Issue 07, Volume 83

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Issue 07, Volume 83

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International Athletes Players from across the globe are making great strides on campus. | PG. 6

NEWS

Organization empowers refugees Since 2010, UH’s PAIR chapter has connected student mentors with displaced middle and high schoolers in Houston. | PG. 2

OPINION

Lack of empathy for Puerto Rico

When Hurricane Maria hit, Trump was tweeting about protests and golfing.

Instead of attacking storm victims, he needs to help the island territory. | PG. 11

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Kaylee Dusang, EDITOR

CAMPUS

Organization empowers young refugees VALERIA DOMINGUEZ

STAFF WRITER @VALDOMINGUEZ_

Leaving home without a choice is unimaginable for some, and a reality for others.

Entering a new country, learning a new language and adapting to a new culture are tasks to embrace for the tens of thousands of refugees who enter the United States each year. Students are volunteering with the Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees to make an impact on Houston's refugee youth.

In 2010, PAIR opened a chapter at UH, so that students could become mentors to refugees from the middle and high schools in Houston.

“PAIR has been the most important part of my new life in America,” said Purnima Siwa, a refugee from Nepal who arrived in the U.S. in 2011. “I am inspired and thankful to PAIR for making me feel welcomed.”

PAIR is a local nonprofit organization established at Rice University in 2007, according to the PAIR website. Its mission is to work with the refugee youth to empower student success through mentoring programs, which serve roughly 400 students each year with the help of 200 volunteers across HISD, said Lauren West, PAIR’s senior program manager.

Siwa was born at Khudunabari, a refugee camp in Nepal, after her parents were forced to leave Bhutan, a country in south Asia, for refusing to speak Dzongkha.

“As refugees, we did not have everything we needed and had to work very hard," Siwa said.

"My parents waited 19 years to move through the refugee process, and finally, we arrived in Houston in May of 2011."

Once Siwa's family arrived in the U.S., she said she recalls not knowing English and having a difficult time communicating with others. She was frustrated because it was difficult to understand her classwork at school and was unable to help her family, she said.

After joining PAIR at her middle school, Siwa said she began to adapt to her new environment, learn about colleges, gain leadership skills and feel more at home.

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“PAIR taught me to have a positive attitude and never feel pity for myself, so I approach every obstacle with hope and hard work,” said Purnima Siwa, a refugee from Nepal. | Courtesy of PAIR

The organization gives students a safe place to not only learn about American culture, but about themselves and the many ways they can grow, Siwa said.

“PAIR taught me to have a positive attitude and never feel pity for myself, so I approach every obstacle with hope and hard work,” Siwa said.

The UH chapter was established by alumna Cecilia Cai, an immigrant from China. Having the experience of moving to a foreign country, she decided to make a difference in the lives of those also migrating to the U.S. Cai was honored with the Houston’s Volunteer Award by then-Mayor Annise Parker in 2013 for her work with PAIR. “I had an experience of moving to a new country and can only imagine that refugees have a much harder time as their families know very little about the language and culture they move to,” Cai said.

The PAIR volunteers put on activities and games for the students, assist with homework, teach English and spend time with the students, Siwa said.

According to the PAIR website, the organization offers two programs for refugee students, which are the Global Learners Program for middle schools and the Global Leaders Pro-

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.

Part of the Student Life portfolio in the Division of Student Affairs, the CSM is concerned with the development of students, focusing on critical thinking, leadership, ethics, collaboration, inter-cultural competence, goal-setting and ultimately, degree attainment.

While our students are engaged in producing and promoting media channels and content, our goal is to ensure they are learning to become better thinkers and leaders in the process.

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(713) 743-5350 PAIR's mission is to work with the refugee youth to empower student success through mentoring programs, said Lauren West. | Courtesy of PAIR

gram for high schools.

PAIR works with refugee youth because it is a population that does not receive much attention within the American resettlement system, West said.

The federal funding given to resettlement agencies assisting families in their transition to living in the U.S. is primarily geared toward adults, she said.

While some agencies are able to receive other sources of funding to provide some programming for youth, it is not their main mission, West said.

West said PAIR has a small staff for the number of students they work with and is focus-

ing on volunteer recruitment.

She said the UH chapter is constantly looking for new volunteers interested in joining a movement to help refugee youth.

UH students can learn more about volunteer opportunities on the PAIR website.

“Some of the refugee youth who have gone through PAIR programs have actually been accepted to UH, so it’s a great pipe for refugee youth to continue onto higher education,” Cai said. news@thedailycougar.com

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PARKING

Parking still a struggle despite changes, students say ANA GONZALEZ, JORDYN KAZMOUZ

STAFF WRITERS

Parking at the University of Houston has never been fun.

With more than 43,500 students, 85 percent of them commute from off campus, which means that around 37,000 students need a mode of transportation other than walking to get to class.

Robert Browand, director of Parking and Transportation Services, said garage permits for 2017-18 sold out over the summer, and student annual permits sold out the weekend before classes began.

“We have yet to sell out of remote campus permits, so any students who wants to purchase a permit have the opportunity to do so,” Browand said.

The remote campus permit allows purchasers to park at the Energy Research Park, or ERP, on weekdays, and in a variety of main campus lots after 4 p.m. and on weekends.

Getting to campus, however, requires a long walk or waiting for a shuttle.

Alternative options PTS knows the struggles students have been facing, which is why it implemented in 2016 the Cougars On Alternative And Sustainable Transportation, or COAST, program — an incentive that has reduced the demand for parking on campus by offering carpooling and public transportation discounts, Browand said.

COAST has 2,825 participants this year, he said, reducing demand for on-campus parking by more than 1,500 spaces — slightly more than the number of cars that can park at the East Garage.

Even though this program has helped some, many students still face problems finding a parking spot.

Computer engineering technology junior Lan Trinh drives from Sugar Land and has the student annual permit. He said finding parking has impacted his commuting time.

“My commuting time is around 45 minutes, but with traffic is around two hours,” Trinh said.

Trinh said that the longest time he has spent trying to find a parking spot is an hour and a half.

The issue with finding parking spaces, however, is not as difficult for some students, such as biology freshman Juan Mendez, who purchased a garage pass.

“I have a garage pass, so parking

is a little bit different than student lots,” Mendez said. “I still have to get to school early in order to avoid parking on the top level of the garage and having to walk all the stairs.”

To accommodate the growing UH population, Browand said PTS is looking into options that include new garages.

“Planning is underway on our next parking garage — Garage Five — to be located in lot 18A near the law school," Browand said. "Our plans also include the construction of Garages Six and Seven over the next several years and the addition of parking at the MacGregor tract to ease congestion during the construction of these garages."

Browand said COAST will have the biggest impact on parking, and that the program has mostly helped students who live in suburban areas such as Katy.

“Three of our top 10 zip codes with the highest number of COAST participants are in the Katy area, and nine of the top 15 are in suburban areas including Cypress, Jersey Village and Missouri City,” Browand said in an email.

Browand said that they are also looking into the possibility of valet parking, which would be implemented into certain areas on campus at peak times in order to help students arrive quickly to class, he said.

Pushing parking counters Student Government Association President Winni Zhang said that circling lots to find parking is what frustrates students the most, along with the parking spaces being too small and a lack of security in the lots.

“Parking has been a big issue ever since I stepped foot on campus," Zhang said. "They need to introduce more creative ways to decrease the time it takes to find parking."

SGA is working closely with the Division of Administration and Finance on a lot of issues, and parking is one of those, Zhang said.

While campaigning in the spring, she told students she wants to install real-time counters outside all parking lots.

Browand and Zhang both agree that the COAST program has helped students regarding transportation.

“Students have overall expressed to me their support for the program," Zhang said. "The program is growing much faster than Parking and Transportation originally

Director of Parking and Transportation Robert Browand said that the COAST program has helped commuters from suburban areas such as Katy and Cypress. | File photo/The Cougar

thought it would be."

Oversold permits Browand thinks overselling is a commonly misunderstood practice across college campuses.

Universities sell more passes than parking spots because students and staff have varying schedules, Browand said. One student may go to campus only on Mondays and Wednesdays, while another attends only Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“Overselling allows us to issue both students a permit because they can utilize the same space on different days," he said. "If we did not oversell, we would only be able to issue 60 percent of the permits we currently issue."

Browand said PTS is operating at its lowest overselling rate in 10 years.

“At 1.58 permits per space, we are on the low side of industry-best practices and well below peer institutions in the state,” Browand said.

Future parking prices are still being discussed. Browand said permit prices are set in coordination with the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee, which is composed of members from SGA, Faculty Senate and Staff Council.

For now, Browand advises students to enroll in the COAST program.

“We are sensitive to the cost of higher education, and that is why we are proud to offer COAST as a

low- or no-cost option for students seeking a more economical option for commuting," Browand said.

"COAST helps our department ensure that the cost of transporta-

tion should never be a factor in a student’s pursuit of higher education." news@thedailycougar.com

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Kaylee Dusang, EDITOR

RESEARCH

Partnership with India Oil company offers field experience

Researchers Peila Chen, Ganesh Thakur, Sushanta Bose and Sriram Balasubramanian each play a role in UH's partnership with Oil India, which entered its second phase in September. | Michael Slaten/The Cougar

MICHAEL SLATEN

STAFF WRITER @ MICHAELSLATEN

Greenhouse emissions will be reduced and oil production in India increased thanks to a technique called carbon flooding, which will be used in University of Houston's partnership with Oil India that was initiated after the GANESH THAKUR Indian state of PETROLEUM Assam noticed ENGINEERING a decline in oil PROFESSOR production.

The partnership began last November, said petroleum engineering professor Ganesh Thakur.

The partnership allows UH researchers a real-world field to work in and, in exchange, aids Oil India in increasing production, Thakur said.

“Our students are very good, and they get very good exposure to theoretical aspects and the laboratory aspects," Thakur said. "What we are missing is a chance to apply these things in the field. This gives our students a tremendous way to learn how things work and learn not only from a theoretical point of view, but learn

from a practical point of view.”

Oil India is a state-owned public enterprise that began looking at different universities to start a partnership with.

Sriram Balasubramanian said they chose UH because of Thakur's industry experience with carbon flooding and UH's location in Houston.

Carbon flooding has been done in the U.S. for decades, Thakur said.

It works by injecting carbon dioxide underground to lower the viscosity of oil, which leads to an increase in oil production and, long-term, reduces greenhouse emissions, said postdoctoral research fellow Peila Chen, who is leading the efforts on enhanced oil recovery with Oil India.

It recovers oil in a faster, more economical way, Chen said.

“It is typically about 10 to 15 percent more oil you get out of the ground,” Thakur said. “If you have, say, 1 billion barrels of oil, 10 percent of that oil will be about 100 million barrels.

One hundred million barrels, at $50 a barrel, is $5 billion dollars.”

The second phase of the partnership, phase two, began three weeks ago. The key goal of phase two is to use carbon

flooding to increase oil recovery in Indian wells.

Leaders in UH's side of the partnership will also train Oil India personnel and try a new technology called carbonated

here in Texas, in the U.S. and other countries. So our goal is to try to broaden this concept that we have applied in India, like a model, and do it at more places, do it even in Texas oil

“Our goal is to try to broaden this concept that we have applied in India, like a model, and do it at more places, do it even in Texas oil fields.”

Ganesh Thakur

water injection to increase oil recovery in reservoirs, Thakur said. Peila will travel to the Oil India office to train its junior engineers and help them set up laboratories.

The project is funded by Oil India, but Thakur and his team also have a $3 million grant from Gov. Greg Abbott's University Research Initiative program.

The same amount is matched by the University.

“That gives me capabilities to provide different types of expertise, because of technology equipment and so on,” Thakur said. “And we are beginning to make contacts with several other companies

fields.”

In phase one of the project, researchers evaluated Indian oil fields for potential drilling sites. Phase two, expected to finish in fall 2018, is almost three times larger in scope than phase one, Thakur said.

Balasubramanian said that although these oil fields have been used for decades, data was not always collected in regular intervals.

“You know, things have moved so fast (that) everybody's into high-performance computing, but your computing is only as good as your data,” Balasubramanian said.

“This really helps even the students and the researchers

to solidify their fundamentals, apply first principles and then bring in new technologies on top of that.”

Two memorandums of understanding have been signed by the University and Oil India.

Thakur said he will begin planning phase three in six months.

Graduate, doctorial and postdoc students from chemical and petroleum engineering backgrounds, along with geology backgrounds, are part of the project.

The partnership gives them a field to work in with real data instead of learning in a laboratory as they would use on campus, Thakur said.

There could be a continuous cycle of students doing research out in the field for years to come in Oil India and other locations, too, he said.

“One of the key themes for us is when we work with that industry — whatever we say we must deliver,” Thakur said.

“Because once they can trust us, once they rely on us, then they will be asking for more and more help from us.” news@thedailycougar.com

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SWIMMING

Senior diver aims for NCAA title, Olympic career PETER SCAMARDO

allowed me to get a lot more exposure to harder competition and bigger competition for sure.

It was difficult at first, but I’ve definitely found my footing.”

Her top accolade came last March when she was named the American Athletic Conference Most Outstanding Diver.

But now in her final season with the Cougars, Bouter's fixed on helping the team repeat as conference champions and getting as many as possible to the NCAA championships.

The team seems poised to do so as they are returning nine of the 10 all-conference performers from last season.

The Cougars already won their first meet of the season at North Texas on Saturday, so everything appears to be moving in the right direction.

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @ PLSCAMARDO2

Standing 3 meters above the ground on a platform, knowing in less than three seconds you will be diving face first into a pool — all the nerves in the world fill your head at that moment.

Nerves are the one thing that has kept redshirt senior diver Micaela Bouter from becoming an NCAA champion.

Bouter was one of the driving forces behind the swimming and diving team's conference championship last season — its first in program history.

She continued her success at conference by representing South Africa at the 2017 FINA World Championships. That experience has made Bouter set her goals even higher and want to close out her college career with an NCAA title.

"That’s definitely my goal for this year," Bouter said. "It has been my goal every single year, and I definitely should’ve made it every single year. I have the ability to make it — it’s just my mental side lets me down every year. I have the scores to make it."

Overcoming obstacles The nerves come from competing in big meets like the NCAA Zone Meet, Bouter said, where she represented the Cougars in March in the 3-meter and 1-meter dives. She placed ninth and 11th, respectively, but divers have to place in the top seven to qualify for the championships.

Bouter knows that only through experiences like that will she overcome her nerves.

That summer Bouter's coaches saw her already starting to

Future goals

Bouter was one of the driving forces behind the team’s conference championship last year. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

perform at a higher level. At the National Championships in Durban, South Africa, Bouter placed second in the 3-meter springboard, punching her ticket to the World Championships in Budapest.

Though she failed to medal in either the 3-meter springboard or the 3-meter synchronized dive, Bouter's coaches saw that her competitive skill had reached a new height.

"She competed better at that one than she has at anything since I’ve been here," said diving coach Bob Gunter. "She missed one dive, and that put her back

a bit. And in a competition of that high level you can’t miss. If she wouldn’t have missed that, she would’ve placed well.”

Where it all started Bouter, a native of Johannesburg, has been diving since she was 10 years old. She ended up in Houston for university thanks to former UH diving coach and Olympian Jane Figueiredo.

The Conference USA swimming and diving coach of the decade was in South Africa on a sabbatical when she learned of Bouter. Figueiredo, a native

of Zimbabwe, visited the diving national championships, where she met Bouter and offered her a scholarship to Houston on the spot, Bouter said.

Since coming to Houston, Bouter has earned more than a handful of accolades and accomplishments, including the American Diver of the Week nine times and qualifying for the NCAA Zone Meet three times.

“I really liked coming here because I’d kind of reached my peak in South Africa," Bouter said. "Our diving community is really small, and so coming here

But Bouter also has her sights set on the future.

After competing against the best in the world, she proved to herself that she can compete in the top levels of her sport.

Bouter has set the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a personal goal for herself.

A perfect ending to Bouter's senior year would see her team repeating as conference champions, winning at the NCAA titles and setting the swimming and diving program up to win for many years down the line.

"She is willing to do what it takes," Gunter said. "She should be able to be a little more aggressive at the competitions.

The NCAA championships is one of her big goals, and if that’s her goal, then the conference will take care of itself.” sports@thedailycougar.com

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VOLLEYBALL

Estonian freshman earns Cougars win over UConn

ANTHONY CIANCIULLI

performances from the outside hitter, like the one on Friday night that sealed the victory for the Cougars.

SENIOR STAFF WRITER @ TONYCIANCIULLI

Freshman outside hitter Silvia Pertens received her official welcome to Houston when she drilled a game-winning spike that secured the team's first conference victory of the season against the UConn Huskies on Friday night.

While the hitter has an uncanny ability to blend in with her peers on the court, her story and background have little in common with her teammates.

The Estonia native has been on a nine-year journey that has seen her travel over 5,000 miles to play collegiate volleyball for the University of Houston.

Home sweet home Tallin is the capital of Estonia — a quaint nation nestled in the corner of the Baltic Sea. This is where Pertens called home for her entire life.

It was here, a little over nine years ago, that her mother decided to encourage her 6-foot daughter to attend volleyball practice, and from there Pertens never looked back.

“I just really fell into it," she said. "I started playing club, and I got to the national team. So I did well, and I really liked what I was doing.”

Pertens had a three-year run with Estonia’s national team.

During this time, she helped the team secure numerous meaningful victories, all while honing in her skills as an outside hitter.

Pertens isn't the only Houston athlete to hail from Estonia.

In fact, it was during her tenure with the national team that she played alongside former Cougar Kadi Kullerkan, who also played for Houston head coach Kaddie Platt.

Land of opportunity While her ties to Houston are clear, Pertens simply wanted the opportunity to play overseas.

“I’ve always wanted to come to the states, so my dream came true,” Pertens said.

Her road to Houston required myriad recruiting sessions, including the necessary paperwork to appease the NCAA. “It was hard, and it was really long," Pertens said. "(A lot of ) paperwork and things that needed to be done. But things went well, and I’m here, and I’m

“We were super excited," Pertens said. "This was our first conference game at home, so we’re excited to go out and beat

them.”

Assistant sports editor Peter Scamardo contributed reporting. sports@thedailycougar.com

No. 22, Slyvia Peterns is a freshman hitter. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

really grateful for that.”

Just like most incoming freshmen need time to get acquainted with the speed of the game, the same can be said for Pertens.

“Everything is different," Pertens said. "They have different defense systems, and the play is much faster. The quickness of the game is the main difference.”

Lifestyle change Unlike most freshmen, Pertens has to deal with learning a new style of play as well as acclimating herself to a vastly different culture and environment.

Tallin is home to a little over 410,000 people and is frequently pelted with freezing air and snowfall.

The cobblestone streets are lined with architecture that date back to the 12th century, and the coastal city is not far from the 2,000-plus islands that compose the rest of Estonia.

Compare that to the bustling Bayou City, home to more than 2 million people. Houston teems with high-rises and vibrancy, and temperatures can reach more than 100 degrees.

While her time in Houston has been short, the Estonian said she is fitting in nicely despite the massive change in scenery.

“I’ve been mostly on campus, but as much as I’ve been out, I really love it," Pertens said. "I like the big skyline.”

As her journey continues to develop, the team will hope for more crunch-time

OCTOBER 4-22

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

Kickin' Ain't Easy: Punter talks challenges, leg room and dessert

Showing little remorse for the starting field position of his opponent's ensuing drive, Roy prepares to pin the opposition deep in its own territory. This has been his specialty all year. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

REAGAN EARNST

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @REAGANEARNST

The punter is the most unnoticed player on the football field.

For many, fourth-and-long situations represent an opportunity to gain a slight head start over fellow fans jockeying for position in concession stand and restroom lines that will soon wind endlessly throughout the concourse. When the scrawny, seemingly unathletic specialists begin their jog out onto the field, viewers in the stands or comfortably at home turn their attention elsewhere Houston punter Dane Roy, however, is not your average punter.

At 6-feet-7-inches and 240 pounds, Roy is changing the perception of punters with his enormous frame, charismatic personality and witty social media posts.

Roy came to Houston with a scholarship shortly after winning a kicking competition in his native Australia. After leaving his job as an ice cream salesman, he

was ready to embark on the most unique of opportunities.

Upon his arrival, the 28-yearold quickly became a favorite of fans and teammates alike.

After living in the United States for nearly a 1.5 years, we caught up with Roy to talk about his adjustment to U.S. culture, experiencing Hurricane Harvey and the challenges of being the tallest player on the team.

The Cougar: You faced a unique set of challenges last season when you came to the U.S from your home in Australia. Not only were you entering a new country, but add in the fact you were doing so to play big-time college football at 27 alongside 18-to-21-year olds.

What was the biggest challenge?

Roy: I think just the culture change. There's a bit of a language barrier as well. Like I'll say words and a few guys won't understand it, or I'll say words that are normal to me but are considered curse words in America. The food as well — it was a bit of a shock to

my body at the start.

TC: It was a crazy fall camp for you and the rest of the team.

What was your experience like trying to prepare for the season before, during and after the devastation caused in the wake of Hurricane Harvey? Had you ever experienced anything like that in Australia?

Roy: Well once I could get into a routine, life was pretty easy. The hardest adjustment really was going through fall camp, because it's just continuous, and you can't really get into a routine (off of the field). After fall camp we had to relocate to Austin. That was a bit of a hard adjustment, but nothing compared to what people actually went through here. We're just playing a sport, but these people had their real lives ruined. In Australia, we call them cyclones. We had a few bad ones, and I know what they can do to communities.

TC: Different players get ready for games in different ways. As a punter, what do you like to do to prepare for a

game?

Roy: This season I try to keep my normal routine from waking up to getting to the stadium.

Right now, I'm listening to Metallica Radio on Spotify; a bit of heavy metal just banging in there. Then I like to kick a few Aussie punts and just run around like I would warm up in Australia.

TC: It's been well-documented that prior to playing for the Cougars you sold ice cream back home. What's the one thing you miss most about your former job?

Roy: I miss sitting down a lot, it was pretty easy. We don't really get time to sit around at practice unlike a lot of other specialists.

You know, we Aussie punters are all over the country right now and the others tell stories about how they get to sit down and do other stuff in practice. Also, the free ice cream. If you finish selling on the phone you could just walk over and treat yourself to an ice cream. I just don't get that anymore here.

TC: If you had to describe this year's team as a flavor of ice cream, what would it be?

Roy: Well you have to stay with red and white so one would be vanilla. Probably red velvet cake, they give that to us a lot here actually. Red velvet cake is pretty nice, it's one of the premier type of ice cream flavors and we're one of the premier type of teams.

We're expecting big things this year.

TC: It's not often that teams have someone of your height playing punter. What are some of the challenges of being the tallest player on the team at 6-foot-7?

Roy: Leg room on planes, definitely. I always have to make sure they supply me with adequate leg room, preferably exit row. I was lucky enough to have a bigger plane last year, but we've downgraded this year for some reason.

United must've jacked the prices up, maybe they don't want to do a deal with us anymore. sports@thedailycougar.com

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

Cougars will need to tame Mustangs to stay relevant FRANK CAMPOS

The Cougars will be looking at one of their toughest games of the season Saturday in a pivotal point The Cougars need to secure a that could give them the momenvictory against SMU this weekend tum they need for the rest of the if they want to keep up with the season. rest of the AAC — which includes UH has already faced disruption three undefeated teams. Although this season with the damaging the Cougars are 3-1, there are still effects of Hurricane Harvey to the a few hurdles they must overcity of Houston, its displacement come, including the Mustangs' to Austin and the eventual cancelgreat defense. ation of the game against UTSA. “We focus on the here and On Sept. 23 against Texas Tech, the now,” said head coach Major UH benched its would-be star Applewhite. “We aren’t getting quarterback, junior Kyle Allen, into these conference games who coaches have been grooming down the line. We certainly aren’t for more than a year. looking past anybody. You give It’s a surprise that the Cougars this opponent the same amount have managed to win three of of respect as we have given all their four games. of our other opponents to this The one constant, now waverpoint.” ing, is the Cougars’ defense. It has The Cougars faced another provided plenty of big turnovers up-and-down game against and big stops the whole season, Temple, in which they dominated but the offense's inability to capiin the first half of the contest but talize on scoring opportunities is barely fended off the Owls with a wearing down the defense. less-than-stellar performance in On top of everything else, the second 10-10943_Cougar half.

All-American1sophomore Ed PM News September_PRINT.pdf 9/18/17 1:38 SPORTS EDITOR

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Oliver injured the MCL in his left knee during the game Saturday against Temple. This leaves the defensive line scrambling to fill the shoes of one of the best players in the country if he is unable to play against SMU. After coming into the game with the 18th-best defense, the Cougars are now the 56th team in the nation and have allowed 364.5 yards per game. In the Texas Tech and Temple games, the defense failed to live up to expectations after losing to the Red Raiders and allowing the Owls to come within a touchdown and a chance at the end of the game. It has given up a staggering 4.8 yards per play this year.

This number wouldn’t be so problematic if the Cougars could get past their offensive struggles, which has included benching junior quarterback Kyle Allen in favor of senior Kyle Postma. “(Postma's) been the most consistent in practice, in ball security,” Applewhite said. “We

The Cougars will face the 4-1 SMU Mustangs on Saturday. | File photo/The Cougar

can’t give lip service to those things. Ball security in practice, the effort in practice, understanding the assignments and obviously the game play. He’s been doing great, and we’re going to continue to play him.”

SMU is running on all cylinders with the third-best offense in points scored per game; it represents a big test for the Cougars on Saturday. The 4-1 team is led by sophomore Ben Hicks, who already has 1,275 yards and 14

touchdowns this season.

The Mustangs may come into the game with a loss, but still, they have scored at least 40 points in each of their games this year. The Cougars will have to do what they couldn’t against Texas Tech: Take advantage of every offensive possession they get this Saturday.

The Cougars will face the Mustangs at 6 p.m. Saturday at TDECU Stadium. sports@thedailycougar.com

10 | Wednesday, October 4, 2017

OPINION 713-743-5304

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Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

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63 years later, segregation still clings to many schools

I

n George Wallace's inaugural address as governor of Alabama in 1963, he famously declared: "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

I personally dislike his statement, and the popularity of his sentiment has permanently colored my opinion of the MIA VALDEZ entire state of ASSISTANT Alabama. I will OPINION EDITOR probably never go to Alabama.

I will forever hold the belief that Alabama is the mythical child of Southern racism that somehow still stands as it recovers ungracefully from the shame of slavery. I have never been there. I have never set foot on the land or seen any physical proof, and going there is a risk I will not ever, in the privilege of my post Civil Rights-era youth, visit the state of Alabama.

I wanted to see, however, if George Wallace was right in his guess at the longevity of institutional segregation.

I, like you, believe that one day he will be wrong. But how many tomorrows will we lose to this institution when every second of its existence

contributes to that of several others?

And what kind of promises, as a nation, are we missing out on in the process?

Wallace was right about the "segregation now" part. Even though the courts banned segregation in the 1950s, an overwhelming majority of school districts avoided integration until the Supreme Court's decision was enforced throughout the South.

What this column is most concerned with is the "segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" part.

Integration enjoyed its heyday in the late '60s until the '90s. Since then, academic authorities have noted a subtle and undeniable trend of re-segregation in the United States.

A practice known as school succession might be to blame for the spike in segregation that Southern districts are seeing. It works thanks to policymakers who gerrymander white neighborhoods into their own school districts, restoring a white majority in several schools across America.

According to a 2015 investigation in The Atlantic, there are 179 school districts in the U.S. "involved in active school desegregation cases."

As time limits on the bill that enforced school integration in the South have expired, school districts,

left to their own discretion, are slipping back into segregation.

A big part of Wallace's ideology was that he did not want integration because he was sure that it would lead to a "mixing" of the races and cultures in the U.S. It could be argued that integration is losing some of the ground it gained in the 20th century. Black and white cultures seem to exist within one another. That, I think, will never go away, and I am comfortable saying that Wallace was wrong then, and he is wrong now.

An integrated school system saw a decrease in the achievement gap between white and black students.

This has widely been attributed to the fact that schools in white neighborhoods tend to house more resources that those in black neighborhoods.

The year of Wallace's speech as the new governor of Alabama also happens to be the year that my father was born. As he entered middle school in the 1970s, he was bused to a school in a different neighborhood.

In general, he has not disclosed much information to me about this time of his life. But he did tell me about one of the best friends he ever made precisely because he was sent to another school.

I think that my dad is a pretty open-minded guy. He is moral and has an exemplary work ethic. It would be hard for me to say that he might be a different person if he had attended a different school, but if integration even slightly influenced these qualities in his character, then I am personally grateful for it.

The most upsetting and feverish claims in Wallace's cry is "segregation forever." I think that we must concede that the tomorrow we are facing is imperfect, and that as we slide back into de facto segregation, we take for granted the realities of a frightening and relevant past.

In each moment, we create a legacy for those who will succeed us.

As current students and future lawmakers, policymakers and parents, we have the power to end the institutionalized segregation.

Though I am pretty sure his address was meant more as a declaration of intent than anything else, I wanted to see if the U.S. has proved Wallace wrong in the 54 years that have since passed. The answer, I have gathered, is not quite.

Assistant Opinion Editor Mia Valdez is a creative writing senior. She can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar. com.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Media consumers should avoid echo chambers at all costs

O

ne part of being human is giving into personal biases even when trying to receive news. This instinct makes us want to listen to things that we agree with and condemn the things we don’t.

There's a term for surrounding yourself with people who do not challenge your views: an echo chamber.

Social media is one of the most fertile places for echo chamber to form. Why acknowledge the fact that anything you believe in has an opposing side when you don’t have to hear that opinion? It’s tempting to

just stick to the information that is easier to digest.

By closing yourself off to opposition — through who you follow on Twitter, which organizations you join and where you choose to live — you miss the other half of everything that happens. There are two sides to every story, and some outlets do a better job of telling one side of a story than reporting on both sides equally and objectively.

Now that information travels at high speeds and becomes old news in less time than ever before, it is important to listen to all sides of the

story before developing your own opinions on the topic.

Diversity is a good quality to have in your news sources. The more angles you seek out on a topic, the more well-rounded your views on it become. You can hear what you agree with and also hear the point of view that you do not agree with and take their side of the argument into account.

After reading this, follow a news source you typically ridicule. Follow President Donald Trump on Twitter if you didn’t vote for him and are always critical of what he has to say. If you

like to get your news from Fox or the National Review, try watching CNN or NBC as well.

More importantly, after you have balanced out your media bias, try to follow wire services that are either foreign or highly respected, such as the Associated Press or Reuters.

Echo chambers are dangerous.

Do yourself a favor — read, watch and listen to news from sources you disagree with along with your usual outlets, or try to follow more objective news sources. editor@thedailycougar.com

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STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Cougar Editorial Board.

All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the writer. Opinions expressed in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or its students as a whole.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 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 writer’s full name, phone number or email address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major.

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Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

NATION

Guest column: Where is Trump’s leadership in Puerto Rico?

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uerto Rico, an island of more than 3.4 million people, has been a United States territory since 1898. In 1917, the U.S. government declared the people of Puerto Rico official American citizens. For 100 years, Puerto Ricans have held that status, paying U.S. taxes and sending over ANTHONY 200,000 men TORRES GUESTCOLUMNIST and women to serve in the U.S. armed forces since World War I. But why is this important?

We Puerto Ricans are just as American as anyone living in the U.S. Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico hard. When Irma passed, many in my family were relieved that nothing too serious happened.

But when Maria came, much of the island was unprepared for the total devastation. While my grandmother in Luquillo had damage only to her second-story balcony, millions of others are currently without electricity, food, water and in many cases, even a roof on their home.

Being in Houston during Hurricane Harvey, I had to live with both my Puerto Rican and Houstonian families hit by Mother Nature’s wrath.

The U.S. government’s response to Puerto Rico has been sluggish and disappointing. President Donald Trump has claimed that efforts are “going well,” but that simply isn’t true.

When Texas and Florida were hit

by Harvey and Irma, respectively, it took only days for the government to respond. Within hours of the storm, the president tweeted multiple messages of hope and encouragement.

It took the president five days after the storm to even tweet about Puerto Rico, and when he did, it was about how much debt Puerto Rico was in.

“Texas & Florida are doing great, but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble,” he tweeted.

He then went on to claim that it is difficult to lend Puerto Rico aid due to it being surrounded by “ocean water.”

The United States spends nearly $600 billion each year on defense, and for some reason, it’s hard to lend aid to an island.

Throughout the crisis, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz has been publicly voicing her frustration with relief efforts. She has been working virtually nonstop to do everything she can to help the people of Puerto Rico, even going so far as to risk going in waist-high water to search for survivors.

Meanwhile, the president tweeted about professional athletes protesting.

Since the storm, Cruz has been publicly voicing how slowly the U.S. government has responded to the crisis.

"I am begging, begging anyone that can hear us, to save us from dying," Cruz said. "If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency and

the bureaucracy."

Not once did she personally attack Trump.

Then on Saturday, he tweeted, “Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort.

10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.”

I don’t understand why he would say this. I don’t understand why he would attack someone, who clearly has had a rough couple of weeks, just because she was possibly “not nice” to him. I don’t understand why, in the middle of a situation where Americans are starving and dying, he would use it as a political opportunity.

I also don’t understand why he almost completely lacks the ability to have empathy for my people.

Leadership is being the first person to tell everyone that they are going to get the help they need. It’s maintaining constant communication with

local officials affected by a tragedy and making sure they know they are being cared for.

When the storm hit, Trump was golfing at his private New Jersey resort.

By now, I’m used to the president attacking people out of malice or spite, but this time it’s personal. He has three more hurricane seasons to deal with in his first presidential term,

and the storms could potentially be deadlier.

What I saw in Houston during Hurricane Harvey was the greatest display I've ever seen of neighbors helping neighbors. The U.S. needs to show that same compassion for Puerto Rico.

Anthony Torres is a political science senior, native Puerto Rican and former opinion editor for The Cougar.

A Puerto Rican walks the road to Torres' father's house. He taught Torres how to throw his first baseball in the destroyed field on the left. | Courtesy of Anthony Torres

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Torres once crossed this green bridge to go to the beach. | Courtesy of Anthony Torres

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12 | Wednesday, October 4, 2017

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Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

There is more to guns than just the thrill of shooting bullets at empty targets. They provide protection self preservation and have an entire culture surrounding them. | Dana C. Jones/The Cougar

ESSAY

Firearms over lunch: A reader defends gun culture

T

wo weeks ago, I wrote a column arguing that "Gun obsession is an issue of a nation, not just a male one." The story was met with contention — 50 comments' worth — because some thought that I am anti-gun.

I am from South Central DANA C. Los Angeles, JONES OPINION EDITOR and if you know anything about that area, then you know I am no stranger to guns.

My parents and a lot of my extended family were in the Air Force, and own multiple guns.

I am not anti-gun, nor am I a stranger to shooting or being around them. My argument, based on the comment section, was lost in translation as readers compartmentalized my points.

The next day, I received three emails. One person said every possible insult without cursing, and another replied in the form of a rebuttal column. The third one was an invitation.

Jace Foulk, a computer science sophomore, reached out to me to explain gun culture from his perspective. After working out logistics, we met at Enoteca Rossa, a cafe on Bissonnet Street.

This was my first time meeting a reader. He also invited me to a gun range, but it was members-only. The owners, all UH alumni, offered to let us shoot anyway, but our appointment isn't until Friday.

Seeing a face behind the thoughts, especially conflicting thoughts, was surreal.

“There were no proposed solutions,” Foulk said about my column.

Foulk spoke a lot about the lack

of solutions offered in The Cougar's opinion columns. That was something we disagreed on: I responded that the solutions we offer are simply ones he does not like.

“A solution that I would propose is instating Project Exile,” Foulk said.

Project Exile was a strategy implemented in Richmond, Va., that prosecuted felons who illegally carried firearms with harsher sentencing. After the implementation, the city saw a 22 percent yearly decline in firearm homicides.

Foulk was not the average gun lover wanting to shove information in my face. He wanted me to be aware. The more I started to realize that there is a real culture around guns, I started to ask about his personal history with them.

One-Eyed Bill His family history with guns goes back to his great-great-grandfather, Bill, who was a German immigrant.

He has lost one of his eyes, leading to a nickname: "One-Eyed Bill." Still, he was a great shot.

In early 1900s Oklahoma, OneEyed Bill owned an ice store. Black cowboy towns surrounded the area, and One-Eyed Bill hired a black man to work in his store.

One night as they were coming back from a party to the store on their carriage, Foulk said that they were confronted by four KKK members. One-Eyed Bill drew his gun first, and thanks to his reputation, the KKK members all stood down.

Foulk himself has been shooting guns since he was 4 years old, practicing with a Model 85 Taurus .38 special revolver, a small handgun.

Foulk talked about the different types of guns he has and how they work. He spoke with such breadth of knowledge that it seemed he had gone to a special training. He knew

as much offhand knowledge of guns as I do about film, which is where we found common ground, leading to a half-hour Star Wars discussion.

'One life is too many' Whenever immersing oneself in a new culture, you must be aware of the social issues in that culture.

When talking about firearms, the most controversial social issue is gun violence.

According to TIME Magazine, the highest homicide rates come from St. Louis, Memphis and Chicago, with about 60, 29 and 27 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively.

According to the Violence Policy Center, in 2013, the last year with complete research, more than half of 41,149 deaths from suicide were completed with firearms.

In 2017, 737 people have been killed by police with guns.

I asked Foulk about his thoughts on gun violence.

Foulk said that violence is saddening, and he understands the nature of it from growing up in neighborhoods where he would hear gun shots and sirens not long afterward.

As he internalized this question further, Foulk's once eloquent, smooth answers halted. He couldn't speak for a few seconds.

“I wouldn’t say one life is too many, but one life, with an unlimited amount of possibility, it’s incredibly disheartening ( for someone to die)," he said, referring to Philando Castile.

Castile was shot and killed by a police officer in Minnesota during a traffic stop in 2016. After telling the officer about the firearm in his car, Castile allegedly reached for a driver's license. The officer mistook the action as drawing a gun and shot him.

Texans with concealed carry permits are 14 times less likely to commit a crime and five times less likely to commit a violent crime. | Dana C. Jones/The Cougar

“As someone who concealed carries, like the Philando Castile case, that hit very close to home,” Foulk said. “I cried over that story and was frustrated with the ruling.”

Carrying on campus S.B. 11, makes carrying a concealed weapon on Texas' public university campuses, including UH, legal.

Still, there are certain places where you cannot carry a concealed weapon, like places of worship or most of UH's dorms. S.B. 11 states that universities cannot "generally prohibit" people from being able to carry a concealed weapon.

Even though "generally prohibiting" is subjective, it directly affects the students that do choose to carry.

Every morning, Foulk commutes an hour from his residence hall, Moody Towers, to his car, where his weapon is stored. Moody Towers residents are not permitted to store guns in their dorm rooms. After class, he walks back to his car, stores the gun in a lockbox, then returns to his room for the evening.

Those inconveniences could be enough to argue that a less-committed gun owner would be "generally prohibited," an infringement on state law.

Allowing students to store their weapons in their dorms would make this process much easier. Professors are allowed to store their weapons in regulatory lockboxes in their offices.

It is much safer, generally, for students to keep their weapons in their dorm, which has more security, than their car.

Storing his weapon is not the only inconvenience for Foulk.

"I have to be cautious of how I use the urinal or enter a stall, so someone doesn’t think I’m showing them my gun because that’s against the law,” Foulk said.

A word of understanding This experience of sharing thoughts with someone opposed to mine was great. We had a genuine conversation, exchanging our thoughts to understand each other, not for the sake of arguing.

I asked Foulk what he wants those who support gun regulation to understand.

Guns are going to be around forever. Since the first settlers landed in America, guns were there with musket and brimstone.

“Guns are a part of American culture,” Foulk said. Foulk has grown up around the culture, making it a part of his life and his kinship.

That immersion does not make him a bad person or hard to understand.

“I’m just a regular guy,” Foulk said.

“I love Star Wars, and I watch Game of Thrones.”

Opinion Editor Dana C. Jones is a print journalism junior. He can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.