Lily Huynh/The Cougar
This spring follows a bustling fall. Here is a guide to what students can expect to keep and leave behind this semester.
In: Student representation, at last
After being disbanded in spring 2025, the Student Government Association is set to return this semester, with campaigns beginning in February and voting scheduled for March 2–5.
SGA’s extended hiatus sparked criticism, with students actively demanding for student representation. While the SGA is returning, it marks its arrival with a few notable changes.
Campaigning as a party will not be allowed and instead candidates will now run as individual. The Vice President will serve as the Speaker of the Senate too. At-large seats will also be replaced with college-based Senate representation to ensure representation across academic units.
Out: A former haven
The Women and Gender Resource Center has been consolidated into a new Parent and Family Office within the Dean of Students Office, set to launch this semester.
The new facility will now facilitate University-wide family programming, such as Family Weekend, the Cougar Family Connect portal and resources for student parents, in alignment with state law.
For services like Title IX confidential advocacy, sexual misconduct services and sexual violence prevention education students can reach out to the DOS office.
In: Politics at the dining hall table
Last semester, former US Rep. Beto O’Rourke visited the university in support of voter registration efforts. Turning Point USA at UH also hosted Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for a speaker event.
Both events drew high turnout, signaling that despite historically low youth participation in elections, students remain engaged in politics. Students also turned out in November to vote in a special election.
With a runoff election for Texas’ 18th Congressional District scheduled for late January, the presence of politics in student life shows no signs of slowing down.
Out: Brutalist architecture
Farish Hall was demolished ahead of the spring semester after standing for more than 50 years and serving generations of future educators. Its demolition marks a major milestone in the Centennial Project, but also the loss of the longtime home of UH’s College of Education.
The building’s brutalist design will be replaced with green space and a pedestrian walkway.
In: A safer campus?
After an armed robbery at the TDECU branch in Student Center South last October, concerns over campus safety were already mounting. Over the winter break, two more armed robberies occurred within days of each other — one at the same TDECU location and another near the Student Accessibility Center.
The University has since promised several safety upgrades this semester, including a police substation near the Welcome Center and a $21 million campus lighting and security project.
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