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
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Cougars suffer losses on volleyball court ()(*+
UH wins award for creating Subsea Engineering Program Earlier this month, World Oil Magazine presented the Cullen College of Engineering, as well as FMC Technologies, with a 2011 World Oil Award. According to World Oil Magazine, the awards honor the industry’s leading innovators and innovations. This year’s award recognized the creation of the Subsea Engineering Program, which offers courses in deepwater oil and gas retrieval. The program opened in January 2011 and has admitted over 40 students. — Jennifer Postel
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Intelligence adviser to speak on future of war on terror In conjunction with the UH Law Center, the Houston Law Review’s 16th annual Frankel Lecture will feature Philip Zelikow, intelligence adviser for President Barack Obama and former head of the 9/11 commission. He will speak about the future of America’s war on terror at 8:30 a.m. on Friday at the downtown Doubletree Hotel. “The time is right to reflect on what has happened during the war on terrorism and where we go from here,” Zalikow said. Other speakers include law professors David Cole from Georgetown University, and Mark Danner from the University of California at Berkeley. UH international law professor Jordan Paust will moderate the event. Those who want to attend must register online at houstonlawreview. org. For more information, contact John Kling at 713-743-8298 orjtkling@central.uh.edu. — Zahra Ahmed
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Green UH celebrates campus sustainability milestones Wednesday, the University will be celebrating Green UH day in honor of campus green milestones and the campus’ distinction as the first university to have a solar array. The event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Butler Plaza and will feature a “Flip the Switch” ceremony to showcase the partnership with Green Mountain Energy. The event will display UH community green products and feature a trivia session and a scavenger hunt. Prizes will be given out to the winners. For more information, visit www. uh.edu/green. — Bryan Dupont Gray
‘Zombie Prom’ shambles into our hearts
November 1, 2011 Issue 41, Volume 77
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Student fee meetings begin Zahra Ahmed
THE DAILY COUGAR The Student Fees Advisory Committee, which recommends the amount and funding distribution of the student services fee, will have its first hearing for fiscal year 2013 at 8:30 a.m. today in the University Center’s Bluebonnet Room. Additional hearings will follow on Wednesday, Friday and Monday. Through the series of hearings this fall, each student-funded organization and department will present their funding requests to the SFAC,
after which the committee will decide on which requests to approve. The committee will also determine whether to maintain or change the student services fee for Fall 2012. The current student services fee is $190, a price that was chosen because of cuts in state funds and improvements made toward Tier One status. The SFAC consists of seven voting student representatives, two voting faculty members and a non-voting adviser that meet every semester. Five of the student representatives come from the Student Government Association. Each hearing has time allotted for public
comment. Students can voice their opinions through their student government representative or directly speak to the SFAC at the public forums. After the Monday hearing, the SFAC will have closed-door deliberations and will then present a finalization of recommendations to the president and vice president of student affairs. In the spring, the president and vice president for student affairs will present the finalization to the UH Board of Regents. After the Board’s approval, each unit’s funding requests will go into SFAC continues on page 6
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Houston history conference held at UH Event lectures celebrate ‘milestones and arrivals’ Estíbaliz García
THE DAILY COUGAR
Phi Delta Chi members pick up the trash on University grounds for their community service project. | Yulia Kutsenkova/The Daily Cougar
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Pharmacy fraternity cleans up campus litter Lindsey Falcon
THE DAILY COUGAR The College of Pharmacy gave back to the UH community Thursday when 56 of its Phi Delta Chi fraternity members set out to clean up the campus. Students met in front of the Science and Research Building 1, where they put on latex gloves, grabbed trash bags and spread out across campus to pick up trash in several organized groups from 4 to 5 p.m.
PDC members Marwan Ahmed and Trang Tran paused while determining their routes to discuss their motivations for helping. “We’re pledging for Phi Delta Chi,” said Ahmed. “PDC is all about service and giving back to the community, so cleaning up the campus is our method of helping out. “PDC is a pharmacy-based fraternity, and it’s a professional fraternity. One of our projects in the pledging process is to do a CLEAN UPcontinues on page 6
To commemorate Houston’s 175th anniversary, the Houston History Association hosted its first annual history conference, “Milestones and Arrivals,” Saturday at the Hilton University of Houston. The 7-hour conference was open to the public and featured former Houston Mayor Bill White as the keynote speaker during the event’s luncheon hour. White’s speech centered on the beginnings of the city and its founders, in particular the arrival of Jesse H Jones. During the event’s luncheon, White also presented the organization’s History Hero Award to Betty Trapp Chapman, a local historian, former teacher, and author of several books that document Houston’s history over the past 25 years. “My goal has always been to be an educator and to try to spread the spirit of Houston’s history everywhere we can,” Chapman said in her brief speech after recieving the award. The event also featured
Former Houston Mayor Bill White was the keynote speaker at the luncheon and presented writer Betty Trapp Chapman with the organization’s History Hero Award. | Brianna Leigh Morrison/The Daily Cougar lectures from some of Houston’s top researchers, educators and historians, including Rice University’s Stephen L. Klineberg, whose land survey research has tracked the city’s migratory and demographical changes for the past 29 years, UH professor of History and Business Joseph H. Pratt, and Bernadette Pruitt, a member of the History Department at Sam Houston State University and the first African-American woman to obtain a doctorate degree at UH. The HHA was created in 2005 as an effort to educate the public about the city’s past and diversity as well as to preserve its history through collaborations with local historical, archival and preservation organizations. William Kellar, who is on the HHA’s board of directors contributed in bringing the conference to the University of Houston. Kellar HISTORY continues on page 6
NEWS
2 Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Daily Cougar
Have information on these or other incidents of crime on campus? Call 713-743-0600
The following is a partial report of campus crime between Oct. 24 and Oct. 26. 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.
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Criminal Mischief – Oct. 24 11:28 a.m. – Lot 15 D — Someone damaged the door lock of a vehicle leased by the University of Houston while it was parked in lot 15 D during a football game. There are no suspects. The incident occurred between 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 22. The case is active. Theft – Oct. 24 4 p.m. – OB Residence Hall — A student reported that someone stole his unattended and unsecured cell phone while he was in the OB dining hall. There are no suspects. The incident occurred between 3:35 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 24. The case is active. Traffic Offense – Oct. 24 3:53 p.m. – Lot 8 A — A student reported that someone struck and damaged his vehicle while it was parked in lot 8 A. The striking driver failed to leave any information as required by Texas law. The incident occurred between 9:30 a.m. and 3:56 p.m. on Oct. 24. The case is active. Traffic Offense – Oct. 24 4:59 p.m. – East Parking Garage — A student reported that a driver damaged his vehicle while it was parked in the East Parking Garage. The striking driver did not leave information as required by Texas law. The incident occurred between 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Oct. 24. The case is active. Theft/Credit or Debit Card Abuse – Oct. 24 9:03 p.m. — A student reported that someone stole her unattended and unsecured wallet from the Wortham Theater and made several unauthorized charges on her credit card. There are no suspects. The incident occurred between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Oct. 24. The case is active. Theft – Oct. 25 1:14 p.m. – Fleming Bldg. — Someone reported that some equipment worth $3,500 was stolen from the Fleming building.
The incident occurred at 1:26 p.m. on Oct. 25. The case is active. Traffic Offense – Oct. 25 5:45 p.m. – Lot 16 C — A staff member reported that someone struck her unattended vehicle while it was parked in lot 16 C. The striking party failed to leave the required information. There are no suspects. The incident occurred between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Oct. 25. The case is active. Burglary of a Motor Vehicle – Oct. 25 7:14 p.m. — A student’s unattended vehicle was burglarized. There are no suspects. The incident occurred between 11:30 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 25. The case is active. Theft – Oct. 25 7:23 p.m. – M.D. Anderson Library — A student reported that someone stole his unsecured and unattended backpack from the lighted sculpture in front of the M.D. Anderson Library Honors College. A suspect was chased through the University Center. The incident occurred between 7:20 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. on Oct. 25. The case is active. Terroristic Threat – Oct. 26 4:47 p.m. – UC Underground — A staff member reported that someone in the UC Underground threatened members of the University of Houston administration and Student Government. The incident occurred between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Oct. 25. The case is active. Theft of Service – Oct. 26 6:13 p.m. – University Hilton Hotel Garage — University Hilton Hotel staff member reported that the driver of a vehicle exited the Hilton Hotel parking garage without paying. The incident occurred at 5:38 p.m. on Oct. 26. The case is active.
For the complete report and to view past reports, go to thedailycougar.com/news.
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ABOUT THE COUGAR The Daily Cougar is published Monday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and Wednesdays during the summer, at the University of Houston Printing Plant and online at http://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 Send 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.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 3
The Daily Cougar
EDITOR Mary Baak E-MAIL arts@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/arts
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Encouragement can be found in the stars this week
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‘Zombie Prom’ a toxic success School of Theatre & Dance brings the dancing dead to campus in musical production Mary Baak Allen Le
THE DAILY COUGAR
Scorpio: While the week gets off to a freaky start with the celebrations of Halloween and El Dia de los Muertos, your sun sign is playing host to Mercury and Venus, who would enjoy some time spent in sweet conversation.
Sarah Nielsen
Sagittarius: Everyone can take a page from your book this week. Feel free to express your individual gifts for imagination, dreamy adventurousness, and absolute abandon of concern when it comes to romance. Capricorn: With the moon and Pluto inhabiting your space this week, please consider renovating your emotional fortress and consider practicing communication of your feelings. Aquarius: Pisces’ ruling planet is in your sun sign for some time to come. This is an excellent period for considering how you’re fulfilling your personal emotional desires and romantic goals. Pisces: It might seem that emotional retrospection has been the order of every day for the last month or so, but this is a perfect opportunity to consider letting go of whatever weighs you down. Aries: With Uranus in your sign for the long-haul, now is a good time to activate your rebellion-driven spirit and participate in the change you want to see. Find your mission or you will self-destruct. Taurus: Jupiter resides in your sun sign at the moment. The big gassy planet has a storm on its surface three times the size of Earth. With that being said, consider opening your third eye to three times its normal size. Gemini: Let your wild side loose in a bit of fun with a Scorpio companion for right now. Your ruling sign is hanging out with the birthday kid right now, and it might be worthwhile to explore the shadows. Cancer: Crabs are very protective and walk sideways to get what they want. With nothing in your way astronomically at the moment, try walking directly towards your goal. Leo: With complementary Mars in your sign, take a page from the warrior’s guide to survival and follow your gut into the heat of things right now. Think before you act, but not too long. Opportunities are fleeting.
H
igh school sweethearts, poodle skirts, saddle shoes and nuclear zombies.
All of the above can be found in the Cullen Performance Hall in the School of Theatre & Dance’s production of “Zombie Prom”. Directed by UH alum Paul Hope, the musical was nothing short of an explosive success. Actors Melanie Ernestina, Philip Orazio, Jenna Simmons and took the leads as Mrs. Strict, Jonny Warner and Toffee respectively in an interesting turn on a classic love story. Set in the 1950s, things go awry for lovebirds Jonny and Toffee after her parents and Mrs. Strict persuade her to break up with her misunderstood boyfriend, whom they see as a rebel without a cause. In an act of misguided passion, Jonny turns to suicide and crashes his motorcycle into the nuclear power plant — and comes back as a nuclear zombie. Mayhem ensues after Jonny returns to his high school in search of his lady love, Toffee, with the hopes of winning back her heart and taking her to the prom. That is, of course, if he can get past the rules and regulations of an unwilling Mrs. Strict. Both Orazio and Simmons did a brilliant job in their performances as high school lovers, torn apart by peer pressure, an unwelcoming principal and, of course, death. As Mrs. Strict, Melanie Ernestina stayed true to her character’s totalitarian ruling style, but developed her character into a memorable, believable antagonist in the show. She kept energy levels high throughout the show with a voice that was full of soul — an aspect of the show that added a sassy appeal to her attitude-driven character. Halfway through the play, Andrew Garrett made his entrance as a hard-hitting journalist for Exposé magazine. Clad in a tweed suit with suspenders and a tie, Garrett brought to life Eddie Flagrante, the first character in the play to join Toffee in her defense of Jonny. He also added 1950s-style sultry humor to the production through
Philip Orazio stars as Jonny, the misunderstood high school senior who takes his life in a fit of passion and returns as a nuclear zombie in search of Toffee, his high school sweetheart, in “Zombie Prom”. The musical is being held in the Cullen Performance Hall through this weekend. | Johnny Peña/The Daily Cougar musical numbers with a voice heavy in bass — and a comb over to match. Also deserving credit is Christine Arnold, who took the stage as Candy. Full of energy, bright facial expressions and a voice straight from Broadway, Arnold was easily one of the most enjoyable cast members to see on stage. Choreographer Rob Flebbe had the characters using the whole stage for twirling, spinning and endless amounts of jazz hands. All cast members did an excellent job with stage movement — not a single beat was missed throughout the entire performance.
(-0&12)%!-'(3#$ Life is too short to be anything but happy.
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Libra: Don’t worry about the hard work you’re looking at every which way you turn. Keep a bright face and your positive attitude about you and the endeavors will pay off.
Pumpkin Pie As the weather cools, seasonal treats are a must. Here’s a simple pumpkin pie recipe for celebrations in the upcoming holiday season.
Ingredients for crust: 1/4 cup butter or margerine (softened) 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup chopped pecans
15 oz can of pumpkin 2 teaspoons oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 lemon rind, grated 1-1/2 cups of canned milk 2 well-beaten eggs
Beirut performs at Warehouse Live
Check it out @ thedailycougar.com
arts@thedailycougar.com
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Ingredients for filling:
Virgo: You might find yourself falling through a crack in the Earth and down into the lair of the dark lord. Don’t be afraid: it’s okay to enjoy the fruit of the season.
Costumes and lighting were both onpoint and true to the time period in which the musical is set. In all, the musical was nothing short of a delight to see. It was playful, innocent and is a humorous take on a high school love story and the nuclear scare of the 1950s. It is certainly a production that shouldn’t be missed. Remaining performances will be held on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call the box office at (713) 743-2929 or visit www. theatredance.uh.edu.
Instructions: Placing pie crust in pan and prepare brown sugar pecan layer by mixing together butter, brown sugar and chopped pecans. Spread on crust and bake for five minutes at 425 degrees. Mix filling ingredients together until well-blended and pour into prepared crusts. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Additional thoughts: Covering the edge of the crusts with foil for the last 10 minutes in the oven will prevent them from burning. This recipe fills either one extra large pie plate or two nine inch pie plates; fill to desired size.
Source: Daniel Renfrow
4 Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Daily Cougar
),(-()THE DAILY COUGAR EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITORS SPORTS EDITOR LIFE & ARTS EDITOR OPINION EDITOR COPY CHIEF
Jack Wehman John Brannen Taylor McGilvray, Julian Jimenez Joshua Siegel Mary Baak Daniel Renfrow Natasha Faircloth
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Switching conferences strictly a monetary matter
T
he University’s quest to join a more prestigious athletic conference may not be as simple as switching allegiances.
The passage to the Big East looks to be on hold or could not happen altogether. The UH Board of Regents granted Chancellor and President Renu Khator the privilege of negotiating with other conferences. This is just one small step in a complicated process. The issue of conference realignment is a delicate situation, and there are no guarantees. “There’s a lot of speculation out there,” UH Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said. “The BCS could continue as is, it could continue tweaked, with a different formula, or it could go away. I don’t think anybody out there has a great idea, a great feel and could definitively say, ‘Hey, the BCS after 2013 is going to be exactly like this.’ “The whole conference realignment landscape is fluid,” Rhoades said. “Things change every day. We’re fortunate, because our program has made great strides.” While UH is thinking over its invitation to the Big East, the Big 12 conference is busy plucking the best Big East universities. West Virginia is one of the more successful schools in the Big East, but it is set to leave for the Big 12 now. The subtraction of West Virginia makes the Big East less powerful and could make the conference lose its status as an Automatic Qualifier. Moving to another conference makes no sense unless there is an automatic bid to BCS bowl games. If the Big East ends up being the remnants of schools that ditched Conference USA, then UH is best suited staying in what will be a combination of C-USA and the Mountain West. The good news is the Cougars are ranked No. 13 in the BCS standings and No. 14 in the AP poll and USA Today/Coaches Poll. The Cougars can do an adequate enough job of representing the University in their cleats and uniforms. UH fans and supporters must do what they have been doing for more than a decade: Be patient. If football and other programs continue their success, more excitement is bound to come.
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.
EDITOR Daniel Renfrow E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/opinion
State-supported living centers are brutal
W
hile most state and local agencies in Texas struggle with severe budget cuts, one of the least effective and most poorly managed programs continues to rake in hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars with minimal oversight or accountability. Despite multiple recommendations for Marc their closure, Texas’ stateAnderson supported living centers benefit from an inexplicable level of funding that represents a sizeable portion of the estimated $27 billion budget shortfall for 2011. That a program with such a high cost to value ratio persists in such dire economic times calls into question state lawmakers’ commitment to fiscal austerity. But even more alarmingly, by sanctioning these living centers, they are failing to safeguard a vulnerable population from recognized physical abuse and neglect. As it stands, this nightmare of irresponsibility borders on the criminal, and any honest discourse reveals that there is little to justify the continued operation of these centers. Formerly known as state schools, Texas state-supported living centers are essentially government-run mental institutions. Comprised of a group of 13 facilities across the state, they are charged with housing and caring for roughly 4,200 individuals with profound intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, with many of the residents displaying behavioral issues that greatly complicate the situation. While at one time they were the only option for the severely
disabled, today these centers care for only a small fraction of the approximately 43,000 Texans with developmental disabilities who receive state-funded services. An ever-increasing number of SSLC-eligible residents are cared for by community based services that have proven to be more humane and cost efficient than the government run program. But the greater deterrent from using SSLCs arises from the multiple scandals that have plagued the institutions and left them with a reputation of being houses of sheer brutality. The litany of offenses is stomachturning. Residents have been lashed with belts, had their throats stepped on and have been physically restrained for hours on end. In 2002, a mentally disabled but otherwise healthy resident of a SSLC in Denton was beaten so severely that he was left using a wheelchair and unable to feed himself. Between 2004 and 2005, 17 residents died under suspicious circumstances at the location in Lubbock. In 2009, staff members at the Corpus Christi unit were caught on video forcing residents to fight one another as a sick form of entertainment. This offense brought about an investigation by the Justice Department that found the overall system so appalling that the state was ordered into a $112 million settlement and mandated to completely overhaul the SSLCs by 2014. So far, any changes have been few and far between. Even with the state pumping in over $500 million a year, SSLCs are routinely found implementing inhumane treatment against the disabled. Last year, instances of abuse and neglect
at the centers led to the firing of 375 staff members. Disgusted by what they observe, decent employees continue to quit at a prodigious rate. As yet another indication that reforms have been minimal, activists filed a lawsuit against state officials earlier this year that claims that SSLCs are violating the civil rights of their residents. Without question, the severely disabled are better served by community-based and privately run services. Instances of abuse at these facilities are negligible, and when they do occur, they are dealt with thoroughly and swiftly. Unsurprisingly, community based programs can accomplish this feat at a fraction of the cost that is spent running SSLCs. While the state facilities demand over $120,000 a year per resident, local services require only $50,000. And the SSLC costs are only expected to rise due to expensive building maintenance and renovations that are needed to comply with legal settlements. The closure of SSLCs should have been mandated years ago, and as long as they remain open, the safety and lives of the severely disabled are in dire risk. But if the welfare of the disabled does not move politicians to act, then perhaps financial matters will. Instead of the state throwing away its money on an abysmal and seemingly unredeemable state program, Texas should shift it resources towards funding proven and effective community-based services. Marc Anderson is a 3rd-year cell biology Ph.D. student and may be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com.
LGBT adoption bill would help children
O
n Friday, Sen. Kristin Gillibrand, D-NY, announced that she will introduce a new adoption discrimination bill called “The Every Child Deserves a Family Act.” If passed, the bill would prohibit adoption discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status. Emily According to Gillibrand, Brooks “by removing all barriers for LGBT families to serve as foster parents, New York State has increased its foster parent pool by 128,000 prospective parents. This legislation would open thousands of new foster and adoptive homes to children ensuring they are raised in loving families.” A version of the legislation was introduced in the House in May by Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., and has received bipartisan support. It is far past time for such legislation. It is well known that there are more children in the adoption and foster care system than adults to take care of them. The National Survey of Family Growth estimates that for each family seeking to adopt there are 3.3 children waiting to be adopted. This time last year there were over 400,000 children in the foster care system with 107,000 children awaiting adoption in the US. They will wait an average of 37 months before being
placed with adoptive parents. Despite the dearth of available placements, many US states still discriminate against prospective parents. Five US states outright prohibit same-sex adoption, and ambiguous laws in 28 other states facilitate discrimination against same-sex couples, unmarried couples and other potential adoptive homes. Detractors claim that being raised by same-sex parents will damage children psychologically or influence their sexuality later in life. But there is no evidence to justify denying these children loving homes. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, decades of research “shows that children with gay and lesbian parents do not differ from children with heterosexual parents in their emotional development or in their relationships with peers and adults.” Interestingly, the researchers found that the only additional challenge that these children faced was bullying and discrimination within their communities. Gillibrand’s bill coincides with the release of a new report from the Family Equality Council, Center for American Progress and others. The report, entitled “All Children Matter,” focuses on how discriminatory adoption laws and practices harm children. The report finds that indirect
+&""&*! Send yours to letters@thedailycougar.com Andrew Taylor was a wonderful young man, will be missed Thank you for the tribute you paid to Andrew Taylor in the October 31 issue. When I heard of Andrew’s death on
Sunday, I had to sit down and cry. He was a wonderful young man and a memorable student in my class in opinion writing at UH in the spring of 2009. He was not a journalism major, but somehow he found my class without the prerequisites and out-wrote everybody in
discrimination, such as restrictions on unmarried couples, prolongs the wait times for children to be placed in homes. The AACAP study found that the less time a child spends in the foster system, the better. Over 30 percent of children in the foster care system have severe emotional and psychiatric problems. Many of these children were removed from abusive situations. Children that grow out” of the adoption system without ever finding a home have higher rates of poverty, early parenthood and incarceration as adults. Gillibrand’s bill will hopefully allow such children to be placed in a loving and supportive environment. Ultimately, marital status, gender identity and sexuality are not determinants of one’s ability to be a good parent. Responsible adoption services conduct notoriously vigorous assessments to determine if an applicant will be a fit parent. The adoption system may not be perfect, but prohibiting discrimination can only help more children be placed more successfully and more quickly. If a couple wishes to provide a stable, loving home for a child that desperately needs one, why should their gender or orientation matter? Emily Brooks is an economics senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.
it. He was warm, funny and down-to-earth. He was going places. What a great guy. What a terrible loss to us all. — Michael Berryhill Associate Professor of Journalism Texas Southern University
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 5
The Daily Cougar
EDITOR Joshua Siegel E-MAIL sports@thedailycougar.com ONLINE thedailycougar.com/sports
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Cougars drop two on the road Miners and Knights get the best of UH
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C-USA Volleyball CONF.
Ricardo Rivera
THE DAILY COUGAR If there is one thing that has kept the Cougars out of first place this season, it has not been an X’s and O’s issue. After entering the weekend one game out of first, UH (9-4, 16-7 C-USA) fell in back-to-back matches against Central Florida (12-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-15, 5-15) and UTEP (25-23, 20-25, 25-21, 16-25, 13-15) to break their six-match win streak. “I think they’re very clear — with the amount of talent, and as well as we’ve played — a couple of shoulders-and-up losses,” head coach Molly Alvey said. “There were times that we played really great volleyball, and that’s a hard thing to rationalize for the team. “It’s really difficult to pinpoint anything, because when it becomes a mental problem everything shuts down.” With the loss to Central Florida behind them, the Cougars opened up Sunday’s contest against UTEP in strong fashion. UH controlled the pace throughout the first set, racing to a 14-10 advantage on the hitting of junior Katie Norris. After a UTEP timeout briefly steadied the Miners, the Cougars eventually closed the set out on a Norris kill to draw first blood, 25-23. The lead, however, proved a brief advantage for the Cougars. The Miners offense burst the momentum of UH to start the second, as hitters Jeane Horton and Xitlali Herrera helped UTEP reel off a 5-1 scoring
OVERALL
Team
W
L
W
L
Tulsa Houston UAB Rice UCF UTEP SMU Southern Miss Marshall Memphis Tulane East Carolina
12 9 8 8 7 7 7 6 6 4 4 0
1 4 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 9 9 13
21 16 18 13 15 17 11 12 7 15 9 2
5 7 7 11 9 9 14 13 16 11 15 20
Standings accurate as of Oct. 30.
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Marshall
7 p.m. Nov. 4 & 5
SMU
7 p.m. Nov. 11
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Kills: Despite the efforts of middle blockers Chandace Tryon and Lucy Charuk, 14 and 13 kills, respectively, the Cougars fell to UTEP in five sets after losing to Central Florida in five sets to snap their six-match win streak. | Catherine Lara/The Daily Cougar drive. Horton and Herrera both finished the night with career-highs in kills with 25 and 20, respectively. With the second set in the books to UTEP, 25-20, the in-state opponents traded the third and forth to force a final and deciding fifth set. “We won sets on Sunday stepping into some great roles, but our ability to close out matches did not come through,” said Alvey. As in the match as a whole, the
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fifth set was a game of momentum swings. UTEP powered to a 10-4 lead to close within points of capturing the home victory against the favored Cougars. Led by juniors Chandace Tryon and Norris, the Cougars fought back to inch within a point of tying UTEP at 12-13, but the Miners had no intention of loosening their grip. Down match point, UH struggled to keep the pace on their terms, and allowed UTEP’s passing to produce
a Herrera kill to steal the match and UH’s six-game winning streak. “I think for this team, regardless of how it happens, losses are tougher to handle because they’re used to winning. When you’re used to winning, it’s what you expect every time,” Alvey said. “We need to get back to that mentality at practice. Everybody needs to expect to win.” sports@thedailycougar.com
279 Caitlin 968 OGLETREE Lucy CHARUK
(Ranks 10th in C-USA)
Assists:
(Ranks 4th in C-USA)
Hitting %:
Lucy CHARUK Digs
Natalie KECK
.404
(Ranks 1st in C-USA)
381
(Ranks 9th in C-USA)
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Top-five weekend for Cougars in two sports
Cougars move up after second day at Royal Oaks On the strength of a second-round 64 from junior James Ross, the Cougars ended play in eighth place in the 14-team field at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate. Ross is currently tied for second individually heading into the final round of play today. He notched eight bogeys in his superb second round. The other schools competing include co-hosts Baylor and SMU, Texas A&M, Duke, Augusta State, Oklahoma, Tulsa, New Mexico, Lamar, Iowa, Notre Dame, Missouri and Army. The third and final round of play tees off today at 8:30 a.m. — Joshua Siegel
Cougar Sports Service
Bryn Flanagan is currently tied for 45th individually at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
Rk
Golfer
Rd 1
Rd 2
Tot
Score
T2
James Ross
71
64
135
-7
T43
Curtis Reed
73
72
145
+3
T45
Bryn Flanagan
73
73
146
+4
T50
Roman Robledo
75
72
147
+5
T71
Jesse Droemer
78
74
152
+10
The Cougars finished fifth in their first outdoor meet of the fall at the Rice-Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Medical Center Fall Invitational. Junior Reka Kovacs stood out for UH, finishing in the top 10 in four events — 400 IM, 200 IM, 100 Breastroke and the 200 Breaststroke. Senior Kim Eason finished eighth in the 50 Free and 10th in the 100 and 200 Free. Julia Lonnegren again led the divers with a second-place finish in the 1M and finished 10th in the 3M. The Cougars’ next competition will be on campus on Nov. 17-19 at the Campus Recreation & Wellness
Following a loss to Miami at home, the Cougars finished fifth at the Rice Invitational over the weekend. The Cougars will next compete Nov. 17-19. | Joseph Lefler/The Daily Cougar Center for the Cougar Classic Invitational. Men’s team finishes third at Conference USA Championships For just the second time since joining Conference USA, UH recorded a top-three finish at the C-USA Championships. Senior Wesley Ruttoh led the Cougars with a 23:55 time, good for third place individually. Freshman Yonas Tesfai followed him for UH in eighth place with a
time of 24:11. Junior David Smith finished 16th overall with a 24:47 mark. Ruttoh was named Senior of the Meet and was named to the All-CUSA First Team. Tesfai was named Freshman of the meet and earned C-USA Second Team honors. Smith was named to the C-USA Third Team. sports@thedailycougar.com
NEWS
6 Tuesday, November 1, 2011
CLEAN UP continued from page 1
service event, so we decided to help clean up our campus because we want it to look nice and to keep it tidy,” said Tran. According to The American Pharmacists Association, October is American Pharmacists Month, which calls for a time to recognize pharmacists’ contributions and to educate the public and other healthcare professionals about the role of pharmacists. Part of being a Tier One University is taking note of such occasions and being involved in giving back, said Daniel Nguyen, a PDC member. “We are trying to represent what
a Tier One student should be like. We are graduate students so we want to show that we like UH,” said Nguyen. “We do a lot of service and usually go off campus, but this is one thing where we are actually on campus giving back to our own school.” Pharmacy student and Vice President of PDC Thuy Vo organized the cleanup event in honor of Pharmacists Month and to let students know that The College of Pharmacy exists. “We all had on maroon shirts. People kept coming up and asking us what we were doing; I think it was a good way of spreading the message,” said Vo. “I don’t know if there’s still going to be a ban on smoking on campus, but we picked up a lot
The Daily Cougar
of cigarette butts.” While other fraternities from The College of Pharmacy are aimed at accomplishing a variety of things, PDC member Nancy Johnson sees her fraternity as one with a specific goal in mind. “Each of the fraternities from pharmacy stand for one thing, and we are known for our service. We are even active with St. Jude,” said Johnson. “All of the fraternities do good things, but we are just trying to give back,” said Nguyen. “I don’t think you usually see graduate students get out, because we are usually studying, but we want to show that we do get out.” news@thedailycougar.com
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continued from page 1
effect next fall in September 2012, the beginning of fiscal year 2013. Each fiscal year lasts for the duration of one academic year. Organizations funded through student fee include the Dean of Students Office, the University Center, Frontier Fiesta, the New UC Project and the Vice President of Student Affairs Office, as well as the Student Publication Committee, which heads The Daily Cougar.
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HISTORY continued from page 1
received his bachelors, master’s and doctoral degrees at UH and is a life member of the Alumni organization. Involved with the University for more than 30 years, Kellar said it was important for the school to be distinguished and to take part of
news@thedailycougar.com
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HHA’s first conference. “I’m proud how the University is moving forward (with) its Tier One status and reconstruction. I wanted to highlight the University,” Kellar said. The HHA will have its second conference on June 2 and will focus on the buildings and infrastructure of Houston. news@thedailycougar.com
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COMICS & MORE
The Daily Cougar
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 7
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Must Be Something in the Water by Brandon Alexander
ACROSS 1 Hannibal crossed them 5 Pauley Pavilion school 9 Howling scavenger 14 “In ___ of flowers ...” 15 Coward of England 16 Casaba, e.g. 17 Apparel 18 Certain instrumentalist 20 ___ de Triomphe 21 “Jelly Roll” of jazz 22 Last of 26 23 Considers, as a judge 25 Some literary pieces 28 Iridescent 30 At times, it’s a stretch 31 Arrest, in slang 32 Circle segments 36 RN’s specialty 37 California prison city 40 “Don’t make me laugh!” 41 Range 43 Somber 45 Crooned 46 Implored 48 Tropical fruit 51 Dirge’s tempo 52 Maugham’s “Cakes and ___” 53 Leg bones 56 “And the earth ___ without form” 59 Breakfast possibility 62 With adroitness 63 Macbeth’s honorific 64 Pearl Harbor locale 65 Hired thug 66 Stuff below a sneezeguard 67 Pear-shaped instrument 68 Golden parachute beneficiary
The Fishbowl by Thomas Hernandez
$)&#*) 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
DOWN 1 Aquarium organism 2 “Pants on fire” person 3 Possibly 4 Undersea prowler, briefly 5 Awaiting delivery, in a way 6 Sandpaper choice 7 “___ we forget” 8 Likewise 9 Patient care grp. 10 Tokyo tender 11 Miss Doolittle 12 Offensively curious 13 Chips in at the start
© 2011 UNIVERSAL UCLICK WWW.UPUZZLES.COM
19 New York silver center 21 Chief support 24 Actor Wallach 26 Small bits 27 Old French coin 28 Table scraps 29 Orange juice component 30 Young fellow 32 Dream-period acronym 33 Fight the imaginary? 34 Roof edge 35 Hose or hoes’ place 38 Showy 39 Tote with effort 42 Govt. headed by Jefferson Davis 44 One living in a dump 46 Sad state of affairs 47 Word with “little” or “major” 48 Treaties 49 Island welcome 50 Brake part 54 Worshipped one 55 Steady 57 Gel used in cosmetics 58 Out of ___ (not
agreeing) 60 Cell occupant? 61 Conducted 62 Birthday topic
Previous puzzle solved
RECREPORT 27
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8 Tuesday, November 1, 2011
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