Issue 99, Volume 75 by The Cougar

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Changes influence student voting UH no longer poll site due to costly endeavors

By Jessica Traylor THE DAILY COUGAR The March 2 Texas statewide primary is fast approaching. Whether UH students will vote in large numbers remains an issue. UH has provided shuttle buses

to transport students to voting centers and served as a polling site in the past to help promote voting among the student body, but that’s not the case for this election. “(We usually do them) more for national elections because it’s costing more, and they have a certain budget for that,” Associate Dean of Students Kamran Riaz said.

He said that Department of Upcoming profiles UH was not asked Political Science. to be a polling site Regardless of Wednesday: Democrat Bill White for this election. the changes, some Thursday: Republican Rick Perry “As far as I students are still Friday: Republican Debra Medina know, they are passionate about not doing this for voting. the primary. I assume because it “It’s important because other is a costly endeavor. They only do people in other countries are this for the general elections,” said blowing each other up to be able Christina Hughes, a lecturer in the to (vote) and we’re not doing it,”

GUBERNATORIAL PROFILE

Senator pushes agenda By Joshua Malone THE DAILY COUGAR Republican U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison does not hesitate to reveal a list of what she considers failures in Rick Perry’s tenure as governor. “Rick Perry raised billions in taxes on Texas businesses, tried to mandate HPV vaccines for young girls and increased the size of the state budget by more than 80 percent,” said Hutchison, who will oppose Perry and Debra Medina in the March 2 gubernatorial primary. Perry hasn’t remained in office for 10 years without a long list of supporters, but Hutchison isn’t one of them. “The current governor will be remembered less for what he did for the average Texan, and more for what he tried to do,” Hutchison said. Perry said in a televised debate Jan. 30 in Dallas that Hutchison chose to “continue Roe v. Wade,” the landmark Supreme Court decision that allowed women the right to terminate their pregnancy. Hutchison did affirm her support for Roe v. Wade in 2003, according to Vote Smart. She also voted in 2007 to increase federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, another contentious issue for pro-life advocates. Hutchison defended her conservative record by citing positive ratings from prolife groups, the National Rifle Association and her efforts to quadruple the number of Border Patrol agents. Hutchison stressed her plans for cooperation and to “reach out to legislatures,” but stopped shy of describing herself as a more moderate option. “I am proud of my conservative record, and my conservative credentials take a back seat to no

biology major Stephen Stocker said. Stocker plans to vote in the upcoming governor election. He didn’t know about the related services that were offered by the campus in the past because he transferred this semester, but he believes the campus should do see VOTING, page 3

Activist gives lecture at UH Ex-Black Panther Party member shares story with students J

By Paulette Ehmer THE DAILY COUGAR

office. Hutchison, never having received less than 60 percent of the vote in her previous re-election campaigns, had remained fairly unchallenged. Now, she finds herself in unfamiliar territory against Perry. UH political science professor Richard Murray said, despite being a moderate candidate more likely to work across party lines, Hutchison has been put on the defensive as being a “country club Republican” who’s out of touch with the conservative base.

Former political prisoner and Black Panther Ashanti Alston drew in a diverse crowd Wednesday at the University Center. Alston was only 16 years old when he joined the militant group, and for him, it was a life-changing decision. During the prime of the Civil Rights Movement, Alston watched unforgettable images on his television as a young boy. He became enraged and motivated to provoke change. It was then that he found comfort and empowerment within the Black Panther Party. “I learned to not fear my enemies,” Alston said. Also a member of the Black Liberation Army, Alston spent many years engaging in what he calls “guerrilla warfare.” Though Alston spent more than a decade in prison for armed bank robbery, he does not hesitate to say that he has never committed a crime. “I was captured for banks appropriation; it is not a robbery, not a crime. We were guerrillas trying to fund our revolution,” Alston said. Alston said the BLA was at war, and the police were their frontline oppressors. All that he and his fellow members desired was freedom. “We knew we had to be daring

see SENATOR, page 3

see PANTHER, page 3

UNITED STATES SENATE

A Republican candidate in the Texas gubernatorial primary, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison could face a runoff with Gov. Rick Perry in the March 2 election if no candidate achieves more than 50 percent of the vote. one,” Hutchison said. Among her goals as governor, Hutchison mentioned strengthening Texas’ borders, reforming in-state transportation planning and protecting private property rights through eminent domain reform. But Hutchison said education was a primary reason she chose to run. “My main priorities as governor will include increasing educational opportunities for young Texans through improved public education and greater availability of affordable higher education,” Hutchison said. “I have outlined a comprehensive

plan to tackle the dropout problem head on.” Hutchison’s goals aren’t lost on newspaper editorial boards either. Hutchison swept the endorsements from Texas’ four largest metropolitan newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle. She also has the endorsements of former Vice President Dick Cheney and former President George H. W. Bush. A senator since 1993, Hutchison is Texas’ first and only female senator and according to the U.S. Senate’s Web site, the most senior female Republican currently in