Issue 14, Volume 77

t h e o f f i c i a l s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e r o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f h o u s to n s i n c e 1 9 3 4

THE DAILY COUGAR

®

GET SOME DAILY

thedailycougar.com

99 LO 72 Wednesday HI

Cougars end non-conference schedule in sweeping fashion

September 14, 2011

Don’t lift weight off, but run it down

Issue 14, Volume 77

SPECIAL SERIES: 10 YEARS SINCE SEPT. 11, 2001

Islamic faith source of peace, comfort Recently converted Muslim student discovers sense of belonging in newfound beliefs Zahra Ahmed

THE DAILY COUGAR Hoang Long Le was only 10 years old when his family fled Vietnam for America in search of a better future. As he grew older in the states, he tried to escape the suppressed society that he had grown up in by expressing himself through religion. In Islam, he found comfort and

companionship. “I was on my way of finding a faith for myself,” Le said. “So I was always talking to a lot of religious people but I was still confused about certain things.” Le grew up in an Atheist family. Though his family was not religious, he said he was always interested in different types of people. In college, he met many Christian students and decided to learn about their faith. After a few months of studying the religion, Le said he didn’t agree with some of Christianity’s main tenets and continued his spiritual journey. In 2010, as Le was passing through the

Philip Guthrie Hoffman Hall breezeway on campus, he noticed the Muslim Student Association’s information table. Curious, he paused to ask the organization’s members a few questions about the religion. After discussing Islam’s main tenets, Le decided that he wanted to research the religion more. He began reading the Quran and realized that Islam was more in line with his ideas. “The Quran made sense to me,” he said. “I just have to believe in one God and not relate him to anyone else. I felt relieved after learning that. I knew if I accepted Islam that I would have to start thinking about living my life differently, but I felt

really happy.” Then in April 2010, Le converted to Islam — like 20,000 other Americans every year. UH MSA’s religion outreach manager Shuruq Gyagenda said that last year alone, six students converted to Islam. Many students who convert are often searching for a spiritual connection in their lives, she said. “Because of what people see in the media today, Islam is the last religion people searching for a faith seek out,” Gyagenda said. “But with those who convert, I think they find what they need. MUSLIM continues on page 3

CAREERS

CITY

Buisness school hosts resume workshop for accountancy

Mayor talks to campus about city water leaks

The Rockwell Career Center, in conjunction with the C.T. Bauer College of Business, is hosting a Resume ER event for BBA and MS Accountancy students on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rockwell Career Center staff and corporate volunteers will be available to review or make suggestions to resumes. Students are welcome to come by the Melcher Hall AIM Center Lobby anytime during the event. The event is free and students will be helped on a first-come, firstserved basis. For more information contact Kori Gould, kgould@uh.edu or call 832-842-6128. — Erica Quiroz

CAMPUS

Psychological services hosts counseling workshop today Counseling and Psychological Services will be holding Food for Thought Workshops from noon to 1 p.m. every Wednesday in the Student Service Center, Building 1, conference room 210D. Today’s workshop, “Understanding Anxiety: Signs, Symptoms and Ways to Cope,” is offered to UH students, faculty, and staff free of charge. Food for Thought workshops can help identify problems and sort them out with other students facing the same issues. CAPS will also be giving away two cougar trading cards at each Food for Thought workshop. — Michelle Casas

Lack of manpower makes infrastructure fixes difficult Joshua Mann

THEDAILYCOUGAR

Dean Latha Ramchand of the C.T. Bauer College of Business plans to continue in the steps of her predecessor, Arthur Warga. | Brianna Leigh Morrison/The Daily Cougar

ADMINISTRATION

Bauer dean to maintain school’s flagship status Estíbaliz García

THE DAILY COUGAR By adding unique electives and collaborating with local businesses, the C.T. Bauer College of Business will continue to lead the nation as a top business school, said the newly appointed dean of UH’s business college. Latha Ramchand, who was appointed Sept. 7, is taking over the position that was left vacant when former Dean Arthur Warga stepped down in March.

“I am honored to be in this position, and I am honored to serve this college,” Ramchand said. “This institution has given me a lot and it is time for me to give back.” She said she would like to continue to make Bauer high in national rankings by extending the classes offered in the college and adding electives that students are not being offered at other top business schools. She said that DEAN continues on page 3

Students were treated to hot coffee, finger foods and an explanation of why pipe leaks are causing water shortages by Mayor Annise Parker Tuesday night in the University Center Underground World Affairs lounge. The event, which was hosted by the Urban Experience Program, featured several speakers on a variety of topics, ranging from the mayor’s Q-and-A to a talk about ways students can organize their time. Parker called Houston a “water rich city,” saying that it has an “abundant supply of water” in both Lake Conroe and Lake Houston. “Part of the problem is that the city of Houston is used to an abundance of rain,” Parker said, “This is the driest summer in the state of Texas; this is the driest period in the recorded history of the city of Houston.” Houstonian’s need to change their relationship to water, Parker said. “We are profligate water users,” Parker said. “We need to begin to change the way people think about

Annise Parker has been served the city of Houston as mayor since Jan. 2, 2010, and was a member of city council from 1998 to 2003. | Nine Nguyen/The Daily Cougar water.” The reason Houston has a water problem is because of a huge number of leaks in the pipes that carry the water from the reserves to the people who use it. “On a normal, bad summer day in the city of Houston, I have 200 water leaks across the city. Today I have 1,000,” she said. “That’s been going on for weeks.” The city is having trouble keeping up with the damage to the pipes, Parker said, and the problem isn’t that Houston doesn’t have enough money; it’s that it doesn’t have enough manpower. “Let me tell you the kind of thing that keeps me awake at night,” Parker said. “These forces that are pulling our water mains apart and causing the water leaks; once it rains again (...) the soil’s going to swell, and it’s going to torque the water pipes in the other direction. So the leaks are going to happen all over again.” PARKER continues on page 3

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook