The professional sports community was caught off-guard last week when CBS sports reporter, Mike Freeman, announced that an NFL player is considering coming out of the closet. It will mark the first time in a major male-professional sport that a gay athlete comes out while still active as opposed to the number of male athletes who have come out during retirement. The rumor has incited passionate responses from fans, players, gay rights organizations and the league. Although the player may not have intentions of using the NFL as a stepping stool to advocate gay rights, the implications of the potential confession are inevitable.

David Delgado/The Daily Cougar

In recent weeks the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has taken monumental steps toward equality in regards to the law. The Supreme Court hearings have placed the constitutionality of the definition of marriage under serious question. The possibility of an active and openly gay football player might be the new frontier for the social acceptance of LGBT lifestyles.

The NFL Players Association is prepared to support this anonymous player. NFLPA President Domonique Foxworth told WNST.com he expects multiple players to come out as the LGBT community is striving toward cultural acceptance. Over the years, the league has faced scrutiny from activist groups for creating a homophobic environment. Supporting an openly gay player could be an opportunity to prove otherwise. Not all outlooks are positive, though.

Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Chris Clemons posted on Twitter that a player coming out of the closet would be a “selfish act” and that any player who would wait until he got to the NFL to come out of the closet is making himself “bigger than the team.”

The sports world is expecting the unveiling to warrant excessive media coverage. Kris Kluwe, punter for the Minnesota Vikings and ambassador for Athlete Ally, an organization working to end homophobia in sports, submitted a rebuttal to Clemons’s comments to CNN.com. Kluwe said media coverage is making it difficult for gay athletes to come out.

“It’s not right that professional sports, and especially the professional sports media, have created an environment where gay players are willing to hide essential components of themselves as human beings in order to pursue their dreams,” Kluwe said. “It’s not right that our insatiable lust for sports coverage creates an atmosphere where someone would willingly subordinate his life to a backward and bigoted world view in order to stay employed.”

Athlete Ally has made it clear it will be behind this player 100 percent as he faces the fans, fellow players and the media. Unlike court cases and private interest groups that have been used as tools by lobbyist and advocates to change public policy and laws, he will be introducing the moral correctness of homosexuality into millions of homes through an unprecedented medium. Lorraine Schroeder, director of the UH LGBT Resource Center, said this is an opportunity to present a human face on such a contentious issue.

“Coming out as LGBT will have a positive effect on everyone. It will show that we are human. We are a part of the human race. We’re your neighbors, classmates, friends, teachers and professional football players,” Schroeder said. “It’s a good conversation for people to have. It would create a paradigm shift in people’s image of gay men.”

It’s possible that the player may not come out, but as society evolves and we become more tolerant of different lifestyles, the likelihood of other players taking the plunge will increase. The LGBT community’s fight for equality can’t end in courthouses. There will be new frontiers away from the political atmosphere where parents, children and individuals will have to address the moral correctness of homosexuality and the social norms that label us.

Ciara Rouege is an advertising junior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

In any given moment, anyone can be compromised. Robbery, assault, rape or abduction are possibilities no one wants to worry about, but they still happen every day.

We are aware of these dangers, but not everyone knows how to react in these situations. Some try to avoid danger, either by running or submitting, while others want to fight back but don’t know how to defend themselves.

Mechanical engineering and mathemetics junior Bryan Lopez (left) spars with self-defense instructor R. Threz Gonzalez (center) while chemistry graduate Nicole Flores looks on. Classes like this and the Cougar Aikido Club teach students defense and awareness | Aisha Bouderdaben/The Daily Cougar

There is no need to feel helpless, though. There are classes that can teach you how to defend yourself.

UH offers two self-defense courses that are free to all students. Both classes are held in the Combat Room at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. These classes teach students how to defend themselves against possible attackers and how to remove themselves from a situation before it worsens.

Fitness instructor R. Threz Gonzalez teaches Intro to Self-Defense, instructing students in the use of martial arts techniques like Taijutsu. In class, Gonzalez teaches students where to move if being attacked and how to use body force and momentum to take down an opponent; however, Gonzalez says there are times when opponents cannot be taken down, especially if the assailant is using a weapon.

“Gunpoint changes everything,” Gonzalez said. “Don’t run. Don’t try to do anything. If the robber wants your purse, let them take your purse. Look down at the ground and say, ‘I’m not looking at you. I can’t see who you are. Just take what you need.’”

According to the FBI, firearms were used in 41.3 percent of robberies, strong-arm tactics were used 42.3 percent, 7.8 percent involved knives and 8.7 percent involved other weapons in 2011.

The odds are that there will be a weapon involved during a robbery. If succumbing to the gun-wielding assailant doesn’t work, Gonzalez also teaches gun disarming at a school in Houston called Warau Tora Dojo, which translates to “School of Smiling Tiger.” At the school, Gonzalez teaches the art of self-defense and martial arts.

“This particular art is about you getting home to your family, and I teach it that exact way,” Gonzalez said.

This is something that everyone — no matter age or gender — should take a few classes in, even if you feel you don’t need it. Learning the basics could go a long way to getting out of a bad situation. Chemistry graduate Nicole Flores is one of Gonzalez’s students who attend the class here and at the dojo.

“It’s an amazing thing to learn because it’s the least amount of energy that you can use to get out of a situation, while with other martial arts, like karate, you have to put in so much more effort to do it,” Flores said.

The other self-defense course that is offered on campus is the Cougar Aikido Club. In this class, students learn a similar method of self-defense — the difference is that students learn to react in a more harmonious way. While Gonzalez teaches you how to disarm your attacker to keep them from attacking again, Cougar Aikido Club instructors make sure students are aware of the consequences of these actions.

“We are always free to collaborations with other organizations and those who support self-defense and awareness against attacks,” said Sergey Petrov, president of the Cougar Aikido Club.

Above all, both classes agree that the best thing to do to help prevent these situations is to be aware. Always be aware of surroundings. If you are walking to your car — at any time of the day — pay attention to what is happening around you. Try not to dig into your purse or backpack for your keys, and try to not text. These acts can draw your attention away from what situations may be about to unfold in front of you.

Gonzalez suggests that his students should carry a simple pen when making these walks to your car as a means for self-defense.

“A pen is the most effective weapon you can have on you,” Gonzalez said. “At least once a month, I have a pen class so that girls are reminded to have a pen in their hand when they walk. The pen offers what the fist can’t normally do and gives penetration that you normally wouldn’t have.”

Intro to Self-Defense is from 6:15-7:15 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, and the Cougar Aikido Club holds sessions from 7-9 p.m.Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Kelly Schafler is a print journalism sophomore and Aaron Manuel is a print journalism senior. They may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

With the same-sex marriage debate in Supreme Court looming large, the nation’s short attention span has turned an eye to gay rights — gay marriage in particular. With more U.S. senators and professional athletes coming out in support of gay marriage, it would seem the country is shifting toward a more relaxed and open stance on gay rights.

David Delgado/The Daily Cougar

And then there is Texas.

Chris Woolsey, Northside student senator for Texas A&M University, introduced SB65-70, a bill  “requesting that students who object to funding the GLBT Resource Center through their student fees and tuition for religious reasons be allowed to opt out from funding (the GLBT Resource Center)” on March 20. If passed, this bill would amount to allowing institutional discrimination.

This comes as no surprise as Texas A&M was recently named one of the 12 least friendly campuses in the nation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals by the Huffington Post, along with the University of Dallas, a private Catholic university, and Southern Methodist University, a private Methodist university.

“While it can be argued that the GLBT Resource Center is a worthy use of funds in order to provide a welcoming environment for vulnerable populations at Texas A&M, it is reasonable for students to object to a use of their own money that is in direct opposition to their own religious values,” Wolley said in the bill.

Imagine instead it was a women’s resource center. It would be unthinkable to advocate defunding the women’s center for morally disagreeing with its actions. LGBT students are at a disadvantage on a campus such as Texas A&M because of the hostilities they face.

“The effects of this bill reach beyond our student organization of the GLBT Aggies. The resource center under attack is a separate Texas A&M University campus office,” said Kimberly Villa, GLBT Aggies president. “If this bill were to pass in the Senate, it would be used as the official student body opinion, which can be particularly dangerous when LGBT students and allies have made so much progress in connecting with other Aggies and changing a misconception about our university.”

The Texas A&M Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center uses its office on campus to facilitate conversations with LGBT students, allies, faculty and staff.

“The GLBT Resource Center serves a multitude of purposes that, if removed, would damage a great portion of our student body,” Villa said. “The GLBT Resource Center is not an organization being funded by student fees. The GLBT Resource Center is an office on campus like the Women’s Resource Center and others under the Office of Student Life. I urge individuals who support this bill to think more critically of what it actually means to the students it is directly affecting and less about what they may have heard.”

UH LGBT Program Director Lorraine Schroeder said that while the LGBT Resource Center is not student-funded, those who would favor a UH bill like the one at Texas A&M should do so for reasons other than religion.

“The LGBT Resource Center at UH is not funded by student fees,” Schroeder said. “If it were, our response would be that tuition and fees are spent according to what benefits students and contributes to their success, not according to one group’s religious beliefs.”

Schroeder said that the resource center does not aim to help just LGBT students, but students across the entire campus as well.

“We work with all students and collaborate with multiple departments that realize having a campus that is diverse and accepting of differences makes for a richer learning environment for all students,” Schroeder said.

James Lee, student senator-elect and president of the UH chapter of the Texas Freedom Network, said he was saddened by the news.

“It would be a great shame if the oldest GLBT Center in Texas’ history would no longer be able to remain open due to the conservative politics of TAMU’s Student Senate,” Lee said. “In my personal experience, the UH LGBT Resource Center was a place where I felt I could recover from the experiences I had faced while growing up in an unwelcoming environment, and it served its purpose.”

Woolsey did not reply for comment; however, the political landscape on the issue of gay rights is changing. This attempt to defund the center shines a bad spotlight on Texas A&M’s campus and may foreshadow what is to come in the state legislature.

Senior year brings all sorts of new stress: trying to make your GPA look as nice as possible, worrying about graduation and getting that first post-college full-time job are among the chief concerns. Some might even think that it’s too late to give themselves an edge that last semester.

Turning things around and preparing oneself for what lies ahead all depends on the person. There are some small things that someone can do to prepare for the real world.

Student organizations like the Bauer Ambassadors promote associated colleges and recruit students, while providing organization members with crucial academic and netowrking ties. From left to right: supply chain management junior Travis Hookman, accounting and finance junior Shomika Henderson, management information systems senior Vicki Le, management senior Saralinda Martinez and management information systems senior Solomon Gee. / Jacob Patterson / The Daily Cougar

One easy, perhaps crucial, thing to do is join a student organization.

Accounting junior Priyanka Upponi joined Entrepreneur Action Us UH (ENACTUS UH) and said it convinced her to open up.

“It helps push you to go out and meet new people and market yourself,” Upponi said. “It’s a great way to start networking.”

ENACTUS UH is known for its charity work, something that looks excellent on a resume and could help in meeting new students.

“We do a lot of charity events,” Upponi said. “There was a program to get band instruments for a middle school, and last year there was a program to raise money for a playground.”

Involvement can also improve communication skills. The student organization that promotes the C.T. Bauer College of Business, Bauer Ambassadors, helped management senior Saralinda Martinez become a better communicator and recruiter.

“Bauer Ambassadors helped me develop my communication skills by putting me in positions where I had to talk to crowds such as Cougar Preview, and one-on-one (interviews) when I am recruiting,” Martinez said.

Bauer Ambassadors takes their name seriously as they do a lot to promote the college.

“We do Bauer events, like recruiting incoming students and talking to them about opportunities that Bauer can provide, especially in Houston,” Martinez said. “We give tours around the business area and host the Bauer portion of Cougar Preview.”

One might think that getting more involved will take time away from studies and grades will suffer, but joining a student organization has been shown to boost GPAs. According to a study by Truman State University, an average of .2 semester points are gained by students who get involved in an organization.

In some clubs, such as the Management Information Systems Student Organization, there are preparation clinics for the upcoming programming tests in which an experienced student walks a group of students through a few practice problems using the language taught in the class. If you join an organization that pertains to certain college or major, you are surrounded by students that have taken some of the same classes; being able to talk shop and surround oneself with potential study partners could be beneficial.

Joining a student organization could also do wonders for one’s future career.

According to the facts and statistics section of the MISSO website, average starting salary from 2010 to 2011 for people involved with the organization was almost $5,000 more than the salaries of non-affiliates. The organization also hosts exclusive student meetings with top companies and host private job fairs where MISSO students talk to and submit resumes to employers looking for interns or full-time employees.  Membership, particularly as an officer, in a student organization is also is a plus on a resume.

Joining a student organization pays dividends after college.

Networking is a major aspect of joining any organization. The likelihood of meeting someone who could really help you in your professional career is high, particularly since the advent of social media makes keeping in touch easy. LinkedIn has a group page of almost 90 alumni who were involved in MISSO and are looking to get back in touch or professionally network, as does the Institute of Supply Management-Bauer. There are also events for alumni such as the Alumni Barbecue and Crawfish Boil for ISM-Bauer, where one can network with other alumni and share experiences with students.

When looking for a job, it also is never a bad thing to have friends who graduated before you and are already there.

Martinez, who desires a position in Human Resources, considers her recruiting and leadership experience in Bauer Ambassadors valuable, particularly in a job market where being able to recruit makes you highly touted.

“My recruiting experience and being a student leader makes me stand out,” Martinez said.

Hosting different events, something ENACTUS UH is known for, also shows leadership and the ability to communicate to a future employer.

“When you host these different events, you can put it on your resume and it looks good. It gives you an edge over people who haven’t volunteered in school,” Upponi said.

If you’re feeling anxious about the rapidly approaching reality of life after college and feeling unprepared, at least talking to an officer of a student organization and seeing what it has to offer is a smart move. Something as simple as that could be a big part of that last push to get one from college to that first job.

Jacob Patterson is a management information systems senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

No one could foresee that the murder of a London woman in Perugia, Italy in 2007 would garner so much attention worldwide or manage to stay in the news for six years; and now, more than a year after Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were acquitted of Meredith Kercher’s brutal murder, they will have to go through the same legal process, and subsequently the same media circus, all over again.

Amanda Knox, left, sits next to Corrado Maria Daclon, the secretary general of the Italy-USA Foundation, as they leave the prison in Perugia, Italy on Oct. 3, 2011. Knox was rushed to the airport that night and flown home to the U.S. and faces the possibility of having to go back. | Wikimedia Commons

The Italian Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in favor of a retrial of Knox and Sollecito for the murder of Kercher. The hearing was expected to be a slam dunk in favor of upholding the acquittal; clearly, that was not the case.

Junior accounting major Caroline Cowart reacted much like the rest of the U.S.

“It is unfair to try her a second time when she has already been acquitted,” Cowart says. “Hasn’t she suffered enough?”

Regardless of whether you believe in Knox’s innocence, it is wrong to try her a second time for the same crime. It does not appear that the prosecution has new evidence, so there should be no grounds to overturn the verdict. Repeatedly trying someone for the same crime puts excessive financial, mental and emotional pressure on the defendant and his or her family; it is also unlawful in the U.S.

In the U.S. Bill of Rights, the Fifth Amendment bans trying someone twice for the same crime, a principle known as “double jeopardy.” The extradition treaty between the U.S. and Italy has a provision that protects against this. Italy allows two levels of appeals: the prosecution has the right to appeal acquittals if the acquittal is annulled, then it is as if it never happened, and a retrial does not constitute a “second” trial.

Although Italy does not have a ban on “double jeopardy,” Knox, a University of Washington student, is an American living on American soil. Italy may request that the U.S. extradite Knox in the event of a conviction, and it is plausible that the U.S. may deny the request.

Joey Jackson, a U.S. attorney, believes the U.S. would not uphold an extradition request from Italy.

“We have principles that are well-founded within our Constitution, one of which is double jeopardy,” Jackson said. “So as a result of that, I think it would be highly objectionable for the United States to surrender someone to another country for which justice has already been administered and meted out. So I don’t think or anticipate that that would happen.”

This does not solve the problem.

Knox’s family and she are unable to move on with their lives and have to worry about how their future will be affected by all of this. I believe Knox is being continually targeted by Italy because she is an American and the popular opinion in Italy is that she is guilty, and neither are reasons for continued prosecution when the justice system has already done its work. Even so, Knox is ready to fight back.

“The prosecution responsible for the many discrepancies in their work must be made to answer for them, for Raffaele’s sake, my sake and most especially for the sake of Meredith’s family. … No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have: confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity,” she said.

The retrial is expected to begin sometime early next year in an appellate court in Florence, Italy. It is expected that Knox will be tried in absentia. I hope that the U.S. stands by Knox by upholding its laws and protecting its citizens from unlawful foreign prosecution.

Sarah Backer is a business sophomore and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

The Daily Cougar, Student Video Network and Coog Radio have worked to bring you the news and features that are fit to print, watch and hear, and we have been doing so while provideding our own product with little or no collaboration with the other media organizations.

That is about to change.

By Sept. 1, the three student media organizations will merge under the Center for Student Media and open new doors for the way media is produced and presented on campus. In December, CSM will move into the new Student Media wing of the new UC North building.

While the new CSM will bring the organizations together, they will maintain separate product identities and internal structures. Matt Dulin, director of Student Publications and the soon-to-be CSM described some of the possibilities convergence will bring.

“Right now, The Daily Cougar needs help with video,” Dulin said. “SVN could provide support to that until The Daily Cougar is confident enough to have its own video and could go out and do it on its own. On the other side, Coog Radio wants to get their blog going and have music reviews and local culture stories. They want to have their own style of journalism, and The Daily Cougar knows about that and people who work for the Cougar may be interested in that.”

At The Cougar, we are excited at the opportunities this will provide and are eager to begin collaborating with our future partners. For starters, the advertising functions Student Publications provides to The Cougar will also be provided to SVN and Coog Radio, allowing both organizations to obtain additional funds to further their growth.

Clinton Blankenship, the station director of Coog Radio, said he sees advertising as a means for Coog Radio to grow and gain professional experience.

“We are currently only funded from student fees,” he said. “This could lead us to a model very similar to The Daily Cougar with advertising, which could free us a bit. It would also give students real world experience as advertising is a common necessity in the professional world.

“Coog Radio has steadily grown since our debut. CSM will allow for more exposure and collaboration from fellow media groups.”

Exposure is something SVN President Ali Iqbal hopes to gain from the transition.

“SVN hopes to gain better recognition on campus as a result of the merger,” Iqbal said. “Currently, as a part of CSI (Center for Student Involvement), SVN is overshadowed by special event programming organizations like SPB (Student Program Board) and Frontier Fiesta. Being a part of the Center for Student Media would help shed more light on SVN’s functions and workings as the UH TV station.”

As for The Cougar, we are excited at the prospect of working with SVN and Coog Radio to help develop our own video and podcasting products to package with our print content, providing readers with a number of ways to experience the brand of news and entertainment we’ve provided as we look to increase our digital presence.

When the Student Media wing opens in January, the three organizations will be working as neighbors and partners. We will still be individual organizations, but we’ll be more capable of working together to bring a new brand of media to UH.

The History Channel’s “The Bible” is one of the hottest mini-series on TV and it has sparked a controversy that stems from one of “The Bible”‘s actors resembling President Barack Obama. It comes as no surprise when you find who is behind the curtains. Mark Burnett, the creator of “Survivor,” has the Midas touch because almost every show he touches turns to gold — with the glaring exception of Sarah Palin’s short run at a reality show, of course.

In order to have even caused this stir, it had to have been watched by many. The History Channel is reveling in the amount of ratings the series has garnered. On the night it premiered, Entertainment Weekly reports the series got up to 1.3 million viewers. Not bad, considering the negative reviews it received from TV critics.

Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni plays the role of Satan, and his striking similarities with Obama caused quite a buzz. However, the resemblance is much ado about nothing. Yes, they do look similar at a certain angle and light, but it is more of coincidence than a commentary on the nation’s president.

For one, Burnett is supportive of Obama. Campaignmoney.com, a site that allows you to search political contributions, shows he has consistently donated money to Democrats since 2001. Specifically, the site reports that he donated to Obama’s election campaign in 2008.

“It looks like a very old Obama. Like it could be from ‘Star Wars,’” said chemistry senior Irma Salinas. “I think it’s just a coincidence.”

According to The Huffington Post, Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, released a statement to address the issue.

“This is utter nonsense. The actor who played Satan, Mehdi Ouzanni, is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor,” Burnett said. “He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics — including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our president.”

Downey took offense with the comparisons, accusing them of taking away from the show.

“Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love our president, who is a fellow Christian,” Downey said. “False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of the Bible.”

The History Channel also released the following statement:

“History channel has the highest respect for President Obama. The series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It’s unfortunate that anyone made this false connection. History’s ‘The Bible’ is meant to enlighten people on its rich stories and deep history.”

It was a Saturday night in Steubenville, Ohio. Trent Mays, 17, Ma’lik Richmond, 16, a 16-year-old girl and many other under-age youths were drinking the night away.

Media personalities, such as CNN anchor Candy Crowley, spent so much time taking pity on Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond and what their crime and conviction has done to their lives while paying little lip service to the victim. CNN’s coverage, in particularly Crowley and correspondent Poppy Harlow, has come under fire viewers who launched a petition demanding an apology from the network. | Wikimedia Commons

Mays, Richmond and the girl attended three parties the night of Aug. 12, two of which she had no recollection of being at the next morning. During the course of the last two parties, she was reported to have been vomiting and intensely inebriated. Compromising photos were taken of Mays and Richmond lifting her — Mays with her arms and Richmond with her feet — out of the house. During a drive to the third house party, Mays asked another friend to take a video of him penetrating an unresponsive victim with his fingers. According to Ohio state law, Mays had just committed rape. At the third party, a witness reports that he walked into the basement of the party to see Mays and Richmond kneeled over a naked and unmoving victim while penetrating her with their fingers. Mays then is said to have taken multiple nude pictures of her while she was unconscious and exposed.

During the next few days, teenagers were tweeting, texting and posting photos and videos on Instagram of her before and during the raping while using such words as “whore” and “slut” and saying she was asking for it.

The risk the victim took during these parties put her in a very compromising position. Her mother and she took the photographic evidence to the police during the leakage of these humiliating and degrading photos to press charges against Mays and Richmond for rape and distribution of exposing photos.

People’s reactions after hearing that these two young men were star football players changed everything. Instead of just presenting the young men as violators, the media paid attention to the personal lives of Mays and Richmond. Instead of portraying them as young men who took advantage of a girl who was too drunk to consent while also aiding in the distribution of naked photos — which could also be construed as child pornography — Mays and Richmond are portrayed as smart, likeable football stars who could even be considered role models. The media consistently focused on their promising futures instead of the emotional, mental and physical damage they inflicted on the victim.

On March 17, Mays and Richmond were found guilty and sentenced to juvenile detention. Mays will serve two years for rape and distribution of naked photos, while Richmond will serve one year for rape. Both will register as sex offenders. Reporters at the scene told news anchors the verdict and what that would mean.

“It was incredibly emotional, incredibly difficult even for an outsider like me to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures — star football players, very good students. We literally watched as they believed their life fell apart,” said CNN reporter Poppy Harlow.

CNN’s Candy Crowley described how painful it was to witness Richmond break down in tears after he apologized to the victim’s mother and her in court, and after all that, Crowley said it must be hard for the victims also.

Doe’s attorney, Bob Fitzsimmons, said watching Mays’ and Richmond’s reactions to the verdict was hard and that he can feel for them.

Though this confession is nothing compared to the waves of support the young men received from parts of the community and the Internet, it is still unsettling to hear from the prosecutor’s attorney.

Since a large amount of evidence for this case was gathered from social media sites, there has been more focus on filtering what we place on the Internet rather than how the victim is holding up. The emotional toll rape can have on a victim is massive, but because this trail was so public and visual with videos and images, the effect on the victim can sometimes be more detrimental.

The blatant disrespect for another human being and the lack of morals in this case is astounding. Some members of the public attempt to make this case one of appearances, and focus is turned to the kind of people Mays and Richmond appear to be to the public and the fans that watch them play every Friday. Those who are sympathizing with the two young men need to realize that either drunk or sober, they should have realized that if the girl is unable to consent to a sexual act, it’s rape.

“By the time you’re 16 and 17 years old, you know what’s right and wrong, and watching a gang rape happen while the girl is passed out is not okay. It’s like watching someone get hit by a car and not calling an ambulance,” biology junior Iyaesha Simmons said.

One can only hope that the future will be a time where the fear of something like this happening to you or to someone you know is obsolete.

Kelly Schafler is a print journalism sophomore and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

We are told during our youth to “be who you want to be.” In a world full of social stereotypes and economic step ladders, we are also told to “dress for the job you want — not for the job you have.” When a person’s aspirations do not match his appearance, it makes one wonder exactly how much of the interviewing process is based on physical appearance rather than qualification.

Kasarena Batiste | The Daily Cougar

The person we appear to be in the workplace is not a full version of ourselves. No one would walk into an interview dressed in street clothes, speak in slang and use profanities around superiors. Some companies believe that going into work with visible tattoos, piercings, an unusual hair style or an odd hair color can be just as off-putting as profanities or inappropriate clothing. Since they’ll be the ones paying your salary, employers have the right to finger pick through their interviewees.

“Liberal arts types of jobs are usually more lenient with those things, but when you’re in that corporate office or business atmosphere, tattoos and facial piercings are frowned upon,” said University Career Services career counselor Reggie Toussant.

Some people disagree.

“When you’re hiring a person you need to look not at the physical parts. You have to look at their knowledge,” said accounting sophomore Anara Vakhitova said.

If people feel that they are not going to let anyone dictate what they do to their body, they do need to be aware that while some places are becoming more lenient concerning visible tattoos, other companies are still going to take issue.

As the job market becomes more crowded with viable candidate, more employers are looking past tattoos and unique piercings like biology graduate Farzana Toly’s nose piercings. Businesses like Google and Home Depot now have official policies preventing discrimination against body art. | Shaimaa Eissa/The Daily Cougar

More companies are attempting to look past physical appearances during the hiring process. There are some companies that welcome employees with body art. According to Biola University’s Career Center, such companies include Whole Foods, Hot Topic, Journeys, Home Depot, Petco, Half Price Books, Applebee’s, Best Buy, Forever 21, Target and Google.

The Great Recession is also a big point of discussion concerning tattoos in the workplace. While some places feel that with the low job opportunities, they need to be more particular with the hiring, other places feel that they need to look beyond appearances to gain a good employee.

“I would say that the recession would make people more lenient to tattoos because with the job market being so saturated, we can’t just base decisions off of image no matter what discipline you’re in. I want to hire someone who is a solid investment, not just someone who looks good on the brochure or in the office,” Toussant said.

Tattoos, piercings and unusual hair colors are another form of speech. People use their appearance to make a statement they do not feel the need to vocalize. This expression should not be penalized. People need to learn to stop judging people by their looks.

Kelly Schalfer is a creative writing sophomore and may be reached opinion@thedailycougar.com.

In an age dependent on communication technology and the increasing dominance of social networking in our culture, you would think that students would become more sophisticated in their networking smarts, but we have not. Despite constant encouragement from our parents and professors, we typically dismiss good opportunities to network in our field. Our biggest excuse is that we don’t have time to send out emails, develop a LinkedIn account or to attend networking events.

David Delgado/The Daily Cougar

I’m no better than anyone else. It takes me days to pick up my smart phone and send my résumé or a job-shadowing request to an industry professional that I might have met through a corporate mixer or a career fair. For many students, the thought of displaying poor email etiquette or facing rejection can be very intimidating. When we are accustomed to sharing our ideas and experiences over a beer while snuggled in our favorite jeans and T-shirts, suiting up and repressing what comes naturally can be uncomfortable.

When students get uncomfortable these days, they turn to creature comforts like social media.

A 2011 survey conducted by Reynol Junco, associate professor at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, looked into student technology use. After surveying 2,500 students, Junco concluded that college students spend a daily average of 184.43 minutes texting, 101.93 minutes on Facebook, 58.68 minutes emailing, 54.18 minutes talking on their cellphones and 19.54 minutes instant messaging. This comes to 418.76 minutes spent daily, or 6.98 hours per day, hooked to a social media. We spend more than three hours texting and just under an hour emailing. A lot more could get done if we just cut back on the texting and the Facebook use.

Not all of that time spent with technology has to go to waste; some of that time can be used to build a professional network as well. If we cut back on the time you spend on social media, we can build a personal network, get out and join groups to help expand our list of who we know.

The key to a strong network is diversity because networking is not simply about having a friend to pull us up to the next level, but also having a well-rounded circle of ideas and perspectives. In recent decades, the advancements made in communication technology have not only expanded our personal geographical reach, but also that of the global market. More employers are prioritizing hiring staff that are comfortable with interacting with a people from various backgrounds.

When thinking about networking, a good stratagem is to join as many student organizations as possible: social- and career-related. It’s good to have connections with people who are moving in the same direction as you are. However, while this clique of peers can help us study for our next exam and give us a heads up on an internship position, few are in a position to give us highly credible recommendations.

Nowadays, a strong work ethic and a degree aren’t enough to guarantee students profitable positions once they graduate, so some colleges within the University sponsor or provide programs that help students connect with professionals in their respective fields. The Program for Excellence in Selling is a competitive program offered at the C. T. Bauer College of Business that coordinates internships and provide job placement for students.

“The program gives me numerous opportunities to network with professionals,” saidThilye Rinke, a marketing and journalism junior. “Right now, I’m being prospected by two companies. If I had not sought them out or persistently kept in contact with them, I wouldn’t be in the situation I am in now. I’m in a position where I can choose who I want to work for.”

“Unfortunately, most students are not comfortable with reaching out. Networking out of your comfort zone is something one has to push themselves to do,” she said.

Hotel and restaurant management junior Kaylon Beck said some students don’t take full advantage of the networking opportunities available at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management.

“It’s mostly the students that are active and are serious about their careers. In the hospitality industry, joining a well-rounded organization, being active in school and participating in career fairs are great opportunities,” she said. “Whenever I am able to, I try my best to take advantage of these chances.”

When students join networking-oriented organizations like the American Advertising Federation, the Bauer Women Society or a fraternity and become complacent with only using it as a chance to make new friends, they are not utilizing the resources these organizations offer to their fullest potential. It is important for us as students to stay focused on the purpose of networking and exercise our social skills in diverse circles.

Ciara Rouege is an advertising junior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.