“When I found out we had won, I immediately felt incredibly humbled and honored to be a Gator,” Sharp said. “I knew at that moment that despite the negativity surrounding my campaign, my peers had the insight to see my true character and disregarded everything else.”

After announcing their campaign, fliers circulated the campus that targeted Sharp’s sexual orientation with the words “WANT AIDS?” above a picture of Sharp with a large X on it, and “Don’t support the Isaac and Kris homosexual agenda” at the bottom. On the back was medical information from a physician visit, including his HIV status and prescribed medication, along with his home address and telephone number.

Sharp said graffiti stating “Isaac + Kris=AIDS” popped up in bathrooms later on.

“I knew my sexuality could possibly be an issue — I didn’t really think it would be since it’s 2013,” Sharp said. “I was expecting some attacks, maybe some debates, but I never would have thought it would go to the level it went to.”

Director of Media Relations Claire Caton said the university is trying to find the person responsible but no recent updates in the criminal investigation have been made.

Sharp said he has decided to put the past behind him and would like to start focusing on his duties as vice president of SGA, which he will assume in June. Sharp and Valdez will focus their attention on campus eco-friendly initiatives and updated technology. They also plan to educate students on diversity and acceptance.

“I will remain committed to changing the culture of beliefs on our campus and work to foster an educational environment that is accepting of all people from all walks of life,” Sharp said. “If and when we find out who did this, I will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that nothing like this happens at UHD again.”

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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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“While growing up in a low income area of Houston, not far from the University of Houston, I encountered some days where food was not very plentiful,” he said.

Local non profit, Stop Hunger Now, can package about 10,000 meals in two hours with just 40 to 50 volunteers. | Courtesy of Pierce Stewart

As the community director of Houston expansion for Stop Hunger Now, Stewart, a graduate of the C.T. Bauer School of Business, gets to help people in the same situation he was in.

Stop Hunger Now, an organization created to break the cycle of poverty, will be opening a new location in Houston this year.

“When I researched Stop Hunger Now, I realized that its mission to help the world’s most vulnerable aligned with my personal mission to use my God-given abilities to make the world a better place,” he said.

Chief marketing officer Emily B. Everett said she was inspired to get involved with the organization by its founder, the Rev. Ray Buchanan.

“Stop Hunger Now was created by Ray as an entrepreneurial model for providing rapid, cost-effective responses to international crisis situations,” Everett said. “Driven by a vision of a world without hunger, the organization provides food and life-saving aid to the world’s most vulnerable and aims to create a movement to end hunger.”

Stewart said the organization receives a lot of help from volunteers.

“A group of 40 to 50 volunteers can package 10,000 meals in just two hours,” he said.

Stop Hunger Now is providing more to the community than mere meals; it’s offering a future, Everett said.

“Stop Hunger Now helps break the cycle of poverty for meal recipients through education, skills development and health care, while they also receive much-needed nutrition,” she said. “The majority of our meals go to support school feeding, vocational training, early childhood development programs as well as to orphanages and medical clinics.”

Stewart said there are more than enough resources in the world to be able to keep everyone fed.

“The world has actually produced enough food to feed itself since the 1960s — enough to feed everyone 4.3 pounds of food each day,” he said.

Everett said Stop Hunger Now is expanding so it can share the world’s abundant food supply.

“Stop Hunger Now operates meal packaging locations in 18 cities throughout the U.S. and international locations in South Africa and Malaysia,” she said. “Four new locations are slated to open in 2013, including Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Mexico and Italy.”

Stewart encourages everyone to get involved by visiting Facebook.com/StopHungerNow-Houston for more information.

“Stop Hunger Now will be hosting a meal packaging showcase event in the Greater Houston area on Wednesday, May 8, 2013,” he said. “For more information about the showcase and other local events, visit our Facebook page.”

The organization has expanded, reaching out to various parts of the world, and that is something Everett said she takes pride in.

“Stop Hunger Now has delivered aid and disaster relief supplies in the form of food, medicines, medical supplies, medical equipment, clothing, school supplies and more to thousands of disaster victims and other hungry and vulnerable people in 83 countries,” she said.

Stewart said he believes we can end world hunger soon with a little effort.

“We have the resources. We know where to go. We strive with the hunger community to end apathy towards hunger and create a movement to end hunger in our lifetime,” he said.

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Forty-eight years ago from Tuesday, the Astrodome opened its doors. Since then it has housed the rodeo, football and baseball games, and even Hurricane Katrina victims. One graduate, Ryan Slattery, hopes to persuade people of the city to preserve the Houston landmark. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

What began as a casual conversation with a friend has, within days, received significant media attention and become a prevalent topic of discussion among Houstonians. Former graduate student Ryan Slattery’s idea to reduce the Astrodome to its metal frame and create green space beneath it was made public on Reddit.com and has since been acknowledged on various forums, from the Houston Chronicle to Mayor Annise Parker’s Facebook page.

“It was the first of its kind,” Slattery said. “Literally, there was nothing like it in the world. Houston is slowly becoming a city with no history, and this is a history you want to hold on to.”

Turning it into a parking lot is among the countless ideas under consideration with regard to what should be done with the Astrodome, but Slattery presents an idea, which may appease those concerned with economics and those interested in historic preservation.

Rafael Longoria, professor and co-director of Graduate Studies at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, said all Master of Architecture candidates complete a master project as a capstone of their professional program. The project was designed for students to explore architectural problems they felt needed to be addressed. Slattery completed his project and received his master’s in the Fall.

Slattery said he considered a lot of ideas in Houston before deciding on his project.

“I looked at architectural problems throughout the city — the idea of green vs. gray, historical preservation and responsible repurposing of facilities that have outlived their function,” Slattery said.

He said that because the Astrodome is what people think about when referring to Houston, he used it to further those over-arching conversations about things that need to be addressed across the city — not just the dome. Although his proposal may not resolve the systemic problem, the hope is that it offers some semblance of a solution to the various issues.

“It’s not just, ‘What do we do with the dome?’ The issue has always been bigger than that,” Slattery said.

Slattery also said stripping it down to its metal frame would provide flexible green space, which could be used in a variety of ways.

“This is something we can use to promote the history of our city as well as our ability to preserve that history in a constructive way — one that repurposes built objects in a functional, practical manner,” Slattery said.

Longoria said students present their projects publicly to a group of guest “jurors” from around the country during jury week. They are offered feedback on the relevance of their projects, their design and technical skills, along with the ability to communicate graphically and verbally.

“Having it in the public realm is kind of like a jury. You not only get people who appreciate them and like the idea, but you’re also getting people who have a different way of looking at preserving the Astrodome. And those opinions matter just as much,” Slattery said.

Slattery survived jury week, and he’ll be under a little less pressure the next time his project will be on display — following the University commencement in May, particular students will be distinguished for their master projects at the college’s awards ceremony.

Since the Astrodome is owned by the residents of Harris County, the ultimate decision rests with the Harris County Commissioners Court. Joe Stinebaker, communications director for county judge Ed Emmett, said using the dome’s external structure as a covered shell has been one of the primary uses discussed in previous years.

But as with every proposal, the problem is money.

“Almost everyone in Harris County and Texas has an idea about what to do with the Astrodome,” Stinebaker said. “Ideas are abundant. But the money to implement those ideas is not.”

He said Emmett believes that, ultimately, the fate of the dome will likely be presented to county taxpayers in the form of a bond election.

Slattery said he understands no undertaking of this scale is going to be cheap.

“The idea of millions should give anyone pause,” Slattery said. “But to discard history because preserving it is hard is a problem for me.”

Regardless of the outcome, Slattery said he wants the focus to remain on improving Houston and remaining true to its past.

“(The focus is) how we approach how our city is shaped — as designers, as public officials and as citizens — and how we preserve our history,” Slattery said.

“Yes, these projects cost money and yes, they take time, but conversation is cheap. You don’t lose anything by simply continuing the conversation,” he said.

As a native Houstonian and someone who attended the playoff game against the Atlanta Braves — the last game the Astros played in the Astrodome — this piece of history holds a certain sentiment for Slattery.

“If they demolish the dome, you very well might see a grown man cry,” Slattery said. “But if I can further the conversation in a constructive way, I can take some solace in that.”

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Last year’s Shell Eco-marathon Americas event brought competitors of all ages. | Courtesy of Stephanie Lasseigne

Whichever team creates the car that goes the farthest distance using the least amount of energy, wins the weekend-long competition — hosted by Houston for four years in a row — in Discovery Green Park and George R. Brown Convention Center.

The goal is to challenge last year’s 2,188 miles per gallon accomplishment.

Mechanical engineering technology senior Quan Ta, the leader for team Gladius, said he is confident in his team’s vehicle — a biodiesel-powered vehicle about the size of the original Mini Cooper.

“We are passionate and dedicated,” Ta said. “Our focus is to win the competition in the Urban Concept category with our biodiesel car.”

Leading the rival Daedalus team, mechanical engineering technology senior Michael Aselin said he has worked for 11 months and is hopeful his team’s hydrogen-fueled cell car will win.

“We have a good, robust design,” Aselin said. “Our team work and communication skills have proved to be our strongest assets.”

Shell Eco-marathon started as the Shell Mileage Marathon in 1939 between employees of Shell at a research laboratory in Wood River, Ill. The engineers asked themselves, “How far can we go on a gallon of gas?”

The answer then was 50 miles.

With more than two successful decades in Europe, this mileage challenge came back to the U.S. with the debut of Shell Eco-marathon Americas in April 2007 to continue to challenge the brightest minds for innovative solutions to the energy challenge.

“As the energy capital of the world, as well as Shell’s US headquarters, Houston seemed a natural choice for this new setting,” said Project Manager Ignacio Gonzalez.

“Moving the mileage challenge to Shell’s US hometown also provided the chance to demonstrate to employees and Houstonians alike our deep commitment to find responsible, sustainable solutions to address the growing demand for energy worldwide.”

From design to finance, Shell Eco-marathon students learn to manage a project from start to finish while continuing to build their skills in science, technology, mathematics and business.

“This competition has challenged me as an engineering student in both design and fabrication,” Ta said. “Logistics with suppliers and outside services have to be well maintained to get products on time — this is something you can’t teach in a classroom. There will always be a better way to do something. Sometimes it is hard to spot the defect.”

New to Shell Eco-marathon Americas is an interactive learning experience that provides visitors who are interested in engineering and technology a unique opportunity to engage with energy solutions through hands-on displays and activities.

In addition to the vehicle challenge, this year’s event will include a “Mobility Footprint Zone” that includes a kinetic dance floor and allows visitors to race toy cars powered by salt water.

Also included is the Formula 1 Car Display by Shell, a “Yellow Brick Road Tour” that guides visitors through the past, present and future of energy efficiency as well as the “mPowering Action Mobile Recording Studio” debuted at the 2013 Grammy’s that offers visitors the chance to record songs or messages about their own energy solutions for the future.

Shell introduced a new off-track award – The Global Energy Challenge: A Look to the Future. This new award asks the students participating in Shell Eco-marathon to share their thoughts on how the world can meet its changing energy demands.

Participating students were asked to submit an infographic answering an energy-related question prior to arriving at the event. Winners will be announced during the award ceremony on Sunday night.

This program is part of Shell’s efforts to find alternative sources of energy.

“Concerns are escalating about the planet’s finite resources and the increasing pressures they will be placed under by a growing, aging and more affluent population in the coming decades,” Gonzalez said.

“We are going to need to work together to find a solution to the problem, so these hands-on displays and activities are a manifestation of our desire to engage everyone, not just participating teams, in thinking about a sustainable future.”

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With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between UH and Houston Community College, more undergraduate and graduate programs will be offered to students. “Our plan is to start with offering courses in Subsea Engineering beginning in Fall 2013,” said Marshall Scott, associate vice chancellor for Planning and Administration. | Aisha Bouderdaben/The Daily Cougar

The UH System recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Houston Community College-Northwest that will expand degree options for students in the West Houston and Katy areas.

UH System at Cinco Ranch is a college that offers undergraduate and graduate programs, and many of the undergraduate programs will be moved to HCC-Katy campus. In turn, HCC-Katy will also begin to offer more professional programs like cosmetology, horticulture and EMT.

“Our plan is to start with offering courses in Subsea Engineering beginning in Fall 2013,” said Marshall Scott, associate vice chancellor for Planning and Administration.

“Over the next few years, we are looking to add programs in other areas that align with the needs of the energy industry like engineering, geosciences, supply chain and logistics and non-credit short courses for working professionals. The first new courses will be offered in Fall 2013 with more expansion to take place in 2014 and 2015.”

The partnership will offer more professional and graduate programs for UHS at Cinco Ranch, thus turning the campus into a graduate degree center. Subsea Engineering, offered at UH since Spring 2011, is the only degree program of its kind in the nation.

“The main point of the affiliation with HCC-Katy is that it allows UHS to transition many of its undergraduate programs from UHS at Cinco Ranch to HCC-Katy,” Scott said.

“Over the next few years, UH and UHS will be expanding programs that align with the career and professional development needs of major employers in the Katy area, especially energy companies. The goal is to create a high-quality, graduate and professional education center to serve the greater Katy area,” he said.

Full-time faculty and adjunct professors from UH will be teaching the new programs offered by UHS at Cinco Ranch, allowing for students living in West Houston or Katy to study much closer to home.

“We are committed to working in tandem with the UH System to offer a wider variety of academic programs leading to a Bachelor’s degree,” said HCC-Northwest President Zachary Hodges.

“We are also exploring programs and partnerships to better serve the workforce needs of West Houston, especially health careers in partnership with Coleman College.”

The memorandum states the partnership between UHS and HCC is planned to be long term. UH students who are interested in enrolling for classes at UHS at Cinco Ranch can do so in the way they enroll for classes at the main campus. For more information about UHS at Cinco Ranch, please visit cincoranch.uh.edu.

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Kristopher Sharp, UH-Downtown vice presidential candidate for the Student Government Association, was targeted in anonymously posted fliers across campus that attack him for being HIV-positive. | Courtesy of Kristopher Sharp

The UH-Downtown police department launched a criminal investigation last week into the circulation of fliers that targeted the sexual orientation and HIV-positive status of a potential candidate for student body vice president.

Social work junior Kristopher Sharp, and his planned running mate, applied mathematics junior Isaac Valdez, meet the stipulations for running and are working to complete all the required paperwork but have not yet been approved.

The front of the flier had the words “WANT AIDS?” above a picture of Sharp with a large X on it, and “Don’t support the Isaac and Kris homosexual agenda” at the bottom. On the back was medical information from a physician visit, including his HIV status and prescribed medication, along with his home address and telephone number.

Director of Media Relations Claire Caton said the university is seriously addressing the situation and trying to find the person responsible.

“We’re taking this incident very seriously,” Caton said. “Of course, any time our students’ rights are violated, we take that very seriously.”

When Dean of Students Tommy Thomason called Sharp into his office Tuesday morning, Sharp said he thought he wanted to talk to him about the election — the actual objective was to gather information for campus police to begin an internal criminal investigation.

Sharp said the first thing he wondered about when he found out was how quickly he could change schools.

“I knew my sexuality could possibly be an issue — I didn’t really think it would be since it’s 2013,” Sharp said. “I was expecting some attacks, maybe some debates, but I never would have thought it would go to the level it went to.”

He was shocked to hear everything was protected under the First Amendment and could not be considered hate speech because proper words, like AIDS and homosexual, were used on the flier.

He said Thomason told him if slang had been used, it could have been considered slander. He said he was basically told there was nothing they could do about it.

The clinic Sharp goes to, Thomas Street Health Center, is a few blocks away from the school, and patients will not be seen without proper documentation — even with an appointment. He doesn’t have a car, so he brought a folder of the required medical information with him. As a student senator, he shares a common office space with the other members of the Student Government Association and believes someone got the information from his briefcase when he was away.

While some students have been giving him a hard time, he has not lost the support of his running mate.

“(Isaac’s) been a trooper,” Sharp said. “If I was him, and I was straight, I’d probably drop me.”

Sharp sent an email to several news outlets and posted a response on Facebook, making it clear they would not respond to the negativity by engaging in illicit behavior.

“We will instead continue to progress in our campaign to enhance the student experience at the University of Houston-Downtown for all students — no matter their race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.”

The LGBT community rallied in support of him, and when he told friend and social worker January Leo that he wanted to quit, Sharp said she told him if he did that, “the other people win.”

Shap said Leo encouraged him to keep moving forward and helped him find the silver lining in the situation.

“A lot of negative stuff came out of this, but in the end, I think one positive thing is that we’re bringing light to the stigma associated with HIV because it’s still socially acceptable to ostracize someone who is HIV positive,” Sharp said.

He said he thinks it’s important if the LGBT community is trying to change the way people view AIDS/HIV, to be open and show there are people with the virus who are doing normal things and living normal lives.

“It’s not as debilitating as it was in the ’80s or ’90s – I take one pill a day,” he said. “They decided to play off the stigma of AIDS and orchestrate this: ‘You don’t want this guy to be your leader because he has AIDS.’”

Sharp is planning to talk to the police about the situation before the end of the week. He anticipates them asking if he wants to pursue charges and said he will say no. He doesn’t want anyone to go to jail — just an apology and the rest of his medical information.

“I just want to know why they did it,” Sharp said.

“Truth be told, we can keep that between us, as long as the person comes forward and speaks to me. I’ve been able to reflect, and I really just want an apology.”

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UH has become a major player this year by holding campus and residence hall tours for the participating students and by having the award ceremonies held at the Cullen Performance Hall. The fair has provided an educational service to junior and senior high school students since the 1960s.

“Houston is this scientific hub,” said Mark Smith, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “And supporting and cultivating the local minds is extremely important to our city’s success.”

Retired NASA astronaut and engineer Bonnie Dunbar, the leader the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Center, offered the contestants her advice at the ceremonies.

“Developing a pipeline for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics will play a major role in the sustained growth and stability of the U.S. economy and is a critical component to helping our nation win the future,” Dunbar said.

“To address the grand challenges of this great country, we need the new ideas, new companies and new industries created by STEM careers. This has been historically, and will be in the future, the key to great progress in Texas and the U.S.”

The Science and Engineering Fair of Houston has promoted the learning and applications of science and technology for Texas middle and high school students.

UH’s goal is to generate a steady stream of bright and talented students with an interest in the STEM fields to contribute to the growing scientific industries and health care facilities located in the city and state, Dunbar said.

Dunbar offered more words of encouragement to the young students.

“I just don’t see obstacles,” Dunbar said. “I see challenges. I like solving problems.”

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UHYP works to assist UH through its emphasis on educating alumni on the Texas legislative process and works as a subsidiary of the UH Political Action Committee, which focuses on giving non-partisan support to incumbent legislators and politicians who support higher education in Texas and the UH System. This support goes beyond monetary donations and often sends members to Austin in order to meet with legislators.

“Each one of our events has the combined purpose to educate folks, to energize them and to send them out ready to take action and to take ownership of the legislative process,” said Andrew Cobos, the group’s board chairman.

UHYP holds about four events a year where members can relax, meet each other and network.

“These events aren’t so much geared at fundraising. What they’re geared towards is generating excitement and enthusiasm and educating people, so should we in the future need them to call on their legislator, we can do that,” Cobos said.

In the only formal words given during the night, Cobos thanked the members present for attending the happy hour and spoke briefly about the Young Professionals and introduced some important people there that night.

Student Government Association President Cedric Bandoh, who was elected the same morning, also spoke about changes that are happening within the University and thanked UHYP for its support.

“I’ve sat on the host committee for many of (UHYP’s) events, so my job is just to really spread the word about events like this. (These) events help to continue our Tier One efforts,” Bandoh said.

“The chancellor does (her) part (and) the Board of Regents does their part, but I believe we need to get more young people, involved in the political process.”

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Mayor Parker, along with the other honorees, shared her experiences at her table. | Dina Kesbeh/The Daily Cougar

One of those recognized was Mayor Annise Parker, who advocated finding a career that you love.

“It is always easier to do work that you care about. You don’t go through the motions. Find something that you are passionate about and figure out how to make a living out of it. I’m excited to go to work every day,” Parker said.

In addition to offering inspiration to their female peers, speakers — and the luncheon as a whole — intended to raise awareness of their community.

“We are raising funds for the University, and women get a sense of what other women are doing in the community,” said Elizabeth Gregory, director of WGSS.

Women from all backgrounds came together at the event to discuss the importance of supporting women’s studies and empowering women to reach for success.

“You meet a lot of new people, and see women from so many different professions. I’m very inspired by it. It was a wonderful experience and I look forward to coming back again,” said Drucie Chase, who was one of the 50 women honored.

Table Talk is not only a day to honor successful women, it is also to show their diversity.

Beth Wolff, who established her own realtor company called Wolff and Associates, spoke about her struggle as a single mom trying to climb her way to success and give her children a stable foundation.

Wolff is just one of the 50 women who spoke about the battles they had to fight in order to get where they are now.

“I graduated from UH with a degree in entrepreneurship, the advice I give to the students studying entrepreneurship is that you are in good hands,” Wolff said. “UH has one of the top entrepreneurship programs. I didn’t start at the top. I had to work my way up while raising my two kids on my own.”

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MacGregor Park, Park at Palm Center and Nelson (George T.) Park will be connected with the Houston Bayou Greenway Trail, creating the new 31-mile Brays Bayou Trail.

“Houston Bayou Greenway Initiative” is being coordinated by UH; the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program; and The National Park service.

Carroll Parrott Blue, principal investigator for the National Endowment for the Arts who funded Southeast Houston Arts Initiative based at UH, believes Houston has a lot more to offer than advances in energy.

“While touted as the world’s energy capital, Houston is also a lush green canopy of trees and multiple waterways of bayous, streams and lakes,” Blue said.

The goal of the project is to make more of these hidden spaces available to Houstonians, according to Margarita Reza, a chemistry freshman and leader of the UH grassroots group.

“Currently, only 27 percent of Houston community can access parkland within walking distance. With this project, that percentage will increase to 60 percent,” Reza said.

Reza noted that in order for the expansion to be successful, they need consistant financial backing.

“Our goal is to encourage City Council and keep them on board with the project,” Reza said. “Work has already started in some places, but lack of funding will impede progress.”

Roksan Okan-Vick, executive director of the Houston Parks Board, believes the project is worth the price tag.

“Houston Bayou Greenways is an approximately $480 million project that will be tackled by many public and private stakeholders in several phases over 10 to 15 years,” Okan-Vick said.

“When complete, the greater Houston area will have added 4,000 acres of new and equitably distributed green spaces that can also serve the function of flood control and storm water quality enhancement.”

Blue agrees these additions to the parks will help change Houston for the better.

“Houston’s leaders signal much promise in Houston becoming a green and sustainable city. The Houston Bayou Greenway Initiative proposes to employ a series of connecting bike and hike trails to link all bayous to each other,” Blue said.

“This new UH-Southeast Houston partnership, with the National Park Service’s RTCA program, will help us to achieve our goal of connecting UH to Southeast Houston by making most of Houston’s 656.3 sq. miles accessible by bike or hike bayou trails.”

Reza has a completion date in sight.

“We would like to see the expansion and preservation of all the Houston parks and bayou trails by 2020,” Reza said.

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Known for his relentlessness in his investigations, Dolcefino ended his 26-year stint with the station in November. Since then he has created a communications company with his namesake.

Throughout his career of exposing corruption in the community, Dolcefino has won 25 Emmys while simultaneously being accused, in multiple lawsuits, of libel.

SPJ is a national organization to protect the rights of journalists given by the First Amendment and to unite the media industry.

A brief SPJ meeting precedes the event and light refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to nonmembers. Guests are encouraged to RSVP to houstonspj@hotmail.com.

Editor’s Note: This event has been postponed because of weather conditions.

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Beginning in January, students will have access to one more Subway on campus. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

Students will have another dining location in January when Subway opens its doors inside the Cougar Xpress Market of Calhoun Lofts.

More than 15,000 people went to Hermann Square in front of city hall for Energy Day 2012 in downtown Houston Saturday, where UH teamed up with the Consumer Energy Alliance and about 70 exhibitors put together modern and state-of-the-art exhibits illustrating innovation, efficiency and conservation of energy.

“Energy Day is an official city of Houston event designed to strengthen Houston’s image as the ‘energy capital of the world,’” said David Holt, president of Consumer Energy Alliance, in a statement.  “We are thrilled that UH, a highly regarded energy educational institution, has signed on to partner with us.”

Other attractions included kid-friendly and hands-on demonstrations, booths focused on scientific advances and exploring career opportunities in the energy field, live music and food — all geared toward educating the attendees about the energy industry.

“UH has identified energy as a key strategic focus for faculty research and teaching, and we are focused on becoming the ‘energy university,’” said Rathindra Bose, UH’s vice chancellor for Research and Technology, in a news release.

The event will highlight the great efforts being made at UH concerning energy research, Bose said.

“Energy Day is a unique venue that lets the Houston general public see the energy research and education endeavors at UH,” said Alex Ignatiev, director of the Center for Advanced Materials and coordinator for Campus Energy Day.

UH energy sustainability efforts have been advanced over the past several years with UH attaining a B+ score on the National Green Report, and silver status in the Association for Advancement in Sustainability in Higher Education, Ignatiev said.

By partnering with CEA, the University shows its expanding efforts in promoting the city’s energy industry and future through various energy-related and educational programs.

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“We are donating the splash pad to the neighborhood because we wanted to support its efforts to revitalize this community,” said Reliant spokesperson Pat Hammond. “We really just wanted to demonstrate the possibilities of solar power.”

The park is scheduled to open to the public later this fall and will benefit the surrounding area. Reliant hopes that it will be fully powered by solar energy by next year. However, the solar power is more than just an energy source.

“There will be educational components of the park that will explain how solar power is working,” Hammond said.

“We wanted to give an opportunity to educate the public about the possibilities of solar power. What people don’t realize is that those applications are actually simple and available now.”

The splash pad will be open year-round, and will store energy over the fall and winter when it might not be as widely used. According to the Houston Chronicle, it will be powered and shaded by 18 solar panels.

“(The solar paneling) was one of the offerings by Reliant Energy in terms of sharing and increasing the awareness about the advantages and efficiency of solar panels,” said Kathy Payton, president and CEO of the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation.

“The Reliant Renaissance is translating projects for communities that intend to educate. It brings rare opportunities to our community, and this splash pad is a way to offer a calm and invitational environment.”

Payton hopes that the splash pad will be used by everyone, not just members of the Fifth Ward community.

“It will create a gathering community in terms of multiple generations and a lot of families and students,” Payton said. “(The splash pad will be used by) youth and children, in terms of the math and science department, as well as the splash pad, as well as parents of those kids and people from the community outside of the Fifth Ward.”

In May 2012, UH installed a solar array on top of the Central Power Plant, which brings the solar connection right to the University.

“It will create an information network that will bring people, who are not from the Fifth Ward community, to our neighborhood to see the changes and restoration that is taking place. Hopefully, they’ll want to be a part of that transformation process,” Payton said.

For more information, visit www.uh.edu/af/greenUH/index.htm, or check on the current status of UH’s grid at www.enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public/systems/RhzL65901.

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Edit at 2:32 p.m.: Reliant spokesperson Pat Hammond’s name was adjusted from “Hammon” to “Hammond”

After the trial judge ruled on Sept. 11 that TxDOT could remove the burials, the Harris County Historical Commission filed a notice of appeal the following day. The pathway will be blocked off while the case is being appealed.

“I have attempted to describe archaeological methods as they apply to contract or salvage archaeology as it has been applied by TxDOT and THC in the case of this site,” said Kenneth Brown, a UH archaeology professor. “I testified in court concerning the state law that is being used by TxDOT and THC to remove the burials they have currently identified and any others that they might find.”

With his archaeological backgrounds, Brown is deemed an expert witness.

“I am an archaeologist who has conducted a number of contract projects in Texas and elsewhere, and I have some experience with the question of prehistoric burials and working with members of the First Nations in dealing with burials and their repatriation,” Brown said.

Despite the findings of animal bones, the court dispute is over human burials, with each burial including a variety of body parts.

Brown said the site consists of two major components: one estimated to be around 2,000 years old and the second possibly more than 9,000. All of the current burials appear to have been placed between 5,000 and 1,000 years ago. Court testimony put the number of graves at two, but that number has grown.

“Both the THC and TxDOT archaeologists consider (these findings) both major components to be critical for understanding Native American life in this portion of Texas,” Brown said. “The components are rare and have or will provide important, new information on Native Americans. The burials are important, but THC and TxDOT will not be permitting scientific tests beyond standard demographic ones.”

The lawsuit is being handled by Assistant County Attorney Clarissa Bauer, who is hoping to find a balance between TxDOT’s interests in getting the toll way built quickly versus the advancement of human knowledge from a site rich in artifacts — human as well as non-human.

“My client, HCHC, intervened in the lawsuit. It believed that this archaeological site contained important data about the late archaic and early ceramic periods,” Bauer said.

“Basically, the site had the potential to expand our knowledge of early human occupation on this continent.”

The HCHC believes it’s in the public’s interest to maximize the scientific and historical knowledge which could be derived from the site, according to Bauer.

The case is still on going as the appeal is being processed.

Any students wishing to learn more about archaeology can check out the course catalog for the UH Department of Anthropology at www.uh.edu/academics/catalog/colleges/las/courses/anth/.

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West Nile virus is transmitted via mosquito bite. Students should kill any they see. | Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

This season, public health experts suggest that fall classes aren’t the only things for which students should brace themselves.

Students also need to take precautions against the West Nile virus — instances of the virus have increased by 40 percent since last week, according to the CDC — especially considering many college students are on the way to or from classes at dusk or dawn.

“It’s a bit impractical to always remain indoors at dusk and dawn. If you are outside, then use a repellent with DEET, Picaridin or the oil of lemon eucalyptus. They’re very easy to purchase,” said Floyd Robinson, director of the UH Health Center.

Cases of West Nile in dead birds have been detected in Harris county, according to Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services.

Every year, HCPHES releases information about how residents can protect themselves from the threat of illness carried by mosquitoes. It suggests not only that residents use repellent to stay safe, but also that mosquito attracting environments such as standing water and lawn clippings be removed from public areas.

“Mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus in Harris County are nighttime fliers. They also like to come indoors,” said Sandy Kachur, the senior public information officer at HCPHES.

According to the CDC, cat or dog owners should not use DEET-based insect repellents on the animals, because of the chance that the animal could ingest the repellent. The CDC also says that if a cat or dog contracts the West Nile Virus, it is likely to recover fully.

UH is also taking steps to ensure that mosquitoes are less of a threat on campus.

“The campus is involved with spraying mosquitoes, but sometimes the mosquitoes try to get away and rush into our buildings,” Robinson said.

Kachur is much more direct about the solution.

“If you see any mosquito inside, kill it,” Kachur said.

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The history of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County and UH began with the construction of the southeast light-rail line, but the legacy of Houston public transportation dates back further than UH.

According to Engines of Our Ingenuity No. 1458, the first operation of electric streetcars in Houston began in 1891 with the publicly accessible electric transit and ended in 1940.

The METRORail opened in downtown 64 years later. The sole operating light rail, known as the Red Line, runs from UH-Downtown to the medical district. A public referendum passed in 2003 for four other lines and an extension to the Red Line, with plans to be completed by 2012.

Deadlines for the Southeast, East End, University and Uptown lines shifted after the 2008 recession partially from funding issues. Investigations from the Harris County District Attorney in 2010 added to the disorder. Continued public unrest over a lack of transparency with former members of the Metro board and conflicts of interest in the Metro Political Action Committee also had detrimental effects on the progression.

Funding for the rail lines, which comes in part from a $640 million bond approved during the 2003 referendum, is bolstered by sales tax revenues, mainly from Harris County. Metro also has a full-funding grant agreement with the Federal Transit Administration, surpassing the $640 million bond.

Southeast Line construction near the east side of Scott Street has been irregular because of problems with traffic congestion and property rights. University and Metro officials reached an agreement on Aug. 1 to continue construction of the Southeast Line on  Wheeler and Scott Streets.

“Metro continues talking and working with the University of Houston administration on details regarding construction of METRORail’s new Southeast Line,” said Jerome Gray, Metro vice president and senior press officer.

“Earlier this month, we successfully reached a deal to start the next phase of construction. Metro is doing everything possible to see that light-rail service is available to students, faculty and the southeast community in 2014.”

Construction on the southeast extension — also known as the Purple Line — runs from Smith Street downtown to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Griggs Street. According to www.gometrorail.org, the 6.6-mile route is scheduled to open in 2014.

Gate station crossings are expected near Elgin and Scott Streets, Scott and Cleburne Streets, Wheeler Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and at MacGregor Park.

However, according to Richard Bonnin, UH executive director of media relations, the property has not been worked on since the deal with Metro was made, and no further negotiations have been made since.

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The effects of high concentration in ozone can be dangerous; the pollutants can trigger asthma attacks, and mortality rates rise slightly in the days following the peak, said Barry Lefer, a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences who studies pollution and climate change. Even healthy individuals can experience negative health effects.

“It’s kind of like a sunburn on your lungs,” Lefer said. “It’s oxidizing them and burning them, so you’ll have shortness of breath and dizziness.”

Lefer and his UH colleagues collect data from five monitoring towers around Houston, one of which is located on the University of Houston’s main campus.

“We can see how much pollution is coming towards Houston, how much pollution is in Houston and how much pollution is being exported out of town,” Lefer said.

“What’s different about (Tuesday) compared to other days? Every day you have people driving their cars and the power plants doing their thing and the oil refineries doing their stuff,” Lefer said. “The answer is the weather.”

Ozone levels rise on hot, sunny days when the wind isn’t blowing, Lefer said.

“(Ozone) doesn’t come out of the tailpipes of cars; it doesn’t come out of the power plants. It’s the precursors that come out,” he said. “So on a windy day, all that stuff gets blown out of town, but on these days with very light wind speed, it has time to cook.”

Children and people who have lung conditions like asthma are especially susceptible, Lefer said, but everyone should be careful about exerting themselves outside when the ozone levels are at an unhealthy level.

“The problem is that on days like today, it’s really nice,” Lefer said. “Often times, people go out and exercise, which is what you don’t want to do.”

As to the long term health effects of pollution, people who grow up in high-pollution areas like Houston tend to have weaker lungs, Lefer said.

It’s unusual for ozone levels to spike at this time of year; ozone concentration usually peaks once in April or May and again in August, September or October, Lefer said.

“There’s sort of two peaks in ozone,” he said. “But every year is different, because it’s really weather dependent.”

Jamie Dimon (left) has been JP Morgan Chase & Co.’s CEO since March of 2008. | Courtesy of Cameron McHugh

Issues including the global economy, particularly the Euro-crisis, sovereign debt and the effect of the financial crisis on capital markets worldwide were the focus of a lecture given by JP Morgan Chase & Co’s chief executive officer Jamie Dimon on Wednesday at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

Dimon said there is an increase in global demand for financial services because of the increase in educated workers in foreign markets. He said the amount of clients has doubled worldwide through the increase in client needs within global capital markets.

JP Morgan Chase & Co. does not focus on developed and developing countries, but rather on addressing the needs of each individual country. He said he asks where the clients are going to determine where his company goes.

Social responsibility is also important among corporations, and corporate executives should not be able to run away with large amounts of money while their companies crumble beneath them, he said. His company spends $300 million a year on philanthropic projects and he highlighted the fact that JP Morgan & Chase did not require a federal bail-out.

The speech was followed by a questionnaire moderated by Edward P. Djerejian, former US ambassador to Syria and Israel and the founding director of the Baker Institute for Public Policy. The questionnaire focused on student loans, Occupy Wall Street and the “too big to fail” mentality of banks.

Many banks are skeptical about giving loans to university students because graduation rates are about 50 percent, and they are concerned about the ability of students to pay the loans back in the future, Dimon said.

He said some banks engaged in practices that hurt the reputation of the financial industry, and if people wanted to change the industry practices, they would have to become involved in financially supporting hospitals and educational systems through supportive loans rather than protesting on the streets.

Regarding the US corporate tax structure and the proposed “Buffett Tax,” Dimon emphasized the importance of America’s ability to maintain a competitiveness over foreign countries. He said he and his colleagues have been presented with scenarios in which companies would have to choose new locations for manufacturing plants, and they always knew the plant would go overseas because of the favorable tax structures the countries offered.

He said creating jobs in the US should be a priority. Small businesses alone do not create jobs, he said, because large companies provide the capital required for the manufacturing and helped keep smaller companies afloat, and American jobs were created by the ability of these larger companies to continue servicing smaller ones.

Dimon said some big banks are necessary because there is a global market that requires servicing from larger banks, and large companies like Caterpillar cannot depend on smaller community banks to provide the services for their global operations and financial services.

At the end of the lecture Dimon stuck around to talk to and take pictures with members of the audience.

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