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 PA P E R
O F
T H E
U N I V E R S I T Y
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Issue 27, Volume 79
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ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM
PHILANTHROPY
University receives record-breaking contributions Manuella Libardi Senior staff writer
The UH System has set two records in the 2012-13 school year, both in private contributions and in fundraising. The $117.8 million received by
the System from private donations is the largest in the institution’s history, boasting an increase of almost $5.3 million since the previous year’s $112.5 million. UH also set a record by fundraising $110.3 million. “These generous gifts are visionary, and they will shape our
future and transform the lives of our students,” said Eloise Stuhr, vice president and chancellor for Advancement. “While we have experienced an historic year for philanthropy, it is paramount that we continue to raise institutional funds through private
giving to sustain our momentum and fulfill our commitment to student success.” More than 26,000 alumni, friends, foundations and corporations contributed to UH, said Richard Bonnin, interim associate vice president and chancellor for UH Marketing and
Communication. Two noteworthy gifts in the past year are a $2 million gift from the Huffington Foundation and Ronald and Mariette Woestemeyer to support research for early diagnosis RECORD continues on page 3
EVENT
Speaker combines Hinduism, business Timothy Payne Contributing writer
Devdutt Pattanaik, international speaker and author of more than 25 books, came to the University on Tuesday to give a lecture on combining both Hindu mythology and business practices to give presentations on leadership, business and the awareness of different cultures. Pattanaik wanted to make students aware of different cultures and their “patterns.” “More often than not, most people compare their patterns with other things and judge,” Pattanaik said. “I feel the new business practice in the next 10 years (will be) people who are very good at understanding patterns.” Pattanaik used different images and illustrations to compare and contrast different cultures. Two images caught the crowd’s attention. One was a street in India filled with heavy traffic and the second was a street in Korea where there was a greater sense of order. He used this illustration to point out that just because something is different, one does not have the excuse to judge. W h i l e t h e t a l k re m a i n e d relatable to all students, it had an emphasis on business and HINDUISM continues on page 11
Emergency Management Specialist Kelly Boyson and junior computer-science major Olurotimi Adeyemo are staying a few steps ahead of natural disasters at an emergency operations center in the Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting. | Ellen Goodacre/The Daily Cougar
SAFETY
Campus still prepared 5 years after Hurricane Ike Ellen Goodacre Contributing writer
Five years ago, a Category 2 hurricane made landfall on Galveston Island in the early morning hours of Sept. 13, 2008. Hurricane Ike caused an estimated $20 to $25 million in damages to UH buildings, according
to a press release published in 2008. But the University weathered the storm better than many other parts of the city. At that time, Associate Vice President for Plant Operations Dave Irvin credited that success to lessons learned during Tropical Storm
Allison and Hurricane Rita. “The good news is that we didn’t have any damage to our mechanical, electrical, telecommunications or computing systems, which stands in stark contrast to what happened after Tropical Storm Allison,” Irvin said in the news release. “None of the
buildings that are serviced by UH’s central utility plant were without power, but power outages occurred in buildings south of Wheeler Street that are fed by CenterPoint Energy.” A mandatory evacuation was HURRICANE continues on page 11
ACADEMICS
UH Social Work recognized globally Rebecca Heliot Contributing writer
The UH Graduate College of Social Work has won a variety of awards during its time on campus, and it can now add the 2013 Partners in Advancing Education (PIE) for International Social Work Award to its trophy case.
The Graduate College of Social Work is being recognized for its efforts to advance education in its field on a national and international level by the Council of Social Work Education with its 2013 Partners in Advancing Education for SOCIAL continues on page 11
The UH Graduate College of Social Work adds the 2013 Partners in Advancing Education (PIE) for International Social Work Award to its trophy case. | Rebecca Heliot/The Daily Cougar