Members of the Spirit of Houston marching band performed in Austin at UHS Day at the Capitol on Feb. 23. | Cara Smith/The Cougar

At the UHS Day at the Capitol on Feb. 23, students and alumni lobbied for some of the University’s biggest legislative goals — tuition revenue bonds, funding for a Public Affairs school and Hazlewood reimbursements. But one subject near and dear to Texans’ hearts came up throughout the lobbying: football.

Representatives of the University were vocal about UH’s ambitions to become part of the Big 12 Athletic Conference. Trey Wilkinson, chair-elect of the UH Alumni Association, stressed the importance of competitive athletics in alumni engagement.

Wilkinson attended UH and played for the golf team in the mid ‘90s; he said being a member of the Southwest conference “really put them on the map” in terms of alumni engagement and being able to offer competitive athletics. He was at UH around the time when Andre Ware won the Heisman trophy, and when basketball “was still terrific.”

“To see us get kind of left behind when the Big 12 was formed was certainly disappointing, and we’re very, very engaged in trying to get ourselves into a better athletic place. We’re happy with our affiliation with the American Athletic Conference — it’s a much better conference than where we were before,” Wilkinson said. “But there’s no question that with the changing landscape of college athletics, it’s important if you can to get (into a higher conference).”

This comes off the heels of Board of Regents chairman Tillman Fretitta calling it “an embarassment” that UH hasn’t received a Big 12 bid yet despite its location in the fourth-largest city in the United States. Currently, the Big 12 includes four Texas universities: University of Texas, Baylor University, Texas Christian University and Texas Tech University.

During her address to the attendees of UHS Day at the Capitol, President and Chancellor Renu Khator highlighted UH’s football team and its importance for all students of the UH System, making note of new head coach Tom Herman’s “fire” and passion for students.

“There are some things the system has together, (but there are some things) where there is only one,” Khator said. “We have one chancellor, good or bad, take it or leave it… But you also only have one football team in the system, and you have one coach.”

In the past, Khator has championed athletics as being integral to student and alumni engagement and key to giving students “bragging rights” for their university. UH’s recent hire of Herman aligns its focus on athletics as the fundamental block to help UH receive funding and national attention.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“UH rallies for Big 12 conference play” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Roughly 400 students, staff, faculty and alumni from the UH System participated in UHS Day at the Capitol on Feb. 23 in Austin. | Cara Smith/The Cougar

AUSTIN — Surrounded by 400 students from the University of Houston System at the foot of the state capitol building, President and Chancellor Renu Khator was still beaming when the cameras stopped flashing. At the barbecue lunch earlier, Khator had spent much of her meal talking with the students, faculty, staff and alumni who came out to UHS Day at the Capitol in Austin.

Mostly, she gave thanks. But she also told students to do whatever it took to get UH more state funding in this legislative session.

“When it comes to funding, it doesn’t matter if you have to get down on your knees, cry a little — just do it. Get the funding, because that is what we are here for,” Khator said. “We are not here asking for what we don’t deserve. We are here to make a case.”

UHS Day at the Capitol invited students from the UH System to lobby for increased legislative funding for UH and its satellite schools.

In recent legislative sessions, UH’s funding has been cut dramatically by the state. In 2012, 22 percent of the University’s budget was made up of state funding, a 33 percent cut from the previous session.

Chiefly, the University is advocating for tuition revenue bonds that would fund the residential and academic facilities desperately needed to keep up with UH’s rapidly growing student body. But Khator said the name “doesn’t reflect what it truly is,” and stressed that students don’t pay a portion of the bond.

When using tuition revenue bonds, the University would use revenue from tuition to fund facility construction, but the state would reimburse the University for the costs of the construction. It’s comparable to a student paying their phone bill once a month with their own money, but having their parents guaranteeing to pay the student back after the student makes the payment.

“The importance is that without (funding for tuition revenue bonds), we cannot take any more students. We just have no room,” Khator said.

Khator is also seeking to re-authorize the University’s funding from the state’s Higher Education Fund for the next decade and is asking for a 50 percent increase (from $262.5 million to $393.75 million). This is a “percentage consistent with increases for the past two 10-year allocation cycles,” according to the University’s official legislative agenda.

UH is seeking $4 million to fund the new Hobby School for Public Affairs and nearly $9 million in funding for UH’s pharmacy school to help the program operate on an “even playing field.”

Dr. Richard Walker, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services said that one of the University’s “biggest challenges” was getting equal funding for UH’s pharmacy school, which isn’t attached to a health science program and therefore receives less funding from the state.

Among other things, the UHS Day at the Capitol humanizes the University, said Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Kowalka. Administrators and alumni repeated throughout the day how critical it is to put a face to the issues, and to show how the legislative agenda has real, personal effects on students.

“I think (our goal at the Capitol) is to plant the flag and wave the banner, showing how the University of Houston is not the same university it was 10, 15, 20 years ago,” Kowalka said. “The staff and the representatives really enjoy learning the stories of how the legislative agenda will personally affect the students that are present.”

The Texas legislative session began on Jan. 13 and will conclude on June 1.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“UHS Day at the Capitol focuses on tuition revenue bonds, ‘humanizing’ UH” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

SGA President Charles Haston addresses the SGA Senate after passing the Vote of No Confidence. | File photo/The Cougar

Correction: In the original article, it was stated Carl Carlucci was one of the signers for the revised MOU. Carlucci was not involved in the revision.

A new agreement between the administration and the student body, originally passed in February 2012, was revised and signed by President Renu Khator and Student Government Association President Charles Haston on Wednesday. Before its revision, the agreement’s “ambiguous” language has resulted in months of dissent between SGA and the Division of Administration and Finance.

The original Memorandum of Understanding, which included a referendum that approved an increase in student fees to fund the construction of TDECU Stadium and the renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion, was passed with overwhelming support by the student body in 2012. But since then, Haston said the “ambiguous” language of the MOU has allowed the Division of Administration and Finance to not honor certain aspects of the agreement between the student body and the administration.

Conflicts coming from loopholes that the MOU’s “ambiguous” language allowed has caused almost year-long contention between the administration and SGA, including SGA passing vote of No Confidence in Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance Carl Carlucci and two of his deputies. Haston has called Carlucci “incompetent” and is advocating for his resignation along with SGA.

Originally, the MOU made the Department of Athletics responsible for construction and subsequent management of facilities. But after the referendum passed, ownership and oversight was transferred from Athletics to Administration and Finance.

All of the portions that the Athletics was in charge of, Athletics honored, Haston said. SGA’s grievances are with the leadership of Administration and Finance.

The revised MOU, signed Wednesday by Khator and other members of the administration and Haston, clears up some of those ambiguities. Most notably, student organizations are now permitted to utilize on-campus facilities like the football stadium, Hofheinz and Cullen Performance Hall once a year with no facility rental fee or any costs associated with the rental fee.

“I think it’s important for students to know that throughout this process that was really difficult, and at times adversarial with a single division. (But) even through all that, President Khator really had her ‘students first’ mentality,” said Haston. “She always maintained (the mentality) throughout the process.”

Students will now pay any other charges “at cost,” instead of paying a heightened cost that would profit either the University or Sports and Entertainment, the hired management company that runs all on-campus events. Before the revision, students could be charged a facility fee cost that would profit Sports and Entertainment or UH, increasing the costs of utilizing on-campus buildings exorbitantly.

The referendum’s original approval of a $45 increase in Student Service Fees for 25 years still stands. This yields the University roughly $3.3 million annually for the stadium’s bond payments.

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“Revised agreement between students and administration passed” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

A Departmental Review conducted on the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences left the auditors “particularly concerned about the lack of sufficient monitoring,” said Chief Audit Executive Dan Guyton at today’s Audit and Compliance committee meeting before the Board of Regents in the Student Center South ballroom.

Insufficient financial and administrative oversight was the main concern of the audit, and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Paula Myrick Short said the college is implementing “major business and administrative changes” to address the insufficiencies found in the audit.

Short recently appointed Steven G. Craig as interin dean of CLASS.

“As we looked at the causes behind this, we identified slow transfer of funds to the Dean’s office (then) to the right cost centers,” Short said. “That’s something the Dean is rectifying… (We are) auditing department payroll to determine the right cost centers are receiving those funds. Dr. Craig is ensuring tall the expenditure documents are vetted.”

Short said that the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Business Administration will be holding monthly meetings with business managers and administrative processes to ensure that “this is taken care of.”

news@thedailycougar.com

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“CLASS audit reveals lack of oversight” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The new basketball development facility’s budget was increased to $25 million from $20 million.

The $5 million is coming from the Student Fee account earmarked for football and basketball, said Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance Carl Carlucci at today’s Administration and Finance committee meeting before the Board of Regents in the Student Center South ballroom.

Athletics Director Mack Rhoades said that the program is “still raising money for the facility.” Currently, $20 million of the $25 million budget is coming from donations.

“There was really never a change in scope (of the facility),” said Rhoades. “We had to deal with some escalated construction costs.”

The facility, which is projected to be completed in October 2015, however Rhoades said that the project may “go a little longer” than expected.

“Unfortunately we’ve experienced… too many rain days,” said Rhoades.

Carlucci said that steel “is going up now” in the facility, and that the construction schedule suffered from rain delays when they were laying down the foundation.

“Construction costs in Houston (have) flattened out currently, and it looks like construction costs may even trend downward in the near future,” said Rhoades.

After the development facility is complete, the department is expected to turn its attention toward Hofheinz Pavilion. The University is in the midst of a feasibility study that will help it determine the structure’s future.

The feasibility study is expected to be completed in mid-March. The Board of Regents Audits and Compliance committee will meet later today to present a summary update on an internal audit being conducted on any possible violations of the Memorandum of Understanding agreement with the student body. The MOU was approved in 2012 and allocated a portion of the Student Service fee to funding the renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion.

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“$5 million increase approved in basketball development facility budget” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The cost per credit hour for UH’s undergraduate nursing program was approved to increase to $410 from $244 in today’s Administration and Finance committee meeting before the Board of Regents at the Student Center South ballroom.

The program is moving from UH-Victoria to UH and classes will begin on campus in the fall.

The significant increase is attributed to multiple factors, said Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Paula Myrick Short, including location changes and the need for a “qualitatively different” faculty for a Tier One nursing program.

Short said that nursing graduates won’t just be prepared to work in hospitals, but will “have research experience” that sets them apart from other graduates.

The increase will also help fund the addition of a Ph.D. in Nursing program at UH, a program Short called “very expensive.” When asked about the culturally different cost of the program, Short said that the program “may look different from the current programs at UH,” and that the change is necessary as UH moves to becoming a full Tier One University.

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“UH to add nursing doctoral program, increase undergrad tuition” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The results of an audit on the allocation of funding in TDECU Stadium has been released. | File photo/The Cougar

An audit initiated by UH President and Chancellor Renu Khator into UH’s allocation of $5 million in Higher Education Assistance Funds found no “irregularities or violations of University policy or state laws,” according to a UH spokesman.

The audit results will be made public on Feb. 19 during the Board of Regents meeting. It was conducted following accusations that UH misallocated state monies approved to fund the construction of classrooms in TDECU Stadium for the Spirit of Houston marching band. HEAF funds must be used for academic purposes.

This isn’t the only audit that UH is undergoing. During Thursday’s meeting, the Board will be updated on the progress of three more audits that UH is currently undergoing. These audits have reviewed the current Student Fees Advisory Committee process, the “request for proposal-procurement process associated with the VenuWorks/Aramark contract” and any possible violations of the Memorandum of Understanding agreement with the student body.

“Substantial progress” in the audits is expected by Thursday, and a summary report will be presented at the meeting, according to a spokesman for the University.

These audits follow accusations from the Student Government Association, which began during SFAC presentations in November. During the public comment portion of the presentations, SGA President Charles Haston blasted the Department of Administration and Finance, saying that they had violated the terms of the MOU.

The Student Service Fee, passed in the MOU, was increased by $45 to fund the construction of TDECU Stadium and the renovation of the Hofheinz Pavilion. After the stadium went several million dollars over budget, according to Haston, no portion of the fee was left for the renovation of Hofheinz. This was a violation of the MOU, as half the fee was supposed to go toward the construction and half toward the renovation, Haston said.

Haston called out Sports and Entertainment, a contracted management company hired to manage all events in TDECU Stadium, Hofheinz Pavilion and Cullen Performance Hall, as being incompetent after disputes over whether Frontier Fiesta was charged facility rental fees for the use of TDECU Stadium. This would have been a violation of the MOU, as students are allowed to utilize the stadium and Hofheinz for one event with no facility rental fee.

In the weeks preceding the Board of Regents meeting, SGA has passed a vote of No Confidence, calling for the resignation of Executive Vice Chancellor and Vice President of Administration and Finance Carl Carlucci, Associate Vice President Emily Messa and Assistant Vice President Esmeralda Valdez.

During the SGA meeting, Haston said Carlucci has people “underneath him like Emily Messa and Esmeralda Valdez that demonstrated that they’re entirely incompetent” and that Carlucci’s “solution to that is to take as many shortcuts as possible.”

Faculty Senate President Wynne Chin spoke at the SGA meeting and presented a resolution from Faculty Senate that supports Carlucci, saying Carlucci has overseen several of the large positive changes UH has undergone, including the increase in residential housing and the new Student Center.

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“Board of Regents to review audit results of TDECU funding allocation, SFAC process” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

I’ve been anticipating The Cougar’s Sex Edition since it was announced. However, once I got my hands on a copy Wednesday, I was incredibly disappointed. I was hoping for a sex-positive discussion that educated and informed readers. Instead, I was faced with something resembling Cosmo magazine.

The cover story and online editorial promised me a “guide to understanding and embracing the terminology” that our generation uses to describe themselves. The feature only emphasized two terms, which doesn’t even begin to cover the enormous gamut of gender and sexual identities. I was saddened by the quotes chosen for the “What does sex mean to you?” section because they used words such as “painful” and “sinful” to describe sex. If you’re using those words to describe sex, you’re doing it wrong.

Those looking for actual information about sex will be disappointed. Stories scratch the surface of porn, kink and sex toys, but offer little substantial information. The controversy surrounding “Fifty Shades of Grey” is mentioned, but there is little explanation of what BDSM is or information about other kinks and fetishes. Porn is briefly discussed in the interview with Dr. Ngo, but there’s no advice regarding porn studios that treat their performers well or porn that’s great to watch with a partner.

The Cougar sold almost a third of its ad space to companies that sell adult products and services, and posted reviews of sex shops around Houston, yet neglected to mention some common sex toys or some tips for actually buying adult items. The videos posted online didn’t do a good job of explaining the toys found at the sex shop, calling perfectly normal sex toys “alien” or “weird.” Readers could have benefited from knowing which stores offer the best prices or that certain sex toys are made with potentially dangerous chemicals. In fact, one can completely avoid the awkwardness and high prices of adult items by simply buying them off of Amazon.com.

Although I appreciate effort put into the column and the high quality photography, this Sex Edition falls short in significant ways. The Cougar should seek to educate rather than treat the Sex Edition as a side piece.

Anjay Ajodha is a computer science senior in the Honors College and may be reached at anjay@anjay.me.

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“Letter to the Editor: The Cougar’s Sex Edition missed its mark” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The Student Government Association election season is fast approaching, and with it comes deadlines. The final day for students to submit candidate applications for SGA president, vice president and senator positions is Friday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m.

SGA chief election commissioner Joshua Freed said that the reformed election code, which passed in December, will help to “close loopholes” that have caused issues in previous elections.

“The biggest benefit of it is that it’s simpler, it’s easier to read, it’s better organized so that the election commission has clear directives on what its responsibilities are,” Freed said. “That in and of itself is what alleviates a lot of the problems.”

SGA president, vice president, senators and senators-at-large are all elected to one-year terms. There are senators elected for each college, with the number of senators determined by the size of the college they represent. To apply, visit the Get Involved page.

Official campaigning will begin Monday, and voting will take place in March.

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“Student Government candidate deadline approaches” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

As part of The Cougar’s Sex Edition, we got four UH students to enter a sex shop for the first time. The Cougar caught their reactions.

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“Video: “First time in a sex shop”” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar