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SUSUN MON FOR MORE EVENTS, CHECK OUT Feb. 17: Tier One initiative Today: University staff March 3: Athletics programs March 10: The role of community colleges March 24: Public vs. private debate March 31: Financial aid thedailycougar.com/calendar DEBATE continues on page 3 RENOVATIONS continues on page 3 76/54 72/44 75/65 79/55 SASASTT SUN HIHI 7777 LO 54 the official student newspaper of the university of houston since 1934theofficialstudentnewspaperoftheuniversityofhoustonsince1934 FRI
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Nick Ragan, Emily Holley and Moniqua SextonTHE DAILY COUGAR
The University eliminated 136 staff positions over the last three years, and that number could increase if budgetary bills proposed in the Texas House and Senate are passed.
Budget cuts proposed by the Texas House would cut up to $100 million of the UH system budget over the next two years; $65 million of those cuts would be for the UH main campus.
According to data presented to The Daily Cougar by Carl Carlucci, vice president for administration and fi nance, a reduction in force, or RIF, has been occurring at UH since 2009, which saw 32 positions eliminated.
In 2010, after the state requested a 5 percent reduction in the 2010-2011 biennial budget, a total of 60 positions were either eliminated or
consolidated. The State requested an additional refund of 2.5 percent in December, and so far in 2011, 44 staff positions have been either elimi-nated or consolidated.
Whether or not the total of 136 positions means that 136 people are now without jobs was not made clear by administration. At times, positions that have yet to be fi lled are simply eliminated from the University’s job postings. In other instances, personnel whose position has been eliminated are sometimes reassigned.
There are four reasons why reductions have occurred, according to the offi ce of administra-tion and fi nance.
The first is a lack of revenue for either a program or a business. Staff positions within programs that are funded from sources outside the University are affected by this, as are staff
THE DAILY COUGARTHE DAILY COUGAR®®
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 4Issue 101, Volume 76
ThursdayFebruary 24, 2011
newslineLecture on ‘Fate and Geography’ presented by various groups
Nirvana Tanoukhi, a Martha Gano Houstoun Distinguished
Visiting Scholar, is presenting “A Matter of Setting: Fate and
Geography in Coetzee” at 5 p.m. today in room 110 of the Roy G.
Cullen building. A question-and-answer session will immedi-
ately following the lecture.
Tanoukhi holds a doctorate in modern thought and literature
from Stanford University and is a resident fellow at the Harvard
Humanities Center.
The lecture is presented by the University, the Departments of
English and History, the Martha Gano Houstoun Endowment, the
African American Studies Program, the Center of Public History
and Voices Breaking Boundaries.
— Moniqua Sexton/The Daily Cougar
New facility to be dedicatedThere will be a dedication ceremony for the new University
of Houston Nanofabrication Facility at 1 p.m. Friday in the
courtyard of the Science and Engineering Research Center. The
ceremony is free and open to the public.
The specialized setting will enable UH scientists to build the
incredibly tiny mechanisms in circuits, microfl uidic devices,
microelectromechanical systems and other complicated
technologies.
The state-of-the-art facility is a clean room equipped with
special fi lters that remove all dust particles and other con-
taminants from the environment that could interfere with the
delicate and sophisticated tools used in research.
For more information about the new facility, visit www.
uh.edu/nanofab/.
— Julian Jimenez/The Daily Cougar
CORRECTIONSReport errors to [email protected]. Corrections will
appear in this space as needed.
thedailycougar.com @thedailycougar facebook.com/thedailycougar Read. Recycle. Repeat daily.
Track team starts the final countdown
life+arts sports
Got news? E-mail [email protected] or call 713-743-5314
Suprise! New Radiohead
CUTS continues on page 3
DEBATE continues on page 3RENOVATIONS continues on page 3
EVENTSHonky Tonk Blood Premiere The comedy/thriller/west-
ern is premiering at the Landmark River Oaks Theatre. For
showtimes and tickets call (713) 866-8881.
Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo World Champi-onship BBQ Cook-Off The fi rst day of the three-day
barbeque starts at 5 p.m. at Reliant Stadium to begin the
2011 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
HIHI 7777LO 54today
FRI
76/54
FRFRFRF II SAT
75/65
SASAS TT SUN
79/55
SUSUN MON
72/44
MOMOMOMONN
Possible afternoon showers....
FOR MORE EVENTS, CHECK OUTthedailycougar.com/calendar
David GonzalezTHE DAILY COUGAR
The three candidates running for president of the Student Government Association debated for over 90 minutes Wednesday afternoon in the University Center Houston Room.
Each candidate provided input and reso-lutions for problems that face the University, especially regarding the main topic of discus-sion, budget cuts.
When asked which programs or services each candidate would vow to protect in the midst of budget cuts, each provided different answers.
Current Education Senator Michael Harding wants to make sure that student success is the most important priority of SGA.
He told the audience about his friends who had recently dropped out of college because they were “not equipped” to handle the rigor-ous work at the University.
“We have to keep graduation rates high,” Harding said. “As president of SGA, I will make the free tutoring programs we have on campus more accessible. I want to make sure programs like these are on your doorstep.”
When asked the same question, former senator Michael McHugh said that he would protect the Health Center and athletics.
Candidate Jared Gogets took a slightly dif-ferent approach to the question.
Gogets did not list the programs or services
From left: Michael McHugh, Michael Harding and Jared Gogets took the stage for a series of questions that the UH community submitted online via The Daily Cougar’s website. | Brianna Leigh Morrison/The Daily Cougar
Recent cuts in state-allocated funding aff ected over 100 staff positions, bills may lead to more
SGA, The Daily Cougar host presidential candidates
Phases to take UC into futureEmily HolleyTHE DAILY COUGAR
UH’s University Center celebrated its 34th birthday on Valentine’s Day, and plans presented on Tuesday eve-ning revealed its future growth and transformation.
Keith Kowalka and Micah Ken-field, administrators for the UC, introduced floor plans and future additions at a meeting in the UC Lone Star room.
“We really got a sense from the students not to bulldoze what we have here but in a sense transform the existing University Center,” Ken-fi eld said.
The fi rst of a two-phase renova-tion plan is slated to begin in Spring 2012. In this phase, the underground will stay the same.
Student Affairs offi ces are to be determined, and the lounge will be repurposed but remain, Kenfield said.
The ground floor’s game room and bookstore support will stay the same. The second fl oor will feature the addition of a Student Govern-ment Association senate chamber, a 400-seat theatre and, tentatively,
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Debate focuses on cuts, guns
Staff hit by reductions fi rst SPECIAL REPORT
Budget cuts
Feb. 17: Tier One initiative
Today: University staff
March 3: Athletics programs
March 10: The role of community colleges
March 24: Public vs. private debate
March 31: Financial aid
Every Thursday, The Daily Cougar will take an in-depth look at how proposed cuts to the state’s higher education allocation will aff ect the University and its future.
Track this series and fi nd expanded resources on thedailycougar.com/budgetcuts2011
EGG DONORS NEEDED!*Anonymous Women
YEARBOOK + SENIOR PORTRAITSLAST CHANCE FOR
GRADS: TAKE YOUR CAP & GOWN PHOTO!
Class of 2011 seniors and yearbook portraits are being photographed FREE TODAY!
Reserve your sitting online today!
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2 ■ Thursday, February 24, 2011 ONLINE The Daily Cougar
ISSUE STAFF
ABOUT THE COUGAR The Daily Cougar is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters,
and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer, at the University of Houston Printing Plant and online at http://www.
thedailycougar.com. The University seeks to provide equal educational opportunities without regard to race, color,
religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status, or sexual orientation. The Daily Cougar is supported in part
by Student Service Fees. The fi rst copy of the Cougar is free; each additional copy is 25 cents.
SUBSCRIPTIONS Rates are $70 per year or $40 per semester. Mail subscription requests to: Mail Subscriptions, The
Daily Cougar, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-4015.
NEWS TIPS Direct news tips and story ideas to the News Desk. Call (713) 743-5314, e-mail news@thedailycougar.
com or fax (713) 743-5384. A “Submit news item” form is also available online at thedailycougar.com.
COPYRIGHT No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the written consent of the
director of the Student Publications Department.
■ Copy editing Maria Toscano, Lance Jaramillo
■ Production Nine Nguyen
■ Closing editor Jack Wehman
Newsroom(713) 743-5360■ Editor in ChiefJack Wehman(713) [email protected]
■ Layout EditorChristopher [email protected]
■ Multimedia EditorNewton Liu(713) [email protected]
■ News EditorsJose AguilarCristi Guerra(713) [email protected]
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■ Life & Arts EditorMary Baak(713) [email protected]
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Business Office■ Phone (713) 743-5350■ Fax (713) 743-5384■ Mailing addressRoom 7, UC SatelliteStudent PublicationsUniversity of HoustonHouston, TX 77204-4015
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online The best stuff from our website, comments and blogs. See what you’re missing: thedailycougar.com
TOP DISCUSSIONSFears of Arabic, Muslims is irrational1. Perry’s pro-life bill is a sound solu-2. tionListeners protest KPFT: radio for 3. peaceStreets off -limits for UH4. SGA presidential debate tomorrow5.
FEATURED COMMENTSRe: SGA presidential debate
“UH is increasingly growing as well as it’s students numbers and quality and like any other big tier 1 university it also needs a strong Greek system. It is known that in most big schools Greek students are synonymic of aca-demic excellence, school pride and involvement ,while at UH it due to lack of support and opportunities we are
currently sadly lagging behind.”
— user “Gustavo C de Azevedo”
Re: SGA presidential debate“As far as I know, the administration
still intends to revamp the UC despite budget woes and threats of tuition hikes (the latter, despite the fact that UH already is considered to have one of the worst returns on investment in the country). Students have been paying increased tuition for a few semesters now in anticipation of this construction despite that ground has still not been broken.”
— user “Fiscal Hawk”
Re: SGA presidential debate“As far as I know, the administration
still intends to revamp the UC despite budget woes and threats of tuition hikes (the latter, despite the fact that UH already is considered to have one of the worst returns on investment
in the country). Students have been paying increased tuition for a few semesters now in anticipation of this construction despite that ground has still not been broken.”
— user “Fiscal Hawk”
Re: Creationism hinders intellectualism“Evolution is not a religion because
it is not spiritual, in the same sense creationism isn’t science because it is spiritual. When we use evolution in an attempt to devalue religion ANY further than the extent to which evo-lution explains the diversity of life and the vehicle for which life changes, we devalue evolution and do an injustice to science.”
— user “Jon V.”
Re: Beer class leaves student interest brewing
“I took a short course one time for one-half a semester for both wine making and beer making.
After I fi nished the little courses I fi nally understood the practical application of chemistry including the importance of standards and how to nurture, grow and select raw materials. But the big learning for me at least was the economic challenges inherent in brewing and the under-standing the supply/demand curves for a product so heavily regulated by the governments.”
— user “Gpackwood”
Re: SGA presidential debate“This is something each and every
student in the school, the state, and the nation should all fi ght for. Our diff erences don’t matter anymore because our position as students is what bonds us the most now.”
— user “Louis”
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The Daily Cougar NEWS Thursday, February 24, 2011 ■ 3
that he would protect, but rather a solution to minimize damage to all programs through prioritizing and reorganization.
UH can do this, Gogets said, by fol-lowing examples of other universities in other states who have gone through similar problems that UH is facing, such as the University of California at Berkley.
“UC Berkley was able to save $75 million through reorganizing certain aspects of their university’s own bud-get,” Gogets said. “Through following this model, I do not believe that the University needs to focus on what to cut at this point in time so much as (what) we need to reorganize.”
In light of the Texas Legislature possibly passing a bill that would allow people with gun permits to bear arms on university campuses, another topic of discussion was concealed fi rearms.Each of the candidates said they opposed the bill.
Harding, who has a gun license himself, believes that if the law passes, campus police must be aware of who is armed at all times.
“We should instill plans that would make those students who decide to bring weapons to school notify police,” Harding said.
McHugh is strongly opposed to the bill, and said that his time living on campus in the Quadrangle has made him more aware of the crime that occurs everyday on campus.
“In one semester while I was living in the Quad, 16 bicycles were stolen,” McHugh said. “I am afraid that this bill will only increase the crime rate on campus.”
Gogets said that his opinion on the bill did not matter, but rather the col-lective student body opinion is what is important. Questions that will come up because of the new bill are what worry him.
“The bill is most likely going to pass,” Gogets said. “What will now arise from the bill are questions regarding storage of weapons in resident halls.”
Prince Wilson, current president of SGA, has yet to throw his support towards any one candidate but is con-fi dent that any one of the candidates will be successful in offi ce.
“Upon leaving offi ce as president of the student government, I am leaving my successor a lot of responsibilities in the face of the budget cuts,” Wilson
said. “The new president will be mak-ing a lot of decisions on what to priori-tize during their administration.”
McHugh, who said that he runs on the platform of school spirit, is opti-mistic that the cuts will not impact the University.
“I was admitted into every univer-sity in Texas that I applied to out of high school,” McHugh said. “I chose the University of Houston over UT and A&M because I know one day in the near future it will be the best school in the state.”
Wilson encouraged all students to follow up on each of the candidates before the elections begin.
“I urge all of the voters to fi nd out about the candidates, and make sure you know what they are about before submitting your ballot,” Wilson said.
SGA Director of Public Relations Mila Clarke live-tweeted from the debate through the SGA’s Twitter account.
The 150-plus tweets of both ques-tions and answers, and even “com-mercial breaks” are available at twitter.com/uhsga.
SGA elections will be held Feb. 28 through March 3.
DEBATEcontinued from page 1
members who work in businesses on campus.
A consolidation of jobs to elimi-nate duplication and organizational changes within departments are the next two reasons given for RIFs. This occurs when services or programs are centralized or eliminated.
The fourth reason for RIFs is what UH is currently facing: state budget reductions.
Despite the elimination of staff positions, there has been no freeze in hiring at UH.
“We’re pretty much past the fat and
fl esh and at the bone. We just can’t cut past a certain point,” Provost John Antel said at a Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday.
Antel also said using person-nel more effi ciently could allow the University to function with fewer employees. For example, the new ver-sion of the Peoplesoft system could allow students to be more interactively involved with degree plans and aca-demic advising.
Antel said implementing new tech-nology in classrooms could substitute the need for some staff, particularly in Information Technologies.
Professor of anthropology and Fac-ulty Senate member Kenneth Brown said budget cuts were made while he
was chair of the department and posi-tions were eliminated. Since then, the school of anthropology, which has the second-highest number of undergrad students, has lost additional personnel, including work-study positions and a full-time business administrator.
“We’ve had money cut from our ability to train students,” Brown said.
Khator is considering dozens of suggestions made anonymously by students, staff and faculty for ways the University could cut costs and increase its revenue stream. Among the suggestions being considered are making larger undergrad classes com-pletely online to reduce dependency on staff and eliminating redundant clerical positions.
“Until the Legislature says that this is what the budget is going to be, people are going to be working on a variety of contingency plans so that if we get this level of funding, we do that, or if get another level funding, we do that,” Brown said. “I think they’re budgeting more towards the severe cuts because that is the more likely
scenario.” Representatives from UH’s Staff
Council and Human Resources deferred to the Office of University Communications when reached for comment.
CUTScontinued from page 1
a ballroom. On the fi rst fl oor, student organi-
zations will be located on the north side of the UC and a patio for per-formances will be put in place. The Wendy’s will be removed to become a high-occupancy area similar to the Satellite’s lobby.
“All of the retail and food services will be located on the first floor, which will make it easier to fi nd for the students and new faculty, as well as being convenient,” Kowalka said.
The second phase will begin in Spring 2013. It will include the entire arbor area becoming covered.
The ground floor will be rede-signed with the Creation Station moving into the Shasta’s Cones area. The Cougar Den will remain as a gen-eral meeting place.
“The one thing that is majorly in the air is that Chili’s Too might not be in the Phase 2 plans and will be combined with the lounge and be a multi-purpose space that could hold 600 to 650 people,” Kenfi eld said.
The second fl oor’s meeting rooms and offi ces will be redesigned. This will give the Dean of Students offi ce one entrance and help with office effi ciency, Kenfi eld said.
The new UC is set to be complete by Spring 2015.
RENOVATIONScontinued from page 1 Join the crowd.
www.thedailycougar.com/register
4 ■ Thursday, February 24, 2011 The Daily Cougar
STAFF EDITORIAL
O n Wednesday, US Attorney General Eric Holder released a statement saying that the govern-
ment would no longer defend Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act.
The decision to no longer defend DOMA has come as a result of the legal challenges of same sex marriages within the second circuit court of appeals.
The court doesn’t have precedent in relation to how to deal with cases involving sexual orienta-tion. The court has no standard or binding to fall back on in cases that deal with how someone’s sexual orientation should be treated under the law.
Holder and President Barack Obama agreed upon the decision.
“After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the president has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimina-tion, classifi cations based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny. The president has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional,” Holder wrote.
The decision is defi nitely a victory for human rights, and is a step forward in the attempt of reaching greater equality under the law. However, the decision still leaves more than a few ques-tions unanswered.
If the government is no longer going to defend DOMA in court, then the question remains — who will? This is a question of legal standing, and the government might have been the only appropriate body to have the right to defend suits against DOMA. Moreover, if congressional leaders were to try and defend DOMA, since the govern-ment is now choosing not to, they will have to show injury or harm as a result of the challenged action.
The decision to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal appeals courts may be Obama’s clever way of slowly making marriage a legal reality for every US citizen.
Rights to same-sex marriage is almost legal
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 them to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing.
ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements published in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily refl ect 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 affi liation with the University, including classifi cation 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 [email protected]; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.
THE DAILY COUGARE D I T O R I A L B O A R D
EDITOR IN CHIEF Jack WehmanMANAGING EDITORS Newton Liu, Christopher LoseeNEWS EDITORS Jose Aguilar, Cristi GuerraSPORTS EDITORS John Brannen, Joshua SiegelLIFE & ARTS EDITOR Mary BaakOPINION EDITOR Andrew Taylor
E D I TO R I A L P O L I C I E S
opinion EDITOR Andrew TaylorE-MAIL [email protected] www.thedailycougar.com/opinion
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness will replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test this year, to reactions of praise and contempt.
Since 2003, TAKS has been a thorn in many Texas public schoolteachers’ sides. They protested the stiff, infl exible rubric and the ambiguous requirements to pass (profi ciency in reading, writing, math). The lack
of critical thinking skills required to pass upset teachers the most.
Uninformed parents probably approve of STAAR just from the sound of it (think Lone Star State) compared to TAKS. There’s a comical(but unlikely) chance that unknowing parents fear TAKS pre-pares students for throwing tax dollars to Washington.
Joking aside, the criticisms against TAKS have merit. Texas has been addicted to standardized testing for years, with
more emphasis on quantity than quality. To review a history of testing in Texas,
1979 began the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills, changing in 1984 to Texas Educa-tional Assessment of Minimum Skills, then in 1990 the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills. In 1999, TAKS took over — and now in 2011 we will have STAARS. Few of the forgone tests had a long shelf life thanks to poor results, and all of them faced criticism.
STAAR is feared to be no different, just grade-A sleight of hand material; a clever ploy to use a nice sounding acronym as a fancy candy wrapper on the same old garbage.
To its credit, STAAR intends to fi x past failures. The STAAR assessments range from Algebra I and II, geometry, physics, biology, chemistry, history and more.
There are 12 separate assessments that high school students will have to pass, and each grade will receive specifi c versions. The diffi culty of STAAR tests will also be increased from previous TAKS levels.
As for the multiple choice standardiza-tion, the Texas Education Agency explains that there will be more open-ended questions on the science and math assessments so that students can answer independently, encouraging critical think-ing and independent thought. We do not know how many questions will be open-ended yet, or how students will be taught to answer them.
The main fear is, if the STAAR remains like its predecessors in form and function, then why bother? Multiple-choice stan-dardized testing is never going to produce critical thinkers, even if that is the goal, which at this point is doubtful.
There is no way to know if STAAR will do what it intends to do until after stu-dents have taken the assessments and the data has been collected. If history is any indicator, however, just having a catchy name won’t solve anything.
David Haydon is a political science junior and may be reached at [email protected].
In response to: Parking woes present true parking foes
I don’t think the University cares enough about her students to want to take any sort of action. Slapping parking fi nes is another way for UH to generate fees which is what the bottom line at UH is about. The school constructed a parking garage, which on most occasions, is less than 40% occupied.
Some solutions: the fi eld by the entrance of UH could be converted into a parking lot, however, if this is done then the roads need to be repaired as there are big holes and broken pavement which makes it harder for students to drive their cars.
If the University had any common sense, they would realize that as a primar-ily commuter school, UH needs to make parking woes its priorities.
But no, instead the school wasted
millions of dollars on a gym when most commuter students like myself could just as easily used a local gym near our neighborhoods without having to dish out an additional $90.00 or so in fees to help keep the expensive gym running.
— Greg Kowalczyk
In response to: Creationism hinders intellectualism
You might want to get the facts right. The fact is that things have evolved. Things will continue to evolve. However there is no scientifi c proof that man evolved from anything. Show me the fos-sils that prove man evolved from apes. I have yet to see this. Science is about what one can prove and faith is about believing in something that can’t be proven. So until I see the fi rst monkey evolve into a man, I guess I will continue to have faith in the Lord and the Bible. You might want
to consider this and dust your Bible off. The problem with your theory is just that, it is a theory. Since when do we teach opinions.
—JTH
In response to: Beer class leaves student interest brewing
The University of Houston actually has a class where students learn to make beer, wine and spirits over at the Hilton College. The class is available to all students 21 and over who are enrolled at the University. I have been the graduate lab assistant for the class for the last two years, and we have taught students how to make everything from Trappist style ales to George Washington’s whiskey. It’s a great class to take if you want to learn how to turn grains or grapes into a beverage you are proud to drink. Cheers!
—Aaron
Different test, same low standards
DavidHaydon
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The Daily Cougar SPORTS Thursday, February 24, 2011 ■ 5
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Cougars goingfor No. 14 against MarshallLance JaramilloTHE DAILY COUGAR
UH continues its march to an undefeated record in Conference USA tonight against Marshall at 6 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, W. Va.
Winning their school-record tying 13th straight game against UTEP on Sunday, UH (23-4, 13-0 C-USA) clinched the conference outright and is now ranked No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Head coach Todd Buchanan says complacency won’t steer his squad off the right path against Marshall. The Thundering Herd are No. 11 in C-USA, but the Cou-gars are treating every game with must-win circumstances.
“They’re hungry,” Buchanan said. “They’re focused and under-stand what each and every game is. So far they’ve been up to do whatever it takes to win basketball games. Quite frankly, I think it’s become an attitude. As long as we can keep that within us, I think the sky is the limit, and we don’t have to stop at just being in the Top 25.”
The Cougars’ streak has seen a balance of tremendous guard play through penetration, fast breaks and outside shooting led by the speedy Porsche Landry and Brittney Scott.
Complimenting the guards has been solid interior play from Courtney Taylor and Lesslee Mason. Taylor and Mason have been the catalysts for the guards to get in transition through rebound-ing and quick outlet passes. Taylor — who notched her 57th career double-double Sunday — expects Marshall to try to slow the game down.
“They’re going to try to keep us from running the fl oor,” Taylor said. “They’re going to try to key in on me and Porsche and try to stop penetration in the half court.”
The Herd (8-18, 4-9) are led by senior forward Tynikki Crook who notched her 30th career double-double in the team’s third win in fi ve games against Tulsa. Buchanan said Crook and her teammates will look to cause problems with their size.
“Marshall has great size,” Buch-anan said. “We’ve got to contain and put pressure on the basketball, on the perimeter and make sure they don’t get a free look.
“They’re very similar to East Carolina with Jean Best and Gloria Brown with UTEP. They’re very well coached, and they’ll be well prepared. They run a lot of stuff out of a box set; they’re going to run their fl ex offense — and on made baskets, at times they’re going to fall back in a 1-2-2 press defense zone, and we’re prepared for that.”
The Cougars return to town for a rematch with Rice at 6 p.m. Sunday at Tudor Fieldhouse.
TRACK & FIELD
UH strives to conquer C-USA again John BrannenTHE DAILY COUGAR
If the men’s track team keeps competing like it has been, the Cougars will likely win their fifth consecutive Conference USA Indoor Championship. But that’s not a foregone conclusion.
Head coach Leroy Burrell knows his team is the favorite, but said his team still has to show up.
“You have to fire the gun and clear the bars,” Burrell said. “People are going to give us their best shot; they aren’t just going to lay down.
“You can run well all year and get to conference, run poorly and
get beat.”UH athletes are ranked at the
top of C-USA in seven events, but the team has lacked a complete showing.
“We’re waiting for everyone to get out and perform as a unit,” Burrell said. “From the sprints, to the distance and all the field events. I don’t think we’ve had that outstanding meet yet.”
Three-fourths of the 4x400-meter relay is filled with reliable performers in Kelvin Furlough, Doug Kelley and Errol Nolan.
A consistent fourth man has yet to be established, with Joseph Irabor being held back by injuries.
“We’ve been a little erratic with the lineup,” Burrell said. “This
weekend is going to be about figuring out who that fourth guy is going to be.”
The women’s team will have stiffer competition. Though they have not performed up to Burrell’s standards, there is reason for optimism.
“It’s been a bit of a struggle,” Burrell said. “But I really feel like in practice we’ve turned the corner. Our workload and ethic has improved. We went through a phase where we had a lot of women who were down, with a couple who were sick or hurt.
“We’ve got a good portion of the squad back, and I think we’re poised to start to perform the way we’re capable of.”
UTEP and Rice finished ahead of the Cougars at last season’s indoor meet, and UCF won the 2010 Outdoor C-USA championship.
“UCF has quite a bit of momentum going into the week-end,” Burrell said. “They’re going to be a formidable opponent. We have to control the things we can control — that’s our preparation and attitudes about how we’re going to go about dealing with the adversity of the competition.”
Preliminary action begins at 8 a.m. Friday at Yeoman Fieldhouse. The meet will conclude with the finals Saturday.
Sophomore sprinter Errol Nolan is ranked atop Conference USA in the 60, 200 and 400-meter dash. Nolan has also been a cornerstone of the 4x400-meter relay team, which also leads the conference with a 3 minute, 8 second split. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
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6 ■ Thursday, February 24, 2011 LIFE&ARTS The Daily Cougar
Joshua SiegelTHE DAILY COUGAR
Radiohead is at a point in their career where they can really do what-ever they feel like doing. They are no longer tied to a major label. They don’t set out to make hit singles. They are not driven by money or fame. They can announce album releases on a Monday and unleash them on the Internet on a Friday.
They are in complete control over the content that they produce — and that shows on their latest release, “King of Limbs,” as the group sounds comfortable and confi dent.
“King of Limbs” does not feature a guitar-riff killer like “Bodysnatch-ers” or a chaotic freakout like “The National Anthem.” It is a concise collection of music that is defi ned by its electronic rhythm section and augmented by Thom Yorke’s vocal performance.
It might not be as ambitious as their previous work, but it holds up in its own relaxed sort of way. It is refreshing to listen to; it doesn’t feel redundant compared to their previ-ous material.
“Bloom” opens the album with piano, which is then met by a drum loop before the listener is sucked into Yorke’s drone. The drums create
a fast pace to the song, but Yorke croons slowly over the beat. Yorke does not always make his lyrics the clearest to understand unless you’re making an effort, but many of Radio-head’s songs are about the aesthetics and moods that they emote and the atmosphere of sounds created.
Like a Rob Gordon playlist, the second track takes things up a notch. A bass loop throughout “Morning Mr Magpie” needles along, sounding like some jazzy Morse code.
“Little by Little” feels very “Amne-siac,” and is one of the few tracks where the guitar is not just a novelty.
ART
Grimonprez exhibit is a dark masterpieceDavid Gonzalez & Emily HolleyTHE DAILY COUGAR
Opening the Blaffer Gallery this semester is an exhibit composed of three pieces by internationally acclaimed video artist, Johan Grimonprez.
The exhibition takes up both fl oors of the gallery and consists of several audio and visual experiences. Two of his fi lms, “Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y” and “Double Take” are also being shown.
The fi rst room of the exhibit is of quotes painted on the walls. Within these quotes are the main motifs expressed in the exhibit, which include terrorism, birds, and misconception. One of the quotes tells of an event that happened on Sept. 11, 1948. The account tells of an incident where hundreds of birds crashed into the Empire State Building, falling to their death in the streets.
On a lighter note, quotes from the likes of Homer and Bart Simpson are featured in the exhibit. The quote poses the question, “what if we were all color blind and the sky was green”. On the surface this question is a great idea I am sure everyone has pondered. It also introduces a main theme in Grimonprez’s exhibit of double meanings.
“Double Take” (2009) is documentary fi lm in which Alfred
Hitchcock discusses the idea of being trapped in his own body and what he would do if he ever came across his double. The documentary centers around archival footage, as well as showing clips from several Alfred Hitchcock fi lms.
Considering that it shows scenes from some of the more disturbing Alfred Hitchcock fi lms, one might want to show discretion depending on one’s sensitivity to gore and violence.
“Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y” is a documentary that was released in 1997, which depicts several airplane hijackings and attacks made by ter-rorists throughout the years.
Its subject matter seemed to be an eerie foreshadowing of Sept. 11. The fi lm is a rough one to get through and some viewers might not be able to do so if they’re easily affected by gore. The fi lm manipulates the footage and reports by interjecting captions, soundtracks, and cartoons to formulate a different story. While watching the video, you cannot help but be perplexed as to what is occur-ring as you watch fi ctional news reports transform right in front of your face into a work of fi ction.
The exhibition will continue to be on display till April 2. Film times and more can be found on the Blaffer Gallery website.
“The King of Limbs” is Radiohead’s 8th full-length album. It was made available for download on Feb. 18 and is expected to be released on CD and vinyl on March 28, 2011. | Courtesy of Nasty Little Man
MUSIC
Radiohead cuts their own groove
RADIOHEAD continues on page 8
The Daily Cougar COMICS & MORE Thursday, February 24, 2011 ■ 7
crosswordcomics
sudokuHow 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.
Robbie + Bobby by Jason Poland
Chili Fingers by Nam Nguyen
ACROSS 1 Hockey venues 6 Pair of mules 10 Dog-owner’s
shout 14 Gladiator’s place 15 Woody’s son 16 Got in debt 17 Chewed the fat 18 Dump a lover 19 Chariot race
locale 20 Agree 22 Daniel Boone’s
lid 24 Wind dir. 26 Nearest the facts 27 Fortunate 31 Add- — (extras) 32 Roof overhangs 33 Greek column
style 36 — -fi fl ick 39 Misrepresent 40 Friend of Che 41 Countess’s
spouse 42 Above, to a bard 43 Multiply 44 Jury 45 Stadium cry 46 Heavy rains 48 Passes out 51 Ms. Sumac 52 Hype 54 Heats to boiling 59 Malevolent 60 Problem with
hives 62 Farewell 63 Earring site 64 Sundance Kid’s
girl 65 More docile 66 Dry as dust 67 Tree anchor 68 Go melodramatic
DOWN 1 Elephant owner,
maybe 2 Some CDs 3 Headlines 4 Elbow opposite 5 The blues 6 — Mahal 7 Stoltz or Idle 8 Mete out
9 Gas station buy (2 wds.)
10 Neigh sayers 11 George Lucas
beasts 12 Send money 13 Churchill successor 21 Mao — -tung 23 Now, to Caesar 25 Murphy or
Rabbitt 27 A kiss in Granada 28 Trout habitat 29 Hardly — 30 Apply a patch 34 Lyric poem 35 “Delta Dawn”
performer 36 Joined the
chorus 37 Hudson Bay tribe 38 Reformers’ targets 40 More foamy
41 Perfume label word
43 Gaunt 44 Soothe 45 Charged for 47 911 responder 48 Be partial to 49 Cover story 50 — voce 52 First name in
horror 53 Eight, in combos 55 Not know from — 56 VIP transport 57 Bug repellent 58 Positive 61 Kind of rack
© 2010 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE INC.
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Previous puzzle solved
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17 18 19
20 21 22 23
24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31
32 33 34 35 36 37 38
39 40 41
42 43 44
45 46 47
48 49 50 51
52 53 54 55 56 57 58
59 60 61 62
63 64 65
66 67 68
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8 ■ Thursday, February 24, 2011 LIFE&ARTS The Daily Cougar
The percussion rolls the track along at a good pace, but the interplay of Yorke’s vocals with the guitar is the real strength here.
The standout track, “Lotus Flower,” comes in the middle of the album. A moody bass moves back and forth under Yorke’s falsetto. The song is quite danceable, as Yorke has shown us on Youtube.
“Codex” and “Give Up The Ghost” both have a haunting vocal quality of different varieties and are slower-paced. Codex makes you feel like someone has died and his or her body has been thrown overboard and is just falling slowly in the water.
“Give Up The Ghost” is a little bit sunnier; it brings more feelings of hope after “Codex.” Chirping birds bring a bit of sunshine to the begin-ning of this melancholy track, and acoustic guitar strum accompanies Yorke’s vocals.
After the previous two tracks, the album closer “Separator” lifts away the clouds and feels much more upbeat. The trick with this track is that while it is more upbeat, it makes you feel unsure about its intentions. The swirling synthesizers leave you still suspicious about the picture it is trying to paint.
Most of the tracks make you want to unhinge your limbs and free dance; the album has a great rhythm overall.
Immediate comparisons for this record, upon fi rst listen, would be to “Amnesiac,” “Kid A” or Yorke’s solo material on “The Eraser”, but this record still feels unique and is a fi ne next step in the Radiohead library.
RADIOHEADcontinued from page 6
