With the return of in-person events and a weather-delayed football game, Homecoming 2021 was full of experiences for students.

Events including Strut Your Stuff and the concert with headliner NLE Choppa were highlights for the week. The following week held the announcement of Homecoming King and Queen on Thursday.

Here is a look back at the festivities of Homecoming Week.

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Gallery: Look back on Homecoming 2021” was originally posted on The Cougar

UH started transitioning back to full capacity Monday, Sept. 20, after its four-week-long academic soft opening. | Katrina Kujawa/The Cougar

After UH’s four-week-long academic soft opening, the University will be moving classes back to full capacity.

The UH COVID-19 Coordination Committee made the decision to make the transition to full density starting Monday, Sept. 20, Provost Paula Myrick Short said in an email.

“It is with deep gratitude that I thank you for your many efforts over the start of the fall semester in helping to maintain a safe learning and working environment on campus,” Short said. “Based on our health experts’ analysis of the testing and contact tracing data, we believe that the risk of spread on campus is low, but we will continue to monitor conditions closely.”

UH will have classes return to their previous form of instruction, meaning all classes that previously agreed to in-person modalities will return to fully face-to-face instruction.

Short encouraged members of the UH community to wear masks, get vaccinated, get recommended boosters and routine COVID-19 testing.

Some students were grateful for the transition, but still had concerns about how it was handled.

Psychology junior Laila Barazi said the University put a lot of thought into reopening and trusted the decision.

“I feel like it was a good transition back into school,” Barazi said. “I feel like it addressed a lot of student’s concerns regarding how some classes were online and some were in person.” 

Despite her feelings on UH’s decision, Barazi said she wishes it could’ve accommodated for her larger classes. Barazi’s larger class sizes still leave students sitting in close proximity.

“I think as long as people are being careful and hopefully are getting vaccinated and wearing a mask, I think that’s the best people can do,” Barazi said.

Political science sophomore Dima Ghazala feels safe with what the University has been doing to mitigate the spread of the virus.

“I feel pretty good about it so far everybody that I’ve been approached by has worn a mask and kept a respectful distance so I’m feeling pretty safe,” Ghazala said.

Ghazala also had concerns about class size accommodations in classrooms for social distancing as the academic soft opening ends. They said students seem to be following the unspoken rule of moving desks apart to leave space between themselves and their peers.

“Everyone’s pretty much wearing a mask and if they’re not I’m assuming and hoping that they are vaccinated,” Ghazala said. “I wish that the policies were a little more strict in terms of that but I do know that the University is taking that into consideration and they are trying their best, I’m just excited to be on campus.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Academic soft opening is lifted after four weeks” was originally posted on The Cougar

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

To follow a debut novel, author Casey McQuiston releases a story in “One Last Stop” that caters to an underrepresented community in romance literature.

Set in New York, the main character August is finding a new place to move to in the city so she could attend a new college. The novel features many side characters, including August’s roommates and co-workers that really give the book life.

Judging by the book’s title of “One Last Stop”, there are many scenes involving the subway stops of New York. It is here where August meets the book’s love interest, Jane.

Jane as a character alone is such an important love interest in the fact that she is an Asian butch lesbian that August becomes infatuated with quite literally at first glance. Not to mention Jane is a character from the 1970s in every way. This includes her fashion, music taste, beliefs and the fact that she has not aged a day since the decade as she has been stuck on a subway train for over 40 years.

In many media platforms and stories to tell, lesbian or bisexual women in relationships are not highlighted, or if they are, only cater to a certain stigma. So, “One Last Stop”  is a breath of fresh air for the sapphic community.

With McQuiston’s book, the reader can see a friend group that is not entirely made up of straight or white characters, and it helps paint a picture of what many real friend groups look like in the world today.

And it really is characters like Niko, Myla, Wes and Isaiah who make the book what it is. Their personalities and friendship with August make scenes that are supposed to just be filler before the romance plot so lively and entertaining to read.

The one thing about “One Last Stop” is even if the two main characters are not the biggest personalities in the book, there are still moments that make the reader root for their story.

Some of the scenes between Jane and August can get lost among the others as the setting pretty much stays as the subway train every interaction the characters have. This can have the reader rooting for August to solve Jane’s problem of being stuck on the train, but also have an impatience to when there will finally be a scene change.

A lot of the book is written to solve Jane’s problem and get her off of the train. But, there is a lingering question of if she would go back to the 1970s or if she would stay in the 21st century with August.

Anticipation comes in reading the novel, almost making the ending feel rushed. Those reading want more from the main couple in the book. We only really get a quick montage of what August and Jane’s life is like after Jane is released from the train and staying in the 2000s with August in the last handful of pages.

But with the happy ending the two main characters are given, finishing the book can give the reader a happy and hopeful feel that sometimes is not always the case with these stories.

With a book that was set to follow in McQuiston’s debut novel, ‘Red, White & Royal Blue‘s footsteps, “One Last Stop” was able to hold its own.

Overall, “One Last Stop”does wonders for LGBT literature in creating a story about a woman-love-woman relationship that holds a plot and a clear connection between the main characters.

arts@thedailycougar.com

—
“‘One Last Stop’ serves as a great LGBT romantic comedy story” was originally posted on The Cougar

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

Like a lot of us, going into this year I had no idea that 2020 would pan out the way that it did. And while it was a year of hardship and struggle for many around the world, I think it shaped our characters a lot more than years prior.

Now as we reach the end, I wanted to take time to reflect on some lessons this abnormal year taught me. Without taking away from any of the difficult experiences we’ve gone through, I think it’s important to try to find the silver lining. 

Going into 2021, things aren’t going to miraculously get better, but there’s no harm in deciding to have a fresh mindset. There’s beauty in the unknown.

Your perception is your reality

While there are different interpretations of this quote, I like to see it as a way to honor your feelings. How you perceive a situation is how your body is going to process it, and in turn feel it. If something is upsetting you, it’s upsetting you, and you’re allowed to feel that way.

On the other side, your perception is in your hands and you can choose to see a situation in a more positive light. While you can’t control what life throws at you, you can chose how you will move forward with it in your day to day.

You are exactly where you’re meant to be

This year was all about trusting the process. No one is experiencing your exact circumstances, and no one is living life in your shoes. To me, this means that if you’re pushing yourself and trying your best, that’s all that really matters.

I put a lot of pressure on myself to be high achieving which leads me to unnecessary stress. I think it’s really important to take a moment and realize that success is not the same thing for everyone. You, trying your best, is just as successful as the people you’re seeing on social media. Be easier on yourself.

Listen to your intuition 

This is kind of related to honoring your feelings, but I can’t emphasize how important it is to listen to your gut. This can be applicable in so many different situations, but if something sparking negative feelings in your life cut it out.

If you feel like you have to do something now before it’s too late, pursue it. If you have the urge to look into something that’s bothering you, you should do it. Your higher self is a powerful thing.

Happiness is a butterfly

While this one is a song title, I’ve really absorbed the meaning this year. If you’re constantly on this chase for what you think happiness is, you’re never going to find it. Much like a butterfly, you can experience and enjoy happiness, but you can’t trap it, so stop putting so much effort in doing so.

Happiness comes in the little moments, a cup coffee, a drive around the city, whatever releases that serotonin for you and makes you feel alive.

Choose kindness

I think it’s safe to say 2020 was a hard year for the majority of us. There were a lot of unforeseen circumstances that we as a whole have gone through. From national problems to personal issues, we’ve all had our fair share of negativity. 

Because of that, this year I’ve realized how important it is to be nice to people. As simple as it is, I think if you’re not actively making someone’s life harder, you’re doing a phenomenal job. Everyone is going through a lot more than they are letting on, and there’s no harm in adding a little kindness to someone’s day.

arts@thedailycougar.com

—
“5 lessons I’ve learned in 2020” was originally posted on The Cougar

Jiselle Santos/The Cougar

As a journalism organization, our first loyalty is to the citizenry we serve. Being the student publication of the University of Houston, one of the most diverse public institutions in the country, The Cougar has the responsibility of being a voice for everyone at UH, especially when it comes to supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Since the death of Third Ward native George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody on May 25, statements from campus leaders, including  President Renu Khator, the Student Government Association president and other student organization executives, have stood in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Cougar’s editorial board unequivocally joins them and many others in advocating against the social injustices that the black community faces from police brutality, systematic racism and overall inequity in the United States and around the globe.

The time is now for black voices to be heard. To sit in silence and not address the injustices that the community faces — including on our campus and our city — simply would not suffice.

With that being said, we support our fellow students who have pushed for change — real change —on our campus, including those who have petitioned for Khator and her administration to redefine UH’s relationship with the Houston Police Department, which has a record of transparency issues.

Enablers of state-sponsored violence and overpolicing with little self-accountability have no business near our campus community, which nearly 5,000 black students and faculty call their own.

Since Floyd was killed under the knee of a white police officer, thousands of people in Houston  have spoken up to protest the death of one of the city’s own. The demonstration, along with the similar displays of solidarity across the world, highlight how real change can happen.

We understand not everyone can protest. After all, the coronavirus pandemic is still raging on, and infection rates will likely spike given the sheer size of some demonstrations.

But we highly encourage everyone who can to find ways to support the Black Lives Matter movement to do so.

Whether that means donating to mutual aid funds and signing petitions or educating yourselves on black history, black activism and systematic racism, find a way to do your part.

We all must also learn to be true allies. One way to do that is by supporting black-owned businesses in Houston and around the nation to help amplify their voices.

The system implemented through centuries of oppression has failed them, as it was deliberately designed to do.

From here on out, it is our responsibility to make sure that cycle is broken and that we empower the black community until we truly achieve a fair future for them and justice for the atrocities they have endured over 400 years.

editor@thedailycougar.com

—
“We unequivocally support Black Lives Matter” was originally posted on The Cougar

Jesus Navarro (left), Mauricio Turrubiartes III (center) and Uriel Garcia-Vega (right) of the Houston Aztec Dance group partake in a traditional dance ceremony to honor the last Mexica-Aztec tlatoani-leader Cuauhtémoc. The group meets weekly to learn the Aztec traditions and ceremonies as a way to reconnect with their indigenous heritage. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

The second story in a series

There are an estimated 70,000 Native Americans who call Houston and its surrounding areas home, but there have been little to no services, centers or programs geared toward the needs of natives in the fourth largest city in the country.

To fill the void, the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, which has about 400 of its 1,200 enrolled tribal members living around Houston, opened the new American Indian Center of Houston in late February with their goal to help the underserved Native American population that lives in the Houston area.

“They’ve been here,” said Nikki McDonald, the director of the new center and Tunica-Biloxi tribal member who has lived in the area for about 10 years. “They’ve asked for help. They haven’t been able to receive help. It’s almost kind of — I don’t want to say — a slap in the face, but there’s so many programs to help other communities, but I haven’t seen that program for Native Americans yet.”

Nikki McDonald is the director of the new American Indian Center of Houston. She is a Tunica-Biloxi tribal member who has lived in the Houston area for about 10 years. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

The center, which hopes to provide things like health services, mental health support, substance abuse rehabilitation, a fitness center, mentorship programs and community events in the future, was conceived after Tunica-Biloxi tribal councilmembers found Houston had such a large and underserved population of Native Americans.

“We started looking at what programs and services are available for Native Americans in the Houston area,” McDonald said. “There’s not really a whole lot. Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States of America, and we have a population of 70,000 (natives). We have to do something about that.”

McDonald hopes to grow the center into one like those in Dallas or Oklahoma, which both have large inter-tribal centers that have served natives for many years.

They have even partnered with the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, which is based out of Livingston,  to provide more to the native community. The hope is to create a hub where all Native Americans can turn to for assistance and services, McDonald said.

Despite the size of the Native American population in southeast Texas, there are no native reservations and no subsequent services available, but this is nothing new to those who live here.

For instance, the closest office for the  Bureau of Indian Affairs, which aims to improve the quality of life, provide more economic opportunities and protect Native Americans, is in Anadarko, Oklahoma. That is about a 460-mile drive for Houston-area Native Americans.

Additionally, the Indian Health Service, whose mission is to “raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians,” does not have any facilities or area headquarters in Texas.

As an ethnicity, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Native Americans are most likely to lack health insurance, to be diagnosed with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, second-most likely to suffer from mental health issues and the most likely to live in poverty. Yet these essential health and wellness programs are not universally available to Native Americans.

Abuela M’api leads the Houston Aztec Dance group in their traditional dance by playing the drums. As a way to spread her culture she teaches free Aztec dance classes at Moody Park. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

“We’re not from the res(ervation),” said Abuela M’api who is the Temachtiani, or guide, of the Houston Aztec Dance group. “We’re generationally here from Texas, and Texas has never had BIA here or Indian Health services.”

Cultural resurgence

While the American Indian Center of Houston works to improve the livelihoods of Native Americans, the Houston Aztec Dance group, or Calmecac Tonantzin Yolilitzyotl, aims to unite the native peoples and encourage a resurgence of native culture and traditions.

The Calmecac is a group of about 40 people who meet regularly, practice traditional Aztec dances and ceremonies and showcase their heritage throughout the city of Houston.

Most recently on Feb. 22 the group had the First Wind Ceremony, or Primer Viento, which was to honor Cuauhtémoc, the last Mexica-Aztec tlatoani-leader. As part of the ceremony, they burned sap, sounded conch shells, played the drums and performed traditional dances in Buffalo Bayou Park as a group.

Abuela M’api invites ceremony spectators to participate in the ceremony and uses a burning sap to cleanse them before partaking in a prayer circle. Abuela M’api teaches the Aztec dances and traditions while allowing anyone to join the group. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

Houston Aztec Dance is inclusive in the sense that not only did they allow park-goers to watch their ceremony, they also allowed them to take part in certain traditions and a prayer circle.

The group was started by Abuela M’api, who trained under elders in Mexico and brought the practices back to Houston to share with those who wanted to learn. She has even brought group members to schools to perform for and educate kids about Aztecan traditions.

“I was basically being assimilated into American culture and not being told anything other than I was Mexican American,” Abuela M’api said. “I was really disconnected from my roots in Mexico. I was disconnected from my indigenous lineage here in Texas, and we were just being raised Hispanic.”

Identifying as indigenous

For people like Abuela M’api, who was raised as a Mexican American despite her indigenous lineage, it is common not to identify as Native American, which can make it difficult to get an accurate estimate of the native population.

For instance, by the U.S. Census standards, there are roughly 11,000 Native Americans in the Houston area, according to Mark Fossett, the executive director of the Federal Statistical Research Data Center in College Station.

But McDonald’s estimate of 70,000 is a “more inclusive definition of Native American,” which is better in some cases but not how the Census operates, Fossett said.

“Many, many people have significant claims to Native American ancestry and heritage,” Fossett said. “But only some of them will identify as Native American in the Census.”

Jason Colunga, a 2005 UH alumnus, joined Houston Aztec Dance as a dancer about two years ago. He enjoys dancing in the Calmecac and uses this experience as a way to learn about his indigenous heritage. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

Member of the Houston Aztec Dance group and 2005 UH alumnus Jason Colunga said he was never allowed to learn about his indigenous heritage.

To protect him from the treatment they received when they were younger, Colunga said his parents chose not to teach certain things like how to speak Spanish.

As a Latino, Colunga said he is Native American because his family is indigenous to North America and has found a way to celebrate that heritage by dancing in the Calmecac.

“Our people, they come from all over the Americas,” Colunga said. “There’s been such a disconnect and that’s something that we don’t get taught much in public schools, even some colleges really gloss over it.”

Colunga wishes UH would do more to educate students about Native American heritage and believes inter-tribal organizations would be a great start.

“I think having a group like (the Calmecac) on campus is a great way to unite people,” Colunga said. “Even though it may be different tribes, we’re all a part of the same culture. No matter what part of the Americas, there’s a lot to be shared and learned throughout.”

The University has seen a near 50 percent loss of enrolled Native Americans in the last 10 years, which is not necessarily representative of the surrounding community. Fossett said despite the indigenous population being a small one in the Houston area, he doesn’t expect the number to change very much with the upcoming 2020 Census.

This means, although the number of Native Americans in the Houston area are expected to remain the same, UH is still losing significant amounts of Native American enrollment. Colunga feels this can be detrimental to those who hope to learn more about their heritage when they go to college.

“For those students that aren’t a part of (cultural groups),” Colunga said, “it’s something that stays lost.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“New Native American center opens to serve Houston’s underserved indigenous community” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Jiselle Santos/The Cougar

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will be closing for the rest of the 2020 season and cancel its remaining shows and dates as a result of growing concerns about the new coronavirus, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday. 

This announcement comes roughly an hour after the World Health Organization announced COVID-19 is officially classified as a global pandemic and former UH student and musician Lizzo was set to perform on Friday.

All events produced by or co-sponsored by the City of Houston will be rescheduled or canceled for the remainder of the month. In addition to the rodeo, the Tour de Houston will be rescheduled and potentially cancelled.

Despite the cancellation, the rodeo’s scholarship program will continue. UH ranks No. 3 on the rodeo’s top five colleges for scholarship list. 

As the Houston Rodeo shuts down, the University of Houston themed day, planned for March 12, will no longer take place. 

Frontier Fiesta, which is set to run March 19-21, did not wish to comment about the potential impact the coronavirus may have on their event.

“As painful as these things are, I want to remind everyone we are doing this to save lives,” said Health Authority for the Houston Health Department Dr. David Persse.

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Houston Rodeo canceled due to coronavirus fears” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Magdalena Pineda (left) smells Celine Pineda’s forehead, who is her daughter, in the kitchen of their Missouri City home. This is a traditional greeting within their Navajo tribe, and Magdalena Pineda said her people can smell the difference between someone who is their relative and those who are not. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

In a room full of hundreds of faces from around the globe at one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the nation, Celine Pineda felt cold and alone.

Even as a young adult, Pineda has grown accustomed to unwelcoming eyes and the feeling of isolation, but during her freshman orientation in June 2019, she realized her search for a community would continue despite the hope UH would provide some relief.

Pineda is Navajo and one of only 35 Native American/Alaska Native women on campus, according to the UH Fall 2019 Facts report. Despite enrollment growing by almost 10,000 during the last 10 years, the indigenous student population has suffered a steady decline in enrollment.

Celine Pineda stands near the Cullen Fountain, one of her favorite spots on campus. She was hopeful she’d find a community of native students she could relate to when she first came to UH, but that was not the case. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

Today, Native American students make up only 0.1 percent of 46,148 enrolled — a total of 67 students, and a figure that has dropped by nearly 50 percent since 2009. 

“Houston as a city — is so culturally diverse, and I love that,” Pineda said with tears in her eyes. “But not seeing anyone like me, it’s kind of surreal that I was surrounded by so many different cultures, colors, experiences and histories, and yet, I stood alone in a huge grass field as the only yellow blade.”

Pauline Strong, a University of Texas at Austin anthropology professor who has studied indigenous populations for 45 years, said the people who identify as native have increased over time in the U.S., which differs from UH’s significant decrease in native student enrollment.

“That doesn’t reflect the change in the native population in Texas or nationally, so there must be some other explanation for it. Strong said. “If anything the population of indigenous students in Texas has increased. … It could reflect a lack of recruiting of students in that demographic.”

Before committing to UH, Pineda was considering the University of Oklahoma, but the school’s racist past and lack of support for the native community led her to choose Houston, which was closer to home.

The history freshman hopes to document Indigenous American history and make it accessible, but when she enrolled for classes, she said she could not find a single Native American studies class offered.

“There’s queer history here and as a queer that’s great for me, but seeing that part of myself more out here on campus than my (indigenous) half, that hits different,” Pineda said. “We love being a minority within a minority — within a minority group.”

Pineda is also a pre-med student and plans to give back to the natives in the Navajo Nation and across America.

“Ever since I was a kid, I knew I was going to be a doctor,” she said. “I was going to open a clinic on the reservation … and give community outreach, not only medical services but also medical information.

“You can give a person a pill or a shot, but you’re not actually helping them until you teach them dietary habits and what they can do to better themselves after you’re gone.”

Deeply-rooted heritage

Pineda from a young age was passionate about her culture because her indigenous heritage runs deep within her family and their struggles.

Magdalena Pineda (left) and her daughter, Celine Pineda make traditional Navajo fry bread. Although they weren’t raised in the Navajo Nation, Magdalena Pineda passed her indigenous heritage to her two kids by showing them traditional foods. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

Both of her parents, Magdalena and Rolando Pineda, were born in Nicaragua. Her mother’s family fled to the U.S. in 1985 during the Sandinista Revolution, which broke out in 1979 and continued into 1990.

Her father, on the other hand, was forced to brave the war as a child.

“My father didn’t leave Nicaragua during the civil war because his family was poor and couldn’t afford to leave and seek refuge,” Pineda said. “Instead, he was kidnapped and forced to be a child soldier in Nicaragua during the revolution.”

The lineage of Pineda’s maternal grandparents is deeply rooted in the Navajo Nation of North America. Their specific tribe fled to Central America during the time of European colonization, according to Pineda’s mother Magdalena Pineda, but they continued to represent their cultural identity despite being forced from their homelands.

Pineda’s grandfather, great grandfather and their fathers before them were all chiefs of their tribe dating back hundreds of years, Magdalena Pineda said. But with the growing number of disappearances, deaths and the rising poverty in the Navajo Nation, their family was forced to leave the reservation.

Magdalena Pineda is passionate about her culture and her people’s history but has struggled to pass the full experience of being Navajo on to Pineda and her brother.

“It’s very difficult when you can’t really share your culture, your language, your tradition or your beliefs because there’s nobody else but you,” Magdalena Pineda said. “I have raised my two children alone, so I cannot do it. … Being a single parent, it’s hard.”

‘The minority America forgets’

Throughout her 19 years, Pineda has never truly been exposed to the indigenous community outside of her family. She often felt isolated from her peers and said she was teased or treated badly by friends for being prideful of her culture.

When she entered college in 2019, she hoped to find a community of peers, professors and natives who would encourage and support her educational endeavors, but that wasn’t the reality.

“I went to the Urban Experience Program, and I’ve been told that they’re trying to find a way to get a Native American scholarship started, but I probably won’t see it within my four years,” Pineda said. “The fact that it doesn’t exist to begin with kind of feels like a backhand.

In Fall 2019, Celine Pineda spent hours in her dorm searching for a club or organization that catered to Indigenous Americans but was met with the reality that there aren’t any available to her. This has led her to feel isolated and alone on a campus that is one of the most diverse in the nation. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

“We’re the minority America forgets.”

There are no services available specifically for indigenous students because the population is so small, said Varselles Cummings, the director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. However, he said the University is looking into adding some.

CDI recommended indigenous students seek out student organizations or consult with the Center for Student Involvement about clubs.

Of nearly 600 student organizations on campus, only one is relevant to the native population. The Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanic and Native Americans in Science at UH was created in the 2018-19 academic year but isn’t the culturally-based organization that Pineda truly longs for.

At the time of publication, the SACNAS advisers or officers could not be reached for comment.

Although there are many cultural organizations on campus, the University is not responsible for creating them, said communications senior and director of the Cougar Involvement Ambassadors Caroline Boden.

Instead, it is up to students to find the need for a club, bring in at least three members and an adviser, and then, complete training and write a constitution to have their club approved.

“We just haven’t had students come forward and say, ‘We want this organization to be on campus,’ unfortunately,” Boden said.

Celine Pineda sits in the Student Center Satellite where she enjoys relaxing and decompressing. Pineda hopes to start an organization for native students on campus, and she is looking for others who want to join as well as professors who are able to guide and support them. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

With so few natives on campus, Pineda struggled to find others to help her start such an organization when she tried to establish one during her first semester.

She blames the University for failing to encourage more native students to enroll at UH. The issue is there are no scholarships or cultural support provided to Indigenous Americans by the University, she said.

“The more diversity you have, the more people you include, the more effort you put in, you will see those benefits,” Pineda said. “Go back to the history of this college and see how they started being more inclusive to minority groups, not only sexuality but also people of color and different backgrounds and ideology. Now, this campus flourishes.

“By not reaching out that hand, the school deprives itself of our voice, and they’re unknowingly pushing us out.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“‘I stood alone’: indigenous student’s struggles with ethnic isolation” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Melcher Gymnasium and Susanna Garrison Gymnasium were evacuated. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

Melcher Gymnasium and Susanna Garrison Gymnasium were evacuated Wednesday afternoon due to smoke from inside the building, according to University officials.

The University has cancelled classes this evening inside the buildings. The smoke is related to an air conditioning valve, a UH spokesperson said. There is no fire.

Smoke could be seen coming from Melcher Gymnasium and Susanna Garrison Gymnasium. The building has been closed until a fire marshal deems it safe.

Students can still exit the Stadium Garage, but no one coming to campus will be able to access it. They should expect delays getting from Holman Street to Cullen or Scott Street.

The entrance from Cullen Street to Holman Street is also closed. However, cars exiting from Holman to Cullen can leave.

news@thedailycougar

—
“BREAKING: Melcher, Garrison gyms evacuated due to smoke” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Homecoming King was preparing for graduation before tragedy struck Santa Fe High school. He lost four friends in the shooting and was forced to learn to deal with PTSD as a freshman in college. | Courtesy of Reynaldo Montemayor III

Most college freshmen have to worry about how they’re going to pay for books, their room decorations and what type of meal plan they’ve bought. Reynaldo Montemayor III worries about PTSD.

Now a freshman at the College of the Mainland, Montemayor was a senior at Santa Fe High School when a former student fatally shot eight students, two teachers and wounded 13 others. The May shooting was the second-deadliest in 2018.

“I lost four friends and had four other friends injured,” Montemayor said. “I wasn’t the same after that.” 

There have been 307 mass shootings in the United States in 2018 alone, according to Business Insider. Political science professor Richard Murray, an expert in state and local politics, said the increase in shootings has caused a shift in students’ opinions on gun control.

In a poll Murray conducted for his requisite political science class in August, 68.4 percent of the students thought there should be stricter gun regulations.

This generation continues to speak out, and political candidates have mirrored them. Murray observed that the gun issue played heavily into the higher voting turnout.

Public relations senior Keffus Falls III, an activist in UH’s on-campus Students for Beto organization, has noted the need for this generation to step up.

“The Santa Fe shooting is just another reminder that we need to wake up and realize that there is a problem in America with mass shootings,” Falls said.

California has some of the toughest state policies on gun control, Murray said, and gun deaths in the state have almost halved since they were implemented. According to USA Today, California is No. 43 in a ranking of the states according to gun violence, with No. 1 Alaska having the most gun violence.

Texas comes in at No. 28 with 12.1 firearm deaths per 100,000 people.

Students like Falls are looking for tighter gun control policies across the board and other methods to feel more secure on a campus setting. Greater mental health funding is one avenue students have expressed interest in for increased safety.

“Mental health is seen as taboo, especially in communities like Houston,” Falls said. “The lack of treatment provided for mental health doesn’t align with access to guns.”

He also said that students who need help often don’t get it due to the stigma placed on mental health awareness.

“A lot of us don’t want to go to the doctor because we don’t want to be labeled as crazy, because we’re afraid of judgment,” Falls said.

A former UH history senior, Matt Wiltshire, former president elect for Houston Young Republicans also commented on the issue.

“Gun violence is an extremely complicated issue that cannot be solved legislatively, it needs to be solved culturally,” Wiltshire said. “The issue isn’t guns themselves. It’s people who come from broken homes that commit horrific acts.”

As a student who sought out help in order to deal with the aftermath of being in a school shooting, Montemayor agrees. He thinks more money should be funneled into on-campus resources such as CAPS. He also realizes the difficulty of such a task.

While the difficulties are real, some students believe it’s worth the cost to feel secure on their campus again.

“We need to take steps to prevent losing another life,” Falls said.

Bottom line, whether it’s gun control, mental health programs or an alternative action, some students are speaking out for a change. Their voice was evident in this last election, and as Murray concluded, it looks like it will continue to be heard in ensuing ones.

“Everybody grieves for a month, then forgets about it except for the town,” Montemayor said. “If it happened to their loved ones, then they would want to take action.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“Students demand change in the face of gun violence” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar