life+arts
Photos explore the modern family
Tennis team starts C-USA tournament
sports
t h e o f f i c i a l s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e r o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f h o u s to n s i n c e 1 9 3 4
THE DAILY COUGAR thedailycougar.com
@thedailycougar
newsline CAMPUS
Annual march encourages women to feel comfortable walking on campus at night April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the Women’s Resource Center will be hosting their second annual event, “Take Back the Night.” The march brings light to the hidden sexual assault injustices which are overlooked in many cases. “We have had the march on campus for at least the last five years,” said Beverly McPhail, director of the Women’s Resource Center. “Research shows that between one in four or one in five young women are sexually assaulted during their college years. So, we hold the ‘Take Back the Night’ March to bring awareness to this serious issue.” The title of the march, “Take Back the Night,” was not given haphazardly, but named with a purpose. “The march across campus is to ‘take back the night’ in a symbolic way to show that women should feel free to walk across campus anytime of the night or day and feel safe,” said McPhail. “After the march, we will hold a candlelight vigil for women who did not survive their sexual assault.” The march will be held today at 5 p.m. at Lynn Eusan Park (the lawn in front of the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library). Free t-shirts will be given out to the first hundred participants. “Men are welcome to join us as they make valuable allies in the movement against violence against women,” said McPhail. — Jasmine Umenyi/The Daily Cougar
Report errors to editor@thedailycougar.com. Corrections will appear in this space as needed.
90 LO 72 HI
Morning clouds, toasty afternoon....
THU
88/72 /
FRI
88/71 88/ /
®
April 20, 2011 Read. Recycle. Repeat daily.
UH shafted from funding Permanent University Fund to serve UT and A&M while UH misses out Nick Ragan
THE DAILY COUGAR The draft budget that passed in the Texas House will dramatically reduce state funding for higher education, reducing the UH System’s budget while other universities are funded by other state programs. Though massive cuts to funding for higher education are expected statewide, the University of Texas and Texas A&M
systems will continue to receive exclusive access to funding from the Permanent University Fund (PUF). The bill is being revised in the Texas Senate, and the debate is expected to force a special summer session, meaning a decision may not be made until as late as mid-August. “Historically, there’s been a funding discrepancy between UH, UT and A&M,” said Maria González, associate professor and director of Upper Division Studies in the Department of English. “UT gets historically $100 million more than we do, and A&M gets $75 million more than we do because of a specific fund,” González said.
All public higher education institutions in Texas, except community colleges and the Texas A&M School of Dentistry, receive funding from either the PUF or the Higher Education Assistance Fund (HEAF). Distributions of the PUF funds are deposited into the Available University Fund, two-thirds of which are appropriated to the UT system with the rest going to the A&M system. The PUF provides support to 21 institutions that make up most of the UT and A&M systems. All other eligible institutions receive benefits from HEAF. These funds are FUNDING continues on page 3
STUDENTS
Resource raises gambling awareness Two-thirds of college students affected by gambling Misti Mynhier
THE DAILY COUGAR
CORRECTIONS
today
Sign up for daily e-mail alerts
Wednesday
FUNDING
Got news? E-mail news@thedailycougar.com or call 713-743-5314
J
facebook.com/thedailycougar
Issue 135 , Volume 76
SAT SA
SUN SU UN
87/71 87/ /71
87/72 87/ 87 /72
EVENTS BEST LUNCH ON CAMPUS Shasta’s Culinary Workshop in room 113 of the Cameron Bldg. is preparing a delicious menu for today. A variety of pizzas along with a salad and cookie or cream cheescake is being offered for $7. Percussion Ensemble II The Moores School of Music is presenting the ensemble from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Moores Opera House. Tickets cost $15, $10 for students.
FOR MORE EVENTS, CHECK OUT thedailycougar.com/calendar
The National Center for Responsible Gaming has launched a website, www.CollegeGambling.org, to help address issues surrounding gambling and gambling-related harms among college students and universities nationwide. According to the NCRG, 75 percent of college students gambled during the past year, whether legally or illegally, on or off campus alike; it is a growing concern. CollegeGambling.org helps bring together the latest research to educate students on responsible gambling practices and provide awareness of this resource to help schools and their students address this important issue in the way that best fits each school’s needs. “CollegeGambling.org appears to be a beneficial resource for college campuses, college health professionals, students and parents,” said Kay Brumbaugh and Christine Henry from Counseling and Psychological Services at UH in an email interview. “It may provide a safe start for students who are questioning their current gambling patterns and would GAMBLING continues on page 10
Students raised money for Japanese relief efforts by playing dodgeball at an event hosted by the Student Program Board. | Marie Munoz/The Daily Cougar
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Dodging balls for Japan relief Students donate clothing and household utensils for charity Julian Jimenez
THE DAILY COUGAR Since the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, UH students have been organizing fundraisers and food and supply drives to help with relief efforts. The Student Program Board held the Dodgeball for Japan relief drive on Monday at the MAC Room of the Wellness and Recreation Center. Participants who brought donations such as clothing, utensils and other household goods had the opportunity to play a game of dodgeball. Robert Garcia, computer science freshman and the head of the SPB trips and tournaments committee, organized the game. Garcia said the event’s humanitarian goals
were an important reason for its inception. “The disaster happened, and we tried to think of ways we could help out. So we thought of dodgeball. It’s an active sport, and it builds camaraderie and community, and we come closer as a University,” Garcia said. “The disaster left nearly 2 million people homeless. We have to do our part to help out.” Just weeks after the tsunami, #TweetDrive4Japan, a national fundraising effort through Twitter inspired UH students Raquel Gonzalez and Aysha Soomro to organize the Houston arm of the effort, which took place March 30. The two students spent four days setting up the logistics of the event, which benefited the disaster relief efforts of Save the Children. “Japan was hit by one of the largest earthquakes to date, and seeing the devastation it caused so many people, many of DODGEBALL continues on page 3