The first time I begged for my life, I was 12.

One month into the seventh grade, I sat helpless on the edge of a hospital bed as a surgeon told my parents there was a strong possibility I would need a blood transfusion. My father told her to let me die instead.

From the moment on the way to the operating room that the doctors told my parents they couldn’t come any farther, I begged my surgeon not to let me die for a religion that wasn’t mine. On the operation table, I refused critical minutes of anesthesia until she promised.

When I made my first post-operation visit to my dad’s house, he lectured for hours on my lack of integrity and morals.

I’m not going to go name names when it comes to his views, so let’s just say his community is known for knocking on doors, occasionally denying modern medicine, and most importantly, exiling family and friends who don’t agree. Unfortunately for me, I have only ever fallen in the latter group.

My dad’s devotion to his religious views and subsequent community have been his highest priority since before I was born.

Among his peers, my dad is praised for this fact. In my eyes, it was that love for his faith that prevented him from attending a single athletic event throughout my childhood. When I brought home good grades, he disapproved on the basis that I could have instead reserved that time and effort for the faith we didn’t share. His faith has been more important than anything I’ve ever done.

My parents have been divorced since before I started elementary school. The arrangement was that I would visit him and his new family every other weekend. For those four days each month, friends, schoolwork and any entertainment that didn’t align with his views were off-limits, and I was subject to the worship activities of his choosing.

It only took a few years of missed birthday parties and family holidays before I started asking my mom to stay home on those weekends, but she didn’t want to disrespect his right to parent me.

By middle school, I was begging with more and more success.

There was a weekend during my freshman year of high school that I asked to stay home. We had just moved, and I had nearly a week’s worth of schoolwork to catch up on by Monday. Getting permission to stay home was an uphill battle on a good day, but there was a special event at my dad’s church that weekend.

After about an hour of back and forth, I told my dad it just wasn’t possible for me to go that weekend if I couldn’t get the necessary work done. He sent my mom three emails informing her that I was evil — yes, Biblicaly evil.

We didn’t speak for two years.

When my stepsister told him I did well on the SAT, he broke the silence to tell me I made him sick.

A moderate level of devotion keeps faith alive, and I’m not here to say religion is in any way bad. Religion follows the same rule as just about everything else: It’s good in moderation.

In excess, even a religion that lists family, love and tolerance as some of it’s most important tenants can change people for the worse.

When I think of my father, I think about the details my mother and grandmother have told me about the person he was before. I’m confident I’ll never be lucky enough to experience having that person as a parent — which is a shame because my dad supposedly used to be pretty damn cool — and I made peace with that a long time ago.

But if the job of a good parent is to love and want the best for their children, isn’t he trying in the only way he knows how? If he thinks the best he can do for me is ensure I do right by the god he believes in, should I excuse the negative impact it’s had on my life and our relationship?

As a teenager and young adult, I used those questions to cushion blow after blow of rejection and disappointment, and I would tell myself that even if he doesn’t like or believe in me, at least his continuous effort to right my religious “wrongs” proved his love.

Adulthood, and my changing relationship with both parents, has taught me that it’s OK to cease my efforts to make him proud, to connect with him. The knowledge that I’ll never earn his love is as brutal as it is certain.

Today, I ask whether I would have brought pride to the father I feel I missed out on, the father I never knew. Love, the kind religion teaches and that we should all strive to feel for those around us, asks only that we become better people, not different ones.

editor@thedailycougar.com

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“When does religious devotion go too far?” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Next to midterms, finals week is one of the best opportunities to find the coffee house that satisfies your study and caffeine, and maybe alcohol, needs. But on campus hangouts like The Nook are Starbucks don’t always provide the most conducive study environments. | Corbin Ayres/The Cougar

While the MD Anderson Library transitions to a 24-hour schedule for finals week, sometimes the best study sessions require coffee and a change of scenery.

Houston is packed with great coffee shops, and some of the best the city has to offer are less than 10 miles from UH. The Nook may be the closest crowd favorite, but finals week is the perfect time to venture out and explore new menus.

Here are five nearby coffee houses open until at least 10 p.m. to satisfy your caffeine needs.

Retrospect Coffee Bar

Located just 7 minutes from UH, Retrospect offers abundant outdoor seating, unique snacks and a full espresso menu. | Corbin Ayres/The Cougar

If you prefer outdoor seating, Retrospect is the spot for you. This coffee bar packs good food and an even better cappuccino, with abundant shaded outdoor seating to host your all-day cram sessions. Retrospect is open until 8 p.m. Sunday – Tuesday and until 10 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday.

Location: 3709 La Branch St. Houston, TX 77004

Distance from UH: 2.1 miles or 7 minutes

Antidote Coffee

So, maybe you’re at the point in finals week when a glass of wine or pint of beer might better serve you than a drip coffee — fear not, because Antidote has you covered. Open until midnight daily, Antidote serves up a selection of beer, wine and espresso drinks, including the crowd-favorite cajeta latte.

Location: 729 Studewood St. Houston, TX 77007

Distance from UH: 6.3 miles or 10 minutes

Agora

If you’ve been at UH for more than one semester, you have probably been to — or at least heard of — Agora. The two-story Greek-themed coffee house is one of Houston’s most popular spots for a late-night caffeine fix and boasts a full espresso menu and abundant seating, but get there early if you’re settling in for a major study session because those tables go fast.

Agora is open until 2 a.m. daily.

Location: 1712 Westheimer Rd. Houston, TX 77098

Distance from UH: 6.3 miles or 12 minutes

Black Hole Coffee House

Black Hole is outfitted with both indoor and outdoor seating, including couches, armchairs and tables, and a full service kitchen. So, if you’re looking for a comfortable shop where you can relax with a good meal, look no further. Black Hole is open until midnight every day, but get there early because weekend seating goes fast.

Location: 4504 Graustark St. Houston, TX 77006

Distance from UH: 3.3 miles or 13 minutes

Inversion Coffee & Art

Described on the business’ website as a place where coffee, art and community meet, Inversion has been a staple in Houston’s coffee scene for more than 10 years. Come for the coffee, but stay for the local art. Inversion is open until 10 p.m. daily.

Location: 1953 Montrose Blvd. Suite A Houston, TX 77006

Distance from UH: 4 miles or 16 minutes

editor@thedailycougar.com

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“Houston’s best study-friendly late-night coffee spots” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The Vue on MacGregor was deemed a deficient property by the Houston Building Code Enforcement on March 8, just one day after resident and former leasing agent Aaron Maxwell, a political science junior, reported safety hazards associated with the property’s parking garage. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

“The safety of your tenants is in danger,” wrote Vue on MacGregor resident Aaron Maxwell in a February email to the property management’s CEO.

On March 8, lighting code violations within the parking garage led the off-campus student housing community within walking distance of UH to be deemed a deficient property by the City of Houston Building Code Enforcement, but residents say the hazardously lighted garage makes up just a fraction of the problems within complex, ranging from a lack of follow-through on promised amenities, numerous break-ins and managerial concerns.

False promises

Maxwell, a political science junior, has been a resident at The Vue on MacGregor since its opening and worked as a leasing agent for the apartments over the summer of 2016. During that time, he said, the leasing staff were told to inform prospective tenants of the property’s upcoming security improvements.

The security features Maxwell said management promised — which were intended to make The Vue on MacGregor the safest student housing community for UH students — included cameras on every floor and a push for the property to eventually join the Houston Police Department’s Blue Star Multi-Housing Program, described on HPD’s website as a cooperative effort between law enforcement, residents and apartment managers to abate crime.

Nearly two years later, Maxwell said, these promises have yet to be fulfilled.

On Feb. 28, Maxwell emailed Patrick Nelson, of Nelson Brothers University Housing, which manages the apartments, regarding the lack of improvement in on-site security. In the email, Maxwell detailed his concern that the security measures he and other leasing agents were instructed to advertise had not been implemented nearly a year and a half after the summer he’d spent working for the complex.

“We sold our increased security presence and promised these upgrades,” Maxwell wrote. “This was a lie.”

Maxwell said the The Vue on MacGregor had been in the process of fielding bids from prospective security companies regarding security cameras during the summer he worked there.

Though he recalls multiple companies telling property management that certain camera systems would be less effective, he said management eventually decided on a cheaper, wireless system and installed the cameras on the first floor of the complex as a test run.

In the email, Maxwell writes that the cameras didn’t work then, and he’s aware that they were still not functional as of February.

Beyond the lack of security cameras, Maxwell noted the lack of lighting in the parking garage as an additional safety risk. Maxwell alleges the lack of lighting in the garage, and the circumstances surrounding it, are code violations.

“People have to use their cellphones at night to get to their car because the garage is pitch black,” Maxwell wrote.

Due to the placement of the lights, Maxwell noted, water fills the fixtures, shorting out the lights and tripping the breaker.

His email to Nelson had still more complaints. The garage has experienced countless break-ins including to his and his roommate’s vehicles. The lack of lighting and speed bumps in the structure increased the risk of a residents being hit by a car. And the parking garage provided the sole exit from the apartment complex in case of a fire.

He also noted that gunfire had occurred multiple times within the building. During his employment, Maxwell wrote in the email, he was once asked to unlock a unit after a bullet penetrated the wall of another tenant’s restroom.

“All it takes is for one person to be hit in the garage, for one stray bullet to hit someone in their sleep, for one rain storm to cause a fire, or for one robbery to go wrong, for someone to die,” Maxwell wrote.

He had given property management a month to begin addressing the issues before going public with his experiences. When Maxwell sent the email, there were only three days remaining in his countdown.

Three hours later, Patrick Nelson responded.

Nelson said the money that could be used to fix these problems was instead going toward the property’s high taxes.

“The property is losing money everywhere,” Nelson wrote. “Where do you suppose a brand new building that passes all codes should come up with the millions of dollars you are requesting?”

Meeting code

On March 7, exactly one week later, Maxwell forwarded his concerns to Acting Building Official Bob Oakes of the Houston Building Code Enforcement.

The Building Code Enforcement department monitors the safety and structural integrity of buildings throughout the city and fines owners that allow issues to persist. If an investigation finds issues, the BCE posts a notice declaring the building is not up to standards.

The Vue on McGregor received its first notice the day after Maxwell’s email. A second one arrived four weeks later on April 5.

In an email received Tuesday, Paula Platt, the executive vice president of operations for Nelson Brothers Student Housing Investments, said the company is aware of safety concerns associated with the dark garage and is working with residents on-on-one. However, she said, management is not liable for any vehicle or property damage sustained in the garage.

She said the property is undergoing a lighting upgrade expected to reach completion May 15. Additionally, installation of an upgraded camera system throughout the property should begin in the next two weeks.

While she said no one can guarantee safety, security upgrades have been made to the property since its opening including an escort service to and from cars in the parking lot, repainting interior hallways a lighter color, and a 24/7 on-call service.

In constant fear

In the nearly two years human resource development junior Alyssa Garcia has lived at The Vue on MacGregor, conditions within the complex have gotten only worse, she said.

The security cameras she recalls being promised on every floor have yet to be installed, and fewer than two floors of the property’s seven-level parking garage are lighted. Garcia said the dark garage has been accompanied by frequent vehicle break-ins, as often as a few cars each week.

Since the lights went out in the parking garage, she said she has lived in constant fear that she will be attacked walking to and from her vehicle in the dark, and management has yet to tell residents when the lights will be fixed.

But the parking garage isn’t the only place within the complex where she feels unsafe.

Since moving into the apartments in fall of 2016, Garcia said she’s come home on two separate occasions to find her front door left open by on-site staff members.

“Living here in the recent months has caused me to constantly be anxious in my own apartment,” she said. “I lock my bedroom door every time I’m sleeping, or even if I leave for 5 minutes, because I don’t know who has access to my apartment and who’s leaving doors open for anyone to come inside.”

Just after 1 a.m. on April 8, she called 9-1-1 to report what she believed to be gunshots from within the complex. This wouldn’t have been the first time police were called to the scene as the result of a firearm.

“I have come to terms with the fact that I have a few more months here,” she said. “But the last thing I want is for UH students to sign here for upcoming semesters.”

A detriment to involvement

Peytie Leigh Elliot, a marketing and management senior, shares this sentiment.

During her time as a resident of The Vue on MacGregor, Elliot said the gate leading into the on-site parking garage — the only parking available to residents — was frequently broken, leaving student vehicles and entrances into the complex vulnerable to anyone who entered through the open gate.

Moreover, she said, the controlled-access electronic locks used throughout the building were unreliable, and the lights used throughout the garage were often out.

“At night, I frequently felt unsafe in the garage and the building in general,” she said. “They also charged us monthly for a parking spot that was supposed to be guaranteed safety within a gated garage. That was never proven to be true.”

Elliot said her parents’ concern for her safety and proximity to campus largely influenced her decision to live at The Vue on MacGregor.

“My parents were very worried about the safety in the area, so (The Vue’s) claim that they had security and a gated garage, as well as locked entryways, was a big deal to them,” Elliot said.

In addition to issues with the level of security in the complex after moving in, which Elliot said the property’s management failed to address, her apartment was plagued by frequent maintenance issues.

When mold was discovered in her roommate’s closet, Elliot said maintenance painted over the problem. When the drain in her shower broke, she said it took four separate maintenance requests, and nearly a month spent driving to and from her parents’ home for showers, for the issue to be resolved.

Four months before the end of her lease, Elliot moved home to live with her parents in Cypress.

“My 2 minute drive was now 45 minutes each way on a good day from Cypress,” she said. “It did not affect my grades, but it affected my involvement in organizations on campus because I was not there as often.”

She continued to pay rent on the empty apartment for the remainder of the term and has decided to continue living at home.

“(I) don’t trust any of the apartments anymore,” she said.

features@thedailycougar.com

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“Apartment tenants’ complaints upheld by building code violations” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

SGA presidential candidate, Christopher Caldwell | Dana C. Jones/The Cougar

The first time Christopher Caldwell visited Houston was for his New Student Orientation at UH. Caldwell, a Dallas native, said he chose UH for its political science department, despite his parents insisting he attend elsewhere.

After a year and a half at the University, and numerous organization and committee positions, the political science and sociology senior is running for president of the Student Government Association with the Impact Party.

“Student advocacy is not about what title you have, and policy is not about what position you hold,” Caldwell said. “Little change can affect large amounts of people, and my goal is to — whether it be one person or 1,000 people — to make sure I touch someone’s life.”

The Impact Party is running on a platform composed of what Caldwell calls “three pillars,” each encompassing numerous smaller goals. Caldwell said members of his party, if elected, will focus on improving the student experience, fostering academic success and encouraging community advancement.

Caldwell graduated high school with an associate’s degree and arrived to UH in Fall 2016 as a junior by credit hours. As a senior, he spent the better half of Fall 2017 looking into graduate programs, and even taking the LSAT, but he ultimately decided he isn’t ready to leave the University.

“I’ve been involved thoroughly on campus, but I haven’t done enough. I haven’t influenced every student in the way that I really could,” Caldwell said. “As I sat and thought about it, SGA was truly the avenue where I could advocate for students in the way that I do now, on a larger scale.”

Regardless of the outcome of the election, Caldwell said he’ll spend the next year obtaining an additional degree in sociology and he hopes to remain involved in student leadership for the remainder of his time at UH.

While he said all of his positions on campus have taught him about the potential for a single student to impact the rest of the University, being chair of the Food Service Advisory Committee has given him the greatest ability to advocate for students.

This year was the first time all residential students were allowed to remain on campus during winter break. Caldwell said the increase in students on campus during the University closure meant a difficult decision for FSAC and UH — whether the dining halls should also remain operational.

“At the end of the day, if you’re going to offer something to students, you need to offer it to them full-fledged,” Caldwell said. “You can’t allow someone to stay on campus and not give them something to eat.”

As FSAC chair, Caldwell said he called four meetings in December to discuss the issue, as compared to the committee’s usual monthly meeting. Students having to supply their own food throughout the break, after already having paid for a meal plan, wasn’t going to be feasible for all, he said.

“We are a working man’s college. There are some students who, like myself, can go here simply because of financial aid,” he said. “I think the University has a responsibility to make sure all 44,000 people are fed, they have a place to sleep at night.”

Even if his bid for president isn’t successful, Caldwell said he will continue to advocate for students on policy boards and committees throughout the University. In addition to FSAC, he currently serves on the Student Centers Policy Board, the Student Housing and Residential Life Advisory Committee and the Activities Funding Board, and holds two on-campus jobs including brand ambassador for Chartwells.

Caldwell said his involvement throughout campus helped him pin down feasible goals for his party, and paying his own way through college helps him better understand what it’s like to be a student at UH.

“Nothing is ever the greatest it can be,” Caldwell said.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Caldwell aims to provide advocacy for a ‘working man’s college’” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The Student Fees Advisory Committee heard funding requests for Fiscal Year 2019, which goes into effect August 2018, this fall. The Committee’s recommendation marks the first student fee increase since FY 2017, decided in fall 2015. Data for FY 2012 not available. | The Cougar News Services

Between funding new instruments for the Spirit of Houston, paying the Counseling and Psychological Services staff and securing annual talent for the Frontier Fiesta concert, UH’s nearly $23 million in student fees is distributed widely throughout campus.

The determination and allocation of Student Services Fees — the roughly $250 semesterly addendum to every UH student’s cost of attendance — is recommended each fall by the Student Fees Advisory Committee, established by the Texas Education Code.

Most notably, SFAC recommended in 2011 a $50 increase in student fees, $45 of which to fund the construction of new athletics facilities, including TDECU Stadium. The increase was put to a student referendum in February 2016, as recommended by the Committee, and the increased fee took effect Fall 2012.

The committee, which consists of seven students and two faculty representatives under a non-voting adviser, fields presentations and requests from fee-funded student organizations and campus departments, including The Cougar. After weeks of deliberation, it sends a report with its funding recommendations to UH’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services, and President Renu Khator.

Khator then presents her recommendations to the University of Houston System Board of Regents. Should these recommendations differ significantly from those of the committee, Chapter 4 of the Texas Education Code stipulates SFAC be notified.

According to the Code, “the president shall duly consider the recommendations of the student fees advisory committee during the annual budgetary process.” So, as always, Khator has final say over spending decisions, but the committee has input.

Approved SFAC allocations go into effect the following fiscal year, which begins on Sept. 1 each year. For FY 2019, covering the 2018-2019 academic term, the Committee recommended a $5 increase to the student fee, bringing the total to $260 for full-time students in the fall and spring semesters.

Other departments and organizations funded through student fees include the Center for Student Involvement, Campus Recreation, the Dean of Students Office, Homecoming, the Student Government Association and the Student Program Board.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Student fees explained: What do they pay for?” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

UPDATE 5:31 p.m.: Pending permission from the Texas legislature, the University of Houston will enroll its first class of medical students in 2020 following a vote of approval by the UH System Board of Regents during its quarterly meeting Thursday afternoon. 

Recruitment for the medical school’s first 30-student class will begin in June 2019, according to the College of Medicine report presented at the meeting. Class sizes will gradually expand to 120 students over the following years.

University spokesperson Mike Rosen said the College of Medicine will be housed initially in the Human and Biomedical Sciences II building before relocating to a new building solely for the program. According to the presentation, the new facility would need to be available by Fall 2022 to accommodate growing class sizes.

According to the action request document for the medical school, the approval by the Board of Regents allows the University to proceed in finalizing a partnership for new residencies, establish a College of Medicine to support those residencies, submit a request to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for an M.D. and initiate the accreditation process for the medical school.

UH System Chancellor and President Renu Khator said at the meeting that the medical school is a three-for-one deal. It will help serve medically underserved communities in the Houston area, will help meet the state’s need for additional residency jobs and enhance UH’s multidisciplinary research capabilities.

“This (had) not been a vision of the board initially,” said Tilman Fertitta, chairman of the Board of Regents. “This was a vision of Renu Khator.”

He said the board will look back at this moment as part of history, but there is still a lot of work remaining before getting approval from the Texas Legislature.

Rosen said the University is confident it has a strong case for getting approval to start granting medical doctorates.

According to the presentation, UH will submit the application to the Higher Education Coordinating Board in February.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“BREAKING: UH plans to open medical school in 2020” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

UH Chancellor and President Renu Khator is known for many things, including a history of triumphs for women’s rights and a staunch belief in the power of dreaming big. In an interview with The Cougar, Khator revealed a passion she isn’t so known for — her poetry. | Jennifer Gonzalez/The Cougar

When Chancellor and President Renu Khator was first offered her position by the University of Houston, she turned it down. It wasn’t until after multiple phone calls, visits and some internet sleuthing of her own that she accepted the job.

This week, Khator celebrates her 10 year anniversary as UH president and a decade that has brought cultural, athletic and academic transformation to the University. At her annual fall address at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Khator is expected to reflect on the last decade.

The Cougar sat down with Khator to discuss the challenges that led her to UH, the triumphs she’s seen in during her tenure here, her student-centric plan for advancement and what makes UH so quintessentially “Houston.”

The Cougar: When did you first hear about UH? What drew you to the University of Houston?

Renu Khator: It is to this week that I interviewed with the (Board of Regents) and the Board offered me the job. I had heard of the University of Houston in my own discipline, which is political science. I knew the professors who were here; it’s considered to be one of the top political science departments.

That was about it for me about the University of Houston.

I would say it was probably sometime in February or March of 2007 when I was contacted about this position, and my first response was “No.” I said, “I don’t know about the University of Houston. I’m very happy here.” I was there for 22 years at the University of South Florida. Then eventually, I got a second call, then a couple of people from here who I had met in my previous life called me. So I said, “OK. I promise you I will start looking more,” and I went on Google and started searching about the University of Houston.

I looked at the faculty’s names, I looked at their resumes online, I looked at the national statistics, and then I got intrigued by Houston. I started to learn more and more about Houston — Houston’s economy, Houston’s population, the demographics, the leadership — and I just thought it was a wonderful opportunity.

Two things became absolutely clear: One is the University of Houston was a place where its substance was ahead of its reputation. It had great quality, but it just wasn’t nationally known for it. And second, it became very clear that if you want to really do something, to build a university, Houston has to be it — all the economy, the energy industry, the Texas Medical Center, the port, NASA, so many great institutions.

So, I thought it would be a great challenge to go and build a team and fight for the national competitiveness for the University of Houston. That’s what drew me here.

TC: What has been the most rewarding part of your 10 years here?

Khator: I think the ability to move the needle.

We did a very thorough assessment during my first year. I brought a data analyst with me on a one-year loan from the University of South Florida because I wanted completely impartial, objective information and statistics, and from there we knew what are the pieces that we have to work on and what are the rocks that we have to lift, and we made the strategic plan.

I think it has been absolutely rewarding in 10 years to see that the University’s known as a transformed university locally, but also nationally. I find a lot of gratification when I hear from alumni that “We stand tall — our shoulders tall, head high — and say that I’m a graduate of the University of Houston.”

I think giving that piece of pride, giving that network that comes from pride, I think it’s a significant value. But it’s not from me, obviously. No one person does this. No one effort, no one group, can ever achieve transformation.

It’s really been a great team effort here, and it’s gratifying to see how the city and alumni and the students, the staff, faculty, everybody has worked together for a common goal.

TC: What has been the most challenging part?

Khator: The most challenging part, I would say, has been to change the culture where I felt that we had settled with average or mediocrity — that it is good enough — and for me, average is never good enough.

I think our whole mission is students, because that is why we’re a university. We are not a research institute. We are not a fundraising organization. We are not a charity. We are an institution of learning. Our whole mission is students and trying to change the culture that supports the students — that helps them be successful — has been the primary focus I think and has been the most difficult cultural piece to change.

TC: A number of UH’s many new constructions are all athletics facilities. Between that investment and a recent push to join the Big 12, what is the University’s role in athletics?

Khator: I’m a big believer in athletics, and I’m a big believer in what athletics can do for academics.

Of course, a poor or mediocre athletics program cannot give you what you desire, which is connectivity with alumni and excitement and an identity for the students. When I see in the TDECU Stadium all those students, their pride, it is absolutely just such a happy moment for me — a gratifying moment for me. When you feel pride, when you stand together, identify yourself with a successful team, your chances of staying, your chances of facing barriers, are much higher.

So, the athletics here needed investment.

We have, so far, $1.46 billion worth of investment in the University in facilities. Two hundred and thirty million of that has gone to athletics. So, it is a piece, but it’s definitely not the major piece.

We needed to do for athletics what is necessary so it doesn’t look like a place that is not a place for winners. We have to have a place where the best of the future student-athletes are looking at us and saying, ‘Yes, I want to be part of the University of Houston.’

That requires good facilities, but it also requires a culture of winning. For me, having a good, strong, solid athletics program that supports the academic mission is extremely important.

TC: In the 10 years you’ve been here, UH has shed its image as “Cougar High” and attracted more and more first-time college students to its ever-rising programs. What do you hope the University looks like in 10 more years? Is there a specific campus you’re striving for us to model in certain ways?

Khator: I just think we are the fourth largest city in the United States, and we ought to look at other universities that are in large metropolitan areas.

If you want to see good examples of how the universities have become powerhouses and how they are serving their own cities, you can look at UCLA; you can look at NYU, even though it’s a private school; you can look at the University of Chicago; you can look at the University of Pittsburgh.

These are good models of public universities that are excellent, that are serving the students from diverse backgrounds, and universities that are already the research and innovation hubs.

In the next 10 years, I would like to see our graduation rates way up high, beating all the national averages and way up high so that every student knows if they’re coming here, they’re going to graduate.

Secondly, I want them to know that they are here in Houston where there are so many opportunities for industry, for organizations, so they should leave from here with (more) skills and experience than anywhere else, because, simply, we are located where we are. We have opportunities that other institutions may not have. I want our students to have that benefit.

I want it to be a vibrant campus. I want it to be a campus of learning where people come because they want to be here, but if they want to take courses online, they should be able to. We have exponentially grown our online presence as well.

We want people to be able to reach to us whether they are in Katy or in Sugar Land, whether they are in any part of this Greater Houston, because we are larger — Houston is bigger and larger — than 37 states in the United States of America.

So we are not a city; we are a state. And we need to make sure we are serving the state, giving the students affordable access but giving them also the vibrancy and confidence so they feel they can graduate from here and lead whatever they want to lead.

TC: In the past year alone, actions like fighting off UT-Houston and challenging the South Texas College of Law in a trademark dispute show you want UH to be synonymous with “Houston.” Why is that important?

Khator: The University of Houston has the name ‘Houston’ in it. We are, as I call, the 800-pound gorilla in Houston. Our graduates work here in Houston. Most of the time, they come from here in Houston.

As goes the University of Houston, so goes Houston. I think it’s important for us to take ownership and serve the city so that the city can maximize its potential. We need to do whatever we can for the city.

I think in serving the world, the first thing is you serve your city.

TC: In recent years, many have pushed for universities to take a more active role in preventing and helping survivors of traumatic events, such as sexual assault and suicide. Should UH be addressing these issues? If so, what should we be doing that we’re not already?

Khator: It’s a very serious issue. Every year, I send out a personal message letting people know that we are a zero-tolerance campus when it comes to harassment or any kind of sexual misconduct, encouraging people to report and making that report easy for them.

I also established a blue ribbon commission not too far back, asking the commission to tell me at UH and at all other campuses system-wide, what are the things most needed and what are the things we can do. Every recommendation that’s come from here has been acted on. Even one case is one too many.

However, we just need to make sure that people are properly trained to address these things when they happen, that people who become victims are properly comforted and trained to know where to go for help, and most importantly — and that is most importantly — everyone needs to be aware, be familiar with what is it we need to do to find the signs, to look for them, to identify those and make sure that it does not happen.

You know, I have two daughters of my own, and it’s very important. I can tell you that if any student ever goes through any kind of traumatic experience, it just hurts me personally. I just feel like, “OK, what is it we could have done?”

And most of the time, we end up having a discussion in the cabinet to see what more can we do.

TC: What is the biggest accomplishment the University has made in your time here?

Khator: For me, when people ask me ‘If you can sum it up it up in one sentence, what has been the transformation of the University of Houston?’ I tell them that it’s the ability of our alumni and graduates to stand tall, take pride and say ‘I am a graduate of the University of Houston,’ because that means your education was good here. Your experience was good here. And that means you have a bonding of many, many years here.

If you ask me technically, if there was any one turning point, or one piece, or one initiative that makes me the most proud, I would say it was receiving the chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and the reason for that is because that chapter is not granted lightly.

A very few institutions have it, and getting it means the institution successfully has transformed the student experience and the student academic success here at the University of Houston. They look at everything — everything. They look at the learning experience, the classroom experience. They look at the outside-of-the-classroom experience. They look at facilities. They look at athletics. They look at engagement.

I mean, it is a very extensive process, and to get that is almost like getting the biggest seal of approval that the institution is ready to serve its students.

There are many more things we have to do, and there are many more things we will continue to do. I think the most important thing is: Do you have culture? Do you take ownership of the student’s journey?

And I believe getting that chapter tells us that we are at the right place.

TC: What is something students probably don’t know about you?

Khator: I think they all know I come from India. I think they all know I came here as a teenager as an arranged marriage. I think they all know all of that. They probably don’t know that I write poetry, and I write fiction, and publish it in India in my own native tongue, which is Hindi.

I have some pieces, one piece actually, that has been translated here and published in English. It’s a piece on my mother — a tribute to my mother. So, I wrote that in Hindi first because I just feel that I express a lot better in Hindi, I feel, than in English, because it’s my mother tongue.

I was writing when I was 15 years old — it was the first time that I had published poetry and since that time, I have just kept with writing poetry or fiction.

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“Q&A: Khator celebrates ten years, triumphs at UH” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Kelly Boysen, the director of Emergency Management, said the job of her department is to provide information to University administration, and connect members of the UH community to helpful resources. | Courtesy of UH Media Relations

When disaster strikes, the Office of Emergency Management at UH believes personal preparedness is the best way students, faculty and staff can set themselves up to weather the storm and recover.

They encourage members of the community to take personal responsibility for their preparedness, in addition to standing by for University communications, in the case of an on-campus emergency.

Director of Emergency Management Kelly Boysen said the best way to be ready for any kind of incident is to have basic supplies on hand, maintain a personal evacuation plan and stay informed.

“Taking personal responsibility for your preparedness is something that’s really important,” Boysen said. “Doing a few things in advance is going to put you in a way better position to respond, should something happen.”

The University’s Emergency Operations Center was activated from Aug. 25 through Friday for Hurricane Harvey, Boysen said.

“I’m grateful to say that the EOC operations during Harvey were a great success as our top priority and objective was met: maintaining the safety of our students,” Boysen said. “This success is a result of the many talented and dedicated individuals who remained on campus during the storm.”

Personal preparedness

Maintaining safety during a natural disaster is partly accomplished by keeping students updated through University communications. Boysen said students should maintain up-to-date contact information in MyUH to ensure they receive UH Alerts, such as those sent out regarding campus conditions during Harvey.

“If the campus leadership makes any decision to cancel classes or close the campus, that’s going to be communicated out through the University’s emergency notification system,” Boysen said. “That’s why we stress so strongly that students have updated their contact information in MyUH, to make sure they get those critical messages.”

Students should aim to keep basic supplies in their residence, whether on or off campus, Boysen said. Necessities to keep on hand include water, a flashlight, prescription medication and cash. Aside from these, Boysen said individuals should avoid putting themselves in situations which could hinder their safety if a disaster were to occur.

“If you commute to campus,” Boysen said, “don’t let that gas tank be below half full.”

The Office of Emergency Management has offered Community Emergency Response Team training since fall 2011, Boysen said. The free eight week course — the next one beginning Sept. 15 — teaches students how to best help emergency responders save life and property.

Evacuation plans

Residential students are encouraged to created a personalized evacuation plan, which should include a predetermined evacuation site and how they would get to that location, Boysen said.

“The Student Housing and Residential Life department has a comprehensive list in place for a ‘Planned Evacuation,’” said Don Yackley, executive director of SHRL. “As part of that plan, there is a ‘point person’ assigned to each residence hall who implements the plan by delegating responsibilities to other staff and organizing the evacuation. All residents are summoned into a central area, and then transported via buses to a safe location.”

The housing department maintains a list of special needs students, Yackley said, and a staff member in each residence hall is assigned to attend to anyone needing assistance in the event of a planned evacuation.

Students, faculty and staff who live off campus are encouraged to find out whether they reside in an evacuation zone, Boysen said. For example, she said, the University of Houston does not fall into an evacuation zone, but the Energy Research Park, just under 2 miles down I-45, does.

Hurricane season

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted above normal activity during this year’s hurricane season in May, three months before Harvey.

Boysen, who was a meteorologist prior to entering the field of emergency management, said August and September are considered the peak months for hurricane formation due to warm temperatures in the Atlantic.

Bernhard Rappenglueck, a UH professor of meteorology, said many of the tropical storms which might make up a more-active-than-usual hurricane season should remain over open seas.

“However, just one disastrous hurricane like Harvey hitting a populated area for a couple of days is catastrophic, regardless how active the hurricane season is,” Rappenglueck said.

Hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30, generally satisfies two important prerequisites for hurricane formation, Rappenglueck said. One is water surface temperatures of at least 81 degrees Fahrenheit, and the other is warm air.

Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico currently range between 84 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.

“In terms of rainfall, the most disastrous tropical storms are those which are pretty slow or which stall,” Rappenglueck said. “Then, even storms of lower categories, like Allison in 2001 and now Harvey, can become catastrophic.”

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“Emergency Management fights disaster with preparedness” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

As thousands of stranded Houstonians take shelter at places like the George R. Brown Convention Center, UH is coordinating how to help its students prepare to restart classes on Tuesday. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

Daily update emails to the UH Community began Tuesday as the University prepares for a re-opening next Tuesday.

The emails, sent Tuesday and Wednesday, detail information regarding financial aid, updated payment and drop deadlines, on-campus donation drives and housing.

Wednesday’s update states that the University is in “relatively good shape” and is on schedule to resume operations Tuesday. Until then, the email states, only authorized personnel and student residents already on campus are allowed.

Residential students not currently on campus will receive information on returning soon.

Students financially impacted by Hurricane Harvey will have the option to request additional financial aid for the fall semester beginning Thursday. A link to the Financial Reconsideration Appeal form will be included in Thursday’s update, according to Wednesday’s email.

Students impacted by the disaster who seek additional time to pay tuition should email enrollmentservices@uh.edu, according to the emails. Replies should be expected after the University reopens on Tuesday.

According to the email, new University deadlines and due dates are as follows:

Last Day to Add: Tuesday, Sept. 5

University’s Official Reporting Day (ORD): Friday, Sept. 8

Last Day to Drop without a grade: Friday, Sept. 8

Last Day to Drop with a W: Tuesday, Oct. 31 (no change)

Last Day to Submit Residency Application and Documents: Friday, Sept. 8

Last Day to Arrange a Payment Plan: Friday, Sept. 8

Last Day to Enroll in an Emergency Payment Plan: Friday, Sept. 8

Due Date for the second payment installment has been extended to Monday, Oct. 16.

The Center for Student Involvement will begin coordinating donation drives for affected members of the UH community once campus re-opens, the email states. Anyone wishing to make monetary donations is advised to do so through the UH Cougar Emergency Fund and the American Red Cross.

Some students have reported receiving emails from professors stating that some online assignments were still due during the days the University has canceled class.

Student Government Association President Winni Zhang tweeted Wednesday afternoon that students are not responsible for turning in assignments during the University closure.

Faculty has been alerted that students are NOT responsible for the assignments due DURING the period UH was closed.

— Winni Zhang (@UHSGA_Pres) August 30, 2017

Mike Rosen, a UH spokesperson, confirmed this flexibility as the request of UH Provost Paula Myrick Short. His interpretation is that students will not face consequences for assignments not turned in during the closure, Rosen said.

“We will be flexible with all work due during the time we are closed,” Short said, according to Rosen, “and faculty will work with their classes to adjust assignment due dates.”

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to email harvey2017@uh.edu with additional questions or visit the University’s FAQ on Hurricane Harvey Relief.

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“Emails from administration include financial aid, re-opening details” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Flooding from Hurricane Harvey has affected a number of campus buildings and structures. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

The city of Houston is experiencing record-breaking flooding, and there are reports of high water in multiple areas on campus.

Affected areas include Bayou Oaks residence hall, M.D. Anderson Library, the Athletics and Alumni Center, the John M. O’Quinn Law Library, and the Student Center Satellite.

Bayou Oaks residents were given the option to evacuate to Bates Hall at the Quadrangle Saturday evening, amid mounting fears of Brays Bayou overflowing. Mandatory evacuations were announced Sunday morning after the parking lot flooded, and the complex began taking on water within hours.

No one is permitted at Bayou Oaks until further notice is given by the University, according to an email sent to residents. According to a tweet from President Renu Khator, relocated residents are able to eat at Cougar Woods dining hall for free. The dining halls are also free for University Lofts residents, according to a Facebook post by Student Government Association President Winni Zhang.

UH confirmed in a tweet Sunday morning that the Student Center Satellite had taken on a few inches of water. Retail locations in the Satellite and Student Center South remain closed until further notice.

A video submitted to The Cougar Sunday afternoon taken by marketing sophomore Uyiosa Elegon shows flooding in the basement level of M.D. Anderson Library.

“That basement is not in good shape whatsoever,” Elegon said in the Facebook live video. “It looks like literally a swimming pool.”

UH Media Relations has not yet confirmed any flooding in the M.D. Anderson Library.

All student residents are safe. SC Satellite has a few inches of water. We continue assessing facilities. Our thoughts are with Houston.

— UniversityofHouston (@UHouston) August 27, 2017

Flooding was confirmed in the Athletics and Alumni Center’s Carl Lewis Auditorium at 2:33 p.m. by Houston Chronicle reporter Joseph Duarte via Twitter. In a later tweet, Duarte reported this is the only known flooding at UH Athletics.

Houston spokesman says Carl Lewis Auditorium in Athletic/Alumni Center used for team meetings has flooded

— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) August 28, 2017

UH spokesperson Mike Rosen confirmed there was around an inch of water in the John M. O’Quinn Law Library at the time of the last assessment. A complete assessment is to come, Rosen said, but there could be additional flooding elsewhere on campus.

UH Parking tweeted Sunday afternoon that no campus garages, where many residential students had parked their cars in preparation for the storm, had taken on water.

Parking garages are doing okay, no standing water- even on the first floor. Only the Bayou Oaks surface lot is flooded at this time.

— UH Parking (@uhparking) August 27, 2017

Students are encouraged to call UHPD at 713-743-3333 with life-threatening safety concerns.

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“Students, administration report flooding in multiple campus structures” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar