Issue 04, Volume 82

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Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Issue 4, Volume 82

Who's afraid of the Big Bad 12?

Amid discussion about whether Houston can survive in another conference, the Cougars raced past the No. 3 Sooners for a double-digit win. | PG. 6

NEWS

Campus mainstay in dire need of help

A staple at UH, the A.D. Bruce Religion Center is falling apart without the funds to properly restore the building. | PG. 2

OPINION

Digital textbooks: An expensive alternative Despite the seeming ease of access and lack of production costs, digital textbooks continue to unfairly put a strain on students and their wallets. | PG. 5

2 | Wednesday, September 7, 2016

NEWS 713-743-5314

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Emily Burleson, EDITOR

i

The Cougar

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Religion Center in need of a face-lift A.D. Bruce building 'stuck in the 1960s,' requires renovation or deconstruction EMILY BURLESON

NEWS EDITOR @EMILYRBURLESON

For public health sophomore Shayukat Syed, the A.D. Bruce Religion Center is his refuge.

“This place is like a diamond in the rough,” Syed said. “Once I walked in, it was real nice.

Through all the messed-up chaos when you’re a freshman here, it’s a nice sanctuary. It’s quiet. Everyone’s nice to you. It’s welcoming — it’s like you’re at home. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Behind the calm and welcoming exterior of the religion center, the hub of student spirituality and relaxation faces a funding crisis.

The 52-year-old building has a leaky roof, dinged-up pews and altar, dated chandeliers and, most worrisome, cracks in the foundation.

Its bare-bones financials aren’t nearly enough to cover the costs.

Far-fetched finances The Religion Center hosts more than 150 weddings, baptisms and

memorial services completely unaffiliated with the University every year. Those monies pay for support staff salaries, programming and basic building maintenance.

The Religion Center also relies on funding from the Student Service Fee, which every student enrolled at UH pays along with their tuition and other fees.

Most recipients of Student Service Fee funds have spaces in newer buildings. Some, like the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center and the Athletics Department, have millions of guaranteed funds they use to pay off bonds associated with construction costs.

The Religion Center doesn’t get that kind of money.

“We don’t have any fat here,” said Bruce Twenhafel, the A.D. Bruce Religion Center’s manager.

“Anything that we ask for from (the Student Fees Advisory Committee) is above and beyond what we can do. Our income has to pay for other kinds of things.”

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Trey Strange Bryce Dodds Leah Nash

The A.D. Bruce Religion Center is facing a dilemma: it's just as expensive to replace it as it would be to repair the 52-year-old facility. | Ajani Stewart/The Cougar

A year ago, the A.D. Bruce staff requested one-time funding for the current fiscal year to repair its roof. Like most of the Religion Center, the roof is original to the 52-year-old building. In several places, it leaks.

But SFAC denied the request, citing insufficient funds.

21st-century demands

It’s the only place on campus designated for Friday prayer, MSA president Saqib Gazi said.

“It’s a logistical nightmare just trying to keep everyone in one room,” Gazi said. “We have to get multiple rooms so we can fit everybody, and we use a speaker system so everyone can hear the sermon. Logistically speaking, it’s been getting pretty hard.”

Ablution before prayer presents another complication. Ritual washing on the hands, arms, face and feet is required, and the Religion Center was not constructed with Muslim students in mind.

Gazi said he has to remind people to clean up the floor after ablution so janitors aren’t tasked with extra work. But the bathrooms — and the rest of the Center — were simply built for a Jewish and Christian campus, Twenhafel said.

The leaky roof is just the start of the Religion Center’s funding needs.

Two years ago, the Religion Center conducted a focus group among students and staff who have offices in the center, including members of the Campus Ministries Association and three registered student organizations.

The result: adequately renovating and updating the Center would cost $12-$14 million.

The issue? The amount needed to renovate the Religion Center is about the same as it would be to Read more about the A.D. Bruce tear down A.D. Bruce and rebuild Religion Center and the Carpooa brand new Center. lians at thedailycougar.com/news.

“Our building is stuck in the 1960s, but people are worshipping news@thedailycougar.com and wanting to explore their spirituality in the 21st century,” Twenhafel said. “Just like the Student Center went through a transformation, and it’s beautiful and wonderful, we kind of feel that we need to have some kind of a transformation too.”

Insufficient space tends to be the biggest concern at the Religion Center.

The Muslim Student Association uses the building more than any other group on campus.

Its members, and other Muslims on campus, use the entire second floor The A.D. Bruce Religion Center's southeast wall has each Friday afternoon cracks in the foundation. | Justin Cross/The Cougar to pray.

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(713) 743-5340 advertising@thedailycougar.com thedailycougar.com/advertising ADVERTISING REPS Jose Salazar CORRECTION On Wednesday, Aug. 24, The Cougar published a story titled "Aramark appoints news director of retail locations." The Cougar incorrectly reported that Chris Conti, the man appointed, cited national research suggesting that college students want more retail food locations and fewer dining halls. The Cougar also incorrectly reported that Conti plans to supplement the Cougar Card payment option with additional perks. We apologize for the inconvenience and are determined to better reporting in the future.

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4 | Wednesday, September 7, 2016

NEWS 713-743-5314

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Emily Burleson, EDITOR

CAMPUS

Cage Rage line creates mob mentality, danger ALEX MEYER

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @ ALXMEY

Sara Haats sweltered in the 86-degree heat near Taco Cabana when she witnessed a ticket line transform into a tailgate riot.

Haats, a psychology junior, lined up outside TDECU Stadium with thousands of students for UH Athletics' annual Cage Rage on Aug. 27. As students raced to receive the first vouchers, they cut lines to form a stampede, and chaos ensued.

"If you followed the rules, all you got was screwed and a sunburn to go with it," Haats said.

In anticipation of UH's opening game against the University of Oklahoma, students gathered early in the morning, waiting for the 5 p.m. distribution of ticket vouchers.

UH Athletics announced online that students could acquire vouchers on a "first-come, first-serve basis."

The Athletics Department promised lower-level tickets to the first 1,000 students in line and upperlevel tickets to the remaining 4,000.

The line stretched from Stadium Icon Gate 2 to the nearby parking garage.

With temperatures as high as 86 degrees, students equipped themselves with umbrellas for shade, lawn chairs, coolers and tents. To pass the time, some students set up beer pong tables and played football on the lawn.

Pi Kappa Alpha member David Fuentes enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere of the event before the distribution of the vouchers.

"It felt like more of a tailgate than an actual line waiting for tickets," Fuentes said.

But for more than seven hours, the line steadily increased as students began to cut to the front.

Haats arrived at noon as one of the first 650 students in line, which meant she could anticipate receiving a lower-level ticket voucher.

Only seven security officers were on site, according to UHPD. The line began to move around 5 p.m., and panic ensued among students as they shoved their way

through a gated fence to reach where the vouchers were distributed. Resisting the police, some students abandoned their beer pong tables and hopped barricades to avoid the mosh pit of students.

Haats said those who waited for hours received upper-level tickets despite their place in line, including herself.

"The worst part was when people started to get tickets, they proceeded to exclaim that they got a lower-level ticket and only got there at 3 p.m.," Haats said. "I ended up meeting someone who had been sitting in line since 10 a.m., and she only got an upper level ticket."

The Cougar reached out to the marketing department of UH Athletics for this story, but they deferred to David Bassity, the Associate Director for Strategic Communications at UH Athletics.

The Athletics Department said they always review the logistics of events they host in order to better the student experience in the future.

Some students were nearly trampled at Cage Rage. | Thom Dwyer/The Cougar

"Appropriate campus departments were apprised of the plan for student ticket voucher distribution ahead of time, and the area was monitored throughout the day to ensure student safety," said Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications David Bassity.

Students were instructed to take their vouchers to the TDECU Stadium Ticket Office the following week to purchase tickets for $20, nearly half the price of a regular ticket. Some students managed to get several vouchers, which concerned some about the potential of wasted vouchers.

"When the purchase was being made, student IDs were scanned,

thus preventing students from returning with a second voucher to purchase an additional ticket," Bassity said.

In the midst of a surge of widespread support for the Cougars, many students took to social media to complain about the experience.

Haats said that the process needs to change in the future.

"If UH is going to have any chance of joining the Big 12, they need to reevaluate how they are going to deal with the increased demand for student tickets and the current resurgence in popularity of the UH football program," Haats said. news@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, September 7 2016 | 5

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OPINION

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF

OPINION EDITORS

Trey Strange MANAGING EDITOR

Bryce Dodds CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Leah Nash CHIEF COPY EDITOR

Nguyen Le NEWS EDITORS

Emily Burleson Alex Meyer Gabe LaBounty SPORTS EDITORS

Reagan Earnst Jonathan Valadez

Frank Campos Thom Dwyer

ACADEMICS

ARTS EDITORS

Digital textbook prices prove to be unfair to students

PHOTO EDITORS

T

Karis Johnson Greg Fails Justin Cross Ajani Stewart SENIOR STAFF

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The Cougar is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press. studentpress.org/ acp

he digital age has affected the textbook industry just like any other.

Publishers have now set the price for each textbook, expecting consumers to sit back and be grateful not to have to lug around a much more expensive textbook.

NICK BELL Students have COLUMNIST flocked to the new idea of digital textbooks and don’t realize or don’t care that they are paying a high price set by a major publisher.

Macmillan, Cengage, Pearson, McGraw-Hill and Wiley — these publishers control the overwhelming majority of the textbooks that you purchase for your classes each semester.

As such, they also control the prices — which have risen more than 1000 percent — you must pay to rent or own this knowledge.

For better or worse, I’m what marketers and pundits would label as a member of Generation Y. I grew up during a time that saw the proliferation of peer-to-peer networking. It shook up my fellow millennials preconceived sentiment toward paying for media.

Idealism aside, we live in a

capitalistic society. As time went on, the big bang that birthed these gateways was doomed to be followed by a big crunch.

Although most of these platforms for free media have been mitigated or eliminated altogether, the transfer of purchasing power from distributors to consumers in the film, television, music and print industry cannot be more apparent.

In contrast, attempts from independent companies and subscription services to provide electronic formats in the book business have largely failed. The elite of book publishers resolved the threat of competition through a series of price-fixing practices and the eventual adaptation of agency pricing.

The digital space has created cheaper ways to lull our minds into passivity with various forms of entertainment. When it comes to expanding them, the drop off in price for an updated printed version versus a digital version of a textbook is almost laughable.

On occasion, you can find a substantial gap in price between the two formats, but the reality is that you can only rent — not own — that information. The drop in the cost of production associated with textbooks are cheaper on a digital format.

Without your brick-and-mortar store taking its share, this

Students have the convenient choice to download a file of their books in lieu of carrying around much heavier hard copies to class. | Justin Cross/The Cougar

should provide a much larger disparity in retail price than your average publication.

These benefits are not passed on to the student.

It’s frightening how much gatekeeping ability the publishers have over the access to information that higher-education institutions see as crucial. If left unchecked, this will grow to create a pattern of marginalizing intellectual pursuit.

The digital platform of all media forms and the business models created in reaction to the prevalence of peer-to-peer

software bore the notion that the power of knowledge and content was supposed to be vested in the people.

The alternatives that publishers have provided us — when it comes to purchasing their textbooks, especially digitally — is based on a business model that assumes we should just be thankful to pay whatever price on whatever platform they have provided.

Opinion columnist Nick Bell is an MBA student and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

STAFF EDITORIAL

I

All for 12, none for students

n pursuit of college football greatness, UH Athletics should remember its largest source of motivation: the students.

The 15th-ranked Cougars dominated the 3rd-ranked University of Oklahoma Sooners in a 33-23 victory Saturday. UH has catapulted itself into the spotlight as one of the most popular programs in the country.

As the success continues — and the Cougars look to become a mainstay in the playoff discussion each year — it's important that our University places the students at the highest priority when making decisions.

Lost in the mass of student rallies, media coverage and hysteria, the Athletics Department decided the first

5,000 students would pay $20 for tickets to the “neutral site” game located at NRG Stadium — less than 10 miles from TDECU Stadium.

The $100,000 made from the students, who struggle with rising tuition, book costs, housing and crippling debt, is nothing compared to revenue made from the game and exposure given to the school.

But the problem isn't just the amount of money; it's the principle of paying for games.

As the lifeblood of this school, students provide the athletes much-needed and well-deserved support.

Not just on game day. All week, you can see students sporting T-shirts and hats and backpacks

that praise Herman and his team.

Those same dedicated students waited in line for hours in the heat to get vouchers. They waded through a mob. Many who showed up five or six hours early did not get the ticket they wanted.

Athletics provided just seven security guards , according to UHPD, for thousands of students.

Once lines started to move, there seemed to be no oversight, and students cut in front of others at will.

Don't set a precedent for the upcoming season.

The games that will be played at TDECU Stadium this year will only be free for the first 5,000 students. The rest of the student body will be charged $20 a ticket. For an institution whose

advertising claims that students get free admission to home games, this is wrong.

In Fiscal Year 2012-2013, after approving a budget of more than $4 million, the Student Fee Advisory Committee's report stated that "by granting funds for stadium construction/ renovations for the next 25 years, we expect athletics to provide students with free entrance to sporting events."

While the Big 12 may suddenly be looking at the Cougars, the Athletics Department needs to remember the foundation of its support.

It's time to make sure that sentiment is reciprocated. editor@thedailycougar.com

6 | Wednesday, September 7, 2016

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Reagan Earnst, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

The noise grows, but Cougars refuse to hear it JONATHAN VALADEZ

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @JONOUNSEEN

After a hard-hitting 60 minutes of play that resulted in a victory over the No. 3 team in the country, the Cougars have come away as the overwhelming favorite in their remaining games this season.

If the team can run the gauntlet and keep winning, an undefeated season by the Cougars would be hard to overlook when it comes time for the playoff committee to decide on who stays and goes.

What lies ahead Before thinking about January and the possible implications, head coach Tom Herman and the Cougars have to remain focused on each individual game and compete on the same level as they did against the University of Oklahoma Sooners.

Going into the season opener, Herman made it a priority to keep his team shut out from the hype and external noise of playing against OU. To everyone’s surprise — except for the Cougars' — the team remained poised and dominated their Power-Five foe, especially in the second half where they held the Sooners scoreless until a garbage-time touchdown with less than three minutes to play.

The national noise that comes with beating a contender and, in turn establishing the team as one, will be immense.

It will be up to Herman

Now a favorite to win in each of their remaining games, the Cougars can control their own destiny the remainder of the 2016 season. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

to again put his team in a soundproof chamber to keep the buzz from becoming a distraction. If the early indications prove anything, it seems like the Cougars are on point with that.

During the post-game press conference, Herman credited his team for being humble

Senior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. guided the offense effectively for 321 yards and two scores against the Sooners on Saturday. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

“We only worry about who we have to play that week. And next week is Lamar, so we're really just going to be focused on them. ” Greg Ward, Quarterback and emotionless. He said that the Cougars know that the OU victory was just one game, and that when the next game rolls around they’ll consider themselves 0-0.

That next game will see the Cougars facing the Lamar University Cardinals, who are coming off a 38-14 loss and aim to claim their first win of the season.

While this may seem like a landslide victory for the Cougars, just ask the Louisiana State University Tigers or the University of Tennessee Volunteers if any win is guaranteed on game day.

LSU, who was ranked fifth in the country, lost to a formidable-yet-unranked opponent in the University of Wisconsin Badgers.

The Volunteers, who were ranked ninth, had to take it to

overtime to come out with a win against the upset-prone Appalachian State University Mountaineers.

'Second to none' In the post-game press conference, senior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. reiterated his coach’s words.

“We only worry about who we have to play that week,” Ward said. “And next week is Lamar, so we’re really just going to be focused on them. We’re not worried about who we play or the conference they’re in.”

Regardless of what happens during the game against Lamar, the Cougars won’t have time to do anything but focus on their next opponent. They will get only four days of rest before heading to Ohio to take on the University of Cincinnati Bearcats on Sept. 15.

In last season’s game at TDECU Stadium, the Bearcats gave UH all that they could handle before the Cougars closed it out in a 33-30 nail biter.

But just like last week, that game was in the past, and Houston will look only at what's in front of them at that moment.

Although the Cougars beat their biggest opponent of the season, it doesn’t mean that they are finished facing hardships throughout the year.

Herman knows that. To win big down the road, Herman will have to keep his team fixated on future goals and take it one game at a time.

As expected, there's a mantra behind most things that the Cougars do.

“There’s a Navy SEALs quote that says: ‘When faced with adversity, you don’t rise to the occasion. You fall to the level of your training,’” Herman said.

“We feel like our training is second-to-none.”

From week to week, the Cougars will let its training do the talking and reject the escalating buzz. sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, September 7, 2016 | 7

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SPORTS

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Reagan Earnst, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

Coaches notes: Herman impressed, but needs improvement REAGAN EARNST

SPORTS EDITOR @REAGANEARNST

Following a landmark win with football toppling the No. 3 team in the country, the Cougars must now ready themselves to face the Lamar University Cardinals on Saturday at TDECU Stadium.

Although shifting his focus to Saturday’s game, head coach Tom Herman publicly reveled in what Saturday was for a final time. “I’m really proud of our team,� Herman said. “I want to say thank you to the alumni, fans, student body and the city of Houston for supporting us the way that they did in that stadium. It legitimately felt like a home game, as it should.�

Herman was impressed with his team’s ability to battle adversity and says that it was the love that his players and coaches have for each other that fueled their resilience.

After entering the game as more than a 10-point underdog, the team ignored the noise and proceeded to ironically win by 10 themselves.

In typical head coach fashion,

Celebration time is over for the Cougars, as they must now turn their focus to Lamar University. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

complacency will surely build within the program.

It’s no secret that this week's opponent is an inferior team to the Cougars.

Since bringing back their football program in 2010, Lamar has struggled for just a 31-38 record while playing

“This will be a very good litmus test for our fans, alumni and students to see, ‘Hey, do you guys want to be this or do you not?’ The proof is in the pudding.�

of what our culture demands of them.�

Herman speaks highly of Lamar and credits what head

coach Ray Woodard in what he has achieved in resuscitating the program from the dead in the last six years. Citing impressive

players on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, he believes his team has their work cut out for them in practice this week.

Albeit impressed by the fan support in NRG Stadium last weekend, Herman knows that filling TDECU Stadium for smaller-market games is crucial to becoming a nationally recognized program. “If we fashion ourselves to be a big time football program, like the big time programs in the country, it does not matter what the opponent is or what is on their jersey,� Herman said. “Their fans, students and alumni come and support and watch their team play. This will be a very good litmus test for our fans, alumni and students to see, ‘Hey, do you guys want to be this or do you not?' The proof is in the pudding.� sports@thedailycougar.com

worship DIRECTORY

Tom Herman, Head coach he made it clear that he was not completely impressed by his team. With lapses on defense, kick returns and a costly lategame fumble by his senior quarterback, the Cougars still have many areas where they can improve in coming weeks. “We had some coverage busts in the secondary,� Herman said. “Then at the four minute mark we were about to go up 40-17 on the No. 3 team in the country and we fumbled the ball going into the dang end zone and put our defense back out on the field. That’s obviously very unacceptable.�

Although seemingly picky for a coach whose team just secured a spot in the top 10, Herman has proved that it is his staff ’s attention to detail that has yielded a 15-1 record in their tenure.

Without finding something to correct from week-to-week,

against Southland Conference competition. Transitioning from playing a college football powerhouse to a struggling small conference opponent can be tough on a player’s psyche, and that is what the Cougars must overcome.

Despite entering the game as an overwhelming favorite, the Cougars know that treating its preparation with earnestness is key to avoiding an upset. The coaching staff does everything in their power to not allow their team to underestimate an opponent. “The culture that is ingrained in this program will not allow it,�

Herman said. “I think these guys know that if Coach McKnight or any of our assistants for one minute think that there is complacency or the foot is being let off the gas, they’re going to get smacked in the face with the proverbial shovel and reminded

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8 | Wednesday, September 7, 2016

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Reagan Earnst, EDITOR

VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball serves up impressive start to season J.D. SMITH STAFF WRITER

Heading into this weekend’s Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup with a 4-2 record, the volleyball team will continue its strong start that has featured two second-place finishes in each of the season’s first two tournaments.

After going 2-1 at the Houston Baptist Tournament on Aug. 26, the Cougars followed with another 2-1 performance at last weekend’s Houston Cougar Classic. Weber State University and Idaho State University, the eventual tournament champions, each delivered a loss to the team.

Despite featuring a roster with nine freshmen and 14 underclassmen, the team has played with a veteran’s poise, never blinking or backing down in adversity.

“We have composure under pressure and that will help us in the long run,” head coach Kaddie Platt said. “When the pressure is on, we’ve got to take big swings, be less careful and swing to score.”

Preparation is key Resilience was on display over

The volleyball team is now 4-2 on the season, with second place finishes in each of their first two tournaments and a 2-1 home record. | Courtesy of Juan DeLeon

“We’re really hard workers and ready to grind when we need to.

(We are) working hard and really well together,” said junior outside hitter Sarah Afflerbaugh.

Afflerbaugh has stepped her game up in her third season: She leads the team in kills in their last two matches and is third on the team in the category for the season.

Named to the Cougar Classic all-tournament team with sophomore right side Chenelle Walker, Afflerbaugh knows what the Cougars can do to improve.

“We need to work on cutting down our errors in the game,” Afflerbaugh said. “Once we do that and make all the balls playable in the game, that’ll (increase) our chances of beating a lot of teams this season.”

Onward and upward the weekend in the Houston Cougar Classic.

In their first match of the tournament against Texas Southern University, the team dropped the first set but rebounded and swept the next three sets for the victory. As for the Classic's last match, the Cougars battled back

American Red Cross

from being down 1-2 to beat Lamar University by a final of 3-2 (in a back-and-forth five-set contest).

The Cougars know that instilling tenacious habits into young players is paramount to improving and getting to where they want to be at the season’s end.

With experience and leadership comes the knowledge that, sometimes, losses are just as important as wins for team growth. Although the Cougars have a youthful squad, the upperclassmen’s wisdom has helped the team rebound from close losses in 2016.

In order to stay sharp with a youthful team, Platt recognizes that her players must perfect the basics.

“We’re pretty young and it’s good to see some young players in there getting a lot of experience,” Platt said. “You can’t replicate the pressure of a match in any practice session. We need to get to a point where our serving and passing are consistent and staying in our game plans.”

Statistics and records only reveal so much, especially in a sport like volleyball where a team’s chemistry and communication is just as important as any other aspect of the game.

Even without Brookah Palmer, the All-American Athletic Conference First Team player, who was injured, the Cougars have shown flashes of greatness. They displayed just what this team is capable of at their best.

“We’ve worked really hard these last four weeks in the preseason and I expect nothing but the best from this team,” Afflerbaugh said. “We’re off to a pretty good start.” sports@thedailycougar.com

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