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Issue 90, Volume 75
thedailycougar.com
Groups request funding from SFAC By Cougar News Staff University departments and student organizations requested funding to the Student Fee Advisory Committee during meetings Monday and Tuesday. A representative from each organization presented their case to the committee as to why they were requesting needed or additional funding. They discussed what their program does and how the money is spent, “so members
have a clear understanding of what a department does and its goals for the next fiscal year,” according to the SFAC Web site. SFAC is comprised of 10 members: seven students, two faculty members and one nonvoting advisor. Members are in charge of funding allocations from student service fees. The Athletic Department asked for the most funding — $4,362,707. This was the same amount the department requested last year.
Athletic Director Mack Rhoades justified the funding by saying that renovations are needed at Robertson Stadium and Hofheinz Pavilion. Rhoades also said the department is looking to create a vision for the future of UH athletics to maintain the sports program, entertain fans and strive for all teams to finish in the top three of the Conference USA standings annually. The Department of Commuter Services requested $30,623 in
funding from the committee. Daniel Gray, Programming Coordinator for Commuter Services, said he is working on building a better working relationship with Metro. One project includes a partnership with Metro that would allow students to use their Cougar Card to pay for bus fees. Student Publications, asked for a one-time allocation of $181,124. The department rarely requests for outside funding because it generates most of its money from
advertisements, but the recession has made ads harder to sell. “This is something that we have never asked for before, and it is a hard thing to do. But our revenue is down,” Director of Student Publications Richard Cigler said. “We are in a position that we are not comfortable with, but it is something that we felt we should bring up to the committee for consideration.” see SFAC, page 3
Group suggests name for new residence hall By Aimee Buras THE DAILY COUGAR
PATRICIA ESTRADA THE DAILY COUGAR
Barely Blind easily noticed
T
he Student Program Board hosted a free concert Tuesday at the University Center Satellite, which attracted a large crowd of students. Barely Blind began playing at 11:30 a.m.“This is the earliest we’ve ever played,” lead vocalist Brad Cuccio said. SPB will also host Gemini Crew on March 9 and The Niceguys on March 23. For a complete list of the bands that will play at UH, log on to www.uh.edu/spb
Dean aims to promote Honors Joachim Clarke THE DAILY COUGAR William Monroe was appointed dean of the Honors College in January 2009 and said he enjoys and is comfortable in this leadership role. Monroe also teaches in the Department of English and said he is working on new developments within the Honors College. Although there are several developments in the college, Monroe wants to focus on keeping the college’s traditions alive. “We want to try to maintain the
quality in the curriculum that we have developed over a long period of time,” he said, “but we are going to try to expand our upper-division offerings.” Two new minors are now available to Honors College students: the M e d i c i n e and Society minor and the J William Monroe Phronesis minor, which focuses on politics and ethics.
Monroe has also been working toward establishing a Creative Work minor. In addition to developing the curriculum in these minors, Monroe said he wants to raise the Honors College’s popularity within Houston. One part of this plan is reaching out to teachers and prospective outstanding high-school students who live in the Greater Houston area. “Teachers can help us identify and recruit outstanding students who may not really know about the see DEAN, page 3
The Facilities, Construction and Master Planning Committee requested approval of the name of a new $50-million freshman residence hall during their meeting Tuesday. After much consideration, the name Cougar Village was decided on in an attempt to boost UH pride and the U n i v e r s i t y ’ s J Elwyn C. Lee strive for flagship status. The name Cougar Village was not approved at the meeting, and approval has been pushed back to the next meeting. “It is going to be the heart and soul of the freshman Cougar spirit,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Elwyn C. Lee said. “It’s a drive for tier one and a push for Cougar spirit.” Future Cougar Village residents can expect to pay $550 per person for a two-bedroom furnished suite that will include a bathroom, cable television and Internet service. Students will have the option of degree-specific theme housing. The residence hall will be exclusively for freshmen. Kristen Lindley, a UH-Victoria Business Administration ’09 graduate and the current student regent, said the housing will offer freshmen a unique experience. “I think it’s a huge selling point,” Lindley said, “I wouldn’t want to live with seniors or older students.” Currently, 166 freshmen have signed up to move into Cougar Village when it opens in August 2010. Committee members also
brought up the $26-million Robertson Stadium parking garage, which has yet to meet approval. Many questions arose among the members regarding the garage. The site of the garage has not been decided upon, and there has been consideration of moving the football stadium to another location, furthering the uncertainty. Associate Vice Chancellor for Plant Operations Dave Irvin made it clear that if a new stadium were built elsewhere, the space that Robertson Stadium occupies would not be used for parking. “It would be (replaced by) academic buildings,” Irvin said. This statement was met with criticism from board members, including UH System Board of Regents Chairman Welcome W. Wilson. Wilson described UH’s parking issues as “serious.” The debate continues on these issues, but no decisions will be finalized until future meetings. The Committee also discussed the $11-million renovation of the Moody Towers Dining Hall and the $2.8-million expansion and renovation of the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication. The Moody Towers Dining Hall is set to open in August 2010, and will be shared by both Moody Towers and Cougar Village. The School of Communication J Dave Irvin p r o j e c t reportedly is still on schedule. The Committee also approved the continuation of phase four of the Science and Engineering Research Center build-out construction. news@thedailycougar.com