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Issue 15, Volume 84
Honoring legacies The Howie Lorch & Elvin Hayes Courtside will forever commemorate a University-defining friendship. | PG. 8
NEWS On-campus pantries serve students For food-insecure members of the UH community, reserves of non-perishables provide a lifeline. | PG. 2
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The Personal Early Educational Performance Support Pantry has been serving students from a closet in Farish Hall since February 2018. | Fiona Legesse/The Cougar
Laura contasti
Web editor @lauraskindacool
The small utility closet in Farish Hall, stacked full of ramen, mac and cheese and other goods, is a safe haven for students who struggle with food costs. The Personal Early Educational Performance Support Pantry is a free food pantry open to students all over campus. The pantry, located in room 128 of Farish Hall, is a resource for those who may not be able to afford food or other essentials. “When students can’t eat very well, they can’t think very well,” said retention specialist at the College of Education Laura Lee. “And sometimes they end up working more hours to pay bills and afford groceries and things like that.” A study conducted by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce found that working while attending college hurts disadvantaged students the most. “We’d much rather see students not have to work five or 10 extra hours and take food from the pantry so they can study,” Lee said.
So far, visitors to the pantry have been mainly from the College of Education. Lee hopes to increase student usage of the pantry in the coming months. “Visitors tend to be mainly undergraduates, but we do want to make sure the grad students know that it’s open to them,” Lee said. The pantry is completely donation-based and was believed to be the first of its kind open on campus. Other food shelves, however, do exist. The Urban Experience Program has a food shelf of its own in the Student Service Center. “I had to ration out when I could and I couldn't eat,” said education sophomore Ty-Rinetta SandersWashington. “The (UEP) food pantry came in handy if I got hungry throughout the day and I didn’t want to waste a swipe.” According to the Hope Center, nearly 36 percent of university students in the United States suffer from food insecurity, and the University of Houston is tackling this problem one bite at a time. The Student Government Association voted to pass the
Student Hunger Act on Nov. 14. The bill would allow for the creation of a centralized food pantry on campus that would serve UH students, staff and faculty. “The SGA acquired a free space for it,” said SGA President Cameron Barrett. “Auxiliary Services was willing to pay that rent for free so long as it’s a food pantry there.” The new food pantry, however, will need additional University approval before it becomes official. “I think that a food pantry would provide a really good resource for students who need it most,” Barrett said. “There were students who came up to me during the campaign who struggle with food insecurity and housing, even though no candidates were running on it. I think it’s important for us to advocate for those students.” Students who use the food pantry can find more than just food items there. Aside from the usual non-perishables like microwavable meals, canned vegetables and condiments, students can find a variety of hygiene products. A four-story shelving unit is
dedicated to feminine hygiene products, deodorants, soaps and more. For some students, the PEEPS Pantry is the only resource that meets the demands of their schedules. "Classes don’t always align with the operating hours of off-campus food pantries," said an anonymous student who has visited the food pantry regularly in two semesters it has operated. This student did not wish to be identified as food-insecure for the purposes of this article. Becoming a member is a simple process. On their first visit, students must present their Cougar Card to pantry staff. They will then do an intake and fill out a registration card. For following visits, pantry staff will write down the dates a student has visited. The College of Education held a soft opening for the food pantry in February 2018 and will hold its grand opening in spring 2019. “Life without these resources is much more difficult,” said the anonymous student. news@thedailycougar.com
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After achieving all of its campaign goals by the end of the summer, the Student Government Association went on to pass multiple pieces of legislation this semester, including the Homeless Student Relief Act and the Transgender Inclusion Act, and participated in various events, such as Weeks of Welcome and End the Stigma. The Cougar sat down with SGA President Cameron Barrett to ask about how the 55th Administration has continued to fulfill its campaign promises, the impact of the legislation they've passed and what is in store for Spring 2019. The Cougar: Your three campaign initiatives were to grow involvement, provide affordable textbooks to students and to create a safer campus. How have you achieved these three goals over the course of this semester? Barrett: In terms of our
platform, we accomplished that in the spring, which was trying to get CSI (Center for Student Involvement) to be marginally more efficient. Affordable textbooks we were able to get done over the summer. Safety is probably, in terms of our platform, we’ve focused on the most this semester. They were able to get the Cougar Pack going, which was a way for students to ride on a golf cart away from the library. TC: : At the end of the summer, you said that you had already achieved all of your campaign goals and that you would be shifting focus to reducing wage disparities for students working on campus. You mentioned previously that you were going to be working with Administration and Finance to upgrade their pay scale. What became of this effort? What have you done to address this disparity this semester? Barrett: One of the things we were trying to do for months was to get HR (Human Resources) to release wage data. We were able to work with Administration and
Finance to compile a report that detailed what we were asking, how realistic it was, how much it cost. What I really asked for was if the student minimum could be $9 an hour. I’m only in office for a year, so I don’t think it’s reasonable to say, in one year, I’d like you to double student wages. I do think it’s reasonable to say, transition to $9 by the next fiscal year and then the following fiscal year, transition to $10. This is still in the pipeline (in progress). TC: What would you say are some of your greatest accomplishments this semester? Barrett: One thing is the new constitution that we posted on the website. It’s very difficult to get a constitutional amendment and it’s the first time SGA has gotten a new constitution, in my memory. The biggest thing that we put in the new constitution was that we implemented a recall system. We implemented a recall system, which is a way for
sga q&a
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passed in October?
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Barrett: That’s just why we wanted to get that policy renewed, because it’s just a matter of comfort. We had heard from trans students who would get called out on the role sheet by the wrong name.
students to directly hold elected leaders accountable, through a special election. End the Stigma. Most collaborative End the Stigma we’ve ever had. It was in collaboration with Fresh Check day, Counseling and Psychological Services, SPB also did a mental health event.
That can be uncomfortable because, especially when attendance is a grade, you’re forcing a student to answer to a name that they don’t consider their name because they need to for a grade, but then they have to come out to you and say, my name isn’t this. That is definitely an awkward situation that still exists under the old policy. That’s why, to us, it was important to advocate for that.
The whole campus engaged in a hugely collaborative mental health awareness day. The haunted house we hosted. Kim, the Student Life chair, noticed that there was a lack of Halloween-themed programming this year. We orchestrated an entire haunted house, it was very collaborative, we got donations from people, we worked with our Emerging Leaders.
TC: What is the status of the food pantry that was proposed as part of the Student Hunger Act?
Infrastructure. One cool thing we did was we got UH facilities to create a design and plan on repaving the University Drive sidewalks, the sidewalks in front of the Student Center.
Barrett: I had a meeting today with the Food Insecurity Group. They’re still compiling survey results. I don’t know, honestly. I know that the Food Insecurity Group, they’re definitely looking at it.
I remember coming here as a junior, but it was kind of disconcerting where we got off the bus to see the new Student Center, I think it had only been open for one year at that point, we get off and there’s this cracked sidewalk with metal plates. TC: Back in August, the senate discussed creating a mandatory transit fee for students to fund University shuttles instead of using funds raised from the sale of parking permits. What has become of this discussion? Are there plans for this to appear before the senate in the future? Barrett: So far this year, nothing has happened. If anything were to happen next year, it would be for the following fiscal year. The soonest a student at UH could potentially pay a transit fee would be September of 2020. The idea of a transit fee is a more fair way to fund the transit service and it’s costneutral. It doesn’t actually cost students more money. TC: You mentioned in your list of accomplishments for this semester the things you’ve done for student relief, one of which is the Homeless Student relief act. It was passed in the senate, but still needs to gain the approval of the Board of Regents. What would happen to the act if it does not gain
SGA President Cameron Barrett reflects on the administration's accomplishments this semester, including the Cougar Pack escort service, as he looks forward to the upcoming spring semester. | Courtesy of SGA
the approval of the Board of Regents? Barrett: If it doesn’t get approved by the Board, I would be pretty disappointed in our Board. I don’t think it will get disapproved, though. Once a plan has gone through the rigorous process of even getting to their table, generally they don’t veto it. This wouldn’t be presented to them if it wasn’t financially feasible for auxiliary services to do or if it wasn’t logistically feasible for financial aid to do. If it didn’t work out, I would just continue to advocate for it. The only reason this needs to be approved by the Board is because technically, this is a special meal plan we’re offering. This is a meal plan with special benefits at a different cost. If one of those things wasn’t true, it wouldn’t
have to be presented to the Board.
because a lot of the requests for escorts from UHPD are from the library.
TC: One of the initiatives SGA implemented this semester was the Cougar Pack program. How has this act made a positive difference to campus safety so far and how will it ensure the safety of students studying until late during finals season?
TC: SGA worked to bus students to polls this year, in conjunction with the Graduate College of Social Work. How did SGA help this effort?
Barrett: Some of the information that I saw was that in terms of measuring the impact, there’s the absolute number of students that have been escorted and then there’s the relief we’ve given to UHPD. If you look at the number of escorts requested at the same times on the same days as last year, the equivalent last year Tuesday through Thursday, we notice a structural drop in the number of requests for escorts
Barrett: We have a really good working relationship with auxiliary services and one thing as a residual effect of our great working relationship is that I asked if it would be possible for UH to get a bus for the first day of early voting and it was no problem. Where the precarious proposal came in was, we got so many students bused to vote, can we do this for another day? TC: How has the Transgender Inclusion Act made a difference to the LGBT community at UH since it was
Food Insecurity Group approves it. We’re not in that stage yet. All I can say is that the space is there and it would be unfortunate if it wasn’t a food pantry come spring. If we don’t have a food pantry come spring of 2019, I’m not sure if there’s any good reason for that. TC: Going into the spring semester, what will your administration be focusing on? Barrett: : One is going to be the Graduate Bill of Rights. I’m fairly confident we can get a working final before the semester ends, which for us is the twenty-first of December. I’m hoping we’ll be able to present it early spring and get it ratified by the SGA. Obviously, still going to be working on student wages, something I hope to present before I leave office. And the election commission, big goal. I even put this in our first day party platform was getting more students to vote. My goal isn’t to get seventy percent, but I think 5,000 is pretty reasonable. news@thedailycougar.com
6 | Wednesday, November 28, 2018
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POLITICS
Students demand change in the face of gun violence ALYSSA LETTS
CAMPUS EDITOR
Most college freshmen have to worry about how they’re going to pay for books, their room decorations and what type of meal plan they’ve bought. Reynaldo Montemayor III worries about PTSD. Now a freshman at the College of the Mainland, Montemayor was a senior at Santa Fe High School when a former student fatally shot eight students, two teachers and wounded 13 others. The May shooting was the seconddeadliest in 2018. “I lost four friends and had four other friends injured,” Montemayor said. “I wasn’t the same after that.” There have been 307 mass shootings in the United States in 2018 alone, according to Business Insider. Political science professor Richard Murray, an expert in state and local politics, said
the increase in shootings has cause a shift in students' opinions on gun control. In a poll Murray conducted for his requisite political science class in August, 68.4 percent of the students thought there should be stricter gun regulations. This generation continues to speak out, and political candidates have mirrored them. Murray observed that the gun issue played heavily into the higher voting turnout. Public relations senior Keffus Falls III, an activist in UH's on-campus Students for Beto organization, has noted the need for this generation to step up. “The Santa Fe shooting is just another reminder that we need to wake up and realize that there is a problem in America with mass shootings,” Falls said. California has some of the toughest state policies on
gun control, Murray said, and gun deaths in the state have almost halved since they were implemented. According to USA Today, California is No. 43 in a ranking of the states according to gun violence, with No. 1 Alaska having the most gun violence. Texas comes in at No. 28 with 12.1 firearm deaths per 100,000 people. Students like Falls are looking for tighter gun control policies across the board and other methods to feel more secure on a campus setting. Greater mental health funding is one avenue students have expressed interest in for increased safety. “Mental health is seen as taboo, especially in communities like Houston,” Falls said. “The lack of treatment provided for mental health doesn’t align with access to guns.”
He also said that students who need help often don't get it due to the stigma placed on mental health awareness. “A lot of us don’t want to go to the doctor because we don’t want to be labeled as crazy, because we’re afraid of judgment,” Falls said. A former UH history senior, Matt Wiltshire, former president elect for Houston Young Republicans also commented on the issue. “Gun violence is an extremely complicated issue that cannot be solved legislatively, it needs to be solved culturally,” Wiltshire said. “The issue isn’t guns themselves. It’s people who come from broken homes that commit horrific acts.” As a student who sought out help in order to deal with the aftermath of being in a school shooting, Montemayor agrees. He thinks more money
should be funneled into on-campus resources such as CAPS. He also realizes the difficulty of such a task. While the difficulties are real, some students believe it’s worth the cost to feel secure on their campus again. “We need to take steps to prevent losing another life,” Falls said. Bottom line, whether it’s gun control, mental health programs or an alternative action, some students are speaking out for a change. Their voice was evident in this last election, Murray said, and it looks like that trend will continue “Everybody grieves for a month, then forgets about it except for the town,” Montemayor said. “If it happened to their loved ones, then they would want to take action.” news@thedailycougar.com
Do you want your voice to be heard by over
40,000? Join The Cougar’s writing staff! Fill out an application on Get Involved Then-senior Reynaldo Montemayor III was preparing for graduation before tragedy struck Santa Fe High school. He lost four friends in the shooting and was forced to learn to deal with PTSD as a freshman in college. | Courtesy of Reynaldo Montemayor III
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EMILY HUBBARD, EDITOR
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LIFE & ARTS
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DOCUMENTARIES
Netflix and chill: Intellectual takeover edition EMILY HUBBARD
imaginative and one-of-a-kind at the least. Nick Koenig, aka Hot Sugar, is a musician who takes an atypical approach to creating music. Using the world around him to his advantage, he is able to use recordings of his everyday life to produce some of the most idiosyncratic beats. If you're a musician, aspiring DJ or just a music lover, make sure to check out this one. After watching, a spark of creativity is assured.
LIFE AND ARTS EDITOR @_3MMY
As many of us know, the Texas winter isn't what most would call a "winter," but to us this mildly-cold weather makes us want to huddle indoors. If you're anything like me, I love a good documentary. Netflix has a wide assortment to choose from, but for these cold rainy days, I have comprised a list of my personal favorites for you guys to check out. Hopefully they will prove to be just as intriguing to you as they are to me. Stay warm, and happy watching!
1. Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On The show is one season long and comprised of six episodes. The show explores the intersection of sex and technology and the relationship between sex workers and consumers. Through many 10-11546 Cougar News September anecdotes, mostly female, the series
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3. Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things Grab a friend, or a "friendly friend", a bowl of popcorn, cuddle up and get ready to binge my favorite documentaries Netflix has to offer. | Fiona Legesse/ The Cougar
gives an inside look at the porn industry. I was a little weary starting this for many reasons. The truth behind it is something that can be chilling but compelling. 2-print.pdf 9/14/18 11:17 AM Regardless1of your opinion on sex
workers or the porn industry itself, the show is intriguing, informative and definitely worth the watch.
2. Hot Sugar's Cold World Honestly one of my favorites. "Hot Sugar's Cold World" is inspiring,
Minimalism is a trend that has been on the rise for the past few years. If you haven't explored the idea, then get ready because this film will get you craving a cut. Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus are known as The Minimalists. The film gives a background on the duo's past. From being childhood friends to adults, the guys have grown up with
similar backgrounds. After gaining an awareness of their unhappiness, however, they strive to change for the better. The film goes through their journey of self analysis and how finding minimalism saved them from a treacherous life of materialistic misery.
4. Abstract: The Art of Design The series is eight episodes long, but the unique aspect to this show is that each episode explores a different artist and medium. From footwear design to architects, the show features some of the most complex and prolific designs and artists. Most of these artists you've probably never heard of, but their work is so breathtaking and innovative that recognition is well deserved. Discover eight new artists, get inspired and create. arts@thedailycougar.com
8 | Wednesday, November 28, 2018
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BASKETBALL
Fertitta Center courtside will honor history-making duo TRENTON WHITING
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @TRENTONWHITING
The trajectory of the University of Houston was forever changed because of one phone call between a student who needed government assistance to attend school and another who grew up on smallcity basketball. Howie Lorch was one of those men. Before the Fertitta Center was completed, he acquired the rights to name the courtside and decided to share the honor with his good friend and other half of that call, UH alum and basketball legend Elvin Hayes. The pair were two of the first biracial roommates in UH history and set the stage for what would become one of the most diverse schools in the nation. The Howie Lorch & Elvin Hayes Courtside will debut Saturday at the Fertitta Center's inaugural game.
Upbringing Lorch had worked his whole life to be in a position to take that call. Born and raised in Schenectady, New York, Lorch had to play catch-up for most of his youth. His grandparents fled the carnage of the Holocaust in Germany, leaving behind a successful business, after some loyal friends warned them of the horror they could face. Lorch’s grandparents sent each of their children away one at a time on boats to escape to New York, where his grandfather became a street sweeper to make ends meet. Lorch's parents met on the journey to America as a result of this effort. They spent much of their time together on the boat and for years after as they fell in love and built a life in their new home. They both left lives of relative comfort and were living through the struggle of life as immigrants. Enter Howard "Howie" Lorch, a boy who never witnessed the prosperity his family once had in Germany, but was greatly affected by his grandfather's legacy of hard work. When he turned 12, he started a small paper route and earned enough money to buy himself new clothes instead of using his brother’s hand-me-downs.
From his street-sweeping grandfather to his working, widowed mother, Lorch had shining examples of the value of hard work, and he always put his family first. They might not have been able to afford every luxury, but they never went without necessities. Despite being a hard worker, Lorch's success did not well translate to academia. He wouldn’t know until many years later that he suffered from attention deficit disorder. In the sixth grade, he was reading at around a second grade level until one of his teachers, Mrs. Kennedy, introduced him to a method that helped him catch up and surpass his fellow students. He had a goal and, for the first time, focus. This was the only motivation Lorch needed, as he not only reached his grade level for reading, but he was also reading at an eighth grade level by the time the school year finished.
Competitive spirit Perhaps it was his love for competition that led him to sports. While attending Linton High School, Lorch was a member of the football team and manager on the basketball team. The basketball team was a pretty big deal, as it featured future NBA great Pat Riley. It was also one of the only teams to beat legend Kareem AbdulJabbar in his high school career. Sports became a passion for Lorch. He loved being around the players, and he was always well liked by his teammates. Sports were an escape for him, a place where he could always enjoy himself. He did not have to worry about how much money he had or didn’t have. He could just enjoy the game. When graduation came around, however, he was again forced focus on money. Lorch had aspirations to go to college, but it wasn’t going to be easy. His mother was able to get him a job as a bellman and chauffeur for a hotel, and he still had money from his successful paper route. But, all of this would not be enough for four years of college. He would need a grant or a scholarship to finish.
Howie Lorch and Elvin Hayes were roommates for most of the latter's years at Houston . | Courtesy of Howie Lorch
Luckily, sports — specifically basketball — again came through. Lorch’s high school coach told UH basketball coach Guy V. Lewis about Lorch, specifically about his relationship to basketball stud Pat Riley. Riley was a hot commodity for college recruiters, and he and Lorch were good friends at Linton High. Maybe if UH could bring in the manager that Riley liked so much, then it could also reel in Riley himself. Lewis wanted Riley, and the team needed a manager. It was a match made in heaven. Lewis offered Lorch a spot on
the team, a small scholarship and a chance to go to college. Unfortunately, the following year, Riley didn’t follow Lorch to Houston and instead went to University of Kentucky. But Lorch’s spot had already been set, and unless he ran out of money, he was going to be a Cougar. Just like at Linton, Lorch quickly became well liked and lived with the team at the brand new, revolutionary athletic dormitory, the Baldwin House on North MacGregor. Lorch, still a young man at this point, would go on to be one half of one of the most important phone calls in UH
history.
Set up for success Basketball legend Elvin Hayes was a tall, skinny kid from Rayville, Louisiana. He went from never having touched a basketball to tearing up the high school stage in his state. He led Britton High School to the state championship game during his senior year, in which he scored 45 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. But because of the size of his tiny town and the tendency for
LORCH & HAYES
Continues on page 10
Wednesday, November 28, 2018 | 9
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FOOTBALL
Houston could face Power schools in year-end bowl game TCU According to Athlon Sports, the Cougars will see the Horned Frogs in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 22 in Fort Worth. TCU used its final regular season game to hit six-wins and become bowl eligible. The Horned Frogs finished in the middle of the Big 12 this season, but four of its six losses came against teams that finished the year ranked in the Top 25. TCU can pose real problems for Houston’s offense by virtue of its good, but not great, defense and the fact that true freshman Clayton Tune will be starting his second career game.
Freshman quarterback Clayton Tune has the tough task of replacing junior D'Eriq King in the bowl game after his injury. | Corbin Ayres/The Cougar
CHRISTOPHER MCGEHEE
STAFF WRITER @UHCOOGCHRIS
The Cougars are bowl eligible this year thanks to their 7-1 start to the season. Since there are so many potential bowl game
Wake Forest
opponents for Houston, we are going to look at the most likely matchups. The Cougar made predictions on the most probable bowl game destinations earlier this month.
Another 6-6 team, this one from the Atlantic Coast Conference, is a potential foe for the Cougars in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Florida, according to ESPN. The Wake Forest's Demon
Deacons are mediocre on offense, finishing No. 35 in total yards per game and No. 39 in points per game. Houston would need to exploit a Wake Forest defense that is one of the worst in the nation, allowing more yards per game than all but 14 teams in the country. The Demon Deacons also give up over 33 points per game, which makes them an enticing matchup for a Cougars' potent offense.
Miami The Hurricanes fell back down to Earth a year after going 10-2 in the regular season. Its season started with a 16-point defeat to LSU and featured a four-game losing streak in which Miami failed to score more than 21 points per game. Despite all of that, the Hurricanes finished with a 7-5 record and could potentially face the Cougars in the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, according to ESPN.
The Hurricanes allow the second-fewest yards per game in the country and are also top 15 in points allowed per game, but its offense is a below-average unit, gaining just 375 yards per game. Essentially, Miami is the reverse of Houston, which has a great offense paired with a subpar defense. The contrasting styles would make this game intriguing.
Ohio The Bobcats are 8-4, but three of their losses have come by a combined nine points. Ohio has the most explosive offense of the Cougars' potential opponents, ranking No. 16 in yards per game and No. 10 in points per game. While the Bobcats would not attract as much attention, it would present the most explosive matchup available. As a result, fans could be treated to a more exciting bowl game to end the season. sports@thedailycougar.com
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BASKETBALL
Everything fans need to know for the Fertitta Center opener ANDRES CHIO
SPORTS EDITOR @CHIOANDRES
There are a few things fans should know before they head out to the Fertitta Center opener on Saturday, such as new bag policies, ticket windows and more that will make the experience different from Hofheinz Pavilion. First off, entrance will work a little differently than how it does at TDECU Stadium and other sporting events. Fans will enter the Center before swiping their tickets. The ticket booths inside the Center, where people can buy tickets if they do not already have some, and the entrance work like many movie theaters, with ushers taking tickets and then allowing people past barriers. Senior Associate Athletics Director for Capital Projects T.J. Meagher said this is to help keep people out of the elements and hopefully make the center a
LORCH & HAYES
Continued from page 8 newspapers to not cover black teams, Hayes was relatively unknown. Hayes’ father passed away when he was in the eighth grade. Hayes promised his mother that he would graduate college, and nothing was going to stop him from keeping that promise. “I think that was a big part of it,” Lorch said of his friendship with Hayes, “we both had strong connections to our mothers.” Lewis had been a coach at UH for eight years and had just come off a solid season that unfortunately resulted in a regional semifinal exit for the Cougars in the National Tournament. Junior Joe Hamood was Lewis’ highest-scoring player at 17 points per game at the time.
better environment. Fans will be screened before entering, and UH is enforcing a clear bag policy. That means bags have to be clear and smaller than 12x6x12 inches. Small clutch purses no larger than 4.5×6.5 inches and onegallon resealable plastic bags are also allowed. The arena has two main concession stands with 10 registers each. Next to those stands are the Cub Zones, areas for parents to take their children if the kids are getting restless or if they need to wait while the parents pick up food or drinks. There will also be a team store in the arena by the entrances. For fans driving in from off campus without parking passes, parking is available in two main locations. The first location is the lots off Cullen Road and Elgin Street and costs $5. The second is in lot 12B by TDECU Stadium and also costs
Blue lots will cost $5 dollars to park, while orange, red, and green lots are reserved parking for donors and staff. The rest of campus parking should be unaffected and students can park like they usually do. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
$5. Students that wish to park on campus for any classes or other
reasons should not be seriously affected. Saturday’s tipoff is at 8 p.m.
Lewis had already been a He also thought of Southern another black player Lewis had coach for a while and had University, a school close to his been recruiting from Louisiana, already had some success. hometown. Pate called Lorch from Hayes' But he was ambitious, and he Whitney knew his school home in Rayville. knew that in order to reach the wouldn't attract a talent like The University of Houston heights he desired, he would Hayes, but he didn't want to would never be the same. have to have an integrated team run the risk of having to put his Lorch and Hayes roomed with black athletes. team up against Hayes should together every year until Hayes' Lewis failed at an earlier he choose to attend Southern. marriage. attempt to integrate the team. He knew UH had started Lorch eventually received a He pursued Dave Lattin, a recruiting black players, so he full scholarship and was even Houston native who was the was hoping it could lure Hayes able to go to graduate school at first player from Texas to earn away from TSU's conference. UH. an All-American team selection. Whitney convinced Lewis that Hayes became the greatest UH Lattin was interested in going he needed to attract this player collegiate player ever, and the to UH, but the school was not somehow, even though the two kept a friendship that has allowed to recruit black players school had never before signed a stayed strong to this day. yet, and he ended up winning black player. This turned out to be Lewis’s a national championship with Lewis invited Hayes to greatest recruiting year. CATHOLIC MASS ON CAMPUS SUNDAYS: Texas Western against Riley and Houston for a campus visit, and He 10:45 signed school’s AM -the Religion Center first 6:00 PM - Catholic Center the University of Kentucky. Hayes accepted. two black players, and one WEEKDAYS: Tuesday—Friday Noon for the The game featured a fullywent on to make12:00 history CATHOLIC NEWMAN CENTER SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE Confession: Before or After Masses black starting five against a An unlikely pair University. Office # (713) 748-2529 fully-white starting five. Lewis After Hayes' tour, some Hayes secured nearly every First Service: 7:15 am Second Service: 9:00 took am him knew he needed to keep the members of the team school record, UH won “The Third Service: 11:00 am dream of integrated basketball out for his first taste of the city. Game of the Century” against Fourth Service: 1:00 pm alive. Hayes loved it. UCLA and the Cougars reached Sunday School: 9:00 Down the street from UH, the He immediately hit am it off the Final Four twice. TSU coach Davey Whitney was with Lorch. They talked and In Hayes' final collegiate WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY noticing something incredible enjoyed each& other’s season, he scored nearly 37 12 noon 7:00 pmcompany happening in Louisiana. A for the rest of Hayes' visit. It points and almost 19 rebounds Sunday Bible Class young man by the name of was the beginning of a lifelong per game. Hayes was scorching every team friendship. He went on to the NBA and that came his way. When UH assistant coach become one of the greatest He was too big, and too Harvey Pate made the final pitch players of all time. athletic, to be stopped. Hayes for Hayes to attend UH, Hayes He was an all-star 12 times, was mulling over his college had only one request: He wanted led the league in rebounding F YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING IN WORSHIP DIRECTORY, prospects. He thoughtIof to room with Lorch. twice and in scoring once. ONTACT A SALES REPRESENTATIVE AT for 713-743-5356 Wisconsin, the school his C sister Despite the original plan It seemed at every level, Hayes attended. Lorch to room with Don Chaney, was too big and too athletic for
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against the Oregon Ducks. sports@thedailycougar.com
the competition. He also kept his promise to his mother by returning to graduate from UH after his NBA career. Hayes' attendance and friendship with Lorch changed UH forever, through both its sports and student body history. When Lorch and Hayes agreed to room together in 1965, UH was still freshly integrated. More than 50 years later, UH is home to one of the most diverse campuses in the country, and both Lorch and Hayes said they have immense pride for the University's growth since their attendance. “I think all of the first black students that integrated the University made a great deal in history,” Hayes said. “I never thought UH would be one of the most diverse schools in the nation, but thinking about it now, I am really surprised and proud of the steps and ground work the University has made.” The Fertitta Center debuts Saturday, Dec. 1 when the basketball team plays Oregon at 8 p.m. Both Hayes and Lorch will be in attendance, enjoying the results of a friendship nearly half a century old. sports@thedailycougar.com
Wednesday, November 26, 2018 | 11
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THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/OPINION
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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 author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to N221, University Center; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing.
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Blind grading should be implemented more RYAN NOWROUZI STAFF WRITER Essays and other projects that inherently require a more subjective grading procedure open the door to conscious or unconscious bias based on who submitted the assignment and what the instructor makes of that person. For this reason, a policy of blind grading, wherein teachers are not privy to who submitted the work before them, should be pursued when possible to create a fairer grading system. Teachers are human, too, and as such they gather information and impressions from the students around them. Blind grading recognizes the fact that, more often than not, impressions of students and the evaluation of their previous work are inextricably linked to their name and henceforth establish an implicit bias in future evaluation. This idea that students who are thought of more highly by instructors receive better grades was further explored and supported in a 2013 study published in the journal Teaching of Psychology. The study reported finding strong experimental evidence of a halo effect, meaning that prior work submitted by a student biased future scores given. Further, not blinding instructors can result in grading being skewed by other criteria. This can range from whether a student is always on time to whether a student is the first to raise their hand to participate. There are other metrics that instructors can use to evaluate these things if they choose, but the grade on an assignment is not one of them. This bias also extends to teachers who may knowingly or unknowingly assume a student who chimes in more has good things to say in their paper and give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to gaps in content. Meanwhile, that same instructor may penalize other students for similar infractions without even realizing it. Other aspects of your performance should not bear an outcome on the work you submitted, and blind grading helps mitigate the effects of this problem. Those who oppose blind grading argue that removing the identity from the work may not allow for teachers to track student progress and provide them with individualized
feedback. These arguments, centered around important educational principles, do not necessarily detract from instituting blind grading. For example, tracking a student’s progress is still very much possible after assigning their grade when educators can unblind the work and provide targeted feedback. In fact, blind grading may even be more conducive to students' progress, as it allows each of their works to be graded independently of the others and in this way will keep students from becoming complacent. Additionally, it’s important to note that universal blind grading is not possible in every setting and every classroom, but teachers should make room for it whenever possible and appropriate. When thinking about the implicit biases that may arise from student interaction with instructors, an important consideration is the extent
to which this can even occur, especially in larger classes or lecture halls. In smaller classrooms, like those of electives, writing courses or honors programs, the room for bias is much larger as a teacher is likely to know most, if not all, of their students. Furthermore, in other collegiate courses where teaching assistants are used to grade coursework, blind grading can preserve fairness, as it is well known that some TAs are undergraduates who frequently know the students whose work they’re grading. As far as implementation goes, the path to blind grading is not a difficult one. Popular platforms that teachers and students already use, like TurnItIn, allow for anonymous marking that hides all identifiable student information from the instructor’s view. In less technological settings, teachers can simply instruct students to utilize their school-issued ID as an alternative to their name.
Blind grading eliminates bias and should be implemented when possible. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/user: Mangus Manske
Regardless of the method used, blind grading is beneficial to both educators and students seeking a method of fair evaluation. Teachers and school administrators should strongly consider using the practice where possible in order to eliminate knowing and implicit bias from the classroom. Opinion columnist Ryan Nowrouzi is a biomedical sciences junior and can be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com.
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CATHOLIC MASS ON CAMPUS
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE
SUNDAYS: 10:45 AM - Religion Center 6:00 PM - Catholic Center WEEKDAYS: Tuesday—Friday 12:00 Noon CATHOLIC NEWMAN CENTER Confession: Before or After Masses Office # (713) 748-2529
First Service: 7:15 am Second Service: 9:00 am Third Service: 11:00 am Fourth Service: 1:00 pm Sunday School:
9:00 am
WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY 12 noon & 7:00 pm
Sunday Bible Class
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12 | Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy Parker November 28, 2018
ACROSS 1 Analyze text 6 One capital of Bolivia 11 Limited banker 14 Perfect 15 Albeniz or Hayes 16 P, in Greek 17 Atlas alternative 19 Blue billiards ball 20 Takes breaks 21 Not a schmoozer 23 Animal’s hideaway 25 Matter bit 27 Juno’s counterpart 28 Employ 29 Sci-fi alien’s destination 32 Sport with bamboo sticks 34 Choose, as a governor 35 Erode 38 De-mob? 42 Resell illegally, as tickets 44 Aleppo’s place 45 The feminine world? 50 Furnish with pellet guns 51 City of Pennsylvania 52 Code kind 53 Nights before big events 54 Type of dinner or strike 11/28
57 Long way from scanty 59 Very simple bed 60 Place that’s in-hobbit-ed 64 Maximum total 65 “... ___ live nephew of my Uncle ...” 66 Where some make waves? 67 Brandon or Bruce of films 68 Like Urkel’s persona 69 ___ over (faints) DOWN 1 Babe, for one 2 Noisy goings-on 3 Reposition or redirect 4 With more wisdom 5 Some additions 6 Afternoon catnap 7 Olympics chant 8 Some sweets 9 Many rodents 10 Bouncedback sound 11 More highfalutin 12 Prevent from happening 13 Bacon, cabbage or bread
18 Bibliog. space saver 22 Apt to yak 23 A Gospel writer 24 Dazed and confused 26 Lowly digit 29 Explorer de Leon 30 Private eye, etc. 31 Invisible money 33 Made with the gossip 36 Roadway material 37 Ornamental shrub 39 Cut through or cross piece 40 Ireland’s Ireland 41 Transplanted NFL team 43 Golfing standard
45 Peyote source 46 Brooks Robinson was one 47 Part of an i 48 “You don’t say?” 49 Broken on a ranch 53 Buoy one’s spirits 55 Arabian country 56 Down to the ___ 58 Pikes ___, Colorado 61 He’s got kids 62 ___ Aviv 63 Possesses
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
11/27 © 2018 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com
I GIVE YOU THE WORLD By Timothy E. Parker