Cooglife Volume 2 Issue 1

SSUE 10 // AUGUST 2016 // WELCOME TO HOUSTO

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ISSUE 10

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AUGUST 2016

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L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R

WELCOME TO THE PORTRAIT

T

he first time I saw a Picasso painting was in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.

I was walking absentmindedly through the art galleries, enjoying the free air conditioning on one of these sweltering August afternoons. In my wandering, I stopped every now and then to make a daring attempt to figure out exactly what the artist wanted me to see, and why I saw something completely different.

Many times I could walk away from examining a painting, proudly secure in my oh-so-feeble knowledge of the art world.

“Of course, that’s a picture of Jesus (why is he so white?), and I didn’t even have to read the title. Look at me go,” I thought. I worked my way through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, even the Impressionists, where I had a brief interlude with a Monet that I thought was the spitting image of Houston after a flood.

And then I saw the Picasso painting.

I walked boldly toward the jigsaw puzzle of colors and shapes, determined to find out what made Picasso so famous. Surely,

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COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

ulous, hardly ever “normal” and he had depicted an incredibly often they look like they don’t beunrivaled masterpiece, and I was long where they’ve been placed. not about to miss out. When I When you think about Houston reached the Picasso, however, as a whole, however, each singular my eyes couldn’t make out the part adds something unique to point of the paint at all—it’s lines the portrait. and waves didn’t click, and I was In this issue, you’ll find a variety confused. of those pieces and stories that The longer I looked at it, the seem outlandish, like they may more I could only make out the not fi t in perfectly or even belong individual shapes that filled—no, in a story about Houston. But I cascaded—all over the canvas.

Each one looked as if it had some challenge you to look at each one larger purpose, but I hadn’t found as a distinct facet of what makes this city such a colorful, mixed-up it yet. masterpiece.

But then I stepped back, and it Look at the city of Houston as a hit me. The shapes and jumbled pieces of the Picasso did have a work of art.

You’re a part of it now, too. point, and while I still didn’t know exactly what I was looking at, from farther away I saw a portrait of uniqueness and individuality. I saw the parts form a whole—no matter how crazy it looked.

In many ways, I see the city of KARIS JOHNSON Houston in the same light as the Executive Editor Picasso painting that mesmerized me. It’s a landscape that wreaks havoc on the idea that masterpieces are easily distinguishable.

It’s a city of more than 2 million people, and not one of them is the same as the other. The parts and pieces of Houston are ridic-

T H E

T E A M

E D I T O R I A L

Karis Johnson, EXECUTIVE EDITOR arts@thedailycougar.com 713-743-5302 Trey Strange, FOUNDING EDITOR Greg Fails, ASSISTANT EDITOR D E S I G N

Leah Nash, CREATIVE DIRECTOR Courtney Williams, DESIGNER W R I T I N G

Nguyen Le, COPY CHIEF Emily Burleson Karis Johnson Bryce Dodds Leah Nash Greg Fails Trey Strange P H O T O G R A P H Y

Trey Strange R A D I O

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Sara Harmouch, PRODUCER Michael Winland, CO -PRODUCER Andrea Bonilla, HOST John Cooper, HOST Gabby Peraza, HOST A D V E R T I S I N G

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CONTENTS

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Here are the stories that make up this month’s issue

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T O P

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M O S T

M O S T

hiwi

H O U S T O N :

I S

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W O R T H

I N F L U E N T I A L

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I T ?

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F O O D

P R O F I L E : T A D S R E S T H A P H U N L A R P

F O R

T H O U G H T

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P R O S P E R T H R O U G H P O K E M O N

H O U S T O N ’ S H O M E T O W N P L A Y L I S T

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L E A D E R S

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B E I N G L A B E L E D A ‘ S O R O R I T Y G I R L’

1 0 T H I N G W E L O V E T O H A T E A B O U T H O U S T O N

S T U D E N T

T H E

C I R C L E

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L I F E

T H E

B A C K

P A G E

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TOP 27 MOST INFLUENTIAL STUDENT LEADERS written by multiple cougar staff illustrations by leah nash

o n t h e w i t h 4 0

s e c o n d - m o s t d i v e r s e c a m p u s t h a t ’ s f i l l e d s t u d e n t s , o n e t h i n g i s c l e a r : i t i s n o t e n o u g h t o j u s t b e a s t u d e n t .

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To stick out and really develop a sustainable university and culture, it takes leaders who, beyond classes, are working to create discussion, make change and vouch for each other.

The following are some of the people the Cooglife Editorial Board thinks have the supplied that hard work and grit to make a real and lasting impact on our up-and-coming university and community for, hopefully, decades to come.

GREG WARD JR.

Despite athletics garnering a national spotlight last season, particularly the football team, Ward has remained a down-to-earth person on campus and a great ambassador the university. Ward has achieved great heights on the field, leading the Cougars to one of their best seasons in UH history last year.

He has also positioned himself in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy next season.

Off the field, Ward is an advocate for UH every opportunity he gets. Always humble, he is first to give credit to his team and be vocal about his love for the university. While ever in the public eye, Ward continues to be a great example for the university and its students.—BD

Economics senior Shane Smith has had quite a history of working for student benefit on campus— and, as student body president, we hope he’ll have a future in it, too.

Smith, an out-of-state student with a fondness for playing guitar and racquetball, found a home on campus as a senior resident assistant. And his other conSHANE SMITH tributions? The Food Recovery Network. The Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee. The Student Fee Advisory Committee.

A lot of other groups ending in “Committee.” After an unsuccessful run for president as a freshman, Smith has remained a little-known advocate for students in helping to control what organizations get funding and how to solve some of the biggest issues on campus—namely, those in his campaign party’s name, “Project Red: Better Parking. Better Food.

Better Wi-Fi.” While Smith and the SGA have hit a bit of, well, turbulence this summer, we’re hoping to see some headway on those campaign promises soon.—TS

Food. It’s a big deal to most of us. It definitely is to business junior Brinda Penmetsa, a registered queso lover and the Bonner Leader behind the Campus Kitchen at the University of Houston project.

As a Bonner Leader, Penmetsa spends five days a week collecting leftover food from Cougar Woods and the Fresh Food Co. BRINDA PENMETSA and serves it to the surrounding community. This leads to hundreds of pounds of food being delivered to feed those who need it instead of being thrown away. Notably, in a time when nonprofit Feeding America reports that a quarter of U.S.-grown food isn’t eaten, this is a two-fold—and delicious—solution to save money and help those in need.—TS

KAITLYN PALIVIDAS

Palividas is also a leader with the work-study Bonner group, a service-centered organization that works to reduce poverty in the Third Ward area. As a broadcast journalism senior, she is also using her skills to work in the Houston radio industry, and the past semester she interned at the Roula and Ryan Show with Cumulus Media. Palividas will continue influencing students through her work with the Honor’s College and Bonner aid group as she enters her last year at UH.—KJ

Although it’s impossible to fully represent a large and diverse group of students, no one has come as close to being a conduit for the issues and needs of black and African-American students on campus as Kadidja Koné, the president of the Black Student Union.

KADIDJA KONÉ 6

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

One of the most active students in UH’s Honors College, Palividas has given countless hours of time and service to the university. She has been an executive members of the Honors College recruitment team and is president of Bleacher Creatures, in which she helps students paint their bodies for football games and serves as a human marketing tool.

Black students aren’t only represented by the BSU, but the numerous organizations, fraternities and sororities are all advised by the Black Student Caucus, a council of leaders from each organization.

Koné has been instrumental in this advising, and over the summer, when tensions skyrocketed over the SGA’s social media controversy, Koné and a number of other leaders effectively organized and lobbied for punishment of the vice president.

While the punishment was eventually rendered illegitimate due to a technicality, Koné’s and the Black Caucus’s ability to mobilized have proved that they are a force to be reckoned with on campus.—TS

ADRIAN CASTILLO

SAQIB GAZI

SERRAE REED

WESLEY OKEREKE

When it comes to leadership on the UH campus, the name Adrian Castillo can be found pretty much everywhere. Most recently, he’s part of the Office of Service Learning.

It takes a ton to be a student leader. But try being the leader of the largest student organization on campus—the Muslim Student Association. That’s where industrial engineering senior Saqib Gazi, president of MSA, has his hands full.

For mechanical engineering junior Serrae Reed, writing is essential.

At UH, the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People is critical to the representation of minorities. That’s what makes the job of psychology senior Wesley Okereke so special.

But the former chief of staff, who held his position for two years, served on numerous committees, including the provost’s own Steering Committee and the Global Faculty Development Fund, has had his fill of opportunities. He also worked in the Division of Sales and Enrollment Services under Assistant Vice President of Student Life Keith Kowalka helping to ensure the needs of students are met.—TS

MEGAN THOTHONG

But he doesn’t mind. A three-year veteran of the organization, Gazi loves to help organize events, from social outings to intramural sports teams to interfaith dialogues at the A.D. Bruce Religion Center.

As a leader of a quickly growing and highly politicized faith and organization, Gazi knows the importance of all of these occasions to help his community enjoy college life.—TS While maybe not widely recognized, since arriving on campus, Thothong has been part of one of the winningest teams for the Cougars, the women’s golf team.

Since they began play during the 2013-14 season, the team has done nothing but win, and Thothong has only added to that since joining the team. Now headed into her junior year, the weight of expectation will weigh heavily on her as one of the most senior members of the squad.

Thothong and the Cougars will be hoping to improve on their NCAA Regional appearance from the last season and break into that final weekend of play, and her senior leadership should help the team immensely.—BD

CORY RODRIGUEZ

That’s why the Bonner Leader has helped to create a writing workshop program with Houston-area secondary students. Reed organizes a tutoring program for 7th graders to at KIPP Intrepid to get ready for the fiercely hated STAAR test.

Twice a week, she meets with students, edits essays and invests her time in the lives of middle school students—simultaneously helping the community and destroying the stereotype that engineers don’t know how to write.—TS

As NAACP president, Okereke attempts to represent all students of color on campus. Just this summer, he has been very vocal about the way black and African American students are treated.

He’s been active in presenting his thoughts on race relations at workshops run through the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, and clearly, from Okereke represents a passion for social justice and equality that exists in the university’s own unique and diverse way.—TS You can judge a person by the music they listen to. That’s what makes the job of digital media sophomore Aarik Charles so important—because, as station director of Coog Radio, he gets to choose what you hear.

Charles’ role is multi-purposed.

He plays music, but also directs talk shows and even DJs at student events for a nominal AARIK CHARLES fee. You can hear his work during work hours in the Student Center North or anytime online. In addition to Coog Radio, Charles is also an active member of Uncommon Colors, an organization that collates students artists and helps with their marketing and promotions. So, from creation to production, Charles has a hand in nearly every part of the student music scene.—TS

Have you stood in front of a camera at an event photo booth? If yes, you’ve likely met technology senior Cory Rodriguez. He’s always snapping photos for other organizations—it’s one of his millions of duties as executive director of CoogTV, the student video network on campus in which Rodriguez typically spends hours working on videos and sketches, short films and news services to help give a voice and representation to all facets of student life.

But the late nights don’t end with CoogTV for Rodriguez. When he isn’t editing clips, he’s a resident assistant and a senator for the College of Technology in the Student Government Association. That means that 100 percent of the time, Rodriguez is serving students, either by interviewing them on the television, getting them moved into their dorm rooms or voting on legislation that would affect them.—TS COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

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A thriving community needs someone who can keep it appraised of its surroundings. Trey Strange has been striving to do that since coming to work at The Cougar, going from working on the Life and Arts staff to being one of the founding editors of the Cooglife Magazine.

Now serving as Editor-in-Chief of The Cougar and its associated productions, Strange is continuTREY STRANGE ing to bring the latest news about everything UH to students, faculty, alumni and beyond, both on and off campus.

While majoring in print journalism, Strange is also delving deeply into Middle East studies, with an eye set on working overseas post-graduation, hoping to make a difference beyond the borders of the U.S.—BD

BROOKLIN CORBINS board this year.

While Frontier Fiesta may get a lot of much-deserved recognition on campus, Homecoming offers students, alumni, faculty and staff a great chance to get in touch with their Cougar Pride. Whether it’s through the concert, the game or homecoming court at half time, this tradition, dating back to 1946, is one of the oldest and most revered on campus.

Brooklin Corbins, a Public Relations and Sports Administration senior, has the distinct honor of chairing the

Now in her second year of working with homecoming, Corbins got involved with homecoming to help bring the school a unifying and celebratory tradition that the student really love. Corbins and her board will have the opportunity to continue to add to the legacy of Homecoming this year, with expectations lifted due to years of great work.—BD A trait of a good student leader is empowering others to be their best and putting them in places to succeed. Jordyn Chaffold, a junior marketing major, has experience with bringing students together and letting their voices be heard in a number of ways. Chaffold is a Co-Founder and President of Uncommon Colors, an organization that serves as a creative outlet and platform for artists JORDYN CHAFFOLD of all kinds to debut their work and get in sync with likeminded creators. Chaffold also has worked extensively with Coog Radio in the past, as well as serving as a Special Advisor for Campus Diversity to SGA. In all of his areas, Chaffold has served as a voice for his fellow students as well as a megaphone to help the voices of many be heard.

He exemplifies leading through service and shows what a balanced student leader truly looks like.—BD 8

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

CHRIS PINTO community surrounding UH.

A large part of being a great student leader is the ability to go outside of yourself and give back to others. Chris Pinto does that in more ways than one. As a resident assistant at Calhoun Lofts, Pinto helps students traverse the difficulties of college and helps to provide stability and safety to his residents. Pinto is also the director of the Metropolitan Volunteer Program, a service-minded organization that goes out of their way to give back to the 3rd-Ward

The programs Pinto directs allow Cougars to help those in their immediate area and get in touch with the diverse society and make an impact beyond themselves. Pinto serves as a great advocate for UH and has served as a sterling example of what it means to be a part of your community, whether on-campus, in the Third Ward itself or the city of Houston as a whole.—BD Parnell is, without a doubt, one of the most vibrant student leaders at UH. He gives back to the student body by donating his time to multiple organizations, including serving as Vice President of Membership for the Student Program Board and Director of Programing for Cub Camp. If you’re at all involved in student life, it’s more than likely you’ve met him somewhere on MYLES PARNELL campus or participated in one of the many programs or events he’s helped set up. He’s even been known to host NightClub Cardio, a dance fitness class at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.

Parnell is easily approachable and one of the warmest personalities, always finding time to ask others about themselves or take a moment to share his unabashed love of Beyoncé with anyone who’s willing to listen.—BD

KAYLA FISCHER for the constituents from her college.

Sometimes serving students can be as simple as being a friend, but sometimes it takes other shapes, as in advocating for their success in any of the many areas of the university. College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Senator Kayla Fischer has done just that both in her time as a part of SGA and while serving students as a resident assistant.

In her time with SGA, Fischer has served the UH community at large as well as her college, striving to work with staff members from the Dean’s Office to improve advising

Fischer has also been named the Senior RA of the Year two times running by the Student Housing and Residential Life department, showing she always goes the extra mile to ensure that everyone on campus feels like they’re an important part of the UH community.—BD

RAJIA SANDHU

Sandhu has seen leadership roles and active involvement in not only the Bauer Women’s Society, but as the Vice Chair for the student-run Activities Funding Board at UH. Her roles in both organizations include financial leadership and decisions, as well as ensuring the voices of the students on campus are heard.

As the former Vice Chair and current Chair of the AFB, Sandhu’s job as a student leader takes an active role in making sure the student financial records and monetary allotments of the board are all in line and going to the correct recipients. She oversees and coordinates the funding for student organizations at UH. And in her role as the Media Director of the Bauer Women’s Society, Sandhu was able to mentor eight members in their leadership skills, as well as organize networking events for the students involved in the organization.—KJ

In her tenure as executive editor of this magazine, journalism senior Karis Johnson has written, edited stories and overseen operations, which, trust us, are usually so hectic that, on a good day, she might gulp down only three or four Flat Whites from Starbucks to manage the stress.

It’s clear that Johnson’s work aspires to inform and entertain the students by representing the vibrancy and fun of their lives KARIS JOHNSON every month in print.

But she uses her communicative powers for good: in her spare time, she fights to reduce hunger and food waste in the community through the UH chapter of the national Food Recovery Network.—TS

ALTON DULANEY What is art? According to master of fine arts student Alton DuLaney, he is an Artist, and he makes ART. This UT-Austin graduate came to UH specifically for its MFA program in interdisciplinary practice and emerging forms, and he tried to end his first year in the program with a bang.

In May, one of DuLaney’s pieces, an “art gun” that featured a working revolver sealed behind glass, got him in hot water with UHPD. They wouldn’t allow his piece, which raised major questions about campus carry, to be featured in complete form at the Blaffer Gallery.

His story received attention from local and national media, but this isn’t DuLaney’s first time in the spotlight.

He’s a bonafide creative force, and his art has been featured in galleries from Houston to Marfa to, coming soon, Paris. He’s consulted for Dior and Victoria’s Secret, and he’s been featured on Good Morning America. DuLaney’s message, through his art and presentations, is that anyone can be creative.—EB COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

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DANRAD KNOWLES

YASH DESAI

KHALID SHEIKH

Knowles is easily one of the most recognizable people on campus, and it’s not just because he’s 6’10”. While Knowles is entering his redshirt-senior season on the men’s basketball team, it seems like he’s been at UH for much longer. Besides being a standout for the Cougars on the court, Knowles is one of the warmest and most welcoming personalities on campus.

As the founder of the Food Recovery Network at UH, an organization dedicated to saving and donating food that would normally go to waste, Desai has proved his drive to get UH students involved in helping others on and off campus. Besides working tirelessly to gain volunteers and donors to feed the hungry across Houston, Desai also finds time to work with students as an RA and leader in Cougar Village I.

Remember those SATs? So does biochemistry junior Khalid Sheikh, the student behind Lobo Prep, which helps tutor students to prepare them for college.

When walking across campus, it’s easy to spot Knowles, but you’ll probably also see him stop any number of times to chat with people as he makes his way around.

While he’s helped bring the Cougars closer to a return to national notoriety, he’s maintained his humble and hard-working mentality.—BD

TONYA HUYNH

This past school year, Desai was honored with the Community Impact Award, Distinguished Junior Leader award and the Dean’s Award. The Food Recovery Network also won an award of its own as the Outstanding New Student Organization of the Year. Desai’s passion for helping others and getting students involved on campus will continue as he enters his senior year at UH.—KJ

Leading the university’s Texas Freedom Network chapter as an organizer and activist for women’s rights, Huynh is making an impact in the political atmosphere of UH. Huyn, a junior, also works actively with the Student Feminist Organization on campus, and was one of the first students to declare a women, gender and sexuality major when it was launched last year.

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COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

Nestled in the valley of the Sims Bayou in near South Houston, Cesar E. Chavez High School students are staying after class to learn reading, writing a math skills to use on one of the most heinous standardized tests. Sheikh, who helped develop the program as a Bonner Leader, understands that lower-income students typically score worse on the SAT, and 75.5 percent of of Houston Independent School District is considered economically disadvantaged.

While most of us are busy trying to forget high school, Sheikh is revisiting—and he’s making a difference doing it.—TS

Huynh has participated in women’s rights activism not only in Houston, but at the State Capitol as well. Her outspoken dedication to seeing the education and growth of equality showcases her influential impact on the UH student body, and her desire to participate in the new program and degree plan will open up new opportunities for social change.—KJ

Imagine the pressure of being a representative for every student, not just on campus, but in the entire system. That’s what political science and economics senior Joshua Freed has to do.

In his new position as student regent, Freed will serve on the board of regents with President and Chancellor Renu Khator

JOSHUA FREED

and our resident celebrity, Tilman Fertitta.

Before this, though, Freed served a brief stint as Speaker of the House in SGA and not-so-brief stint as resident assistant for three years alongside national competitions fro speech and debate. Needless to say, if you have something to advocate for, Freed is the man the with connections to make it happen.—TS

RECOGNIZE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL STUDENT LEADER IN YOUR LIFE WITH #UHINFLUENCERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

LAWREN KIMBLE Kimble has dedicated her time at UH to earning a four-year degree in American Sign Language, but that’s not all she does. As an Ambassador and Orientation Team Leader at UH, she also helps oversees the campus tours and new student applicants arriving on campus. She was also previously the Cougar Mover Crew Leader, ensuring that the process of moving into on-campus housing ran as smoothly as possible.

Kimble’s evident desire to see others succeed has impacted numerous students, whether they arrived for one of her tour groups or she helped them move into the dorms.

And her decision to major in American Sign Language will only broaden her horizons and create more opportunities for her to make an impact at UH and in the world.—KJ

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HOUSTON WARTS AND ALL: A S T O R Y O F I N S E C U R I T Y , A N D H O W I T L E D O U R C I T Y T O T H E R E A L E S T M A R K E T I N G C A M P A I G N E V E R

WRITTEN BY TREY STRANGE ILLUSTRATED BY DOMINIQUE GUTIERREZ

There was a moment when, like it or not, I became a Houstonian.

It began with a friend from high school. She was visiting from North Texas, and I was to show around the city. It felt like Judgment Day, the way she asked it, her eyes wide and scrutinizing and her brown hair wavy and

curling over. We were no longer childhood friends; we had become as opposite as North and south, day and night, Houston and Dallas.

“What’s so great about Houston, anyway?” She said.

And just suddenly, every aspect

of my life here felt called into question. The memory of Sundays passed lazily in the grass at Menil Park felt tarnished. I remembered lattes from hole-inthe-wall cafés with more bitterness than before. There would be no more tacos or margaritas. I longed for absolution.

This is the insecurity leftover from our forefathers, the anxieties of a Houston our parents and aunts and uncles tried to hide from us. Because deep in the identity of every resident is an insufferable need to prove the Houstonian life is a one worth living.

Twaddle, who would go on to change the face of the city’s identity with a brilliant campaign that provided, for maybe the first time, an outlet for Houstonians to accept themselves.

“I think it was sort of a beginning of a renaissance for Houston’s understanding of itself,” Thompson said of his now famous (and infamous, to some close-minded marketing types) “Houston: It’s Worth It,” or HIWI. “And we started that. We definitely started that.”

Such was the existential crisis that plagued Houston a decade ago. Marketing proved difficult.

The best campaigns at the time included “Houston: Expect the Unexpected” and “It’s Hot.” Unsurprisingly, these remained fruitless endeavors.

They did. Thompson and Twaddle were thinking about the city’s image one day and all the things wrong with its image and all the ways outsiders could look down on the city. Then, they decided it didn’t matter. They looked at those afflictions, which they later enumerated into a widely successful jingle and video, and decided the city was worth them.

These feelings haunted the two friends and marketing geniuses, David Thompson and Randy

Those afflictions? I know them.

Everyone in Houston knows them. Thompson said he has hor-

DEPARTMENT OF CAMPUS RECREATION PRIDE

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STRENGTH

ENING THE

UH Recreation

12

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

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ror stories with all of them—from the heat to the flooding to the mosquitos to the traffic.

infrastructure,” Thompson said.

“I think that is my generation’s Astrodome or NASA.”

Even in the ten years since “Houston: It’s Worth It,” those afflictions haven’t changed. But a good and honest campaign, Thompson said, had to acknowledge other people’s perceptions of Houston—and these were, altogether, those same afflictions.

But he might not stick around to see it. While Twaddle has already moved on, Thompson has only recently thought about leaving Houston— not because of any discord with the city, but because he has lived on the bayou since ‘82 and, like every Houstonian, longs for a change of pace.

Although Thompson believes that he and Twaddle started a paradigm shift about the city, he wonders at the relevance of HIWI now. He believes the next big project for Houston is expanding the greenery. He sees the future of the city in the $200-million Bayou Greenway project, which aims to turn the bayous into a network of linear parks.

“Right now, Houston is undergoing—almost in its own great, selfless, underground way—a massive transformation in its

“

“We have a huge fragmented amount of experiences that we simply put in one place.”

“Houston: It’s Worth It” acknowledges this discrepancy.

I know this feeling well. I, too, have “The only way to sometimes fallen describe the city is victim to sentiments David Thompson, through the aggrefor simpler, quieter gate of the people’s CO-CREATOR OF HIWI understanding,” cities like New York or Chicago, where Thompson said. “It it’s just a little cooler doesn’t manifest itand the government self in a Golden Gate takes care of it’s people with Bridge. It doesn’t manifest itself zoning laws and equal rights orin a Freedom Tower. We don’t dinances. But, like Thompson, it’s have these strong, super singular just a pipe dream for now. cultural underpinnings.

-

“

“It needed to talk about the realities of Houston,” Thompson said.

The campaign reached deeper than just addressing the ideas of others. Yes, our biggest critics are the outsiders, the childhood friends from Dallas who ask us to show them around but just can’t seem to get it. When we take them for a coffee in Rice Village and a ride on the METROrail through Downtown, it somehow doesn’t feel like enough.

“We have a huge fragmented amount of experiences that we simply put in one place.”

Perhaps the greatest unnamed affliction is the inability to communicate what exactly the spirit of Houston is, because the sprawling concrete jungle is more abstract than we know; it is a collection of stories and faces and colors and ideas.

There is a Houston experience at the University of Houston and there is a Houston experience at Rice University. They are both urban, Tier One institutions but do they share a common lifestyle?

Undoubtedly, no. It is the same as the disparity between the Third Ward and River Oaks. They are both fragments of the same city.

“And that’s what Houston has always been: a lot of different points of view,” Thompson said.

Of course, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

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13

WOMAN ON THE STREET

What is it like to be a sorority girl?

WRITTEN BY ALEX MEYER

EVEN IN THE U.S., WOMEN ARE CAT-CALLED, SLUT-SHAMED AND PAID 79 CENTS OF EVERY MAN’S DOLLAR. ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS, PERHAPS NO ONE GETS A WORSE REPUTATION THAN THE “TYPICAL SORORITY GIRL.” BUT RATHER THAN BEING PARTY-CRAZED GIRLS LOOKING FOR ALCOHOL AND AN “MRS” DEGREE, THEY ARE OFTEN SURPRISINGLY (OR UNSURPRISINGLY, IF YOU HAVE ANY EMPATHY) HUMAN.

“Everyday the women surrounding me are accomplishing amazing things inside and outside of Greek Life. They are our future doctors, businesswomen, teachers, etc., that are able to get where they want to be because of the support system they have found within their sororities.”

”

JUNIOR

14

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

// JORDAN FANDRY

”

There is an immediate change in the way I’m perceived as soon as I mention I’m in a sorority—suddenly the conversations I have with people revolve around superficial topics as if I couldn’t discuss what’s going on in the world without making a fool of myself. My being in a sorority has no correlation with my interests—I’m an avid reader, a scholar, a history buff and a self proclaimed nerd. Moreover, I absolutely hate reality TV and couldn’t care less about partying or going out.”

SOPHOMORE

// KARIN KELLER

“I always felt like people expected me to apologize for being a part of Greek life, but...I’ve learned to embrace it and own up to it. Yes, I’m a sorority woman, but I’m also human. Big deal.”

SENIOR

// KELSEY MCKINNEY

“The ‘typical sorority girl’ is just another societal convention that is there for young women to, somehow, strive for and live up to expectations that they themselves may not want.”

SENIOR

// JANET RODRIGUEZ

“

“Being a sorority girl is often associated with a negative connotation. Due to all the movies and TV shows about Greek life, people think all we do is party, shop and not care about school. People assume we’re no longer individuals and that we’re not hard-working.”

JUNIOR

”

// SHEILA BERENJI

HOUSTON’S HOMETOWN PLAYLIST WRITTEN BY GREG FAILS // ART BY BRUCE CHAO

“N

O R T H

“M

T

A K E

M O R

P R O H I B I D O

" Has there ever been any doubt about

who the real queen of Houston is?

Selena was a trailblazer in pop music and her legacy, much like the Astrodome, is far too big to ever be destroyed.

B Y

“

S E L E N A

K I L L I N G

’S

T I M E

” Her self-titled album clearly proved

Beyoncé reps Houston hard. As this old gem from Destiny’s Child shows, she’s always had a hard time with unfaithful men. Never forget your roots, B, even if this town already has a queen.

B Y

D E S T I N Y

“

S O

C H I L D

R E A L

” Speaking of artists that transformed

Houston and passed away tragically young, Robert Earl Davis Jr., otherwise known as DJ Screw, literally created the chopped and screwed style. Davis may, single-handedly, be the most influential artist in the city’s history and his legacy lives on through every Screwston Rapper.

B Y

S C R E W E D

U P

C L I C K

D A

S O U T H

O W N

” As far as hip-hop goes, the mid 2000s

S O M E

M U S I C

R O O M

” Currently one of the hottest commodi-

ties coming out of H-Town, The Suffers’ could turn a funeral into the Rodeo and are helping keep Houston on the musical map despite our criminally understated place on it.

B Y

T H E

“

S U F F E R S

T E R R I T O R Y

” Until a few months ago, Waterparks

was that pop-punk band fronted by the guy with the colorful hair that proved Dallas isn’t the only haven for scene kids in Texas. Now they’re playing on national television and collaborating with everyone from Good Charlotte to ex-members of My Chemical Romance.

B Y

"A

2 -T

might have been Houston’s biggest year in the national spotlight, with acts like Chamillionaire and Slim Thug pushing out dirty Southern hits produced by famous H-Town producers like Paul Wall. Though the style’s popularity waned after the mid-2000s the time in the spotlight brought important attention.

B Y

“

T U R N

W A T E R P A R K S

I T

O N

A G A I N

” Slowing it down and psyching it out,

Indian Jewelry’s music, like their home town, is a melting pot of ideas that may never be completely defined, though they do serve as a great example of Houston’s unique underground scene that’s been brewing since the early days of Punk.

B Y

I N D I A N

“

J E W E L R Y

T O O

M U C H

” Drake loves Houston so much that he

even likes the Astros, and most of us don’t even like them. Yes, the man is from Toronto, but that’s only a technicality in his war to outbid Beyonce for the title of “most Houston references crammed into a single album.” If anyone deserves to be called a Houstonian, it’s Drake.

B Y

D R A K E

Saturday, August 20th | 4-7 PM | Lynn Eusan Park

PARTYIN THE PARK

Kick off the semester with free food, music, games and giveaways at Lynn Eusan Park!

Sponsored by the Center for Student Involvement, Center for Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Housing and Residential Life, Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Baptist Student Ministries and the Center for Student Media.

If you will need accommodations for this event, please contact the Center for Students with DisABILITIES, uhcsd@central.uh.edu 713-743-5400 or uhcsd@central.uh.edu.

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

15

TOP TEN

X things

we love to hate about houston

WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY : LEAH NASH

But Houston doesn’t hide its flaws coated in shiny paint or behind gated communities (except you, River Oaks). We’re all aware of this spit-cup of a swamp we call home, and here are just a few things we love to hate about it.

LOCAL POLITICS Houston’s a blue pimple on the face of a very red, very angry state.

We’re a political collage, roughly made of quasi-liberals and neo-conservatives, glued together by a shared hatred of Hillary. We’ll scream out our diversity and inclusivity, but it falls short of voting in HERO and ends with our great selection of Vietnamese restaurants and taco trucks.

We’re trying, America, but Greg Abbot might be close to popping us.

1.

//

N O B O D Y

INTENSE DRIVERS Southern hospitality really picks up on the freeways, with Houston drivers pulling out all the stops— even at a green light. For all of you moving to our great city without a ladder, don’t worry, some kind spirit has left one for you in the middle lane of 45 North. Show your gratitude by sharing our endearing salute of raising your most prominent finger. Some drivers might even return the gesture by showing you their most prized possession—a shiny pistol.

2.

3.

AWFUL WEATHER Depending on who you ask, Texas might be comparable to Hell. No, not because we fry butter on

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T ’ S A N O I L - C R A Z E D , S W E A T Y C I T M O R E C A R S T H A N P E O P L E ; U G L Y A C H A O T I C ; C R I M E - R I D D E N A N D P O L J U S T T O O D A M N B I G A N D A L W A Y S , A L W A Y S U N D E R C O N S T R U C T I O N .

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a stick, but because it actually feels as hot as Hell. Between average temperatures of 100 plus degrees, over-familiarity with the word “ozone” and really bad humidity, our weather is awful. Entire months of summer are mostly spent shuttling yourself between one air-conditioned container to the next and admiring the inside of your fridge. It’s OK, though, because we like to brag to outsiders about how tough we are and wear our blistering badge of honor proudly.

4.

MEDIOCRE SPORTS This one’s simple.

We just love to love to hate on our teams. No, we don’t actually want them to do well; it would take away our complaining rights. As a city,

Y W I T H N D L U T E D ; A L W A Y S

,

we’re too self-involved to be more than fair-weather fans, barely able to do more than casually toss around a “Turn down for Watt” drunken yell.

And even then, we have to be drunk. James Harden had a great season this year, but we bash him since the team played poorly. In our defense, it’s hard to get your hopes up.

Our teams are good, but just not good enough. Astros 2005, anyone?

5.

THE BEACH There are actually three coasts in this country: There’s the windy east, the California west and then there’s us down here in the Gulf. Here, the water is made of feces and oil, the sand is mostly seaweed and

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the flesh-eating bacteria is threatening to come on land— some say it already has in the form of bitter retirees who couldn’t afford something better. But at the end of the day, it’s our beach, and we’ll take the trip down 45 South every summer to sightsee the factories and dirty water.

6.

DEVELOPMENT Unlike other cities, the holy grail to developers is our lack of zoning laws. Beyond downtown, our skyline bounces from discount motels to car dealerships and a crap-ton of vacant housing.

No matter how oil prices are actually doing, we’re totally happy about our economy. We celebrate new strip malls and keep our bulldozers running.

While it may make for a city run by suits and greasy businessmen, we appreciate the cheap cost of city-living while we can get it.

7.

THE SPRAWL Houston’s sprawl is a rebellious lovechild from the monster of development and our city’s overzealous reliance on cars.

Houstonians love their polluting metal contraptions.

The sprawl of Greater Houston’s footprint that covers about 10,000 square miles forces us to rely on the very thing that keeps our economy pumping—gas. But at the same time, it gives us picky, never-pleased Houstonians a breadth of options, since anything within a 45-minute drive seems reasonable.

8.

CONSTANT CHANGE Hating change takes on multiple forms, depending on who you are. In Houston, either you hate gentrification as it weeds out the local culture or, if you’re particularly snooty, you hate the Ashby high-rise is ruining your neighborhood. But the hate

of change unites us. We’ve lost our cowboy, bastion of Texan independence look and our Space City identity. Now, as oil crashes, we are coming upon another time of change, which we will inevitably hate.

But maybe we can love to hate it—along with whoever we are next.

WE’RE MISUNDERSTOOD Despite the occasional Wild-West-wannabecity-dweller wearing a 10-gallon hat and the fact that we all unanimously appreciate the word “y’all,” Houston (luckily) lacks a lot of the characteristics that make up Texas. But outside our lovely state, we’re lumped into the BBQ-praising and horse-wrangling Lone Star crowd. We kind of love being the misfi ts: we’re able to appreciate the authentic Tex-Mex and great sweat tea you only get in the South but disown some of the “Texas Secede” types.

9.

10.

OUR RIVALRY We might rag on our swamptown, but there’s nothing we hate more than Dallas. There’s no explanation needed. Our unabashed, and somewhat unfounded, distaste for the snobby city is universal. It’s also aggravating, temperamental, off-the-cuff and oh so necessary, ingrained in us like dirt rubbed in a cut.

Nobody likes Houston, but everyone hates Dallas.

uh.edu/lgbtq

LGBTQ Resource Center 4465 University Dr. Rm. N201 Houston, TX 77204-4014 832-842-6191 Student Center North, N201 lgbt@uh.edu Find LGBTQ Student Organizations: Gamma Rho Lambda, Global, and more on "Get Involved" Visit our website and sign up for our monthly newsletter!

TRANSGENDER AFFAIRS

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Name change on Cougar Card ID • Single stall restroom map • Nondiscrimination statement

• 8/30 - Open House • 9/14 - Ice Cream Social • 9/22 - Cougar Ally Training

LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS • Mentor Program • Sexuality & Gender Acceptance (SAGA) Squad

Empowering LGBTQ students to develop their authentic identity, and become proud, successful, engaged members of the UH community.

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

17

PROFILE:

TAD SRESTHAPHUNLARP

WRITTEN BY KARIS JOHNSON // PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF TAD SRESTHAPHUNLARP It’s still dark in the lush, mountainous jungles of Thailand when Tad Sresthaphunlarp wakes up to begin his morning meditation rituals. As the sun breaks, he and his fellow monks of the Wat Srisoda Temple will perform bin ta bat, making a barefoot descent into the low-lying villages to acquire their only meal of the day—if the villagers can afford to give them anything.

the University of Houston.

“(Monks) are only allowed to eat one meal a day, and some of the villagers were so poor that they could only give us a spoonful of rice.” Sresthaphunlarp said.

Becoming a monk was only one of the many goals he plans on accomplishing, and as a full-time student in the Bauer School of Business, Sresthaphunlarp said his educational vision centers on entrepreneurship. Thanks to the successful example and encouragement of his family, whose roots are in Thailand, Sresthaphunlarp said he hopes his story mirrors theirs.

But Sresthaphunlarp, who worked intensively for two months to become the first English-speaking Buddhist monk at the Srisoda Temple, does more in his spare time than meditate, pray and hike through the jungles of Thailand.

Tad Sresthaphunlarp is also a marketing and finance junior at 18

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

“Growing up my family was extremely poor…They each paid for their own universities and got scholarships every year,” said Sresthaphunlarp. “Coming all the way from a poor family from Thailand with nothing to eat, to every single family member becoming a multi-millionaire…I felt like I wanted to follow (their) footsteps in life.”

Sresthaphunlarp not only followed in his family’s business and academic pursuits, he also

traced his family’s heritage across the world. At 21 years old, he has experienced life in more than five countries including China, Australia, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and the United States. In Thailand, his family’s country of origin, his grandfather founded and directed a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free education for children of families impacted by the 2004 Thailand tsunami.

Although Sresthaphunlarp is the first person in his family to become a monk, he said certain aspects of his choice were always family decisions.

His grandfather’s mission in Thailand aligned with Temple Srisoda’s similar dedication to providing aid to orphaned children in over 118 locations in Thailand. Sresthaphunlarp said this connection of giving and kindness influenced his choice of location and temple.

Although becoming a monk

was a difficult commitment, it was something he always felt was his destiny.

“I felt like my life in America was getting too wrapped up by materialistic things…I saw myself becoming greedy and (I) always wanted better and nicer things. (I was) spending more time going out or working rather than on the more important things in life, such as family,” said Sresthaphunlarp. “So I decided to give I everything I ever had and everything I knew to become a monk.”

His dedication and determination to achieve what many still see as mystical or unattainable was not met without challenges and discomfort.

“The process of becoming a monk is actually quite hard,” said Sresthaphunlarp. “My whole family had to be present at the same time, which was difficult. None of my family members were in Chang Mai at

the time (I began the process).”

Before his official ceremony, Sresthaphunlarp’s mother flew into Thailand from the U.S., and his father made the trip from Australia. Besides his family’s distance and their difficulty in being in together all at one time, another obstacle he was faced with was learning and committing to memory an ancient Pali scripture.

Pali is an archaic liturgical language of the Indian sub-continent, and is the sacred language of Buddhism, according to the American National Standards Institute. Most ancient Buddhist scripts consist solely of Pali. Sresthaphunlarp was determined to learn these sacred texts in a dead language, which is only spoken religiously, before reciting them to leaders in the Srisoda Temple.

own problems. The main point is just to accept.”

Sresthaphunlarp’s journey into Thailand was complete after two months, but his journey to caring for and helping others in the world has not. After becoming a monk and traveling in Australia this summer, he plans to return to Houston to continue his studies at UH, picking up classes where he left off in the spring. Sresthaphunlarp said his life dream is similar to his uncle’s back in Thailand.

“My goal … is to own a chain of

“Becoming a monk … was my service to help numerous individuals and give them life essentials that should have been theirs from the beginning,” said Sresthaphunlarp.

“To practice to let go … to bless and pray for the people less or more,fortunate than you, because everyone has their

His goals as a businessman and entrepreneur are far-reaching and global, but so is his vision for using his role as a monk for the betterment of the world. When asked what piece of advice he would give to students, Sresthaphunlarp said valuing the time and opportuni-

ties you’ve been given is key.

“Do not get attached to anything, because nothing lasts forever. Your appearance, your family, your material things will all be gone one day. Cherish the time you have with the people you love…do not hold on to anything for too long, because in the end, it will only hurt yourself,” Sresthaphunlarp said.

“The goal is to appreciate anything you are given and make use of it.”

providing superior eye care for life.

“There was a huge ceremony and feast on June 12, when I preformed the Pali scripture in front of 13 monks. It was the most difficult language I ever had to learn, but it only took me six days (to learn). The whole thing was set up two months in advance, and I had to perform a ritual in order to receive my robes,” said Sresthaphunlarp.

Although he was required to recite an ancient language to complete training, he was also the only English-speaking monk at the Temple Srisoda. As a result, Sresthaphunlarp was taught by an English-speaking master, a 27-year-old monk, who could speak five languages fluently. Despite relying on someone else to translate for and train him, Sresthaphunlarp said he persevered for several reasons.

hotels and resorts around the world,” Sresthaphunlarp said.

“Here at UH, I realized that I could get a great education at a good price, leading me to many opportunities that Houston, out of all places in the world, has to offer.”

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19

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

written by trey strange

HOUSTON’S FAVORITE ALL-DAY DINER IS THE REASON UH IS ON THE RISE, ACCORDING TO OUR CALCULATIONS Scientist, scholars and clergy alike have for centuries agreed on one fundamental principle of existence: Pie is essential to happiness.

That’s not mere hypothesis.

‘Tis truth—and historically evident.

When George Washington chopped down the cherry tree, you know damn well it was to claim a bowl of Morellos to take to his grandmother’s kitchen for their ruby red tartness.

And perhaps the most mystifying force in the Universe, the reason we know the area and volume of all of things spherical, that incomprehensible infinity of digits that we all pretty much (except the math majors, you endearing nerds) just round up to 3.14, was named after the other

most mystifying force—pie.

Our sources say that some prodigious mathematician actually discovered the number pi while attempting to measure the circumference of a strawberry rhubarb (which, at House of Pies, is of the sweeter variety and definitely better if you can get the waiter to warm it up). That’s a true story but, for the sake of our credibility, don’t look it up.

The people behind Houston’s beloved House of Pies understand this axiom. Because what is a house without a pie?

Empty, because the inhabitants are at the neighbor’s, gnawing on a decadent slice of coconut cream or lemon merengue. Disclaimer: Your neighborhood House of Pies serves both of these, but they

may not be served at your actual neighbor’s. Cooglife does not condone breaking in to find out. We will not vouch for you and we will not represent you in court. So stop calling us, Dave.

In an eatery scene dominated by tacos and pho, the restaurant, whose original location is a 24-hour oldtimey diner on Kirby that also happens to feel brand new thanks so a kitchen fire a few years ago, has grown into a cultural symbol for many in Houston, but especially for college students.

But why? Are we born with an innate desire for triple pecan fudge? Or did the pecan draw us out of our studycrazed shells? House of Pies presents the typical chickenor-the-egg scenario—and while I haven’t tried their poultry, I would not suggest ordering the latter as benedict; the Hollandaise sauce is, on the whole, unremarkable.

Whatever the cause, it is rare to find a university student who has not graced the diner, even if they’ve only been to the lesser Westheimer location. This raises one other question of import. What is the correlation between the University of Houston’s rise to glory and the House

20

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

FIVE FACTS ABOUT THIS PLACE

3.5/5 REVIEW ON YELP.COM

// EVERY 3 OUT OF 5 PEOPLE MIGHT BE VISITING AFTER THE BARS CLOSE

//

99.9% OF THE PIES ARE AMAZING

//

20 PEOPLE IN FRONT OF YOU IN LINE AT 10 P.M.

//

12 min AVERAGE WAIT TIME

of Pies’s rise to fame in the student consciousness?

been sufficiently confused and accepts the argument.

Let me posit this: The House of Pies is not just a reason for student success. It is, in fact, the only reason.

Let us first establish the variables. College students can be defined as caffeine-crazed, sweatpants-wearing, non-showering and sleep-deprived overgrown toddlers. Pie is, obviously, the work of a divine being (I’ll not pretend to speak for other religions but in Christianity this is represented in its triangular shape—a figuring of the Holy Trinity).

You don’t believe? The proof is in the pudding, which is also available for a small fee if for whatever reason you bring along a piteous friend who doesn’t want to try the seasonal favorite, pumpkin (or the seasonal non-favorite, mincemeat).

In this study, we must remain aware that correlation does not necessarily prove causation. There are other tests which statisticians know of that can do this. For the record of full disclosure and journalistic integrity, I must disclose to you now that I will not utilize those; Instead, I will employ the FOX News approach—to simply write as much convincing jargon as possible until the reader has

And their similarities? College students stay up at all hours of the night. Pie, too, is served at 3 a.m., 4 a.m., 5 a.m. and so on. This was fact-checked multiple times by our editors—not because we just wanted to go, but because we felt you deserved your delicious, due diligence.

This is where the similarities end. But this is fortunate, because we have now prov-

en that pies are not human.

Thus, it is morally acceptable and desirable to eat them.

While House of Pies was first created in 1965, pie has been around for centuries. It originated with the Ancient Egyptians and has been documented as a Roman delicacy, too, which would make it both Eastern and Western if any of the modern and, frankly, racist connotations of those words were used back in those days. Luckily, history evidences they were not.

But history does prove that pie predates college students. Before the first university was founded in Fez, Morocco, the doughy pastry had been consumed for hundreds of years. Which means that all student success is, in some way, due to pie. Right?

Right. But let’s get back to the present. If we wish to decide that pie decides a student’s success, then we must define success. To some, that

might mean a job or an internship or a lot of money or a family. In general, we could say that success is happiness.

And what was our original truth? Pie is essential to happiness.

Now, we return to our math majors to proof this. If pie is essential to happiness and we define student success as, generally and only, happiness, then pie is essential to student success. It’s called the law of syllogism, and it’s used all the time in politics to pull bullshit arguments together by a string.

But enough of all that. If there is one thing to take away from this case study, it is that House of Pies is open all day and night. Which means that it is open right now. And that the bayou goo, the city’s signature pie, is waiting.

STUDENT-RUN

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COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

21

PROSPER THROUGH POKEMON b a u e r g r a d u a t e l u r e s b u s i n e s s g r o w t h t h r o u g h g a m e written by nguyen le

If you lure them, they will come.

students of the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship.

Besides concerts and New Year’s Eve, Pokemon Go can prompt the masses (of customers and Pokemon) to gather at certain places. For Tri Nguyen, a 2015 entrepreneurship graduate and managing partner of the local digital marketing agency TKM Labs, that was the drive to launch Lure Deals, a service that businesses can use to turn players into patrons.

“When they leave the program, they can turn any innovation into commercial,” Cook said. “Tri is a great example.”

“The magic of Pokemon Go— what it has done to user behavior is that it literally makes every place to go to going to be great,” Nguyen said. “The exciting thing we’ll be able to do is bringing people (to the business) so they will know where it is and what it is all about.”

Nguyen has been busy pitching Lure Deals for prospects around town. Sometimes, the prospects come to him. Upon meeting a business that shows interest, Nguyen will work on the promotion and how long will it stay active before moving to the LureDeal Network that will broadcast the deal to players via notifications or custom campaigns on social media.

David Cook, the director of mentoring programs at the Bauer College of Business, expressed joy for the direction of Nguyen, one of his former 22

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

the art of the lure It was Lure Deals’ second go in San Antonio that proved the service’s worth.

“They mentioned there was a 20 to 30 percent increase in revenue on a day where they placed a lure for two hours,” Nguyen said, recalling his first micro test run of the service.

“We placed the lure for one hour on a Monday at 7:40 p.m,” Nguyen said. “The dead hours— and it brought 70 people to that location.”

Since he works with small and medium businesses, Nguyen said the hardest part of creating the new company is getting business owners to undesrtand the mechanics of the game and how he can help them.

And, since not all establishments are Pokestops, Nguyen had to turn down a lot of inquiries.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have any control over that,” Nguyen said.

Concept visualization of the Lure Deals app. Players can earn money, or bounty, and get special deals upon placing a Lure at businesses that use the service. | Courtesy of Tri Nguyen Similar to the servers at Niantic, the Pokemon Go developer, the torrent of deal setters and deal hunters really pushed the team at TKM Labs.

This has led to the nearly 5,000 users Lure Deals already has, even without additional marketing. Nguyen said no specific states are being targeted, but he is focusing more on cities and metropolitan areas. That, too, seems too be where most of the art is and, thus, most of the Pokestops.

“At the end of the day, it’s what the businesses and clients we work with want,” Nguyen said.

If they want more users in a specific area, we’ll develop campaigns to acquire more users within those areas.”

Of course, Nguyen’s vision for Lure Deals goes beyond U.S. shores. Nguyen named Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan as prospects. While Niantic has not released the game in the two Asia countries, two mobile phone operators in Hong Kong said July 22 that they will place no data cap on the app.

“We have been in discussions with a couple of people who could be opening it up in Asia,” Nguyen said. “We definitely want to make sure our (working right) here first before we expand.”

remaining alluring Even when big companies, namely McDonald’s and Yelp, have plans to start their own Pokemon Go-associated marketing platforms, Nguyen said Lure Deals will remain appealing.

“We charge per activation— so it’s per hour, per location,” Nguyen said. “Whether 1,000 people come or 500 people come, it’s still the same price for you. That’s why there’s a lot of value added for small-to-medium sized businesses that work with us.”

As for Lure Deals’ longevity, Nguyen doesn’t know. He does, however, believe it won’t be a fad. Nguyen said that Pokemon Go could stay around longer than “Candy Crush.”

Yes, even with Niantic’s much-maligned changes that have caused fallout among players.

“We’re set up to be completely independent of Niantic, whether it’s now or in the future,” Nguyen said. “We do not want to purely rely on the decision of one company to affect our future.”

So businesses can continue to catch them all.

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE A

R E P R I S E

F O R

V I N Y L

M U S I C

WRITTEN BY BRYCE DODDS ILLUSTRATED BY BRUCE CHAO

Some people say the world is cyclical, and no, I’m not talking about how the earth is round.

Fashion, the television and movie industries and the world of music seem to be on a repeating pattern often. It's the same for the resurgence of the vinyl record in the music industry.

And one of the biggest demographics buying those records?

Ppeople who missed the vinyl trend the first time around. Yes, that means college students.

“What you see is a whole generation that grew up with CD’s and cassettes, but they didn’t even know what a record really was,” said Quinn Bishop, the owner of Cactus Music. “They discovered it on their own, so I think there was a lot of people who thought that it was nostalgia or retro or some kind of fascination, when, in fact the millennial generation kinda really see it as defining their generation, it’s theirs.”

In the past few years, the sales of vinyl records have spiked, and that’s backed up by the Recording Industry Association of America’s 2015 mid-year industry shipment numbers.

According to the report, physical sales for Long-Play record, which you know as LPs, was up from an estimated 6.5 million in the first

half of 2014 to 9.2 million in the first half of 2015, an increase of nearly 43 percent, while sales increased from almost $146 million to almost $222 million. MusicWatch reported 47 percent of the people buying vinyl’s now are in the 13-to-25 age demographic.

That number jumps to 72 percent when that demographic is increased to encompass the 1335 ranges.

“I think there’s that bookshelf mentality that it’s like ‘I like all this other stuff, but I love this so I’ll buy it on LP,’” Bishop said.

“Go see a band and at the merch table, it’s all LP’s that are being sold, it’s definitely like a badge of people’s affection for certain artists.”

Bishop has owned Cactus Music for just eight years now, but said that he and a core group of a few other staff members have been involved with the shop for anywhere from 18 to 30 years.

One of the major developments to come from the vinyl resurgence: the trend of repressing, where records that experienced limited printings or went out of printing several years ago find their ways back onto retailers’ shelves, but Bishop said that’s not always a good thing because the remastering can mess with the sound.

But while there are a fair share of difficulties that have come along with the resurgence of vinyl, Bishop thinks that records aren’t going anywhere any time soon.

“There’s people who always loved records, but records kinda vanished from the marketplace, you couldn’t really find them,” Bishop said. “So once they became readily available again with new music and people started buying them and you had the dormant vinyl buyer, who may even be a baby-boomer, 50 or 60 years old, started buying records again and then you’re starting to see a lot of younger people buying records, but I think the trend that is happening now is fostering an affection for the format that will probably sustain cool, independent retail for decades to come.”

“For some of them, it’s going to be an affectation,” Bishop said. “It’s going to be something that is like the Rockabilly chain

wallet, they’re not going to want to have anything to do with it in a few years or they just don’t really care about it, but there are a lot of people who buy records who will continue to buy records for a long time and continue to search for old stuff."

While he says that vinyl offers wonderful sound quality, while not always the most convenient, Bishop says that record stores provide an experience that is completely its own.

“It’s neat to see responsible parents who are taking their kids to the record store, especially during the summer when it’s so hot, it’s a great day to go to the record store and wander around the aisles and discuss music,” Bishop said. “I think the culture of the record store is what sustained them and now it’s kind of full bloom. Not all record stores are essential businesses, but certainly some of the most unique businesses in whatever city you are in.”

WATCH MOVIES

FREE ON-DEMAND

FIND OUT MORE AT

COOGTV.COM/ONDEMAND WATCH MOVIES ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE.

DOWNLOAD “SWANK MEDIA PLAYER” THROUGH YOUR APP STORE.

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

23

gentrification

BINGO

Like in every city, Houston's neighborhoods have become prone to the scourge of gentrification, where property values rise, historic communities—typically minorities—are threatened and, typically, city officials sit around, scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong.

Are you part of the problem?

You’ve never heard of Emancipation Economic Development Council

They’re repainting the neighborhood

Your school suddenly gets crossing guards

The potholes are actually getting fixed

Speed bumps appear on your street

Your neighborhood name is changed to something cute

You have “Stop Ashby High Rise” sign in your yard

You suddenly have sidewalks

You live in an upscale apartment above a small business

Your neighbor can’t afford their property tax

You complain about parking for your BMW

You say "Midtown” instead of "Freedman's town”

Free

Your local bodega turns into a Starbucks

You live on a cul-de-sac

All your neighbors are white

The closest Tex-Mex restaurant doesn’t have a Spanish menu

You’re not racist because you have a black friend from high school

You raise succulents

You know the value of every house on your block

The liquor store becomes a “Wine and Spirits” shop

You live within walking distance of Whole Foods

You think brick buildings are so vintage

You totally love mason jars

Street art is suddenly commissioned (not graffiti)

(but you think everyone else should have to work for it)

Want to make a positive change in your community? Reach out to MVP for ways to volunteer.

24

COOGLIFE // AUG 2016

DRIVING STUDENT SUCCESS

...from orientation to graduation

GET INVOLVED . STAY HEALTHY . GET SUPPORT . LIVE ON CAMPUS . TAKE CHARGE Your #UHSuccess is defined by you!

A.D. Bruce Religion Center | Admissions | Campus Recreation | Center for Students with DisABILITIES | Children’s Learning Centers Cougars in Recovery | Counseling and Psychological Services | Dean of Students Office | Diversity and Inclusion | Fraternity and Sorority Life | Health Center LGBTQ Resource Center | Scholarships and Financial Aid | Student Centers | Student Housing and Residential Life | Student Involvement | Student Media UH Wellness | University Career Services | Urban Experience Program | Veteran Services | Women and Gender Resource Center

uh.edu/dsaes

UH Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services

UH_DSAES

SSUE 10 // AUGUST 2016 // WELCOME TO HOUSTO

START YOUR NEW YEAR WITH EXCITING EVENTS!

AUGUST 18 - SEPTEMBER 5 uh.edu/wow #UHWOW16

Hunt 8.18-9.5 Scavenger In & Around Campus

MyHouston The Recreation Cat’s&Back 8.25 Campus 8.24 MyUH, METRORail Station - near Moody Towers Wellness Center Full schedule available on UH Redline App.

3:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m.

Glow Party 8.25 Lynn Eusan Park 8:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

4:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m.

Day of Service Campus Prowl Cage Rage 8.27 8.30 In & Around Campus Houston Room 8.27 TDECU Stadium 8:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

ISSUE 10

/ /

AUGUST 2016

/ /

WELCOME TO HOUSTON