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Geology professor wins award for tectonic research

Assistant geology professor Jonny Wu plans to use the grant to further study plate tectonics, a theory he says impacts almost everything we know about the continents and climate. | Courtesy of UH Media Relations

A UH assistant professor of geology was awarded more than half a million dollars from the National Science Foundation CAREER Program for research into plate tectonics and how they shape current climate models.

Jonny Wu, whose research focuses on the reconstruction of plate tectonics, plans to use the grant to research the Panthalassa-Pacific realm, an oceanic region that covered 70 percent of the Earth in the time of Pangaea, and rebuild the plate back to the Mesozoic Era, he said. Current models only recreate the Earth in adequate detail to the Cretaceous period, which accounts for just 3 percent of our planet’s history, according to a research proposal by Wu. 

“We’re trying to find vanished parts of the Earth. We don’t have to go very far back in time, just to the Cretaceous, to find out how much of the Earth has vanished,” Wu said.

The NSF grants CAREER awards to junior faculty members “in support of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization,” according to the NSF website.

Wu said plate tectonics is the grand unifying theory of geology, and the theory has changed everything we know about continents and our climate since its acceptance in the science community in the 20th century.

“Plate tectonics is a really important input in climate change and oceans and such,” Wu said. “What we’re trying to address is that plate models are not very well known for a large part of Earth, especially parts where plates are converging against each other and one is disappearing into the Earth.”

This process, which is called subduction, does not completely erase the plate. Traces can be found of old plates that retained their shape even after sinking into the Earth’s mantle, Wu said.

Wu said this subduction can then be reversed using a technique known as seismic tomography, which is somewhat similar to a doctor using a CT scan to see inside of a patient.

“We want to try and find traces of old plates. We ‘unsubduct’ the plate and pull it up from the Earth to study it in models,” he said.

Wu was also one of the authors of a recent paper from UH geologists that reconstructed the Nazca ocean plate to discover the history of the Andes Mountains in South America when he joined the geology department in 2016 as part of their Center for Tectonics and Tomography.

In the realm of education, Wu started a seminar series in fall 2018 at the Energy Institute High School, a STEM-oriented program for high school students that explores the topic of energy careers.

“The link between what I’m doing and energy is we’re using the petroleum software that maps out reservoirs of oil,” Wu said.

Wu said he also wants to teach his undergrad students spatial mapping, a skill he finds to be neglected in education but one that is vital to geology.  

“It’s a skill all geo-scientists develop to map out the Earth,” Wu said. “This skill is very important and often under-instructed. If you intentionally try to teach it, it’s a learnable skill.”

Wu has developed a few exercises to teach his students how to imagine three-dimensional shapes from two-dimensional images. One simple lesson involves slicing a fruit at different angles, taking a picture and then recreating that fruit from the 2D image. He’s also utilized Google Maps layouts to help teach seismic tomography.

“The idea is to do the same with the plates as with the fruit, to take a slice of a plate and recreate it. We’re trying to pilot these methods and getting feedback from the students,” Wu said. 

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Course prepares international students for citizenship exam

The citizenship exam prep course is helping students and their parents practice everything they need to know before they attempt to become a naturalized citizen. | Owen Zinkweg/The Cougar

After a promising first semester, a UH-based prep course for the U.S. Citizenship Exam is coming to a close.

The citizenship exam is the primary way for people in the United States to become naturalized citizens. Applicants will answer eight questions from a pool of around 100 questions, which cover topics about the United States’ history and political system.

“Citizenship creates a sense of belonging,” said Michelle Belco, an Honors College political science lecturer and the organizer of the prep course. “Our goal is that if students want to belong, we will help them belong.”

Since January of this semester, Belco had been organizing the prep course. The eight-week course met every Thursday in the Honors College and usually had anywhere from 12 to 14 students in attendance.

The course offers everything from review of the exam material to mock interviews to help prepare for that portion of the exam. Belco also received help from students in her political science classes, who came to the prep course to help teach and work one-on-one with those enrolled.

“It’s a good refresher and a great environment to learn the information in,” said mechanical engineering sophomore Ben Diaz, who was taking the course.

Though the course was geared toward UH students, it was also open to their parents and other members of the community. Luis Carrillo and Mariana Sandeoval are an example. After hearing about the prep course from their daughter, who is a student in UH’s Honors College, they started coming to the meetings to prepare for their exams.

“It makes me more confident,” Carrillo said. “It gives me a better idea about what I am going to face.”

Belco said the course served as a refresher for the students, many of whom had previously taken government classes at UH, and an excellent primer for older participants.

“Because it is UH and well-known, I trust it genuinely,” Carrillo said.

When Belco came up with the idea for the course two years ago, she started by having her political science students do volunteer work with similar workshops and courses off campus. She eventually decided she wanted to do something UH students could directly benefit from, she said.

“Citizenship is an important part of American government,” Belco said. “We wanted to explore offering civics classes to students who aren’t citizens.”

Belco also said she felt a good way to help teach the concept of citizenship to the student body at large was to introduce students to those who aren’t citizens. This is one of the reasons why she brought in other students from her lectures to help in the prep course.

“Traditionally, there’s a relationship between citizens and their government and a belief that government owes a duty to its citizens and vice versa,” Belco said. “A great way to understand how that actually works is by studying citizenship, and the best way to do that is to be interacting with people who are becoming citizens.”

Though the course is new, organizers hope word about it will spread to more students.

“I’d like to see 20 students enroll and have enough students to have multiple classes,” Belco said.

Most participants have not officially applied to take the exam but are planning to do so in the near future.

Though Thursday wraps the course for this semester, it will be returning again in the spring of 2020. Belco said she’ll also be hosting two workshops in the fall on applying for citizenship that international students can take part in.

“It’s an opportunity students on other campuses don’t get,” Belco said. “We are one of the most international universities there are, so it is exciting to offer this as a service.”

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Outgoing SGA president reflects on rewarding, challenging tenure

Current SGA President Cameron Barrett leaves office April 1st and Allison Lawrence will take his place. | Corbin Ayres/The Cougar

The office of the current SGA president is lived in. Canned tuna, diet cola and shirts are tossed around haphazardly. On the desk, a deodorant tube sits next to a “Cameron sucks – APPROVED” slip of paper.

This is Cameron Barrett.

Barrett, the 22-year-old native of New Caney, is currently wrapping up his second master’s degree in finance. He finished his first master’s degree the summer after taking office. Aside from being an “overachiever,” Barrett also commutes most days from his grandmother’s home in New Caney to the University.

“I didn’t want to start adulting at 20,” Barrett said. “I knew that I was going to graduate in two years, so my mindset was I’ll go ahead and plough through a master’s degree and go into the workforce around the same time as my high school cohorts — just with more education.”

Before coming to the University of Houston, Barrett attended the Kingwood branch of the Lone Star College System, taking dual-credit classes in high school.

Prior to his election as president, Barrett unsuccessfully ran for a senator position in the 53rd Administration, in which he says he was “demolished.” Despite that loss, he persevered. His path to the presidency was one of the most competitive, eventually ending in a runoff election in which he beat the incumbent president, Winni Zhang.

During his tenure as president, Barrett has pioneered a few initiatives, one of the most notable being a major election code reform that limited the possibility of two-term presidents.

“If we didn’t have term limits I wouldn’t (have) run again anyway,” Barrett said. “Running for the position is very stressful, and I think that SGA elections can be a lot more personal than other elections because you’re running against fellow students.”

Despite the difficulties of campaigning, Barrett has managed to balance work and school relatively well, though he admits it posed a challenge.

“When I was running for SGA president and my first month of being in office, I was in a one-year program for applied economics,” Barrett said. “I wasn’t anywhere close to getting kicked out, and I ended up just fine — you know, whatever, I’m a genius.”

Though his grades didn’t suffer, his attendance did. During the election, Barrett wound up missing multiple classes — as well as a week and a half of work, about $700 — to go out and campaign.

His experience with the runoff election would eventually lead to an overhaul of the runoff election system at the time.

“The last day of the runoff, I campaigned from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., and then the following day, which was the last day of voting, I campaigned from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. again,” Barrett said. “That’s with an hour drive back (home) and an hour drive to campus.”

It was a dangerous and exhausting situation, Barrett said. The new SGA voting system, which was voted into practice April 25, eliminated extended voting periods for runoff elections all thanks to Barrett’s near death experiences.

The last 10 months have been fruitful for the 55th Administration, bringing to campus a multitude of bills meant to help and protect students. Among the most notable are the Homeless Student Relief Act, the Transgender Inclusion Act and the Food Inclusion Act.  

“It’s been tough to figure out what to do next,” Barrett said. “I feel like we really have accomplished what we set out to do and so much more. But we got the Taco Bell on campus to reduce their value menu by 25 percent, so that’s cool.”

Though he didn’t run for president again, Barrett did win the position of graduate senator at-large for the Students Unite Party in this year’s SGA election.

“I think as SGA president you’re always going to upset some people, but I think overwhelmingly we’ve done a good job of rebuilding the administrative relationship,” Barrett said.

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SGA election sees lower voter turnout, victory by Students Unite

Allison Lawrence and her running-mate, Maysarah Kazia, swept the 2019 SGA election. They received more votes than the other two other presidential candidates, Claude Johnson and Moiz Syed, combined. | Corbin Ayers/The Cougar

The 2019 Student Government Association election was a tumultuous race that came to a close Thursday with a victory by Student Unite’s Allison Lawrence and her running-mate Maysarah Kazia.

Lawrence secured more than 1,700 votes, and her party won the majority of the Senate seats for the incoming 56th Administration. Coogs Unite’s Moiz Syed and EVERY COOG’s Claude Johnson split the rest of the votes at 835 and 792, respectively, according to results published by the UH SGA Election Commission. 

“It was a really long seven months,” Lawrence said to The Cougar moments after the announcement. “I’m really excited to get started on my initiatives.”

Lacking information

This election cycle introduced the new ranked voting system of Get Involved, in addition to a longer voting period. There was also an emphasis on marketing by the Election Commission, though many students reported still feeling uninformed about the election.

“Honestly, most people I know don’t know about the election because I feel it’s close to the middle of the semester when people are stressing the most about classes,” said public relations junior Mackenzie Spadoni. “The more stressed a person is about doing well in class, the less a person wants to learn about student elections, when it really has nothing to do with them.”

This was a recurring theme. Many student either opted not to vote, or voted while feeling uninformed about the candidates. A number of students pointed to a lack of obvious social media presence during the campaigns.

“I feel as though not every candidate did their job in the PR department. Perhaps they didn’t use all their resources to spread the word,” said public relations sophomore Priscilla Adejokun. “They might have used outlets such as social media, but they never reached me.”

Some who kept up with the process, however, saw improvement over previous years in getting the word out.

Procedural changes

There was a new voting system that allowed students to rank each candidate. The success of this method yielded varying degrees of confidence from the SGA.

“The voter turnout was lower than last year, but I expected it due to the change in the voting procedures and change in the voting time frame,” said Speaker of the Senate Kim-Briana Lorine. “I expected that there would be some kind of voter fatigue going on, and that may have been the situation.” 

Lorine said she would not change the whole process but focus on making the Senate elections more streamlined.

Voter turnout was a multifaceted issue,” said SGA President Cameron Barrett, who was newly elected as a graduate at-large senator for the 56th Administration. “There were less candidates. It rained every day of voting. Since campaigning wasn’t allowed in dining halls or the library/SCs the last couple days, that hurt turnout as well.”

Barrett said the new voting system was designed to be fair, and it accomplished that by avoiding complete sweeps by one party. Lorine also said it was intended to avoid runoff elections, which would hurt turnout exponentially.

Complaints, controversies

There were, however, surprises when the results came out. The EVERY COOG Party was able to secure sizable wins in the election despite its small numbers.

“We were running five members for four different position tickets, and we got three of those four. This is going a long way to creating the diversity in the student government,” Johnson said. “While I am disappointed I did not get the presidency, Allison is a strong candidate whom I can definitely support.” 

Barrett commended Johnson for being approachable and creative in engaging with possible voters in fraternities and through social media.

The Coogs Unite Party secured a sizable presence in the Senate, despite numerous controversies during the campaign.

“Unfortunately we didn’t win, but I am glad that my senators got elected,” Syed said. “There were a lot of politics involved but then again, that’s expected. I just hope that everyone will be able to properly represent the students.”

His party experienced a number of complaints and campaign bans, including one case against the Election Commission, regarding the commissioner’s failure to appoint a chief investigator as stipulated in the newly revised Election Code, that went to the SGA Supreme Court.

There is always a good amount of complaints,” said Chief Justice Kate Dentler. “Although there hasn’t been a hearing in two years, so yes it’s a big deal.”

The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in Election Commissioner Bo Harricharran’s favor, though it granted a time period for Coogs Unite to appeal complaints the party felt resulted in punishment as a result of the missing investigator. No such complaints were reversed as a result.

In the days prior to voting, tweets that were construed as homophobic and racist resurfaced from the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Nader Irsan.

These tweets became a focal point of the vice-presidential race during the Feb. 18 debate in the Student Center South Theater.

“In terms of Nader’s tweets, I acknowledge that they were a mistake. He has personally accepted fault. He made those tweets when he was much younger and didn’t understand the weight his words can have on others,” Syed said. “However, I think we should stop delving into the past and focus on what we can do in the present for the students.”

Both Syed and other members of SGA believe the tweets hurt Coogs Unite’s chances, though the president and speaker saw merit in the recency of the social media statements.

Coogs Unite maintained there was bias involved in the election.

This was my first election. As for what can be improved in the future, I think above board politics needs some improvement,” Irsan said.

Looking forward, each party is hopeful they can work together on common issues under Lawrence’s presidency. 

“I’m really happy for Allison and Maysarah,” Barrett said. “I have a lot of confidence in them.”

Lawrence, Kazia and Harricharran could not be reached for comment on this story.

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BREAKING: Students Unite’s Allison Lawrence wins SGA presidency

Students Unite’s Allison Lawrence and Maysarah Kazia will take office as SGA president and vice president, respectively, at the beginning of April. | Corbin Ayres/The Cougar

 

Allison Lawrence and Maysarah Kazia of Students Unite were announced president-elect and vice president-elect Thursday evening in the Student Center North Lounge as the 2019 Student Government Association election came to a close.

The duo ran alongside current SGA President Cameron Barrett, who also secured a Graduate Senator-At-Large seat for the 56th Administration. Their victory marks the first successful female-female SGA ticket since 1975.

“It was a really long seven months,” Lawrence said after the announcement. “I’m really excited to get started on my initiatives.”

The Students Unite platform centered on increasing the minimum on-campus wage for students and bringing third-party health insurance acceptance to the UH Student Health Center, in addition to other initiatives. In total, Students Unite secured 21 of the 36 Senate seats that were up for grabs.

“We worked incredibly hard and I’m proud of everyone on the campaign,” said Kazia. “The best moments of this campaign were getting to work with everyone and push through the tough times.”

Lawrence, who currently serves as chief of staff for the 55th Administration under Barrett, was up against political science junior Claude Johnson of EVERY COOG and current CLASS Sen. Moiz Syed of Coogs Unite for the presidency.

Syed was in Baltimore at the time the results were announced, but his vice-presidential candidate Nader Irsan was present.

“It’s definitely been a learning experience but, like I said in the debate, each candidate running has a good vision for the University of Houston — we just have different visions of how to reach that goal,” Irsan said.

Syed declined to comment on the results.

While Johnson lost the presidency, all Senate candidates from his party secured their seats.

Additionally, independent candidate Francisco Garza secured a Graduate Senator-At-Large Senate seat.

The Graduate Student Bill of Rights passed in the election with 98 percent of students voting in favor of the legislation. The new version of the SGA Constitution was also ratified, with 94 percent of students in favor.

“I’m very proud of all the candidates and everyone worked especially hard, though I’m relieved that it’s over,” said SGA Election Commissioner Bo Harricharran.

Graduate Senator-At-Large

Cameron Barrett — Students Unite

Francisco Garza — Independent

Undergraduate Senator-At-Large

Ed Gonzales — Students Unite

Elizabeth Pham — Students Unite

Leonard Chambers — Coogs Unite

Kaden Lewis — EVERY COOG

Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design

Nathaniel Waller — Coogs Unite

C.T. Bauer College of Business

Daniella Ramos — Students Unite

Katherine Doan — Students Unite

Saida Adaya — Students Unite

Jack Morgan — Coogs Unite

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

Aidan Potts — Students Unite

Alex Do — Students Unite

Wasiq Javed — Students Unite

Paulina Saybe — Students Unite

Franciso Fuentes — Students Unite

Ashlee Dulaney — Coogs Unite

Lexus Simmons — EVERY COOG

College of Education

Vi Pham — Students Unite

Queen Epomba — EVERY COOG

Cullen College of Engineering

Quang Vo — Students Unite

Mikaylee Strohm — Students Unite

Alex Garcia — Coogs Unite

Honors College

Chirag Mistry — Students Unite

Gibby Badillo — Coogs Unite

UH Law Center

Alexys Mathis — Coogs Unite

College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics

Christina Dias — Students Unite

Chiamaka Chukwu — Students Unite

Aneesha Krothapalli — Coogs Unite

Jasmine Khademakbari — Coogs Unite

College of Technology

Bethany Jackson-Price — Students Unite

Christopher Lamonte — Students Unite

Alexander Duvall — Coogs Unite

Travis James Sorce — Coogs Unite

Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management

Jules Vicklund — Students Unite

Graduate College of Social Work

Emily Joslin — Students Unite

This story will be updated when official voting data and turnout is made public by the Election Commission.

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BREAKING: UH meets $1B ‘Here, We Go’ campaign goal, will continue to 2020

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The University of Houston System announced Thursday during a Board of Regents meeting held in Clear Lake that it had reached the $1 billion goal of the “Here, We Go” fundraising campaign 18 months ahead of the anticipated 2020 completion date.

The fundraising campaign — which has garnered $1.003 billion for UH from more than 178,000 donors thus far — began quietly in 2012 before the public launch in 2017, according to a press release put out by the University.

“Everywhere you look at the University of Houston, you can see the Powerhouse growing and you can be certain it would not be possible without the generous support of our alumni base and corporate neighbors near and far who continue to help us make transformational changes to the University,” said UH System Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Eloise Brice in the release.

According to the release, money raised from the campaign has created 1,032 new scholarships across campus, helped renovate and create facilities across campus and also expanded the size of the UH Victoria campus.

Of the reported 178,000-plus donors to the campaign, some individuals have contributed several million, such as Board of Regents Chairman Tilman Fertitta who gave $20 million for the construction of the Fertitta Center, formerly known as the Hofheinz Pavilion.

The goal of the campaign has been to expand the University with new scholarships and facilities, with donations having already contributed immensely to the construction and launching of UH’s upcoming medical school, according to the release.

Humana Inc. — a for profit health insurance company — gave  $15 million during the campaign to establish the Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute and help fund the establishment and operation of the new UH College of Medicine.

According to the release, an anonymous donor also gave $3 million to pay off the entire tuition of the UH College of Medicine’s inaugural class.

With the original $1 billion goal already reached, the University plans to continue moving forward to go “Beyond the Billion” with fundraising focusing on creating scholarships, endowed professorships and campus identity projects, according to the release.

“The University of Houston is on the move, and investing in UH is truly a gift that keeps giving,
helping us continue to expand our academic excellence and impact,” said Capital Campaign Co-Chair Marvin E. Odum III in the release.

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Students, SGA candidates hope to lower CAPS costs

Counseling and Psychological Services is located on the second floor of the Student Health Center on Cullen Blvd. Corbin Ayers/The Cougar

The University of Houston’s health services are getting some backlash from students on campus.

Services such as Counseling and Psychological Services, also known as CAPS, and the Student Health Center offer assistance to students ranging from check ups to vaccinations and mental health. For students, these services are locked behind fees, insurance requirements and waiting times, which can be very prohibitive.

“Professors and faculty are always telling us to go see CAPS if we need to talk to someone,” said psychology senior Zainub Mallick. “But when I finally got the courage to go, it was more of a nuisance and headache than just dealing with my issues on my own.”

Mallick said he went to CAPS during the fall in 2018, but he was told it would take four to eight weeks before someone would be able to see him.

“I finally got a call in December during finals that they have availability to see me, but because of finals and leaving out of town I didn’t get a chance to go,” Mallick said.

Alongside wait times, the costs of CAPS services — though cheap comparable to other non-UH alternatives — are considered a hurdle by many students looking to get treatment for their mental health.

“I do have some of anxiety when it comes to some of the systems that are in place at the University,” said Matthew Detwiler, a graduate at the Graduate School of Social Work and a U.S. veteran. “Mental health services at the University should find a way to eliminate the cost.”

While free mental health services would be the ideal scenario for many, CAPS Director Dr. Norma Ngo said the UH administration believes it would be difficult to lower prices because it would compromise service.

“Unfortunately, completely free and unrestricted access to unlimited individual counseling is not sustainable,” Ngo said. “Every counseling center is therefore forced to put certain limitations in order to serve more students.”

SGA election

With the Student Government Association election currently underway, some students said they see this as an opportunity to engage the administration in finding solutions to improve accessibility to CAPS and the Health Center.

For each of the three parties with presidential candidates up for election, the issue of accessibility to health services is a key part of their platforms.

“It is important to work not only to get the Health Center to accept third-party insurance but to accept Medicare and Medicaid as well, which would extend services to lower-income students,” said Cameron Barrett, current SGA president and spokesperson for the incumbent Students Unite party. “There are certain services the Health Center provides which are cheap/free, but there are not as many as there should be.”

“The first thing we have to do is to increase knowledge of health services,” said presidential candidate for Coogs Unite Moiz Syed. “As far as advertising goes, CAPS is already on the syllabus. I want to continue having health services on the syllabus as well as platforms such as Blackboard.”

Claude Johnson, presidential candidate of the EVERY COOG Party, said the issue could be potentially solved through the relocation of certain funds and with help from SGA.

“SGA has the budgetary power to fundraise to help both of these causes, so that’s where our focus lies,” Johnson said.

Outpaced by demand

While wait times and costs of services may be a deterrent for students seeking treatment, CAPS has faced their own barriers to helping students.

“CAPS has been in a situation where demand for our individual counseling services has been outpacing our ability to provide these services,” Ngo said. “We have also found that paying a small fee motivates students to make efficient use of treatment, which allows for better allocation of resources to those student that require them.”

Ngo said CAPS offers exemptions for some students in dire financial straights, including but not limited to the waiving of certain fees.

“We in Health and Wellness strive to keep services as affordable as possible,” said Floyd Robinson, the assistant vice president of Student Affairs-Health and Wellness. “We focus on keeping our students healthy. To that end, prices must be kept low.”

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Programs on campus aim to help financially insecure students

The Personal Early Educational Performance Support Pantry has been serving students from a closet in Farish Hall since February 2018. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

Financially insecure students are a frequently forgotten demographic, but they make up more of the student population than meets the eye. 

A 2018 report from the Hope Lab found that 36 percent of students nationwide were food insecure in the 30 days before the survey, and 36 percent had been housing insecure in the previous year.

The SGA Homeless Student Relief Act and the PEEPS Pantry are two initiatives intended to help UH students who may not have access to nutritionally adequate food or stable housing. The Cougar spoke to students facing these circumstances to understand the importance of these initiatives.

“I was homeless, living in my car and starving for about a month and a half before the fall semester started,” said UH alumna Olivia Cruz.

Cruz was severed from family support after the death of her mother in 2015, when relatives drove her from their home. She applied for full financial aid and moved into Moody Towers after living in her car for a month and a half. Later, she moved out seeking a cheaper cost of living and supported herself by working full time.

Another student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that having to support herself financially was negatively impacting her studies.

“I’m working full time, but it’s not enough. That leaves me no time to study. My only days off from work are when I have classes,” the student said.

As a foreign transfer student at UH, she felt there was an expectation for international students to have financial support.

“I do (have support), but not financially. (My family and friends) can’t help me like that,” she said.

Support systems

Lack of family support is a common source of financial woes.

“My situation stems from my parents. They offer no financial support of any kind,” said political science senior Samuel Mansfield. “The only support system I have is my friends.” 

After a break up, Mansfield was left with double the rent and without familial support. He had to make sacrifices to cover his expenses. He defines himself as food insecure and outlined his daily meal schedule: no breakfast, a small lunch and as good a dinner as he can manage.

“My friends will swipe me into the dining hall sometimes or buy me lunch knowing that I am struggling,” Mansfield said.

Another foreign transfer student who wishes to remain anonymous said she relies on the PEEPS Pantry to meet her needs.

“The pantry provided access to canned foods, energy bars, items which would not be in my list if I had to run with the limited budget,” the student said.

Retention Specialist of the College of Education Laura Lee said she’d seen a student from the foster care program drop out due to his financial situation.

“He had not realized how expensive it was to live on campus and could not afford to pay the remainder of his balance,” Lee said.

Lee is hopeful about the efforts being made to help students struggling with financial insecurity and the impact of the PEEPS Pantry.

“We are seeing an average of four students per day. From the first day of school until end of January, we had 22 students. As the word spreads about the pantry, I expect the traffic to increase,” Lee said.

Unaware of services

Many students, however, are still unaware of the services and help available to them.

“I have not taken advantage of the resources, nor did I even know that UH provided resources like that,” Mansfield said.

Lee wants to find other ways to support students in need beyond expanding awareness about the food pantry.

“We are working on getting a website for the PEEPS program. Once that is complete, we will have a link for donations. We can use those donations to assist in other ways,” Lee said.

Lee mentioned the UH Alternative Textbook Incentive Program, which she hopes more faculty will utilize in the future.

The students interviewed encouraged others to reach out if they are in need.

“Make sure to talk to people about what you’re going through. There’s no shame and no need to hide. If you’re open about your struggle, you are more likely to get help,” Cruz said.

The PEEPS Pantry hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to noon.

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University holds several routes to help students facing harassment

There have been 10 harassment cases and six stalking incidents reported in the past 60 days, according to UHPD’s crime log. | Corbin Ayers/The Cougar

She was walking to class this fall, clad in workout gear and with her head down, when a man walked up to inform her that her backpack zipper was undone.

Before she got the chance to fix the pocket herself, he was behind her, zipping it up. To be polite, she thanked him and assumed he would leave. He did not. He introduced himself and said he was walking in the same direction.

“He was talking the whole way about how cute I was and how much he liked my glasses and how he just thought I seemed like a really cool person without actually knowing anything about me,” said Amber, who requested only her first name be used. 

He tried to put his arm around her and followed her into the building. She attempted to say goodbye, but he insisted he was still walking in the same direction and did not want to leave. He said he wanted to keep talking to her, even after she clarified she was in a relationship.

Outside her classroom, he insisted she give him her number. She was scared. She’d heard the stories of what sometimes happens when women reject men. She gave him her Facebook messenger and decided to block him later. He immediately messaged her.

“He had been messaging me saying he thought I was cool and wanted to meet me, and he felt like I wouldn’t be like most people and say they’ll be your friend and then never talk to you,” Amber said. “I tried telling him I had a boyfriend, but he just ignored that and just started talking about how his ex broke his heart.”

She texted her sister to say she was scared that he would still be outside waiting for her, so her sister skipped her class to help. He was not waiting outside the classroom, but Amber said she remained on edge for the rest of the week.

“My sister walked me to class the next few lessons and even showed me a new way to walk so I could hopefully avoid him,” she said.

Amber said she knows her experience could have gone much worse, but it is something many women, and men, regularly experience.

Options

Harassment encompasses a wide range of activities. While many think of sexual harassment when they hear the word, harassment is defined as a course of conduct that harasses, annoys, alarms, abuses, torments or embarrasses another, according to Texas Penal Code 42.07.

The University has multiple routes students can choose from if they are experiencing stalking or harassment, based on what their desired outcome may be. If students don’t want to pursue criminal action and would rather just make sure their harasser does not have classes with them, they can go to Equal Opportunity Services instead of UHPD.

“Students who are concerned for their safety should let someone know,” said Assistant Vice Chancellor/Vice President of Equal Opportunity Services Richard Baker. “EOS, UHPD and others may intervene directly or help the student create a safety plan. Talking through these issues may not only provide peace of mind but also a sense of security necessary for a safe environment for learning, living and working.”

Students can file a report even if an involved party does not attend UH, especially if the victim chooses a criminal route.

A victim of a crime can always report any crime to UHPD,” said UHPD Captain Bret Collier. “We will either work directly with other police agencies to solve a crime, or if there is no clear nexus to UH, refer the case to the appropriate agency and ensure that the reportee has the appropriate contact with that agency to resolve their concern.”

Harassment can also happen electronically. Multiple texts, calls, direct messages or even a pager bombarded with messages can classify, especially if you have told them to stop, according to the Penal Code.

“If you’re finding that someone is doing these things, the biggest key is documentation,” said Ashley Griffin, the program manager for the University’s Sexual Misconduct Support Services. “I often provide individuals with a ‘stalking log’ where I want you to document all the behaviors you’ve been noticing.”

The main purpose of Griffin’s job is to provide students with all the options they can choose from. She helps students find resources and provides confidential support. If students want to meet with her, they need to make an appointment.

She said to take note of how many times they call, where you see them and how often. Griffin also said, if it’s possible, tell them to stop over the phone or text so if you decide to report them, one can see how many times they tried to contact you after you have made it clear you want nothing to do with them.

“Why? Because some people will say, ‘Well I never knew it was bothering them,’ even though a reasonable person would kind of get that this is bothering them,” Griffin said.

Sexual Misconduct Support Services also has about 100 staff and faculty members who have successfully completed the eight-hour Code Red Assist Training. This means they are capable of providing support to students who have experienced sexual violence, which includes some forms of stalking and harassment. Students can find them by going to their website or looking out for a Code Red Assist placard on the door of the staff member’s office.

“I want to try to give back power,” Griffin said. “So that you feel like you can choose, because if I get to decide, ‘Yes I want to go to police, or no I don’t want to go there,’ then you’re in control, and I’m just going to support you whichever way that you choose.”

On-campus trends

Stalking and harassment happen to both men and women, but UHPD does not keep track of the gender of on-campus victims, so there is no way of knowing which group on campus is more likely to be a victim based on statistics alone.

There have been 10 harassment cases and six stalking incidents reported in the past 60 days, according to UHPD’s crime log. The 2018 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report shows 75 separate stalking incidents for 2017. Fifty-three were reported in 2016 and 15 in 2015. 

While stalking is specifically mentioned in the report, there are no numbers for “harassment” included in the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, though it is still possible to file a harassment report with UHPD and have a case opened and documented. 

Although Amber’s incident happened last semester, she still takes measures to try and prevent something like it from happening again.

“I never saw him again,” Amber said. “But since then I’ve been very careful about making sure my backpack is all zipped up.”

She hopes people who experience something similar know it is OK to speak up.

“If someone is making you uncomfortable, they should know it,” Amber said. “If you feel unsafe for any reason, then you do what is most important for your safety, but most importantly, this wasn’t your fault.”

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Allison Lawrence hopes to bring her SGA experience to presidency

Lawrence has a wealth of experience within SGA and has accomplished many initiatives that have helped students. | Photo courtesy of Allison Lawrence

Allison Lawrence has spent the last semester shadowing the current Student Government Association president — the position she hopes to have next year.

Lawrence, a political science junior and the current chief of staff for SGA, said her experience over the last year and the relationships she has built with UH administration officials during that time make her a strong SGA presidential candidate.

“I understand the way the University and the administration works because I’ve been working in it for the last year,” said Lawrence, who is running to be the SGA president with the Students Unite party.

One specific initiative Lawrence hopes to accomplish in the 2019-2020 school year is the raising of the minimum wage on campus from $7.47 to $9 an hour, and she said she’s been working toward that goal with UH Administration and Finance.

“They support this initiative and have been helping us make a timeline for when we will actually see the implementation of this,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence said she also has had meetings with the associate director of the Health Center about allowing students to use third-party insurance to pay for services at the Health Center. Currently, the only options for payment are a student insurance plan and paying out of pocket.

“(The Health Center) has been really open with me about their policies and steps that it would take to get third-party insurance at the Health Center,” Lawrence said.

Other goals for the Students Unite campaign are increasing awareness and discussions about Title IX within SGA and establishing a Green Fund for environmental sustainability initiatives on campus, Lawrence said.

Students Unite has been working on a website and also has social media where students can find out more about Lawrence’s campaign, she said.

Lawrence said much of her prep-work for the presidential debate Feb. 20 has been simply talking to students across campus.

“I’ve learned so much by just talking to students and figuring out what are their concerns on campus,” Lawrence said. “I think it gives you the best insight.”

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