Emergency medical services rushed to the library after receiving a call from security. | Sarah Whiteley/The Cougar

EMS brought the student out of the library on a stretcher. | Sarah Whiteley/The Cougar

A male student collapsed on the fifth floor of the brown wing of MD Anderson Library around 2 p.m. today.

“I didn’t see much, but I think the guy had a cramp or something,” said biology freshman Wesley Tran. “He was having trouble breathing, but I didn’t see what caused it. Eventually security came, and later the paramedics came.”

A man in a light blue button-up shirt and khaki pants was walking around and surveying the scene, Lumbo said.

“I walked in and saw a bunch of campus security surrounding the corner of the library,” Lumbo said. “I overheard the girl he was with tell the officers he took something for heart burn, and he took another one and that’s when he started cramping.”

The student moved to the floor as the cramping worsened.

“I had come to the fifth floor of the brown wing to study and eat food, and I saw one of the security personnel kneeling on the floor and asking if they were alright,” said accounting senior Isaias Rodriguez. “As I moved to the side, I saw a male student sitting on the floor, crunched up, saying he was having trouble breathing and cramping up.”

After a few minutes, a team of emergency personnel arrived at the site with a stretcher, Rodriguez said. The personnel questioned the student to determine what was going on, and a female student answered for him, he said. The female was supposedly a friend of the male student and arrived to the scene before the emergency response, he said.

“From what I could hear, she said that he had passed out and that he had taken supplements before the whole incident, and that might have been the cause,” Rodriguez said. “The emergency team then asked more questions, like did he drink plenty of water and so forth, but that’s all I could hear.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Breaking – Student collapses in brown wing of MD Anderson Library” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Emergency medical services rushed to the library after receiving a call from security. | Sarah Whiteley/The Cougar

EMS brought the student out of the library on a stretcher. | Sarah Whiteley/The Cougar

A male student collapsed on the fifth floor of the brown wing of MD Anderson Library around 2 p.m. today.

“I didn’t see much, but I think the guy had a cramp or something,” said biology freshman Wesley Tran. “He was having trouble breathing, but I didn’t see what caused it. Eventually security came, and later the paramedics came.”

A man in a light blue button-up shirt and khaki pants was walking around and surveying the scene, Lumbo said.

“I walked in and saw a bunch of campus security surrounding the corner of the library,” Lumbo said. “I overheard the girl he was with tell the officers he took something for heart burn, and he took another one and that’s when he started cramping.”

The student moved to the floor as the cramping worsened.

“I had come to the fifth floor of the brown wing to study and eat food, and I saw one of the security personnel kneeling on the floor and asking if they were alright,” said accounting senior Isaias Rodriguez. “As I moved to the side, I saw a male student sitting on the floor, crunched up, saying he was having trouble breathing and cramping up.”

After a few minutes, a team of emergency personnel arrived at the site with a stretcher, Rodriguez said. The personnel questioned the student to determine what was going on, and a female student answered for him, he said. The female was supposedly a friend of the male student and arrived to the scene before the emergency response, he said.

“From what I could hear, she said that he had passed out and that he had taken supplements before the whole incident, and that might have been the cause,” Rodriguez said. “The emergency team then asked more questions, like did he drink plenty of water and so forth, but that’s all I could hear.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Breaking – Student collapses in brown wing of MD Anderson Library” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Public Health Investigator Manager of Houston Patrick Ndibe alerted students  to the tuberculosis case on campus in meetings on Monday and Tuesday. | Corbin Ayres/The Cougar

The threat of tuberculosis infection at the University of Houston was discovered after an individual involved in the Fine Arts Building received a diagnosis. As of Tuesday night, the amount of people exposed has not yet been determined, Public Health Investigator Manager of Houston Patrick Ndibe said.

On Oct. 23, the Student Health Center sent out an email to those who were in direct contact with the individual for an extended period of time, and those who need testing received a separate email. Individuals at the greatest risk of infection still await testing due to the exact numbers not being known yet.

“I’m immunocompromised,” art freshman Jailyne Ochoa said. “I just got a bone marrow transplant, cancer treatment, so I’m at risk for stuff like that and I’m treating fungal pneumonia on top of that.”

Ndibe came to UH Monday to brief members of the community on TB and explain the causes, effects and general symptoms associated with the infection.

“When you say TB, the anxiety of the people in the room goes up,” Ndibe said. “But after they receive the education, they are okay.”

Ndibe leads a contact investigation whenever tuberculosis is diagnosed within the city of Houston. Whether it be at a high school, university or a work environment, he works to find who may be infected and raises awareness about the infection and potential consequences.

“We are here to educate people about TB and to answer questions,” Ndibe said. “No one needs to die of TB in the United States.”

After receiving confirmation of the TB diagnosis, health investigators dispatched to UH began testing at-risk individuals at the on-campus student medical service center and are currently still in the process, Ndibe said.

“I didn’t read it in depth, but I read it again today and I kind of freaked out,” graphic design freshman Caroline Schulz said. “I feel like they could’ve had a faster reaction time.”

If a student received the email, but has not checked their email or has not been aware, the student will still be notified. Public health officials are working closely with school authorities to inform all students at risk who failed to show up for testing. These students could be contacted by email again, phone or in person but they will be notified, Ndibe said.

People seem to think TB is close to being eradicated and become very concerned when they hear about it, Ndibe said. Tuberculosis is rare. Last year, there were only 186 cases of tuberculosis among the 2.3 million people who reside in Houston.

Specific conditions must be met for TB to spread to other people, making the overall risk of contraction very small. The most common way to become infected is though prolonged close contact with diseased individuals in a closed space, Ndibe said.

TB is transmitted by breathing in the air exhaled by diseased individuals, and thus outdoor contact has a low chance of producing an infection. Contact with skin and bodily fluids also will not transmit the disease.

“To be considered a contact, you would have spent six hours with that individual,” Ndibe said. “TB is not easily transmittable. There are a lot of myths.”

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection, not a virus, and can be treated. Most bacteria are treatable, and there are medicines that can cure tuberculosis, Ndibe said.

“I see (my doctor) on Friday, and I’m going to talk to him about the email,” Ochoa said.

Ndibe emphasized the importance of understanding the difference between a TB infection and the TB disease. When in contact with an individual with TB, it is possible to be infected, but people will not exhibit symptoms at this stage. A TB infection is not contagious, and the earlier TB is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

Symptoms of TB include coughing, loss of appetite, weight loss, chills and most notably, coughing blood, Ndibe said. These do not necessarily mean an individual has the disease, but those who contract the disease may exhibit these symptoms, he said. Any of the symptoms must seem excessive or seem to arise without cause.

“If you see someone cough, they probably don’t have TB,” Ndibe said. “But if they are coughing a lot, with blood, or if they are losing weight for no reason, then they may have it.”

Confidentiality is an important aspect of contact investigations. At-risk individuals received separate notification of the situation, and the individual diagnosed with TB has worked with the investigation to identify others who may be at risk. 

Ndibe said it is critical that the infected UH individual remain anonymous for the sake of their privacy.

“Let’s say you and I are talking. You find out I have TB, then maybe you won’t want to talk with me anymore,” Ndibe said. “There is a lot of stigma about it.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“City of Houston sends health investigator after individual at UH diagnosed with tuberculosis” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Advisers guide students to the right path to graduation. | Billion Tekleab/The Cougar

Advisers from colleges all over campus recognize UH students hold many misconceptions about the function of advising appointments.

On average, UH advisers see 40 students per week. Priority enrollment for Spring 2019 begins Nov. 2, and students are now rushing to set up an appointment with their respective advisers.

The Cougar had a chance to sit down with advisers from across the University, including:

Kenneth Garcia from the Cullen College of Engineering; Greg Spillers from the Biomedical Engineering department of the Cullen College of Engineering; Kaitlyn Dempsey from the College of Education; Colleen Davies from business advising in the Honors College; Fallon Jones from the Engineering Technology department of the College of Technology; Amanda Brown from the Information and Logistics Technology department of the College of Technology; and Michelle Nodskov from the Biology and Biochemistry department of the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.

The Cougar: What do the students you advise struggle with the most?

Garcia: Each major has their own critical semester, and in chemical engineering it’s known as the big three, and in petroleum engineering it’s known as the big five. Those are classes, which are in the same semester, and they are the hardest variety of classes that they will take.

Davies: There’s this STAT 3331 class. It’s a quantitative course that requires a lot of Excel skills and requires that you touch the material every day, and that is an adjustment for a lot of people. Some people consider themselves naturally good at math, and it’s not a logic that comes naturally.

Whenever a student has to take this class, I spend a lot of time getting them familiar with what it’s going to take.

TC: What is the purpose of your job as an adviser?

Dr. Spillers: I see my job being more professional development and getting them not just to graduation but to what they want to do after graduation. If they want to go to medical school, we’re going to talk about the classes they need to get into medical school.

I also want to talk to them about the rest of their application, when they should be working on that application and when they should be taking the MCAT if they want to go to graduate school.

Nodskov: Part of my job is saying, ‘Hey, I’m here for you, too.’ I’ve had students who are upset with how specific classes are going, so I tell them about tutoring, or maybe just let them know I understand, ‘I was a student like you.’

Sometimes you just need somebody to say, ‘You know what? It’s gonna be okay. You can go home and eat some chocolate and finish your homework. That’s okay, too.’

TC: What should students be prepared to answer at their advising appointments?

Davies: One, what’s the ultimate goal? I’m a business advisor, so they are working towards some kind of business degree, but what does that mean? Can you picture a company that you’d like to work for? Can you picture an industry that you are interested in?

If your dream goal is to be a buyer for Macy’s, let’s work backwards and figure out what are different things you can do to be successful in finding what that goal is.

TC: What do you think increases the likelihood of a student succeeding?

Davies: The students who are most successful are utilizing networking opportunities, not just using the classes to decide if they like the major. I think what gets difficult for some students is when they finally get into their major coursework and find that they don’t really like it.

If you can take those opportunities to expose yourself to stuff, it will help confirm what you like and don’t like.

TC: If you could have students ask you one question that you would answer and never be asked again, what would it be?

Dempsey: I would probably tell them that whenever they search for our CUIN and LED education courses, they’re all hidden. So, don’t freak out whenever you don’t see them because they are specific to our students, and we don’t want students outside of the major trying to take the courses that are required for the students farther along in our program.

If they need one of those courses, they just need to reach out to an adviser and we will help them out. 

Jones: How do you see an adviser? What are your advising hours? How do I look for courses I am trying to enroll in? A lot of this can be found online.

TC: Do you think tools like Rate My Professor are useful for students? Are there any disadvantages?

Nodskov: I think that some students use Rate My Professor as law, and they’ll be like, ‘I want to take this class with this specific professor.’ And they’ll wait. If the class opens up and fills and they can’t get into it, they’ll wait till the next semester to take it, even though there’s four other sections taught by others professors.

And I’ve seen students kind of get into trouble that way.

TC: If you could say one thing to your students to help them better understand the purpose of advising, what would it be?

Jones: We are paid to come out and help you, but we won’t know if you don’t tell us. We have a wealth of information that every student can benefit from, but we don’t know what you need unless you tell us.

Brown: Come once a semester, even if you come for 10 to 15 minutes. We can talk about classes and make sure you are on track. That’s the best way we can get you in and out without any hassle.

Davies: We’re experts within our field. We stay up to date with the policies of the college, the policies of our individual majors. Things are always changing on a college campus. They change rules all the time. Your advisor is there to assist you in figuring out how it applies to you and to make sure you have a stress-free college experience.

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Q&A: What do advisers do for students, anyway?” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Public Health Investigator Manager of Houston Patrick Ndibe alerted students  to the tuberculosis case on campus in meetings on Monday and Tuesday. | Corbin Ayres/The Cougar

The threat of tuberculosis infection at the University of Houston was discovered after an individual involved in the Fine Arts Building received a diagnosis. As of Tuesday night, the amount of people exposed has not yet been determined, Public Health Investigator Manager of Houston Patrick Ndibe said.

On Oct. 23, the Student Health Center sent out an email to those who were in direct contact with the individual for an extended period of time, and those who need testing received a separate email. Individuals at the greatest risk of infection still await testing due to the exact numbers not being known yet.

“I’m immunocompromised,” art freshman Jailyne Ochoa said. “I just got a bone marrow transplant, cancer treatment, so I’m at risk for stuff like that and I’m treating fungal pneumonia on top of that.”

Ndibe came to UH Monday to brief members of the community on TB and explain the causes, effects and general symptoms associated with the infection.

“When you say TB, the anxiety of the people in the room goes up,” Ndibe said. “But after they receive the education, they are okay.”

Ndibe leads a contact investigation whenever tuberculosis is diagnosed within the city of Houston. Whether it be at a high school, university or a work environment, he works to find who may be infected and raises awareness about the infection and potential consequences.

“We are here to educate people about TB and to answer questions,” Ndibe said. “No one needs to die of TB in the United States.”

After receiving confirmation of the TB diagnosis, health investigators dispatched to UH began testing at-risk individuals at the on-campus student medical service center and are currently still in the process, Ndibe said.

“I didn’t read it in depth, but I read it again today and I kind of freaked out,” graphic design freshman Caroline Schulz said. “I feel like they could’ve had a faster reaction time.”

If a student received the email, but has not checked their email or has not been aware, the student will still be notified. Public health officials are working closely with school authorities to inform all students at risk who failed to show up for testing. These students could be contacted by email again, phone or in person but they will be notified, Ndibe said.

People seem to think TB is close to being eradicated and become very concerned when they hear about it, Ndibe said. Tuberculosis is rare. Last year, there were only 186 cases of tuberculosis among the 2.3 million people who reside in Houston.

Specific conditions must be met for TB to spread to other people, making the overall risk of contraction very small. The most common way to become infected is though prolonged close contact with diseased individuals in a closed space, Ndibe said.

TB is transmitted by breathing in the air exhaled by diseased individuals, and thus outdoor contact has a low chance of producing an infection. Contact with skin and bodily fluids also will not transmit the disease.

“To be considered a contact, you would have spent six hours with that individual,” Ndibe said. “TB is not easily transmittable. There are a lot of myths.”

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection, not a virus, and can be treated. Most bacteria are treatable, and there are medicines that can cure tuberculosis, Ndibe said.

“I see (my doctor) on Friday, and I’m going to talk to him about the email,” Ochoa said.

Ndibe emphasized the importance of understanding the difference between a TB infection and the TB disease. When in contact with an individual with TB, it is possible to be infected, but people will not exhibit symptoms at this stage. A TB infection is not contagious, and the earlier TB is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

Symptoms of TB include coughing, loss of appetite, weight loss, chills and most notably, coughing blood, Ndibe said. These do not necessarily mean an individual has the disease, but those who contract the disease may exhibit these symptoms, he said. Any of the symptoms must seem excessive or seem to arise without cause.

“If you see someone cough, they probably don’t have TB,” Ndibe said. “But if they are coughing a lot, with blood, or if they are losing weight for no reason, then they may have it.”

Confidentiality is an important aspect of contact investigations. At-risk individuals received separate notification of the situation, and the individual diagnosed with TB has worked with the investigation to identify others who may be at risk. 

Ndibe said it is critical that the infected UH individual remain anonymous for the sake of their privacy.

“Let’s say you and I are talking. You find out I have TB, then maybe you won’t want to talk with me anymore,” Ndibe said. “There is a lot of stigma about it.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“City of Houston sends health investigator after individual at UH diagnosed with tuberculosis” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Advisers guide students to the right path to graduation. | Billion Tekleab/The Cougar

Advisers from colleges all over campus recognize UH students hold many misconceptions about the function of advising appointments.

On average, UH advisers see 40 students per week. Priority enrollment for Spring 2019 begins Nov. 2, and students are now rushing to set up an appointment with their respective advisers.

The Cougar had a chance to sit down with advisers from across the University, including:

Kenneth Garcia from the Cullen College of Engineering; Greg Spillers from the Biomedical Engineering department of the Cullen College of Engineering; Kaitlyn Dempsey from the College of Education; Colleen Davies from business advising in the Honors College; Fallon Jones from the Engineering Technology department of the College of Technology; Amanda Brown from the Information and Logistics Technology department of the College of Technology; and Michelle Nodskov from the Biology and Biochemistry department of the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.

The Cougar: What do the students you advise struggle with the most?

Garcia: Each major has their own critical semester, and in chemical engineering it’s known as the big three, and in petroleum engineering it’s known as the big five. Those are classes, which are in the same semester, and they are the hardest variety of classes that they will take.

Davies: There’s this STAT 3331 class. It’s a quantitative course that requires a lot of Excel skills and requires that you touch the material every day, and that is an adjustment for a lot of people. Some people consider themselves naturally good at math, and it’s not a logic that comes naturally.

Whenever a student has to take this class, I spend a lot of time getting them familiar with what it’s going to take.

TC: What is the purpose of your job as an adviser?

Dr. Spillers: I see my job being more professional development and getting them not just to graduation but to what they want to do after graduation. If they want to go to medical school, we’re going to talk about the classes they need to get into medical school.

I also want to talk to them about the rest of their application, when they should be working on that application and when they should be taking the MCAT if they want to go to graduate school.

Nodskov: Part of my job is saying, ‘Hey, I’m here for you, too.’ I’ve had students who are upset with how specific classes are going, so I tell them about tutoring, or maybe just let them know I understand, ‘I was a student like you.’

Sometimes you just need somebody to say, ‘You know what? It’s gonna be okay. You can go home and eat some chocolate and finish your homework. That’s okay, too.’

TC: What should students be prepared to answer at their advising appointments?

Davies: One, what’s the ultimate goal? I’m a business advisor, so they are working towards some kind of business degree, but what does that mean? Can you picture a company that you’d like to work for? Can you picture an industry that you are interested in?

If your dream goal is to be a buyer for Macy’s, let’s work backwards and figure out what are different things you can do to be successful in finding what that goal is.

TC: What do you think increases the likelihood of a student succeeding?

Davies: The students who are most successful are utilizing networking opportunities, not just using the classes to decide if they like the major. I think what gets difficult for some students is when they finally get into their major coursework and find that they don’t really like it.

If you can take those opportunities to expose yourself to stuff, it will help confirm what you like and don’t like.

TC: If you could have students ask you one question that you would answer and never be asked again, what would it be?

Dempsey: I would probably tell them that whenever they search for our CUIN and LED education courses, they’re all hidden. So, don’t freak out whenever you don’t see them because they are specific to our students, and we don’t want students outside of the major trying to take the courses that are required for the students farther along in our program.

If they need one of those courses, they just need to reach out to an adviser and we will help them out. 

Jones: How do you see an adviser? What are your advising hours? How do I look for courses I am trying to enroll in? A lot of this can be found online.

TC: Do you think tools like Rate My Professor are useful for students? Are there any disadvantages?

Nodskov: I think that some students use Rate My Professor as law, and they’ll be like, ‘I want to take this class with this specific professor.’ And they’ll wait. If the class opens up and fills and they can’t get into it, they’ll wait till the next semester to take it, even though there’s four other sections taught by others professors.

And I’ve seen students kind of get into trouble that way.

TC: If you could say one thing to your students to help them better understand the purpose of advising, what would it be?

Jones: We are paid to come out and help you, but we won’t know if you don’t tell us. We have a wealth of information that every student can benefit from, but we don’t know what you need unless you tell us.

Brown: Come once a semester, even if you come for 10 to 15 minutes. We can talk about classes and make sure you are on track. That’s the best way we can get you in and out without any hassle.

Davies: We’re experts within our field. We stay up to date with the policies of the college, the policies of our individual majors. Things are always changing on a college campus. They change rules all the time. Your advisor is there to assist you in figuring out how it applies to you and to make sure you have a stress-free college experience.

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Q&A: What do advisers do for students, anyway?” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

M.D. Anderson Library plans to expand upon the existing 24-hour lounge. | Billion Tekleab/The Cougar

In early 2017, the M.D. Anderson Library conducted a feasibility study to determine the demand for and feasibility of a 24-hour library. Since then, the library’s hours of operation have been modified to open at 6 a.m. Monday through Friday instead of the previous 7 a.m. However, 24-hour access has not been established.

The University of Houston remains the only Tier One university in Texas that doesn’t offer 24-hour library access.

“We do know that students want 24/7 access, and we’ve been trying to figure out different ways to do that,” Head of Information and Access Services Lee Hilyer said. “Because of the way the building was built over time, we don’t have really good ways to ensure 24-hour use is limited to a certain area where security can be present and the safety of the students can be assured.”

Feasibility study

The feasibility study was done to determine if students would utilize 24-hour library access, how many students would use this space and whether this expansion would be possible for the entire library, Hilyer said. 

“What they do is engage with an architectural firm that does what’s called ‘programming’,” Hilyer said. “We met with them, we did some focus groups, and then what they produce is a document of what potential plans could be.” 

The study concluded that students do want 24-hour library access, but the library’s build makes it challenging to designate an entire floor for this access, Hilyer said.

The staff is concerned about students having the entire library or certain portions open for 24-hour access. The first floor has numerous access points, which makes it harder to close off, Hilyer said.

Although the library itself lacks 24-hour access, the study lounge within the library is open 24 hours. The lounge was constructed in 2005, when the University had 35,000 students enrolled. The space was deemed adequate, since 85% of UH students commute.  

Thirteen years later, UH’s student population has ballooned to 46,000 and the library is seeking to find the best solution to the increased demand for a 24-hour library space, Hilyer said.

“The original intent was to have the whole first floor as a 24-hour space and to relocate all of the computers on both sides of the atrium,” Hilyer said. “Unfortunately, the price tag that came back was almost 10 million to complete all of these.”

In addition to the actual construction price, the library would have to spend more to secure the building to limit usage of the library to the first floor, Hilyer said. Although students want 24-hour access, it cannot happen without extensive fundraising and donations to account for these costs, he said.

Student demand

“There have been times that I was studying for finals and the bell would ring whenever it’s time for everybody to go, and we were in the middle of something,” junior engineering student Meagan Weathersby said. “If we were to be able to continue, that would soak in better than having to pack up and leave.”

No longer able to study in the library itself, students migrate to the 24-hour study lounge on the library’s first floor. At closing time, there are many students already occupying the space and there aren’t always open seats, Weathersby said. In addition to the crowding, sound echoes in the lounge, which can make it difficult for students to study, she said.

“I think the library being open 24 hours would be a huge difference, in a good way,” Weathersby said.

Other students see the 2 a.m. closing time as a cutoff, motivating them to complete their work before the closing bells ring.

“If they close at two, I’m like, this is my cutoff. Okay, it’s already two, it’s closing time, I need to go home so I can sleep, but if it was 24 hours I’d probably stay here longer, which isn’t good because I need my sleep,” senior psychology major Delia Gomez said.

From here on out

Due to the high costs quoted to them from the initial plans, the library has decided to implement a smaller scale change. This plan would allow for a larger 24-hour area by expanding upon the existing 24-hour lounge, almost doubling the total space. The project would cost around $1.6 million, Hilyer said.

The new, smaller scale plan would include a portion of the pre-existing computer lab with approximately 100 to 125 computers for students to use, Hilyer said.

Before expanding the current 24-hour lounge, M.D. Anderson Library must secure the funds necessary to transform the space, which will likely reach about $2 million as prices go up, Hilyer said.

The “Here We Go” campaign is a billion-dollar fundraising event where each college or the dean of the college has a cabinet that consists of members from the community. The library’s cabinet will help them identify fundraising opportunities, clue them into foundations and find other potential donors to make the expansion possible, Hilyer said.

“Our former dean, Dana Rooks, is the ambassador of the library’s cabinet for space renovations, so she is the one, along with the dean and University Development, who is identifying the donors who would be interested in supporting the renovation of this space,” Hilyer said. 

Some of the other changes include a place for a food service, which the 2020 Chartwells dining plan lists as a 24-hour Starbucks. The library also hopes to replicate the large stairs in Student Center South, which would provide seating and have outlets along the face of the steps, Hilyer said.

Plans for security

The number of security officers would likely remain the same when the 24-hour lounge opens, but the officers may relocate to the existing UHPD office inside the library, next to the prospective food service location, HIlyer said.

M.D. Anderson library has prioritized student safety throughout the planning process, Hilyer said.

“The dean is very concerned about ensuring safety and security, so the reason we look at these plans to limit access to certain portions of the library overnight is out of an abundance of security and safety,” Hilyer said. “As you know, there’s lots of places for people to be by themselves, and they may be far away from somebody else.”

The dividing line would be somewhere between the 24-hour lounge and computer lab, Hilyer said. The wall would ensure the space could be secured after hours, and the security officers would be able to patrol the entire area.

“We all sort of share concern about the individual student working alone at 4 a.m. on the eighth floor,” Hilyer said. “We do have security, but we only have one or two security overnight and it would take them quite a while to patrol the whole building.”

Although the library staff supports the conversion of the library to 24-hour operation, the lack of monetary support makes this an impossibility at the current time.

“Ultimately, if we received philanthropic support and other kinds of funding, we would love to do the whole thing, but we don’t currently have the funding available to do this entire project,” Hilyer said.

The library plans to prioritize raising funds to make this project possible.

“Now, it’s just part of the development process to begin identifying, talking to donors, getting them excited about the possibilities this would allow us to do for students, and working on securing the funding,” Hilyer said. 

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Library concludes feasibility study, plans to expand 24-hour study lounge” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The UH GCSW and SGA have sponsored shuttles to a voting location. | Courtesy of UH GCSW Student Association

With the midterm elections upon us, two campus organizations have teamed up to make voting more accessible for UH students.

The Advocacy and Civic Engagement sub-committee of the Graduate College of Social Work’s Dean’s Advisory Council and the Student Government Association are sponsoring early voting shuttles to the Palm Center polling location, said president of the GCSW Student Association Ali Lozano.

Students from precincts all over Harris County will be able to use this service to cast their votes Monday, Oct. 22 from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 23 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The shuttle will meet at University Drive in front of Student Center South.

“Anyone who registered to vote before the Oct. 9 voter registration deadline is able to go vote,” Lozano said. “Since this shuttle service will be running during the early vote period, students can vote anywhere, they are not mandated to vote at their registered precinct polling location.”

This is the first time the GCSW is offering this service to students campus-wide. There will be three shuttles per hour, with one arriving approximately every 20 minutes. The round-trip to and from the polling location should take no more than 20 minutes, she said.

Students who take one of the shuttles will receive a free water, a T-shirt, an “I Voted” sticker and a non-partisan voter guide from the League of Women Voters, Lozano said.

“On Monday, Oct. 22 between 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., the shuttle ride will be provided by the Houston History Bus where students can also learn about the history of Third Ward, OST and Riverside Terrace while they ride,” Lozano said.

SGA and GCSW Student Association came up with the idea to sponsor shuttles for students since there will not be a polling location on campus, she said. The goal is to guarantee that students will be able to get out and vote, should they so desire.

“Given we are offering this shuttle service over the course of two days for four hours at a time, our hope is that a large amount of students will utilize the service,” Lozano said.

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“SGA, GCSW sponsor early voting shuttles to local polling location” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Homecoming events begin on Nov. 5. There will not be a concert this year. | File Photo/The Cougar

A decrease in funds forced this year’s Homecoming Board to find new ways to engage students during Homecoming Week.

In 2017, the Student Fees Advisory Committee recommended a decrease in funding for Homecoming based on low attendance numbers from 2016, said Homecoming Chair Mayra Castillo. The committee did not approve funding for a Homecoming concert in 2018.

“There’s no concert, which is kind of frustrating because there are still students who are like ‘When’s the Homecoming concert? Who is the artist?,’ and I’m just like ‘There is no artist’,” Castillo said. “It’s kind of hard to explain to students why there is no artist and to get them to understand that it is not our decision.”

The budget cut also resulted in the Homecoming Fiesta’s removal from the list of events. In previous years, the Homecoming Fiesta was put on through a collaboration with Frontier Fiesta, and the event included carnival games, henna artists, bubble soccer, food and music. 

Despite the change, the board has put a lot of effort into creating events to make up for the fact that there will not be a concert or fiesta this year, with an emphasis on tradition at UH, Castillo said.

“This year, our theme is ‘Go Big and Come Home’,” she said. “We really want students to understand that when they graduate, like yeah, you are going to go off and do big things as alumni, but we always want students to remember that this is home and that we all share this identity as UH students.”

This year, Homecoming will feature something old and something new.

Students can expect the return of old events like the kick-off pep rally Monday and CAN-Struction and Strut Your Stuff on Tuesday, Castillo said, because those are traditions and represent a large part of Homecoming’s focus this year.

The kick-off pep rally will include pizza, games, guest speakers and the Homecoming Court Reveal, where nominees for Homecoming King and Queen will be announced. CAN-Struction allows spirit teams to compete to build a sculpture out of cans in one hour. Strut Your Stuff is a talent show-style competition that includes skits, dancing and music.

Bed Racing will also return for a second year. Spirit teams will decorate beds to race in a tournament-style event next to the TDECU stadium. Students will have a chance to participate after the tournament ends.

New events include the Spirit Swap, where students can exchange old school shirts for a limited edition shirt that sports a popular old UH logo. Old shirts will be donated to a no-kill dog shelter to be used as toys, Castillo said.

Thursday will feature a glow in the dark roller rink and arcade.

The Tailgate — where students can enjoy food, games and a zip-line — will conclude the week Friday. There will also be giveaways over the course of the week, Castillo said.

“So far, I have pretty high hopes for what we have planned,” Castillo said. “I hope students enjoy it and forget that there’s supposed to be a concert, and instead focus on the fact that we are having all these great events and that this makes them want to come out.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“‘Go Big and Come Home’: Homecoming emphasizes tradition” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

FIX-IT handles service requests with different orders of priority for the University. | Michael Slaten/The Cougar

Between 2,000 and 3,000 requests for on-campus maintenance are filed each month. Whether it be a clogged toilet or broken thermostat, students and staff rely heavily on FIX-IT, the University’s maintenance department.

When something goes wrong, UH students, faculty and staff can make a request through FIX-IT by logging into the AccessUH online portal. The FIX-IT request form will ask for the location and description of the problem.

“FIX-IT itself is really our communications pipeline,” said Executive Director for Facilities Services Jeffrey Benjamin.

Within the organization are multiple departments including pest control, plumbing, electricity and general services. When someone sends a request for service, the invoice goes to the respective shop. From there, depending on the level of urgency, a worker is sent out to fix the problem.

A loose hierarchy of importance exists within the maintenance system. Most important would be classified as an emergency. This includes a pipe break or anything else that could cause more damage to the surrounding area or harm to individuals.

When there is an emergency, FIX-IT will stop everything to address that situation, Benjamin said.

Urgent is the second most important and includes something affecting a number of people but not causing immediate damage or harm, such as hot water being out in one of the buildings. Lastly, routine calls would be the average request, including a clogged toilet or a light out.

“We typically try to get (routine calls) done within a few days, no more than 30,” Benjamin said.

In addition to the usual requests, the demolition of the Quadrangle and Chinese Star has led to an uptick in pest problems this year, Benjamin said.

“Rats have been a problem, I’m not going to lie,” Benjamin said. “It’s amazing the situation in the Bayou City here that we don’t have a worse problem on campus.”

Pests ranging from flies, millipedes and rats have been reported primarily at Cougar Place and Moody Towers.

No confirmed rat sightings have been reported for the past two weeks, Benjamin said. FIX-IT has gone into multiple rooms in Moody Towers and used wire mesh to prevent rats from entering the dorms. Students are also advised to keep their spaces clean to prevent the pests.

But some students are still unhappy with the department’s request turnaround time for routine issues.

“The first time I moved (to Bayou Oaks) the air conditioner wasn’t working,” said psychology sophomore Dakota Robles. “They got it working after like … four or five days after I sent a request.”

Not all experiences with FIX-IT have caused headaches. Sometimes students have to wait only an hour for service.

“There was this really friendly guy who came and unclogged our toilet,” said communications sciences and disorders junior Bernice Tsao. “He was really fast. He did it in like five minutes.”

Benjamin said the majority of requests come from residence halls. The department is working on communication between maintenance and residents, he said. FIX-IT has been suggesting their workers leave behind notes when they have been inside a dorm to fix or inspect a problem.

Reviews are encouraged, and the option is offered at the end of every submission.

“We tend to treat residence halls a little bit differently than the rest of campus because it’s people’s homes and we want to make sure that they’re getting the treatment they’re paying for,” Benjamin said. “They’re paying to live there, and we want to make sure they’re happy.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“How does the University of Houston FIX-IT?” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar