The last day of classes in the 2012-13 school year is Friday, the 26, and as the school year draws to an end, it becomes impossible to admit that the past year wasn’t eventful. From the good to the bad, the headlines that made it in news stations across the country or were simply buzz around campus, here are some of the biggest events of the 2012-13 school year.
August
1: Houston Metro and UH strike a deal to continue construction of the Southwest light-rail line, providing another source of public transportation for commuters.
September
Week of 17-21: UH suffers three aggravated assaults and robberies within a week, creating concerns about safety on campus.
24: UH is listed on the U.S. News and World Report as one of the best colleges in America, rating in at 184 out of 200.
October
11: UC Game Room is closed in the latest of extensive renovations in the University Center.
November
4: President Barack Obama is re-elected as president, defeating ex-Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney with 332 electoral votes.
16: Hostess declares bankruptcy.
December
2: After spending seventy years as the official stadium for the UH Cougars, Robertson Stadium is officially demolished, with a new stadium expected to be finished by 2014.
January
20: President Barack Obama is sworn in for the second time.
February
11: Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation, the first pope in 600 years to do so.
27: Incoumbent Cedric Bandoh is re-elected for Student Government Association president, defeating Senator Eduardo Reyes.
March
7: UH celebrates its 86th anniversary.
21-24: Frontier Fiesta is held in its new location in the 20A and 20C parking lots.
26: Roderick Mitchell, 36, is arrested for the murder of UH student Hao Huynh in 2011.
April
9: 14 people are injured in stabbing at Lone Star College.
Week of 15-19: Numerous disasters shake the world, including a bombing at the Boston marathon, earthquakes in Iran and China, a school shooting at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology and a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas.