5:00 p.m.: Nearly 2,000 students, as well as faculty and staff members, were evacuated from the Texas Southern University campus following a bomb threat, according to the Beaumont Enterprise.  This led some students to seek shelter in the Student Center South at the University of Houston.

TSU freshman LaDestiny Skinner was shaken from sleep by her roommate when the evacuation notice was issued.

“I was in my room sleeping and my roommate wakes me up and is like, ‘get up, get up there’s something about a bomb threat,’” Skinner said. “We all go downstairs and they say we can’t leave the building, so once we go back upstairs they call everybody down and say we need to get out and evacuate.” 

Students also found shelter at the Wheeler Baptist Church, which opened up their church gym to close to 200 students, TSU student Brandon Aninipot said.

4:39 p.m.: Texas Southern University police issued an “all clear” around 4:30 p.m. following a bomb threat made against the campus this afternoon, according to a tweet issued by the university’s official twitter.

All evening classes for the day will remain cancelled. The basketball game between UH and UT: Rio Grande Valley, however, will be played as previously scheduled on the Texas Southern University campus at 7 p.m.

Classes at the university will resume on a normal schedule tomorrow, Thursday the 29th.

4:07 p.m.: Texas Southern University was forced to cancel classes and evacuate campus Wednesday afternoon following a bomb threat made against the campus, according to officials.

At approximately 1:40 p.m., a Houston police Emergency Center received the threatening call, after which police requested the University to evacuate, according to ABC13. This included the evacuation of all dormitories.

Officials from the university alerted the public about the bomb threat in a tweet, in addition to TSU officials sending emergency warning text messages and emails to students, faculty and staff with an evacuation notice.

It is unclear whether the bomb threat will impact the surrounding Third Ward neighborhood or the nearby University of Houston, according to KPRC.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“BREAKING: Bomb threat forces campus evacuation, class cancellation at Texas Southern University” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

SGA President Cameron Barrett reflects on the administration’s accomplishments this semester, including the Cougar Pack escort service, as he looks forward to the upcoming spring semester. | Courtesy of SGA

After achieving all of its campaign goals by the end of the summer, the Student Government Association went on to pass multiple pieces of legislation this semester, including the Homeless Student Relief Act and the Transgender Inclusion Act, and participated in various events, such as Weeks of Welcome and End the Stigma.

The Cougar sat down with SGA President Cameron Barrett to ask about how the 55th Administration has continued to fulfill its campaign promises, the impact of the legislation they’ve passed and what is in store for Spring 2019.

The Cougar: Your three campaign initiatives were to grow involvement, provide affordable textbooks to students and to create a safer campus. How have you achieved these three goals over the course of this semester?

Barrett: In terms of our platform, we accomplished that in the spring, which was trying to get CSI (Center for Student Involvement) to be marginally more efficient. Affordable textbooks we were able to get done over the summer.

Safety is probably, in terms of our platform, we’ve focused on the most this semester. They were able to get the Cougar Pack going, which was a way for students to ride on a golf cart away from the library.

TC: At the end of the summer, you said that you had already achieved all of your campaign goals and that you would be shifting focus to reducing wage disparities for students working on campus. You mentioned previously that you were going to be working with Administration and Finance to upgrade their pay scale. What became of this effort? What have you done to address this disparity this semester?

Barrett: One of the things we were trying to do for months was to get HR (Human Resources) to release wage data. We were able to work with Administration and Finance to compile a report that detailed what we were asking, how realistic it was, how much it cost. What I really asked for was if the student minimum could be $9 an hour.

I’m only in office for a year, so I don’t think it’s reasonable to say, in one year, I’d like you to double student wages. I do think it’s reasonable to say, transition to $9 by the next fiscal year and then the following fiscal year, transition to $10. This is still in the pipeline (in progress).

TC: What would you say are some of your greatest accomplishments this semester?

Barrett: One thing is the new constitution that we posted on the website. It’s very difficult to get a constitutional amendment and it’s the first time SGA has gotten a new constitution, in my memory. The biggest thing that we put in the new constitution was that we implemented a recall system.

We implemented a recall system, which is a way for students to directly hold elected leaders accountable, through a special election. End the Stigma. Most collaborative End the Stigma we’ve ever had. It was in collaboration with Fresh Check day, Counseling and Psychological Services, SPB also did a mental health event.

The whole campus engaged in a hugely collaborative mental health awareness day.

The haunted house we hosted. Kim, the Student Life chair, noticed that there was a lack of Halloween-themed programming this year. We orchestrated an entire haunted house, it was very collaborative, we got donations from people, we worked with our Emerging Leaders.

Infrastructure. One cool thing we did was we got UH facilities to create a design and plan on repaving the University Drive sidewalks, the sidewalks in front of the Student Center.

I remember coming here as a junior, but it was kind of disconcerting where we got off the bus to see the new Student Center, I think it had only been open for one year at that point, we get off and there’s this cracked sidewalk with metal plates.

TC: Back in August, the senate discussed creating a mandatory transit fee for students to fund University shuttles instead of using funds raised from the sale of parking permits. What has become of this discussion? Are there plans for this to appear before the senate in the future?

Barrett: So far this year, nothing has happened. If anything were to happen next year, it would be for the following fiscal year. The soonest a student at UH could potentially pay a transit fee would be September of 2020. The idea of a transit fee is a more fair way to fund the transit service and it’s cost-neutral. It doesn’t actually cost students more money.

TC: You mentioned in your list of accomplishments for this semester the things you’ve done for student relief, one of which is the Homeless Student relief act. It was passed in the senate, but still needs to gain the approval of the Board of Regents. What would happen to the act if it does not gain the approval of the Board of Regents?

Barrett: If it doesn’t get approved by the Board, I would be pretty disappointed in our Board. I don’t think it will get disapproved, though. Once a plan has gone through the rigorous process of even getting to their table, generally they don’t veto it.

This wouldn’t be presented to them if it wasn’t financially feasible for auxiliary services to do or if it wasn’t logistically feasible for financial aid to do. If it didn’t work out, I would just continue to advocate for it.

The only reason this needs to be approved by the Board is because technically, this is a special meal plan we’re offering. This is a meal plan with special benefits at a different cost. If one of those things wasn’t true, it wouldn’t have to be presented to the Board.

TC: One of the initiatives SGA implemented this semester was the Cougar Pack program. How has this act made a positive difference to campus safety so far and how will it ensure the safety of students studying until late during finals season?

Barrett: Some of the information that I saw was that in terms of measuring the impact, there’s the absolute number of students that have been escorted and then there’s the relief we’ve given to UHPD.

If you look at the number of escorts requested at the same times on the same days as last year, the equivalent last year Tuesday through Thursday, we notice a structural drop in the number of requests for escorts because a lot of the requests for escorts from UHPD are from the library.

TC: SGA worked to bus students to polls this year, in conjunction with the Graduate College of Social Work. How did SGA help this effort?

Barrett: We have a really good working relationship with auxiliary services and one thing as a residual effect of our great working relationship is that I asked if it would be possible for UH to get a bus for the first day of early voting and it was no problem. Where the precarious proposal came in was, we got so many students bused to vote, can we do this for another day?

TC: How has the Transgender Inclusion Act made a difference to the LGBT community at UH since it was passed in October?

Barrett: That’s just why we wanted to get that policy renewed, because it’s just a matter of comfort. We had heard from trans students who would get called out on the role sheet by the wrong name.

That can be uncomfortable because, especially when attendance is a grade, you’re forcing a student  to answer to a name that they don’t consider their name because they need to for a grade, but then they have to come out to you and say, my name isn’t this. That is definitely an awkward situation that still exists under the old policy. That’s why, to us, it was important to advocate for that.

TC: What is the status of the food pantry that was proposed as part of the Student Hunger Act?

Barrett: I had a meeting today with the Food Insecurity Group. They’re still compiling survey results. I don’t know, honestly. I know that the Food Insecurity Group, they’re definitely looking at it.

Food Insecurity Group approves it. We’re not in that stage yet. All i can say is that the space is there and it would be unfortunate if it wasn’t a food pantry come spring. If we don’t have a food pantry come spring of 2019, I’m not sure if there’s any good reason for that.

TC: Going into the spring semester, what will your administration be focusing on?

Barrett: One is going to be the Graduate Bill of Rights. I’m fairly confident we can get a working final before the semester ends, which for us is the twenty-first of December.  I’m hoping we’ll be able to present it early spring and get it ratified by the SGA.

Obviously, still going to be working on student wages, something I hope to present before I leave office. And the election commission, big goal. I even put this in our first day party platform was getting more students to vote. My goal isn’t to get seventy percent, but I think 5,000 is pretty reasonable.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Q&A: SGA President Cameron Barrett looks back, plans ahead” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The Here, We Go campaign is within $42 million of its $1 billion dollar goal, a number the project intends to hit by 2020. | File Photo/The Cougar.

More than $955.1 million has been donated to the $1 billion Here, We Go Campaign, announced Vice President of University Advancement Eloise Brice on Tuesday.

Launched in 2012, the campaign intended to raise $1 billion by 2020. The campaign raised $684 million within the first five years. Over $270 million have been raised since the campaign passed the five-year mark, leaving $42.3 million left to raise.

Funds donated to the Here, We Go Campaign go toward the increase of scholarships and fellowships, building new facilities, attracting accomplished faculty and bolstering the athletics program, according to the campaign’s website. Donors choose how their money will be used in these areas.

The University also announced its collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE), who donated a $10 million gift as part of the Here, We Go campaign to name the Data Science Institute and to provide funding and equipment to bolster data science research projects, according to the press release.

The collaboration between HPE and the University extends beyond funding into the classroom and the city of Houston. HPE leaders will serve as lecturers for classes in disciplines that utilize data science. In turn, UH students will have the opportunity to work on research proposed by HPE and to solve problems for HPE customers, according to the press release.

HPE’s work in conjunction with the University is part of a larger, city-wide movement focused on speeding up the advancement of Houston’s innovation economy. This economy emphasizes innovation and new technology as the basis for progress within key sectors, according to the Greater Houston Partnership.

In addition to donations to the Here, We Go Campaign, the University also received a $17 million endowment from philanthropists Andy and Andrea Diamond to the Diamond Family Scholars Program. The program seeks to provide “financial, academic, mentoring and support” for students who have aged out of the foster care system, according to the press release.

The project aims to increase success rates in areas such as recruitment, retention and graduation among students previously in the foster care system. Between 60 and 100 UH students self-identify as former members of the foster care system each year. The four-year graduation rate of this group is currently 37 percent, according to the press release.

The program has a target graduation rate of 60 percent within the first four years and a long-term goal of 80 percent, according to the press release.

The University also received a $1 million endowment to fund opportunities for students in the History department to study and research Texas history, according to the press release. Created by John L. Nau III, a chairman of the Here, We Go campaign, the fund intends to allow students to advance what is known about the history of Texas.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Here, We Go campaign goes for its $1 billion goal” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos released proposed regulation that describes how schools would be required to handle allegations of sexual misconduct on their campuses. | Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued proposed regulation on Friday governing how schools receiving federal funding handle sexual harassment and assault allegations on their campuses. This umbrella would cover all public school districts, colleges and universities.

Title IX, which originated in 1972, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex at schools that receive federal funding.  According to coverage by the Washington Post, the new rules narrow the window of sexual misconduct cases that educational institutions are mandated to investigate, and they would provide more rights for those accused of misconduct.

Under the change, schools would be required to respond to an incident only if there is “actual knowledge” of the allegations, if it occurred within the school’s “education program or activities” and if the alleged crime was against a “person in the United States,” according to the proposal.

In addition, the accused party would be entitled to a lawyer and the ability to cross-examine their accuser through a third party.

The proposed regulations come a year after DeVos rescinded the “Dear Colleague” letter released by then-president Barack Obama in 2011, which detailed the responsibilities of colleges and universities to respond quickly and with equity to reports of sexual misconduct under existing laws.

In contrast to the broad definition of sexual misconduct as “unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature” put forth in the Obama-era guidelines, the new rules by DeVos define sexual misconduct as “unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it denies a person access to the school’s education program or activity,” according to the proposal.

If implemented, this change in language would result is a narrower definition than is currently used to define sexual misconduct in the University of Houston’s policy. UH defines sexual misconduct as “a range of non-consensual sexual activity or unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature,” according to the Sexual Misconduct Policy.

According to the proposal, the new regulation would make it so that intervention on behalf of the University would be required only in cases when the misconduct is severe enough to carry negative consequences for an individual’s access to education or participation in activities at a federally funded institution.

The incident would need to occur within the institution’s own programs and activities for action to be required, according to the proposal, meaning that UH would not be required to respond to allegations between two students or involving a student that did not take place on campus or at a school event.

The proposal will enter a 60-day public notice and comment period before being officially enacted. In this period, the regulations have the potential to be annulled, according to coverage by CNN.

The Cougar has reached out to UH’s Equal Opportunity Services for comment on how the enactment of this legislation would impact the University. This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Betsy DeVos proposes legislation to change sexual misconduct reporting” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Update 12:00 p.m.: Republican Sen. Ted Cruz continues to lead the race for Senator in the state of Texas with 51 percent, while Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke trails with 48 percent. Precinct reporting is currently at 91.81 percent, meaning there is likely to be little change in these results.

For statewide appointments, the Republican candidate is in the lead for every position.

Republican Rep. Sid Miller leads the race for Agriculture Commissioner with 52 percent, while Democratic Rep. Kim Olson trails with 48 percent.

The race for Land Commissioner is led by Republican Rep. George P. Bush with 54 percent. Democratic Rep. Miguel Suazo has 43 percent.

Republican Rep. Ken Paxton leads the race for Attorney General with 51 percent, while Democratic Rep. Justin Nelson lags behind with 47 percent.

The race for Comptroller of Public Accounts is led by Republican Rep. Glenn Hegar, who held the position during the last term of service. Democratic Rep. Joi Chevalier has 43 percent.

Republican Rep. Greg Abbott leads the race for Governor with 56 percent, while Lupe Valdez trails with 42 percent.

In the race for Lieutenant Governor, Republican Rep. Dan Patrick has maintained a lead with 52 percent. Democratic Rep. Mike Collier lags behind with 46 percent.

Republican Rep. Christi Craddick leads the race for Railroad Commissioner with 54 percent, while Democratic Rep Roman McAllen follows behind with 44 percent.

In the Houston region, there is a mix of Democratic and Republican front runners.

Republican Rep. Ed Emmett and Democratic Rep. Lina Hidalgo are still tied for County Judge at 49 percent.

In the race for County Clerk, Republican Rep. Stan Stanert has 43 percent of votes, while Democratic Rep. Diane Trautman has 54 percent.

Democratic Rep. Marilyn Burgess leads the race for District Clerk with 55 percent of votes, while Republican Rep. Chris Daniel has 45 percent.

There is an overwhelming majority in favor of both Proposition A and Proposition B. Prop A has a 74 percent vote in favor, while Prop B has a 59 percent vote in favor.

More to follow later today.

Update 11:30 p.m.: With 83 percent of precincts reporting, Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke is currently trailing behind Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in the race for Senator. O’Rourke has 48.1 percent of votes, while Cruz has 51.2 percent.

Republican Rep. Ted Cruz is projected to win.

With 82 percent of precincts reporting, Republican Rep. Greg Abbott is leading the race for Governor with 56 percent, while Democratic Rep. Lupe Valdez lags behind with 42.3 percent.

Republican Rep. Greg Abbott is projected to win.

In Harris County, Democratic Rep. Mike Collier continues to lead the race for Lieutenant Governor against Republican Rep. Dan Patrick. Collier has stayed ahead with 55.75 percent, while Patrick rests at 42.57 percent.

The race for Attorney General is still led by Democratic Rep. Justin Nelson with 56.56 percent, while Republican Rep. Ken Paxton trails at 41.47 percent.

Update 11:00 p.m.: There have been no significant changes in any of the races previously mentioned.

Update 10:45 p.m.: The current vote on Proposition A still shows an overwhelming majority in favor of the amendment to the city charter. There is a 74.03 percent vote in favor of the motion.

Proposition B has maintained a majority in favor of the amendment to the city charter. The current vote features a 59.15 percent for the change.

Turning to the candidates, Democratic Rep. Lupe Valdez continues to edge ahead of Republican Rep. Greg Abbott in the race for Texas Governor, with 51.63 percent of the votes.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz continues to lag behind Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke in the race for Senator. Beto O’Rourke leads with 57.44 percent, while Cruz has 41.85 percent.

Update 10:30 p.m.: Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke continues to lead the race against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in Harris County with 57.24 percent to Cruz’s 42.09 percent.

Democratic Rep. Lupe Valdez has maintained her lead in the race for Texas Governor against Greg Abbott. Valdez has garnered 51.52 percent of votes, while Abbott has 47.02 percent.

The race for Lieutenant Governor is still led by Mike Collier in Harris County, with 55.50 percent of the votes. Dan Patrick trails behind with 42.87 percent.

Democratic Rep. Justin Nelson continues to keep a lead in the race for Attorney General against Republican Rep. Ken Paxton. Nelson comes in at 56.28 percent, while Paxton lags behind with 41.82 percent.

The race for the Comptroller of Public Accounts position is still led by Democratic Rep. Joi Chevalier with 52.08 percent, while Republican Rep. Glenn Hegar has 45.25 percent. The duty of the Comptroller of Public Accounts is to collect all tax revenue due to the state of Texas. Hegar has held the position for the last four years.

Update 10:15 p.m.: Of the 1,012 precincts that will report for the decision for United States Senator, 465 precincts have reported. This outcome has reported Democratic Rep. in the lead so far with 57.12 percent. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz still lags behind with 42.24 percent in Harris County.

The Democratic party still leads the way in straight-party votes with 54.41 percent, while the Republican party has garnered 44.99 percent.

Democratic Rep. Lupe Valdez continues to lead the race for Governor against Republican Rep. Greg Abbott. Republican Rep. Dan Patrick continues to trail behind Democratic Rep. Mike Collier in the race for Lieutenant Governor.

The race for Attorney General is still led by Democratic Rep. Justin Nelson with 56.28 percent, while Republican Rep. Ken Paxton has 41.82 percent.

Democratic Rep. Marilyn Burgess continues to lead the race for District Clerk against Republican Rep. Chris Daniels. Democratic Rep. Diane Trautman has maintained her lead against Republican Rep. Stan Stannart.

Update 10:00 p.m.: The race for Governor remains tight, with Republican Rep. Greg Abbott close behind Democratic Rep. Lupe Valdez, trailing with 47.09 percent to her 51.48 percent. If Valdez maintains this majority, she will replace Abbott as Texas governor.

Democratic Rep. Marilyn Burgess currently leads the race for District Clerk with 54.23 percent, while Republican Rep. Chris Daniels has 45.77 percent.

The race for County Clerk is led by Democratic Rep. Diane Trautman with 53.88 percent. Republican Rep. Stan Stannart has 43.73, while Libertarian Rep. Abel Chirino Gomez trails far behind with 2.39 percent.

Democratic Rep. Dylan Osborne is currently leading the race for County Treasurer with 53.43 percent, while Rep. Orlando Sanchez lags behind with 46.57 percent.

Update 9:45 p.m.: The current vote for Proposition A shows an overwhelming majority, with 73.96 percent in favor of this amendment to the city charter. If passed, Prop A would establish a fund to be used to cover the cost of flood damages and street projects.

Proposition B currently carries a slight majority in favor of the charter amendment, with 57.92 percent of voters for the change. If passed, Prop B would give provide equal pay for Houston fire fighters and police officers.

Update 9:30 p.m.: Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke continues to lead the race for United States Senator, with 57.02 percent, while Republican Sen. Ted Cruz lags with 42.41 perent.

Democratic Rep. Lupe Valdez continues to lead the race for Governor, with 51.61 percent, while Republican Rep. Greg Abbott stays close behind 47.05 percent.

The race for Lieutenant Governor is still dominated by Democratic Rep. Mike Collier, with 55.52 percent. Republican Rep. Dan Patrick trails behind with 43 percent.

Democratic Rep. Justin Nelson has maintained his lead in the race for Attorney General with 56.24 percent, while Republican Rep. Ken Paxton has garnered 42.01 percent.

Republican Rep. Ed Emmett and Democratic Rep. Lina Hidalgo are neck and neck in the race for County Judge. Emmett leads with 49.43 percent, while Hidalgo barely trails behind with 48.71 percent.

Update 9:15 p.m.: There have been only minor changes in the races for Senator, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.

Democratic Rep. Joi Chevalier currently leads the race for the Comptroller of Public Accounts with 52.12 percent, while Republican Rep. Glenn Hegar has garnered 45.49 percent.

The race for the Commissioner of the General Land Office is led by Democratic Rep. Miguel Suazo with 53.12 percent. Republican Rep. George P. Bush lags behind with 44.74 percent.

Democratic Rep. Kim Olson currently leads the race for Commissioner of Agriculture with 55.95 percent, while Republican Rep. Sid Miller rests at 42.65 percent.

The race for Railroad Commissioner is currently led by Democratic Rep. Roman McAllen with 52.57 percent, while Republican Rep. Christi Craddick has gotten 45.64 percent.

9:00 p.m.: The precincts have begun reporting for the 2018 midterm elections and the unofficial results for Harris County favor the Democratic party.

The percentage of straight-party votes for the Democratic party comes in at 53.97 percent, while it only comes to 45.52 percent for the Republican party.

Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke currently possesses a voter majority over Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, with 57.01 percent of the votes in comparison to Cruz’s 42.44 percent.

The race for governor is currently led by Democratic Rep. Lupe Valdez, with 51.69 percent of the votes, while Greg Abbott has 46.99.

The Lieutenant Governor race is currently led by Democratic Rep. Mike Collier, with 55.56 percent of the votes, while Republican Rep. Dan Patrick trails with 43 percent.

Democratic candidate Justin Nelson leads the race for Attorney General, with 56.27 percent of the votes, while Republican candidate Ken Paxton has 42.02 percent.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Midterm election results” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

UH President Renu Khator has been with the University for more than 10 years, but her path to leadership wasn’t easy. In a Friday address to students as part of the Grand Challenges Forum lecture series, Khator lamented the importance of following your dreams, no matter what may be standing in the way. | Billion Tekleab/The Cougar

T-shirts catapulted into the audience in the nearly full Cemo Hall Friday afternoon as President Renu Khator began her address at the Grand Challenges Forum lecture series. The t-shirts read “Keep a fire in your belly and a dream in your eye,” correlating with the overarching themes of leadership and dream fulfillment that Khator presented in her speech.

Khator has presided over the UH System for more than 10 years. In that time, the University gained Tier One status and embarked on a billion dollar fundraising campaign, in addition to other accomplishments. She began her address by encouraging those in the audience to own their dreams.

“Everybody should have a dream,” Khator said. “Everybody has a right to have a dream, everybody should have a dream. Without that dream, without the power of the dream, I would never be where I am.”

Long before she was the president and chancellor of the University of Houston System, Khator grew up in a community in rural India, where she attended school through her undergraduate studies, despite a lack of perceived value for education in her community.

“I knew one dream: I knew that I wanted to have the highest degree possible,” she said.

This dream experienced a potential setback when she was set up for an arranged marriage, Khator explained. It was not common for a woman to return to school or to receive a higher education degree after she had been married, she said. Her newlywed husband, however, promised that she could continue her education after they were married.

Just 23 days after discovering that her parents were searching for her groom, Khator moved to the United States with her husband, to whom she is still married. One month later, she began taking steps to continue her education.

Despite having a limited understanding of the English language, she desired to further her education. She watched hours of TV each day to better her English, she said. It was this effort that gained her admission to Purdue University’s Masters in Political Science program.

After completing her Master’s and taking a short hiatus from school, Khator went on to receive her doctorate from Purdue University.

“Dreams have power of their own,” Khator said. “Have a dream, but own your dream. People who dream without doing something about it are just daydreaming. If you have a dream, you will not quit. You’re going to find somewhere in your heart that passion, that fuel that you’re going to need to continue this obsession.”

A dream that may seem unreachable is still worth working for, she said, but it’s important to leave one’s comfort zone in order to achieve those dreams.

“You need to learn how to walk outside of your comfort zone. If you stay in your comfort zone, you are always going to stay within your boundaries,” Khator said. “In order for you to grow, you need to get out of your comfort zone, you need to feel that discomfort, because that’s what will help you grow.”

She leaned into this discomfort and took a job at the University of South Florida shortly before finishing her Ph.D, Khator said.

“I knew that I have two strikes against me,” she said.

Being a woman, in addition to being international, necessitated she do 120 percent to make it equal, she said.

“You can’t be victimized. You can’t control what people do to you. You do not have control (over others), but you do have control over how you internalize those things,” Khator said.

She concluded her speech with a twist on a classic lemonade quote.

“When life gives you lemons, everyone is thinking about making lemonade. You make margaritas.”

news@thedailycougar.com

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“‘Keep a fire in your belly’: Khator addresses students on leadership” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

President Khator will be presenting on her leadership journey at the Grand Challenges Forum today. | File Photo/The Cougar

University President Renu Khator will be speaking at the Honors College Grand Challenges Forum at 1 p.m. today, according to UH Media Relations personnel Chris Stipes.

Khator plans to discuss the lessons of leadership that she has learned over the course of her life’s journey. This correlates with the LEAD IN theme of the Grand Challenges Forum for the 2018-2019 academic year.

The Grand Challenges Forum is a lecture series put on by the Honors College that is intended to expose students to “great thinkers and doers in Houston, in Texas, and beyond” to advance the University’s commitment to critical thinking and scholarly achievement, according to a statement on the Grand Challenges website.

This semester’s lecture series has featured eight speaker appearances, including presentations from visiting professors and working professionals, in addition to a student research presentation and study abroad information session. Khator’s appearance will be the last formal Grand Challenges Forum lecture of the semester.

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“President Khator to speak on leadership at Grand Challenges Forum” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The University’s student body has grown by almost a thousand students, putting a strain on resources such as housing, parking and dining. | Fiona Legesse/The Cougar

The University’s enrollment has increased just short of 1,000 students from the last academic year. While enrollment has gone up, vital resources needed to support this growing student body have either stagnated or decreased in number.

Necessities such as on-campus housing, available parking and dining options are greatly outstripped by the University’s student population. This problematic ratio of students to resources leads to inevitable shortages.

The University needs to adjust its enrollment to suit the resources that it has available.

Limited housing

The University of Houston has the most beds out of any college in the state of Texas, with eight residential living facilities for students to stay in while they are taking classes. This is despite the demolition of the Quadrangle in the Spring 2017, which resulted in the loss of 407 bed spaces that have yet to be replaced.

As of Friday, 160 bed spaces were available across campus between the remaining eight complexes, said executive director of Student Housing and Residential Life Don Yackley.

However, not all students are eligible to live in just any of these available spaces.

Certain residences, such as the University Lofts, require tenants to be a specific age or classification in order to move in. These requirements may serve as a barrier to students seeking on-campus housing.

In addition to restrictions on housing eligibility, the cost of housing may also prevent some students from being able to live on campus. Depending on the residence, the price of housing has increased anywhere from a couple hundred to several hundred dollars, based on a comparison of housing costs between the last academic year and the current one.

This significant increase in the price of housing options, compounded with the restrictions on available housing, shows that the University has a shortage of residential housing options that are available and attainable to all students.

Problem parking

Parking and Transportation Services declined to comment or provide information about the availability of parking on campus. However, those who oversee on-campus parking have made an effort to increase the number of available spaces.

Future plans for parking expansion include the construction of a new parking garage. However, this construction has the potential to have negative impact on parking availability while the garage is in progress.

In addition to the potential loss of parking availability in the future, the cost of parking has continued to increase. From the last academic year to the current one, the cost of some permits increased by up to $55, depending on the location.

It is a well-known fact that on-campus parking is not only expensive, but also a hassle. Parking will continue to be difficult as long as the University continues to admit a high volume of new students each year. The University needs to adjust enrollment to allow for parking to catch up with the growing student body.

Update 9/21: According to an email from Bob Browand, director of Parking and Transportation Services, there is expected to be a net surplus of 300 student parking spaces by Fall 2022.

However, the number of parking spaces on campus currently represents a decline from the parking availability seen at this time last year. This is a result of the construction of Garage 5, which resulted in the loss of 544 spaces beginning Fall 2018.

By the time Garage 8 is completed, making it the fourth new on-campus parking garage, there will be 26,698 parking spaces. In the email, Browand said this increase is expected to match the expected enrollment growth factor of 3 percent by Fall 2022.

Dining difficulties

The University has experienced a marked decrease in the number of available dining options on campus over the last year. This decrease has resulted in longer lines and wait times at the eating establishments that are currently operational.

After a brief reopening in the spring, the Student Center Satellite is again closed for renovation. The facility has not been in operation since the end of the last academic year. Its closing eliminates nine potential dining options for students looking for a place to eat.

The arrival of more food truck options on campus is intended to fill this gap, but does not provide enough hours and locations to balance out the closure of the Satellite.

The food trucks are present for only a few hours each day. The limited hours of operation may not align with students’ schedules and could prevent them from taking advantage of this service.

In addition to having limited hours, the food trucks only park in certain locations around campus. The location of the food trucks may be geographically problematic for some students, who don’t have the time to grab a bite to eat and make it to their next class on time.

The limited hours of operation and few locations make the food trucks into a nonviable option for certain students and fail to fill the gap in dining options left by the closure of the Satellite.

A shortage of dining options is not the only shortage that the University faces as a result of the outsized student population, which available resources cannot adequately support.

The University should be admitting only the number of students its resources can serve. Being more selective in its admissions process and keeping incoming classes small will allow UH to keep the student body proportional to its offerings.

editor@thedailycougar.com

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“Staff Editorial: UH should increase resources, not enrollment” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The University’s student body has grown by almost a thousand students, putting a strain on resources such as housing, parking and dining. | Fiona Legesse/The Cougar

The University’s enrollment has increased just short of 1,000 students from the last academic year. While enrollment has gone up, vital resources needed to support this growing student body have either stagnated or decreased in number.

Necessities such as on-campus housing, available parking and dining options are greatly outstripped by the University’s student population. This problematic ratio of students to resources leads to inevitable shortages.

The University needs to adjust its enrollment to suit the resources that it has available.

Limited housing

The University of Houston has the most beds out of any college in the state of Texas, with eight residential living facilities for students to stay in while they are taking classes. This is despite the demolition of the Quadrangle in the Spring 2017, which resulted in the loss of 407 bed spaces that have yet to be replaced.

As of Friday, 160 bed spaces were available across campus between the remaining eight complexes, said executive director of Student Housing and Residential Life Don Yackley.

However, not all students are eligible to live in just any of these available spaces.

Certain residences, such as the University Lofts, require tenants to be a specific age or classification in order to move in. These requirements may serve as a barrier to students seeking on-campus housing.

In addition to restrictions on housing eligibility, the cost of housing may also prevent some students from being able to live on campus. Depending on the residence, the price of housing has increased anywhere from a couple hundred to several hundred dollars, based on a comparison of housing costs between the last academic year and the current one.

This significant increase in the price of housing options, compounded with the restrictions on available housing, shows that the University has a shortage of residential housing options that are available and attainable to all students.

Problem parking

Parking and Transportation Services declined to comment or provide information about the availability of parking on campus. However, those who oversee on-campus parking have made an effort to increase the number of available spaces.

Future plans for parking expansion include the construction of a new parking garage. However, this construction has the potential to have negative impact on parking availability while the garage is in progress.

In addition to the potential loss of parking availability in the future, the cost of parking has continued to increase. From the last academic year to the current one, the cost of some permits increased by up to $55, depending on the location.

It is a well-known fact that on-campus parking is not only expensive, but also a hassle. Parking will continue to be difficult as long as the University continues to admit a high volume of new students each year. The University needs to adjust enrollment to allow for parking to catch up with the growing student body.

Dining difficulties

The University has experienced a marked decrease in the number of available dining options on campus over the last year. This decrease has resulted in longer lines and wait times at the eating establishments that are currently operational.

After a brief reopening in the spring, the Student Center Satellite is again closed for renovation. The facility has not been in operation since the end of the last academic year. Its closing eliminates nine potential dining options for students looking for a place to eat.

The arrival of more food truck options on campus is intended to fill this gap, but does not provide enough hours and locations to balance out the closure of the Satellite.

The food trucks are present for only a few hours each day. The limited hours of operation may not align with students’ schedules and could prevent them from taking advantage of this service.

In addition to having limited hours, the food trucks only park in certain locations around campus. The location of the food trucks may be geographically problematic for some students, who don’t have the time to grab a bite to eat and make it to their next class on time.

The limited hours of operation and few locations make the food trucks into a nonviable option for certain students and fail to fill the gap in dining options left by the closure of the Satellite.

A shortage of dining options is not the only shortage that the University faces as a result of the outsized student population, which available resources cannot adequately support.

The University should be admitting only the number of students its resources can serve. Being more selective in its admissions process and keeping incoming classes small will allow UH to keep the student body proportional to its offerings.

editor@thedailycougar.com

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“Staff Editorial: UH should increase resources, not enrollment” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

|Fiona Legesse/The Cougar

I have never been for school spirit. It’s just never been me. My goal in college was to be black and educated and go on to be successful in whatever my heart desired.

Going into journalism, I needed to start somewhere. There was only one organization on campus that could even remotely guide my growth.

The Cougar is many things outside what our constitution and mission statements say of being a learning laboratory. We are a group of peers, coworkers, competitors, and the kind of family that you’ve always wanted but never knew you needed.

Walking into The Cougar, it felt like that one scene in “The Post” where phones are ringing and typewriters are clicking inside the New York Times. Little did I know, I walked in on the busiest day of the week — print day.

I was thrown off and anxious for my first time being in a newsroom. Everyone seemed so important, almost untouchable.

After meeting with the opinion editor at the time, I felt an air of opportunity: The opportunity to be the best person in the newsroom. I excluded myself from the social aspect of the organization and wanted to be known only for my writing. Nothing more, nothing less.

I guess it worked, because the next semester I became a senior staff writer. A few months later, I was the opinion editor.

That’s when my perception of working for The Cougar changed.

This was my first glimpse of what it feels like to have a group of people directly depend on me. Not just my fellow editors, but also my staff of 15 opinion writers.

In a few months’ time, I embarked on something that I vowed to never do. Not only did I earn a brand new position at The Cougar — the features editor — but it was also at the news desk, something that I had previously only hated from afar.

I didn’t know it then, but this was the start of my passion for both the art of journalism and my organization.

I spent the months that followed gaining footing at what it means to do capital “J” journalism. I was a face to UH community and was becoming more and more a part of the family that is The Cougar.

After a month of hints pushing me toward responsibility I didn’t feel ready for, I blinked and became the editor in chief.

Let me say again, I was not ready for this job. But no one is ever ready.

You can never be fully ready for someone to question a talent you’ve spent months refining. You can never be ready for editors to leave unexpectedly due to family illnesses. And you can never be ready to make mistakes that not only affect you, but reverberate across the entire paper and staff.

However, what you gain from all of that is something that you will never lose, regardless of whether you go into journalism.

You learn to wear many hats at once: a coach, a team player, a mentor. More importantly, you learn to care about something that is greater than you, even if you are responsible for running it. You realize that you become a part of something that adds to both the people that came before you and the ones thereafter.

I was editor in chief for only four months. In that time, I have learned and gone through so much that I could write a memoir about it.

Thanks to my board, I have gained all that I can to take me to my next endeavor, whether that be in-state, out-of-state or abroad. For everything I may have given them, they have given to me tenfold — each and every one of them.

Between the laughs, late nights, stress, and tears, I would not have done anything differently.

Looking back on my two and a half years at The Cougar, it will be weird not being a part of the publication that launched and propelled me forward.

However, being able to look on as a reader, a critic, but most importantly, a fan, to the next crop of great young journalists and writers is nothing short of the greatest honor any editor could dream of having.

editor@thedailycougar.com

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“Letter from the Editor: The Cougar is greater than its parts” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar