Students, staff and alumni came together for free beer, art and food at last week’s second monthly First Thursdays social at the Blaffer Art Museum.

Held on the first Thursday of every month, the event is purely social where all students can come to see the museum and socialize.

“Basically, the point of this event is just to let students know that they can come and be here, and this is their museum on campus,” said Blaffer Director of External Relations Matt Johns.

“It’s strictly a social event, just to get students something to do on Thursday night when we’re open late and engage with the art that’s here and just hang out, have fun.”

First Thursdays was started in March by Johns as a way to bring more students to the museum during its new Thursday hours. The event included music provided by Coog Radio and free beer provided by the local craft brewery, Karbach Brewing Co.

“I hear about a lot of exhibits and events here, and I’ve always wanted to come but never quite knew where it was,” said alumnus Tim Richardson.

“People need culture; they definitely do. People need to see art. I think it’s fun … and I’m loving the atmosphere,” he said.

The event occurred during the 35th UH School of Art Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, which began on March 30 and will run until April 13. These pieces dominated the gallery and were a major source of discussion.

“(Having my pieces on display) feels good,” said Jasleen Sarai, a Masters in Fine Arts student with several pieces on display in the exhibition.

“(But) it doesn’t feel as awesome as I thought because when you make (something), you’re doing it for a certain reason. I guess the stuff that I’m doing is not really for showing. (It’s cool to) have something on display,” she said.

Blaffer holds numerous events throughout the year, with upcoming events including “The Eye, Ocular Diseases, and Visual Arts,” a lecture that will be held today by Dr. Richard H. Fish, deputy chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at The Methodist Hospital and physician member of Methodist’s Center for Performing Arts Medicine. The lecture will discuss common eye diseases and how artists who suffer from those diseases incorporate them into their art.

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An ensemble entertained students by playing traditonal middle eastern style music. UH has a large population of students of middle eastern descent said Eric Cao who helped put on the event.

Students took a free express trip to the Middle East Thursday afternoon. No passport or ticket was needed. The Middle East came to them.

The University Center Houston Room was transformed into a Middle Eastern café for the Council of Ethnic Organizations’ Arabian Nights. It was the first event of its kind thrown by CEO, said Eric Kao, the CEO member who organized the event.

About 320 students dined on dates, hummus and other free food as they listened to live music, visited student organization booths and watched a belly dancing show. Some students also took up the belly dancer’s offer to learn from her.

“I think belly dancing was very amazing,” said Trang Phan, an instructional technology doctoral candidate. “If I were to stay at home and watch it on YouTube, the feeling would be different.”

Giving students a sample of the Middle East was CEO’s goal.

“We have a really big Middle Eastern student body on campus, but I feel like there isn’t enough awareness about the culture or enough events to really raise awareness about that culture,” Kao said. “I thought this event would be a good idea to bring a need to the student body.”

Kao made sure the decorations reflected the Middle East while some student organizations, like the Saudi Students Organization and the Bangladesh Student Association, had booths during the event.

“We were representing what the Middle East is about,” said Randa Altaezi, Saudi Student Organization’s vice president. “CEO did a really good job.”

For some students like Nereyda Rubio, an English literature freshman, attending Arabian Nights was their first look at actual Middle Eastern culture.

“When I think of the Middle East, I think of Aladdin because he was the first person we were exposed to,” Rubio said. “They have food, music, a taste of what it would be. They have just enough to make people curious of what it would be.”

The presence of the Middle East was felt by the students. Marium Ravassipour, a biomedical engineering sophomore who is from Iran, said the event definitely reflected the Middle East she knows and she is glad students are seeing that.

“I’m glad we had it because it’s an eye opener,” Ravassipour said. “Usually when you think of the Middle East, it’s negative, but the Middle East is full of culture.”

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Longboarding is a passion that many students have turned into a useful method of transportation. They are using their longboards and skateboards to ride around the university, because it is quicker and more convenient to carry around.

“It’s more fun than biking and much faster than walking,” said finance junior Ryan Ackley. “It’s easier to store and you don’t have to worry about locking it up.”

Ackley has been longboarding for about four years and uses his board to get to his destinations throughout campus. Before his freshman year, Ackley has had an interest in extreme sports such as wakeboarding and snowboarding.

Since Houston weather does not have the suitable conditions for these sports, Ackley said he found longboarding to be the next best thing.

“I’ve always been a snowboarder and a wakeboarder,” Ackley said. “You can’t really snowboard in Texas so this is kind of my fix, my feel of board sports.”

Not only do some students find longboards to be easier to store, but find it safer than any kind of transportation.

Pre-medical biology sophomore Gabrielle Bolden said she has been longboarding since third grade and prefers riding a longboard more than a skateboard because she finds the wheels to be more dependable.

“There’s cracks on the sidewalks and you can get knocked off your board,” Bolden said. “The wheels on a longboard are wider, and the base of the board allows you to take quick, sharp turns to avoid crashing on someone.”

Mechanical engineering junior Will Stewart said he has been longboarding for only a few days — inspired to do so after seeing other students doing it.

Stewart’s interest in this sport encouraged him to purchase a stowboard, a versatile board that allows the rider to fold it up for quick storage, to see if it was enjoyable and if it shaved off time from his commute.

“I just saw other people boarding and I just wanted to see for myself,” Stewart said. “I was absolutely curious to see if got me to my classes any faster.”

Although some ride individually, others are forming friendships with other boarders. Students are meeting up not only on campus but also throughout the city. After practice, Ackley said that he and members of his ultimate frisbee team often take their riding to the streets.

“We have a bunch of guys that longboard on the team,” Ackley said. “We all go board together after practices.”

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The advent of April brings with it the Center for Creative Works’ yearly Dionysia project, and this year’s incarnation, “Ilium,” tackles the subject of war and loss with Homer’s epic, “The Iliad,” as a frame within which to explore those ideas.

The City Dionysia, first held in Athens nearly 500 years before the common era, was a city-wide celebration of winter’s end that featured comedic and dramatic performances written by such luminous playwrights as Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides.

Their performances captivated, entertained and instructed the most artistically significant city and citizens of its era. The center — in conjunction with The Honors College and led by center-director and Honors College professor John Harvey — hopes that the production of “Ilium” can serve all three of those purposes for the University and the city.

“It’s all happening now,” Harvey said at the “Ilium” rehearsal to the actors, musicians and writers.

That is why “The Iliad,” a poem first sung nearly 2,900 years ago, is not simply an archaeological curiosity. It is alive in a deep and profound way.

“I began to think of “The Iliad” as a poem we’re constantly living,” Harvey said.

The text of “Ilium” is comprised of “Iliad” excerpts and personal war accounts by Honors College students and faculty, interwoven in a poetic tapestry bound together with pieces of Carl Von Clausewitz’s “On War,” and Harvey’s lyrical segues and scenes. Jennifer Sommers of the School of Theatre and Dance is directing and choreographing the production, while vocal performance senior Alyssa Weathersby composed the music and will conduct.

“Ilium” is a synthesis of diverse talents and interests, gathered together under the umbrella of the center, but the heterogeneous melange had its genesis in a singular story of war, told to Harvey by one of his own students.

“I remember I had an Honors College student for an oral exam who had talked about being in the push at Fallujah,” Harvey said. “And then I remembered another student who had lost her father in Bosnia. I began to realize that there were students who had experiences of war directly or through their families.”

Many of “Ilium”’s anecdotes and accounts are harrowing. The stories are as violent and brutal as they are intimate and personal. Harvey is adamant that this visceral reality is a vital necessity. “There is no other way to truthfully render an artistic statement about the experience of war,” Harvey said.

“Always,” Harvey said, “whatever you bury doesn’t stay buried.”

In “Ilium,” the coffins, the bodies, the agony and the suffering of war, are not only visible, but are a presence that must be met and engaged.

“It’s important to hear and to say to the people who have fought or who have survived, ‘It’s important for us to hear you,’” Harvey said.

The center’s students performing in “Ilium” will try to say just that when the production opens later this month.

All “Ilium” show times are at 8 pm, and all showings are free admission, though interested parties should RSVP through the Honors College to ensure seating.

The “Ilium” will open for an invitation-only performance at 8 p.m. on April 26 before giving general admission performances April 27 and 28 at the Rockwell Pavilion. Then on May 2 and 3, Ilium is at Frenetic Theater and moves on May 4 to G Gallery before finally concluding with a May 5 final performance on May 5 at Khon’s.

Students are encouraged to attend and engage with the loss and brokenness of war, its aftermath, and the stories that arise from both. However bitter or heartrending, the stories are important to hear.

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Graduate students James Rodriguez (left) and Chris Trapani will play the leading roles. | Courtesy of Moores school of music

The Moores School of Music takes Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece “Rigoletto” to the UH stage for the first time at the Moores Opera House.

Based on the play “Le roi s‘amuse” by Victor Hugo, the Italian opera follows the cruel court jester Rigoletto and his womanizing lord, the Duke of Mantua. The story takes a tragic turn when the father of one of the Duke’s lovers places a curse on them both just before Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda falls for the Duke.

Directed and produced by Buck Ross with music direction by conductor and assistant professor Brett Mitchell, the opera stars graduate students James Rodriguez as Rigoletto, Chris Trapani as the Duke, and Ashly Neumann and Kirsten Leslie alternating the role of Gilda.

A vocally challenging and complex opera, “Rigoletto” includes famous arias “La Donna è Mobile” and “Bella Figlia dell’Amore.”

Ross said the inspiration came from having the right group of singers.

“Getting a chance to work on a strong, blood and guts Italian opera has been great fun,” Ross said.

“Audiences can expect a fast moving, concise story of selfless sacrifice, revenge, murder and a mysterious curse set in the Italian Renaissance era.”

The production will include special video effects in Act Three and will be performed in Italian with an English translation projected above the stage.

“Rigoletto” premieres at 7:30 p.m. Friday and will show again at 2 p.m. Sunday.

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Students will have the opportunity to experience one of many workshops, which are aimed at college-aged women, that have sprung up in the nation to prepare soon-to-be graduates for the competitive job market.

Entitled “$tart $mart,” the workshop is a collaborative project put on by the Women’s Resource Center, Friends of Women’s Studies and the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies. The workshop is aimed to help women at UH develop the skills that are necessary to navigate in the business world and negotiate their salaries.

“We have never had this workshop before,” said Beverly McPhail, WRC director. “Elizabeth Gregory, director of the WGSS program and I read about the workshop being done across the nation in an article in The New York Times. We thought it would be great to bring the workshop to UH. We have an outside trainer with the American Association of University Women Wage Project coming in, but there will also be a small contingent of us being trained. We will be able to provide the training multiple times at a future date.”

The speaker and trainer at the UH worksop will be Annie Houle from the AAUW Wage Project.

Houle will be speaking about three key points: understanding the gender wage gap, learning about negotiating salary and a short role-play to practice the skills being taught.

“Knowing there is a wage gap is one thing, actively learning how to advocate for yourself to get the starting salary you deserve is another,” McPhail said. “Workshop participants will also learn how to develop a bare bones budget and how to research what average compensation is for a given position.”

Malkia Hutchinson, WRC program coordinator, says she is on board with the message this workshop is giving out, especially since vast amounts of research show that the wage gap between genders is severe and real. On average, women earn 77 cents to every dollar a man makes.

This statistic varies when race is taken into account. African-American women earn 69 cents for every dollar earned by a man and Latinas earn only 57 cents for each dollar earned by a man.

“The research shows gender differences in negotiations, with men more likely than women to negotiate for their salaries,” McPhail said. “College can be a sheltered, safe place for women and therefore, many women are unprepared for some gender inequities that they might face in the workplace.”

Hutchinson said the information the workshop will provide women with is essential knowledge that will “equip women” with the skills to successfully negotiate salaries.

“As a woman, you don’t want to be seen as difficult. When offered a position, you’re grateful,” Hutchinson said. “I could have commanded a lot more at previous positions (but didn’t).”

The workshop is free and focused at the female demographic of the University, but men are also welcome to attend.

“It may be helpful for men to see what their female counterparts face in the workforce. Some men will be managers some day and maybe they can be the ones to make wages more equitable for women,” McPhail said. “Many men want women to earn a fair wage since in heterosexual, dual-wage earning families, the more the woman makes, the more the family benefits.”

Hutchinson said women in leadership positions are severely lacking, which is worrisome given the amount of women in the labor force.

“While it is important for all people to have these skill sets, there is a time and a place for men,” Hutchinson said. “There is nothing threatening about women being empowered in a separate space.”

The workshop to take place 9 a.m. Friday in Room 210 of Agnes Arnold Hall.

As the sign on the glass door of the WRC says, “Men of quality are not threatened by women of equality.”

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Sharon Hill, the coordinator of the ASL Interpreting Program, said she expects the program to grow in the coming years. ASL professor Terrell Brittain and Hill say that hearing students should do interpreting and leave ASL to Deaf people. There are many opportunities for hearing students, Hill said. | Aisha Bouderbaden/The Daily Cougar

UH is the only university in Texas to offer a four-year degree plan for American Sign Language Interpreting.

“Lamar University in Beaumont offers a degree in ASL but not interpreting,” said Sharon Hill, the coordinator of ASL Interpreting Program.

All the professors who teach ASLI 1 through 4 and Deaf Culture classes are Deaf, including Terrell Brittain, who has been teaching at the University since 2010. The term “Deaf” is capitalized to indicate an individual grew up exposed to Deaf Culture, whereas “deaf” indicates an individual is deaf, but did not grow up in the culture.

Brittain was interviewed about his experience with an interpreter present.

“I have that passion to teach the language,” Brittain said. “I love passing on the tradition, and I try to incorporate humor (into my teaching). This language is one we can’t afford to let become extinct.”

Brittain grew up using a system called Signing Exact English and used gestures to communicate with his hearing parents. It was not until he was 17 years old that he met another d/Deaf person.

“Later on, I married her,” Brittain said. “She was the one who really introduced me to ASL and influenced my use of ASL.”

Brittain’s wife, Robyn, started teaching ASLI at the University last fall.

He started as an adjunct professor in 2010 and became a full-time assistant professor in 2011. Now, he averages about four to five classes each semester, teaching any of the four levels of the language, Deaf Culture and advanced ASLI, which is only open to interpreting majors to increase their fluency and syntax.

“The d/Deaf community is small, compared to the hearing one,” Brittain said. “The number of years this community has suffered oppression — the list goes on and on. (The d/Deaf community has) constantly been told they can’t. Hearing people should learn that.”

Hill said the ASLI program was endorsed in Fall 2009 and explained how an interview works when hiring a d/Deaf applicant.

By law, d/Deaf individuals are not allowed to be discriminated against and have rights to an interpreter.

“It’s very easy to hire somebody who can speak and hear,” Hill said. “We wanted a master instructor, a natural user of ASL, and (Brittain) was an easy pick.”

A certified interpreter is hired to conduct the interview because not everyone on the hiring committee speaks ASL.

“Notes and lip reading are insufficient forms of communication,” Hill said. “There is an urgent need for interpreters. There are roughly 1,500 interpreters in the whole state.”

Compared to the statistic of the d/Deaf population, which is about 12 to 15 percent, that number is far too low.

“Because it is ‘silent,’ this language is often overlooked and devalued,” Hill said. “I think students are starting to appreciate the instructors.”

The style of each ASL professor is different, and Brittain said it is important for students to not stick with one professor because style varies — learning signs one way and one way only does not help a student grow in their knowledge and application of the language.

“Each individual style is different. I try to provide as much information as possible. The most important thing I want students to know is that I am responsible for teaching, but students are responsible for putting in the effort,” Brittain said. “My expectations are high. ASL is not an easy-A class, and it is always a reward at the end of ASL 4 to see how my students have progressed.”

Hill said she sees the ASLI Program going far in the years to come.

“As a famous quote from I. King Jordan states, ‘Deaf people can do anything except hear,’” Brittain said.

Undeclared junior Frances Silva and accounting senior Anay Silva enjoy a shady day on campus before Houston heat hits again with a mean streak. | Minh Dam/The Daily Cougar

As the weather warms up and shorts become a necessity, tanning is becoming more popular, but college students are forgetting their sunblock and increasing their chances of developing skin cancer.

A pilot study in 2012 from the Department of Public Health at William Paterson University exposed that 88 percent of students spend more than three hours outside on summer days, but only 17 percent of those students use sunblock during that time. The research also showed that 41 percent reported  as having had more than 10 sunburns in their life. Director of UH Wellness Gail Gillan encouraged students to protect themselves from the sun.

“Working on a tan might be great now, but it can really work against you later. It ages and damages the skin,” Gillan said. “You need to think about how sensitive your skin might be. Even if you don’t burn, you can still damage your skin.”

Seeking substitutes to sun-bathing or tanning booths, Gillan said she looked to the Food and Drug Administration for advice in using spray tans and bronzers.

“Alternatives for tanning are not approved by the FDA, but you should always check the ingredients for allergies and protect all areas of the eyes and lips,” she said.

Gillan said students who plan to spend time in the sun should often reapply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, even if it’s water- or sweat-resistant. She also emphasized the importance of staying hydrated and taking breaks from the sun.

Communications junior Kristina Reyna said she formerly used tanning booths but switched to spray tanning and sun tanning after warned about skin cancer and excessive aging.

“I don’t like to admit it, but the media probably does enforce that tanned girls are more beautiful,” said Reyna, who spray tans about once or twice a week. “I like how I look tan.”

She added that spray tanning takes time, effort and money to maintain.

“I have to plan my day around it, and it’s expensive,” Reyna said. “I pay $50 a month for unlimited services. I use a special body wash to make it last longer too, and I have to wait eight hours for it to dry.”

Pre-pharmacy sophomore Therese Ecobiza also insisted society creates an idea that having a bronze-tan skin tone is more attractive.

“I’m naturally a tan color, so I don’t tan for the color,” Ecobiza said. “I mostly tan to get the sun-kissed vibrant glow, and I like the feeling of tanning, especially at the beach, relaxing and soaking up the sun.”

She said she is fully aware of the consequences of tanning, and prefers bronzers and spray tans in moderation over tanning salons.

“I’m actually taking a class where we just talked about skin cancer and the effects of UV radiation,” Ecobiza said. “When I go to the beach, I do bring an umbrella to get out of the sun for a bit, and I’ve been good about wearing sunscreen once it gets warmer, even just walking to class.

Assistant professor Wendy Fok discussed aformal planning with guest speaker Jonathan Solomon. | Monica Tso/The Daily Cougar

The unpredictability of Hong Kong’s system of walkways demonstrates a robustness of ground space in cities and presents a notion for the future of informal or formal infrastructure, said a noted architect Thursday at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture.

Jonathan D. Solomon, the associate dean at the School of Architecture at Syracuse University, documented his studies of Hong Kong’s infrastructure in his book, “Cities Without Ground.” Solomon discussed how the city has developed without formal blueprints and depicted Hong Kong as a groundless city.

“Hong Kong is more interesting from ground level instead of skyscrapers,” Solomon said. “From knockoffs sold before the real thing to amateur musicians performing before professionals, the elevated walkways serve as cultural interconnections.”

Solomon presented several city guides that revealed the intricate arrangement of footbridges between buildings as “aformal” urbanism instead of formal and informal. He focused on three buildings to explain his research.

“The Shun Tak and Sheung Wan Centre is an elegant switch between land, sea and air,” Solomon said. “Switching from cool to hot, crowded to air-conditioned, the Queensway Plaza has a reverse sequence of temperature. It lacks visual hierarchy and has neither ground nor no end boundaries. The Lockhart Road Municipal Services Building achieves continuity between atmosphere and interior.”

In comparison, the Galleria poses as a great investment for aformal urbanism, said Solomon before exploring Houston’s architecture and urban designs.

Architecture sophomore Michael Burch was intrigued by the concept of a groundless city and its impact on the surrounding architecture.

“To be honest, I was quite surprised when I sat in my chair anticipating a commentary purely based on architecture and learned of this pedestrian circulatory development in China,” Burch said. “The relationship between the Chinese government, citizens and architectural firms of these structures was eye-opening.”

Burch assumed that Hong Kong’s population density, shrinking availability of land and increasing foreign involvement were causes for a unique infrastructure. He considered a comparison between Hong Kong and Houston and concluded that Houston’s development toward a vertically diverse circulatory system seems to be far in the future.

“Similar structures including the circular skywalk that connects three major Methodist Hospital buildings have been constructed in the medical center, but Houstonians are apt to grow outwards than upwards,” Burch said. “If Houston’s population increased dramatically and all social activities moved toward downtown, then I believe such an infrastructure might develop.”

Another architecture sophomore, Benjamin Beil, was interested in Solomon’s idea of aformal architecture.

“Interested in the aspect of masterplanning, I find this development rather important because it provides us with a different perspective of how to help peoples’ problems efficiently and personally,” Beil said. “It was interesting to learn how this development took place since there is essentially no formal master planning needed. Instead, they irregularly organize a given space based on their needs.”

Beil imagined the possibility of implementing Solomon’s concept to Houston and compared the differences.

“The infrastructure in Houston is not really efficient because Houston has a ridiculous amount of ground space, which is why the city is so spread out. The underground system in downtown is similar but doesn’t connect the important parts of the city,” Beil said. “I would be amazed to see if there will be any progress made toward the creation of efficient new public spaces though.”

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