Issue 20, Volume 85

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Wednesday, February 12, 2020 Issue 20 Volume 85

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‘I stood alone’ Celine Pineda feels the strain of being one of the few indigenous students on campus, a group whose enrollment has fallen by almost 50 percent in recent years. | PG. 2

SPORTS After baseball was snubbed from the NCAA tournament last year, the team is “hungry” for 2020 success. | PG. 5

opinion The delivery robots display the larger issue of accessibility on campus for students. | PG. 8

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2 | Wednesday, February 12, 2020

NEWS

campus

Autumn rendall, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/NEWS

@thedailycougar

Ethnic Isolation

Indigenous student feels like ‘only yellow blade’ in field of UH’s growing diversity Katrina Martinez

Managing editor @katrinamtz124

In a room full of hundreds of faces from around the globe at one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the nation, Celine Pineda suddenly felt cold and alone.

Even as a young adult, Pineda has grown accustomed to unwelcoming eyes and the feeling of isolation, but during her freshman orientation in June 2019, she realized her search for a community would continue despite the hope UH would provide some relief.

Pineda is Navajo and one of only 35 Native American/Alaska Native women on campus, according to the UH Fall 2019 Facts report.

Despite overall enrollment growing by almost 10,000 students during the last 10 years, the indigenous student population has suffered a steady decline.

Today, Native American students make up only 0.1 percent of 46,148 enrolled — a total of 67 students, and a figure that has dropped by nearly 50 percent since 2009.

“Houston as a city — is so culturally diverse, and I love that,” Pineda said with tears in her eyes. “But not seeing anyone like me, it’s kind of surreal that I was surrounded by so many different cultures, colors, experiences and histories, and yet, I stood alone in a huge grass field as the only yellow blade.”

Pauline Strong, a University of Texas at Austin anthropology professor who has studied indigenous populations for 45 years, said the people who identify as native have increased over time in the U.S., which differs from UH’s significant decrease in native student enrollment.

“That doesn’t reflect the change in the native population in Texas or nationally, so there must be some other explanation for it.

Strong said. “If anything the population of indigenous students in Texas has increased. … It could reflect a lack of recruiting of students in that demographic.”

Before committing to UH,

Pineda was considering the University of Oklahoma, but the school’s racist past and lack of support for the native community led her to choose Houston, which was closer to home.

The history freshman hopes to document Indigenous American history and make it accessible, but when she enrolled for classes, she said she could not find a single Native American studies class offered.

“There’s queer history here and as a queer that’s great for me, but seeing that part of myself more out here on campus than my (indigenous) half, that hits different,” Pineda said. “We love being a minority within a minority — within a minority group.”

Pineda is also a pre-med student and plans to give back to the natives in the Navajo Nation and across America.

“Ever since I was a kid, I knew I was going to be a doctor,” she said.

“I was going to open a clinic on the reservation … and give community outreach, not only medical services but also medical information.

“You can give a person a pill or a shot, but you’re not actually helping them until you teach them dietary habits and what they can do to better themselves after you’re gone.”

Deeply-rooted heritage Pineda from a young age was passionate about her culture because her indigenous heritage runs deep within her family and their struggles.

Both of her parents, Magdalena and Ronaldo Pineda, were born in Nicaragua. Her mother’s family fled to the U.S. in 1985 during the Sandinista Revolution, which broke out in 1979 and continued into 1990.

Her father, on the other hand, was forced to brave the war as a child.

“My father didn’t leave Nicaragua during the civil war because his family was poor and couldn’t afford to leave and seek refuge,” Pineda said. “Instead, he was kidnapped and forced to be a child soldier in Nicaragua during

Magdalena Pineda (left) smells the forehead of Celine Pineda (right), who is her daughter, in the kitchen of their Missouri City home. This is a traditional greeting within their Navajo tribe that Magdalena Pineda said her people do to tell if someone is a family member or not. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

the revolution.”

The lineage of Pineda’s maternal grandparents is deeply rooted in the Navajo Nation of North America.

Their specific tribe fled to Central America during the time of European colonization, according to Pineda’s mother Magdalena Pineda, but they continued to represent their cultural identity despite being forced from their homelands.

Pineda’s grandfather, great grandfather and their fathers before them were all chiefs of their tribe dating back hundreds of years, Magdalena Pineda said.

But with the growing number of disappearances, deaths and the rising poverty in the Navajo Nation, their family was forced to leave the reservation.

Magdalena Pineda is passionate about her culture and her people’s history but has struggled to pass the full experience of being Navajo on to Pineda and Ronaldo Pineda Jr, her two children.

“It’s very difficult when you can’t really share your culture, your language, your tradition or your beliefs because there’s nobody else but you,” Magdalena Pineda said. “I have raised my two children alone, so I cannot do it. … Being a single parent, it’s hard.”

has never truly been exposed to the indigenous community outside of her family. She often felt isolated from her peers, and said she was teased or treated badly by her high school friends in her junior year for being prideful of her culture.

When she entered college in 2019, she hoped to find a community of peers, professors and natives who would encourage and support her educational endeavors.

But that was not the reality.

‘The minority America forgets’

Magdalena Pineda makes Navajo fry bread the same way she was taught as a child, and has passed this on to her daughter Celine Pineda. It was commonly eaten by their tribe with berries or meats. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

Throughout her 19 years, Pineda

“I went to the Urban Experience Program, and I’ve been told that they’re trying to find a way to get a Native American scholarship started, but I probably won’t see it within my four years,” Pineda said. “The fact that it doesn’t exist to begin with kind of feels like a backhand.

“We’re the minority America forgets.”

isolation

Continues on page 4

Wednesday, February 12, 2020 | 3 Autumn rendall, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/NEWS

NEWS

@thedailycougar

City

Students demand Innovation District not harm Third Ward’s identity Autumn Rendall

News editor @Autumnrendall

Students at UH and other local universities are working together to ensure Third Ward residents aren’t victims of gentrification from the Innovation District development near the community led by Rice University.

The renovation of the old Sears building on Main Street in Midtown will create “The Ion,” a hub for startups and large corporations to collaborate.

The Ion is the first phase in the development of the Innovation District, which will encompass approximately 16 acres in Midtown, according to Rice University.

The Student Coalition for a Just and Equitable Innovation Corridor is calling on Rice Management Company, the organization leading the development and governed

by Rice, to ensure the project prevents Third Ward affordable housing insecurity, food deserts, unemployment and other detrimental effects.

“We need to really figure out how our residents can benefit from the prestige of this University and not be moved out of this place,” said Uyiosa Elegon, marketing senior and a UH student a part of the coalition.

The student coalition is part of a collection of community groups called the Houston Coalition for Equitable Development without Displacement.

The group is working to secure a Community Benefits Agreement with the Rice Management Company as they develop the Innovation District.

A CBA is a contract signed by community groups and developers or cities that requires the developer to provide a range of specific benefits tailored to the needs of the local community and to enforce the developer’s promises.

Listening to the community Since November, the student coalition has engaged with over a thousand Third Ward residents to hear out their needs and concerns regarding the Innovation District.

“The Third Ward is full of intelligent, very creative and innovative people, and people who have not been given the resources that match their huge potential,” Elegon said.

Elegon believes development

i

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i The renovation of the old Sears building on Main Street in Midtown will create “The Ion,” a hub for startups and large corporations to collaborate. The project is spearheaded by Rice Management Company. | Kathryn Lenihan/The Cougar

in the Third Ward needs to be done in the eyes of what is good for the residents. In years past, he said he has seen outsiders of the neighborhood reap benefits, while nothing changed for longtime residents.

As a result of the many meetings with Third Ward

that they deserve because it’s their neighborhood,” Elegon said.

Making sure that the Innovation District prioritizes first-source hiring is another key part of the CBA. This would ensure that residents of the surrounding community would be looked to first when hiring

“We want to make sure that the people within this community have access to all the benefits that this development can bring them because we are prodevelopment, but equitably.”

Uyiosa Elegon, marketing senior residents and the Houston Coalition’s previous research on the needs of the community, the CBA has a variety of goals for the Innovation District.

Honoring and maintaining the neighborhood’s diverse history, as well as prioritization and support for minority and African American owned businesses are some of the CBA’s pillars.

The CBA also aims for K-12 schools in the area to be given tech education from the start of their school experience, Elegon said.

“Because we have a lot of historically black, low-income schools around the area, we want to make sure that they are given all the beautiful programming

jobs with living wage and benefits.

Changing the status quo Residents being pushed out of their own communities is a result of many different systems, Elegon said. Whether it’s lack of affordable grocery stores, rising rents or a new company moving in where local residents can’t be hired because they lack the qualifications.

“That just limits all the opportunity until it’s almost inevitable that you have to leave or you’re evicted,” Elegon said.

Rice University students on behalf of the coalition wrote a letter to Rice President David Leebron and the Rice University

Board of Trustees on Jan. 20. The letter said they will have no part in the risks the development could place upon low-income Black residents of the Third Ward.

“Not in our name will Rice continue to promote its research partnerships with low-income communities of color without supporting those communities when it counts,” the letter said.

Elegon is working to get UH organizations to sign on to the letter to make a statement to the University.

“This letter that not only says this is what we want our university to do, but this is also how we want to envision being a future neighbor, being a good neighbor to better workplaces,” Elegon said.

Elegon hopes student organizations at UH and Texas Southern University write their own letter stating to the Board of Regents at both universities that they don’t want any sort of involvement as students in any programming with the Innovation District if it is not out of a CBA. “We want to make sure that the people within this community have access to all the benefits that this development can bring them because we are prodevelopment, but equitably,” Elegon said. news@thedailycougar.com

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IsOlATION

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There are no services available specifically for indigenous students because the population is so small, said Varselles Cummings, the director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. However, he said the University is looking into adding some.

CDI recommended indigenous students seek out student organizations or consult with the Center for Student Involvement about clubs.

Of nearly 600 student organizations on campus, only one is relevant to the native population. The Society for Advancement of Chicanos/ Hispanic and Native Americans in Science at UH was created in the 2018-19 academic year but isn’t the culturally-based organization that Pineda truly longs for.

At the time of publication, the SACNAS advisers or officers could not be reached for comment.

Although there are many cultural organizations on campus, the University is not responsible for creating them, said communications senior and director of the Cougar Involvement Ambassadors Caroline Boden.

Instead, it is up to students to

AuTumn rEnDAll, EDITOR

find the need for a club, bring in at least three members and an adviser, and then, complete training and write a constitution to have their club approved.

“We just haven’t had students come forward and say, ‘We want this organization to be on campus,’ unfortunately,” Boden said.

With so few natives on campus, Pineda struggled to find others to help her start such an organization when she tried to establish one during her first semester.

She blames the University for failing to encourage more native students to enroll at UH. The issue is there are no scholarships or cultural support provided to Indigenous Americans by the University, she said.

“The more diversity you have, the more people you include, the more effort you put in, you will see those benefits,” Pineda said. “Go back to the history of this college and see how they started being more inclusive to minority groups, not only sexuality but also people of color and different backgrounds and ideology. Now, this campus flourishes.

“By not reaching out that hand, the school deprives itself of our voice, and they’re unknowingly pushing us out.” news@thedailycougar.com

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Celine Pineda sits in her seventh-floor dorm with the stuffed animal her roommate gifted her. Pineda said she spent several hours in her room looking for Native American student organizations to join last fall, but was unsuccessful in her search despite the University being one of the more diverse schools in the nation. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar

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‘We’ve got a chip on our shoulder’

Fueled by 2019’s NCAA Tournament snub, UH is ‘hungry’ for 2020 success

Junior Clay Aguilar, one of Houston’s two preseason all-American Athletic Conference pitchers, said many of the Cougars’ returners took 2019’s NCAA Tournament snub “pretty hard,” working hard in the offseason to make sure UH makes it in 2020. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

Head coach Todd Whitting and the Cougars knew they were “literally one win away” from being safely in when Houston was among the first four out and narrowly left bidless in the 2019 NCAA Tournament in late May. “But it’s not the end of the world,” a disappointed Whitting said. “I’m excited about our club coming back next year.”

For his club, which returns 20 players, including two preseason all-conference pitchers, the snub was a motivation in the offseason to improve and prevent another “unacceptable” ending to a season.

With the UH’s 2020 redemption tour on the horizon, set to start on Friday when Houston takes the field at Schroeder Park against Youngstown State, the Cougars are ready to channel the disappointment of a lost chance into a successful season.

Driving force Many veteran Cougars, including junior pitcher Clay Aguilar, didn’t take the news of missing the NCAA Tournament lightly, but the snub gave Houston reason to “amp it up this offseason” and “push ourselves a lot harder.”

“This offseason has been pretty hard, but this year we’ve got a chip on our shoulder,” Aguilar added. “We all worked a little bit harder. We put the work in.”

Houston was expected to make the NCAA Tournament for most of the year, going 32-24 in the regular season, but an 0-2 showing at the American Athletic Conference Championship derailed the Cougars’ hopes.

The biggest disappointment, said Aguilar, one of the Cougars’ preseason all-conference pitchers, came when teams who had lower RPI rankings — like TCU — were granted a bid ahead of Houston.

“All the returners took that pretty hard,” the righty who had a 3.19 ERA in 2019 said. “We all

felt like last year’s team definitely deserved to get in.”

But the disappointment turned into fuel, and that mindset, Aguilar and others said, were easily translated to incoming freshmen on the squad who didn’t experience the snub firsthand. on Athletics Courtesy of Houst

JHAIR ROMERO

SPOrTS EDITOr @JuSTJHAIr

Getting minds right The Cougars made it a priority in the offseason to make sure younger players knew were Houston’s priorities were.

“They helped install the hard-work mindset,” freshman infielder and pitcher Dax Dathe said of his older mentors at UH. “This year, it’s an expectation to at least make the tournament.

“We can’t leave it in anybody’s hands to make that decision for us.

We have to do that ourselves.”

Senior pitcher Tyler Bielamowicz said he and other veterans made sure their

younger teammates were on board for Houston’s redemption tour.

“We’ve implemented that with the new guys,” Bielamowicz, one of eight seniors on Houston’s roster, said. “We’re not going to let that happen again.”

Ambitious goals While the

Cougars have many personal goals, Dathe said, Houston’s “telescope” is focused on one thing — the College World Series.

The program hasn’t made it to Omaha since the late 1960s when it finished second in college baseball’s greatest show.

In recent years, Houston has gotten closer and closer to being a competitive force nationally.

The Cougars have won two AAC tournament championships and three regular-season conference titles under Whitting.

Like Dathe, Bielamowicz kept his list of goals for UH’s 2020 short and simple.

“I want it to be a legacy,” Bielamowicz said. “(We want to) be the first team since 1967 to go to Omaha.”

And the Cougars know they have the talent to do so.

“We’re hungry to win some baseball games,” Aguilar said.

“We’re excited to go and show our stuff. We’ve got a good squad, and we’re excited to prove people wrong.” sports@thedailycougar.com

6 | Wednesday, February 12, 2020

SPORTS

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BaSEBaLL

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mEn’S BaSKETBaLL

Previewing Roundtable: How does UH bounce no. 20 back after 2019’s disappointing end? Houston at uSF

THE COUGAR sPORTs sTAFF @THECOuGArSPOrTS

ANDy yANEz

After a long offseason that saw the Cougars deal with being left out of the NCAA Tournament, UH starts its season on Friday at Schroeder Park against Youngstown State.

Houston, No. 35 in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper‘s preseason Fabulous 40, was among the first four out of the tournament but opens its year with winning on its mind.

The Cougar’s sports staff shared their thoughts on how Houston will do in 2020:

ASSISTAnT SPOrTS EDITOr @AYAnEz_5

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Yuengling Center Tampa, Florida

Tune in: ESPNU, KPRC 950 AM

series vs. the bulls: Cougars lead 19-12

sports Editor Jhair Romero

Courtesy

of Houst on Athle tics

UH has a lot going for it when it starts 2020 at Schroeder Park on Friday.

For one, the Cougars, entering their 10th year under head coach Todd Whitting, are returning 20 players from 2019, a squad that won over 30 games but underperformed in American Athletic Conference play at 12-12.

Among the returnees for UH, picked second in the AAC preseason coaches’ poll, are preseason all-conference pitchers Clay Aguilar and Lael Lockhart Jr. Both contributed greatly to Houston’s pitching staff in 2019, with Aguilar putting up a 6-4 record, 3.19 ERA and 73 strikeouts while Lockhart, a senior, added a 3.58 ERA and 76 strikeouts.

The Cougars, despite losing batting average leader Jared Triolo (.332), return three of its five top hitters with senior Tyler Bielamowicz (.253) and sophomores Derrick Cherry (.292) and Brad Burckel (.271) staying in Houston.

If the Cougars can live up to the hype,

What to look out for:

in the AAC. Cougar’s coach Todd Whitting did great recruiting work this offseason, though, and pulled heavily from junior colleges around the state for some of the best JUCO players around.

Watch for these studs in 2020.

These additions to a seniorheavy team should leave Houston with more than enough firepower to win their conference and make a push into the NCAA tournament.

Houston’s big test will be seeing how they match up against East Carolina, a team fresh off a 47-18 2019 campaign.

The Pirates also suffered significant player attrition in the postseason but should have enough depth and talent to make another big push.

The talent on both Houston and East Carolina squads are comparable, and this matchup will come down to the coaching from AAC star coaches Cliff Godwin of ECU and Whitting.

The No. 20 Cougars are right in the middle of a tough three games in a six-day stretch and will face the Bulls at Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday night.

The Cougars defeated the Bulls 68-49 in their earlier meeting back in January, but both teams are different heading into Wednesday’s match-up.

Junior guard DeJon Jarreau had 12 points and six assists and junior Fabian White Jr. had 11 points in the win. Redshirt freshman Caleb Mills also had 11 points.

South Florida enters the game as winners of its last three, which includes a win against Memphis in its latest contest.

The Cougars enter Tampa as winners of seven of their last eight and the last two-straight in a row.

On Monday afternoon, head coach Kelvin Sampson highlighted the challenge that the Bulls’ back court, led by junior guard David Collins and senior guard Laquincy Rideau, will provide.

Against Memphis, Collins and Rideau led the way with 21 points apiece.

Junior guard Justin Brown came off the bench and finished with a game-high 16 rebounds.

This season, Collins leads the team with 14 points per game while Rideau leads the Bulls with four assists and 2.4 steals per contest.

In the Jan. 26 matchup against the Bulls, the Cougars held the dynamic duo to only nine points on 3/13 shooting from the field combined.

USF is 8-4 at home this season, including 2-2 in conference play.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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Lael Lockhart was picked as a preseason all-conference pitcher after the now-senior put up a 3.58 ERA and 76 strikeouts for UH in 2019. | Ahmed Gul/The Cougar

another snub from the NCAA Tournament is unlikely.

Assistant sports Editor Andy yanez The Cougars are coming off a solid 32-24 season and expect the team to exceed last year’s benchmarks in 2020.

The reason to anticipate greater success for Houston is simple, experience.

The Cougars have 20 players on the roster who are either juniors or seniors, so they will know what to expect when it comes to the long grind that comes with a baseball campaign.

Last season’s team led The American in ERA (3.82), which is another huge plus as many of the pitchers are returning upperclassmen.

Houston’s weakness in 2019 was with the hitting as the

team was in last place in the conference when it came to batting average (.253), but with much of the Cougars having another year under their belt, the number should go up.

With this season also being the first with the new multimillion Player Development Center, the Cougars will have the latest state-of-the-art facility to help them achieve higher outcomes in 2020.

staff Writer Trey Gifford Houston can be expected to finish around second in the AAC and be in the NCAA Tournament, but a run past the Super Regionals isn’t quite there yet for the Cougars.

The Cougars saw intense attrition this offseason. Four of UH’s star players were selected and left for the MLB draft, including record-setting first baseman Joe Davis. This shouldn’t bode well for a team that finished 12-12 in conference play last season and finished 4th

Wednesday, February 12, 2020 | 7

Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy Parker November 28, 2018

ACROSS 1 Analyze text 6 One capital of Bolivia 11 Limited banker 14 Perfect 15 Albeniz or Hayes 16 P, in Greek 17 Atlas alternative 19 Blue billiards ball 20 Takes breaks 21 Not a schmoozer 23 Animal’s hideaway 25 Matter bit 27 Juno’s counterpart 28 Employ 29 Sci-fi alien’s destination 32 Sport with bamboo sticks 34 Choose, as a governor 35 Erode 38 De-mob?

42 Resell illegally, as tickets 44 Aleppo’s place 45 The feminine world?

50 Furnish with pellet guns 51 City of Pennsylvania 52 Code kind 53 Nights before big events 54 Type of dinner or strike 11/28

57 Long way from scanty 59 Very simple bed 60 Place that’s in-hobbit-ed 64 Maximum total 65 “... ___ live nephew of my Uncle ...”

66 Where some make waves?

67 Brandon or Bruce of films 68 Like Urkel’s persona 69 ___ over (faints) DOWN 1 Babe, for one 2 Noisy goings-on 3 Reposition or redirect 4 With more wisdom 5 Some additions 6 Afternoon catnap 7 Olympics chant 8 Some sweets 9 Many rodents 10 Bouncedback sound 11 More highfalutin 12 Prevent from happening 13 Bacon, cabbage or bread

18 Bibliog. space saver 22 Apt to yak 23 A Gospel writer 24 Dazed and confused 26 Lowly digit 29 Explorer de Leon 30 Private eye, etc.

31 Invisible money 33 Made with the gossip 36 Roadway material 37 Ornamental shrub 39 Cut through or cross piece 40 Ireland’s Ireland 41 Transplanted NFL team 43 Golfing standard

45 Peyote source 46 Brooks Robinson was one 47 Part of an i 48 “You don’t say?”

49 Broken on a ranch 53 Buoy one’s spirits 55 Arabian country 56 Down to the ___ 58 Pikes ___, Colorado 61 He’s got kids 62 ___ Aviv 63 Possesses

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

11/27 © 2018 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com

I GIVE YOU THE WORLD By Timothy E. Parker

8 | Wednesday, February 12, 2020 Santiago gaughan, EDITOR

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OPINION

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campus

Delivery robots shine light on larger issues for students with disabilities

Editorial Board editor in chief

Michael Slaten managing editor

Katrina Martinez creative director

Jiselle Santos News editor

Autumn Rendall features editor

Vacant

Chief Copy Editor

Mason Vasquez

sports editor

Jhair Romero photo editor

Kathryn Lenihan opinion editor

Santiago Gaughan assistant editors

Juana Garcia Donna Keeya Sydney Rose Lino Sandil Andy Yanez

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

Having food delivery robots is a double-edged sword when it comes to convenience and accessibility on campus. | Kathryn Lenihan/The Cougar

ANNA BAKER

Opinion columnist

The Starship dining robots since November have been rolling all over campus. There are a lot of good things about them: they deliver at convenient hours, provide a lot of options and have a low delivery fee.

However, their presence on campus isn’t for everyone, particularly students with disabilities. The robots shed light on issues with the University’s infrastructure. Beyond just fixing ramps and sidewalks for the robots, UH needs to make sure campus is a place where student needs and comfort are priorities.

Robots often take up ramp space while waiting to cross the street, students have told The Cougar. If someone in a wheelchair is trying to cross the

street but a robot is blocking the ramp, they can get trapped in the street with oncoming traffic.

Don’t get me wrong, the robots overall are a great option for students. The delivery fee is cheap, and you don’t have to go anywhere to get the food, but they can make it difficult for people with disabilities to navigate campus sidewalks.

Ramps and sidewalks on campus can be rather narrow, and this makes it difficult to have these robots on the sidewalk while there is a lot of foot traffic. People on crutches or in wheelchairs can find it difficult to have a robot blocking their path on a crowded sidewalk.

The robots are a small aspect of a larger problem on campus. From broken elevators to heavy doors, UH has a lot to work on in terms of accessibility.

Accessibility is a human right and UH should do everything in its power to make sure that students with disabilities can get around easily and access everything as easily as the rest of the student population.

There are several places on campus that have bumps, cracks and uneven sidewalks. These bumps are easy to step over but it can be a challenge for some to get over those bumps in a wheelchair or on crutches.

UH thankfully has the Center for Students with Disabilities, which provides an accessible computer lab, interpreters, screen readers and alternative textbook formats. Students can also request extra time on tests and the ability to turn in assignments later. The center is a good resource for academic accessibility, but when it comes to infrastructure, they don’t have much power to fix the issues on campus.

An incident last semester led a student to break her arm when housing refused to alter the door to her room, citing a high cost as the reason why it wasn’t changed.

This is an example of the University’s negligence when it

comes to accessibility.

A student should not have to get seriously injured in order for change to happen.

Whenever the University makes a decision, such as bringing food delivery robots on campus or deciding not to renovate a sidewalk, they should make sure that the decision benefits all students.

While there are certainly benefits to having the robots, no one should have to worry about their ability to safely make it across campus for class.

Opinion columnist Anna Baker is an English sophomore who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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.

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Robots often take up space in crowded sidewalks, which pose a challenge to people in wheelchairs or on crutches. | Kathryn Lenihan/The Cougar