Issue 18, Volume 84 by The Cougar

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Issue 18, Volume 84

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Phone, wallet, keys CRIME MCKENZI MISIASZEK & GREG FAILS @MISIASZEKUH

@GREGFAILS

River Phillips sat in his car in a dark corner of the Bayou Oaks parking lot. He’d just finished a phone call with a friend when two men opened his passenger and driver’s side doors. They pointed a gun at his face and demanded his phone, wallet and keys. He gave them his wallet and phone, leaving the keys in the ignition. When the robbers couldn’t figure out how to unlock his phone, they gave it back and demanded he get out of the car to do it himself. Phone

in hand, Phillips saw the robber glance away and took his chance to escape. “As soon as the guy with the pistol looked into the car, I took off,” Phillips said. He ran to the back entrance of Bayou Oaks shouting for help while the robbers sped off in his car. Phillips, a management information and marketing senior, was the third and final victim in a string of robberies that spanned two weeks in early January across campus parking garages and lots. All three robberies happened south of Wheeler Ave. and involved suspects taking the victims’ cars.

LIFE & ARTS

In the first case, a student was rollerblading on the top floor of the Cullen Oaks garage Jan. 7 when he was attacked by two suspects after refusing to give them his phone and car keys. The second happened on the evening of Jan. 12 in Lot 4A, where five suspects demanded a student’s keys at gunpoint before fleeing the scene on foot and in the victim’s car. Phillips’s robbery occurred three days later, less than two blocks away. Many students found themselves on edge from the resulting flurry of security alerts that had accompanied their first week of classes.

“I was definitely a little scared,” said biochemistry freshman Zaimab Asif. “This is my first time parking on campus, so I was feeling a little unsettled.”

Search for suspects The same morning that students received the email alert about Phillips’s robbery, UHPD Chief Ceaser Moore Jr. announced that campus security and police patrols would be increasing as they worked with HPD to track down suspects. At the time one arrest had been made: the driver of the vehicle in the second robbery who was apprehended within an

SPORTS

hour and a half of the incident, according to UHPD. “I want to reinforce our commitment to campus safety,” Moore said in an email to students and faculty. “Any crime against any member of the University of Houston community is a crime against all of us.” Six days later, Moore announced in a video to students and staff that eight out of the 10 suspects had been caught and charged in connection to the robberies. “Hello Cougar family,” Moore

PHONE, WALLET, KEYS CONTINUES ON PAGE

OPINION

Rediscovering the #HTownSpeedCity Hit us with your continues poetry genre best shot Artists sharing on social media is on the rise and here’s how it’s affecting the literary form. | PG. 6

After losing some key athletes, the No. 5 Cougars have not missed a step and are breaking school and NCAA records. | PG. 7

The Opinion Section offers hot takes and argumentative columns, and we love your responses. | PG. 10

2 | Wednesday, January 30, 2019

NEWS

GREG FAILS, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/NEWS

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NATION

Government shutdown causes problems for some students LAURA CONTASTI

WRITER POSITION @LAURACONTASTI

After 35 days without pay, federal employees returned to work Monday thanks to a short-term bill that will fund the government for the next three weeks. Signed by President Donald Trump on Friday, the bill is set to provide back pay to the 800,000 federal employees who have been affected by the partial shutdown — a relief for students whose parents work for the government. “Both of my parents represent the two types of workers affected,” said honors biomedical sciences senior Alexander Le. “My dad works in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and if the shutdown had continued into mid-February, he would have likely been furloughed as the office runs out of funding.” Le is one of the many students at UH who has been adversely affected by the shutdown. “My mother works as a small food store owner in an IRS building that was closed during the shutdown, and though she wasn’t a direct employee, she was one of the millions of contractors that were affected and will not regain any income back from the shutdown,” Le said.

Though most of UH's services were unnafected by the shutdown, some students reported issues with applying for financial aid | Corbin Ayers/The Cougar

Despite being a part of the longest government shutdown in American history, however, most students at UH have been living life as usual. “I haven’t been affected because neither of my parents are government employees, but I don’t ignore what’s going on in our country,” said psychology sophomore Rachel Reynolds. “I try my best to stay informed.” The University itself remained largely unaffected by the shutdown. Some faculty members whose research is funded by federal grants from the National Institute of Health, Department of Defense, National Science Foundation or other federal agencies likely were affected by the federal shutdown, said associate

professor Jennifer Hayes Clark. “The shutdown also put a halt on funding applications to these federal agencies by UH faculty,” Hayes Clark said. Departments such as Veteran Services were untouched and will remain fully funded for the rest of the fiscal year, said U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie. Likewise, the shutdown had little to no impact on students' financial aid, according to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. “The United States Department of Education was open and funded, so federal aid, such as Pell Grants and Direct Student Loans were not

impacted,” said Carl Gordon, Assistant Director- Advising of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. Though loans and grants were not impacted, some students reported issues with filing for their FAFSAs. “A system malfunction involving the IRS tax transcript retrieval tool made me miss the priority financial aid deadline,” said psychology junior Alyssa Rice. The biggest effects felt by the Financial Aid Office came from shutdowns at agencies related to the school’s processing requirements, the IRS being one of those agencies. All offices at the Financial Aid Office are up and running, Gordon said. Students who were severely affected or experienced a significant amount of income or benefit loss are advised to speak to a financial aid adviser. Though the partial government shutdown has been temporarily ended, worries remain among students and parents for what’s to come on Feb. 15. “As long as congresspeople are able to get paid for not being able to do their job while ordinary workers suffer the consequences, I don’t think we can ever be relieved,” Le said. news@thedailycougar.com

ADMINISTRATION

Student works to recognize Juneteenth on UH calendar JASMINE DAVIS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @JPAIGEDAVIS Juneteenth — commemorating the end of slavery in Texas and the United States on June 19, 1865 — is recognized as an official holiday in 45 states, including Texas. But of the state’s three flagship university systems, none officially recognize the celebration. Since transferring to UH, construction management junior Bethany Jackson-Price has led the charge to land the historic holiday, which she believes represents a more inclusive celebration of freedom, a spot on the University’s academic calendar. “As a minority, when I celebrate ‘Independence Day,’ it’s not my independence I’m celebrating — it’s always a bittersweet celebration,” Jackson-Price said. “Juneteenth is the true Independence Day for all Americans.” The Student Government Association Senate is expected to vote on the ‘Freedom Day’ Acknowledgement, which Jackson-Price co-authored with SGA President Cameron Barrett, on Feb. 6. If passed, the resolution will represent a show of SGA support

in recognizing Juneteenth as an officially observed University holiday. “July 4th is not an accurate Freedom Day because many minorities, most inclusive to African Americans, were not free that day,” according to the current draft of the resolution. Jackson-Price said her goal isn’t to dispute the importance of Independence Day, but to instead recognize that it wasn’t until Juneteenth that all Americans were able to benefit from that freedom. More than two years passed, after Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation declared the slaves free, before most slaves in the rebelling states were released. According to the Dallas Morning News, a Union Army general arrived in Galveston on June 18, 1865, to announce victory over the Confederacy. Freedmen officially learned of their emancipation the next day. In 1980, Texas became the first state to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday, but Jackson-Price said she didn’t learn of the holiday until she took an interest in black history in college. Despite Juneteenth’s status as a state holiday, she was surprised to

find it wasn’t mentioned in any of her history textbooks. Given its ties to the Houston-Galveston area, in addition to UH’s proximity to one of Houston’s historically black communities, Jackson-Price and Barrett believe the University is in a unique position to recognize the day’s significance. “(UH) is basically the spirit of the Houston area,” Jackson-Price said. “It would teach others that definitely don’t know about it — there’s a lot of people that don’t know about the holiday — and I’m thinking if the college can get more involved, it’s all about educating others.” Beyond recognition on the calendar, she hopes UH will take the opportunity to further teach the community about Juneteenth and its place in Texas history. Ideally, she would like to see it commemorated with different activities and on-campus presentations. Though Barrett expects the “Freedom Day” Acknowledgement to pass in the SGA Senate without issue, there will remain more to be done before UH students see the holiday on the academic calendar. Executive Director of Media Relations Mike Rosen said Jackson-Price

will then be able to present the idea to an academic calendar committee, which is comprised by faculty and staff appointed by the Provost’s Office. The decision will then rest with the University Provost. If the University decides against recognizing Freedom Day on the academic calendar, however, Barrett said it wouldn’t be a reflection of UH’s values but instead on the process needed to grant recognition. “That’s just one of those moments when you’ve got to be disappointed in the University’s policy-making process,” he said. But since Jackson-Price is asking solely for recognition of the holiday, as opposed to a day off from classes, Barrett said he is pretty confident it won’t be an issue. “If this college does accept and celebrate this day, and we as a campus body are able to celebrate this ‘Freedom Day’ as we celebrate other holidays here, that would be monumental,” Jackson-Price said. “I truly believe this would set the example for other colleges and schools in this state.” news@thedailycougar.com

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CRIME

Two weeks, three robberies, ten suspects

University of Houston Police Department makes headway on investigation into string of thefts, nine arrested

Nine of the ten suspects in early January's string of robberies have been arrested. UHPD says none of them were involved in more than one theft each, and the department is still working to arrest the final suspect in the crimes. In the mean time, on-campus security measures have increased. | Fiona Legesse/ The Cougar

CONTINUED FROM COVER 18, and a juvenile — were MCKENZIE MISIASZEK & GREG FAILS @MISIASZEKUH & @GREGFAILS

said in the video. “Last week I informed you about three robberies on our campus between January 7 and 15. Today I want to provide you an update. All three cases have been solved.” In the video, Moore detailed that eight of the 10 suspects — two adults and eight juveniles — were behind bars. The video also revealed that all guns thought to be used in the robberies, specifically the last two, were in fact toy gun replicas. As of late last week, a ninth suspect, a juvenile, has been arrested and charged in connection with the robberies. None of the suspects were involved in more than one of the robberies, according to UHPD. Both suspects in Phillips’s robbery — David Augustine,

apprehended Jan. 17, two days after the incident took place. According to court records, UHPD obtained surveillance video and still photos from the scene and, with help from HISD PD, identified the juvenile in the pictures and an address where they might be able to find them. After following leads to several addresses and speaking to a landlord, the suspect’s sister and a former teacher, police arrested the juvenile. Investigators were able to identify Augustine, who has no previous criminal record, through witnesses they spoke to during their investigation. Isaiah Urdy, 18, was already in jail when police charged him for the robbery at Cullen Oaks which occurred seven days before the attempted burglary of a motor vehicle charge that he was facing then. The suspect’s rap sheet dates back to 2017 and includes several felony

charges including aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, evading arrest and trespassing. Increased Awareness Although aggravated robberies on campus may seem like they happen frequently, based off UHPD’s crime log in the past 60 days there have only three reported aggravated robberies with two of them happening in the first week of school. Nonetheless, the incidents were a wake-up call for many students. “I was definitely more aware than afraid,” advertising freshman Meriem Madi said. “I was on edge.” After the robbery in Lot 4A UHPD told The Cougar that they were in the middle of hiring four new officers for high-visibility ATV patrols as part of an initiative that was was planned and approved beforehand and was not directly in response to the robberies.

All cars that were stolen during the robberies were recovered within hours of each event. Phillip’s car, however, was found wrecked with the headlights broken, the front passenger side of the car torn and parts of the bumper hanging off. “I’ve been having to Uber everywhere because my drivers license was in the wallet too,” Phillips said. Urdy is awaiting his court date, set for February 28th, and his bond is set at $1,000. Augustine’s bail currently sits at $30,000 and his court date is set for March sixth. Phillips is unsure whether or not he will testify at Augustine’s and the juvenile’s hearings. UHPD is still working to track down and apprehend the final suspect in the robberies. news@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, January 30, 2019 | 5

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LIFE & ARTS EMILY HUBBARD, EDITOR

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POETRY

Instagram poets catapult dying art to hottest trend JANET MIRANDA STAFF WRITER

The rise of social media has changed the way we communicate and consume content, shaking up the foundations of an age-old literary art form. Social media has revitalized the lifeblood of the poetry genre, as Instapoets with thousands of followers are romanticizing the art. Poetry — usually seen as an art form created specifically for an elite group with rigid rules — is flourishing under the democratic nature of social media. Just about anyone can make an Instagram account or a Twitter account and post their work for free. Co-captain for CoogSlam and political science junior Jazzib Akhtar finds that having a poet perform his work has a deeper effect on the intended audience, something that is not shown through the online medium. “The proper way, I would say,

CoogSlam member, Deo, shares their work at the open mic night last Tuesday. | Photo by Billion Tekleab/ The Cougar

to enjoy poetry is hearing the poet in person, through actual performance. Having a poet post his work online leads to a disconnect,” Akhtar said. “You don’t know what the poet looks like or how he would perform

it — that all has an effect on the audience.” It seems poetry is adapting to the changing world of media. It is twisting the rope of the lyrical art form into two distinct strings: the high-brow artists

and academics along with the growing brands of Instapoets. Usually, the internet isn’t seen as a welcoming place to foster new intelligent art forms. With the new wave of Instagrammable poetry,

however, it is now challenging this perception at first glance. Canadian poet Rupi Kaur's meteoric rise is a case study of the increasing popularity of poetry in the online world. With more than 3.4 million followers on Instagram, Kaur has created a strong following, publishing the two poetry collections "milk & honey" and "the sun and her flowers." Kaur started her career by posting her work to Tumblr before gradually switching to Instagram, where she has amassed an aesthetically pleasing collection of powerful and all-reaching stanzas. Her work most often focuses on heartbreak, loss and the challenges of finding strength in one's self to reach one's dreams. arts@thedailycougar.com

To read the remainder of the article and to find out more on the rise of poetry please visit thedailycougar.com/life-arts

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SPORTS

Wednesday, January 30, 2019 | 7

ANDRES CHIO, EDITOR

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TRACK AND FIELD

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ATHLETICS

Track and field team builds toward ‘monumental’ season Up next around campus THE COUGAR STAFF @THECOUGARSPORTS

It is a relatively quiet week on campus for UH Athletics, but there is still a pair of home basketball games to watch and a big track meet to keep an eye on.

Men’s Basketball The Cougars will play the Owls in a revenge game at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Fertitta Center. Temple is the only team to have beaten Houston this season. In that game, senior guard Corey Davis Jr. and junior guard Armoni Brooks made just six of 23 shots combined and the Cougars lost 73-69. Houston and Cincinnati both have 7-1 records in the American Athletic Conference while Temple, Memphis and UCF are tied for third with 5-2 records. A full preview is available on page 9. Senior sprinter Obi Igbokwe has made an immediate impact since transferring to Houston after competing at Arkansas for three years. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

JACKSON GATLIN

SENIOR STAFF WRITER @JTGATLIN

Bang. The sound of the starting gun goes off followed by the pounding of powerful strides propelling athletes toward the finish line intertwined with the raucous crowd cheering them on from the stands. Track and field season is in full swing. Multiple records were broken at the Yeoman Fieldhouse last weekend in categories like the weight throw, 200m dash and 400m dash. On the field side, senior thrower Taylor Scaife continued her outstanding final Cougar campaign, breaking her own school record for the third time in as many weeks Friday. Scaife, the reigning AAC Female Field Athlete of the Week, marked 74-3.75 (22.65m) on her final attempt of the day, which shattered her old record and moved her to No. 1 in the NCAA this season. The Cougars squad opened the year ranked No. 6 nationally, but this confident group of athletes has its eyes set on much more than just rankings. They want to make history. “No one remembers what indoor is. Everyone remembers

what outdoor is. Indoor you make your footprint, outdoor you make yourself memorable,” said senior Amere Lattin. “This is all a building block for us. We want to build our footprint in indoor nationals and then build our monument at outdoor nationals. We’re just trying to come together to get it all done.” Lattin ran a 7.83 and finished first place in the men’s 60m hurdles Saturday. That time is tied for second fastest in the NCAA this season.

New scenery A foreign element introduced to the fieldhouse this season to take into consideration is the addition of a brand new 200m banked track. “I think we have some growing pains getting used to the new track. When things change it’s a little unsettling,” said head coach Leroy Burrell. Burrell also said he believes Houston has become a target for other programs because of the new track, as it gives other teams a chance to get on a banked track and compete against a highly-ranked team. “It takes a lot to get accustomed to, but it feels pretty nice so far,” said senior Mario Burke regarding the new track.

Broken records

Endgame

The other record-breakers from the Houston Invitational were seniors Kahmari Montgomery and Obi Igbokwe. Montgomery’s winning time of 46.28 in the 400m dash became the fifth-fastest this season as well as the new fieldhouse record, overtaking the 46.77 time set by 2008 400m Olympic gold medalist LaShawn Merritt. Not long after Montgomery’s impressive performance, Igbokwe took to the track for his turn to shatter some records. Igbokwe finished with a 20.85 in the 200m dash, eclipsing another facility record formerly held by Merritt and giving him the third-fastest time of the season. This was impressive, considering he was holding back. “I did alright, I almost pulled out of it,” Igbokwe said. “I went at it really conservatively. Definitely bigger things to come. I got something good for you next week.” Igbokwe spearheaded a sweep of the event, claiming first place with Burke, Lattin and sophomore Nicholas Alexander taking second, third and fourth places, respectively.

While individual records are great, a team title at the national level is the ultimate goal. “We almost won the outdoor last year, but things happened,” Burke said. “We’re all older and stronger, so we can get it done this year.” The sentiment is echoed across the whole team. Lattin believes this group of athletes has what it takes to bring home a national title. “I know we do. We’re a confident team. We have the man power. No one on the team is mediocre. Everyone’s going for something, everyone’s shooting, everyone has a goal. We have our attention on our intentions,” Lattin said. Burrell, an Olympic gold medalist, knows exactly what it takes to perform on the world’s biggest stage and knows what it takes mentally to achieve goals like a national title. “I think we have a pathway. It’s just a matter of if you execute well,” Burrell said. When asked about the shoes the team needs to fill after Elijah Hall and his son Cameron Burrell left, Burrell just said he thinks “Obi and Kahmari have pretty big feet.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Women’s Basketball The women play at UCF at 5 p.m. Wednesday before coming home to host SMU at 2 p.m. Saturday. The women are 4-2 in the conference, and two wins this week would give the team some breathing room in the hunt for a top conference seed. Connecticut is first in the conference with a 7-0 record while UCF is second with a 6-2 record. Cincinnati is third at 5-2 and Houston is fourth. SMU is ninth in the AAC at 2-5 and has yet to win on the road.

Track and Field The track and field team is heading to College Station Friday and Saturday to compete at the Charlie Thomas Invitational. The No. 5 nationally ranked Cougars are coming off a great performance at the Houston Invitational and will face Texas A&M, Texas, TCU and other major Texas schools at the meet. Texas A&M sophomore Devin Dixon ran the fastest 800m time in the NCAA earlier this season. Houston seniors Obi Igbokwe, Amere Lattin, Kahmari Montgomery and junior Jermaine Holt ran the fastest NCAA 4x400m race two weeks ago. sports@thedailycougar.com

8 | Wednesday, January 30, 2019

SPORTS ANDRES CHIO, EDITOR

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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Women’s basketball keeps ship afloat without star player TRENTON WHITING

ASSISTANT PORTS EDITOR @TRENTONWHITING

The Cougar’s slow start to the season took an additional blow when the team lost junior guard Jasmyne Harris to a suspension. But instead of folding, the Cougars have won four of their last five games in Harris’ absence. Numerous factors have contributed to the team’s hot streak. First is the increased performances of junior forward Dorian Branch and senior forward Octavia Barnes. Branch has been one of the main contributors to the team’s effort all season, but recently she has been called upon to do more for the team. She responded to the call with her second 20-point game in her career, a double-double and an average of 11.6 points per game in the five games since Harris’ suspension. Barnes has contributed by

leading the team with an average of 12.2 points per game during the stretch. She has also gotten at least one steal and four rebounds in each game since Harris has been away. Both Branch and Barnes have been vital to the Cougars’ success. They will have to continue their production to keep the ship upright while waiting for their captain to return. Fortunately for them, they still have help from other key crew members. Senior guard Serithia Hawkins has been one of the most important pieces to the Cougars’ success in recent years. She has led the team in total rebounds since she arrived as a freshman. She has continued her success on the boards this season and is also the third-leading scorer on the team. Hawkins, Barnes and Branch have formed a potent trio while Harris has been out. But while the team waits for Jasmyne Harris to return, it will have to wait also for the return of Angela Harris’ scoring.

Junior guard Angela Harris had a breakout season last year as the second star of the team. She was second in scoring and total assists, and she was also one of the AAC’s best defensive players. This year, she’s struggled to average double-digit scoring and has more turnovers than assists. Harris is not the only one struggling, as the team seems to have hit a collective slump to begin the season, but the team has found ways to win despite the lack of production. Harris still shows flashes of her prior form. She had 23 points, five assists and three steals in a win against Wichita State on the road. But the team will need her to be more consistent in order to stay near the top of the conference. The Cougars find themselves ranked No. 4 in the conference with a chance to climb. UH has a better record on the road than at home, and the team plays three of its next four games away from Houston.

UH must pick up some key wins while Jasmyne Harris is out. If the team keeps riding its hot hands, then the Cougars will have a good chance of keeping themselves near the top of the conference. The Cougars will need to bring

this momentum with them when Harris returns. Once she does, UH will be in position to go on a run in the second half of the season and the AAC Tournament. sports@thedailycougar.com

Junior guard Angela Harris is one of the Cougars who has perservered over the last few weeks and helped lead UH to a 4-2 record. | Kathryn Lenihan/The Cougar

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SPORTS

Wednesday, January 30, 2019 | 9

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MEN'S BASKETBALL

High-scoring Temple trio will threaten Houston’s winning streak ANDRES CHIO

SPORTS EDITOR @CHIOANDRES

The No. 13/13 Cougars will be looking for revenge Thursday night when the Owls come to town to try to repeat their 73-69 victory earlier this month — Houston’s sole loss of the season. Nov. 10 was an off night on multiple fronts as the defense allowed far more points than normal and its main scorers were unable to get going. Junior guard Armoni Brooks scored just five points compared to his usual 14.8, and senior guard Corey Davis Jr. was below his season average as well. Senior Breaon Brady’s 19-point performance was almost enough for the Cougars to come back, but a charge call ended the team’s hopes in the game-tying score.

Key pieces The Cougars own the No. 3 spot in scoring offense in the American Athletic Conference, while the Owls are No. 4. Temple has a 15-5 overall record in large part because of its offense. Temple senior Shizz Alston Jr. is No. 3 in the conference in points per game while junior Quinton Rose is No.

7 and sophomore Nate PierreLouis is No. 16. The main trio scored 52 of Temple’s 73 points in the win against Houston, while Houston’s starting guards made just 23 points. Brooks and Davis are No. 12 and No. 14 in points per game, respectively, but there are multiple players like Brady, freshman Nate Hinton and redshirt freshman Cedrick Alley Jr. that have had double-digit scoring performances this season when the main two are having bad nights. Both teams have great offthe-ball players like senior Galen Robinson Jr. for UH and Alston Jr. for Temple. The duo are in the top three assists leaders in the AAC and have averaged over five per game each.

Differences As is the case against most teams, Houston separates itself from Temple on the defensive side of the ball. Houston is No. 1 in the AAC and has allowed just 60 points per game, and Temple is down at No. 7 and has been giving up about 71 points per game. Field goal percent difference is also night and day between the teams. Houston is first in

Houston's strong defense has been able to significantly slow down almost every team that it has faced this season. Almost every team that the Cougars have played has scored below its season average. | Ahmed Gul/The Cougar

the conference and has allowed just 36 percent accuracy from the field, while Temple is last in the AAC and has let teams make 45 percent of shots. Rebounding is the same with the Cougars sitting at No. 4 in defensive rebounds and No. 1 in offensive rebounds while the Owls are No. 10 and No. 12 in those categories. Last time the two teams met, Houston’s defense did not play

up to its standards, but in front of the home crowd UH has been a different kind of beast that Temple may not be ready for. One rebounder that the Owls have is senior Ernest Aflakpui. Aflakpui has averaged 7.4 rebounds per game and is third in the AAC. Houston's top rebounder is Brooks, who has averaged 6.4 per game out of the guard position.

Having good rebounding and hustle is something that has been emphasized in practice and in the culture of the team said head coach Kelvin Sampson. "Rebounding is in our DNA," Sampson said during his Monday afternoon radio show. The two teams play at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Fertitta Center. sports@thedailycougar.com

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Cougars positioned high in multiple March Madness brackets ANDRES CHIO

SPORTS EDITOR @CHIOANDRES

Against ECU, senior Galen Robinson put himself in the record books by raising his career assists total to fourth most in UH's history. Robinson Jr. had another five against Tulsa to raise his assists to 509. | Ahmed Gul/The Cougar

March Madness is just a month away, and news outlets have started to publish bracket predictions for collegiate sports' most exciting tournament of the year. Some of the top predictors in the business have predicted the No. 13/13 Cougars will play in Tulsa in multiple brackets, and the team should hold a top four seed in one of the four regional brackets. As long as the team's success continues, the Cougars will get to face mostly lower seeds until the third rounds or later. The NCAA tournament selection process gives 32 seeds to the winner of each NCAA Division I conference. The committee gives the remaining 36 seeds to the

best remaining teams that did not win their conference. The teams are then seeded to make the brackets reasonably balanced. The locations are picked to put teams close to home, but if there are too many teams from a region, then some teams will have to be moved far away. Andy Katz's bracket prediction on NCAA.com has Houston playing the first round in Tulsa in a bracket with LoyolaChicago, Iowa and the winner of USF versus Butler in the play-in. ESPN's Joe Lunardi has placed UH in Salt Lake City and his bracket has Houston lined up to face Grand Canyon in the first round and Iowa and Wofford as potential round two opponents. Shelby Mast has picked UH to play Radford in Tulsa with Iowa and Saint John's on the other side of the mini-bracket. Mast is

bracketologist for USA Today. Tulsa continues to be a hot spot for the Cougars, as CBS's Jerry Palm has picked the team to play the New Mexico State Aggies in the first round with a matchup against Kansas State Wildcats as a possible second round game. SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean is the first of these brackets to put Houston far from home. Dobbertean has picked Houston to travel to Salt Lake City to face Vermont in the first round and then either Wisconsin or Murray State in the second. Finally, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller has also sent the Cougars to face the Aggies, but his matchup has UH traveling to San Jose for the game as well as Louisville and Lipscomb. sports@thedailycougar.com

10 | Wednesday, January 30, 2019

OPINION JORDEN SMITH, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/OPINION

OPINION@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5304

STAFF

Welcome to the new Opinion Section: 'Hit me with your best shot' JORDEN SMITH OPINION EDITOR

elcome to the opinion section! To put it lightly, you’re now reading the redheaded stepchild of The Cougar. News gives you the stories and highlights on the people that matter on this campus and in the Houston community. Sports gives you updates and insights on UH's various athletic teams. We give you hot takes by 20-somethings who have no real world experience and probably don’t know what they’re talking about. I’ve always enjoyed reading the opinion section. The opinion section is like a UH football season — you never know what you’re going to get. Everyone has heard the statistics about UH’s demographics and how diverse those demographics are compared to other universities. But what makes the opinion section so interesting is there's always an opinion you don't agree with or you've never heard before. And even if you have heard the opinions before or if the opinions are as mainstream as hipster-dom, the columns will be written well and will try to make a solid point for your sake. The opinion section is its own conundrum. For a long time, the opinion section has been accused of shilling for one political side, not knowing the correct facts for whatever opinion is given and just being a bunch of oversensitive teenagers who are far too eager to jump to awkward and nonsensical conclusions. But each week you get a smattering of columns ranging

The opinion section has a rich history of publishing well-written and well-thought out columns that make you think and inform you. We will continue that rich tradition by offering hot takes and thought provoking argument. We not only want feedback, we encourage it. | Fiona Legesse/The Cougar

in content from national politics to international politics. So why should you care what we have to say? Well, in all honesty, I don’t have a definitive answer to this question. While I think you should read what these columnists have to say because I see their work and output, I can’t force you to read the opinion section. All I can say is there are a lot of things that you should pay attention to. This Monday, we published a column about going meatless for the sake of the environment. A few years ago, we published a military veteran's thoughts on gun control using his overwhelming experience and insight; this column went on to win a national award — essentially the Pulitzer of collegiate journalism — from the prestigious Associated

Collegiate Press. And, for those of you who remember, the opinion section called the 2016 election. There is a lot that can happen in the opinion section, and a lot of it is special. And from now on, the opinion section is going to be different; there’s going to be more UH-centric content. Columns will tell stories about this campus, present you with new ideas and issues on the national and international stage and, most importantly, these columns will make you think. We are here to engage you. Whether you think we’re right or demonstrably wrong, engage us. Let us know. So, post those comments on Facebook calling us shills and constantly reminding us that our ideas aren’t the same ideas you have.

Send us the emails calling us whatever insults your vocabulary — which can be quite innovative at times — contains. Write your guest columns. Even join the opinion section if you want to be a part of the “problem." We will always appreciate it, no matter how much you disagree. So, welcome to the opinion section. We hope you enjoy your stay and take some time to ingest the different opinions and hot takes given. But hey, no matter what, we’re at least better than the Huffington Post’s opinion section. May it rest in peace. Opinion editor Jorden Smith is a political science and creative writing senior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

worship Plastic bans protect both humans and animals ENVIRONMENT

KRISTIN CHBEIR

OPINION COLUMNIST

was strolling through Butler Plaza last semester when something caught my attention: booths. Outdoor booths lined the sidewalk, each advocating for or protesting against something. The last organization, in particular, was my absolute favorite. An older man stopped me while I was on my way to sociology class and asked for a moment of my time. He

DIRECTORY

wanted to play a small guessing game years. with me. A bit odd, but I took the bait. Fortunately, there are those who are The man asked me a few questions aware of the surmountable issue. There about the ocean’s health. He presented have been several proposals to eliminate me with six panels, each with the name plastic and plastic products altogether. of a plastic. He asked for me to guess just Plastic products affect landfills, CATHOLIC MASSendanger ON CAMPUS SUNDAYS: how long the individual pieces of trash marine life and place humans at risk.Center 10:45 AM - Religion 6:00 PM - Catholic Center WEEKDAYS: took to dissolve. Tuesday—Friday 12:00 Noon CATHOLIC NEWMAN CENTER After guessing the indissolubility of six Environmental costs SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE Confession: Before or After Masses Office # plastics, the man revealed the answers. Plastic bags litter landfills, (713) and748-2529 the First Service: 7:15 am What I thought I knew about plastic and trash piles are growing. These bags Second Service: 9:00 am what I actually knew aboutThird plastic were 11:00 contain polyethylene, which releases Service: am Fourth Service: 1:00 pm two entirely different things. oils when exposed to heat. In 2011, Sundayyears to School: Plastic can take more than 400 theam Australian Capital Territory 9:00 dissolve. In other words, the trash found Assembly made the decision WEDNESDAY BIBLELegislative STUDY in the oceans today will outlive12the to ban plastic, which resulted in a 36 noon & 7:00 pm current sea life. What's worse is that percent decrease in the number of trash Sunday Bible Class according to the U. S. Environmental bags making their way toward the local Protection Agency, every bit of plastic trash heap. that has ever been made is still around Due to this, fewer chemicals are today. released into the air and the land is no Oil companies do not plan to do longer full of garbage. The area has good anything about it, either. Instead, they potential enterprises, fairs or IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING IN for WORSHIP DIRECTORY , even intend to increase the plastic production simplyAT replanting trees. Anything is A SALES REPRESENTATIVE 713-743-5356 CONTACT rate by 40 percent within the next 10 better than using the space to pile bags

of nylon filled with trash because it has nowhere else to go. Banning plastic will improve marine life. Most people focus on economic issues when discussing plastic bans, but plastic’s impact on ocean life is equally important, if not more so. About 10 tons of plastic drift through the ocean near Los Angeles every day, creating choking hazards for sea turtles, fish and other ocean life. The World Health Organization found plastic particles in close to 90 percent of samples from popular water bottle brands. In one instance, a single bottle of Nestle contained over 10,000 shards of micro-plastic: bits and pieces of nylon that are invisible to the naked eye. Since the ocean goes all around the globe, plastic finds its way from human hands into the water with ease. Between

PLASTIC BANS

Continues on next page

Wednesday, January 30, 2019 | 11

JORDEN SMITH, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/OPINION

OPINION

OPINION@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5304

PLASTIC BANS

Continued from previous page EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF

Jasmine Davis MANAGING EDITOR

Cristobella Durrette

SPORTS EDITOR

Andres Chio

LIFE & ARTS EDITOR

Emily Hubbard PHOTO EDITOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Corbin Ayres

CAMPUS EDITOR

Jorden Smith

Fiona Legesse Alyssa Letts

FEATURES EDITOR

Greg Fails

CHIEF COPY EDITOR

Morgan Horst

OPINION EDITOR

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Trenton Whiting, Hadrian Barbosa, Billion Tekleab, Tony Cianciulli

STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The 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.

GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Commentary should be limited to 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies, but rather should present independent points of view. Deliver submissions to N221, University Center; e-mail them to letters@ thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole.

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5.3 million and 14 million tons of plastic briefly used before being discarded has been found in earth’s oceans every year. Landscapes and the ocean are not the only things that plastic has taken hostage. The amount of petroleum oil required to make a single pound of plastic is equivalent to a car driving 0.0068 miles and to 22 gallons of water. To put it into another perspective, 4 percent of the global oil production is used on plastic alone. At first glance, 4 percent is not a big deal. When considering the number of resources the production of plastic alone takes, however, it might be time to take a step back and think twice about the true cost of plastic bottles, grocery bags and other nylon goods.

Financial benefits Banning plastic can save consumers a significant amount of money. By giving plastic the boot, industrious individuals can find themselves with heavier wallets. Litter taxes are not cheap and neither is the cost for plastic bags consumers are charged with in grocery stores. The cost of plastic isn't directly passed onto consumers. Consumers see these costs through heightened grocery costs. People pay more for everyday products just to use plastic bags. We only use these plastic products for a brief period of time. After that, the plastic finds its way to the oceans or a landfill. Water bottles are often only used once before they're tossed in the trash or on the ground, while grocery bags are converted into smaller trash bags before going into large garbage bins and on the way to the overcrowded landfill. All in all, both marine life and human life face consequences when producing and using plastic. Though the situation may not seem as devastating now, it has proven itself to build slowly but surely. As of now, ancient sea turtles are mistaking grocery bags for jellyfish while humans are unknowingly consuming bits and pieces of plastic

If we ban plastic products, the land and the ocean will be safer and healthier for all creatures. | Corbyn Ayers/The Cougar

from water bottles, which are marketed as "pure" water. How can we have pure water if the source is full of our trash? Our trash goes beyond just simply being disgusting. There are toxins that are actually damaging our bodies.

We must put an end to this now, and it can be as simple as reducing our trash, being aware and banning plastic products altogether. Some grocery stores have actually discontinued the use of plastic grocery bags. We need to become educated on

how much more plastic is doing than just killing a few fish. They are killing us. Opinion columnist Kristin Chbeir is a psychology senior and can be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com.

worship DIRECTORY

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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

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Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg January 30, 2019

ACROSS 1 Passport mark 6 Soccer legend Mia 10 “Dear old” relative 13 Avid 14 Pago Pago’s place 15 “Now I get it!” 16 Box office bomb about primatology? 19 Like -2, vis-a-vis -1 20 Bend (over) 21 Andean animal 22 Little 23 Excursion 24 Box office bomb about a work-shy guy? 31 Country singer LeAnn 32 “Cool!” 33 Coke’s partner 35 Sandler of “Big Daddy” 36 Runs, as a river 38 Plumbing snake’s place 39 Architect I.M. 40 Atoll protector 41 Discussion group 42 Box office bomb about God’s annoying insects? 46 Intensifies, with “up” 1/30

47 Like cookie dough 48 Word with “energy” or “flare” 50 Dining hall offering 52 Old woman’s home of rhyme 56 Box office bomb about Stephen’s scary stand-up? 59 Hot-___ balloon 60 Desert relief 61 “Saturday Night Fever” music 62 “Baloney!” 63 Froshrushing group 64 Beasts of burden DOWN 1 Close tightly 2 Duct-___ wallet 3 Long, long time 4 Hoarder’s house, e.g. 5 Positive aspect 6 “Funny” 7 Cry to a pastor 8 Floor cleaner 9 Food court regular 10 Bush’s press secretary 11 “Beg pardon ...” 12 Modern miner’s matter

14 Animal in a roundup 17 Dog biter 18 Sacha Baron Cohen title role 22 “Scream” director Craven 23 “___ the night before ...” 24 Mouse’s hazard 25 Like some TVs 26 Certain ding from a phone 27 Not masc. or neut. 28 Switch words 29 Handful 30 Just swell 34 Blend 36 Come clean, with “up” 37 DiCaprio, to fans 38 Amigo 40 “Tsk-tsk” or “tut-tut”

41 Church bench 43 Desktop with a 27-inch model 44 Cafeteria carriers 45 Angel’s headwear 48 Twinkle source 49 Birth state of seven presidents 50 Tableland 51 Make shorter, say 52 Follows a snowy trail 53 Blow off steam? 54 Enough, for some 55 Freudian topics 57 Fold, spindle or mutilate 58 Org. that may say no to drugs

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“Flip-Flops” by Paul Coulter