television broadcast of his services each Sunday morning, but that brand of televangelism does nothing to offer what church is meant to do. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Sunday service at Lakewood on Aug. 7 consisted of a 30-minute band performance and accompanying light show so impressive I forgot that I was watching something occur in a place of worship.

The Hartford Institute for Religion Research classified Lake-

wood as a megachurch, meaning it has an average weekly attendance of 2000 or more people.

Osteen's website states that 7 million Americans watch his services weekly and 20 million monthly.

Sounds like a rock star who has found his perfect venue.

It also seems like the common style of televised preachers is “pray/hope for good things and you’ll be rewarded, and everything that you wanted will become a reality.” That’s nothing similar to many biblical teachings.

As much as there were miracles

and good things happening in the Bible, there was equal amounts of struggle and strife.

Here's my general gist of church: believe and attend. This is so that you’re covered in the afterlife and don't end up hanging out with Satan for your post-life existence. It's NOT about raising your hands high enough and singing as loud as you can every week so that all your wishes in life come true.

Unless someone is physically unable to attend church, there isn’t much of a reason for them watch church on television. All pastors must be good at their jobs, otherwise they wouldn't have a congregation at all.

Church services have the power to unify people and spread positive values and outlooks on life. But it is hard to perform your purpose when you deliver the message to people through a television. opinionassist@thedailycougar.com

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editor@thedailycougar.com

Nguyen Le, EDITOR

OPINION

Religion and sports don't mix JONATHAN VALADEZ

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @ JONOUNSEEN

Growing up playing sports in small-town Texas, where white Christians were the majority, a prayer was often a prelude to game day. While I was not particularly religious, I paid no mind and thought of it as the norm.

Even in major league sports, like the National Football League and National Basketball Association, a locker room prayer is a pregame ritual for some teams.

Unlike a small town in Texas though, major league sports are made up of a diverse group of athletes. So, a one-size-fits-all mold doesn’t always work in a locker room full of athletes from other religions, and that’s the problem.

The only way sports and religion can co-exist is if all religions are noticed, and even then there are some players who

simply do not practice any religion at all. So, there should be a separation of sports and religion because worrying about including everyone is not a matter of being politically correct, it’s a matter of respect.

If players want to get together on their own before a game and recite a prayer, then they should be able to do so freely, but it should not be a team-mandated obligation. Allowing religion to have a place in team functions and sports gets to be too dicey.

Back when Tim Tebow was still the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, he would celebrate a touchdown by kneeling and bowing his head. Around the same time, Husain Abdullah, a Kansas City Chiefs’ safety who is Muslim, was penalized for celebrating an interception by kneeling and bowing his head.

The NFL later came out and said that Abdullah should not have been flagged, but the damage had already been done

and whether it was true, the NFL looked hypocritical and bigoted.

And that’s the thing: It’s not as if these organizations are willing to allow only Christianity into their midst because they want to be harmful or spiteful; likely, it comes down to a lack of understanding.

When Doc Rivers was a coach for the Orlando Magic, his team was led in prayer before every game until he noticed something wrong: He saw that one of his players, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, was not comfortable with the custom. Rivers did away with the prayer.

Getting rid of team-functioned religious activities will be the fairest way to include everyone. Those who want to practice their faiths will still be able to do so on their own time and will not affect the others who do not want to participate. sportsassist@thedailycougar.com

Tim Tebow, former College football and NFL quarterback, is one of the most recent examples of an openly Christian athlete. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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Located nearby in the Third Ward, The Pien Hou Temple serves myriad purposes, including the "kau cim" tradition, which roughly translates to "asking for fortune sticks." | Nguyen Le/The Cougar

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

Know your fortune through verses and moon blocks NGUYEN LE

COPY CHIEF @NLE318

Let poems and wooden pieces reveal your future.

Whether it is the Chinese New Year, Vesak or some free time on a Wednesday, the Pien Hou Temple in Third Ward serves as a place for worshipers to reach out to the goddess Mazu, the bodhisattva Guanyin, the Jade Emperor and other guardians.

You can also ask them if you will be doing OK in the coming times (usually the rest of the year) through "kau cim," a practice that can be translated to "asking

for fortune sticks."

There are two ways for you to ask: simple or formal. Both are acceptable, and will require you to light incenses and share prayers to the deities and guardians that populate the temple first.

Simple On the table in front of the Mazu, there will be number of cylindrical bamboo tubes with a plethora of flattened sticks.

These are the "cim buckets."

Pick a bucket of your liking, hold it in your head and start praying. Silently and truthfully

tell the deity your name, age and wish.

It is human nature to want many things, but for this occasion taking your most important wish to the front of the line is recommended.

Now bend the bucket away from your body and gently shake it until a stick falls out. Memorize the number on the stick that is written the painted end of the stick.

No two sticks will have the same number. At Pien Hou Temple, there are a total of 103 sticks or 103 fortunes.

Find the fortune with the

corresponding number, which will be in the form of a yellow piece of paper. On it will be a poem, written in Chinese and translated into Sino-Vietnamese (Vietnamese words with Chinese origins) and Vietnamese, that will tell the condition of your year.

The temple usually has a supervisor who will be more than happy to give you the English version of your fortune.

Ringing up your Vietnamese friend would also be great.

There are three types of fortune that you can get. "Xam Thuong" means great, "Xam Trung" equals to mediocre and "Xam Ha" refers to bad.

Since there is no range for each type, the fortune you receive this year will be different to the next.

Formal

The formal manner of inquiry involves "jiaobei blocks", also known as "moon blocks". | Nguyen Le/The Cougar

Right next to the cim buckets will be "jiaobei blocks," also known as "moon blocks" due to their appearance. They are used in pairs, to be thrown and, depending on their formation when they hit the ground, offer a "yes" or "no" answer.

Once you have received a stick, hold the blocks in your hand and quietly ask the deity for permission to get the stick.

Now let go.

A "yes" answer would be when

there is one block with its flat side down and the other in the air. This resembles the yin and yang in Chinese culture. If a "no" is given, place the stick back into the bucket and ask for another one.

Since this process can be time-consuming, you can also just use the moon blocks to ask for what you wish.

Again, one thing at a time is preferred and three times in total are best.

Don't forget to rephrase your wish from a statement to a question, from, "I want to get an A in my statistics class" to "Will I get an A in my statistics class this semester?"

The Vietnamese temples I have visited in Houston all offer tools for "kau cim" to visitors, which is interesting since this practice isn't found in Buddhist temples back in Ho Chi Minh City.

It is fine to view "kau cim" as a fun activity without higher meaning.

It is also fine to receive a bad fortune as well since it will let you be more aware of yourself and the surroundings.

As with all faiths, foreboding moments are temporary, and should be regarded as guidance rather than threats. copychief@thedailycougar.com

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Donald Trump is easily the most polarize candidate in this election, but the fuel he's added has been to negative stereotyping of various religious groups and populations. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

GUEST COLUMN

Trump creates an election of the extremes “Politics hates a vacuum. If it isn’t filled with hope, someone will fill it with fear.”

Naomi Klein’s words certainly ring true during this unusual presidential race. Nothing brings out America’s hopes and fears like a hard-fought battle for the White House.

The 2016 election cycle — at times a clown show more than a presidential race — comes after a decade of war and fear mongering EMRAN since 9/11.

EL-BADAWI It is no MIDDLE EAST STUDIES DIRECTOR coincidence that, "in the age of Donald Trump," the nation is witnessing extraordinary religious extremism and racism.

And religious extremism fans the flames of the politics of fear.

Trump has fueled religious extremism on several occasions.

Some of his most dangerous comments include “calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States,” claiming that Christianity itself is “under

siege” and, just this month, entirely on the “Trump effect,” claimwe need to ing that ask deep, president honest and “Obama introspective founded questions of ISIS, literourselves: ally.”

Why do some TragAmerican’s ically flock toward for us, this kind Christian of religious as well as extremism?

Muslim Why don’t extremthey reject it ists are outright? picking It’s easy for up on us to blame his hate Trump, and speech even easier and mobistill to label lizing. him a racist It’s not or just plain a coinignorant. cidence, The truth therefore, is that Trump Emran El-Badawi, Director of Middle is the fruit, that East Studies rotten and Trump enjoys the distasteful endorseit may be, ment of of every the Ku Klux Klan, or that his election season since George comments have been featured W. Bush. The rise of Barack on an Al-Qaeda recruiting video.

ELECTION But rather than blaming this Continues on next page election season's hate speech

“Trump has fueled religious extremism on several occasions.

Some of his most dangerous comments include 'calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.'"

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ELECTION

Continued from previous page Hussein Obama, the U.S.'s first African-American president and whose father was a Kenyan Muslim, was enough to roil the racist sensibilities of many in the GOP to its very core.

The ensuing fight for the Republican Party’s survival depended on strengthening their right-wing, Christian, conservative credentials.

So in the aftermath of 9/11 and the so-called “War on Terror,” the “Islamophobia industry” — as author Nathan Lean demonstrates — flourished.

Conservative activists, donors, intellectuals, televangelists, media and politicians generated a multi-million dollar industry through anti-Muslim programming.

Nowhere was the "Islamophobia industry" more active than during the 2010 midterm election cycle. The “Ground Zero mosque” controversy, neither a mosque nor located on Ground Zero anyway, was made up out of thin air.

And it became one in a series of protests blocking mosques from being built anywhere on U.S. soil.

The 2012 election cycle saw the peak of #CreepingSharia, another fearsome but hollow campaign aimed at maligning American Muslims.

By 2015, hate crimes against American Muslims were five times higher than before 9/11.

Trump himself is not particularly religious, and there’s no indication he could tell the Bible from Moby Dick. So why does insulting Muslims or Mexicans resonate?

Religious extremism is a tool to harness the fears of working class, older, white Americans — the political base of the GOP. It’s an audience that includes good, hardworking people, evangelicals, workers who lost factory jobs, families who sent their kids off to war, average people falling victim to alcoholism and suicide at higher rates, and a white America shrinking before a growing Spanish-speaking population.

Trump is banking on scaring enough votes out of them to land him in the White House, which has become an increasingly unlikely prospect after Khizr Khan constitutional intervention at the DNC. The U.S. is indebted to the Khan family, not just for their son’s sacrifice, but for potentially saving our republic from the politics of fear and religious extremism. opinion@thedailycougar.com

TABLET FRIENDLY

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EVENTS

On-campus religious events provide fellowship, friendship NGUYEN LE

COPY CHIEF

@ NLE318

As you will definitely notice, UH knows how to cook up events that will get you hype up for the rest of the semester.

But should you be in need for gatherings of the quieter and more religious kind — don't worry, the University has you covered. Have a look at a few of the events below.

Baptist Student Ministry Breakfast and Prayer 8 to 11 a.m., Aug. 22 to 25 The BSM aims to make everyone feel welcome (and energized) on the first four days of class by handing out breakfast bars and inviting them to gatherings.

BSM/Bridges Hangout 7 to 9 p.m., every Wednesday beginning Aug. 24 Have dinner (vegetarian options provided) among friends and get to know their cultures — from the

Students who practice any faith can get involved with one of the numerous religious student groups or organizations on campus. | File photo/The Cougar

U.S. and definitely beyond. This is just one of many events BSM hosts for international students!

A.D. Bruce Religion Center Sunday Mass 10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m., every

Imperfect Faith Passionately Practiced On Campus and Off

Sunday, University Chapel (122) Reach out to God in the religion center that is named after U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Andrew Davis Bruce, a former president and chancellor of UH. Jumuah 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., every Friday, Meditation Chapel (201) The epicenter of religion on campus, A.D. Bruce offers all sorts of services for any number of faiths. The religion center is most certainly a wondrous place for Islamic prayers as well.

Quiet Meditation 8 to 10 a.m, daily, University Chapel (122). Second session from 2 to 4 p.m.

Should the school assignments or UH's hustle-and-bustle attitude overwhelm you, rest assured that there is a place to seek solace from them. Yes, it's temporary, but it will be beneficial for you to keep going toward your educational goals. copychief@thedailycougar.com

A Ministry of the Episcopal Church On campus at A.D. Bruce Religion Center, Suite 205 www.uhcanterbury.org

The A.D. Bruce Religion Center hosts a variety of worship services and activities for every religion represented at the university. | File photo/The Cougar

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OPINION

Religion is inherently beautiful and necessary

Religion plays a necessary role in society and politics by providing a moral benchmark and bringing purpose and glee to an otherwise ignorant and evil society. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Religion adds meaning to life and can be a source of constant comfort in times of struggle.

E

veryone is always looking for something: to be a better person, make a difference or a sense of happiness.

There is an inherent need in humans to look to something higher and greater than us to fulJORDEN fill whatever SMITH void holds our COLUMNIST lives, whether that higher power may be. Money, government, power or God. There is an inherent beauty in all religion, as it brings meaning to a seemingly devoid life. When we are born, we are nothing more than a small being with no power, future and meaning. Just a body.

But what is life without a meaning? Humans have 100 years, possibly, to make use of our body, and religion gives us a chance to make our life worth living.

You see, the necessity of religion is that no matter what you’re looking for, it fills you up.

Religion makes life better.

If you’re looking to be a better person, you find a reason to be

a better person, you find a way to be a better person. If you’re looking to make a difference, you find a way to make a difference through service or helping others find a better life. If you’re looking for happiness, religion is there to give you something to believe, to be happy about.

Even at your times when you're most down, religion is there.

Religion helps guide society, and the individuals in that society, to something greater. To best understand this, George Washington once said, “Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

If we trust in the government and society to make what is legal or moral, we come to the point of societal downfall. We no longer have a benchmark to look towards.

The world is a dark and dangerous place — just look at news in the past month. As we scour the earth to find a sliver of meaning that made all the suffering worth it, religion gives us a reason to keep travelling through the darkest of nights.

Find meaning, find religion.

Opinion columnist Jorden Smith is a political science junior and president of the College Republicans.

RIVERSIDE united methodist church

university neighborhood church a few blocks from UH campus We look forward to welcoming you.

Worship Service Sunday Morning – 10:00 a.m.

Bible Study & Light Supper Wednesday Evening - 6:00 p.m. beginning September 14

Riverside United Methodist Church 4920 Cullen Boulevard at North MacGregor Houston 77004 713-748-5730 riverside@riversideumc.org

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COMMENTARY

God is in the game: Sports are a form of religion BRYCE DODDS

MANAGING EDITOR @BRYCEJDODDSTC

On Sundays, some services take place in churches, some in mosques, some in nature and some in front of 80,000 screaming fans in a football stadium.

Sports are intertwined in the fabric of so many cultures, including our own. Take for example the sport of football and the National Football League. On a day that is often attributed to one of worship, the NFL has grown one of the most lucrative businesses in the country.

According to Forbes, the NFL is estimated to generate just over $13 million in revenue in 2016.

That’s not to say that religion and sports fandom are at odds, but rather that they are so closely intertwined that sports is almost a religion all its own.

In different groups, this manifests in different ways. In the south of the U.S., especially Texas, high school and college football dominate the sports landscape.

To the north and the east, you find a land where basketball reigns supreme. A little further north and it’s all about hockey.

Take a trip across the Atlantic or

To some, sports are merely entertainment, but to others, they are much more than that, providing an almost spiritual experience. | File photo/The Cougar

below the Texas-Mexico border, and another kind of football, often called "The World’s Game" or "soccer" in the U.S., is the lifeblood of the people.

Even among demographics, there’s trends. Among the younger people, esports are

starting to rise and compete on the same level as conventional sports as far as viewership, and that market is only continuing to surge.

In 2014, the championships for a particularly popular esport, "League of Legends," drew 27 million viewers and is the second-highest for any sporting event that year behind only the Super Bowl. This was, however, at a huge disparity with 112.2 million viewers tuning in to see the new champions of the football

world crowned.

That said, some of the events that the esports finale did beat in viewership are as prestigious as The Masters, the NBA Finals, the World Series and the Stanley Cup Finals.

But the infatuation with sports hits even harder when there’s the emotional tie of a family member on the field or the pride of an alma mater at stake. It can be a source of exhilaration or bitter disappointment in an almost inexplicable way.

To some, sports are entertainment, a hobby or something to get their kids out of the house two nights a week and run off all that energy. But for a portion of the population, it’s so much more than that.

This is no more evident than on Sunday mornings. The stadium is their church, the players are their heroes of biblical proportion and the gods are just as incomprehensible as those of any other faith. sports@thedailycougar.com

10424 Hillcroft St Houston, TX 77096 713.729.7880 westburycoc.com

Sunday Worship 9:00 a.m. & 5:00 p.m.

Sunday Bible Class 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday 7:00 p.m.

Fandom ranges from bandwagon to rabid for e-sports like League of Legends, which had the second-largest viewing of any athletic competition in 2014. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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According to the beliefs of the Church of Scientology, each human's body is controlled by an eternal being called a Thetan, which passes from body to body forever. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

SCIENTOLOGY

Stranger things: 4 facts about the Church of Scientology EMILY BURLESON

NEWS EDITOR @EMILYRBURLESON

As a diverse and populated city, Houston is home to many religions — from the mainstream to the downright weird.

It’s no surprise that the Church of Scientology, which became an official U.S. religion in 1993 by receiving tax-exempt status, set up an establishment on Fondren Road for curious Houstonians.

We reached out to the Houston mission with request for an interview or comment but have not heard back.

In the meantime, here’s four things you probably didn’t know about Scientology.

It’s still a small religion Scientology was founded by L. Ron Hubbard, a sci-fi writer who holds the Guinness World Record for the greatest number of books written and published by one person.

In 1950, he published “Dianetics,” which describes the process of talking out feelings and experiences to achieve a status known as “clear.”

Although discredited by psychologists and therapists, the book was popular with the

general public, and Hubbard began charging people to become trained as “auditors,” or people who listen to another.

Those concepts and trainings expanded into the religion known as Scientology, which decades later has only roughly 25,000 members in the U.S., according to the American Religious Identification Survey.

This is despite the church’s claims that it is experiencing “explosive growth” and claims to have 8 million members worldwide.

Scientologists believe in God, but they aren’t Christian Despite numerous Christian parallels, such as a cross-like symbol, Sunday services, ministers and being a “church,” the Church of Scientology isn’t Christian.

They don’t follow the Bible or any other books except the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, which have been revised numerous times since the religion’s inception.

Instead, spokespeople for the religion say their Supreme Being can be from any other religion.

Scientologists liken themselves to Buddhists: It’s not what you

believe — it’s what you do that makes you a member.

They believe we’re all Thetans According to the Church of Scientology, each human body is controlled by an eternal being called a Thetan, which passes from body to body forever.

Only high-level officials believe in Xenu, the alien who founded Earth The Church of Scientology has never publicly acknowledged its origin story because it is supposed to be unlocked once reaching the third tier of Operating Thetan, or "OT 3."

Tom Cruise, who has said he is the third highest-ranking Scientologist, reached this level a few years ago.

They believe that 75 million years ago, Xenu, the leader of a Galactic Confederacy of dozens of planets, including Earth, tricked billions of his alien citizens, then froze and detonated all the creatures.

The souls of those murdered aliens, or Thetans, are said to inhabit all humans on Earth today. news@thedailycougar.com

...because life is a mystery until you get it. a Christian ministry at U of H

-

Free Lunches (A.D. Bruce Religion Center Atrium, Wed. 11:30am-1:30pm)

- Open Lounge (All day, Mon.-Fri.) - Game Nights (Tues. 6:30pm)

- Group Bible Studies (Thurs. 6:30pm)

- Individual and Mandarin Bible Studies (By appt.)

THE POINT

A. D. Bruce Religion Center, Room 101 cfc@uh.edu 713-743-5984

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FILMS

Righteous reels: 5 bearable movies about religion TREY STRANGE

is too graphic, Gibson tackles the issue well: How do you make a story about a dude getting whipped, beaten and strewn out on a cross until he bleeds water a film for kids? Simply put, you don’t. However, the guy who plays Jesus is white, so there is some historical inaccuracy there.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TREYNORMAL

Films have historically provided visual investigation into religion’s antics and ethics.

Unfortunately, the other half of the industry tends to make poor movies with fragile plots that preach messages too shrill to take away any concrete insights.

But while no movie can be completely unbiased, some open-minded messages do exist.

Then again, you might enjoy movies like God’s Not Dead or Fireproof. Maybe I just didn’t get them. But here are some of my non-cheesy options.

Se7en This movie isn’t overtly religious. But when a serial killer starts offing people in accordance to the seven deadly sins, as outlined in the Bible, you’ll feel like praying right away.

Instead of depicting a wrathful God, this movie inquires on the ire of humans — and how far they’re willing to go when jaded and pushed to the edge.

Agnes of God A women in a convent suddenly gets pregnant and claims that that the baby is a product of Immaculate Conception. A psychiatrist comes in to investigate and finds corruptible humanity in all the places one might expect to find a holy spirit, but the question of the baby’s father persists. Eventually, the film begs the questions: What does it mean to be chosen

by God? Agnes finds out, and it

While some movies about religion can be cheesy, films often have insight on faith. | Courtesy ofWikimedia Commons

certainly isn’t always as joyful as your Sunday School teachers might have you believe.

Spotlight A team of journalists, featuring actors Mark Ruffalo, Michael

Keaton and Rachel McAdams, from The Boston Globe follow the trail of a string of child molestations to uncover a ring of Catholic priests abusing children in Massachusetts in the early 2000s. This true story offers an important look at the accountability people place on their religious figures—people who sometimes are even capable of submitting to child sex abuse.

The Passion of the Christ Directed by big shot Mel Gibson, The Passion tells the story of the gospels in all their gruesome glory and retains a seat at the top as the highest-grossing religious film of all-time — it hit more than $600 million in theaters in 2004.

Those who can stand the subtitles will enjoy the push toward multilingual cinema, as the film is in Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin.

While some argue that the film

The Meaning of Life On a lighter note, the beloved troupe Monty Python’s fantastic existential adventure balances hilarious sketches with musical genius in “The Meaning of Life.”

Topics in this cult classic vary from the outdated Catholic argument against birth control to a look at the chaotic fruitlessness of war, but the entire set of stories arch into a comical, but valid, attempt to interpret what it means to be alive. editor@thedailycougar.com

Jewish Life at the University of Houston FREE lunch every Tuesday in the UH Hillel Student Lounge A.D. Bruce Religion Center, Room 106

Liza Naomi Abrams labrams@houstonhillel.org houstonhillel.org 713-526-4918 Religous films aren't always serious — "The Meaning of Life" is both funny and faithful. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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Faith Playlist: religious songs to raise listeners' spirits GREG FAILS

Assistant Cooglife Editor

Never Would Have Made It Marvin Sapp In this song, Sapp credits God for shaping him into a wiser person today. The singer rejoices that he "made it through my storm and my test, because you were there too carry me through my mess." Sapp said the song came to him after his father passed away. R&B singer Ciara, who lost her grandfather to cancer, would listen to

Jesus Christ Brand New From the point of view of someone who has given up their faith and is uncertain as to whether they can be saved, the narrator of this track poignantly expresses the struggles of accepting salvation. “I’m scared I’ll get scared, and I swear I’ll try to nail you back up,” the band sung at one point.

The Sinner Memphis May Fire Penned by the reformed John Newton in 1779 while braving an especially treacherous storm, the classic hymn erupted from the crowd at Boston Trinity Church during their June 13 vigil for the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.

I Saw the Light Hank Williams The inverse of Brand New’s Jesus Christ, Williams croons about when Jesus came to him “like a stranger in the night.” Throwing off his past of blunders and aimless wanderings, Williams rejoices in his newfound life of faith. The song is also the title of the biopic

Open My Heart Yolanda Adams Adams opens up to God and asks for guidance in times of grey skies and uncertainty. “I know you’re the only one who can pull me through, so I need to talk to you,” she said in this soulful, soothing tune.

Jesus Queen Though raised a Zoroastrian, Freddie Mercury expresses the charisma of a lifelong believer in this underrated Queen track. With a gospel hook and sweeping guitar solo, the song shows that despite differences in belief anyone can get caught up in worship.

Muhammad Walks Lupe Fiasco Faith is a broad concept populated by a wide spectrum of religions and ideologies all equally legitimate as the next. Case in point: "Muhammad Walks" by Muslim rapper Lupe Fiasco, a song which tells listeners that “Hijab, Sunday clothes, Yamika, Kuffi, same mission beneath.”

We Are The World Michael Jackson Religion and faith are two of the most powerful forces in the world with the potential to inspire great war and great peace. In the words of the King of Pop, despite our differences in belief, we must come together because “As God has shown us by turning stone to bread, so we all must lend a helping hand.”

THE BIBLE SPEAKS TO YOU...

CHRISTIAN

Science O R G A N I Z A T I O N

Are you listening?

Meets Wednesdays & Thursdays 11:30am A. D. Bruce Religion Center Room 105

Student Group on Campus - Come join with like-minded students interested in learning together and sharing spiritual insights.

- Grab something cool to drink, hang out with other students, study the Bible, or Christian Science writings.

- Join together to prayerfully embrace our university

For any questions about the specifics of the U of H CSO, please contact the Resident Minister, Christian Scientist, Sue Merrill: 281-808-3731 or sue@doesprayerheal.com

http://christianscienceheals.com/youth/

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A.D Bruce Religion Center

Your home for FREE Lunch

Every Wednesday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters www.uh.edu/adbruce

/UHADBruce