Lily Huynh/The Cougar

The idea of college is always thrown at students like a final boss they have to conquer, hyping up the experience to be big and bad. When in reality, it is less intimidating than people think. 

Compared to the high school experience, finding friends is a lot easier in college. Communities at UH are much more diverse and welcoming. The endless number of GroupMe’s, clubs or and Instagram pages are filled with people excited to start their new life. For freshmen, checking out the @uh2029class on Instagram can be a good start to see who your future best friend can be. 

Everyone is navigating some separation from home, whether that be a 40-minute commute or years spent abroad as international students. This search for a safe place is common among most college students. In turn, you find that safe place through the people you meet. From organizations like The Cougar or gathering places like the M.D. Anderson Library, there will be a place you can call home. 

The idea that classes will leave you drained and make it impossible to pass is only slightly true. Classes can be hard, but not unachievable. Freshmen are not going to be left in a helpless position. There are a handful of tutoring facilities such as LAUNCH, Knack tutoring, CASA and the Writing Center.  So, take full advantage of them because they are there to help you.  

Additionally, there are resources that aren’t provided by the University. Students will have to go out for themselves for things such as creating study groups and building relationships with the people in their major. Getting help from fellow classmates will make all the difference in the world. One of the best resources are the people you meet, as we all bring different experiences and skills we can all learn from. 

We are all confused here, so finding other people to help work out problems will make your life so much smoother. 

If you have ever felt lost or left behind compared to your classmates, congratulations! You are one step closer to becoming a full-fledged college student. With our course schedule taking over our lives sometimes, things can feel suffocating and overwhelming. College students are stuck with being treated like children with adult responsibilities, so even our expectations are confusing. This place is between a rock and a hard place, and all too familiar position. 

We are diving headfirst into one of the most transformative stages of our lives. No tour or pamphlet can prepare us for the endless unknown possibilities. Being lost still means you’re going somewhere. 

This new chapter can be very intimidating, but this is not an adventure you should be scared of. People like to twist the idea of college into something dreadful, but it’s all up to how you decide the narrative. Take hold of your future with a tight grip because you are going nowhere but up!  

Anna Monroe is a junior journalism major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com 

—
“College is scary? Not really.” was originally posted on The Cougar

Lily Huynh/The Cougar

The idea of college is always thrown at students like a final boss they have to conquer, hyping up the experience to be big and bad. When in reality, it is less intimidating than people think. 

Compared to the high school experience, finding friends is a lot easier in college. Communities at UH are much more diverse and welcoming. The endless number of GroupMe’s, clubs or and Instagram pages are filled with people excited to start their new life. For freshmen, checking out the @uh2029class on Instagram can be a good start to see who your future best friend can be. 

Everyone is navigating some separation from home, whether that be a 40-minute commute or years spent abroad as international students. This search for a safe place is common among most college students. In turn, you find that safe place through the people you meet. From organizations like The Cougar or gathering places like the M.D. Anderson Library, there will be a place you can call home. 

The idea that classes will leave you drained and make it impossible to pass is only slightly true. Classes can be hard, but not unachievable. Freshmen are not going to be left in a helpless position. There are a handful of tutoring facilities such as LAUNCH, Knack tutoring, CASA and the Writing Center.  So, take full advantage of them because they are there to help you.  

Additionally, there are resources that aren’t provided by the University. Students will have to go out for themselves for things such as creating study groups and building relationships with the people in their major. Getting help from fellow classmates will make all the difference in the world. One of the best resources are the people you meet, as we all bring different experiences and skills we can all learn from. 

We are all confused here, so finding other people to help work out problems will make your life so much smoother. 

If you have ever felt lost or left behind compared to your classmates, congratulations! You are one step closer to becoming a full-fledged college student. With our course schedule taking over our lives sometimes, things can feel suffocating and overwhelming. College students are stuck with being treated like children with adult responsibilities, so even our expectations are confusing. This place is between a rock and a hard place, and all too familiar position. 

We are diving headfirst into one of the most transformative stages of our lives. No tour or pamphlet can prepare us for the endless unknown possibilities. Being lost still means you’re going somewhere. 

This new chapter can be very intimidating, but this is not an adventure you should be scared of. People like to twist the idea of college into something dreadful, but it’s all up to how you decide the narrative. Take hold of your future with a tight grip because you are going nowhere but up!  

Anna Monroe is a junior journalism major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com 

—
“College is scary? Not really.” was originally posted on The Cougar

Lily Huynh/The Cougar

The idea of college is always thrown at students like a final boss they have to conquer, hyping up the experience to be big and bad. When in reality, it is less intimidating than people think. 

Compared to the high school experience, finding friends is a lot easier in college. Communities at UH are much more diverse and welcoming. The endless number of GroupMe’s, clubs or and Instagram pages are filled with people excited to start their new life. For freshmen, checking out the @uh2029class on Instagram can be a good start to see who your future best friend can be. 

Everyone is navigating some separation from home, whether that be a 40-minute commute or years spent abroad as international students. This search for a safe place is common among most college students. In turn, you find that safe place through the people you meet. From organizations like The Cougar or gathering places like the M.D. Anderson Library, there will be a place you can call home. 

The idea that classes will leave you drained and make it impossible to pass is only slightly true. Classes can be hard, but not unachievable. Freshmen are not going to be left in a helpless position. There are a handful of tutoring facilities such as LAUNCH, Knack tutoring, CASA and the Writing Center.  So, take full advantage of them because they are there to help you.  

Additionally, there are resources that aren’t provided by the University. Students will have to go out for themselves for things such as creating study groups and building relationships with the people in their major. Getting help from fellow classmates will make all the difference in the world. One of the best resources are the people you meet, as we all bring different experiences and skills we can all learn from. 

We are all confused here, so finding other people to help work out problems will make your life so much smoother. 

If you have ever felt lost or left behind compared to your classmates, congratulations! You are one step closer to becoming a full-fledged college student. With our course schedule taking over our lives sometimes, things can feel suffocating and overwhelming. College students are stuck with being treated like children with adult responsibilities, so even our expectations are confusing. This place is between a rock and a hard place, and all too familiar position. 

We are diving headfirst into one of the most transformative stages of our lives. No tour or pamphlet can prepare us for the endless unknown possibilities. Being lost still means you’re going somewhere. 

This new chapter can be very intimidating, but this is not an adventure you should be scared of. People like to twist the idea of college into something dreadful, but it’s all up to how you decide the narrative. Take hold of your future with a tight grip because you are going nowhere but up!  

Anna Monroe is a junior journalism major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com 

—
“College is scary? Not really.” was originally posted on The Cougar

Lily Huynh/The Cougar

The idea of college is always thrown at students like a final boss they have to conquer, hyping up the experience to be big and bad. When in reality, it is less intimidating than people think. 

Compared to the high school experience, finding friends is a lot easier in college. Communities at UH are much more diverse and welcoming. The endless number of GroupMe’s, clubs or and Instagram pages are filled with people excited to start their new life. For freshmen, checking out the @uh2029class on Instagram can be a good start to see who your future best friend can be. 

Everyone is navigating some separation from home, whether that be a 40-minute commute or years spent abroad as international students. This search for a safe place is common among most college students. In turn, you find that safe place through the people you meet. From organizations like The Cougar or gathering places like the M.D. Anderson Library, there will be a place you can call home. 

The idea that classes will leave you drained and make it impossible to pass is only slightly true. Classes can be hard, but not unachievable. Freshmen are not going to be left in a helpless position. There are a handful of tutoring facilities such as LAUNCH, Knack tutoring, CASA and the Writing Center.  So, take full advantage of them because they are there to help you.  

Additionally, there are resources that aren’t provided by the University. Students will have to go out for themselves for things such as creating study groups and building relationships with the people in their major. Getting help from fellow classmates will make all the difference in the world. One of the best resources are the people you meet, as we all bring different experiences and skills we can all learn from. 

We are all confused here, so finding other people to help work out problems will make your life so much smoother. 

If you have ever felt lost or left behind compared to your classmates, congratulations! You are one step closer to becoming a full-fledged college student. With our course schedule taking over our lives sometimes, things can feel suffocating and overwhelming. College students are stuck with being treated like children with adult responsibilities, so even our expectations are confusing. This place is between a rock and a hard place, and all too familiar position. 

We are diving headfirst into one of the most transformative stages of our lives. No tour or pamphlet can prepare us for the endless unknown possibilities. Being lost still means you’re going somewhere. 

This new chapter can be very intimidating, but this is not an adventure you should be scared of. People like to twist the idea of college into something dreadful, but it’s all up to how you decide the narrative. Take hold of your future with a tight grip because you are going nowhere but up!  

Anna Monroe is a junior journalism major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com 

—
“College is scary? Not really.” was originally posted on The Cougar

Lily Huynh/The Cougar

The idea of college is always thrown at students like a final boss they have to conquer, hyping up the experience to be big and bad. When in reality, it is less intimidating than people think. 

Compared to the high school experience, finding friends is a lot easier in college. Communities at UH are much more diverse and welcoming. The endless number of GroupMe’s, clubs or and Instagram pages are filled with people excited to start their new life. For freshmen, checking out the @uh2029class on Instagram can be a good start to see who your future best friend can be. 

Everyone is navigating some separation from home, whether that be a 40-minute commute or years spent abroad as international students. This search for a safe place is common among most college students. In turn, you find that safe place through the people you meet. From organizations like The Cougar or gathering places like the M.D. Anderson Library, there will be a place you can call home. 

The idea that classes will leave you drained and make it impossible to pass is only slightly true. Classes can be hard, but not unachievable. Freshmen are not going to be left in a helpless position. There are a handful of tutoring facilities such as LAUNCH, Knack tutoring, CASA and the Writing Center.  So, take full advantage of them because they are there to help you.  

Additionally, there are resources that aren’t provided by the University. Students will have to go out for themselves for things such as creating study groups and building relationships with the people in their major. Getting help from fellow classmates will make all the difference in the world. One of the best resources are the people you meet, as we all bring different experiences and skills we can all learn from. 

We are all confused here, so finding other people to help work out problems will make your life so much smoother. 

If you have ever felt lost or left behind compared to your classmates, congratulations! You are one step closer to becoming a full-fledged college student. With our course schedule taking over our lives sometimes, things can feel suffocating and overwhelming. College students are stuck with being treated like children with adult responsibilities, so even our expectations are confusing. This place is between a rock and a hard place, and all too familiar position. 

We are diving headfirst into one of the most transformative stages of our lives. No tour or pamphlet can prepare us for the endless unknown possibilities. Being lost still means you’re going somewhere. 

This new chapter can be very intimidating, but this is not an adventure you should be scared of. People like to twist the idea of college into something dreadful, but it’s all up to how you decide the narrative. Take hold of your future with a tight grip because you are going nowhere but up!  

Anna Monroe is a junior journalism major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com 

—
“College is scary? Not really.” was originally posted on The Cougar

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

The student body rejected the Student Governments Association’s new constitution not just once, but twice. Many students disagreed with not only the draft itself, but the administration and SGA leaders behind it. 

Communication, transparency

The constitution largely overstepped its bounds and had a lack of transparency, said English sophomore Christopher Hooper.  

“To keep students out of the loop was a big slap in the face to me,” Hooper said. “These are important issues and if students don’t know about them, then we don’t get the opportunity to change what we want.”

Administration, SGA leadership

Former senator Jesus Nieto blames administration for the downfall of  SGA because he claims their main goal was to take over and do whatever they needed to get what they wanted.

According to Nieto, SGA was being pushed around in secret meetings, thrown into rooms and borderline threatened. The administration has destroyed the organization and ignored what students want.

“We have all had enough of the UH administration pushing students around,” Nieto said. “We are paying members of this institution. We do have the right to push back and say ‘hey, what’s happening is not right.’”

For Nieto, The results of the election showed that the student body stood up for themselves and told SGA leadership and administration not to mess with student representation.

“I know this organization can do good things,” Nieto said. “However, it’s the people that are in the position of power that determine why either the organization is successful or not. This year, the people in power were cowards and they were probably scared.”

Student impacts 

Deeds Not Words, a UH student organization that aims for various social justice issues, became a main advocate in rejecting the document.

They claimed the new constitution this would destroy checks and balances, remove Senate authority to draft bills for student funding, create more bureaucracy and strip senators of their right to draft and modify the SGA budget.

“This constitution is a gross overstepping of UH administrations and SGA executive branch members to undermine fair representation for the student body,” DNW said in an Instagram post. 

Nieto, who worked alongside DNW during the campaign, urges students to become more engaged in light of nationwide school funding cuts.

Since this would affect jobs and various opportunities, SGA acts as a vehicle to prevent, or at least mitigate, widespread cuts. 

“This is one incident where we really need the student body to not allow administrators to come in and take over,” Nieto said. “That’s exactly what they’re going to do with every situation coming forward.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Here’s why the student body rejected SGA’s new constitution” was originally posted on The Cougar

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

The student body rejected the Student Governments Association’s new constitution not just once, but twice. Many students disagreed with not only the draft itself, but the administration and SGA leaders behind it. 

Communication, transparency

The constitution largely overstepped its bounds and had a lack of transparency, said English sophomore Christopher Hooper.  

“To keep students out of the loop was a big slap in the face to me,” Hooper said. “These are important issues and if students don’t know about them, then we don’t get the opportunity to change what we want.”

Administration, SGA leadership

Former senator Jesus Nieto blames administration for the downfall of  SGA because he claims their main goal was to take over and do whatever they needed to get what they wanted.

According to Nieto, SGA was being pushed around in secret meetings, thrown into rooms and borderline threatened. The administration has destroyed the organization and ignored what students want.

“We have all had enough of the UH administration pushing students around,” Nieto said. “We are paying members of this institution. We do have the right to push back and say ‘hey, what’s happening is not right.’”

For Nieto, The results of the election showed that the student body stood up for themselves and told SGA leadership and administration not to mess with student representation.

“I know this organization can do good things,” Nieto said. “However, it’s the people that are in the position of power that determine why either the organization is successful or not. This year, the people in power were cowards and they were probably scared.”

Student impacts 

Deeds Not Words, a UH student organization that aims for various social justice issues, became a main advocate in rejecting the document.

They claimed the new constitution this would destroy checks and balances, remove Senate authority to draft bills for student funding, create more bureaucracy and strip senators of their right to draft and modify the SGA budget.

“This constitution is a gross overstepping of UH administrations and SGA executive branch members to undermine fair representation for the student body,” DNW said in an Instagram post. 

Nieto, who worked alongside DNW during the campaign, urges students to become more engaged in light of nationwide school funding cuts.

Since this would affect jobs and various opportunities, SGA acts as a vehicle to prevent, or at least mitigate, widespread cuts. 

“This is one incident where we really need the student body to not allow administrators to come in and take over,” Nieto said. “That’s exactly what they’re going to do with every situation coming forward.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Here’s why the student body rejected SGA’s new constitution” was originally posted on The Cougar

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

The student body rejected the Student Governments Association’s new constitution not just once, but twice. Many students disagreed with not only the draft itself, but the administration and SGA leaders behind it. 

Communication, transparency

The constitution largely overstepped its bounds and had a lack of transparency, said English sophomore Christopher Hooper.  

“To keep students out of the loop was a big slap in the face to me,” Hooper said. “These are important issues and if students don’t know about them, then we don’t get the opportunity to change what we want.”

Administration, SGA leadership

Former senator Jesus Nieto blames administration for the downfall of  SGA because he claims their main goal was to take over and do whatever they needed to get what they wanted.

According to Nieto, SGA was being pushed around in secret meetings, thrown into rooms and borderline threatened. The administration has destroyed the organization and ignored what students want.

“We have all had enough of the UH administration pushing students around,” Nieto said. “We are paying members of this institution. We do have the right to push back and say ‘hey, what’s happening is not right.’”

For Nieto, The results of the election showed that the student body stood up for themselves and told SGA leadership and administration not to mess with student representation.

“I know this organization can do good things,” Nieto said. “However, it’s the people that are in the position of power that determine why either the organization is successful or not. This year, the people in power were cowards and they were probably scared.”

Student impacts 

Deeds Not Words, a UH student organization that aims for various social justice issues, became a main advocate in rejecting the document.

They claimed the new constitution this would destroy checks and balances, remove Senate authority to draft bills for student funding, create more bureaucracy and strip senators of their right to draft and modify the SGA budget.

“This constitution is a gross overstepping of UH administrations and SGA executive branch members to undermine fair representation for the student body,” DNW said in an Instagram post. 

Nieto, who worked alongside DNW during the campaign, urges students to become more engaged in light of nationwide school funding cuts.

Since this would affect jobs and various opportunities, SGA acts as a vehicle to prevent, or at least mitigate, widespread cuts. 

“This is one incident where we really need the student body to not allow administrators to come in and take over,” Nieto said. “That’s exactly what they’re going to do with every situation coming forward.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Here’s why the student body rejected SGA’s new constitution” was originally posted on The Cougar

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

The student body rejected the Student Governments Association’s new constitution not just once, but twice. Many students disagreed with not only the draft itself, but the administration and SGA leaders behind it. 

Communication, transparency

The constitution largely overstepped its bounds and had a lack of transparency, said English sophomore Christopher Hooper.  

“To keep students out of the loop was a big slap in the face to me,” Hooper said. “These are important issues and if students don’t know about them, then we don’t get the opportunity to change what we want.”

Administration, SGA leadership

Former senator Jesus Nieto blames administration for the downfall of  SGA because he claims their main goal was to take over and do whatever they needed to get what they wanted.

According to Nieto, SGA was being pushed around in secret meetings, thrown into rooms and borderline threatened. The administration has destroyed the organization and ignored what students want.

“We have all had enough of the UH administration pushing students around,” Nieto said. “We are paying members of this institution. We do have the right to push back and say ‘hey, what’s happening is not right.’”

For Nieto, The results of the election showed that the student body stood up for themselves and told SGA leadership and administration not to mess with student representation.

“I know this organization can do good things,” Nieto said. “However, it’s the people that are in the position of power that determine why either the organization is successful or not. This year, the people in power were cowards and they were probably scared.”

Student impacts 

Deeds Not Words, a UH student organization that aims for various social justice issues, became a main advocate in rejecting the document.

They claimed the new constitution this would destroy checks and balances, remove Senate authority to draft bills for student funding, create more bureaucracy and strip senators of their right to draft and modify the SGA budget.

“This constitution is a gross overstepping of UH administrations and SGA executive branch members to undermine fair representation for the student body,” DNW said in an Instagram post. 

Nieto, who worked alongside DNW during the campaign, urges students to become more engaged in light of nationwide school funding cuts.

Since this would affect jobs and various opportunities, SGA acts as a vehicle to prevent, or at least mitigate, widespread cuts. 

“This is one incident where we really need the student body to not allow administrators to come in and take over,” Nieto said. “That’s exactly what they’re going to do with every situation coming forward.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Here’s why the student body rejected SGA’s new constitution” was originally posted on The Cougar

Lily Huynh/The Cougar

The White House said on  Feb. 25 it will determine which news outlets will have access to President Donald Trump. 

Selected outlets will be part of a rotating press pool for events and meetings that cannot accommodate the full press corporations, said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

The move comes as the White House says it wants to get rid of the monopoly within the White House Correspondents Association as it plans to add representatives who have been denied access to the daily groupings of journalists and more outlets who are well suited to cover the news of the day.  

Traditional news services like The Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters will no longer have a permanent spot in every pool. Bloomberg and Reuters will alternate in a single slot. The AP will remain blocked over the organization’s refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

Legacy media outlets like ABC News, CBS news, CNN, Fox News and NBC News would continue to be part of the current daily television rotation, according to Leavitt.

“This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States,” said President of the WHCA Eugene Daniels. “It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president.  In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps.”

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press called it a drastic change in how the public gets information about its government. 

Campus reactions

UH Professor of Practice Geoffrey Roth was not surprised by the announcement citing the relationship between Trump and traditional media was not great to begin with. 

Roth said that in his career he has never seen anything like the current climate. There have always been conflicting sides of politicians and journalists Roth said, but there was still a respectable relationship that now appears to be eroding.

“It’s still disconcerting that the president of the United States would do something like that,” Roth said. “But it didn’t surprise me that he did it.”

Concern about the level of cooperation between Republicans and the three branches of government is shared by students like public policy sophomore Joshua Sambrano, who said the system currently has no checks and balances.

Sambrano said that when the president chooses the press, he is essentially picking his letters of recommendation. This, he said, could prevent necessary stories from being told and lead citizens to act on flawed information given from a misrepresentation of government. 

“So when he gets to pick his press, it very well makes the argument that not only are the powers of the president being overstepped,” Sambrano said. “The Congress, the Justice Department and the judicial branch are failing to reel him in.”

Journalism senior Mackenzie Sills finds her main concern to be censorship and not being able to give the public the truth.

She finds articles and courses are going to have even more political bias. Trump will want people to cover him in his favor and write information in his favor. 

“When it comes to holding people of high authority accountable, that’s a really scary thing to have taken away from our society,” Sills said. “One of the foundations of journalism is holding people in power accountable.”

First Amendment Concerns 

Sambrano raised the concern of why people should fear this blatant disregard for the First Amendment, emphasizing that the press has historically been a beacon for information and to criticize government powers.

He also said that the removal of data from government sites, used by both opposing political sides, goes to show that there is an intent to mitigate any bad narratives against the administration. 

“The intent to manipulate the press pool, gatekeep information and take down information that is critically necessary for the continuation of effective policy,” said Sambrano. “It not only leads to people who don’t tie with Trump being misrepresented. It leaves them not being represented in data at all when it comes to the government data-keeping.”

Roth said this concerns him, especially when Trump tries to punish the AP for not calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. 

“It’s one thing to disagree with journalists,” Roth said. “It’s another thing to actively try to exclude them from coverage because he disagrees with the language they’re using.”

Roth said the president is trying to incorporate organizations that pretend to be news organizations. It is having a degrading effect on all of journalism in terms of covering the White House and the presidency. 

“Trump is making it more difficult for legitimate journalists to do their job while he’s giving access to people I wouldn’t consider to be real journalists,” said Roth. “They’re more rhetoric machines and bothersome when he does something like that.”

Roth said that this does not stop journalists from doing their job, but it’s all an attempt to make traditional journalism organizations’ lives more difficult. 

Future of Journalism 

This announcement has led Sills to question her interest in covering politics. 

In the past, her goal was to cover politics but she does not feel comfortable making it her expertise due to possible repercussions. Sills does not want to choose between her career and her safety.

However, she said this should not discourage other aspiring journalists.

“I would hate to see journalists working now to get discouraged and back out because they’re worried,” Sills said. “It’s totally valid to be worried and concerned, but I hope they follow their passion and get the truth out there. This is what journalism is about, being the voice for the voiceless.”

Roth knows there are still solid journalism organizations out there, true journalism is still going to champion.

To pursue this true reporting, Roth said there needs to be more transparency in reporting so people can regain trust. This includes how they did it, who they talked to and balance. 

“For students who are thinking about going into journalism, it is still a noble profession and it’s needed more than ever,” Roth said. “The old Thomas Jefferson line goes, ‘if I had to choose between having a government with no newspapers or newspapers with no government, I’d choose the newspapers.’”

Editor’s note: Professor Roth is The Cougar’s liaison advisor from the Valenti School of Communications. 

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“White House press access shakeup sparks First Amendment fears” was originally posted on The Cougar