Volume 78, Issue 41

T H E O F F I C I A L S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F H O U S T O N S I N C E 1 9 3 4T H E O F F I C I A L S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F H O U S T O N S I N C E 1 9 3 4

THE DAILY COUGAR

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SFAC hearings have ended. What should you expect?

Check out our Election Day spread on pages 6 and 7.

It’s Election Day.

Time to hit the polls.

COUNTDOWN

TOMORROW

INSIDE

Partisanship needs to go

OPINION

Hip-hop gets political

LIFE+ARTS

Team moves for court changes

SPORTS

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 // Issue 41, Volume 78 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

President Khator tours Cougar Woods

Monday, President Khator toured

the new dining hall by the Quadrangle, Cougar Woods.

The new dining hall opened early this

semester and is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Fri-day. — Ellen Goodacre/The Daily

Cougar

SFAC ends with requests for increased fundingPaulina Rojas, Amy CarlContributing writers

Expansions for two of the three organizations that presented for the Student Fees Advisory Committee on Monday have caused each to request additional funding from the student body.

The Center for Students with Disabilities requested a base

augmentation of $431,306 and $5,906 in one-time funding.

CSD has experienced a 5 percent overall increase in the number of students that rely on its services, CSD said during the presentation. It requested funds to hire a new coun-selor. The position has remained vacant due to a change in hiring poli-cies and above-average workloads.

“This has been the busiest

semester I’ve ever seen,” said Cheryl Amoruso, director of CSD.

Despite the increased demand for services, students rarely wait more than a few days to meet with a counselor. CSD predicts the number of students receiving its services will increase by 8 percent over the follow-ing year, Amoruso said.

Intercollegiate Athletics asked for a base of $4,407,707, with no

augmentation.Mack Rhoades, vice president for

Intercollegiate Athletics, stressed his his commitment to maintaining a partnership with students as stadium construction begins and games move off-campus.

“We want to make it as convenient as we possibly can for our students,”

SFAC continues on page 3

ORGANIZATIONS

Election Day arrives, students weigh in on presidential race

Channler HillAssistant managing editor

Today, President Barack Obama and Republican nominee and former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney will see the effects of months of campaigning as voters cast their ballots.

For many students, trying to decide between the two candidates has not been easy. Public relations senior Allison Monroe participated in early voting and voted for Obama and Vice President Joe Biden because she felt uninformed about Romney’s plans to reduce the national defi cit, cut spending and his view on select

The two front runners in the 2012 Presidential Election are former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney (left) and President Barack Obama (left). They represent the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively. | Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons 2012 continues on page 3

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2 \\ Tuesday, November 6, 2012 The Daily Cougar

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CRIME REPORTCriminal Trespass – At 7:07

p.m. 10/29/12 at Calhoun Lofts, a UH visitor was arrested for criminal trespass and released to Harris County jail. The case is cleared by arrest.

Theft – At 7:13 p.m. 10/29/12 at Cullen Oaks Parking Lot, a UH student reported someone stole his unattended/secured motorcycle. The incident occurred between 12:01 a.m. 10/25/12 and 7:13 p.m.10/28/12. The case is active.

Theft – At 2:11 p.m. on 10/30/12 at Cougar Village, a UH student reported the theft of an unsecured/unattended laptop computer. The case is active.

Theft – At 2:13 p.m. 10/30/12 at the University Center, a UH staff member reported that a woman stole two books from the bookstore. The case is active.

Criminal Mischief – At 4:36 p.m. 10/30/12 at Lot 4A, a UH student reported that someone purposely damaged his unat-tended vehicle. The incident occurred between 8:30 p.m. 10/29/12 and 4:00 p.m. 10/30/12. The case is active.

Burglary of a Building or Habi-tation – At 8:17 p.m. 10/30/12 at Calhoun Lofts, a UH student reported someone made entry into his dorm room while he was at home. The suspect saw the room was occupied and ran away. The case is active.

Robbery – At 9:20 p.m. 10/30/12 at Lot 16D, a UH stu-dent reported he was struck on the back of the head with an open hand and robbed of his cell phone. The case is active.

Theft – At 12:28 p.m Wednes-day at the South Park Annex, a UH staff member reported the theft of an unattended/unse-cured UH-owned steel I-beam. The incident occurred between

12:00 p.m. 10/24/12 and 8:00 a.m. Tuesday. The case is active.

Theft – At 2:06 p.m. Wednes-day at the Moore’s School of Music, a UH student reported the theft of her unattended/unsecured laptop computer. The incident occurred between 11:00 p.m. Tuesday and 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. The case is active.

Theft – At 3:15 p.m. Wednes-day at Agnes Arnold Auditorium, a UH student reported that some-one stole his laptop computer from his unattended/unsecured backpack. The case is inactive.

Bomb Threat – At 5:34 p.m. at UH Sugarland in Brazos Hall, a UH Sugar Land staff member reported that someone called in a bomb threat at the Sugar Land campus. A check of all buildings on the campus revealed no bomb. The case is inactive.

Burglary of a Building or Habita-tion/Credit or Debit Card Abuse – At 11:51 p.m. Wednesday at Cougar Village, a UH student reported her unattended/unsecured wallet stolen and multiple unauthorized credit transactions made. The case is active.

Criminal Mischief – At 5:17 p.m. Thursday at the Bayou Oaks Apartments, a UH student’s secured/unattended vehicle was damaged. The case is active.

Assault, on Public Servant – At 12:38 a.m. Friday at Bayou Oaks Apartment, a UH visitor was stopped for suspicion of being a minor in possession of alcohol. The visitor attempted to fl ee by assaulting a police officer. The visitor was arrested for assault, on public servant and released to Harris County Jail. The case is cleared by arrest.

Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor – At 1:01 a.m. Friday at Bayou Oaks Apartments, a UH student was issued a Harris

County citation and a student life referral for consumption of alcohol by minor and released. The case is cleared by citation.

Theft – At 10:17 a.m. Friday at the Cullen Oaks Apartments, a UH student reported that some-one stole her unattended/unse-cured cellular phone. The case is active.

Theft – At 12:49 p.m. Friday at M.D. Anderson Library, a UH student reported the theft of his unattended/unsecured laptop. The case is active.

Theft – At 1:48 p.m. on Friday Lot 16B, a UH visitor reported the theft of his secured/unattended vehicle. An investigation showed the vehicle had been repos-sessed. The case is unfounded.

Criminal Mischief – At 4:23 p.m. Friday at the Bayou Oaks Apartments, a UH student reported that someone dam-aged the door to his residence. The incident occurred between 7:15 p.m. Thursday and 3:00 a.m. Friday. The case is active.

Theft – At 12:28 a.m. on Sunday at Calhoun Lofts, a UH student reported the theft of his unattended/unsecured cell phone. The case is active.

Consumption of Alcohol by Minor/Public Intoxication – At 12:25 a.m. Sunday at Bayou Oaks Apartments, a UH student was issued a Harris County citation for consumption of alcohol by minor, issued a Student Life referral, and released to a responsible adult. The case is cleared by citation.

Burglary of a Building or Habi-tation – At 7:39 p.m. Sunday at Cougar Village, a UH student reported that someone burglar-ized his unattended/unsecured dorm room. The incident occurred between 4:30 p.m. Friday and 6:40 p.m. Sunday. The case is active.

This is only a partial crime report. Please go to www.uh.edu/police/

dcb.html for a complete record.

Deadline for fall 2013 admission is February 15, 2013

SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE OF LAW/ HOUSTON713- 646-1810 www.stcl.edu

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Judge for YourselfMaking the decision to attend law school is huge. You feel confident and comfortable with the right choice. Our program offers:

We rest our case.

The Daily Cougar Tuesday, November 6, 2012 // 3

NEWS EDITOR Julie Heffl er

EMAIL [email protected]

ONLINE thedailycougar.com/news

citizens, she said.“Some of the comments he

made about portions of the Ameri-can people just don’t sit well with me,” Monroe said. “I don’t want the leader of my country saying it’s not his responsibility to worry about a specifi c group of people.”

Still, Monroe is not sure whether her views of Romney echo those held by other voters.

“I’m honestly not sure who’s going to win. It’s like every day since the last debate, President Obama and Mitt Romney switch leads in the polls, so I guess I’ll just have to

wait until (this evening) to fi nd out,” Monroe said.

“As far as the debates, I feel like President Obama did a better job overall. He seemed a little off on the first debate, but what many people fail to realize is Mitt Romney had been debating all summer and even earlier in the year to earn the Republican presidential nomination; President Obama hadn’t debated in years, so he probably just needed a chance to get back into the swing of things.”

Of the 538 electoral votes, candi-dates need 270 to win the election. According to a CNN.com electoral map, Obama leads with 237 pre-sumed electoral votes, while Romney trails with 206 votes. New Hampshire,

Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada are cur-rently listed as toss-up states on the map, leaving 95 votes unaccounted for.

Management information sys-tems senior Malik Osei-Frimpong is also supporting the president.

“First off, I believe that Barack Obama will win the election. Although many people suspect that Obama only added to the problems initiated when Bush was president, this is not the case,” Osei-Frimpong said.

“He may not have completed all of the tasks he promised us he would, but how can you expect him (in one term) to reconstruct the economy it took the previous president’s two

terms to screw up,” Osei-Frimpong said. “During the various presidential debates, it seemed as though Obama took more initiative to address cur-rent problems and how he would fi x them, versus Romney spending the majority of his debate time to bash

Obama’s credentials. This is why I believe he will remain president.”

For information on voting centers in Houston please visit www.harris-votes.org.

[email protected]

2012 continued from page 1

Jill Stein (far left), Rocky Anderson (left), Virgil Goode (right), and Gary Johnson (far right) are also running for president. | Photo courtesy of Wikimedia commons

Rhodes said.Rhoades also praised UH’s stu-

dent athletes for their academic performance. The cumulative GPA of student-athletes is the highest ever, as is the number of hours passed per term.

“One of the things we’re most proud of is the type of student ath-letes we have,” Rhoades said.

Intercollegiate Athletics is look-ing into providing free parking and shuttle services for students who wish to attend off-campus games.

After Intercollegiate Athletics requested the same amount for this fiscal year, it received about $4,639,000, said TJ Meagher, associate athletics director for Internal Opera-tions. He expects the same amount will be given to it for FY14.

The Division of Student Affairs requested a base of $533,746 and an augmentation of $330,195.

Richard Walker, Vice President for Student Affairs, stressed the impor-tance and benefi ts of having a direc-tor of Assessment and Planning.

The offi ce recently hired a market-ing and communications manager, and $52,000 was requested to pay his salary. The offi ce still needs to hire a director of Assessment and Planning. Walker requested $75,000 to pay this salary.

“One thing that we are trying to focus on is assessing our retention and graduation rates and how we can increase them. Having this position will help us demonstrate how we are improving,” Walker said.

This concludes the SFAC hearings. The fi rst deliberations will take place Wednesday.

[email protected]

SFAC continued from page 1


WANG continues on page 5

ELECTION DAY

OPINION EDITOR Lucas Sepulveda


ONLINE thedailycougar.com/opinion

STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial refl ects the opinions of The Daily Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons refl ect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily refl ect 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 affi liation with the University, including classifi cation and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to [email protected]; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing.

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 affi liation with the University, including classifi cation and major. Commentary should be limited to 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies, but rather should present independent points of view. Deliver submissions to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to [email protected]; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily refl ect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole.

THE DAILY COUGARE D I T O R I A L B OA R D

EDITOR IN CHIEF Joshua MannMANAGING EDITOR Amanda HilowASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR Channler HillNEWS EDITOR Julie Heffl erSPORTS EDITOR Andrew PateLIFE & ARTS EDITOR Allen LeOPINION EDITOR Lucas Sepulveda

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Bryan Dupont-Gray, Ellen Goodacre,Christopher Shelton

Next president needs to end problematic partisanshipJames WangStaff columnist

Today, change must come. This is not an endorse-ment for either candidate,

it’s about the way things are done on Capitol Hill.

The last four years have been a disappointment for the Ameri-can people. Forget economic recovery or President Barack Obama’s policy decisions, the display of partisanship on both sides of the aisle is sickening

and will be the harbinger to the country’s early ruin.

The victor of the presidential election has only two responsi-bilities for the next four years. First, fix the economy. The hiring rate has reportedly gone up, but so has the unemployment rate. It doesn’t matter what numbers, charts or any media source says, if people feel the economy’s bad, then it is. The president will have to answer for it and push a solu-tion through, or at the least make people feel like something’s

happening.Whoever wins the election

also needs to make sure, at least for the next four years, these political wars stop. This nation is not only broke, it is divided almost right down the middle and neither side is looking for a compromise. The politicians haven’t helped, nor has the media.

Unfortunately, two of the culprits are up for election today. Republican nominee Mitt Romney spent the entire

Republican primary making crazy people look sane and won his nomination on the strength of fringe groups leaking into the GOP. So many protestors have been shown on MSNBC touting racist and provocative signs that people have forgotten what the original stereotype of the con-servative Republican voter had been: a blue-collar worker who spends his money on beer and his Sundays at church.

Obama isn’t free from blame either, and out of the two, has

insulted Texans personally. The U.S. Capitol getting a shuttle is perfectly fair and natural. Hous-ton getting snubbed for a shuttle by New York and California is a step over the line, but because of the way modern politics play out, it’s a natural step. Texas will not, under any circumstances, be going blue for Obama today, nor did anyone think it would during the campaign. Of course two of the most liberal, blue

Felipe Campos | The Daily Cougar


Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Mónica RojasStaff columnist

Chocolate and bacon are great things, just not together — much like

religion and politics.Politics and religion can guide

lives. They confl ict with one another so much that mixing them is deadly.

The First Amendment reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of reli-gion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” There is a good reason why the framers of the U.S. Constitution included the separation of church and state in the First Amendment: to protect the rights of everyone without the infringement of one religion in favor of another.

Take a look at countries whose politics are directly a result of a religious view. There, it is illegal to believe differently, which was one of the prominent reasons for the

establishment of the U.S. Entwining religion with politics would be a return of the ideals the founding fathers were against.

Mixing religion with politics inhibits fairness. Often, topics that are seen as the most controversial, like gay marriage, are because of religion.

The main argument against gay marriage is it is wrong according to the Bible. However, refusing gay marriage is unfair and violates the unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness for people who are gay and wish to get married.

Focusing on the candidates’ or the voters’ religion acts as a blinder. Rather than basing their decision on the topics that matter — such as the economy, foreign affairs, education and many others — some voters instead pick the politician who most resembles their religious views, even if that means disregarding their stance on important subjects.

The U.S. may have been a Christian nation once, but its cur-rent diversity no longer refl ects that. People argue that by losing that title, it somehow means they lost their right to be Christian, but it is an invalid argument, based on the Constitution.

Though the morals instilled by religions are generally good — don’t kill people, don’t steal, respect your elders and so on — because their importance and subjects differ between groups and religions, they cannot be the basis of government.

While people cast their votes all over the nation today, they should set aside their religious beliefs and decide, which presidential candi-date will fi x the economy, protect civil rights and make the best deci-sions for such a diverse country.

Mónica Rojas is a journalism freshman and may be reached at [email protected].

Keep religion out of politics

OPINION

Bryan WashingtonStaff columnist

Every four years, citizenshave the right to pitch a coin in the well of the U.S.’s

future with no assurance that their decision will impact them in the future. But that’s not relevant — every vote counts. Regardless of how Texas ends up leaning, and it’ll lean to the right, these are decisions that voters will have to live with for the rest of their lives.

There’ll be no way to sleep it off and no pill to fi x it. It’s a morning after that’ll affect at least the next few decades. If people are lucky, it’s a decision to look back on with some semblance of sentimentality. If they’re not, they defi nitely won’t.

People will be voting for civil rights, women’s rights and how much smog the U.S. puts in the sky.

People will be voting on the livelihoods of the upper and lower class — a lot of whom are living in this state.

Citizens will be voting on

which of their neighbors will see their families again and which of them won’t. They’ll be voting on their sisters’, mothers’ and their neighbors’ right to choose. They’ll be voting on the numbers in the fi nancial aid offi ce and the num-bers in the gas station up the road.

The country that people vote for tomorrow will be the country they bring their kids into. It’ll be a country that goes to war or the country that doesn’t. It’ll be the country that ships jobs across the Atlantic Ocean or the one that favors local business. It’ll be the country that rejects, accepts or that doesn’t do anything at all because the support isn’t there.

The country belongs to the voters. That’s a pretty scary thing, but it’s just as beautiful. It isn’t something to take lightly, and regardless of how people choose, they should realize they’re not just choosing for themselves.

Bryan Washington is a creative writing and sociology senior and may be reached at [email protected].

states in the nation will receive a shuttle, even when one of them had nothing to do with the space program in the first place.

The bottom line is that there needs to be a move toward the center and an appeal to both the sides. The partisanship has ripped Americans in two. This summer, Congress had a lower approval rating than cancer. It wasn’t just the Republican Sen-ate or the Democratic House, Americans hated all of Congress. That hate has spilled out onto the streets and has possessed normally rational citizens into doing violently irrational things.

There are stories everywhere of Romney supporters living in fear because their neighbors

are Obama supporters, and of course the same stories are heard from Obama supporters. Idiotic supporters of both sides and ideologies have been report-edly vandalizing vehicles with the wrong bumper sticker and, in rare cases, even assaulting members of a different party preference.

Today’s winner will have to mend the hole in citizens wallets and close the gap in the aisles. There has to be some legitimate and sincere effort to reach across the aisle and stop marginalizing voters who don’t support a spe-cific party platform. Otherwise, no matter who’s in office, the next four years will be the same as the last four.

James Wang is a history sophomore and may be reached at [email protected].

WANG continued from page 4

Choosing wisely

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TIPPING POINT STATESThe probability that a state provides the decisive electoral vote

POLL AVERAGES

TIME TODAY IS THE LAST CHANCE FOR CAST THEIR BALLOTS — MAKE S

OHIO 50.0%

NEVADA 9.4%

WISCONSIN 7.8% IOWA 6.8% NEW HAMPSHIRE3.0%

PENNSYLVANIA2.8%

COLORADO 4.8%

FLORIDA1.3%

VIRGINIA 12.2%

BARACK OBAMA

JILL STEIN

President Obama supports the current program “Pay As You Earn,” which caps payment on a student’s loan to 10 percent of his or her discretionary income, his campaign website said. He says this will ensure that stu-dents will not be required to pay more than they are able to. He supports strengthening the Pell Grant program, the American Opportunity Tax Credit and investment in community colleges.

Obama supports his previous federal investments in the auto-industry and US companies, his website said. He aims to end tax breaks to companies that outsource and end tax cuts for the top earners in the country, his website said.

Obama also supports environmentally friendly initiatives like wind and solar energy, but he also supports increased oil and natu-ral gas production, according to his website.

Stein supports a program that will forgive current student debt, will provide free educa-tion for children kindergarten through college, will prevent public schools from privatiza-tion, will end the current system of national testing, will end test-based graduation and will stop using “merit pay to punish teachers,” according to her campaign website.

Stein supports the enactment of the Full Employment Program, which supports environmentally-friendly initiatives and jobs. She supports grants and low-interest loans for “green” businesses and groups, her website said. She also wants to end outsourcing abroad.

The poll data above is from www.realclearpol-itics.com/polls/ which makes an average of polls from a variety of sources including those from CNN, Gallup, the Wall Street Journal and Pew Research.The poll above was last updated Monday at 10:30 p.m.

Swing states, also known as battleground or purple states, are states in which no candidate has an overwhelming chance of winning its Electoral College votes. Political analysts use statewide opin-ion polls, political party registration records and past elections to choose swing states, according to an article in the Oregon Daily Emerald.

In non-swing or solid states, one candidate is already leading by a majority and is therefore likely to win the Electoral College votes. Ohio and Florida are among predictable swing states. Candidates often focus on these states because either has a chance of winning the election by gaining new votes here — this is how they became known as battle ground states.

WHAT IS A SWING STATE?

The Electoral College was established by the Con-stitution as a compromise between the election of the president by a vote of Congress and election by a popular vote of qualifi ed citizens. While the selection of Electors varies across the nation, the political parties generally nominate them during state party conventions or by vote of the party’s central committee.

The Electoral College consists of 538 electors, each state getting one elector per member of con-gress. D.C. is also allowed three votes under the 23rd Amendment of the Constitution, and is treated like a state for purposes of the Electoral College.

A majority vote of 270 is required to win the presi-dential election. It is a winner takes all system— the electors in a given state vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in that state.

HOW DOES THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE WORK?

POLL DATE OBAMA (D) ROMNEY (R) SPREAD

RCP AVERAGE

OCT. 29 -NOV.4

48.8% 48.1 OBAMA + 0.7

Graphics by Andres Garcia


HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?

IS UPMILLIONS OF AMERICANS TO

SURE YOU KNOW YOUR OPTIONS

MITT ROMNEY

GARY JOHNSON

The former Mass. Governor is opposed to a policy on educa-tion that funnels federal money into the system, according to his campaign website. His website says that federal expenditures drive up tuition costs and therefore student debt. He also supports “other models” of sec-

ondary education, according to his website. Specifi c policies include simplifying and bolstering the Financial Aid System, supporting private sector aid and ending regulations in the education sector.

Romney supports a cut in taxes across the board, 25 percent for corporations and 20 percent in marginal rates, according to his website. His website said that he supports a cap on federal spending at 20 percent of Gross Domestic Product. According to his website, he supports a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, a privatization of Amtrak, a reduction in subsidies for the arts, the humanities, and public broadcasting, an elimination of Title X Family Planning Funding and a reduction of foreign aid. His website also said that he wishes to end Chinese manipulation of its currency.

Johnson aims to place a voucher system into the pub-lic school system, which will let parents choose where their children go to school, accord-ing to his website. He supports a system that places funds into schools that are best and those that need to improve. His

website says that the Department of Education should be ended, because he does not believe in a federally regulated education system, his website said. He disagrees with the “No Child Left Behind Act” and “other federal mandates,” his website said. He also attributes a “higher education bubble” to federal student loans. He proposes that the free market enter into the higher education system, his website said.

I feel that we need some type of change, and I have already voted. I’m neither Republican nor Democrat, but I believe that we’ve already had four years of some-

thing and it kind of didn’t work, so I guess we need to give somebody else a chance. And it’s like playing baseball: when somebody doesn’t do well, they take them out and put some-body else in.

— Peter Cisneros, psychology junior

A:

If you can’t beat the system, join it. I’m voting for Obama because I think Harris County may actually have a chance of being a blue county this year, otherwise I’d be

voting for Jill Stein because I think that’s where I wanted the Democratic party to be in ’08. It was about change in ’08. This year ... the slogan should be “Same.” Same thing for four more years – no improvements, nothing goes wrong, just four more years of okay.

— Colin Kirkeby, psychology junior

A:

All information above was compiled from the candidates’ respective websites. Blurbs (left) were written by Ellen Goodacre. Names, quotes and

photos (right) were compiled by Julie Heffl er.

I feel that (the population) rushed their decision. A lot of the people, they didn’t follow the primaries, they didn’t follow Mitt before, they didn’t follow Obama himself dur-

ing his presidency and I feel that that has led to a lot of rushed decisions and that’s defi nitely not good. A lot of people are basing their vote on the last three debates.

— Carlos Quiroga, computer engineering sophomore

A:

It’s interesting to say the least. I feel like there’s a very clear difference, and not only a very clear difference, but I feel like it’s very obvious who actually cares about

the country and the people of this country — and who doesn’t. — Mark Francis, photo/digital media Senior

A:

It’s going to be a close race. Both candidates have really put their points out on the Internet, the news and on the debates. I feel like it’s going to be a close race

between the two.— Alex Bienko, biotechnology senior

A:

I am undecided as of now. I’m leaning more towards Romney simply because, well I mean the election has been very close so far, and I think both candidates have done their fair share of shading the past if you will. So

I’ve tried to watch all of the debates, I’ve tried to make the most educated decision, and as of now, I believe I’m voting for Romney because I feel that he has a much clearer plan when it comes the economic side of the presidency as far as coming from a simple economic standpoint. Putting all the social issues aside, I believe he has a clear, better vision of what this country needs.

— Rachel Walton, education senior

A:

At the very core of it all, it really breaks down to consid-ering the two candidates in the sense of what particular fi eld their expertise lies. The choices really boil down to:

constitutional lawyer or man with an MBA, and when it comes down to the very essence of rebuilding an economy that has sluggish growth at best, I’d rather trust the MBA.

— Spencer Frith, economics junior

A:


SEASON PREVIEW

PLAYERS TO WATCH

STORYLINES

TaShawn Thomas is primed to have a big season as a scorer and to become a team leader. He started all 29 games for the Cougars last season and averaged 10.6 points. Thomas could become a match-up problem, using his quickness against bigger defenders and his size against smaller ones | File photo/The Daily Cougar

Joseph Young is UH’s leading returning scorer at 11.6 points per game. Young, now in his third year in the program will be expected to contribute more than just buckets to the team. On a team with one senior Young and Thomas will be counted upon for leadership.

The Cougars huddle together in preparation for the fi nal game of the season against Rice. | File photo/The Daily Cougar

POSITION CHANGE

RECRUITING HOUSTON

Joseph Young will still handle the ball at times but will play as a combo guard this season — he was the team’s point guard last season. His priorities will shift from and diversify. He will be expected to get his teammates involved and to be a scoring threat.

Joseph Young was the fi rst piece in James Dickey’s strategy to keep local high school products in the city. Danuel House, Danrad Knowles and Valentine Izundu were all Houston products who spurned other out of state offers.

Young switching to shooting guard

House, Izundu part of plan to keep local kids

Christopher SheltonAssistant sports editor

Head basketball coach James Dickey said the keys to a suc-cessful season are simple — the Cougars need to play together and get tougher, embracing the team concept.

“You aren’t going to see self-ish play,” Dickey said. “You aren’t going to see guys playing for themselves. They’re going to be playing for the Cougars, and that is what is most important.”

UH stressed defense dur-ing summer workouts and is a tougher team because of it, Dickey said. The Cougars fin-ished at the bottom of Confer-ence USA in scoring defense last season.

Dickey also wants his team to become better rebounders, an area where they finished sixth in C-USA.

“One thing that stood out to us is we have to be tougher. Under that toughness comes better defense. We have to be better in the rebounding area,” Dickey said. “We have to take better care of the basketball and not be careless.”

The Cougars may be able to change the mentality of the team with six new players.

Gone are their two leading scorers — redshirt senior guard Jonathon Simmons went pro and junior forward Alandise Harris transferred to Arkansas.

Darian Thibodeaux, the team’s best defender last season — no longer has eligibility.

S o p h o m o r e f o r w a r d TaShawn Thomas said UH lacked the mentality to play through adversity last season.

“We lacked toughness last year. When times got rough we had a lot of people that just sat down and let things happen,” Thomas said. “This year we have a tougher team. If something bad happens, we have people that will pick each other up and get us back on a good run.”

Now, presented with a tal-ented freshman class, which is ranked 21st in the nation by ESPN, expectations are abound in Dickey’s third season at the helm of the program.

Freshmen forward Danuel House and center Valentine Izundu will be expected to con-tribute immediately. Associate head coach Alvin Brooks said Izundu could have an instant impact as a rebounder and as a defender. Izundu could pro-vide the size UH lacked in the painted area last season.

Dickey said the transition to college basketball is tough and takes patience and understand-ing but House and Izundu can handle it.

“Almost every guy on our team was the best player on his high school team, and he wanted the ball in his hands,” Dickey said. “Now, they have to

be able to give it up and go some place else, and that has not been natural for them.”

UH opens the season today against Concordia at Hofheinz

Pavilion, where they have a chance to prove their renewed toughness on the court.

[email protected]

UH hopes change brings wins

THE DAILY COUGAR

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(TEXAS) (EXHIBITION)

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MEN’S HOOPSOO

Joseph Young tries an acrobatic lay-up as a Utah State player attempts to defend his path to the basket. | File photo/The Daily Cougar


SEASON PREVIEW

STORYLINES

Porsche Landry was the most high-profile of an injury plagued season for the Cougars last season. She averaged 22 points per game in the three contests that she played. Head coach Todd Buchanan said he was happy to have his floor general back on the court. | File photo/The Daily Cougar

Terran Alford was one of only two players who played in all 29 games last season. She was named Conference USA freshman of the week once and was the top freshman shot blocker in conference.

NEW FACES

APPEAL DENIED

UH’s lineup will look completely different than when last season ended. The Cougars will welcome in six freshman, including twins Taylor and Tyler Gilbert. Four junior transfers will also see the court.

Forward Destini Texada’s appeal to play immediately was denied by the NCAA. She must sit out the fi rst 10 games of the season. She will make her fi rst appearance against Texas State on Dec. 22.

10 new players for the Cougars

Texada out first 10 games

NOV. 9 at MISSISSIPPI

STATE

NOV. 13ALABAMA

NOV. 17at YALE

NOV. 20at MCNEESE

STATE

NOV. 23 SEMO

NOV. 27UTSAI

NOV. 30NEW

MEXICO

DEC. 2TCU

DEC 8CREIGHTON

DEC. 22TEXAS

STATE

DEC 30TEXAS TECH

JAN. 6DELAWARE

STATE

JAN 10MEMPHIS

JAN. 13UAB

WOMEN’S HOOPSOOPLAYERS TO WATCH

Aaron T. ManuelContributing Writer

UH redshirt senior point guard Porsche Landry smiled while being surrounded by reporters and teammates, answering ques-tions in the glare of the cameras and the microphones around her. After sustain-ing an injury just three games in the last season, she is thankful to take the court again.

Landry started last year by being selected for the Preseason All-Conference USA team and posted 37 points, seven rebounds and fi ve steals in a losing effort against New Mexico State, during her fi rst game.

In the fi rst three games last season, she averaged 22 points, fi ve rebounds and 3.3 assists in 34 minutes per game, setting the pace for a career year in what should have been her final season — it came to an abrupt end during a 36-66 loss at Georgetown.

“I’m ecstatic. It’s a blessing to be back on the court, because there were times where I didn’t think I would be back on the

court again, so I’m just grateful,” Landry said. “It’s a huge release; it’s like getting a big elephant off your shoulders ... I’m just looking forward to feeling the burn, the sweat and being out there with my team-mates, building a new chemistry.”

For Landry, almost everything is new again — she has a new senior season and uniform number, changing from No. 20 to No. 5. She has 10 new teammates to build chemistry with — six freshmen and four transfers.

Freshman guard Jessieka Palmer has hit the court running, aiming for a Conference title and is pleased that Landry could be the component that can get them there.

“She’s a great leader. She’s like a big sister to everyone on this team,” Palmer said. “To have her around is great because of her leadership. We need that leadership. It gives me something to look forward to everyday.”

Head basketball coach Todd Buchanan is grateful to have Landry back as well. Two years ago, the women’s team had 26 wins, a C-USA regular season title and an

appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Landry had improved in Buchanan’s fi rst season, averaging 14.8 points per game as a junior, nearly a fi ve point per game improvement. When Landry came into her own during the New Mexico State game, it seemed as if she would be Buchanan’s go-to scorer. However, she was injured, along with several others, ending with a 3-26 season.

“From my viewpoint, it’s poetry in motion because she is so good at making everyone so much better. I think when you have someone orchestrating your team, which she does exceptionally well, you know she’s going to put everybody in the best case scenario — to be better — to push them to get better,” Buchanan said. “It’s not just game time, it’s everyday in practice. She’s been absolutely chomping at the bit to get back.”

The Cougars take the court at 7 p.m. on Friday against Mississippi State at Hofheinz Pavillion.

[email protected]

Porsche Landry dribbles down the court preparing to make a move against a defender. | File photo/The Daily Cougar

Guard hopes for reclamation yearInjuries derailed Porsche Landry last season, now she’s grateful for another chance to lead

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College Problems by Austin Nash

Allen LeLife & arts editor

The hip-hop appeal among the student voting demographic on campus was utilized as part of the fi nal push leading up to Elec-tion Day by Texans Together Education Fund, a local political organization that initiates community events in historically disengaged

Harris County neighborhoods.Texans Together, established in August

2006, serves as a parent organization, fos-tering several other enterprises that have branched off from its umbrella, including the Apartments Are Communities project, Empower Houston Leaders project, Occupy the Vote Houston and The San Jacinto River Coalition.

Occupy the Vote Houston hosted “Hip-Hop the Vote,” a series of free concerts, featuring local rappers, who performed on Friday at Lynn Eusan Park to a sparse day crowd. The rappers encouraged students to take advantage of the last day of early voting and make their voices count.

The concert featured Chingo Bling, Doughbeezy, GT Garza, Sydnee, TK, Uzoy and Youngin.

“There was a momentum particularly in the youth in 2008 for the presidential elec-tion,” said event organizer Saeed Rose. “They say that momentum died down, but I don’t believe so.”

The UH chapter of TexPIRG, a politi-cally involved organization, was present in late-September and early-October to help students register to vote. It arranged information and registration tables around campus and visited classrooms to hand out voter registration cards.

Occupy the Vote Houston also assisted students in registering to vote in the middle of the semester.

“Being on the campus, we did voter regis-tration out here, and so we see the fact that

the students out here are very active so that’s why we’re basically keeping the momentum up,” Rose said. “We’re having great perfor-mances and making sure that they get to the polls.”

Texans Together consists of UH alumni members who volunteered their time to be a part of the Occupy the Vote Houston event.

The University ties and diversity were among reason the organizations chose to host the hip-hop concert on campus.

“This campus has a lot of history,” Rose said. “It’s very active so it’s more of an appreciation to the activism that’s going on in the community. We have a lot of fellow organizers that are alumni of this school so we really felt that we couldn’t have this campaign without coming to this campus

and making sure that students were able to enjoy the artists as well.”

Meanwhile, sociology graduate Brendan Laws aimed to leave students with reasons why they should pay attention to the elec-tion, as it can affect how college will be funded in the future.

“The various bonds going on in this city also impact college students, especially community college students so it’s a pretty important election,” Laws said. “Above everything else, it’s just important for college students to vote because college students don’t vote enough so if their voices are better heard, then they can be better represented afterward.”

[email protected]

Hip-hop appeals to student voters

ELECTION DAY

LIFE+ARTS EDITOR Allen Le


ONLINE thedailycougar.com/arts

“Hip-Hop the Vote,” which was organized by Occupy the Vote Houston, attracted approximately 75 students and faculty members on Friday to Lynn Eusan Park. The event mixed music and politics to ap-peal to the student voter demographic on campus and featured sets by local rappers. Members of Occupy the Vote Houston consists of UH alumni, who volunteered. | Allen Le/The Daily Cougar


Occupy the Vote Houston, an organization under the umbrella of Texans Together Education Fund, cited the student diversity as the reason for hosting “Hip-Hop the Vote” at UH. | Allen Le/The Daily Cougar

Brendan Laws, a ‘12 sociology UH gradu-ate, emphasized the importance of voting forcollege students. | Allen Le/The Daily Cougar

Tuesday, November 6 GO COOGS DAYLOCATION: Lynn Eusan ParkTIME: 4–6PM

Wednesday, November 7 STRUT YOUR STUFFLOCATION: UC Houston RoomTIME: 7–10PM

Thursday, November 8 HOMECOMING BLOCK PARTY (NEW EVENT)LOCATION: Lynn Eusan ParkTIME: 4–6PM

For everything you need to know about Homecoming visit www.uh.edu/homecoming

HO

MEC

OM

ING

201

2

Saturday, November 10 PARADE AND GAME DAYParadeROUTE: Start at Parking Lot 8APARADE TIME: 12:30–2PM

PARADE SET UP: 10AM

Homecoming Game– Houston Cougars v. Tulsa HurricanesLOCATION: Robertson StadiumTIME: 4PM


OPINION

Comic boothIn addition to the usual comic strips on Page 10, The

Daily Cougar has asked its cartoonists to express their opinions about today’s elections. Find more comics at the-dailycougar.com/comics. — Amanda Hilow/The Daily Cougar

I Found UH by Catherine Mussio

Newsgroup by David Haydon

UH huh... by Roberto Torres-Torres

Documents

Volume 78, Issue 41