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Issue 77, Volume 76

Friday ®

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Campus reacts to Tier One Students, faculty and alumni celebrate first major milestone Jose Aguilar

THE DAILY COUGAR The campus was bustling this week with the announcement that UH cleared the first of three hurdles in being deemed a flagship university. On Tuesday, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching labeled UH as a research university with “very high research activity.” This

classification is one of three that qualifies an institution as being in the top tier of universities. UH administration setup a website for the community to share thoughts on the news. Eric Bittner, a UH John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Chemical Physics, took to the site to comment that although the label of Tier One is nice, this news is more than just a label. “Taken by itself, ‘Tier One’ is a simply a badge, a label, and wearing red on Friday. However, ‘Tier One’ is really an attitude,” Bittner said in an email. “(UH) had that attitude well before this list was produced. “It’s an attitude that, as a community, we want

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this University to be a center of excellence, a center of scholarly inquiry at the highest level, and a place where tomorrow’s technology is being discovered today.” Bittner credits the new designation to years of hard work, and sees it as beneficial to everyone on campus. “Having a ‘Tier One’ status would mean that the brightest and best scholars across the US and from around the world will be attracted to UH,” Bittner said. “This produces a critical feedback mechanism since good scholars and students attract more and

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Celebrations honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. will continue throughout the week. Cougar Voices — UH celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. presents the photo documentary exhibition “And Freedom For All,” which features photos of King and the 1969 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom taken by photographer Stanley Tretick. The exhibit begins today and runs through Jan. 28 in the 3rd floor student gallery of the M.D. Anderson Memorial library. UH’s Student Video Network has a number of features available for the UH community present King’s history, as well as that of the civil rights movement.

today

53 LO 34

Badrinath Roysam holds the box of the neuro-prosthetic device that is used to record neural activity in the brains of lab rats. The device itself is barely visible to the naked eye. | Courtesy Thomas Shea

Lauren Mathis

THE DAILY COUGAR

ON CAMPUS

Get into the Swing of Things with Gatsby: The Honors College is sponsoring an all-night read-aloud of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous work, The Great Gatsby. The seven-hour reading will begin at 5 p.m. in room 212 of the MD Anderson Library. The event is free, and students are encouraged to bring a copy of the novel.. IT Training: A free class for students and faculty introducing Access 2007 will take place in the SOcial Work Building in room 110-L. The class will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

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To help the Pentagon improve the ability of prosthetic limbs, UH is working on a year-long project of implanting devices into the brains of lab animals. The project will help military and civilian amputees who need prosthetics. The project is lead by UH researcher and professor of electrical, computer systems and engineering, Badrinath Roysam. Other national universities, like the University of Michigan, are also participating. “A neuro-prosthetic device is something that looks like an electron, but this device is more sophisticated than that,” Roysam said. “The device is surgically inserted into the brain tissue, that way neural activity can be recorded.” While it has been compared to mind control, Roysam said it is not. “There is no such thing as mind control,” Roysam said. “The project is basically about finding the critical combination of factors that

THE DAILY COUGAR

PROSTHETICS continues on page 6

Solving the prosthetic puzzle

UH, Pentagon partnership aims to impact longevity of neural implant devices

Katie Rowald

make neural implant devices work.” For years, prosthetic devices have failed within weeks, Roysam said. He expects that the implanted device will find the source of the problem and the solution. “These devices stopped functioning after a while because the brain treats the insertion (of the implanted device) as an injury,” Roysam said. “The device is a foreign object to the body and basically the tissue surrounding the device remodeled itself in a matter that served to isolate the device.” The team will work to solve the issues. “Our job in this project is to figure out what are the combinations of factors that make the body reject the device,” Roysam said. Others have tried to figure out the different factors as to why the body keeps rejecting the device. “Is it the way you insert the device? Is it the drug you can insert through the device?” Roysam said. “Could the rejection be due to the shape of the device? Or is it the surface codings on the device, etc?” To try to find out what is causing the problems Roysam’s team will implement the device into lab rats and keep track of it by using a technology called Foresight.

TIER ONE continues on page 6

Photos, film honor MLK legacy

The Student Video Network is located in the UC Underground. Call 713-743-5216 for more information.

Projects, funding top year in review Last year the University’s accomplishments included higher enrollment, a record amount of grants, new dorms and building renovations. Over 38,500 students enrolled in the fall semester, the highest number on record. Out of that number, more than 1,000 brand-new freshmen were the first to experience the new living facilities at Cougar Village in August. Cougar Village became the first oncampus living facility to host live-in faculty members and their families. “I think having a faculty member live on campus is a blessing for these freshmen,” said Kamil Khan, residential assistant at the Cougar Village, and a junior with a double major in marketing and management. “Most of our residents and the residents in Moody Towers are not accustomed to living on their own, and the prospect can be extremely daunting. To have a faculty member just present here can not only assure their parents, but also bring comfort to them.” In addition to the new dorms, UH also began construction in October on an addition to the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, the Lance T. Funston Communication Center. The $3.6 million project, when completed this fall, will feature a two-story video production studio. UH began renovations on Science Research 1, and also broke ground on an addition to the Lamar Fleming Jr. building. Renovations also began on Energy Research Park, and are expected to be completed by fall. UH researchers had a stellar year as well, with the Texas Center for Superconductivity receiving a $3.5 million grant from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund to help establish their Applied Research Hub, and recruit new scientists and researchers. Additionally, Houston Endowment Inc. awarded UH a $5 million grant to help increase the number of students in doctoral programs, particularly in engineering and the sciences. With the recent news that quarterback Case Keenum will be returning for the 2011 football season and the Tier One research university classification by the Carnegie Foundation, 2011, barely in its first month, seems to be acquiring a few milestones of its own.

COMMUNITY

Titles available include “Kennedy and King: Promises and Dreams,” and “Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years,” among others.

January 21, 2011

2 ! Friday, January 21, 2011

CRIME LOG

The Daily Cougar

Have information on these or other incidents of crime on campus? Call 713-743-0600

crime log

The following is a partial report of campus crime between Sunday and Wednesday. All information is selected from the files of the UH Police Department. The information in bold indicates when the event was reported to UHPD and the event’s location. Information or questions regarding the cases below should be directed to UHPD at (713) 743-0600.

Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor/Public Intoxication: 3:05 a.m. Jan. 16, Calhoun Lofts — A student was issued a citation for Minor in Consumption of Alcohol, after it was determined she had been drinking alcoholic beverage(s) while being under the legal age. The student was released to a responsible party and issued a Student Life Referral. Theft: 12:59 p.m. Jan. 17, S & R 1— A faculty member reported that someone stole a secured and unattended UH owned laptop computer from his Science and Research 1 office. There are no suspects. Traffic Offense: 11:55 p.m. Jan. 18, Lot 5 A — A student reported that someone struck his unattended vehicle while it was parked in lot 5 A. The striking driver failed to leave the information required by state law. Possession of Marijuana: 11:34 p.m. Jan. 18, 4000 Gulf Freeway — A visitor, stopped for a traffic violation, was arrested and transported to Harris County Jail when marijuana was found in his possession.

Dr. Praveen Kumar Professor of Finance

Unmatched Faculty Excellence. Outstanding MBA Program. Expert in corporate finance, investments and contract theory. Widely published in leading finance and economics scholarly journals. Recognized, reputable thought leader for local, national and international media.

Theft/Credit or Debit Card Abuse: 8:43 a.m. Jan. 19, Cullen Family Plaza — A student reported that someone stole her wallet while she was on campus and used her credit cards without her authorization. There are no suspects. Theft: 10:40 a.m. Jan. 19, Communications Bldg. — A student reported that someone removed money from his unattended and unsecured wallet that was turned in to police as found property. There are no suspects. Theft: 11:59 a.m. Jan. 19, University Center — A UH contractor reported the theft of company bank deposits over a 15 month time period. Criminal Mischief: 6:53 p.m. Jan. 19, Lot 12 A — A student reported that someone intentionally scratched the driver’s side of his vehicle. For the complete report and to view past reports, go to www. uh.edu/police/home.html.

This day in history...

www.mba.uh.edu

C. T. Bauer College of Business is an AACSB accredited business school.

The University of Houston is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution.

1937

1981

President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.

Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

1969

2009

Richard M. Nixon was sworn in as the 37th president of the United States; Spiro Agnew took the oath of vice president.

Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation’s 44th, as well as first AfricanAmerican, president. Compiled by Ben Muths

Newsroom

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ABOUT THE COUGAR The Daily Cougar is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer, at the University of Houston Printing Plant and online at http://www. thedailycougar.com. The University seeks to provide equal educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status, or sexual orientation. The Daily Cougar is supported in part by Student Service Fees. The first copy of the Cougar is free; each additional copy is 25 cents. SUBSCRIPTIONS Rates are $70 per year or $40 per semester. Mail subscription requests to: Mail Subscriptions, The Daily Cougar, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-4015. NEWS TIPS Direct news tips and story ideas to the News Desk. Call (713) 743-5314, e-mail news@thedailycougar. com or fax (713) 743-5384. A “Submit news item” form is also available online at thedailycougar.com. COPYRIGHT No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the written consent of the director of the Student Publications Department.

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3 ! Friday, January 21, 2011

LIFE & ARTS

The Daily Cougar

BOX OFFICE

Kutcher, Portman discuss new film, ‘No Strings Attached’ Travis Hensley

THE DAILY COUGAR Ashton Kutcher is taller than you think that he would be, not that he looks short on the movie screen. It’s just that there is a preconceived notion that all actors are tiny so that they can be on screen with their other small costars. He was smoking a cigarette a few yards from the movie poster for “No Strings Attached” with his picture in it. It requires a double take at the poster just to make sure that it’s him. It was about an hour before the press conference for his new movie, so he turns and heads away from the room he’s in, to go back into the lobby at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverley Hills. When the conference starts, the writer of the movie, Elizabeth Meriwether, is the first to sit down at the table followed by Natalie Portman, then Kutcher. The last person to join the table is comedy legend and director Ivan Reitman. When you are surrounded by professional journalists, you hope that someone will ask a deep, philosophical question that will cover what people want to read about this current film. That doesn’t happen. The questions range from “why was there no nudity” to “how does Portman feel about her Oscar nomination.” Anyone could have asked these questions. The most obvious question — that’s actually rooted in the movie “No Strings Attached” — is if

friendship can survive casual sex. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t been fortunate to try one of those relationships out,” is Kutcher’s first response. He then quickly launches into a more meaningful answer with, “I really think whoever you’re with needs to be your friend… I don’t know that sex always has to have feelings, but I think that friendship always has to, so I don’t know if it’s possible (for friendship to survive sex.)” He then was asked about the fun of being on the set, with the usual teasing and joking. “It was mostly height jokes,” Kutcher said “She looks like my child when we stand next to each other.” The conference takes a sober turn when the stars are asked about the prevalence of sex in their movie and how it might affect teens. The question is directed at Portman with the hopes that her pregnancy will bring new insight into the issue. “Well, I’m not a teen - is the first thing I’ll say. I’m a grownup,” Portman said. “Obviously it is prevalent in the country, and I think that is part of what this movie addresses. “We have so much sex in our media that it is disassociated from emotions. These people (in the movie) really do belong together.” Kutcher stayed politically correct, but applauded the film’s educational value. “I didn’t want to veer off on a weird human trafficking direction, but one of the interesting things, especially for women, is the sex

education process in schools,” Kutcher said. This question paved the way to talk about filming the first of several sex scenes that involved Portman and Kutcher. “I didn’t want to do anything too romantic,” Reitman said. “This is a movie that really starts with these characters having sex and then seeing what that relationship is going to evolve into.” The progression of the interviews, of course, turned to the success of Portman’s recent movie, “Black Swan,” and her journey through Academy Award season. “It’s a big honor to have people excited about a movie that you make. It’s the one thing that you want.” Portman said. This shifted the mood of the conference, but then it went back to questions about filming the sex scenes. “I just want to start by apologizing,” Kutcher said. “I’m not sure what other actors do, but when in doubt, use Sir Laurence Olivier. I think he said something to the effect, I apologize if I do get aroused and I apologize if I don’t.” Then a reporter asked why they didn’t go for a nude scene. “This is not about how much nakedness or sex there is in the film,” Reitman said. “If people want to see pure sex they have the Internet and extraordinary things are available. “This is meant to be an honest comedy about sexuality.” arts@thedailycougar.com

“No Strings Attached,” starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, premiers today. | Photo courtesy of Paramount Studios

playlist »

Staff favorites: Editor in Chief

eing the Editor in Chief of a daily newspaper isn’t as easy as you may think. Besides having a sweet beard and his own office, Jack Wehman runs the show here at The Daily Cougar. An average day for Wehman is about the same as Andy Samberg’s in “Like a Boss” by The Lonely Island — only, instead of approving memos, he’s up all night approving articles that are set to run in the next day’s paper. Here are the top 10 most played songs on his iPod. Hats off to you, Jack Wehman. — Mary Baak Almost Famous Eminem

Feeling Good Muse

Montanita Ratatat

Dark Fantasy Kanye West

In One Ear Cage the Elephant

The Way I Am Eminem

Hot topics. Cool discussions. Join the conversation today on any article online and foster a healthy debate about the issues and events of our times. Now featuring quick log-on with your Facebook or Twitter account profile. Check it out today!

THE DAILY COUGAR.COM I Want More Suburban Legends

Sickology 101 Tech N9ne

F**k You Cee-Lo Green

MK Ultra Muse

4 ! Friday, January 21, 2011

The Daily Cougar

opinion THE DAILY COUGAR

EDITOR Andrew Taylor E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/opinion

THE BIG GOVERNMENTAL BOOT Courtesy of USBICEF

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITORS NEWS EDITORS SPORTS EDITORS LIFE & ARTS EDITOR OPINION EDITOR

Jack Wehman Newton Liu, Christopher Losee Jose Aguilar, Cristi Guerra John Brannen, Joshua Siegel Mary Baak Andrew Taylor

STAFF EDITORIAL

Death threats put high schooler behind bars

Crosby High School Student appeared in court Thursday morning after he posted a video on his Facebook page, in which he threatened to kill two of assistant principals at his school, according to the Houston Chronicle. Judge McGriff, 18, was sent to an alternative learning center after being caught with contraband prescription drugs in November; the video was made and posted in an effort to get him re-enrolled in Crosby High School. “You shouldn’t have kicked me out of school,” McGriff said in the video. He also told one of the administrators, “I will stab you and your unborn baby.” We can’t help but wonder why this seemed like a rational and logical solution to the teenager. If he was looking to be re-enrolled in school, there were obviously better — and more reasonable — ways to go about it. First, an appeal might have better served his purpose. And we might just be old-fashioned, but we don’t usually issue death threats to our administrators — or anyone, for that matter. Not many people take your requests into consideration after threatening to kill them. In fact, most of the time death threats get you put behind bars, especially this soon after the Arizona shooting. It’s also ridiculous that he was upset enough about repercussions to his own mistake that he would threaten the lives of two innocent people — one of whom was pregnant. If you’re going to knowingly bring contraband items to school, it should be understood that you’re opening yourself up to the consequences of your actions. McGriff was arrested on charges of retaliation, a third-degree felony. His attorney, Steven Greenlee, has requested a mental evaluation for his client, according to the Chronicle. McGriff now faces anywhere from two to 10 years in prison for his public call for attention, which is clearly the exact opposite result than what he was hoping for. The moral of this story: don’t threaten to kill people if you want to remain out of jail.

E D I TO R I A L P O L I C I E S STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Daily Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing. ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements published in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole. GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Commentary should be kept to less than 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies to material already printed in the Cougar, but rather should present independent points of view. Rebuttals should be sent as letters. Deliver submissions to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

SPECIAL GUEST COMMENTARIES

Arab students face racism, prejudice

or the past 17 years, UH has been one of the few universities to participate in the national Model Arab League (MAL) conference. MAL was created to foster relationships between the U.S. and Arab countries, and to educate students on common misconceptions. In short, it is an exercise in breaking down prejudice. In light of this purpose, you can understand my astonishment when, as an Arab-American student on the MAL team, I faced racism of the worst kind. I eventually quit the team when the head delegate posted a picture of the stereotypical flag-burning, gun-toting Arab to identify Model Arab League events online, refused to take my concerns into consideration and proceeded to launch a personal attack on me using private pictures without my consent. Sadly, this incident is indicative of the Arab experience today. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights reports that in the years following 9/11,

the number of hate crimes against Arabs increased seventeen-fold. This does not include less prosecutable types of racism at schools, in the workplace and in the public sphere. Even our government has enacted official racial profiling programs, such as the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, to target Arabs based on their ethnicity and national origin. Media pundits and conservative politicians have also made it more acceptable to make incredibly racist comments, and more often than not, get away with it. Ann Coulter, celebrated right-wing pundit, has unabashedly supported that the government “spy on all Arabs, engage in torture as a televised spectator sport (and) drop daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East.” Newt Gingrich, along with a slew of other politicians and public figures, famously opposed the mosque in Manhattan by comparing those who supported freedom of religion to those who supported

Nazis in World War II. In the wake of vitriolic rhetoric from insensitive politicians, it seems like no Arab-American is safe from vicious racism and hurtful alienation. You would think that in this day and age, this type of racism would begin to diminish as people learned to be tolerant of diversity and more sensitive of other people’s experiences. For Arabs, the trajectory has been the exact opposite. The only form of acceptable racism today is racism against Arabs, and this should not be the case. It is never acceptable to make stereotypical remarks, inappropriate jokes, or racist accusations passed as opinions. Prejudice against Arabs is not a sub-form of racism; it is racism. All I ask, and all my community asks, is that we be treated with the same worth as any other human being and that we be accepted as a part of this country. Dana El Kurd is a political science and economics junior.

King’s personal legacy lives on at UH

he legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is broad and varied. For many of us, the civil rights leader is a reminder of the promise and hope that this country represents for all its citizens. But another great legacy of Dr. King is far more personal — he represented the kind of leader who accepted all those willing to work with him no matter who they were. One of the great architects of the Civil Rights Movement who worked alongside King was Bayard Rustin. Bayard Rustin has been credited with being one of the great organizers of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 and a strong advisor and supporter of King. Rustin was also a gay man who did not hide who he was from those he worked with, and King accepted Rustin as an equal partner in their efforts

to bring change to this country. Dr. King lived the words he spoke when he supported a gay man and worked closely with him to create the successful March on Washington. Rustin remained a close advisor, and the two also worked closely together on the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama in 1956. In Dr. King’s time, being a homosexual was a criminal offense, yet he was a visionary of how we all should treat each other. He did not judge Rustin or keep him out of the Civil Rights Movement like others tried to do. King often attempted to convince others to allow Rustin full participation in the movement. Few supported Dr. King in his efforts to make sure the Civil Rights Movement included all those who wanted to participate. Contemporary notions of sexuality

have moved well beyond the criminalization of sexual orientation, and Dr. King had moved beyond the narrow assumptions of his historical moment. He never distanced himself from Rustin. He treated Rustin as an equal and respected the organizational skills Rustin brought to the movement. The legacy Dr. King has left us is one of nonviolent, peaceful protest to ensure rights for all citizens and build coalitions with others to make this country a fully inclusive nation respectful of everyone. But the personal legacy he has left me is one in which a man judged individuals not by the orientation of their sexuality, but by the content of their character. Maria C. Gonzalez is an associate professor in the English department.

5 ! Friday, January 21, 2011

The Daily Cougar

sports

EDITORS John Brannen, Joshua Siegel E-MAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/sports

overtime

FILE PHOTO/THE DAILY COUGAR

FOOTBALL

Non-conference schedule announced; team adds four JUCO players In the first game of next season UH will get a chance to avenge the UCLA loss on Sept. 3 at Robertson Stadium. On Sept. 10 the team will travel to Denton to face off against North Texas. The Mean Green hold a 7-5 lead in games against UH. Ruston, Louis., will be the sight of the third game, when the Cougars play Louisiana Tech. The last game before conference action will be Sept. 24 when UH hosts Georgia State in the first meeting between the schools. With several seniors departing, the Cougars got some much-needed assistance in the secondary and on both lines. The Cougars signed three junior college players from Navarro Junior College – the 2010 NJCAA National Champions - and one from Blinn College. In eight games last season, Dominic Smith, a 6-3, 301-pound defensive lineman from Blinn, recorded 20 tackles. Smith attended high school at Alief Hastings. The three Navarro signees were Chevy Bennett, Daniel Campbell and D.J. Hayden. Bennett, a 6-1,185-pound defensive back, recorded 48 tackles last season, 44 of which were solo. Baylor, Kansas State and New Mexico were among the other suitors. Bennett is a Dallas native and went to Sachse High School. Campbell, a 6-5, 345-pound offensive lineman chose UH over Arizona, Arkansas and Kansas State. Campbell is an alumnus of Aldine High School. Hayden, a 5-11,175-pound, recorded 35 tackles and three interceptions – returning one for a touchdown – in 11 games. — Cougar Sports Services

TRACK & FIELD

UH bound for Nebraska The Cougars will compete in their third meet of the year Saturday, at the Nebraska Adidas Classic at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb. Unlike the flat track at Yeoman Field House, the team will be competing on a banked track, with a steeper curve. Other participating schools include Wichita State, Air Force, Missouri and the Alabama women’s team. — Cougar Sports Services

SWIMMING & DIVING

Squad gets double duty The endurance of the Cougars will be tested this weekend, as they will brave two meets in two days. Today at 5 p.m. UH will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in a dual meet in Fayetteville, Ark. Saturday, Arkansas-Little Rock will host UH. The meet is slated for an 11:30 a.m. start. — Cougar Sports Services

Senior guard Brittney Scott surpassed legend Chandi Jones, and became the all-time leader in 3-pointers at UH. She has some time to stretch her margin with 12 games remaining. Scott scored 11 points in the win. | File Photo/The Daily Cougar

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

UH rallies for fifth straight win Taylor, Scott enjoy recordsetting performances; team improves to 7-2 on road Joshua Siegel

THE DAILY COUGAR The Cougars picked up their fifth straight victory by a score of 74-65 over UAB and are off to their best start to open conference play since the 2004-05 season. In addition to the win, Brittney Scott and Courtney Taylor were both able to push themselves into the top spots in the UH career marks in three point field goals made and rebounds, respectively. Taylor gobbled up 14 boards to put her ahead of Vickey Finch. She also added 12 points for her 12th doubledouble of the season and 52nd of her career. With 12 regular season games remaining, Taylor — who already owns the UH all-time record for double-doubles — has a chance to break Sancho Lyttle’s singleseason mark of 22.

Scott passed Cougar great Chandi Jones by knocking down her first two three-point attempts, giving her 189 career 3-pointers. But she went on to miss her next six tries from deep. After falling behind by eight at the half, the Cougars reeled off 11 unanswered points to open the second half. The Cougars would never trail again after taking the lead with just under 14 minutes to play. Porsche Landry had another strong outing, scoring 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from deep. The win marks the seventh consecutive game in which Taylor and Landry have scored in double figures. Landry combined with Taylor and Lesslee Mason (13 points) to lead the Cougars second half surge that saw UH put up 45 points on the Blazers while only turning the ball over four times. Gritty defensive eff ort The Cougars were active on defense, forcing the Blazers into 18 turnovers for the game and converting those into 20 points. Taylor led the way with a team high three blocks and two steals. With

Tulane (15-3, 4-1 Conference USA) falling 86-91 to Southern Miss in overtime, the Cougars (14-4, 5-0) now sit atop the C-USA standings. The Cougars will look to stay undefeated when they face Memphis (14-5, 3-2) at noon on Sunday at Hofheinz Pavilion. Memphis is coming off of a 74-53 blowout win against UCF, snapping a two-game losing skid. The Tigers are led by top scoring juniors Brittany Carter and Jasmine Lee, who average 13.2 and 11.9 points a game respectively. sports@thedailycougar.com

AT A GLANCE SCOREBOARD

UAB ...................37 28 Houston .......... 29 45

65 74

KEY STAT

395

Attendance at Bartow Arena

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Cougars face Memphis (14-5, 3-2 C-USA) at noon Sunday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

ask the athletes What are your thoughts on NBA star Blake Griffin’s comeback?

He really came a long way. He came back quick off that knee injury, and came back as an explosive player. Alandise Harris

He is just an unbelievable talent. He definitely gives you a reason to watch ESPN. The only thing he can do is get better.

Wow, just wow. That’s all there is to explain. He’s so explosive. He’s like the human highlight reel, he’s been awesome.

#21 Freshman forward

Adam Brown

Darian Thibodeaux

He’s very good. He makes the fans pay more attention. He came back really fast off that injury, and is turning a lot of heads this season.

# 31 Senior guard

#11 Junior guard

Mikhail McLean #1 Freshman forward *Reporting done by Keith Cordero Jr.

6 ! Friday, January 21, 2011

NEWS

The Daily Cougar

STUDENTS

Center forms to provide focus on leadership programs, Greek life Van Truong

THE DAILY COUGAR The space labeled 52 University Center Underground was previously occupied by the Commuters’ Services office, and occupied by the old University Copy Center before that. Today, it houses the Center for Leadership and Fraternity & Sorority Life. CLFSL began working in its new space in August 2010, but to say it is a completely new organization is not exactly accurate. CLFSL was once a division of Campus Activities, but when that department became the Center for Student Involvement, it was decided that leadership programs and Greek life were in need of their own office. “It became really clear that our fraternity and sorority life here at the University of Houston would benefit from even more support and attention,” CSI Director Marcella Leung said. “Leadership fell into that same category.” As a result of the split, CLFSL took responsibility for leadership programs, service programs and the fraternity and sororities. The

Metropolitan Volunteer Program and Forensics Society also fell under the CLFSL umbrella. The goals of CLFSL are to provide an integrated leadership experience that includes educational programs aimed specifically at student leaders, and to also develop opportunities for student leadership through fraternity and sorority involvement. “We identified that our fraternity and sorority programs are growing a lot; it made sense to pull them out into their own office,” CLFSL Associate Director Jason Bergeron said. The center has taken this opportunity to provide more support and a better focus on the fraternities, sororities and leadership programs. “The office was really established to grow those [leadership] programs, so a lot of that is currently in development,” Bergeron said. “Some folks around the University are helping us roll out some programs within the next few years,” While CLFSL tackles its new mission, the Center for Student Involvement will continue to

supervise the major student organizations — a list of over 400 registered student organizations. It will also maintain and supervise Frontier Fiesta and the Student Programming Board. The major change for CSI was the larger focus on UH’s registered student organizations. “They have a lot of needs in terms of getting resources from the University, such as access to office space, event registration and services,” Leung said. “[It] gives us more opportunity to support student success and help the university reach its Tier One objective.” The change is not only in the new names for the two separate centers, but also, as Bergeron describes, the additional opportunities that are being provided to the larger community. “When we think long term, [the office] is really a central space for development of leaders who are really going to impact this community, impact their organizations, impact this city, impact the state and impact this world,” Bergeron said. news@thedailycougar.com

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TIER ONE continued from page 1

more good students.” Biology freshman Parsa Baktash agrees the designation will make UH more attractive to prospective students. “My friends that are in high school always brag and boast about UT and A&M, since they are Tier One schools, but never really talked about UH because it didn’t seem prestigious enough for them,” Baktash said. “But, with the recent news, I don’t think they will see it that way anymore.” Baktash thinks the designation will pave the way for even greater things in the future. “We are all a part of something big here, and we can graduate knowing our hard work gave us a degree from a Tier One institution,” Baktash said. “I already have a lot of pride for our school as it is, and this gives me even more of a reason to be proud.” UH alumni have also taken note of the announcement, expressing excitement and asking what can be done to

PROSTHETICS continued from page 1

“We have developed the Foresight technology in order to take a multidimensional view of the tissue surrounding the device,” Roysam said. “With this technology we will also look at the blood vessels and cells surrounding the device.” The next step for the team will be to take the research through careful statistical analysis. Following that, the

continue the momentum. “(The announcement) is an invigorating shot to the arm,” Mike Pede, president of the UH Alumni Association said. “Most thought it was going to take much longer.” The association has always been supportive of the administration’s goals, Pede said, and is looking towards full flagship status down the road. ”This is the first step on the road to Tier One, and there are a few more steps to take.” According to a UH news release, the Carnegie classification is “commonly regarded to be one of three indicators that reflect an institution’s rank as a Tier One institution.” In its next steps, UH is looking to the University’s ranking in the Top American Research University (TARU) report from the Center for Measuring University Performance. The final indication that UH has achieved full Tier One status will be membership into the Association of American Universities, which is by invitation only. news@thedailycougar.com

team will try to develop a “quantitative understanding of what is the exact conspiracy of factors that are most likely to cause device failure,” Roysam said. Roysam anticipates a number of breakthroughs at the end. “We hope these breakthroughs can be later translated into the design of the new generation of devices and making them (the prosthetics) last a lifetime,” Roysam said. news@thedailycougar.com

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Now Hiring College Sales Agents for goWiFi to sell wifi to local businesses. Earn up to $115 per sale in as little as 15 minutes and make your own hours. Seeking motivated students looking to build business skills, improve resume, and make money. No experience necessary. Contact info@goWiFi.com or visit www.gowifi.com for more information. THANKS for reading The Daily Cougar!

BUSINESS OFFICE

is currently looking for an enrolled UH student for part-time work for Spring 2011. Monday thru Friday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Will train. E-mail resume to business@ thedailycougar.com or come by to fill out an application at The Daily Cougar / Student Publications office in UC Satellite Room 7 (behind Starbucks)

Unit Marketing Director position open part-time, full time apply in person at Chick-fil-A at Northwest Crossing FSU 13240 Northwest Freeway Houston, TX 77040

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Friday, January 21, 2011 ! 7

COMICS & MORE

The Daily Cougar

comics

crossword

The Monkey Tune by Michael A. Kandalaft

The Fishbowl by Thomas Hernandez

sudoku How to play Each row must contain the

numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3-by-3 boxes must also contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Previous puzzle solved

ACROSS 1 Make tea 5 Canasta play 9 Were rivals 13 Prefix for dynamic 14 Math proposition 16 Busy loafing 17 Vegas alternative 18 Fast-growing vine 19 Toucan feature 20 Just scraped by 21 Urban peoplemovers 22 Unruffled 24 No future — — 26 Eastern Orthodox sanctuary 27 Admonition 30 Not suspicious 34 Paying attention 35 Baba au — 36 Jazzy Fitzgerald 37 Early evening 38 Reddish horses 39 Windsor’s prov. 40 Unisex wear 42 First cousin’s mom 43 Ms. Winfrey 45 Terminus 47 Funny feeling 48 Real estate 49 Arrogant person 50 Japanese theater 53 Nev. neighbor 54 — -a-brac 58 Microbiology gel 59 Quebec school 61 Pasternak woman 62 Ladder part 63 Ceremonies 64 Plenty, to a poet 65 Emit coherent light 66 Belief systems 67 Rackets DOWN 1 Expose or reveal 2 Smell awful 3 Ocean-going bird 4 More forested

21 24

9 15

48 51

61 64

Succeed (2 wds.) 6 Jump for joy 7 Ceilings 8 Egg qty. 9 Quiver 10 — fixe 11 Gusto 12 Hockey feint 15 Dinosaur sites 23 Printer’s measures 25 — “King” Cole 26 Full force 27 Immobile class 28 Sci-fi thriller 29 Baffled and peeved 30 Burma’s U — 31 Plant life 32 Radius neighbors 33 Grinding machine 35 Apple-shaped

38 Wetter 41 Spend like crazy 43 The Plastic — Band 44 Grainy, as leather 46 Acorn bearer 47 Proviso word 49 Oregon’s capital 50 Malden of “Patton” 51 Water, in Baja 52 Keeps off the air 53 Canvas beds 55 Hindu royalty 56 Hematite yield 57 Harsh cries 60 Twice LI

Previous puzzle solved R I F T A S K E D H E R A OD I E P E E V E E D E N ME D S P A N E L A G E D EMO T I ON S U A V E L Y I C I G A I WO O L E N S R E H E A T S A C H Y T O P I S S T EW L E A U R L A X E T A R E K NO L L WR A P S N E A K E D S O L O I S T R A E O A R U R C H I N S A S C E T I C H U L A E L A T E O A T H U S E R S A L ON F L E A H E F T TW I N S F E R N

We can’t hear you. Mostly because we’re a newspaper and we don’t have ears. But we would love to get your voice heard. Send us a guest column, around

400-600 words on a topic of

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your choosing, to opinion@ thedailycougar.com.

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8 ! Friday, January 21, 2011

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