High School of the Performing and Visual Arts is going to look as art-savvy as its students once UH architecture students transform their designs into reality. | Courtesy of Jose Martinez

Houston’s High School for Performing and Visual Arts has cultivated this city’s artistic youth for more than 40 years and is now ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report.

As Houston continues to progress and advance into the future, HSPVA is following at its heels with plans to move to a new facility, designed with help from UH students.

The project, led by associate professor and director of the Graduate Design/Build Studio Patrick Peters, has given 13 architecture students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a real-world development in which they must work with clients and their concerns.

“I typically assign projects that are impacted by real-world constraints as a catalyst to incredible creative
thinking,” Peters said. “I have seen the students grow tremendously through their work on this very challenging project.”

The participating students have been given the opportunity to speak with HSPVA administrators, faculty
and students, as well as work with architects, including former UH professor Barry Moore, who helped
design HSPVA’s current campus, in order to formulate their designs.

Speaking with all these people to get a great idea of the realities of the project has been the most
rewarding part, said architecture and environmental design senior Longinos Gutierrez.

Yet, as the designs must accommodate both studios and performance spaces alongside academic
classrooms, the students have been faced with many challenges as they undertake this mission.

“The most difficult aspect about this project is solving the floor plans while keeping in mind what rooms
are located on the adjacent floors,” Gutierrez said. “It’s like a jigsaw puzzle.”

Although the students’ designs will not be built, they have the potential to influence the final scheme of
the building as they present their visions to the Houston and HSPVA communities today.

“My design is not meant to be chosen; it’s just a study for future architects to analyze,” Gutierrez said. “I want to design a building that is flexible and simple while being as functional as possible. The building is meant for the students to inhabit and transform according to their talents. It is somewhat of a canvas for the people who occupy it.”

As the students have worked on their designs, HSPVA principal Robert Scott Allen has shown his anticipation and enthusiasm for the project.

“My vision is a state of the art facility that has the spaces needed to provide an excellence arts education to the high school students of Houston in dance, theater, creative writing, visual arts and music,” Allen said. “I think that having students downtown in the arts district is going to add an exciting energy to the city of Houston. … I can’t wait.”

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President Renu Khator

To celebrate President Renu Khator’s five-year anniversary at UH, The Daily Cougar got a chance to interview her while she is away in San Francisco. Among University-related topics, the Cougar and Khator discussed her most defining learning moment from a student, favorite dishes, style secrets and blog.

The Daily Cougar: You were instrumental to UH becoming a Tier-One-recognized university; what goals do you have for the next five years?

Renu Khator: First of all, getting to Tier One was a team effort. It took all of us to focus and create the synergy required to accomplish the task. As for the next five years, our goal remains the same: to be nationally competitive in everything we do, from student success to research productivity to athletics. We will grow our Health Science Center, strengthen the Energy Research Park, enhance our arts connections, but above all, be relevant to the community.

TDC: Is there anything you would have done differently in the five years you have spent in Houston?

RK: You always look back and say, “I could have done this earlier, faster or better,” but that is a necessary part of learning. Overall, I am grateful for all the opportunities that were presented to me personally and professionally, and I feel blessed to have been at UH. But, yes, there is one thing. I adopted a dog last year. I should have done it five years ago.

TDC: You’ve said, “If it’s crucial to Houston, it’s crucial to UH.” The University has seen the addition of several health-related buildings and course offerings; what else do you believe is crucial to our city and campus that has yet to be addressed?

RK: A university is a reflection of its community. We have to work hard to stay relevant to our community and our nation in these changing times. We have several strong economies in the region: energy, health, port, NASA and the arts. We have an obligation to prepare our diverse students to play transformational roles in all of these sectors.

TDC: If I understood your Texas Monthly interview correctly, Indian students don’t have the choice to graduate if it takes more than four years. Do you think a “four-year-degree plan” is realistic considering the economy, job availability related major changes and working students?

RK: Let’s talk about four-year degree completion. It is neither feasible nor desirable for everyone, but for those who wish to do it, there must be every tool in their toolkit to get it done. If a student joins the University as a full-time freshman, it is clear that the student has every intention of graduating in four years. As an institution, our focus should be doing what we can to help with that journey.

TDC: I enjoyed watching the inspirational speech about “bold dreams” you gave at the International Conference of Academic Institutes earlier this year (it’s posted to YouTube). When you were in college and graduate school, what did you have to find courage to go after?

RK: My dream was to get the highest degree possible, which I knew was a doctorate. It was illogical for a girl growing up in a small town in India and in a community where there were no role models. Bold dreams often are illogical. That dream kept the fire burning in my belly. Then, of course, I got lucky and came to the land of opportunities, the United States of America.

TDC: Tell me about a student you have met, other than those you’ve introduced in your blog, who taught you a lesson you never expected.

RK: My most defining learning moment from a student occurred more than 10 years ago. I had just become the provost (at the University of South Florida), and I was telling a group of freshmen why it was important for the university to become a nationally ranked university. A 17-year old student with the most innocent eyes raised his hand and asked, “Will it help me?” I was speechless for a few seconds. Since then, I have never been able to think of any university plan or strategy without asking myself, “Will it help my students?” That question changed my paradigm forever.

TDC: I love the idea that you have your own blog and actually write your own posts; how has publishing your personal reflections online been rewarding?

RK: In my very first blog, I said that I had decided to blog to highlight the unsung heroes around me. It has been extremely rewarding for two reasons: One, it has made me more observant of people around me and my interactions with them. Two, it makes me feel less guilty when people give me more credit than I deserve. It is my way of sharing the joy of our success and giving credit where it belongs. Above all, it keeps me humble.

TDC: How has the birth of your two grandchildren affected you and your outlook on life?

RK: I am starting to think long-term and also optimistically. For instance, as a university president, any disruptive change seems like a hurdle. When I think of the learning opportunities it will create for my grandchildren, I find it exciting and inviting. I am more willing to deal with tomorrow’s challenges today and more eager to get them right for the sake of Kai and Anya.

TDC: Everyone knows that you travel the world and advocate for UH and what it stands for; tell me about the most surprisingly inspirational experience on your travels. And where are you currently?

RK: Currently, I am in San Francisco, giving a presentation to a conference for board trustees from all over the nation. My best moments are the times when I am able to leave the audience dazzled by the accomplishments of the University of Houston. I rarely ever get up to speak without wearing red and without bringing at least four examples from UH regardless of the topic.

TDC: Houston has a very diverse collection of culinary options because of the “melting pot” of cultures that have settled here; do you have any favorite dishes or restaurants that you’ve discovered or been introduced to?

RK: I am discovering culinary delights every day. I do not eat meat, therefore, my list may not be fair to the Houston landscape. I have many favorites from food trucks to dog-friendly patios to the fanciest nooks. When I have had a rough day, I like to go to Pappasito’s for a cold beer at the bar. When I have had a good day, I may head to Uchi for the chef’s new selection.

TDC: You are always so immaculately dressed; do you have any secrets to your style? Have you always been a fan of red or did that come after starting at UH?

RK: Red has always been my color. In fact, I used to joke that if I ever became president of a school where the school color was not red, I would change it. As for my dressing style, I like to mix-and-match — skirt from J. Crew, jewelry from Delhi, shirt from a Chinese street vendor, jacket from a Paris boutique, shoes from Brazilian leather market and a Cougar bracelet from eBay — anything goes.

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Police arrested two men, one of them a student, in connection with Saturday’s robbery at Cambridge Oaks Apartments.

UHPD Chief Ceaser Moore said in Tuesday’s press conference about the Cambridge Oaks robbery that students’ fears should not be heightened because the crime was not random, as initially suspected. | Mahnoor Samana/The Daily Cougar

James Manns was arrested at about 6:30 a.m. today in Pearland and has been charged with aggravated robbery with a pending additional aggravated robbery charge, said UH police chief Ceaser Moore in a press conference.

At 7:30 a.m., Samy Gharbaoui was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana, Moore said.

Gharbaoui, a student living in Cambridge Oaks, had sold drugs to Manns earlier the day of the robbery, Moore said. Later on, Manns texted Gharbaoui asking for more, but Gharbaoui was not at his apartment. Manns and three others then went to Gharbaoui’s apartment and proceeded to rob the other two residents at gunpoint and search for the drugs.

“This crime was not a stranger-on-stranger crime,” Moore said. “He was going back to get more drugs.”

Moore said that because the crime was not random, students don’t need to take this as an indicator of personal danger.

“Other students on campus are not at risk of being victimized by other people invading their residences,” Moore said.

Through the course of the investigation, police uncovered a safe full of Adderall, ecstasy, LSD and marijuana.

Manns was already on bail for possession of marijuana, and police are seeking to have that revoked in addition to the charge already brought against him.

Moore said he has no specific plans to increase the security presence on campus in response to recent crimes.

“This was a relationship issue, and an increased patrol will not change that,” Moore said. “That’s one of those things where people need to be vigilant, and if they see something, they should say something.”

Police are still working to identify the other three suspects who accompanied Manns, Moore said.

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One UH alumnus decided to take his wife to Boston for Patriot’s Day — she wanted to run in the marathon, but the annual Boston Marathon saw cheers from a half million spectators and some 20,000 runners mutate into screams of fear and pain as two bombs detonated near the finish line of the 26.2-mile race Monday.

“’I saw this guy’s legs get blown off,’” Tremain Fedke, 28, said he heard someone say.

“’Just stay where you are,’” he said his father-in-law told him. Fedke didn’t know about the explosions, yet. He was just trying to reconnect with his family member after the older man visited a medical tent for claustrophobia.

According to The Chicago Tribune, the attack left three dead, including an 8-year-old boy, and at least 140 injured. Some victims were even left amputated.

Thankfully, Fedke said, his wife and the rest of their family were safe.

“We’re blessed,” he said. “At about mile 22, she just wanted to walk. If she had walked, she would have been right there by either one of the explosions, and her family was waiting at the finish line for her, so they might have been hurt, as well.”

Alden Fedke, Texas A&M graduate, said she finished the race in four hours and three minutes. The first bomb went off when the clock showed four hours and eight minutes.

“I had just passed the finish line,” she said, still shocked from the experience. She said she then heard something everyone originally thought was thunder, until they realized the truth.

“Everyone was just like, ‘explosion, explosion.’ We were all freaking out,” she said. “It was very scary, but I just thank the lord that I didn’t walk those last few minutes. I thank the lord that he helped me not stop.”

The Chicago Tribune said the Boston Marathon attack was the worst bombing in the U.S. since Sept. 11, and President Barack Obama promised to find the people responsible for it.

“Make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this,” Obama told Washington reporters. The event will be treated as “an act of terror.”

Alden said she had the second best running time, just 20 minutes more than the first runner’s time, and still 15 minutes faster than the average finish time, according to Runner’s World magazine.

More than 5,000 runners never finished.

“It was so horrible. And it was such a huge marathon — so many people worked hard to get there, and a lot of people couldn’t even finish,” Alden said.

The marathon, held on the third Monday of every April, starts in Hopkinton, Mass. and ends in Boston’s Copley Square — where the crowd is often at it’s thickest.

The two explosions were about 50 to 100 yards apart in this area, according to The Chicago Tribune.

After seeing shirtless and bloody victims and newly wheelchair-bound runners fleeing the aftermath, Tremain and his wife are finally headed home.

“Everyone is safe, and we are ready to go home,” he said. “The plane ride is going to be a little bit freaky, though.”

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