We get it — you’re a struggling college student. We also get professors, who have been teaching for years and have their own research to do.

Mutual respect between both parties is needed in order for the system to work.

Dear Students,

Sleeping in Class: Judging from the way you zombie-walked into our class, we can tell you’re running on about three hours of sleep. We know staying up till 3 a.m. to watch Fear the Walking Dead whilst eating Whataburger is an enticing way to spend a Sunday night, but best believe you’re going to feel that tomorrow. For the students with legitimate reasons for their sleep deprivation, we are sorry. However, when you’re nodding off, there is no way of knowing when you’ve had a hard night studying, or a hard night partying. To us, and other students, you look disinterested, apathetic and disrespectful. Wake up.

Packing Up Early: The zip of your backpack, the tearing of your paper, the creaking of your desk: These are the sounds that haunt us at night. No matter how quiet you think you’re being, we can hear you. More importantly, your classmates notice you and often decide to follow suit, magnifying every noise. Sit still and wait to be excused.

Food in Class: You’ve got classes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., understood. Because of this, some of us allow you to eat in class. However, did you have to pick the crispiest apple in the store? From our time at this University, we have grown familiar with the sounds of the crunchiest carrot, the crackliest chip, the frenchiest fry. You’ve distracted us, made your colleagues hungry, and now you’re picking popcorn out of your teeth. Ew. Please bring softer foods.

Dear Professors,

Cancelling Class: You’ve got a family and a book deal and other obligations, we get it. Sometimes unexpected things come up, and you have to cancel class. For the most part, we will be ecstatic about this decision. However, when you choose to cancel class — without notifying anyone — you hinder all of your students. Some of us drive all the way from The Woodlands at 6:30 a.m. to find parking for our only Friday class. Be there, or communicate.

Technology in Class: You want us to create an interactive, 30-minute digital, oral and existential presentation using four different computer programs, and you don’t even know how to use the projector? How do you expect us to start this endeavor when we haven’t even started class? Learn the technology you want us to use.

Email: Do you know how long we spent composing this grammatically correct email? We’re already stressed, trying to find the answer to our questions, let alone ask in a way that is appropriate and professional. We proofread and edited and proofread again. All this for you to ignore us or respond with “I forgot to post the slides lol?” Treat us like adults, and engage in proper email etiquette.

There are some things that cannot be excused. Students pay for the classes they take, and professors make their livelihood off of them, so a little more care should be taken on both accounts.

— The Cougar Editorial Board

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“Respect is needed from both professors, students” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Students from rural areas of the country may not miss the charms of a farmers market, but while UH waits for Freshii to open in 2015 at the UC, those with free time on Wednesday afternoons can enjoy organic specialty foods, snacks and lunches at the City Hall Farmers Market, which began Sept. 17 after its summer hiatus.

The gentle rain didn’t deter Houstonians, who walked between the food trucks and tents to taste what vendors had to offer on the market’s first day of business after the hiatus.

Brenham Kitchens, run by father-son duo Brian and Justin Smith, offers specialty fruit-and-nut mixes and homemade sauces. | Jenae Sitzes/The Cougar

Brenham Kitchens is run by father-son duo Brian and Justin Smith. They emphasized the freshness of their dried fruit, berry and nut mixes and homemade sauces.

“No preservatives, we don’t use any of them,” Brian said. While he oversees the dried fruits and nuts, Justin handles the sauces.

Justin said the Tomatillo White Chocolate Salsa Verde is a favorite among customers, along with the more traditional garden salsa. The white chocolate lends a deceptive smoothness to what is otherwise a much runnier salsa verde and isn’t overpower by sweetness.

The real killer was the Heavenly Chocolate Sauce. It tasted like the perfect pie filling. The sauce is made with three parts dark chocolate to one part milk, Justin said. He recommended it with milk, or even poured over bacon.

The City Hall farmers market is convenient for people who work downtown, offering them a quick escape from the office and the chance to taste fresh, organic food.

“It’s my first time here,” said UH alumna Billy Jean, who was alone enjoying her lunch from the market. “I love it, I think it’s awesome.”

Other than food, the market also offers handmade luxuries, such as lavender in every form of accessory. For lovers of that fragrant, purple flower, Lavande is the perfect tent.

The Lavande tent displays an array of lavender products, from fragrant sprays to handmade soap. | Jenae Sitzes/The Cougar

“Are you prepared to be blown away?” Lavande vendor Chris Brennan asked shoppers as he opened a tin of lavender peach mango tea and waited for the aroma to make its impact.

The tent also sold traditional lavender sachets and body scrubs.

The Heart of Texas Olive Oil Co. tent, run by UH alumnus Danny Adams and his wife, Susan, is another must-see and features a variety of flavored olive oils and vinaigrettes. Every flavor is true to its name; the oils are softer and the vinaigrettes have a tangier base.

Students who have been to The Nook Cafe would recognize the Sinfull Bakery tent, manned by head baker Maxwell Fontanier. It offers organic, vegan treats “so good they’re sinful, but without the guilt.”

Fontanier said the City Hall farmers market brought organic, local foods to the inner city for people who have limited access. He compared it to the Urban Harvest Saturday Farmers Market, a year-round market from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday behind 3000 Richmond at Eastside.

Anthropology junior Ashley Sanchez said she volunteers at the Urban Harvest market, often helping with the hard work of lifting watermelons.

“I love it. It’s a lot of work, but at the end of the day, you get a lot of free food,” Sanchez said.

Food trucks also visit the City Hall farmers market, including Churrasco, Juice Girl, It’s a Wrap and more.

For more information about the Urban Harvest farmers markets, visit urbanharvest.org/home.

arts@thedailycougar.com

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“City Hall farmers market brings organic charms to downtown” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

With 94 percent of its players returning, the Cougars’ offense looks to be the strongest the team has seen in years. | File Photo/The Cougar

The Cougars’ offense has historically put lofty numbers on the scoreboard, but sophomore quarterback John O’Korn said he wants to take it further.

“You should expect us to be a lot more dynamic this year, do a lot more offensively, see a lot more guys getting their hands on the ball and be a lot more up tempo,” O’Korn said. “Last year we went pretty fast, (but) we’re going to take it to another level.”

The unit returns 94 percent of its total offense when it faces UTSA on Friday night, including Deontay Greenberry, last season’s American Athletic Conference leading receiver (1202 yards, 11 touchdowns).

In last season’s matchup, O’Korn threw for 312 yards and four touchdowns, while Greenberry hauled in nine catches for 142 yards in a 59-28 win.

Daniel Spencer (768 yards, six touchdowns) will accompany Greenberry on the inside, with Markeith Ambles and Greg Ward on the outside. 

Ward played sparingly at quarterback in the past but will now primarily be at receiver.

“It started building its way through last season,” said head coach Tony Levine. “(He and John) split time, and then John emerged as a guy that can do so much. Greg was just too talented to be backup, so we started to filter him in at receiver. When we went to spring, we realized he needs to be on the field at all times.”

UH is loaded on offense, and offensive coordinator Travis Bush, who led the Cougars to the 15th ranked offense in the nation in 2012, said the biggest challenge will be distributing the ball evenly to his playmakers.

“The hardest part right now is trying to find a way to get everyone the football and keep them all happy,” Bush said. “We feel good about putting the ball in the hands of all four starting wideouts. It’s not a bad problem to have, but we are excited to get out there and find ways to get these guys the football.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“With experienced offense, Cougars look to repeat history” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Going into his final season at UH, Shane Ros is ready to make the most of his career after three leg injuries. | File Photo/The Cougar

Senior Shane Ros can’t wait until he gets hit on the field.

“I know it sounds weird, but it’s been a long time coming,” he said. “It’s been almost a year and half, and it’s going to feel good.”

Ros, one of the team’s most versatile players, will charge back onto the field Friday against UTSA after suffering a torn ACL to his left knee during spring practice last April. The injury resulted in him missing the entire 2013 season.

“It was definitely hard watching my buddies out there playing, especially the ones I (entered my freshman year with),” Ros said. “This puts me as one of the older guys on the team.”

Ros earned a valuable role as a walk-on in 2010, recording 12 tackles while starting five different positions on special teams before being added to the receiver rotation a season later.

Ros played in 11 games in 2012 and started the final three. He finished with 23 receptions for 337 yards and three touchdowns, including career-highs in both catches (7) and receiving yardage (114), as well as a touchdown against UAB. He earned a scholarship after the season.

“He’s a guy we know that we can fit into any spot and count on him in any situation,” said offensive coordinator Travis Bush. “He knows how to handle it, and it shows a lot about his character with his comeback.”

Ros has played the role of “Comeback Kid” more times than he would like in his playing career. While playing quarterback for Cinco Ranch High School, he tore his ACL on his right knee his junior season, and again as a senior.

With ACL injuries being one of the most severe in sports, players must go through intense rehabilitation and training before returning.

“A big thing from coming off ACL surgery is getting your confidence back,” said head coach Tony Levine, who coached Ros on special teams from 2010 to 2011. “Whether it’s getting hit, cutting or running full speed, he’s shown us — more importantly, showing himself — that he is a full go.”

When Ros played a vital role as receiver in the second half of the 2012 season, a large part of it was due to injuries to the players ahead of him on the depth chart. Now with 85 percent of the team’s receiving yardage returning, including Deontay Greenberry — last season’s American Athletic Conference leading receiver — competition will be high.

“That’s a good problem to have,” Ros said. “Competition is a good thing, and it’s going to be hard to spread the ball around. We have little competition within ourselves, so we’re just trying to get everybody better.”

With the three injuries to his knees, Ros said it affected his psyche when returning to the field, but he has learned to put it behind him.

“In the beginning, I was a little tentative with (the knee), but the more you practice the more it gets back to normal,” Ros said. “I don’t even think about it.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“Ros returning for final UH act” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Rebuilding the health care system in Cambodia has been a long and crucial process, with centers such as the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE striving to provide both training for medical professionals and high quality medical services to the Cambodian people. | Courtesty of sihosp.org

Recent power outages across the University, coupled with the warm temperatures of our buildings, reminded me of my recent summer excursion to Cambodia, which is bordered by Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Gulf of Thailand to the south. The people are beautiful and are working tirelessly to rebuild their country, which is also home to Angkor Wat, an ancient world wonder. Wonderful ancient accomplishments such as Angkor Wat exist there alongside the recent grim reminders of genocide in the late 70s and early 80s.

Most stunning for this UH research professor are the Khmer’s valiant efforts to rebuild the country. UH has been taking steps to support their efforts, particularly in the areas of health.

We roamed freely between the bustling capital of Phnom Phen, Khmer rural towns, coastal cities and every town in between. We were there with a purpose of exploring and building partnerships with the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE — HOPE’s worldwide, nationally recognized training hospital — their local charter school and public health institutions.

Rebuilding a quality health care system is imperative. In 1979, after a genocide that took the lives of an estimated two million people, there were reportedly 45 medical doctors who survived. Some stayed in Cambodia, while others escaped to other countries. In 1996, this medical training hospital joined other groups in an effort to re-establish the health care system.

While there, I discovered a fellow UH alumnus, Brad Akins. He found an exciting way to confidently answer the question, “So, what can you do with a history degree?” In fact, he is a director of administration for the brand new HOPE worldwide-operated Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital that serves southern Cambodia in a medically under-served area. Every day, hundreds of patients receive quality health care with just a handful of medical staff. My trip was to consider ways to help support the country and the organization as they rebuild. Working with good people is a blessing. It’s even sweeter when they are alumni.

Yesterday, some of the UH family worked in less than comfortable conditions on campus. Some classes were held outside on the grass. A vast majority of health care facilities in developing countries like Cambodia do not have air conditioning because it is more of a luxury than a necessity. Their buildings are built to utilize nature rather than escape it. Windows are kept open for the natural breeze to flow through the hospitals. At the Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital and Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE patient waiting areas are outside—a concept that is almost unthinkable in the U.S. It works well, and the Cambodian people wait without complaining for their quality care.

Michael Sivak reported in The American Scientist that 87% of Americans use air conditioning in their home. Americans demand more energy for air conditioning than the world combined. He proposed that if the whole population of China and India had air conditioning like the U.S., there would not be enough energy in the world to make this happen. After my experience this summer in Cambodia, where temperatures and humidity climbed above 90 degrees and 90 percent, respectively, I can’t help but get a sinking feeling when I think about how the rest of the world would react to our circumstances.

An estimated five to 10 children died due to poor sanitation across the globe in the time it took you to read this article. That is, 1 child dies an average of every 20 seconds from this preventable health-related issue. Which group — not who — will solve and quickly roll out the solution to save lives? Another 783 million people do not have access to clean water and approximately 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation. Which community engagement or class assignment will have enough gumption to not just theorize, but solve these health issues?

A synergy directed into countries like Cambodia must be created among our fragmented university projects. UH faculty, students and staff have great projects in Cambodia, yet like most university community engagement projects, they are born and operated in a vacuum. Cambodia focused efforts with tangible outcomes and research for expanding our knowledge base are emerging from architecture, social work, health and human performance, pharmacy, business and other areas across campus. Now is a great time to coordinate these efforts, not only for Cambodia, but also for each country and neighborhood that is represented on our campus. This is possible because many students, staff and faculty carry within them a deep desire to “give back” to their country and neighborhoods.

Larry Hill is a research professor for the Graduate College of Social Work and may be reached at lehill@central.uh.edu

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“Reaching out to Cambodia” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar