Issue 19, Volume 84 by The Cougar

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Issue 19, Volume 84

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

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Grad students want protections CRIME ALYSSA LETTS

@ALYSSA_LETTS

After an incident at a financial stability panel last year sparked frustrations within the graduate student community, the Graduate and Professional Student Association took matters into their own hands. Modeled after the U.S. Bill of Rights, graduate students at UH have created their own Graduate Student Bill of Rights in a push for better treatment and more communication from faculty and the University. “They told a student getting paid $400 a month with a family of

four to budget better,” said GPSA Treasurer Jesus Cruz-Garza, who was president of the organization at the time. GPSA President Sydnee Spruiell Eldridge said this was the event that sparked the students into action. “It seemed a little tone-deaf,” Eldridge said. The Graduate Student Bill of Rights is designed to aid in situations when students feel they are subject to unreasonable treatment. If passed, it will lay out expectations students have of the University so they and faculty know how to proceed when problems arise. This is

LIFE & ARTS

What’s ethical fashion, anyway?

Here’s why you should care about where your clothing is really coming from. | PG. 6

done through the nine rights granted to all graduate students in the document. It addresses transparency about student scholarships as well as ways to solve issues students have with health insurance stipulations. “(It) will give graduate students something to lean back on if they feel they are being mistreated,” said Eldridge when she pitched the bill to SGA Jan. 23.

Request for clear communication Every year, international students flock to UH with hopes of getting a Tier One education. These students pack their bags

and leave their loved ones to live in Houston. One of GPSA’s goals with the proposed bill is to increase overall transparency and awareness to international students in an effort to give them some peace of mind during their time at UH. “Coming from a different country, I don’t know what type of rights we actually have,” said CruzGarza, a Mexico native. He said that uncertainty leads many international students to believe it’s the norm when they see their U.S.-born peers also receiving poor pay and being overworked. On top of that, most international students have

SPORTS

Taking aim

After going to regionals in 2018, the softball team is looking to take another step and make it to the super regionals. | PG. 9

to face uncertainty with their scholarships, which are only guaranteed for three years, said education, curriculum and instruction international graduate student Glenda Wui. International students come here on the notion that UH will pay for the first three years of their education, then if funding allows, they are granted money to finish their degree. “It’s terrifying to know that,” Wui said. “We are on our toes to make sure we make it to the fourth year.” The Graduate Student Bill of Rights proposes immediate

GRADUATE STUDENTS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

OPINION

SGA election approaches

As we move toward electing a new governing body, student engagement is important. | PG. 10

2 | Wednesday, February 6, 2019

NEWS

GREG FAILS, EDITOR

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CAMPUS

UH Graduate students demand more from school

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ABOUT THE COUGAR The Cougar is published every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters and online everyday at thedailycougar. com. The Cougar is supported in part by Student Service Fees. The first copy is free. Additional copies cost 25 cents.

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ISSUE STAFF CLOSING EDITORS

Jasmine Davis Cristobella Durrette COPY EDITING

Morgan Horst COVER

Corbin Ayres

Center for Student Media uh.edu/csm

ABOUT CSM Most graduate students at UH earn about $16,000 a year, but they often fall below the poverty line once insurance is taken out. With the Graduate Student Bill of Rights, students hope to have more transparency and communication with the University on the matter. | Corbin Ayers/ The Cougar

GRAD BILL OF RIGHTS

Continued from cover

ALYSSA LETTS

NEWS EDITOR @ALYSSA_LETTS

communication from the staff to the student in an event where funding isn't likely for the entire duration of their degree in the bill's ninth granted right. Through this, faculty has to communicate with their students about the likelihood of whether or not they will be able to continue to support the student to the end of that fourth year, Eldridge said.

Insurance One other obstacle that graduate students are hoping to overcome with the Graduate Student Bill of Rights is the difficulties they face with medical insurance. Of the $16,000 a year that the majority of graduate students make, $2,500 is owed to medical insurance in a mandatory fee from UH, Cruz-Garza said. “It is a big chunk of the salary, and it really impacts the quality of life here in Houston,” Cruz-Garza said. He went on to explain that some students are having to move every few months because they can't afford to pay rent, insurance and for food

with just a small stipend. While the document won’t have the power to lower insurance rates or raise the students’ stipends, Eldridge said it will give students a say in the discussions about these issues and call for reasonable wages. "The right to access affordable and comprehensive health insurance and housing options" is the fourth right in the Graduate Student Bill of Rights. In addition, the ninth right listed above would give the graduate students the chance to be in future discussions about possibly changing the medical insurance plan to be more affordable for all students. Dean of the Graduate School Sarah Larsen acknowledged the problems graduate students face with insurance and said she and UH are working on improving the issues involving health insurance. “There is a lot of support for it," Larsen said. "I wasn’t here for a week before I heard about how problematic health insurance is for the students.”

What’s next? At this point, there are only a few steps left before the Graduate Student Bill of Rights is official. SGA President Cameron

Barrett explained how SGA and GPSA have had to collaborate to make the document possible. "Early on, (Eldridge) came to me in order to unify the governing groups on campus to tackle the issue together," Barrett said. "We realized we couldn't unify, but we wanted to make some sort of bill of rights. So I set up the meetings between her and Provost." From this meeting, Eldridge then went to Larsen to form an ad hoc committee about the Graduate Student Bill of Rights. This means that Larsen, Eldridge, Barrett and assorted faculty all came together to initially lay out what the document would entail. After this, Eldridge and Barrett presented the idea to SGA in a quick brief Jan. 23. SGA is voting on whether or not to pass the document in the meeting Wednesday . On Jan. 31, GPSA held a roundtable on the subject. All graduate students were invited to attend and voice their concerns about both the program and the Graduate Student Bill of Rights. Larsen was in attendance as well as all of the GPSA staff members advocating for the bill. Once this goes through, GPSA will submit the bill once

again to Larsen as well as the UH Provost Paula Short. If they approve it, the bill will then move to the last two steps. First, the bill will go to legal counsel. This is where UH lawyers look at the document and see if it can be legally be approved. Then finally, it will be taken to the Graduate and Professional Studies Council for faculty approval, Eldridge said in her roundtable brief to the graduate students. If not, the bill will continue to get revised until both faculty and student representatives in GPSA agree on the final product. “My hope is that the final document will provide a general framework of principles that will guide future policies focused on graduate student success,” Larsen said. While the bill still has a long way to go, students like Eldridge and Cruz-Garza are motivated enough to see the light at the end of the tunnel. "I think now is a really good time for students to speak up about this,” Eldridge said. “We need to strike while the iron is hot and tell them right now this is a problem.” news@thedailycougar.com

The Center for Student Media provides comprehensive advisory and financial support to the university’s student-run media: The Cougar newspaper, CoogTV and COOG Radio. Part of the Student Life portfolio in the Division of Student Affairs, the CSM is concerned with the development of students, focusing on critical thinking, leadership, ethics, collaboration, inter-cultural competence, goal-setting and ultimately, degree attainment. While our students are engaged in producing and promoting media channels and content, our goal is to ensure they are learning to become better thinkers and leaders in the process. CENTER FOR STUDENT MEDIA

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HOUSTON

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CONSTRUCTION

Law Center seeking $60 million for new building MCKENZIE MISIASZEK

STAFF WRITER

@ MISIASZEKUH

The UH Law Center will be requesting $60 million from the state legislature in May in a bid to build a new facility that will be immune to flooding and match the modernity of the rest of the UH campus. The current center has not been updated since the 1970s. Built underground, the building is dark, the classrooms have no windows and flooding in the facility has ruined books and forced student organizations to move. "It’s neo-brutalist, that’s the style," said third-year law student Juris Doctor candidate April Soto. "There’s a joke about it: every first day of your first semester at law school somebody mentions how the building is ‘neo-brutalist.’ I think it was a point of pride at some point, but it’s a little outdated now.” One of the main goals of the change is to improve the

The UH Law Center hasn't seen any major construction or renovation since the construction of an annex in the 1970s | Courtesy of Corbin Ayers/The Cougar

standing of the law school. The center is already ranked as one of the top centers for law in the nation in specialties like healthcare law, intellectual property law and part-time law. "I want the new building to boost our rankings,” said 3L Juris Doctor candidate Karim Jivani. “Our building is like 50 years old, and it definitely has an impact on how we’re viewed.” The center has already raised $10 million toward construction

— which will take place at what is currently lot 19b— from alumni and the Law Foundation. The choice to ask the legislature for the money was made at the highest level instead of using money from the Here We Go Campaign, said Dean of the UH Law Center Leonard Baynes. “The Law Center is the oldest non-adapted law school in the State of Texas,” Baynes said. “Teaching Unit II was the last addition of the Law Center complex, and it was built in the

early 1970s.” Much of the building is under ground, making it prone to flooding and lack of light. The facility originally flooded in 2001 during Tropical Storm Allison, ruining $40 million worth of books, according to the Houston Chronicle. The darkness present in much of the building is also a complaint from students. “I feel like we have neglected our building for a while, and it’s definitely in need of a makeover," said 3L Juris Doctor candidate Stephanie Simon. "It has great bones and structure, but it needs some positivity and sunlight and some goodness to make it as beautiful as it should be.” Although there is not much complaint about a new building, there is a complaint about the timing from current students. “We won’t be here, so we’re not going to get anything out of it,” Soto said. She said she hopes when the new facility is

built the diplomas of soon-tobe graduates may be seen as more valuable, as they could be coming from a more esteemed program in the future. The University will not know the outcome of their request until May at the earliest, when the current legislative session ends. Whether or not UH receives the money, Baynes wants the campus to know the Law Center is one of the best the state and nation have to offer. “It is a top-tier institution with several nationally and internationally ranked programs such as in health law, intellectual property, part-time programs,” Baynes said. “It has a faculty comprised of top scholars who are well credentialed and well published. The students are diverse, reflective of the state population and have excellent entry-level credentials.” news@thedailycougar.com

ACADEMICS & RESEARCH

UH research team develops groundbreaking new ice-repellent material The material, along with it's modeling system could help mitigate the costs of climate change IAN EVERETT

STAFF WRITER

@ IANEVERETT8

As a polar vortex cripples the United States, UH researchers have developed a new material that could help prevent the billions of dollars in damages caused by icy weather conditions every year. In a publication released through Materials Horizons, a UH research team announced the creation of a durable coating that ice can’t adhere to. The material, a silicon polymer coating, was created using a theory the team has dubbed “stress-localization" in their paper. “You put in the properties you want, and the principle will tell you what material you need to

Hadi Ghasemi demonstrates the ice-repellent coating's abilities in a youtube video| Courtesy of Hadi Ghasemi

synthesize,” said Hadi Ghasemi, a Bill D. Cook assistant professor of mechanical engineering and an author of the report. According to the research team, the theory can be used to bypass the long process of experimenting with new materials by modeling them beforehand. Using the modeling system, the research team has been able to develop anti-fouling materials, meaning they prevent organic build-up on wet surfaces, Ghasemi said.

Ghasemi worked on the project along with a team of researchers from the UH Department of Mechanical Engineering and Daniel Araya, a former UH faculty member and member of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. While the theory proposed in their research could be used to develop other materials, the primary focus of the project is the development of an ice-repellent coating. Ghasemi said he’s developed

materials like it in the past but hadn’t overcome the problem of ice’s strong adherence until the research team developed their theory. The current iteration of the modeling system and material took around a year to develop, Ghasemi said. The material is durable, able to withstand abrasions from sandpaper and a file and is able to remove ice by cooling it and allowing water to freeze on the surface, which allows for easy removal, as shown by Ghasemi here. This material could effectively protect aircraft from frost by allowing the flow of air to remove ice buildup on the material, according to the research team. The coating is also strong enough to stand up to ultraviolet rays, which is important for aircraft that face exposure from the sun. “There is a wide range of applications for these anti-icing surfaces including aircrafts,

infrastructures, power transmission systems, ships and vessels traveling in the arctic, automotive industry and households,” Ghasemi said. The coating could reportedly last up to 10 years without reapplication, according to Ghasemi. “Freezing rain and ice are becoming more frequent in the northeast," said Robert Talbot, professor of atmospheric chemistry at UH and Director of the Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science. "This is due to warming where instead of snow precipitation, freezing rain falls.” Ice created by freezing rain can cause significant damage to power lines by weighing them down and can create slippery surfaces on the road. “This is very treacherous for driving and walking, so a material to make it safer would be welcome,” Talbot said.

news@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, February 6, 2019 | 5

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LIFE & ARTS EMILY HUBBARD, EDITOR

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ARTS@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

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FASHION

The transparent truth behind what you're wearing EMILY HUBBARD

LIFE AND ARTS EDITOR @_3MMY

Whether you’re into fashion or just throw on the first thing in sight, most of us have heard the terms “ethical fashion” and “fast fashion.” As the new waves of minimalism and sustainability are moving from fads to note-worthy trends, the word “ethical” is popping up more and more. But what exactly does buying ethically mean? When someone refers to ethical fashion, they are most likely referring to a brand or business that oversees the design, production, retail and purchasing in a way to make sure each step of their process is moral. To be considered an ethical brand, one must address some of the largest issues with the fashion industry such as working conditions for employees, exploitation, fair trade, sustainable production, the effect on the environment and testing on animals. As people are becoming more and more aware of the deterioration of our Mother Earth, environmental awareness has become a staple in the buying process. One of the first notable steps for ethical fashion was the switch from desirable textiles, such as leather and fur, to a vegan alternative known as faux.

After Day, organizations such as PETA started using models and other women of high standing, such as Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, as ammunition against the harming of animals for strictly aesthetic purposes. Currently, the strive for ethical fashion is still on its way. Slow but steady wins the race, right? As of March 2018, designer, business indie and activist Stella McCartney became one of the loudest voices in fashion for her bold move to become entirely independent. McCartney has been tackling the abusive relationship between the fashion industry and our environment for over two decades and officially became an outlier when she made her brand completely cruelty-free. “One percent of clothing is recycled! Only one percent,” McCartney said. “I mean, what are we doing?” Many do not realize how much waste we really are making. “On average, a piece of clothing is worn just seven times before being thrown away,” according to a 2017 survey by Barnardo’s. The few number of times clothing is worn isn’t what is most concerning to me—it’s that it gets thrown away. I understand the feeling of getting bored with wearing the same thing, but there is better

History of sustainable clothing “(The fur you wear) will reveal to everyone the kind of woman you are and the kind of life you lead,” according to Vogue’s 1929 feature “The Fur Story of 1929,” as reported by the Smithsonian. It wasn’t until almost five decades later that faux was really accepted into the realm of high-fashion brands. In New York Magazine in 1971, American actress and activist Doris Day made one of the most profound statements of the time on the issue of using fur for clothing. “Killing an animal to make a coat is a sin,” Day said. “A woman gains status when she refuses to see anything killed to be put on her back. Then she’s truly beautiful.”

| Khalid Al-Alawi/The Cougar

use for this fabric than to sit in a landfill for 30 to 40 years before the fibers start to break down.

How to make it work As the ethical fashion movement makes its way to the top of consumers’ concerns, more and more are becoming educated about the fast fashion issue at hand. It is similar to the resolutions that everyone tries to adhere to at the start of a new year, but let me suggest we keep this resolution for a little more than a month. The main concern I always hear about moving toward anything that is more conscious or ethical is that it’s expensive or inconvenient. “The fashion and garment industry needs to offer ethically sourced clothing to the marketplace at a reasonable price, and the producers and retailers have to be able to make money investing in ethical fashion,” according to the Fashion Revolution. To keep up with our current consumption climate of expected immediate gratification, industries need to alter their products to fit a larger target market. From my experience in the retail industry, a lot of fast fashion brands such as Forever 21, Zara, H&M and Topshop— all of which are in the top 10 fast fashion brands in the

United States— experience an extraordinarily high amount of employee turnover. Retail turnover tends to be based on low wages, lack of training, lack of development for the position and other personal issues that can lead to employees feeling unsatisfied. The solution to unethical fashion practices and retail employee dissatisfaction is for fashion companies to change “their thinking and (moving) away from the race to the bottom and begin to see the economic, as well as the humanitarian, advantages of investing in human capital,” according to Fashion Revolution. “If you make sure your workers can make a living and provide food, education and healthcare you can create a consistent turnover because your workers are happy and satisfied.” It’s like the saying “happy wife, happy life,” but in this case “happy workers, higher efficiency.” The sad yet realistic thing about this, however, is that many consumers only care about the price tag in front of them, and this is why fast fashion brands are so successful. With their affordable prices, consumers can get more bang for their buck. We all love leaving the store or website and feeling like

we got the best deal ever, but you know what the best deal ever would be? To refine our consumption habits in a way we can stop killing people and our planet. As consumers, you have a few options: invest in ethical brands for a little more money, thrift or buy vintage so you are not actively supporting brands that may be using unethical tactics or reuse fabrics and make your own fun, unique clothing. Thanks to the rise of the internet, retailers no longer have to rely on brick-andmortar stores to house their merchandise. Because of this, a ton of ethical retailers have been able to pry into the market. There are so many options now for men, women, kids, babies, you name it to stunt sustainability. So next time you are thinking of enacting in retail therapy, think ethically! Mother Nature will thank you. There are options for people of all sizes and body types to participate in sustainable fashion practices. So the next time you’re thinking of doing some retail therapy, think ethically! Mother Earth will thank you. arts@thedailycougar.com

SPORTS

Wednesday, February 6, 2019 | 7

ANDRES CHIO, EDITOR

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SPORTS@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

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BASKETBALL

Guard finds consistency after rough early season TRENTON WHITING

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @TRENTONWHITING

For collegiate athletes, the start of a season is already hard. Dealing with practices and classes can tire even the most hard-working athletes. Some, like redshirt sophomore guard DeJon “Deeky” Jarreau, have outside factors that make a season much harder. Jarreau’s season started off on a bad foot, which can be considered an immense understatement. He suffered the loss of his grandmother and his cousin in the middle of his first semester at UH not long before the season started. Jarreau had a loving and close relationship with his Sophomore DeJon Jarreau had a hard start to this season. Despite his struggles, grandmother. He saw her he has become an important player off the bench. Jarreau had 14 points and 12 often while in Louisiana, and rebounds in the Cougars win against the Owls. | Kathryn Lenihan/The Cougar he continued to talk to her frequently even after starting UH. The news of her passing beginning of the season. his collegiate career at the devastated the young guard. Unfortunately for Jarreau, University of Massachusetts The additional loss of his the start of his season had 10-11752transferring Cougar News January_print.pdf 1 1/15/19 5:34 PM and eventually to cousin made for a difficult more obstacles in store. He

participated in the Cougars’ season opener, but then missed almost a month of games due to a variety of issues. “He’s had a tough year, he’s battled through a lot of personal adversity that we’ve been through together with him," said head coach Kelvin Sampson. "He’s had to learn how to play winning basketball." After he violated a team rule that Sampson refused to reveal, he missed his first chunk of time from the team. After Jarreau served his time, he still had to remain out because of a finger injury he suffered while going up for a rebound. Several weeks later, he bruised his knee and missed the team’s game against Oklahoma State. After struggling with all of these problems for months, Jarreau was finally able to return to the court. On Dec. 12, Jarreau played against LSU, his first game

since the opener. He had a rough performance, as he only played three minutes and turned the ball over twice, but it was a cathartic moment for a young man that had to struggle through so much personal turmoil earlier in the season. Since then, Jarreau has become a key piece to the Cougars’ rotation and success so far. He is averaging eight points in almost 18 minutes per game. In his most recent game against Temple, he played 28 minutes and picked up his first career double-double for UH with 14 points and 12 rebounds. “He had a confidence about himself to absorb everything that was going on,” said senior guard Corey Davis Jr. “He’s learning under Coach Sampson, Galen and myself and taking bits and pieces and adapting.”

JARREAU FINDING WAY

Continues at thedailycougar.com

8 | Wednesday, February 6, 2019

SPORTS ANDRES CHIO, EDITOR

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BASEBALL

Baseball junior looking to continue stellar career JHAIR ROMERO

STAFF WRITER @JUSTJHAIR

Like many fans of the sport, junior infielder Jared Triolo began his baseball career as a little kid walking up to the plate to meet the little white ball on a tee. Patiently, the ball just sat there, waiting for that child to swing his bat for the very first time. But that first crack of the bat was different for Triolo, as it was a spark that ignited the fire leading him to the collegiate level. Since then, Triolo has lived, breathed and dreamed baseball and sees himself playing in the big leagues one day. But for now, the hitter prepares for his third season with the University, and his childhood fantasy of playing professional baseball is closer to reality than ever before. “Just from watching it I wanted to be up there and play

in the big leagues,” Triolo said. “I want to be one of the best.” Triolo is seeing immense success in college as one of UH’s best hitters, and he has performed at a high level since before he arrived in Houston. Born in Nashua, New Hampshire and raised in Austin, Triolo made his way through high school as one of the best players in the area. Triolo led Lake Travis High School to four district championship titles and the best season in school history in 2015 when the team finished 34–4. After earning the team’s MVP award and being named an Austin Area and Texas High School All-Star, it was clear the Lake Travis standout was going to go to college for his talents. A summer tournament at UH during his junior year of high school and a visit to the team’s facilities and personnel was all it took to get him on board in Houston.

Junior Jared Triolo was one of the Cougars' best hitters last season and is one of D1 Baseball's top 150 professional prospects. In 2018, Triolo had 85 hits across 63 games and had a .344 batting average. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

In 2017, Triolo took to the diamond as a Cougar for the first time, and since then he has been firing on all cylinders.

Right off the bat, Triolo made a name for himself and started in 60 games as a true freshman and appeared in all 63, the only

true freshman that season to

TRIOLO CAREER

Continues on page 9

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SPORTS

Wednesday,February 6, 2019 | 9

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SOFTBALL

Softball aiming higher after last season’s success and Aspen Howie. "Last season, (Williams) finished the season really well, but it was her freshman year so you get really good days and some not so good days," Vesely said. She hopes for Williams and other sophomores to stabilize and perform more consistently.

Hard open

UH added a fourth pitcher to its deadly rotation, which will give the team another style of pitcher to help throw other teams off their game. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

ANDRES CHIO

SPORTS EDITOR @CHIOANDRES

The college softball season is just a couple days away and the Cougars are coming off one of their best seasons under head coach Kristin Vesely. Vesely became head coach after the 2016 season and brought the Cougars to the NCAA Regionals in her second season in 2018. Ahead of her third season running the show, Vesely spoke about expectations and strengths of this year's Cougars.

Pushing ahead After making regionals last year, Vesely said the team knows what it takes to make it there again. Now, they're looking to push even farther and possibly host a regionals or a super regionals. "As soon as they understand how

TRIOLO CAREER

Continued from page 8 do so. The departure of 2017’s top hitter Jake Scheiner left a breach in the Cougars’ offense that Triolo was quick to plug. His 2017 batting average of .271 soared to .344 last season while his production at the plate increased from 59 hits to 85, a jump of 44 percent. In his first two seasons, Triolo

good they are as a group, the sky is the limit." Vesely said. "I think once (the players) got there, it was so satisfying for them that this year they go 'Okay, we know what it takes to get to regionals, now let's line ourselves up for Super Regionals.'" A new weapon to help the Cougars is a fourth pitcher in the rotation, freshman Rachel Hertenberger. Hertenberger was a three year starter in high school and Vesely said that she is expected to contribute right away. With another pitcher on the roster, Vesely said she hopes to keep players healthy and fresher deeper into the season. "We're going to pitch by committee at the beginning of the year to make sure that we eliminate injuries and to not give any one team to see the same pitcher three or four times through," Vesely said.

With Hertenberger, the Cougars now have four pitchers with different styles, which will force team to scout more and not get too comfortable at bat. Hertenberger has a lot of movement in her throws and excels at offspeed pitches, while Heebner brings the heat with 68 mph pitches, which are equivalent to 94-96 mph fastballs in baseball, according to Vesely. Junior right-handed pitcher Trystan Melancon pitches high in the zone with pitches up to 65 mpg and senior Presley Bell has lot of movement to her throws as well and played more of a relief role last season.

The Cougars have 12 upperclasswomen returning from last season, including its three pitchers who had a combined 1.92

ERA. Leading the pitchers is senior Savannah Heebner, who had a 1.15 ERA last season across 237.2 innings pitched. Heebner has been put on USA Softball's Player of the Year Watch List and was an AllAmerican last season. On the other side of the plate, senior Maya Thomas and juniors Sarah Queen and Arielle James are coming off great seasons with 56+ hits each. The trio drove in nearly 40 percent of the team's runs in 2019. Last season the Cougars were defined by its defense and pitching, but this year Vesely hopes to have a more offensively minded team while keeping up the team's standard in the other parts of the game. From the underclassmen, Vesely said to keep an eye on Hertenberger and sophomores Tierrah Williams

averaged .310 in the batter’s box while accumulating 144 hits, all while earning American Athletic Conference All-Academic honors in the classroom for his grades. Triolo became and remains a leader on the team, a feat that head coach Todd Whitting commends him for. “I'm really proud of (Triolo) and his development in our program over the past three years,” Whitting said. “Physically, he's

gotten a lot stronger, but probably the biggest improvement he has made is as a leader on our ball club.” On top of his individual success, which included being ranked No. 69 in Perfect Game’s Top 100 College Juniors, he has helped lift Houston to two regular-season AAC titles, an AAC tournament championship and appearances in two NCAA Regionals. But when asked what the

greatest achievement in the sport that he has dedicated almost all of his life to is? One would expect the answer to be the numbers, the awards or the championships, but his answer is far from that. “All of the relationships I have built,” Triolo said. “The life skills I have acquired from working with coaches.” Triolo credited his success in sports to two of the most important people in his life: Tom

Familiar Faces

The Cougars are ranked No. 23 by Softball America and have received votes in the coaches poll and USA Softball poll. Houston's opening slate at the Houston Invitational will test the team with Oklahoma State, Kentucky and Illinois coming into town. The Cowgirls and Wildcats are ranked in both the coaches and USA Softball poll, at 22/21 and 13/15, respectively. Houston and those two teams all made it to the NCAA tournament last season and Kentucky made it to the Super Regional round. While the Cougars have Heebner, the team will face three other women on USA Softball's watchlist. Kentucky's senior infielder Katie Reed, Oklahoma State senior infielder Madi Sue Montgomery and Illinois' senior outfielder Kiana Sherlund are all on the watchlist with Heebner. While winning all five games of the invitational would be ideal, Vesely said that the team's goal is to compete and get a feel for where the team stands. "When you are playing quality teams that on paper or perception have more talent, how confident and how resilient and how hard you compete can win you some of those games," Vesely said. "If we happen to make any mistakes, how do we recover as a team? If a bump comes into the road, how do we respond as individuals and as a team?" Houston starts the season at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Cougar Softball Stadium versus Kentucky and then plays Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. sports@thedailycougar.com

and Lesa, his parents. “Both of them really instilled a hardworking, humble attitude in me when I was young,” Triolo said. “It showed me how to go about life and to be a man.” If Triolo can continue to improve and help the team, the Cougars could get over the hump and make it to the College World Series for the first time since 1967. sports@thedailycougar.com

10 | Wednesday, February 6, 2019

OPINION JORDEN SMITH, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/OPINION

OPINION@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

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SGA

It's time for the SGA election and you should care JORDEN SMITH

administrators who use the president as direct insight into the student body. Whenever an SGA representative goes in an official capacity anywhere, they carry the reputation of the student body. I want to be well represented. Whenever someone hears of the University of Houston, I want them to think of the Harvard of the South. I want them to know how amazing the student body that flows through and inhabits this University is. One way to accomplish that is to have good student representatives. One day, you will meet someone and say you went to the University of Houston. Their response may depend on the meeting they had with an SGA member. You want that to have gone well.

OPINION EDITOR

t's that time of the year again: your social media is filled with professional headshots of friends with long explanations of why they're running for whatever position, and it's impossible to walk through Butler Plaza without being handed fliers you've already received five times. It’s time for the Student Government Association election. And, based on the 2018 election results, 92 percent of you will not care. Because why should you? SGA seems to be just a bunch of twenty-somethings trying to play House of Cards for a resume booster. SGA is just another registered student organization providing practice for future politicians. While this notion is not totally untrue — there have been bad apples and some members of SGA clearly in it for themselves — SGA can do a lot of good for the UH community. SGA is a legitimate body of students that has a direct line to the administration. You have a significant impact on SGA’s funding through your student fees, which is included with your tuition and fees each semester. So you pay for SGA to fund their initiatives, and you pay the stipends of the SGA leaders. Even if you are not involved in SGA in any capacity, your dollars certainly are. SGA can actually do things that help you, even if you never hear about those changes or realize those impacts.

History of help For one thing, especially in this past administration, the SGA has done a lot for students. During the 2018 midterm election, SGA gave rides to more than 800 students who could not get to the polls.

EDUCATION

Pictured: The presidential candidates in the upcoming SGA election. Each candidate brings a different plan and vision for the students and for the campus. | Fiona Legesse/The Cougar

That impacted the local election. In November, SGA passed the Homeless Student Relief Act. Because of this, fifty homeless students will receive a 70 percent discount on meal plans. That’s 50 students whose lives are a little easier because of SGA. Though this may not affect a lot of people, the campus is a better place for it. The biggest change I’ve seen at UH during my time here happened because of SGA. For years, students had complained about the food service provider, Aramark. There was a long struggle between the University and Aramark. But in the spring of 2017, UH terminated its contract with Aramark thanks to the work of SGA representatives listening to students and hearing their concerns. Since then, the food service provider has been Chartwells Higher Education. This would not have been possible without SGA.

members of the Student Fees Advisory Committee. Some of you may not know what is it, but SFAC is one of the most important committees at the University. SFAC members determine what happens with those $260 in student fees you pay at the beginning of each semester. These fees go to fee-funded organizations like Frontier Fiesta and Homecoming, and toward University departments like the AD Bruce Religion Center and Athletics. The last time SFAC met, the committee gave out $23 million to the various organizations, both student and professional. SFAC has 10 members who decide where your money goes. SGA appoints five of those positions. So, and this may be backward logic, SGA has a 50 percent say in where your $260. That’s a pretty important job, and you can help decide.

Go engage There are many more reasons to actually care about the election, and I can’t name them all. This is just a very subjective list of why I think you should care about SGA. In the end, I can’t make you care. We’re still all going to get tired of the glossy pieces of paper thrown in our faces. The Cougar will still keep you up to date on the on-goings of the election and the esteemed Third Ward Night Court, which deals with any complaints received during campaign season. So go out and engage. Get to know the two presidential candidates and their teams. They’ll be more than happy to talk to you, especially since someone will be approaching them for a change. And let's do our best not to have another national scandal.

worship

Student fees

The SGA — and this is probably the most important job it has — appoints student

A real representative

Lastly, the SGA president is the member of the student body who is our representative to other schools and to the

Opinion Editor Jorden Smith is a political science and creative writing senior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar. com.