The student body has given their approval of the athletics referendum. The official results of the referendum were announced at noon today in the UC World Affairs Lounge. According to Executive Director of Learning and Assessment Services Patrick Daniel, the referendum was passed by a 4,745 vote margin.

“Of the 9,923 ballots casted, there were 7,334 in favor of the referendum,” Daniel said. “That means the referendum passes.”

UH students will start paying an additional $45 in student fees per semester to fund the construction, renovation and operation of athletic facilities if the increase is approved by the UH Board of Regents at their special meeting on March 27. If approved, the fee increase would take effect this fall.

Through the efforts of SGA, the athletics program and the Department of Student Affairs, 26.1 percent of the student body was mobilized to vote in the referendum.

According to Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Walker, this is the highest turnout ever for a UH student referendum. The previous highest turnout was in 1998 when 15 percent of UH students voted in the referendum for the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.

“What a great day for athletics, and really I believe a great day for this university,” said Athletics Director Mack Rhoades.

“This is a game changer. Fifteen years from now, 20 years from now we are going to look back at this day and say that was a significant moment in the turning point of our intercollegiate athletics program. Bottom line, we want to be the best. We want to make sure that we have an athletics program that every one of our students can be proud of. That we can have national visibility, that we can win championships, compete nationally, but do it the right way. So what a great day, and certainly you did not get here without a great team effort. I just can’t quit smiling.”

SGA Senator Jared Gogets credits the team work between the athletics department, the Department of Student Affairs and UH students for the success of the referendum.

“Before I say anything, anyone in SPB that wants to go back to the office, you can turn off the Adele and put my ice cream away because it passed and I don’t have to go in there and be depressed for the rest of the day,” said Gogets, who is president of Student Program Board.

Gogets said the passage of the referendum was an prime example of how the students, faculty and staff of UH can come together as one in order to move the University forward.

“Thank you to the thousands of students that went out and set the record for voting. Try to tell somebody that you guys don’t care about UH now because you went out there and you showed that you care about moving us forward, you care about Tier One and you care about the athletics program.”

Two of the seven books being removed from classrooms were published as a part of Arte Público Press’ Hispanic Civil Rights series.

“Chicano! The History of the Mexican Civil Rights Movement” by Arturo Rosales and “Message to Aztlán: Selected Writings” by Rodolfo Gonzales were banned, said a UH news release.

Both books deal with the Mexican American civil rights movement, and their removal follows the dismantling of Mexican studies in schools in the beginning of the year.

According to the news release, APP has moved into a larger location at UH’s Energy Research Park. They now have more storage space for books, additional offices for their staff, and room for state-of-the-art book scanners and equipment necessary for working with EBSCO to digitize recovered work written by Latinos from the colonial period to present day.

APP is the nation’s largest and most established publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by US Hispanic authors. Books in the series highlight women’s activism, immigration reform, educational equity, citizen participation in a democratic society, civic culture and racial/cultural relations.

“Twenty-five years ago, our books were stored in university classroom closets, and now they sit in a massive warehouse. But in Arizona, they’re going back into the closet,” said Marina Tristán, APP’s assistant director, in the release.

Faculty members in the history department of UH who deal with Mexican-American history also commented on this recent controversy.

“The decision by the school district to ban Chicano studies courses and ban the books taught is based on the flawed notion that Mexican-American history is not American history,” says Raul Ramos, also an associate professor.

“These policies will have the opposite effect legislators intend, resulting in division and discord rather than unity and mutual understanding.”

By removing records of any single period of history, the school district is keeping its students from fully understanding other historical events, said Monica Perales, an associate professor.

“I am truly saddened by the events taking place in Tucson,” Perales said.

“The thing about history is that there is no single narrative of the past; there are multiple intersecting and sometimes conflicting perspectives. The tragedy here is that not only are Latino students being denied the right to have their history and culture valued, but that all students are going to miss out on understanding the richness and complexity of the American experience.”

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The bill outlines the need for students to come forth and “do the right, responsible thing” when it comes to reporting incidents, particularly drug and alcohol-related situations, political science senior Michael McHugh said.

“Fear of police involvement is the number one reason why many drug and alcohol related incidences are not reported. Students think they may get in trouble, and they stay quiet,” McHugh said.

According to the Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s website, this bill would encourage people who witness or suffer an overdose to call 911 by assuring them they will not be arrested, charged or prosecuted for drug or paraphernalia possession or under-age alcohol possession.

Many prestigious universities have already adopted the bill, including Cornell, Duke and Harvard, McHugh said.

“With this policy, students will be (up to) two and a half times more likely to call for help immediately when witnessing alcohol incidents,” McHugh said. “Saving lives should never be considered criminal.”

The grade replacement bill discussions, a bill designed to allow students to retake a failed class and have the grade replaced, have come to a halt—for now.

“We’re not voting on the grade replacement policy tonight,” said Speaker of the Senate Reyes Ramirez. “We’re dealing with concerns from the Faculty Senate.”

According to Academic Affairs Chairman Maggie McCartney, she approached Faculty Director Simon Bott about the bill.  Bott then told her the grade replacement policy comes before the Faculty Senate every few years and every few years it is rejected.

The Faculty Senate’s concerns with the bill consist of implementing the program correctly and taking into consideration the students and the retention rate. The goal is for UH to continue to be recognized as Tier One and help students at the same time, according to Mike Nguyen, a former College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences senator.

“We’ll leave it in committee until we can get everything finalized,” McCartney said.

The proposal of the amended GENDA bill by McHugh is being put on hold.

“We figured we should take care of the students first, starting by holding off on this legislation. We (should) have more details on this by next week.”

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Approximately 15 students escaped the rain yesterday to enjoy hot cups of soup with the Council of Ethnic Organizations  in the University Center Spindletop room.

Students learned from members of the Council how to make Pistou, a French vegetable soup, and Egg Drop Soup with chicken.

“In each of our lessons, we try to have a vegetarian option and a meat-eater’s option,” said Jimmy Mai, a pre-pharmacy freshman.

Complications with the maximum heat of the electric stoves that the cooks were using — which were chosen because they allowed the group to avoid dealing with fire permits — led to some problems with the soup.

“I didn’t expect this not to boil at all,” French sophomore Erica Tat said about her Egg Drop Soup. “It’s a disaster.”

The Council chose soup for this event because January is National Soup Month, Mai said, but in this year alone, they have hosted four other cooking lessons.

“We’ll definitely be doing more,” Mai said.

The fact that the cooks did not have immediate access to a sink also made things difficult, Tat said.

“We can’t readily wash out utensils or pots to use again,” Tat said. “We have to find really, really simple recipes with as few ingredients as possible.”

The program “Let’s Talk” is open to all UH students, faculty and staff and is recommended for students who aren’t sure about counseling, students who have a specific problem, students who want guidance to help a friend with an issue and faculty or staff members who are concerned about a particular student or individual, said Kay Brumbaugh, outreach coordinator and psychologist.

“We understand that meeting with a therapist can be anxiety-provoking. What’s great about ‘Let’s Talk’ is that it’s a drop-in service where students can have informal consultations without committing to therapy,” Brumbaugh said.

“What we have discovered is that some students feel more comfortable after ‘Let’s Talk’ and decide to make a follow up appointment at CAPS for continued services.”

After the 15 minute session, a therapist will make recommendations as to what the best option for help would be, which may be a referral to CAPS, another UH department or an outside agency, Brumbaugh said.

“I believe this program will absolutely help students with their problems,” Brumbaugh said.

“It’s a great opportunity to casually speak with a therapist, hear what recommendations they may have, and see how counseling might help.”

The “Let’s Talk” therapists are staff from CAPS and consist of licensed psychologists, post-doctoral fellows and advanced graduate trainees in counseling and clinical psychology, said Brumbaugh.

For more information on this and other CAPS programs, go to www.caps.uh.edu/.

The only change, Speaker for the Senate Reyes Ramirez said, will be the inclusion of a talk by Faculty Director Simon Bott.

The senators will discuss — and possibly vote on — a grade replacement bill which will, under specific circumstances, allow students who have failed a class to have their grade replaced upon retaking the class, rather than have both grades factored into their GPA.

The senators will also be taking a look at a resolution that would officially set the stance of the SGA in support of providing stipends for students who must teach at elementary or secondary schools as part of their education.

Students who work as student teachers usually find it difficult to find employment elsewhere, according to the resolution’s text.

If the resolution is passed, SGA would work with other organizations to provide the students with stipends, the text said.

Michael McHugh will also introduce the new version of the GENDA bill, which would add gender identity to the non-discrimination section of the student handbook.

A resolution asking the Board of Regents to make the change was passed last semester. However, the Board returned it to the SGA, saying the senate was better suited to make minor changes in the student handbook.

The increase will go towards the construction of a new football stadium, the renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion, and the operation of athletic facilities.

Students can vote from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Athletics/Alumni Center, the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, Cougar Village, the Engineering Complex, M.D. Anderson Library, Melcher Hall, Moody Towers, the Moores School of Music, Philip Guthrie Hoffman Hall, the Science and Engineering Research Center, the University Center and the UC-Satellite.

Students need their peoplesoft ID number and date of birth to vote.

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Instead of collecting recyclables for weekly weigh-ins, the competitors must spread the word about recycling. This new strategy will still bring on friendly competition, but will also encourage the University to work together as a whole for the national contest to increase awareness and recycling on campus.

Students, faculty and staff can put together their own teams and are put in different categories based on the number of members. The three winning teams from each category will win a $100 catering credit and a certificate of recognition.

“(In the new competition) large teams aren’t bound by the amount of waste they can haul, and small teams aren’t bound by how much waste they create,” said Leah Wolfthal, program coordinator for sustainability. “The message reaches more people on campus, and we are modeling recycling and waste behaviors.”

Teams have until Feb. 6 to submit their registration packet, which they can find online at www.uh.edu/af/recyclemania/index.htm.

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The Recruitment Committee is looking for “students who have the desire to connect with the residents and also serve as resources for them” in potential resident assistants, said Jamica Johnson, area coordinator for Cougar Village.

The selection process entails a written or typed application, a group interview and an individual interview, Johnson said.

Betsy Galicia, a psychology pre-med senior, has been an RA since her sophomore year.

“As a senior RA, I guide the RAs in their responsibilities to get to know the residents. I can work with their skills, and I like that when they have a problem they actually come to me,” Galicia said.

She said the most rewarding part of being an RA is the leadership skills she has acquired and getting to know her fellow students better.

“It’s one of the jobs where I’ve had to really get to know people and not just casually. You actually live with these people,” she said. “It doesn’t feel like a job — it just feels like a social thing.”

Freshman Catherine Martin says her RAs have helped ease her into college life.

“They definitely pep up people by giving out cookies on rainy days or just asking how your day went,” she said.

Armando Hernandez, an architecture junior, said the RA job is much more than just desk hours and on-call shifts.

“I’m responsible for a male floor that consists of a little over 30 students,” he said. “I respond to issues they might have with school, roommates, relationships and pretty much anything they come to me with, positive or negative.”

Although every RA is required to work a certain number of hours at the desk per week and be available to assist the students living in their dorm, they are compensated with free housing and a meal plan.

Hernandez said he loves the people he has met — the residents as well as his RA team.

“I’m taking so much from this RA job, and I’m very thankful I was given the opportunity to become a part of RL&H on campus,” he said.

Applications are due Friday for the 2012-13 academic year, and must be turned in at the area coordinator’s office in Cougar Village. Students can find the application at housing.uh.edu/res-life.

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Students from UH and other Texas universities have researched and developed a levee system under the direction of Thomas Colbert of UH’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and in association with Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evaluation from Disasters Center.

The new levee would not only provide a safer alternative to Galveston’s outdated sea wall, but looks to attract more jobs while preserving a national park designed to protect the area’s ecosystem for the future generations, Colbert said.

“Enclosing the north side of Galveston to complete the levee system started by the seawall 100 years ago is necessary to attract economic development and growth to this historic and important economic center,” Colbert said. “People are not going to be attracted to build there if it’s not safe and it’s been repeatedly flooded.”

Cristhian Bisso, a fourth-year architecture student, visited Galveston and found an empty parking lot across the strand where his vision of landscapes, shops and even a theater would help create an attractive atmosphere for the visitor center.

“Levee systems are seen as something like an eye sore,” he said. “I wanted to create a very live-beat area around the levee system. This issue could be a great investment for the city — very beneficial.”

Projects of this caliber are presented to fourth- and fifth-year architecture students who are well-prepared to face serious challenges and offer different possible solutions, Colbert said.

Fourth-year student Mel Fuentes spent hours researching Galveston’s history and conducting site analysis and said this project has been a vital part of his educational process.

“It’s beneficial for us as architecture students to understand the reality of Galveston,” Fuentes said. “This is a new phase of growing, and it’s important for us to understand what’s happening in the real world of architecture.”

The Galveston levees project took three-and-a-half months to prepare and is the first project that Fuentes has been a part of that is being seriously considered.

“I personally hope that all the difficult politics and budgetary issues will be set aside so that this wonderful historic part of (the) Texas coast can be preserved for future generations,” Colbert said.

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This marks the second year that students walking through the University Center Arbor may have been set upon by lions.

The Council of Ethnic Organizations held a celebration of the Lunar New Year, a Chinese holiday, Monday.

“(Lunar New Year) is an opportunity to showcase the vibrancy of the culture,” said Sieda Omar, an economics senior and Council director.

Along with free dumplings and milk tea, the event featured the Son Long lion dance group.

The dancers are carrying on a tradition that is “thousands of years old” and were taught at Linh Son Temple, Southwest, said Long Le, a business junior.

The performers, dressed as colorful lions, danced to a heavy drum-and-cymbal rhythm and were given fruits and vegetables to “scare away bad spirits,” Le said.

One of the great things about the UC Arbor, Omar said, is the fact that students who walk by will often be enticed to stay and watch.

“It was a really great and fantastic event,” said language senior Huáng Long Lê.

The event was originally going to be held on Wednesday, the date of the holiday, but was postponed because of the rain, Omar said.

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Recreational events included sporting clays shooting, helicopter rides, battle re-enactments, military equipment displays and war dog demonstrations.

Buck Collins, who served for 24 years in the Special Forces, found solace in coming to support his fellow wounded warriors.

“I’m with the Jasper Wounded Warrior Association,” Collins said.

“I was wounded over in Iraq, and we’ve all been wounded in Iraq and in Afghanistan… and we’re happy to come out here and be here.

“Now’s our time when we can give support to our brothers and sisters in need.”

One of the services Homes For Our Troops provides is raising money to build specially adapted homes for wounded veterans.

“We have some very close friends that are very severely handicapped,” Collins said.

“And for them to get homes and be a part of those homes, especially at the vast costs we’ve seen… It’s a great thing.”

Each home costs approximately $350,000 to be totally adapted, said Ken Clifton, a Vietnam veteran.

Halls and doors have to be widened, roll in showers need to be installed, and carpet has to be replaced with other flooring.

“The government should be doing this, instead of us having to chase people and beg for money,” Clifton said.

“It’s like the house at Brooks Army Medical Center, (the Patriot Guard Riders) raise money every year to buy amenities for the wounded warriors. The military gives them housing, but it doesn’t give them anything else, and a lot of (them) need constant care.”

The charity raised close to $900,000, falling short of its $1 million goal for the weekend, but Clifton said that the event was worth it and means a lot to the veterans.

“For every penny raised out here, there’s more money toward the homes of wounded warriors,” Clifton said.

“And if you talk to any of them, you’ll never see nothing but a smile on their faces. Just seeing people out here participating to raise money for them makes their spirits soar.”

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Houston Mayor Annise Parker told students about her struggle to become known for her actions and not her sexual orientation Thursday at Cemo Hall.

Parker, Houston’s first openly gay mayor and the second woman to hold the office, said she found it hard to make herself electable.

“Since I was not only gay, but openly gay and publicly gay, it was a hurdle to get over with,” she said. “Every time I saw my name in public, it was Annise Parker, gay or activist lesbian. There were people who thought I was impossible to elect.”

However, this wasn’t the first time she was discriminated against for being a lesbian.

“I knew I was a lesbian at 15,” she said. “I was out my entire time in college and was ostracized for four years. There were times people didn’t want to room with me.”

She found a way to make constituents understand that she is a lesbian, but there is more to her résumé than her sexual preference.

Her sexuality “was something that had to be managed and accounted for,” but she had also worked in the oil industry and other areas of activism for many years.

Many of her opponents in elections also criticized her about changing the face of traditional family values, but she felt no problem in connecting with people in this area.

“I’m close to my family; I’m a parent,” she said, speaking of her partner of 21 years and their three adopted children. “I live in the same world; I have the same experiences.”

She remembered when President Barack Obama called her and left her a voicemail, which she accidentally ignored, to congratulate her on the election.

“I played it for everybody… played it for all my campaign volunteers,” she said.

When she was elected mayor, it “shocked people. It changed the view of Houston and Texas for many,” she said. “I use elections to change people’s views of my hometown, which some people compare to a redneck wasteland.”

She also talked about the obstacles women face in the workforce.

“There’s sexism and ceiling glass but initial first impressions, how you present yourself and how you carry yourself,” are the most important things, she said.

Despite the obstacles, Parker said she gets up every day and does her best for the citizens of Houston, whether they appreciate it or not.

The mayor also told the young people in the audience they can make a difference in their hometowns by registering to vote.

“If you are not voting, you are failing yourself — you’re an insult to your community and an insult to people who died to give you that right,” she said.

The effort to bring Parker to campus started last July by GLOBAL — the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and asexual organization on campus.

“We wanted GLOBAL and others to realize we can work in unison to promote and show growth of the LGBT community,” said Joshua Sutherland, organizational leadership and supervision management sophomore and vice president of the organization. “It shows we’re supported by the people we support, it’s a symbiotic relationship.”

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Faith is an influential tool in American politics, and campaigns now resemble “religious litmus tests,” said guest speaker and Pulitzer Prize winner Leonard Pitts.

Pitts gave a lecture on Wednesday called “Religion in the 2012 Elections”. The lecture was sponsored by Texas Freedom Network and held at Congregation Emanu El.

“There is a word for nations that impose a religious litmus test for public office,” Pitts said.  “Such nations are called theocracy, i.e. countries in which the words of putative holy men carry the force of law.”

Countries like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan under the Taliban were named.

Pitts began his lecture with a story of a retired white minister who traveled with the second wave of Freedom Riders to advocate for African American voting rights, but was brutally beaten. This, he says, was a pure act of faith.

“Consider the legacy,” he said. “Consider what he and other people of faith in this country once did to change the landscape of our lives and our politics.”

Kathy Miller, president of Texas Freedom Network Education Fund, said this lecture was designed to “expose extremism seen in politics today.”

The Texas Freedom Network has also started a new chapter at UH. Freshman Emily Lynd, an active member of the Network, attended Pitts’ lecture.

“I really like their grassroots and activism approach,” Lynd said. “It seems like a good way to make a difference.”

According to Miller, chapters like the one started here on campus are important because faith is still strongly considered when choosing elected officials.

“Faith is absolutely important to most Texans,” she said.  “Politicians should not use faith as a campaign prop or political weapon to inflame the culture war.”

Pitts said that the use of religious belief in the political arena is too focused on everyone’s differences, whether it is nationality, sexual preference or faith. He said this has become a human issue.

“The paradox of religion seems to loom larger in our political lives than it did 50 years ago,” Pitts said.  “It feels … small (and) mean like it’s not about much at all.”

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Beginning Tuesday, voting will open for students to decide on adding a $45-per-semester fee that will help to fund a rebuild of Robertson Stadium and the renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion.

“We’re sensitive to any increase, but this is also an opportunity for this University,” Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said.

“You talk about Tier One in terms of the University, but you also talk about Tier One in terms of the athletics. And there are certain investments that had to be made in terms of the University for us to achieve Tier One-status and continue on that path to (becoming) Tier One. Well, the facilities issue for us is huge if UH athletics is going to gain Tier One-status.”

The referendum aims to augment the nearly $60 million raised privately by the Athletics Department to make these projects possible.

According to engineering reports reviewed by the Athletics Department, Robertson only has 18 more months of usefulness.While the report also said that Hofheinz is structurally sound, it is outdated.

“We’re not trying to build anything that we don’t need — this is out of need,” Rhoades said.

“We understand that any cost is substantial. What we told the students is that we’re not going to ask for a penny more than what we need. In order for us to make these projects work, we need to take that $60 million and increase it to the $73- to 75-million mark to do the two facilities.”

Student fees were also used in two of the most recent athletics facility construction projects at North Texas and Florida Atlantic. Both projects cost over $70 million and yielded only one facility. At North Texas, the approved student fee was $10-per-credit hour, meaning a student with a 12-hour course load would pay $120 each semester.

Passing the referendum will also keep admission free to students. During construction, admission will remain free and free transportation to and from games will be provided.

The revenue generated from the new facilities is also expected to help make the athletics department more independent of the University financially.

“In terms of reliance on the University, we’re going to need to continue to generate more revenue and we don’t have the capability to any of that with the current facility,” Rhoades said.

Because of the current construction of the stadium parking garage, parking will not be affected by building a new football stadium or renovating Hofheinz. The stadium parking garage, which will house 2,300 new spaces, is anticipated to open in August, while only 721 spaces would be lost to construction — a net gain of 1,600 parking spaces.

Students that are graduating before the completion of the new facilities will also see a benefit from the referendum passing; fees paid by students will be discounted from the purchase of season tickets after graduating. A student who pays the fee for three semesters would receive a discount of $135 towards the purchase of season tickets. Last season, season tickets for recent graduates — alumni that graduated in the last three years — cost $140.

Also, because of the current state of the economy, the athletics department feels that rates to undertake a project like this are very favorable to get the most out of the money raised.

“Right now, in terms of taking the dollar and spreading it as far as it can go, there’s no better time than right now,” Rhoades said.

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Several students whose dorm rooms were broken into over winter break said they are wondering what will happen next.

The burglars entered Quadrangle dorm rooms by removing the vents on the lower half of the doors, said history freshman James Wang whose television was taken in the burglaries.

“(I thought) everything would be safe if I left it here,” Wang said. “Take anything valuable, but if it’s big and you’re coming back, you might as well leave it here. Well they took the TV — so much for secure.”

Students are encouraged not to leave valuables in their rooms over the break, according to a Residential Life and Housing press release.

Campus police suspect that the students’ properties may have been stolen by the contractors who were hired by the University to put safety screws on the vents to keep the rooms from being entered that way, said Cassie Castro, whose Wii was stolen.

“Obviously, this is very concerning, and all of us take safety and security very seriously,” said Executive Director of Residential Life and Housing Don Yackley.

Under normal circumstances, the halls are patrolled by security personnel at night, the release said. But this was not true during winter break.

Campus police have not been keeping in contact with students according to Castro.

“I don’t feel like anything is happening,” she said. “I haven’t heard (from the police) in a long while,” Castro said.

Wang hasn’t heard from the police either.

“I gave my statement to a police officer and haven’t heard back since,” Wang said. “What can you do if you don’t have cameras?”

“The investigation is still active,” said Lt. Bret Collier of the University’s Department of Public Safety. “For that reason the Department of Public Safety cannot comment.”

Residential Life and Housing has been putting up extra security cameras and updating the card readers on the entrance to the halls, according to the press release.

The security upgrades aren’t enough for Wang though, and he is now hesitant to leave his property alone in his dorm over spring break, he said.

“I was going to go fishing or something. Now I’m going to stay here,” he said.

Students like Wang and Castro, who failed to purchase renter’s insurance, were not compensated for their losses, Castro said.

Castro said she didn’t get insurance because “it never occurred to (her) that this might happen.”

Renter’s insurance is not available through the University, but can be purchased from an outside insurance agency, Quadrangle resident assistant Nkechi Nebeolisa said.

This isn’t the first time that Wang has had trouble with break-ins on campus.

“My truck was broken into,” Wang said. “Joke’s on them, I ain’t got nothing of value.”

Additional reporting by Ariana Benavidez.

UH President Renu Khator’s selection for the University vice president and vice chancellor, Eloise Dunn Stuhr, was introduced to the Faculty Senate at the  meeting. Her experience with Tier One Universities like Vanderbilt and Penn State in the past may prove beneficial to the UH community.

“We are looking to have a (fund-raising campaign) that exceeds 100 million dollars annually.  I would like to see that number develop into billions in order to benefit the faculty and students at the university as much as possible,” said President Khator.

Other changes included former Faculty Senate Committee President Monica McHenry passing her position to the 2012 Senate President Dmitri Litvinov.

“To say I have learned many things as Faculty Senate President would be an understatement. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with the faculty,” McHenry said in her farewell address.

McHenry is currently an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Litvinov, an associate professor for electrical and computer engineering, is optimistic about the 2012 school year.

“I will work tirelessly to make sure the faculty voice is heard. I look forward to a productive year,” he said.

The Research and Scholarships Committee says it is dedicated to the “enhancement of research qualities in efforts to move (UH) forward.”

Reaching Tier One status has brought the University more than $7 million a year to improve research infrastructure facilities. However, Committee Chair Monica McHenry said, “we are concerned about the quality of research that goes on at University of Houston — not so much about the amount of money, but how we use the money we (receive).”

Budget cuts are on the menu, but Dr. Simon Bott, Undergraduate Chair, says that they “will not affect the core mission of the University.”

The Service has recommended people on campus go indoors immediately.

A tornado watch and severe thunderstorm warning has also been issued for the area until 2 p.m.

To track weather conditions, visit http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx and traffic conditions can be tracked at http://www.houstontranstar.org.