Tuesday, February 12, 2013 // Issue 74, Volume 78
THE DAILY COUGAR
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O F F I C I A L
S T U D E N T
N E W S PA P E R
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U N I V E R S I T Y
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H O U S T O N
S I N C E
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OPINION
VALENTI
Grant funds professor’s social media research Study looks at tools used by journalists Zachary Burton Staff writer
In an industry that is transforming from paper to Web pages, articles to posts and circulation records to page views, one professor is researching how social media is playing a part in the reporting process. “The research looks at the way newspaper reporters are using social media,” said Arthur Santana, assistant professor for the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication. “It’s going to be a national survey of reporters at 250 newspapers across the country, about a dozen reporters from each newspaper.” S a n t a n a re c e i v e d $ 6 , 0 0 0 from UH under the New Faculty Research grant for his project,
“Engaging a New Channel of Information: Reporters’ Use of Social Media.” The project will delve into how journalists are using social media as part of their reporting practices, along with their use of it in search for sources, according to a UH press release. The New Faculty Research Program has been developed to aid faculty who have been at the University for less than three years and who wish to initiate research for the first time but haven’t had the previous professional funding, according to the grant’s guidelines. The grants are rewarded in amounts up to $6,000 and support scholarly efforts and research that are considered an integral part of the University’s instructional program. Santana was a reporter and an
Looking back at Lincoln LIFE+ARTS
Pop goes the power Students walked to the University Center Monday without knowing that they would be unable to access the UC for the remainder of the week because of a power outage throughout the building. “The cause of the power outage is under investigation, but it is suspected that feeder lines and branch circuits to the University Center — which is under construction — were cut,” said executive director of media relations Richard Bonnin. - Aisha Bouderdaben/The Daily Cougar
NEWS
VALENTI continues on page 3
BASKETBALL
BOARD OF REGENTS
All in the family
New design major joins fall course book
Members of UH’s most famous fraternity see life come full circle
Amanda Hilow Managing editor
Andrew Valderas Staff writer
Tradition has served Cougar athletics for a number of years. For two former greats, this tradition has become a family one. Freshman guard Bianca Winslow has always dreamed of dribbling down the court wearing Cougar Red — the same way her father Rickie Winslow did. “Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to play for the Cougars,” Bianca said. Rickie was a four-year starter for the Cougars’ Phi Slamma Jamma team — a nickname for the basketball team’s dunks, explosiveness and fast-breaking style of play in the mid 1980s. With a career average of 12.5 points per game, Rickie was a small forward who played in
Yoga is good for health
Bianca Winslow followed in her fathers footsteps by playing basketball at UH. | Courtesy of Rickie Winslow
the 1984 National Championship game against Georgetown. Rickie — the 28th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 1987 NBA draft — is the head coach of Saint John’s High School junior varsity basketball team, the same school his son Justice attends. Justice, a 6-foot-6-inch forward, FAMILY continues on page 5
With the increasing demand for professional industrial designers in the job market, UH is aligning its student success goals with workforce needs. The UH System Board of Regents has recently approved a Master of Science program in industrial design from the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, to start in the fall. “That kind of experience, that kind of in-depth research and being able to show that skill, it’s so important for finding a job afterwards,” said former industrial design student Rachel Young. According to the proposal, the industrial design master’s program will include intensive coursework and lab hours for graduate students and is not offered by any other university in the state. “This program will be the first of its kind in the State of Texas,” said the Academic and Student Success Committee in its proposal to the Board.
“This unique interdisciplinary master’s degree integrates curriculum in applied art and applied science to improve the look, feel and functionality of products.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that about 45,000 industrial designers are employed in the nation, and employment opportunities are expected to increase by 9 percent in the next 10 years. The Texas Workforce Commission expects the in-state demand for this job to grow at a rate 12 percent faster than the national average. The Committee wants the program to be directed by a full-time tenured faculty member with a degree in industrial design. It also proposed coursework be offered by existing faculty, and a new faculty hire — to earn a salary of $62,000 — will provide curriculum support. According to the degree proposals pro forma, a document citing financial activity and expenses, the master’s MAJOR continues on page 3
UH program receives grant GET SOME DAILY
thedailycougar.com
TOMORROW Former UH coach Joe Curl needs a heart transplant. Learn about what’s new to this year’s Frontier Fiesta.
COUNTDOWN
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Days until Valentine’s Day.
A little bird told me you messed up last year. Don’t drop the ball again.