Wednesday, September 26, 2012 // Issue 18, Volume 78 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
THE DAILY COUGAR
T H E
O F F I C I A L
S T U D E N T
N E W S P A P E R
O F T H E
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
H O U S T O N
S I N C E
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OPINION
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The new Cougar Woods dining hall is set to open its doors Oct. 1 at the intersection of Wheeler Street and Cullen Boulevard. | Hannah Laamoumi/The Daily Cougar
Dining hall name chosen Zachary Burton Staff writer
Coming in October is Cougar Woods, the latest addition to the group of dining establishments on campus. “Cougar Woods” was chosen by University of Houston students and thought up by Beth Owen Woods, a participant in the contest to name it. She will be awarded a plaque
and bicycle for winning, according to the press release. “The Real Food on Campus restaurant will be open on Monday, Oct. 1,“ said Amber Arguijo, marketing manager for UH Dining Services. The new hall’s name was decided through a survey open from Aug. 27 to Aug. 31, during which time 300 members of the faculty, staff and student body participated. The survey was held online via Facebook
and SurveyMonkey. “The survey was advertised through a campus news release and posted on UHDS’ Facebook and Twitter,” Arguijo said. “Advertisement was done on the official Facebook page and Twitter pages of the University. It was also shared on various campus pages.” Participants submitted numerous name ideas during the spring semester to a Facebook page devoted to taking ideas.
“We had approximately 300 name ideas submitted during that time. After the submissions were closed, a panel of University administrators narrowed the list down,” Aruijo said. After the submission period ended, the administrators shortened the list to three: Cougar Woods, West End and The Roar. Cougar Woods was chosen with 49
Homelessness won’t go away LIFE+ARTS
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Author reads to students SPORTS
WOODS continues on page 3
ELECTION 2012
Faculty weigh in on presidential race Amy Carl Contributing writer
Faculty experts at UH said they expect this year’s presidential race to be tight down to the last minute. As the race race nears its conclusion in November, the result depends in a large part on the way in which the media portrays the candidates, said Lindita Camaj, assistant professor at Jack J. Valenti School of Communication. “This is very close,” Camaj said. “Usually, it’s in the close elections that the media has the greatest impact.” Brandon Rottinghaus, associate professor in the Department of Political Science, said that although the Democrats came out on top after the national conventions, he expected things to level out again before the election. “The energy from the Democratic side was a bit more pronounced,” Rottinghaus said. “It will return to equilibrium. Both sides had success at getting their
President Barack Obama is leading Republican nominee Mitt Romney with 247 likely electoral college votes to Romney’s 191 in the 2012 election, according to realclearpolitics.com. | Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons volunteer organizations and bases rallied, so they both did what they needed to do.” Rottinghaus also discussed the importance of influencing voters in swing states.
“In the end, it’s going to come down to what they believe,” Rottinghaus said. “If they’re concerned about what Romney’s going to do, Obama can say, ‘Let me tell you
what they’re going to do,’ and fill in those details with less than flattering illustrations. Republicans can be a bit more vague, because they have the ability to say, ‘It’s not working.’” Elizabeth Simas, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science, said Texas Democrats — especially Houstonians — shouldn’t feel absolved of their obligation to vote just because Texas is traditionally a red state. “As indicated by Mayor (Julian) Castro’s prominent presence at the DNC, Texas’ growing Hispanic population could have an impact on how competitive the Democrats are in Texas, which can lead to more campaigning efforts and money being put into Texas on both sides,” she said. “This election is going to be close, and voter turnout can send the signal to Democrats that, although Texas is red now, it might not be forever. It’s still really important to vote.” news@thedailycougar.com
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TOMORROW Yesterday’s lectures are debriefed
COUNTDOWN
5
Days until the new dining hall opens.
Soon you won’t have to choose between class and the line at the UC Satellite.