Issue 04, Volume 83

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Issue 04, Volume 83

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Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

HARVEY

After three floods, senior has had enough TRAYNOR SWANSON

NEWS EDITOR @TRAYNORSWANSON

Elyse Cloyd spent all of Aug. 26 watching the news to get weather updates about Hurricane Harvey.

She couldn’t fathom some of the predictions. Eight to 12 inches of rain, they said. Then, 12 to 20 inches.

The rainfall forecasts kept growing higher and higher.

“They were like, ‘Oh, it’s not gonna be as bad as the Memorial Day flood,’” said Cloyd, whose Meyerland home flooded in the 2015 Memorial Day flood and last year’s Tax Day flood — three times in three years.

But by midnight, floodwater made its way into her house — one of more than 185,000 homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The storm was the most extreme rain event ever recorded to befall the contiguous United States.

Cloyd, a business junior at UH, said she’s ready to live in a different part of town, safe from recurring floodwater.

“This is enough,” she said.

“People were telling us after the first flood: Move out. I’ve talked to a couple of my neighbors, and they’re in the same boat. They don’t want to live here anymore.”

Into the attic Early Sunday morning, the water was rising in Cloyd’s home, where she lives with her boyfriend and her mother.

They made the necessary precautions — raising expensive furniture with soup cans and placing chairs on top of tables — before trying to get some rest.

“I just couldn’t sleep though,” she

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Emily Burleson Marialuisa Rincon Bianchi Jasmine Davis COVER

Dana C. Jones

Business junior Elyse Cloyd cleans out her living room, which was inundated with 2 feet of water during Hurricane Harvey. Cloyd's house in Meyerland has flooded three times in three years. | Traynor Swanson/The Cougar

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said. “I don’t know how my mom and my boyfriend could sleep. I kept staring at the water and gauging it by the outlet right by my bed.”

The water kept rising, Cloyd said, all the way up to her mattress.

“I was like, ‘OK, we need to go in the attic or something,'” she said, “so I woke everybody up and went to the attic.”

They grabbed their laptops, phone chargers and three dogs and headed up to the attic around 2 a.m., leaving the attic door open to see how high the water was rising.

“Everyone was freaking me out,” she said. “They were like, ‘Go on the roof ! Go on the roof !’ and I was thinking, well, we’re not gonna sit on the roof in the rain for 10 hours.”

Once in the attic, they tried calling the emergency numbers, like 311, 911 and the Coast Guard, but

Harvey's flooding was the worst Elyse Cloyd has seen, she said. Cloyd, her boyfriend and her mother were rescued by volunteers from Tyler. | Courtesy of Elyse Cloyd

it was impossible to get through.

“We would either get a busy signal, or we were on hold for like 30 minutes,” Cloyd said. “It was insane.”

survivors were shuttled in a dump truck to the George R. Brown Convention Center, where they stayed overnight with the three dogs they were watching.

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Complicating matters was the fact that Cloyd’s mother, Beth Cloyd, injured her knee in February, rendering her unable to climb onto the roof for a potential helicopter rescue by the Coast Guard.

She was supposed to have surgery the week after Hurricane Harvey hit, but it’s been delayed.

“They told us, ‘Get on the roof, and they’ll come get you at some point,'” Elyse Cloyd said. “What does that mean? My mom — she didn’t feel comfortable getting on the roof. I was like, ‘My mom has a bad knee! We can’t get on the roof.’”

Elyse and her boyfriend eventually moved to the roof Sunday afternoon, but the Coast Guard still had at least 50 people to rescue before them.

Finally, two strangers from Tyler, who came to rescue their own family members, decided to continue their rescue operations for the rest of the day in a flat-bottom boat.

Although the first responders were amazing, Beth Cloyd said, the 911 system wasn’t equipped to handle a storm of this magnitude.

“A lot of the rescues happened through volunteerism, and without that, the loss of life would’ve been so much higher,” she said.

“People were coming into our city and our communities. You saw that everywhere.”

Eventually, the three flood

After experiencing three floods in three years, Beth Cloyd said the first Memorial Day deluge was the worst in terms of losing possessions.

This year was harder, however, because of the magnitude and duration of the rain, she said, creating uncertainty about whether they would be rescued and having to reach out on social media to no avail.

“And knowing you’ve got two kids up on the roof,” Beth Cloyd said. “I mean, I couldn’t get up there if a helicopter came, but knowing you have two kid up there on the roof in red-band, pelting rain was scary to make sure they didn’t fall of the roof.”

By the time they could return home several days after the flood, all three of their cars were destroyed.

Despite having to tear up the floorboards and cut out the walls for the third time in three years, things could’ve been much worse, Elyse Cloyd said.

“Anytime something happens like this, it’s super humbling,” she said. “Material possessions don’t really mean anything, and I know that I’m very lucky compared to some people. … I can see how blessed and lucky I am, but it still sucks.”

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Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

RESEARCH

Technology developing to teach disaster contingencies Virtual, augmented reality program would help people with Asperger's identify emotions MICHAEL SLATEN

STAFF WRITER @MICHAELSLATEN

A team of doctoral candidates and a University of Houston professor are developing various augmented reality and virtual reality programs, which include programs designed to help people with Asperger’s identify emotions, teach people what to do in disasters and create 3-D models of MRI data.

The programs are being developed primarily for the Microsoft HoloLens, an augmented reality headset that places holograms and information over the physical world, said computer science professor Chang Yun. Some, however, are made in virtual reality using the HTC Vive.

The team is working alongside

“Ten years from now, this will be more like an essential," said professor Chang Yun. "All of this information that you need to know and want to know. ... Have a imagination of what this type of device can do for you.” | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

CERT, a division of FEMA that helps educate the public about disaster preparedness, Yun said.

“In a nutshell, what CERT does is teaching civilians how to do particular tasks to both save themselves and their family in times of emergency," said Brian

Holtkamp, a doctoral candidate working on a program to teach people how to properly use a fire extinguisher. "So hurricanes, tornadoes, those type of natural disasters or man-made disasters.”

The fire extinguisher program is in VR and will go into testing next

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month, he said.

“We put them into a house that has fire, and you have to go extinguish them or see if you can extinguish them,” Holtkamp said.

Another program the team is working on aims to help people with Asperger’s or high functioning autism converse with others. It uses the Microsoft HoloLens and tells the user what emotion — happy, sad, angry, neutral or surprised — is displayed on the face whoever they are talking to.

“If we can rely on it, imagine how much accessibility we can give those patients, so they can practice at least in their homes or even with their friends," said Mohammed Alshair, a doctoral candidate working on the project.

"They can wear it or just look and know this person is getting frustrated, getting mad, getting angry, and over time, they get better.”

Collaborative effort They are working with doctors from the University of Texas Health Science Center to test the viability of such a program.

Yun has been working for several years to find ways to help those with Asperger’s or high functioning autism, previously by using Kinect-based games at the UH Clear Lake Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities.

“The high functioning autistic patients or Asperger's (patients) having problems recognizing social cue, like the facial expression,” Yun said. “So they fail conversing with other people, time after time after time. In the end, what happens is people, after enough defeat, they give up. Now we are providing a tool, so they can understand how other people

are feeling, at least facially.”

Five years ago, a family with a son who has autism came to Yun. The son’s mother told Yun that teaching him to program would be more than enough — more so than earning a degree.

“That kind of do things on you, literally," Yun said. "Seeing mother beg me to death. After then, just chances came by, and I met this faculty director leading UHCL's Autism Center."

MRI data typically come in slices with parts of the brain shown in each slice, Yun said. The team has an AR program that creates a 3-D hologram of the brain in the physical world, so doctors and physicians can walk around and view the hologram and any tumors or blood vessels connected to it as large as they want.

“Say a doctor needed to find a tumor in the lower portion of the brain. We can take that and just put a little color on that, it’ll pop straight out,” Holtkamp said.

“Surgery is obviously something very serious at that point in time, so minimizing potential problems is a huge win.”

Essential device Yun said he is optimistic about how prevalent augmented reality will be 10 years from now with its ability to overlay more information on top of anything and as AR headsets become smaller and cheaper.

“This is like iPhone One. Nobody has concept of what smartphone is all about. Now everybody knows it’s an essential,” Yun said.

“Ten years from now, this will be more like an essential. All of this information that you need to know and want to know, in addition.

Have a imagination of what this type of device can do for you to better your living.”

Augmented reality is a new computing territory, and the HoloLens is the only mass market AR headset. Virtual reality has been around in some form for several years. The team is dealing with the initial problems and finding the solutions for AR to pave the way for those who want to build on it in the future.

“If enough people are impressed, screw it. We are going to make this work," Alshair said. "I’m one of them. Annoying, yes, I’m cursing Microsoft everyday for like why, why, why. But at the end, I’m not choosing not to, because it’s worth the trouble." news@thedailycougar.com

Y

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NEWS

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Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

HARVEY

Donations available for storm victims until Friday JORDYN KAZMOUZ

STAFF WRITER

@ JORDYN_FERRAH

city,” she said. “There are dozens and dozens of organizations that are stepping up and providing different services, supplies and items to people in need right now."

To help individuals recover from the loss of homes and vehicles from flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, the Center for Student Purposeful opportunity Involvement began accepting It's a meaningful opportunity donations on Friday and will to have students, faculty and staff continue through Sept. 15. to give directly to their fellow CSI is accepting a variety of Cougars, she said. donations, including new home "Within the city of Houston, supplies, new baby supplies, we have a community within a non-perishable food items, new community here at the University toiletries and new clothing such as of Houston, and we have a packaged underwear and socks. responsibility," Kaesebier said. "I “We have received a wide range think there’s a lot of value in being of donations from members of the able to step up, support our fellow UH community,” said the Associate peers and help them through a Director of CSI, Katy Kaesebier. “At really tough time.” this point, we have received and As many members of the distributed hundreds of items to community suffered these losses, our fellow Cougars who have been freshman Robert Haverly, who impacted by Harvey.” volunteered with CSI, said it was Kaesebier elaborated on why important to many individuals to it is important for students to donate items and volunteer their donate. time to help others.

“I think there are a lot of really “I wanted to make a difference in 10-10902_Cougar Newspaper 1 Haverly 9/5/17 said.

3:28"I’ve PM great things happening across the August_PRINT.pdf the community,"

never been through a hurricane before because I’m from up north. I feel like being down here, Houston has really accepted me in, so I want to give back to it."

Human development and consumer science junior Natalia Johnson agreed with Haverly.

“Since I haven’t been able to really go out in the community and UH provided this opportunity to volunteer on campus, I thought it would be good to take advantage of it, especially so kids can come and take stuff that they need if they were affected," Johnson said.

For the whole community While CSI has not directly accepted monetary donations, a Cougar Emergency Fund is available.

This fund was created to give UH students impacted by Hurricane Harvey up to $2,500 to help pay for essential expenses.

The donations CSI received were not only for students but also for faculty and staff that were affected.

The Center for Student Involvement is accepting donations like new home supplies, non-perishable food, new toiletries and new clothing. | Jordyn Kazmouz/The Cougar

In order to receive donated items, any member of the University community should go to the Impact Room in the Student Center North between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

“I haven’t really had someone say, ‘I really needed this, but it wasn’t available,’ so I would say

we’ve definitely been able to meet the demand so far,” Kaesebier said.

“I think our challenge now is that we’ve had a lot of people donating, but I don’t know if everyone knows that it’s an opportunity for them to come pick up supplies.” news@thedailycougar.com

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Traynor Swanson, EDITOR

HARVEY

University aims for cheaper textbooks, falls short C. MCRAE PEAVY

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @ MCRAEPV1

Textbooks are expensive. Though UH has taken steps toward mitigating the financial burden faced by students, many still suffer consequences of high costs and low availability caused by professors failing to turn in book requests on time to the UH Bookstore.

The University has pursued multiple endeavors to lower textbook costs — including open-source and loose-leaf options. More than three quarters of professors, however, had not submitted fall textbook adoptions by the University’s deadline.

In order to alleviate high prices, the bookstore has its adoption deadline for professors in March for the fall semester, well ahead of the deadline required by the state of Texas, said finance senior Valentin Perez, a two-time Bookstore Advisory Committee appointee who is reapplying for a third term.

According to previous coverage

by The Cougar, early adoption allows

the bookstore to browse and purchase from a larger pool of products, offering students more used and rental options.

Late adoptions UH set the deadline for Summer and Fall 2017 textbook adoptions as March 24. Despite this, UH spokesperson Mike Rosen said only 24 percent of professors submitted their adoption requests on time.

Rosen said 21 percent of professors met the deadline for Fall 2016.

“It is important to note that the bookstore usually receives 95 percent of its adoptions prior to the first week of classes,” he said.

Texas House Bill 33, however, mandates universities set their textbook adoption deadline at least 30 days before each semester, according to previous coverage by The Cougar.

According to the Barnes & Noble College’s FacultyEnlight website, students save anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of the original cost on used and rental books, and if the bookstore has adoptions for the next

"The bookstore ... charges at least 30 to 35 percent markup on every textbook," said Valentin Perez, a former Bookstore Advisory Committee appointee. "Usually, when you go straight to the publisher's website, it's much cheaper." | Nabil Ahsan/The Cougar

semester by the end of the current one, they can buy books back from students at a higher price.

“We will pay 50 percent of the cost of that book if the book will be used next semester,” said Felix Robinson,

general manager at the University of Houston Bookstore, in a 2012 Student Government Association meeting. “We want to be able to buy those books back before students leave.”

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Perez said that despite the cost-saving measure of ordering early, the bookstore still adds a substantial price markup.

“The bookstore also charges at least 30 to 35 percent markup on every textbook,” Perez said. “So, teachers have been, in the syllabus, redirecting students straight to the publisher’s website. Usually, when you go straight to the publisher’s website, it’s much cheaper than the bookstore because it doesn’t have the markup cost.”

Robinson said that the price markup is industry standard and covers expenses like labor, freight and the cost to maintain a physical location and an online bookstore.

“It is also important to remember that a percentage of the bookstore revenue is paid to the University of Houston to help to support important initiatives like scholarships and special programs," he said, "and that we employ a large number of UH students in our bookstore each year."

Finance junior Joe Ridyard said he spent nearly $700 out-of-pocket buying his books for the semester from the bookstore. He said he believes purchasing from the on-campus store was the reason for the hefty price.

“I think, frankly, because it’s a monopoly, and you have no option,” Ridyard said.

Alternative solutions Professors have been pushing loose-leaf options because students

can selectively print certain chapters of the book rather than purchase the whole thing, Perez said.

The bookstore was helpful in that regard, he said, since a publisher’s website wouldn’t have selected chapters available.

SGA's current administration ran on a platform that advocated for the Open Textbook Network — an open source textbook resource that offers free alternatives to students for UH Core classes to books produced by big publishers.

“During the elections, Adrian and I had asked students what things they would like to change/make better about their overall college experience,” said SGA President Winni Zhang in an email. “An overwhelming amount of people replied with the high costs of college, specifically textbook prices. It's also a national problem that students face.

Each student pays nearly $600+ a semester (on average) for textbooks in the US.” Zhang said that since UH joined the Open Textbook Network in February, all that is left to do is convince departments to transition to the platform.

“Our goals are to ensure most large core classes are using OTN,” Zhang said. “The Provost's Department is already doing a pretty good job on starting the trial project with 20 professors right now."

The 20 professors had positive experiences with the textbooks and have been vocal about them, she said.

The cost-saving measures for students should motivate departments to transition, Zhang said, and SGA can help by talking to the departments about the benefits of OTN. news@thedailycougar.com

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SPORTS

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

Defense carries team to victory in season opener ANTHONY CIANCIULLI

STAFF WRITER @ TONYCIANCIULLI

The Cougars rode their stout defense to a 19-16 victory Saturday night against the Arizona Wildcats.

This marked the football team's seventh consecutive win against Power Five opponents.

It took a hearty effort from Houston’s defense to come away with a win.

This was highlighted by a gargantuan game from sophomore All-American defensive tackle Ed Oliver, whose performance included 11 tackles, a blocked kick and even a forced fumble, earning him AAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

“We’re always the underdog and nobody thinks we can do it,” Oliver said. “We respond and we play hard. That’s what we do.

"From Matt Adams to Garrett Davis, all of those guys are big time ballers and big time playmakers. I just love playing with the guys.”

After being named one of the Cougars' four team captains, junior safety Garrett Davis posted one of the most impressive stat lines of his collegiate career.

The defensive back did

The Third Ward defense had a strong debut under new DC Mark D'Onofrio. Ed Oliver and the rest of the defense continued their stellar play from last year in a victory against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, recording 66 tackles, six for a loss and only giving up a single touchdown to the Wildcats. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

his potential.

Despite throwing two interceptions, Allen was able to connect with senior receiver Linell Bonner for his only touchdown of the night.

Bonner had a team-high nine receptions for 59 yards to go along with the touchdown.

Add to that senior receiver Steven Dunbar's healthy production with more than 70 yards receiving for the game.

“We're always the underdog and nobody thinks we can do it. We respond, and we play hard. That's what we do.

All of these guys are big time ballers and big time play makers.”

killer. We have to find a way to get in the end zone."

Houston’s next match on Saturday against the Rice Owls

for the much-anticipated Bayou Bucket, the first game in the series since 2013.

The game will serve as

Houston’s home opener with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. sports@thedailycougar.com

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Ed Oliver, sophomore defensive tackle

everything and more to help slow the physical Arizona rushing attack by recording 11 tackles to go along with a clutch fourth quarter interception to help seal the victory.

Houston’s defense even shouldered some of the scoring responsibility with a safety early in the third quarter.

It was the defining moment in a game where both teams struggled to gain traction offensively.

The dominating defensive performance overshadowed the offense, which looked decent but not flashy in the season opener.

Junior transfer quarterback Kyle Allen did not play his best game, but he showed flashes of

Among the bright spots on offense was the emergence of senior running back Dillon Birden, who was also named one of the team captains.

He earned that title on Saturday night by averaging 5.9 yards on 12 carries that saw him rush for more than 80 yards.

Birden came away from Saturday's game with Houston’s lone rushing touchdown.

Houston may have emerged with a victory, but they will need to capitalize on their offensive opportunities if they wish to remain undefeated.

"You can't survive college football with field goals and missed opportunities," said head coach Major Applewhite. "It's a

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

QUARTERBACK

Allen finds fresh start as Cougars' signal-caller in debut REAGAN EARNST

forth in the starting role, leading to a 3-5 finish to the season and the transfer of both QBs.

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @REAGANEARNST

Junior quarterback Kyle Allen trots onto the field to begin the Cougars’ first offensive drive of the 2017 season.

Surveying the defense as each defender settles into position, he appears calm and collected when he begins to adjust his offensive line, struggling to holler over the roaring masses that fill Arizona Stadium in Tuscon.

Allen hasn’t seen game action since Nov. 28, 2015, when he took his final snap for the Texas A&M Aggies.

In what was a highly unusual and unexpected turn of events, Allen announced on Dec. 6 of that year his plan to transfer to UH ahead of the team’s participation in the 2015 Music City Bowl later that month.

Due to NCAA rules, Allen was sidelined the entire 2016 season while QB Greg Ward Jr. finished his remarkable run as the leader

Positioned to succeed

After waiting on the sidelines all last season, quarterback Kyle Allen completed 25 passes against just seven incompletions for 225 yards en route to a 19-16 victory over the Arizona Wildcats in his debut for the Cougars. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

of the Cougars’ offense.

With Ward gone and the new depth chart set, Allen hands the ball off to his running back to begin a new season and era of UH football.

"It felt great. That's what I was telling all my teammates," Allen

said. "I was like, 'I'm just ready to get hit for the first time,' you know what I mean? Just get those bugs out of you and get back in the game. I haven't played in a year and a half, and it was really good to get back out there with a new squad and

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a lot of guys that I'm really close with and trust a lot."

Tumultuous beginning The 21-year-old’s time at A&M was strange.

As the top-ranked QB in the nation coming out of Desert Mountain High School, Allen committed to the Aggies in June 2013.

Many expected him to fill the shoes of departed Heisman Trophy-winning QB Johnny Manziel, which arguably set the highly-touted freshman up for failure from the jump.

“I think the culture was a big part of it, and I think that stems from Johnny’s era there — the way that they let Johnny and (others) act there,” Allen said in a February 2016 interview with CBSsports.com. “They (could) do that and still win games because they had Johnny … and five offensive linemen playing in the NFL right now.”

Although he was not the starter in his first A&M season, the 6-foot-3 pro-style QB was thrust into the lead role when the Aggies dropped three consecutive games in October 2014.

He led the team to a 3-2 record in their remaining games, including an MVP-winning performance in its 2014 Liberty Bowl victory.

Months later, a 5-0 start to the 2015 season had Allen and the Aggies ranked No. 9 in the country in advance of playing the No. 10 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

Unfortunately, three interceptions — all returned for scores — later, Allen was pulled from the game for the highly-recruited freshman Kyler Murray.

The two would yo-yo back and

Now in Houston, Allen finds himself in a role that offers security and the opportunity to learn from head coach Major Applewhite.

The first year head coach's experience as a former standout QB allows him to understand the game from Allen's perspective and make necessary corrections.

Allen admittedly showed signs of rust in his first game back in 21 months, but was efficient in the offense.

A careless fumble early that stayed in the Cougars’ possession coupled with a pair of picks in the second half tarnished what was otherwise a welcomed opening-game performance against the Wildcats Saturday night.

Applewhite was impressed with Allen's poised attitude in adversity during the team's win.

"I thought he did fine," Applewhite said following Saturday's game.

"He managed (interceptions) well, controlled himself well and continued to take care of the football. Most quarterbacks are competitive. They just need to take care of the ball in the right situations, and he took care of the ball well."

Looking ahead Overall, the new Cougar signal-caller completed 25 of 32 passes for 225 yards, a TD and a 19-16 victory over a Power Five conference-member opponent.

His performance serves as a beacon of hope that the Cougars will not experience the drop-off that sometimes occurs when a team changes QBs. If he can continue to grow as a player, Allen has a chance to show the nation what he is capable of when placed in the right situation.

“I felt like I did pretty well today,” Allen said following the game. “My completion rate was high. I had two interceptions, which is never what you want, but they were correctable things. I don’t think it was detrimental. " "There’s a lot of room for improvement in decision making and certain situations.” sports@thedailycougar.com

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SPORTS

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

Running in three different events last season, Jennifer Dunlap helped the women's track & field team improve from eighth to third at the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships by running on the Distance Medley Relay team that won the bronze medal. Her performance earned her a spot on the USA Team roster at the Summer Universiade. | Courtesy of Stephen Pinchback of UH Athletics

CROSS COUNTRY

Q&A: Dunlap motivated by Taipei competition PETER SCAMARDO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @PLSCAMARDO2

Senior runner Jennifer Dunlap spent her August running in the women's 1500m for USA Team at the World University Games, or Universiade, in Taipei, Taiwan.

In track & field, Dunlap runs in the mile, 800m and 1500m and the Distance Medley Relay, but she also competes in cross country for the Cougars during the fall.

She was a key piece in helping the women take third at the at the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships as she ran in the DMR that won the bronze medal. Now back in Houston, Dunlap will look to translate her recent success in track & field to the cross country competition.

The Cougar sat down with Dunlap to discuss her trip to Taipei and goals going forward.

The Cougar: How would you describe the last track season?

You appeared to be one of the more consistent runners.

Jennifer Dunlap: I learned a lot

last track season. Freshman year and sophomore year, going in, I was kind of more of an under-

Dunlap: I'm really excited about

dog, and this past track season coming in with faster personal records, I learned more of the racing experience. So I ran one PR; I wasn't happy with a lot of my races, but I was really satisfied with the season. The takeaways were great.

the cross country season, actually.

We knew we were going to have to step it up, losing Selena (Sierra) and Maddie (Brown).

They were big scorers on the team. But I think the whole team, like all of us women, have stepped it up.

The Cougar: What was it like helping the women earn a third place finish at Indoors by winning a bronze medal in the Distance Medley?

Dunlap: That was so much fun.

That was probably one of my favorite races yet. Jahnavi (Schneider's) anchor leg was incredible. But I think just the whole team aspect, we were all training up for that, we all wanted each other to perform well and do well. So going into the race we were so excited.

And it was funny cause we joked before we walked past the podium — we were like, 'Hey, let's make it on the podium today.' And we did.

The Cougar: Last November when it was announced UH Track & Field would be representing the United States at the World University Games, did you think you'd be on the roster?

After a breakout season in track & field, Jennifer Dunlap hopes to have that same success in cross country as a senior leader. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

Dunlap: It was funny cause I

think we were going to a cross country meet when I saw that, and I asked my coach, 'Hey Steve, how do I get on there?

What can I do to qualify for this?' So I don't know. I knew I had a lot of work to do, but I wanted to go. So I had a lot of motivation for the track season to really work hard.

The Cougar: And then when you were named to the roster, was that a sort of validation for what you had done that season?

Dunlap: It definitely was. It was

crazy. I was really excited about it so much.

The Cougar: So what was that whole experience like getting to travel to Taiwan and compete at the Municipal Stadium?

Dunlap: It was amazing. It was

incredible. Racing a field of international women was crazy.

I think that brought a lot of confidence out in me. That coming back here, lining up, now knowing that I've raced these great women all over the world I think will help a lot — just with the nerves and everything for the next season.

The Cougar: With Selena Sierra no longer on the team, what is your mindset going this season?

Like as a group we've really stepped up our game. So that's been really cool to see. We want to see each other improve, so as a team we're really working together to do that. But it's gonna be good, it's going to be a lot of fun.

The Cougar: Is there something specific you want to see out of the women this season?

Dunlap: I'm not sure. The team

is just kind of like a family, and when we're out their racing, we're doing it for each other.

When we get tired, it's like I've got the whole team that wants to perform well, so you can't be selfish. I think that we're just gonna keep bringing that energy and see how well we'll do at conference. sports@thedailycougar.com

10 | Wednesday, September 13, 2017

OPINION 713-743-5304

thedailycougar.com/opinion

opinion@thedailycougar.com

Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

"We had a white supremacist rally held at our mosque on Jameel, and there was no one there. The threat of violence kept us from our faith," said UH student Anusheh Siddique | Dana C. Jones/ The Cougar

RELIGION

Islam's peace is still destroyed by the gaping, rubble-strewn 9/11 memory

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very year, this country mourns the day that its security was made vulnerable. Sept. 11 made the United States realize that it, too, is subject to attacks. In place of its loss of security, it had to take someone else’s, even if that meant the securities of another citizen’s.

All people affiliated with DANA C. Islam were JONES OPINIONEDITOR dehumanized in a matter of hours after the attacks on the twin towers.

The extremists who carried out the attacks on 9/11 were not the first to do so in the name of religion. Christians slaughtered indigenous people for ‘Manifest Destiny,’ claiming their Godgiven right to Native Americans' land. And we're all aware of some Catholic priests' affinity for

Take political science students Anusheh Siddique, a Pakistani and Muslim senior, and Yusuf Bavi, an African-American senior who converted to Islam.

Together, they represent different sides of the Islamic diaspora.

Parting without the Hijab

Siddique recalls how the country that she immigrated to has treated her since she was a kid.

Since 9/11, there have been measured increases in airport security as terrorists attempted more and more creative attacks.

Nearly one in five Muslims said they had been singled out by airport security, according to the Pew Research Center. That's all because TSA is afraid of brown skin.

“I remember having a stuffed dolphin, and they took it away from me in customs,” Siddique said. “As a child, I wondered why an adult took my toy from me, but now it’s symbolic because as a five-yearold, my only source of comfort was taken away because you're suspicious of her whole race.”

In black and brown communities, effects of Anusheh Siddique is a Pakastani Muslim woman who chooses intrapersonal to not wear her hijab every day. | Dana C.Jones / The Cougar and internal racism can set perversion. These individuals are in even at young ages. Even black extremists, and the actions of a and brown people disassociating few are not the paradigm of many. themselves from acts of terror Now, anyone who slightly that people that look like them resembles the stereotype of cause people still know how they a Muslim man or woman is appear to the public and act automatically profiled as a accordingly. terrorist.

“In fourth grade, I was arguing

with this Indian boy, and he shouts out me and says, ‘Go home, terrorist,’” Siddique said.

Siddique recounted three separate times when she or someone she loved was called a terrorist.

In some Muslim communities, their faith is one of the most important things in their lives.

But the visual cues of their shade of melanin or their garb can sometimes invite violence and discrimination.

“Before my mom and my sister started hijab, we were a little more comfortable because we don’t necessarily look Muslim,” Siddique said. “When my sister first started hijab, my dad said, ‘Don’t go to work today,’ and it had been 13 years (since 9/11) at that point, and my dad was still scared that his daughter is going to suffer.”

Having a president like Donald Trump has caused a myriad of worries for many minorities across the country, but Muslims especially have been targeted.

Siddique recalls her sister saying, “Everyone else was cheering, but I felt like I was the funeral of my country,” when Trump got elected.

Siddique chooses to not wear the hijab. Her sister gave her comfort in her choice.

“I felt like the hijab is a public statement of your faith, and why should I have to publicly say something that I know myself?”

Siddique said.

Siddique recalls her sister saying, “‘my scarf isn’t for anyone else but for me and my creator, and that’s the only audience you need to cater to.'”

Coming to Islam Bavi converted to Islam at the end of his senior year of high school. He was 18 years old at the time.

“At that point, I felt genuinely very Muslim, but in hind sight, I think I was I was trying to search for a better way of life and to avoid

the traps society has for a young saying that they killed my uncle black male,” Bavi said. when they killed Bin Laden,” Bavi About 20 percent of Muslim said.

American adults are black, and 76 Similarly, Siddique said that a percent of converts switch before black football player at her high they turn 30, according to the Pew school was terrorized by his white Research Center. teammates.

Before converting, Bavi was She said the football players agnostic while his mother was a “locked him in his locker and said, African-American Christian and ‘go back to your country, monkey, his father was an Iranian Muslim.

Trump is President now,’ and it Unless they are wearing certain was posted on social media.” clothing or speaking Arabic, most Politicians and everyday people don’t associate Islam with Black people.

However, Bavi says he has never felt he has been able to hide his background.

“I can’t hide it because of my name.

It’s my born name.”

Being a minority is already hard, but adding multiple Yusuf Bavi is a Black American Muslim who converted at minorities to the end of his senior year. | Dana C. Jones/ The Cougar your identity doubles down the prospect for discrimination. I citizens who create and support thought the Muslim community protests, Muslim bans and threats would need to take extra of DACA removal are letting out a precautions on the anniversary buildup of angst and hate toward of 9/11, but Bavi said he did not American minorities who have feel it. done nothing to hurt them.

“Not on that day, but it’s other While we remember the people days," Bavi said. “Going into job who lost their lives by the hands interviews, filling out applications, of extremists, in the name of a or stepping into a new classroom. religion that literally translates It’s not worrying about a to "peace," let us also stand in particular day if something is solidarity with the many Muslims going to happen to me. It’s more of who had nothing to with this the rest my life.” singular attack but who have paid Islamophobia has followed Bavi everything. throughout his education.

“Whether it’s in elementary Opinion editor Dana C. Jones is a school where you’re always print journalism junior and can be playing the bad guy or high school reached at opinion@thedailycougar. where they call me terrorist or com

Wednesday, September 13, 2017 | 11

713-743-5304

OPINION

thedailycougar.com/opinion

opinion@thedailycougar.com

Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

STAFF EDITORIAL

Smack talk: Bayou Bucket returns after five years Editor’s note: To prepare for Saturday’s game, The Cougar and The Rice Thresher have exchanged a few words — all in good fun, of course. Both editorials will appear in the Cougar and Thresher.

The Cougar:

D

ear cokehead virgins, UH would like to extend a greeting as our two schools once again renew our sporadic rivalry. We know some of you are good at math, or something, so you should be able to figure out these simple stats: We’ve played the Bayou Bucket three times since 2010, and the Cougars won every time.

We know a lot has changed since 2010. Barack is out; the Cheeto is in. We’ve cycled through five different new iPhones. Disney reanimated Star Wars.

Animals that were fish when you last beat us at football can now walk. That’s an evolution joke. You get it because your parents didn’t hug you enough, so intelligence defines your entire self-worth.

The world may be radically different now than seven years ago, but you still won’t win. Sorry.

Alumni from each of our schools have been mayor, but at least we got the cool black one, who steered us out of the biggest rainstorm in U.S. history.

And with all the funding in the world, you’ll never have a black Twitter.

You’re the Canada of Houston.

Pretty, vaguely reminiscent of fall weather, and sporting weird accents, but completely unremarkable.

When your team starts underperforming on Saturday night, it’s partially because of jetlag, and partially because you suck.

You’re probably still in a daze from traveling to the beautiful land down under, where Stanford kicked your ass 62-7… two weeks ago.

Coach Bailiff didn’t take you on a study abroad trip; you were there to show the Aussies what America’s game looks like. But it wasn’t a total failure. More people showed up to your game 8,500 miles away than any of your games on campus.

But we get it; you played Stanford because you want to be Stanford: an academic powerhouse that also excels at sports.

Newsflash: You’re not.

And you’re also trying to be

the Hogwarts of the south, with your owls and all of your fancy residence halls. But your magic powers don’t translate to the pitch.

So anyway, we’re looking forward to seeing you guys Saturday night. We doubt you can say the same. Just don’t be upset with the goose egg you’ll be leaving with.

Ruck Fice. Go Coogs.

The Rice Thresher:

T

he silver medal. It’s an honorable award. You wear it around your neck and bring it home to show your mom what you did at school. She probably puts it on the fridge, next to that collage your little sister did in art class.

The University of Houston proudly shows the world its silver medal each and every day.

The second best university in the city of Houston, unchallenged for years. This whole Bayou Bucket thing? Pfft. Rice won supremacy in Houston decades ago. Really, we don’t know why we’re wasting our time trashing your university.

We honestly feel bad.

The University of Houston?

Man, we don’t know what to say about you guys. We could use the old “you’re stupid, haha” jokes, but nobody needs to be reminded of that. Or we could go with “couldn’t get into UT, huh?” but we think the rejection letters speak for themselves. We would use “you’re gonna work for us someday,” but that’s probably a little too true.

Instead, we’re going to praise you. For all of your university’s shortcomings, we have to admit: UH’s athletic department is outstanding. First, let’s talk about the brilliant ‘UH’ logo. It’s wonderful that it spells out the sound one of your typical juniors makes in her ‘intro to algebra’ course. Truly a testament to astute design.

Second, we have to applaud your football program. You really have a wonderful team. Your program is so good that just as it was peaking the coach left for a better option. Oh, and you almost made it into the Big 12.

Do you have a banner for that, or is there not enough room next to that one for the single conference championship you’ve won in the past decade? Hey, that’s tied with us here at Rice!

Congrats!

Finally, we gotta hand it to you.

Rice, you will lose just like you have been simply because you suck... a lot. That is is all. | Katie Santana/ The Cougar

Your whole ‘H-Town Takeover’ slogan is really catchy. It almost makes us want to believe it could happen. But you might want to keep your expectations in check. Let’s be honest. Rice runs this city. You want to talk taking

over Houston? Try beating us on Saturday — that’ll be a start.

Then try winning a national championship in a sport that people actually care about. We’ve done that. Have you? (Note: that sound you hear is UH students

desperately trying to argue that they care about college golf and cross country. It’s not working.)

Until you’ve done something that matters, keep wearing your silver medal with pride. We’re enjoying life here at the top.

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IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING IN WORSHIP DIRECTORY, CONTACT A SALES REPRESENTATIVE AT 713-743-5356

12 | Wednesday, September 13, 2017

OPINION 713-743-5304

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opinion@thedailycougar.com

Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

CULTURE

The Case for Coils: Don't you know straight hair ain't never had no curls?

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lack women have spent their lives hiding the hair they were born with so they can survive in a hostile land.

Hair is a significant issue for black women, and in an era of Black Girl Magic and #melanin, black women have an obligation to sport their natural hair in the classrooms, restaurants and corporate offices in the United States.

Black hair is fascinating.

MIA VALDEZ On a daily ASSISTANT OPINIONEDITOR basis, my hair has done everything from love me to bully me to showing me the future. Last year, in the summer of 2016, I wore my natural hair for the first time in 14 years.

A lot happened to me in those 14 years. I got my hair relaxed, straightened, with chemicals that were invented in the late nineteenth century by a child of

former slaves named Garret A. Morgan. Apparently, he wanted to make black hair more manageable.

I can remember my hair causing me a lot of unhappiness and making me compromise between who I wanted to be and who I was. I watched, and denied that my hair was falling out; I was so embarrassed. It quickly became apparent that my hair was not becoming more manageable. Instead, it made an absolute misery of my life and my impression of what being black would be like for the rest of my life.

In black homes all across America, you will rarely find a woman or who has not been initiated into the oppressive system of hair relaxers, wigs and weaves. These shameful attempts to disguise our natural hair contribute to the longevity of the brutal legacies of slavery.

The enslavement and oppression of African Americans has always been inherently physical, but what black Americans have to consider today

is how that physical oppression can still lend itself to a mental clutch.

Today, members of the black community still hold dear the idea that in order to participate in American life, they need to “fix” their hair. “Fixing” a black woman’s hair means relaxing it or wearing wigs, weaves or extensions so that black women look more acceptable.

By acceptable, I mean less black and more white.

When black women spend their lives wearing hair that is not their own or paying to have it chemically altered, it is not just dehumanizing. They are saying there is something inherently superior about white features. As always happens with oppressed people, we become the co-signers on own oppression.

I think that we have an obligation to the little black girls who will grow up one day to figure out the equality that her country has touted is flawed, and that her countrymen will ask her to ignore

this fact while they slick back their edges and talk about being slimthick.

Our legacy is baby hair, and Afros, and taking pride and showing strength in the bodies that have been victimized and will give our children a stake in a country that could not have been built without their ancestors.

We have to show them that our bodies, the histories of which are so torrid — violated, captured and incarcerated — are worth claiming. Our hair is an important part of our identity; it is versatile, strong and manageable enough with all of the Cantu, Carol's Daughters and YouTube tutorials that a gal could hope for.

The history of bodies like ours has to be honored, and the future of bodies like ours have to be planned for.

Our generation has a unique vantage point on the history that was hidden from us. We see the revolutionaries, and we see the hypocrisies, but we also see the future. We have the opportunity

Natural black hair is apart of an entire cultures heritage and not just a fad. | Dana C. Jones/ The Cougar

now to create the things that we want to see.

Our obligations are not limited to the generation of young women below us; we also owe the women who came before us in a time when it was less appropriate to have such radical claims to their own humanity.

Assistant opinion editor Mia Valdez is a creative writing senior and can be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com

CONSTITUTION DAY

GUEST COLUMN CONTEST Submit your essay to editor@thedailycougar.com by midnight on Friday, Sept. 22. Columns will be judged by The Cougar Editorial Board, and the winning entry will be announced on social media and published in The Cougar online Sept. 27.

Respond to the prompt below in 500 words or less.

Should your First Amendment right to freedom of speech apply to private domains, like your classroom or workplace?

Should there be consequences for using freedom of speech in these settings?

Stop by the Student Center South on Sept. 20 and answer this question for yourself on the Epic Question Wall. There will be cake!

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The winning author will win a $75 bookstore gift card, courtesy of the Center for Student Involvement.