Issue 03, Volume 85

PRINT WEEKLY. DIGITAL DAILY

Breaking news online thedailycougar.com

Daily updates to your inbox thedailycougar.com/subscribe

Follow us on Instagram @thedailycougar

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

issue 3, volume 85

bye-bye cable

the university decided to cut the number of channels it offers to upgrade WiFi instead. | Pg. 2

2 | Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Daily Cougar Classifieds HELP WANTED

campus

Free streaming service Philo has channels cut back

Administrative Assistant Position Words of Wisdom, PLLC is seeking a part time or full time administrative assistant for our speech therapy clinic located near West University. Duties include answering phones, scheduling appointments, insurance verification, chart management, data entry, printing, scanning and other clerical tasks. Hours are flexible. Must be proactive and dependable with excellent customer service. Email your resume to info@wisdomspeechtherapy.com.

To advertise go to thedailycougar.com mckenzie misiaszek

NEWS EDITOR @misiaszekUH

The on-campus television streaming service Philo, which allowed students to watch live shows for free on campus, has had the number of channels it offers cut.

The service will still have 13 local channels and CoogTV, but popular channels like ESPN and CNN, along with all other cable channels, have been cut from the list due to low usage by students. HBO Go, which was on a free trial basis and compounded with Philo, is also disappearing on top of the channel cutbacks.

About only 14 percent of students living on campus were used the free streaming service at least once a month, according to a survey done by Technology Services and Support. That 14 percent is less than 1000 of the more than 6000 students who had access to the server.

“When we weighed the cost of the television service, about half a million, with usage, it did not make sense to continue providing a premium service that very few residential students were using,” said Don

Jiselle Santos/The Cougar

Yackley, executive director for Student Housing and Residential life. “However, it is important to continue offering television services for local news, weather and UH channels.”

The main reason for the decrease in viewership is that most students now have some type of streaming service to watch shows and rarely watch live television anymore.

According to a survey done

by University Information Technology, 100 percent of participants had some sort of paid subscription streaming service outside Philo.

“When I was in school there only was regular TV, so we all watched TV,” said Technology

Services and Support Assistant Vice President David Johnson.

“Today that’s changed dramatically. Students are watching streaming services.

They’re watching Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and they’re bringing their own content with them.”

With the major cutback of the streaming services, UH residents will get something in return, Yackley said. The money that was used to pay for Philo will now go toward upgrading WiFi. “If you’re going to watch Netflix you have to have good WiFi,” Johnson said. “We’ve put a huge effort in bringing the residence halls up to speed.”

The residence halls are almost

complete in receiving the WiFi upgrade, Johnson said.

Pre-business sophomore Jack Morgan lived on campus his freshman year and currently lives on campus, and he used the service often, usually to watch sports.

“I primarily used it every week to watch NFL or college football on Saturdays or Sundays and sometimes Thursdays,” Morgan said. “During the NBA season at least once a week as well.”

He would not always watch alone, however, as he also used the service as a way to get together with friends to watch UH play during away games.

“Sometimes my friends and I would have watch parties for

Cougar games or other local sports teams such as the Spurs or Texans,” Morgan said.

Cutting back on Philo’s content was a decision made after a lot of deliberation, Johnson said. He hopes that the sacrifice will end up helping the entire student population through better WiFi. “(Yackley) had to make the decision of priority,” Johnson said. “Do we prioritize the WiFi for all students in these residence halls, or do we prioritize the television needs of a handful of students across the residence halls, that is declining every year.” news@thedailycougar.com

campus

Food delivery across campus now offered Ian Everett

Features Editor @ianeverett8

Chartwells handles UH’s on campus dining options, including the Boost Ordering app. | Kathryn Lenihan/The Cougar

UH Auxiliary Services this fall launched an expanded version of their food delivery program, delivering food to six locations on campus with no delivery fee.

After adding Panda Express to the program over the summer, Auxiliary Services tested and refined the app to handle the

growing volume of orders.

“During the pilot period, we had up to 10 orders a day, which was good because we were testing,” said Rosie Ashley, program director of Auxiliary Services.

“Now, with the full launch this fall, we’re ready for many, many more.”

food delivery

Continues on page 3

Wednesday, August 28, 2019 | 3 administration

Petition to remove Honor’s convocation speakers gains traction

The Honors College is hosting two prominent alumni who were involved with Exxon Mobil. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

MCKENZIE MISIASZEK

NEWS EDITOR @misiaszekuh

A petition to have two Honors College Convocation speakers removed has been making the rounds and racking up signatures online.

The petition calls for the removal and replacement of two alumni, Regent Gerald McElvy, past president of the Exxon Mobil Corp. Foundation, and Executive Adviser to the Chairman of Exxon Mobil April Feick, as speakers for the ceremony due to their current and past involvement with the oil and gas company.

Supporters of the petition said Exxon Mobil is furthering the destruction of the planet through global warming.

“It’s not about who they are as people,” said Katherine Fischer, a UH and Honors College alumna who graduated in 2016. “They represent a corporation who has made these choices.”

The petition currently has more than 200 signatures and was started two weeks before the Thursday convocation.

Current students, alumni and faculty have all signed or shown support for the petition, a distinction that Fischer noted as important.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of faculty members who I expected to get their support and did not

food delivery

Continued from page 2 Students will be able to use Cougar Cash with the app, which is integrated into the meal plans, and for the fall semester will pay no delivery fee.

“We will be launching with a no delivery fee promotion for the entire fall semester to entice and

because they are privately willing to say, ‘yeah, this is wrong, we don’t like this,’ ” Fischer said. “But publicly they aren’t willing to put their necks on the line.”

Fischer sent the letter, along with the petition, to Honors College Dean William Monroe and the Office of the President.

The responses she received were less than satisfactory, Fischer said.

In the email sent to Fischer from Monroe, the dean said he will not replace the speakers.

“Real universities do not disinvite visitors in response to outside pressure, or inside pressure for that matter,” Monroe said in the email. “To do so would be contrary to the nature and purpose of a free university.”

The dean told Fischer he thinks she went about this situation in the wrong way, and that instead of starting a petition there were many other ways to express her frustration with the decision, including calling him and explaining her concerns or writing an op-ed piece for a newspaper or social media outlet.

“I was the one who invited Regent McElvy and our alumna April Feick, and I am proud and happy that they agreed,” Monroe said. “They are both good people, as we used to say, and I would have been happy to discuss my

draw guests to this new program,” Ashley said.

Ashley said there will be other benefits for Boost users in Spring 2020, such as loyalty points and discounts.

The full list of restaurants delivering through the Boost App are Mondo, Panda Express, and Freshii, though students can still use the app to place pick-up

reasoning with you if you had given me the chance.”

In a separate email to Fischer, Monroe elaborates on the idea that the speakers represent Exxon Mobil. He said he does not believe they represent the company, but instead, since they are alumni, represent the University as successful graduates.

“I don’t agree that either April or the regent is representing Exxon Mobil,” Monroe said in the email. “They are representing the University of Houston — or that my choice is an endorsement of their current or former employer, the church they go to, the political party they belong to, or any other affiliation they may have now or may have had in the past.”

In a statement from the University they elaborate by saying that UH is a place that allows discussion, debate and expression.

“American universities are forums for expression, discussion and debate,” the statement said, “and to be true to their social mission, they cannot disinvite guests because the positions or affiliations of those guests may be objectionable to some members of the public or the University community.”

The petition started when Fischer, a local political

orders at most of the on-campus dining options.

The delivery locations include Ezekiel W. Cullen, the Architecture Building, McElhinney Hall, the General Services Building, M.D. Anderson Library and Farish Hall.

The app is free to download and use on both Android and Apple, and students only need

organizer, received an invite, as all Honors College alumni do, to the 2019 Fall Honors Convocation.

When she saw who the keynote speaker was Fischer messaged some of her friends she knew from college. She asked their opinions on it and if they wanted to do anything about it.

Fischer said her and other alumni friends decided to write one letter collectively, rather than send several, and that they began collecting signatures in mid-August.

The reason for the letter and petition is a multitude of things, Fischer said, including lawsuits against the company, a recent fire at an Exxon Mobil plant in Houston and past campaigns to stir uncertainty about the truth of global warming, all culminating in Exxon Mobil’s role in climate change.

“Exxon Mobil has definitively had a really huge and really negative impact on our specific community and the world,” Fischer said. “We don’t think it’s right that the University is bringing in two people… who represent this corporation.”

After receiving the response from Monroe, Fischer decided to stage a protest that will take place on the same day as the convocation.

She said there will be climate activists speaking, telling people what they can do to help stop climate change.

“We hope that this will be a peaceful and positive event that will show UH and the Honors College that youth mobilization is not ‘terrible’ and ‘petulant,’ ” Fischer said, quoting the first response she got from Monroe.

In an email Fischer received Tuesday, Monroe suggested a panel about climate change at the Honors College in the next few weeks.

“We can certainly work with you on that,” Monroe said to Fischer. news@thedailycougar.com

i

The Cougar

thedailycougar.com

About the Cougar The Cougar is published every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters and online everyday at thedailycougar. com. The Cougar is supported in part by Student Service Fees. The first copy is free. Additional copies cost 25 cents.

Copyright No part of the newspaper in print or online may be reproduced without the consent of the director of Student Publications.

Issue staff Closing editors

Michael Slaten Morgan Horst COPY EDITING

Mason Vasquez COVER

Juana Garcia

i

Center for Student Media uh.edu/csm

About CSM The Center for Student Media provides comprehensive advisory and financial support to the university’s student-run media: The Cougar newspaper, CoogTV and Coog Radio.

Part of the Student Life portfolio in the Division of Student Affairs, the CSM is concerned with the development of students, focusing on critical thinking, leadership, ethics, collaboration, intercultural competence, goal-setting and ultimately, degree attainment. While our students are engaged in producing and promoting media channels and content, our goal is to ensure they are learning to become better thinkers and leaders in the process.

Center for Student Media

(713) 743-5350 to register and set UH as their location when ordering.

Ashley also said that students could work for the delivery program if they desired, as well as full-time associates.

“We have a lot of great jobs for students if they want to work on campus,” Ashley said. news@thedailycougar.com

csm@uh.edu www.uh.edu/csm N221 Student Center University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4015 Advertising

(713) 743-5340 advertising@thedailycougar.com thedailycougar.com/advertising Design Team Ruchi Khakta

4 | Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Sports jhair romero, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/sportS

Sports@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5303

Football

Houston ready to ‘bring back a victory’ against Oklahoma

2016’s matchup between the Cougars and the Sooners saw Houston sack eventual Heisman Trophy winner and then-Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield five times en route to a 33-23 win. | File photo

Jhair romero

sports editor @justjhair

When Houston marches into Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in front of a crowd of over 80,000 to take on No. 4 Oklahoma on Sunday, the Cougars will face their biggest and baddest opponent of the year — and it’s only the season opener.

The Sooners, who in 2018 won the Big 12, had a second-consecutive Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Kyler Murray and with a No. 4 seed qualified for the College Football Playoff, look to trounce the Cougars as revenge for their 2016 33-23 loss to UH. Head coach Dana Holgorsen, having gone seven straight seasons without beating Oklahoma during his time as head of the Big 12’s West Virginia, has confidence that UH will return from Norman with a win under its belt.

“We embrace these expectations,” Holgorsen told fans last Friday at Cage Rage, a preseason pep rally. “Our job is to bring championships.”

For the Cougars, the path toward Holgorsen’s goal runs through a sea of crimson 20

miles south of downtown Oklahoma City.

How will Houston get there? Using the same tactics Holgorsen used 10 years ago when his offense led quarterback Case Keenum and the Cougars to one of the most prolific offenses in the country: take to the air.

King of the skies With the injury of defensive tackle Ed Oliver in 2018, senior quarterback D’Eriq King became Houston’s No. 1 weapon.

One problem remains, however. King, who missed the final two games of last season with a knee injury, has had to change his style of play under Holgorsen to avoid another potentially season-ending injury.

“He’s the most valuable guy we have on this practice field right now,” Holgorsen said during the first days of training camp.

“If he’s on the sideline with an injury, then he’s not going to do us any good.”

The native of Manvel has made improvements, Holgorsen said. The Earl Campbell Award finalist has practiced sliding and other means of keeping himself safe while not sacrificing the

broken plays and quarterback scrambles that give King’s style of play its distinction.

“I’m still coaching him to manage the game and run the offense and let all the players around him make all the plays they are capable of making,” Holgorsen said.

Last season, King set an American Athletic Conference record in touchdowns responsible for with 50. Given Holgorsen’s air raid offense and the fact that the 2018 Cougars averaged almost 44 points per game to the Sooners’ 33-point opposition average, the team can find success in its opener.

Handling the trenches The Sooners’ senior quarterback Jalen Hurts is the Cougars’ biggest threat heading into the matchup.

After all, he is a national champion.

But the native of Channelview and transfer from Alabama, just like any quarterback, has a weakness — he’s sack-prone.

In 2017, a year before thenfreshman Tua Tagovailoa took his spot as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback, Hurts was sacked 24 times, five more than in 2016 and with almost 130

fewer pass attempts than the previous season.

When Holgorsen arrived in Houston, he installed a new four-man defensive front, a change from former head coach Major Applewhite’s three-man defense that misused Oliver before the injury in his final season with the Cougars.

Exploiting any mistake in an Oklahoma offensive line that let up 19 sacks in 2018 would be best to get Holgorsen’s new defensive line settled into the trenches.

Duel of the QBs Oklahoma can build quarterbacks like no other school can, and Hurts is no exception.

Head coach Lincoln Riley alone has had two consecutive Heisman winners under his belt, and both are now thriving in the NFL. Fortunately for the Cougars, Holgorsen is just as offensiveminded as Riley, and a quarterback duel between King and Hurts will likely ensue.

The two quarterbacks played against each other while in high school, with King’s Manvel beating Hurts’s Channelview 71-21.

With the stakes much higher now than at the 2015 matchup, Holgorsen remains excited and confident in Houston’s trip to Oklahoma.

“We can’t wait to go up there and play those guys and bring back a victory,” Holgorsen said.

“There’s no question about that.” sports@thedailycougar.com Keep up to date with The Cougar’s coverage of UH vs. OU online.

Check out our website thedailycougar.com/ sports Like us on Facebook facebook.com/ thedailycougar

Follow us on Twitter @TheCougarSports Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/ thedailycougar Email edition thedailycougar.com/ subscribe

Wednesday, August 28, 2019 | 5

JHAir romero, EdItor

tHedAiLYCouGAr.Com/sPorts

sports

sPorts@tHedAiLYCouGAr.Com

713-743-5303

Football

the opposition: oklahoma daily previews uH vs. ou

The Oklahoma Sooners won 12 games in 2018’s College Football Playoff qualifying campaign, including a 39-27 blowout over the then-No. 15 Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship Game that propelled it to an appearance in the Orange Bowl against the Alabama Crimson Tide. | caitlyn Epes/the oklahoma daily

gEorgE stoIa

ou dAiLY sPorts editor

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in The Oklahoma Daily, the student newspaper at the University of Oklahoma.

No. 4 Oklahoma knows it has its work cut out for it against Houston.

Entering another season with national title aspirations, how the Sooners fare in their season

opener against the Cougars should gauge how their 2019 season will go. Facing D’Eriq King will be no easy task for OU’s new-look defense, but with Jalen Hurts behind center, Oklahoma should have no problem scoring themselves.

Coach Lincoln Riley is looking forward to the matchup. “(We’re) getting the chance to play a really good team like Houston. A team, like us, that

is going through some changes, obviously with coach (Dana) Holgorsen who we know is a great coach,” Riley said Monday.

“When you look at them, it all starts with the quarterback. The quarterback’s a fantastic player.”

New Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch will have his hands full with King. Grinch will have experience on his side, with eight starters returning to the defensive side of the ball.

Among those returning, the most notable are senior defensive lineman Neville Gallimore, junior cornerback Tre Brown and junior linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Gallimore is the most experienced player on the Sooners’ roster, playing in 33 games and racking up 118 tackles during his career. Brown, on the other hand, has only one season under his belt of real experience, but proved to be OU’s best

defensive back last season with 12 pass breakups. Murray has the most hype surrounding him entering the season, after being named the Big 12 preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Oklahoma’s defense will be a work in progress all season after finishing 129th in total defense last year. But so far, Riley likes what he’s seen.

“There’s a little bit more sense of a brotherhood on that side of the ball right now,” Riley said.

“I’m excited to see how that translates to our play and gives us leadership and camaraderie throughout this year.”

As for the offensive side of the ball, Oklahoma doesn’t expect to take a dip despite losing Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray and four offensive linemen to the NFL. Riley’s offense returns playmakers like junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, junior tight end Grant Calcaterra and junior running back Trey Sermon.

And while they lost four of their starting linemen, the Sooners do return redshirt sophomore Creed Humphrey who may just be their most valuable player on the entire roster.

Add those guys with the addition of Hurts and Riley’s offense should continue to hum in 2019.

“We don’t plan on the offense dipping,” Riley said in July. “And we definitely expect the defense to be better.”

Looks like we’ll find out Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

Football

state of the AAC: American teams to face tough opponents brayLEy croWE

stAFF Writer @brAYLeYCroWe

August is winding down, and that means American Athletic Conference football is officially back.

Save for two meetings over the past weekend, the FBS season is upon the sports world and with its opening weekend. Several AAC teams find themselves in marquee matchups with perennial powers nationwide.

Few, if any, Houston fans are unaware of the Cougars’ Sept. 1 matchup with the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners in Norman.

However, UH is not the only AAC team that will open the season

with a top-25 foe.

South Florida, a preseason favorite to finish in the top half of the conference’s East division, begin the 2019 campaign as hosts to No. 19 Wisconsin Friday. The Bulls, who ended last season on a six-game losing streak, will face the offensive capabilities of the Badgers.

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin’s junior running back, has had a prolific career already, including 16 touchdowns and nearly 2,200 yards on 307 touches last year on his way to winning the Doak Walker Award. This season,

statE oF thE aac

Continues on page 6

Jiselle santos/the cougar

6 | Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Sports jhair romero, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/sportS

Sports@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5303

football

Gridiron Spotlight: Teams to watch in Week 1 Armando Yanez

staff writer @odnam16

Houston will be lining up against No. 4 Oklahoma in Week 1 for its season opener, but teams that the Cougars will face later on in their season will be playing games with many implications for UH’s 2019.

While UH won’t be directly playing some of these teams, the results of each can affect Houston’s season in big ways.

UCLA vs. Cincinnati Thursday night’s UCLA vs.

Cincinnati matchup will make for a great season opener for both teams, with it being the second straight year where these two programs meet for their first game of the year. Cincinnati defeated UCLA 26-17 in 2018, but second-year Bruins head coach Chip Kelly will look to bounce back not only against the Bearcats but against the competitive Pac-12 competition he and the team will face.

A win for Cincinnati in this matchup helps their case for a top-25 spot in the rankings given UCLA’s Power Five status.

Houston will face Cincinnati at home on Oct. 12, and a win over the Bearcats would push the Cougars higher toward the top-25 as well if the Bearcats were to pull out a victory in their season opener against the Bruins.

No. 19 Wisconsin vs. South Florida Wisconsin, one of the three ranked programs competing against American Athletic Conference teams, head down

State of the aac

Continued from page 5 Taylor opens up as a preseason All-American.

The high point for USF against this greater foe is senior quarterback Blake Barnett.

Last season, Barnett completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 12 touchdowns and a QB rating of 131.1. Perhaps a strong outing from the Bulls’ slinger can spur another seven-game win streak like last season.

Like the Bulls, the Golden Hurricanes of Tulsa will open the season with a top-25 opponent from the Big Ten conference. Friday will pit Tulsa away against No. 18 Michigan St.

While Houston will not be playing any of these teams in Week 1, the results can have a great impact on the Cougars’ season going foward. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

to Tampa to start their season against South Florida. The Badgers are favorites and could find an easy victory, but an upset for USF would be big not only for the Bulls, but for Houston as well.

UH will not meet USF headto-head this season, but both programs will play many of the same teams, such as Central Florida, Memphis and Cincinnati. A win for USF in Week 1 can boost UH’s resume later in the season.

A victory for USF against Wisconsin would also give the

in East Lansing.

The Golden Hurricanes won just five games over the past two seasons. MSU, led by senior quarterback Brian Lewerke and junior receiver Cody White, will have quite the uphill task to open the season.

In his sophomore season, White hauled in 42 passes for 555 yards, the most on the team, and two touchdowns. A regular for the Spartans since his redshirt freshman year in 2016, Lewerke has completed 55.9 percent of his career attempts and 5,214 yards for a total of 30 touchdowns.

Tulsa in 2018 found itself in the bottom of FBS in receiving

AAC ‘s season performance more weight come bowl season.

Tulsa vs. No. 18 Michigan State

will stand out on paper, and even more in the conversation of which AAC teams will rise in season and conference rankings.

Much like the season-opening game between Wisconsin and South Florida, this matchup will hold much more meaning heading toward conference play because of MSU’s top-25 ranking and Big Ten status.

When the time comes to look at significant wins in every team’s season, a victory for the Green Wave over the Spartans

Ole Miss vs. Memphis

yards allowed per game, with 233.1, No. 119 out of 130.

To open up its slate, Cincinnati takes on UCLA at home on Thursday. The Bearcats had a breakthrough season in 2018, finishing 11-2 and No. 23 and 24 in the Coaches and AP polls, respectively.

UC’s dramatic improvement came a year after head coach Luke Fickell led the Bearcats to a measly 4-8 record in his debut season.

Cincinnati, led by sophomore quarterback Desmond Ridder, is expected to vie for the East division’s top spot, along with Central Florida. Ridder appeared in all 13 games last

season, including the Bearcat’s 26-17 victory over the Bruins, totaling 2,445 yards, 62.4 percent passing with 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

To round out the top-tier meetings, Memphis will open the season as hosts to 70-mile rival Ole Miss on Saturday. The game is a near 50-50 prediction, with Ole Miss a slight favorite at 51.6 percent.

The Tigers had one of the most prolific running duos in college football last season in Darrell Henderson and Patrick Taylor Jr. While Henderson is now in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams, Taylor returns for his senior season looking to lead

Memphis hosting Ole Miss will be an interesting matchup for a season opener, as the SEC has been the dominant conference over the AAC since the American’s inception. Since 2013, the SEC holds an 18-7 record over the AAC. The Tigers are 1-7 against SEC teams since 2010, but a victory

over the Rebels would give them a sizable advantage in the out-ofconference record column.

UH and Memphis have met 27 times in their respective histories, with the Cougars holding the 15-12 advantage.

However, Memphis has won their last three meetings against Houston, including 2018’s matchup that claimed the American West for the Tigers to send them to the AAC Championship Game. sports@thedailycougar.com

the program himself.

The duo accounted for more than 3,000 yards last season, with Taylor recording 1,122 of those on 208 carries. In three seasons at Memphis, Taylor has 31 touchdowns, with more than half coming in 2018.

With an exciting and competitive regular season ahead between several solid teams, the AAC will kick off the season with several competitive opponents to truly set the tone for what could result in a New Year’s Six Bowl from the American for the fourth time in five years. sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, August 28, 2019 | 7

Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg August 28, 2019

ACROSS 1 Mosey along 6 Silicon Valley industry, briefly 10 Rabbit’s feet 14 Where one’s do is done 15 Trendy berry 16 Activewear brand 17 *Great writer who movingly captured the American dream in “Goodbye, Columbus” 19 Tirade 20 Greed or pride 21 Elephant org.

22 Infamous New York prison 24 Sty 26 *Legendary five-time NBA championship coach 28 Fabric that originated in India 30 Up and about 31 Bit of gel 32 Lyft rival 34 Old-style “Yikes!”

38 Word before “entry” or “point” 39 Some image polishers, or a hint to the starred clues and their answers’ initials 41 Apt herding dog name

8/28

42 Correct a text 44 Number two 45 In the pink 46 Comes down to earth 48 Like some energy 50 *Reds superstar who came clean from his rocky past 53 Dog who visited Oz 54 O, on the periodic table 55 Not many 56 Classic British sports cars 59 Landlord’s employee, informally 60 *Patriotic silversmith whose daring ride shaped American history 64 First family’s residence 65 “Live!” co-host Kelly 66 Operating system with a penguin logo 67 Spend time on Time 68 Leave off 69 Did nothing DOWN 1 Venomous snakes 2 Half a Hawaiian fish 3 Romantic setup

4 Texter’s chuckle 5 Puzzler 6 Rain delay cover 7 “Friendly” starter 8 Manx, for one 9 Drum kit parts 10 Final cross words 11 Be of help to 12 Grimace 13 Thai appetizer on a stick 18 Suddenly appears 23 Balancing yoga pose 25 Subject of a Snopes investigation 26 Logical assumption 27 Ran on TV 28 Created 29 Driver of “Girls” 33 Thin fasteners

35 When the lightbulb turns on 36 Place to get a schmear 37 Blueprint detail, briefly 40 Like Felix, vis-a-vis Oscar 43 Truth’s counterpart 47 College player, e.g.

49 Beach spreads 50 Puzzler 51 Ooze out 52 Intense personality 55 Apartment, across the pond 57 Pub eats 58 Hot 61 “We ___ to please” 62 News letters 63 Itinerary word

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

8/27

© 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com

Spinners by Debbie Ellerin

8 | Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Opinion Maryam baldawi, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/OPINION

OPINION@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5304

sustainability

Editorial Board editor in chief

Michael Slaten managing editor

Morgan Horst

creative director

Jiselle Santos News editor

McKenzie Misiaszek

features editor

Students should help save the bees before it is too late

sports editor

Jhair Romero photo editor

Trevor Nolley opinion editor

Maryam Baldawi assistant editors

Kathryn Lenihan Juana Garcia Autumn Rendall

Ian Everett

Chief Copy Editor

Mason Vasquez

Staff editorial The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major.

Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to N221, University Center; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing.

GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Commentary should be limited to 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies, but rather should present independent points of view. Deliver submissions to N221, University Center; e-mail them to letters@ thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.

ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole.

The Cougar is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press.

studentpress.org/acp

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

maryam baldawi

opinion editor

The number of bee colonies has been declining, and it is our fault.

Bees are to thank for about 80 percent of the pollination of flowering plants worldwide. In fact, one bee has the capability of pollinating 5,000 flowers in one day.

Bees pollinate 70 of the top 100 human food crops, meaning they help our crops reproduce. So, bees are important.

Even though a Maryam BALDWAWI bee’s sting can be OPINION EDITOR dangerous, they do not actually want to sting. Bees only sting when they feel threatened and typically do not. I would punch and kick if I felt physically threatened, but I typically do not. Bees are nice, unless you irritate them.

Honey bees actually die when they sting, furthering the above argument that bees do not wish to sting unless they feel extremely threatened.

Scientists know bees are dying in masses in the U.S. from a variety of factors, ranging from the use of pesticides, habitat destruction, global warming and a few other reasons. The National Agricultural Statistics Service shows a honey bee decline from about six million hives to 2.4 million hives over a period of about 60 years.

In Germany earlier this year, people signed a petition calling for a referendum for environmental protection.

The petition received the signature of over a million people to be submitted to the Bavarian legislature.

In fact, the movement was powerful enough to make Bavaria’s governing party, the Christian Social Union, make into law what the petition was asking for: to preserve the environment.

The law will do this by increasing the number of natural meadows, limit pesticide use and prevent more losses of biodiversity. And this law would of course help save the bees, along with many other animals and environmental factors.

The movement in Germany gives hope to green movements elsewhere — including in Houston. Students should petition to ban the seven most dangerous pesticides from use on campus. We can even create a habitat — a bee habitat.

Bees that do not live in hives, or solitary bees, like to live in a tree stump or log, and having a water source helps.

Also, students should not kill unwanted bees. Instead, they should get a pest control company. Some beekeepers will remove them for free.

Students can even join the Office of Sustainability on the Sustainability Committee.

On this committee, students can pitch their concerns and plans for initiatives

for campus.

Another sustainability organization on campus that can have the goal of saving bees is the Metropolitan Volunteer Program.

This program has a sector for environment and sustainability.

Students should start an Adopt a Bee Hive event. Adopting a bee hive would consist of raising money to care for the bees in the Houston area.

Whether building a bee habitat or signing a campus law that protects bees by decreasing pesticide use, students should help save the bees.

Opinion Editor Maryam Baldawi is a biology junior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

Things you can do to help Simple ways to save the bees

Don’t use pesticides in your backyard Don’t kill bees and instead hire a company or contact a beekeeper Start a petition to stop some pesticide use in your community

Tell us your opinion, use hashtag #REaDAllOver