Issue 09, Volume 85

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Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Issue 9, Volume 85

Candidates spar over metro, traffic and flooding at debate The Hobby School of Public Affairs hosted a mayoral debate that got spicy. | pg. 2

NEWS the People’s Law school will no longer offer face-toface classes and has shifted to be entirely online. | pg. 5

SportS Katie Power has excelled at swimming and now is planning on attending the UH medical school. | pg. 5

opiNioN California is in the right by paving the way for student athletes to be paid. | pg. 5

2 | Wednesday, October 9, 2019

NEWS ian everett, EDITOR

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NEWS@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

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NEWS

Hobby School hosts Houston mayoral debate Candidates laid out their stances at a fundraiser luncheon on various issues like crime, Prop B, funding and flooding sydney rose

reporter, and Richard Murray, a UH political science professor, moderated the debate.

senior staff writer @ SydneyRose1029

The Hobby School of Public Affairs hosted a luncheon fundraiser at the Wortham Theater Center showcasing a debate between candidates running for Houston mayor.

Houston’s flooding problem

“This city is at a crossroads,” said Tony Buzbee, UH alumnus and Houston mayoral candidate. “Are we going to be the city we can be?” | Dakota Rosales/The Cougar

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Mayor Sylvester Turner and Tony Buzbee, both UH alumni, alongside former Kemah Mayor Bill King and former city councilwoman Sue Lovell, sparred over hot-topic issues such as flooding, drainage fees, property tax caps, and Metro

expansion projects.

“Our city is at a crossroads,” Buzbee said. “Are we gonna be the city we know we can be? The city of integration and technology where everyone has a seat at the table?”

Shern-Min Chow, KHOU

The first topic discussed during the debate has been a prevalent issue: flooding in the Houston area and drainage costs.

“The drainage fee right now is not being spent on drainage.

That’s a fact,” Buzbee said. “We’re paying for this fee. We should spend 100 percent of that on drainage.”

Turner responded by explaining that the streets of Houston are a part of the drainage system, and that half of the fee is spent on drainage and the other half is spent on the streets.

Lovell and King both had different theories on how to solve the problem.

Lovell introduced the idea of replacing concrete streets and driveways with crushed granite as

“Everybody said that I couldn’t win the first time, but we won,” said Sue Lovell, former city councilwoman. | Dakota Rosales/The Cougar

a solution.

King said if Houston builds higher, flood waters will go down.

Mayoral Debate

Continues on page 3

campus

‘The People’s Law School’ now solely online delaney ramirez

staff writer

The free public legal education program The People’s Law School after nearly 30 years on campus at the UH Law Center will stop holding face-to-face classes as it makes the transition to online content.

The last in-person session was held on Saturday. The People’s Law School shifted to the web because of decreased attendance and to make the program more accessible, according to Richard Alderman, director of the UH Center for Consumer Law and founder of The People’s Law School.

“I think this generation and the next generations would prefer not to spend a Saturday morning attending classes and instead be able to access the information they need at any time,” Alderman said.

Alderman, also known as The People’s Lawyer, has been offering law classes to the community since the founding of The People’s Law School in 1991. The 14 classes offered are taught by local attorneys, judges and professors, and include topics such as

consumer law, landlord and tenant law, and wills, all aiming to help attendees learn how to navigate legal issues in their lives.

More than 50,000 people have attended classes at the education program, which seeks to make understanding the legal system easier for those without the specialized knowledge of a lawyer.

Alderman said his work with the program, where he has spread legal information through TV, radio and newspaper columns, was inspired by research studies he’d done that revealed how many people didn’t know the law or what rights they have.

“A lot of people think they can only get information about law by paying for a lawyer,” Alderman said. “That doesn’t have to be the case. This information is for everyone.”

The material offered online by The People’s Law School will still be free and will be composed of two to four short videos for each legal topic covered.

Although publishing the legal information offered through The People’s Law School online will mean potential learners no longer

Richard Alderman, also known as The People’s Lawyer, has been offering law classes to the Houston community since 1991. | Delaney Ramirez/The Cougar

have to make a physical trip to get educated about the law, some participants said they would rather go to classes in person.

“It would be easier face-to-face, at least for this age group,” said second-time attendee Jacquelyn Ward, referring to the older adults in attendance.

Face-to-face classes offer the opportunity to speak to instructors, which program participants see as a major benefit.

In the moments before and after the conclusion of the three class

slots, learners lined up to ask the lawyers and professors leading the lessons more-in depth questions about the laws covered.

Alderman assured that he will still be able to answer questions from curious website visitors.

Whether distributing information online or in-person, Alderman said his mission is to help people become aware of their rights.

“It’s trite, but knowledge is power,” Alderman said. news@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 | 3

ian everett, EDITOR

mayoral debate

Continued from page 2

Metro expansion The candidates were all split on expanding Metro and traffic on I-45.

“We have spent $2.2 million on the light rail, and we have fewer transporters today than we had in 2003 when we started,” King said. “I will never vote for another dime to be spent to further congestion. Is anyone seeing any reduction in traffic?”

Turner afterwards said he fully supports the Metro project, which looks to expand bus lines and add more light rails.

Turner also said if it is done right the project will transform to improve and interconnect the communities of Houston, but Buzbee disagreed.

“I’m against Metro and it pains me to say that, because I am all for public transportation, but I just don’t feel comfortable giving Metro a blank check,” Buzbee said. “I don’t think their plan makes sense. Like I have said many times, let’s make every bus stop safe, let’s make every bus stop safe.”

Murray asked Buzbee about his plans to fight crime and how he intends to pay for it.

Buzbee responded by saying there is a police officer shortage in Houston and he would like to be able to put more police officers on the street.

The candidate did not cover the second half of the question in how this police officer plan would be paid for.

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/NEWS

NEWS@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

NEWS

$95,000 intern

i

Toward the end of the debate there was discourse between the four candidates about an intern paid $95,000 by the city.

“I have to speak truth. The mayor claims he cares about millennials,” said Buzbee. “In fact the city was going bankrupt where we cannot afford to pay our firefighters, so he decided to sue the firefighters.”

Buzbee said he had the three emails used to correspond between the intern and Turner.

He also said the current mayor has previously denied knowing who the intern in question was, but later changed his tune.

“I want more millennials to be working at city hall, and I want to pay them what they’re worth,” Turner said. “This particular position was an executive position, it was not an intern who was 18 or 19 years old.

The pay range is determined by human resources, not by me.”

Closing out As the debate drew to a close, the moderators asked the candidates for final statements.

Lovell, who managed to hold an at-large position from 2006

The Cougar

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Issue staff Closing editors

Michael Slaten Morgan Horst COPY EDITING

Mason Vasquez COVER

Dakota Rosales

UH representation Both Turner and King had a chat with President Renu Khator before the debate.

The tickets to the luncheon went toward the 2020 Leland Fellows program, which supports undergraduate students working as full-time interns for Texas congressional members in Washington D.C.

713-743-5314

i “This city is moving, and I ask for another four years,” said Incumbent Mayor Sylvester Turner in his closing statement. | Dakota Rosales/The Cougar

to 2012 as a Houston politician, explained why she decided to run for mayor this year even though some people around her had doubts.

“First I was elected, everybody said that I couldn’t win the first time, but we won,” Lovell said. “At this time I take no endorsements, and I know I’ve had a hard time raising money, not because of

opportunity, but people are afraid to get a call from the mayor.”

Turner’s optimistic view of Houston’s future garnered much applause.

“This city is moving,” Turner said in his closing remarks, “and I ask for another four years.” news@thedailycougar.com

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, inter-cultural 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 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

“I will never vote for another dime to be spent to further congestion,” said Bill King, former Kemah mayor, on the Metro expansion projects. | Dakota Rosales/The Cougar

4 | Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Sports jhair romero, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/sportS

Sports@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

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swimming and diving

Power looks to grow, ‘epitomizes’ ideal student athlete jhair romero

sports editor @justjhair

Minutes removed from the 400-yard freestyle relay win that lifted the Cougars to a conferenceopening victory Thursday morning at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, Katie Power cooled down with her teammates.

With a big chunk of her day now gone after Houston’s dominant 183-117 win over Tulane, the junior from Kingwood hit the books to study.

For Power, the time commitment is difficult but keeps her on top of her studies, including organic chemistry and other courses her biology major entails.

“The swimming actually helps a lot more than you would think,” Power said. “It takes five or six hours out of your day, but it makes you know that you have to do it.”

Swimming has also taken her to new heights, including back-to-back American Athletic Conference team championships.

Now, Power looks to build on her previous two years at Houston.

Recovered love In the two-and-a-half years Power has been at Houston, she has not seen a bad season.

Her freshman year saw her post four lifetime-bests, while her sophomore year saw Power mark some collegiate-bests, including a 25.93 50-yard backstroke split and 100-yard backstroke split of 54.65 her sophomore year.

But it was not always like that.

Before college, Power had lost her passion for swimming, and her attitude toward it deteriorated.

“From high school, I had

In Houston’s 183-117 win over Tulane on Thursday morning at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, junior Katie Power helped the Cougars to a 400yard freestyle relay victory. Heading into her third year at the University, Power looks to improve both in athletics and academics. | Courtesy of UH athletics

horrible mentality towards swimming,” she said. “I hated it.”

Even during her freshman season, Power’s stance toward her sport remained “Eh.” Much of the growth since then, Power said, is due to the increased coaching quality she’s received since the transition from high school and The Woodlands Swim Team to college.

“Every year, my mentality has gotten a lot better,” Power said, digging back to her high school and early UH days. “I’m back to loving swimming again. Going from my high school coaches to my college coaches has helped a lot.”

Power credits head coach Ryan Wochomurka and the rest of the coaching staff for helping her balance her academic and athletic lives throughout the transition.

“I would come in here and be terrified of biology and swimming,” Power said. “Coaches would tell (me) to just leave it out of the pool.”

Although Power, who led UH to a 200-yard freestyle relay conference title in 2018, loves her sport again, her heart is set on academics and her future career.

Big goals For Wochomurka, Power “epitomizes the statement ‘student

athlete’” because of her balance of education and sport.

“She takes her academic pursuit 100 percent seriously, and that’s her endeavor,” he said. “Luckily for us, she approaches the swimming aspect with the same tenacity.”

Wochomurka, in his fifth season as swimming and diving’s head coach, is pleased with Power’s development at Houston, especially academically.

“I’m more proud of her pursuit on the academic front,” he said.

“The research she’s been able to do, and the things she’s been able to pursue academically — that’s her first priority.”

Twice an AAC All-Academic Team honoree, Power hopes to attend the University’s new medical school once she graduates.

From there, the third-year swimmer plans to become a primary care physician, a main reason for her staying in her native area.

Homegrown

When it came to choosing which college to go to, Power, a biology major, chose Houston because of the team and the University’s proximity to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical district in the world. | Courtesy of UH athletics

Houston is notorious for its oil and gas and aerospace industries, but Texas’ most-populated city also plays a big part in medicine.

Growing up just 30 minutes north, Power attributes the Texas Medical Center as her reason for staying in the city.

That, and the Cougars’ success in swimming, is what has kept her at UH. “It was 50-50,” Power, whose father works at the Texas Medical

Center, said. “Fifty percent team and 50 percent the medical center.

I love that we have the largest medical center in the world.”

With other native Houstonians staying in the city, like junior Kaley Hoffman, freshman Claudia Blowers and sophomore Rachel Hicks, Wochomurka is glad swimmers take advantage of a school “in their backyard.”

“The opportunity for us to have Houston natives, like Katie Power,” he said, “is important for us.”

Because of those like Power, Wochomurka and his staff make recruiting in the Houston area a priority.

“Just like any other sport on our campus, there is a plethora of talent here,” he said. “Not only can you get a world-class education, you can compete at the highest levels here.”

The educational opportunities and the chance to stay in Houston, Power said, were the forces driving her to the University.

“I love it so much,” she said. “ I get to represent the city that I’ve lived at my entire life, and I love this school, too.”

As for her career after swimming, Power knows one thing is certain — she is staying in this city.

“I really do not think I would have wanted to ever leave Houston,” she said. “I want to be here my whole life.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 | 5

jHair rOMerO, ediTOr

tHeDaiLYCOUGar.COM/sPOrts

SportS

sPOrts@tHeDaiLYCOUGar.COM

713-743-5303

football

ahead of Cincinnati, fans respond to tune’s performance

andy yanez

sPOrts eDitOr @aYaneZ_5

The Cougars have been on an emotional roller coaster the past few weeks, and with sophomore quarterback Clayton Tune having a successful first start of 2019, some superfans are optimistic the season can still be a success.

Tune led the Cougars to a season-high 46 points against the Mean Green in the team’s first game without senior quarterback D’Eriq King.

The sophomore from North Texas finished the night with 124 yards and a touchdown passing while also rushing for 105 yards, leaving fans buzzing.

“The Cougars came out to prove that this season hasn’t been redshirted,” said public relations senior and superfan Edwin Mascorro. “There was energy. Tune will continue to gain confidence.”

Mascorro was not the only one excited about Tune’s performance against North Texas.

“I was impressed by his running

Many fans have had generally favorable reviews of sophomore quarterback Clayton Tune after his first game at North Texas in which the new starter scored two touchdowns, completed 16 of 20 passes and threw for 124 yards. | file photo

ability and look forward to seeing what he can do for the rest of the season,” said Patrick Ray, who has been a fan of the Cougars since 1988. “The snaps were better. I liked how Tune led the scoring

drive right after halftime. We needed that coming off the last three games.”

Another fan was impressed with the experience Tune showcased.

“He showed lots of poise that’s

normally seen by quarterbacks with more experience,” said Hugh Bob Lawrence Jr., who graduated from UH in 1982. “Tune was able to go through the progressions to get the best option. It was nice

to see that once he was out of the pocket. He still made accurate passes on the run.”

All three superfans agreed the football team can make a run to qualify for a bowl game.

The upcoming game against Cincinnati will be a test to see how Houston will perform in a matchup against a strong opponent with the Tune-led offense.

Despite the recent criticism the program has received after the redshirt announcements from King and senior wide receiver Keith Corbin, the three fans continue to support the Cougars.

Ray said he understands the criticism and frustration from some fans that two of the brightest stars on the team will not be on the field, but he compared the football program’s current situation to the basketball team’s a few years ago.

“When (Kelvin) Sampson took

Tune

Continues on page 6

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6 | Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Sports jhair romero, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/sportS

Sports@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

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football

Following upset of UCF, Cincinnati comes to Houston brayley crowe

staff writer @brayleycrowe

While Houston is coming off the heels of a much-needed bye week following a brutal opening schedule, Cincinnati will venture to TDECU Stadium on Saturday following its upset of No. 18 UCF, its first win over a top-25 opponent in 10 years.

The Cougars, 2-3 overall, managed to get back to winning ways Sept. 28 after defeating the North Texas Mean Green 46-25, thanks to senior running back Patrick Carr’s three-touchdown showing.

As for the 4-1 Bearcats, their 27-24 defeat of the Knights Friday night snapped a 13-game losing streak to ranked opponents. Cincinnati forced four turnovers against UCF, bringing its season total to nine.

Saturday’s meeting will be the fifth between the two as AAC opponents and 26th overall, with Houston owning the advantage with 15 wins to 10. The pair have split the previous four AAC matchups, and the Cougars own a current two-game win streak.

With a win, the Cougars would move to .500 on the season ahead of another tough matchup Oct. 24 against the SMU Mustangs.

Playing a new Tune Sophomore quarterback Clayton Tune returned to the turf against UNT with senior

quarterback D’Eriq King’s decision to sit out the rest of the season, and he showed signs of real promise.

Playing in his first competitive match since December, Tune had a comfortable night. The Carrollton native threw for 124 yards and a touchdown while connecting on 16 of 20 attempts.

He also added another 100 yards rushing, almost double his total in five games last season on nine attempts.

Through his short career, Tune has recorded nine touchdowns and 919 yards with a 54.7 completion percentage and two interceptions.

With experienced players like Carr, who has eight touchdowns and nearly 1,200 yards as a Cougar, and junior receiver Marquez Stevenson, who has 12 receiving touchdowns and more than 1,300 career yards, assisting Tune, the Cougars look to end the Bearcats’ three-game win streak.

Defense?

While both teams rank in just about average in yards per game offensively, the key come Saturday will be the parity in defensive abilities.

The Bearcats’ 322 yards against per game are good enough to land them at No. 33 in FBS, while the Cougars’ 492 are No. 123 out of 130 FBS squads.

Cincinnati has allowed just

Houston holds a 15-10 all-time series lead over Cincinnati, including two-straight wins from 2015-16. | File photo

21.4 points per game, including a 42-0 drumming against No. 4 Ohio State, the 42nd best mark, while Houston has allowed 32, ranking No. 105.

If Cincinnati was able to limit UCF’s high-powered, No. 5 offense to 423 yards, 121 less than its season average, Houston’s No. 72 offense may struggle with the visitor’s defense.

The Cougars’ 160 points against is the third-most in the conference, and the Bearcats’ 107 is fourth-best.

Different trends Both teams will enter Saturday’s matchup on winning streaks, but the Bearcats’ threegame streak is much more impressive than the Cougars’ one-game streak.

Houston has lost seven of its last 10 games dating back to the 2018 season, while Cincinnati has lost just two games in the same span.

Both teams are anchored by relatively new head coaches.

Houston’s Dana Holgorsen is in his debut year with the program,

University dedicates Penick Court at Fertitta Center Trevor Nolley

photo editor @trevornolleytc

sports@thedailycougar.com

sports@thedailycougar.com

Tune

basketball

The court at the Fertitta Center will forever be named after Rusty and Tricia Penick and the rest of their family, the University announced at a Monday afternoon dedication ceremony inside the arena.

Along with men’s basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson, President Renu Khator and other notable UH faces, the Penick family rang in the naming ceremony with a video and light show.

Penick Court came about after UH’s “Here, We Go” fundraising campaign reached its $1 billion goal 18 months ahead of schedule.

while defending AAC Coach of the Year Luke Fickell is in just his third season with Cincinnati.

The former’s career record as a head coach is 63-44, while the latter’s is 25-18.

Despite the absence of King, Houston still has a powerful offense to rely on.

The Cougars’ defensive woes, however, will help the Bearcats strive for victory. The differing styles will be a big storyline throughout the game.

The offical Penick Court logo at Fertitta Center. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

Rusty Penick, left, and Sampson met before the court’s naming reveal. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

The Penick family was joined by several Houston grandees at the dedication ceremony Monday afternoon in the Ferttita Center. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

Continued from page 5 over the basketball program, it was in about as bad a shape as one can get,” Ray said. “He got us out of that hole, but it took time. Now, we have a great new arena and nearly sellout crowds after two NCAA Tournament appearances. We have to keep that energy for the football program.”

While Ray saw the perspective of both sides, others felt it was unfair to give up on Tune and the Cougars.

“It is disappointing fans would not support the players, regardless of their record,” Lawrence said. “If they saw the excitement and passion of the players at UNT, it was clearly seen that they were giving their best. I see no quit in the team, so fans should not quit on them.” sports@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 | 7

opinion Maryam baldawi, EDITOR

THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/OPINION

OPINION@THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM

713-743-5304

NCAA

California leads the way in law to pay student athletes drew jones

contributing writer

There was a video that circulated on Twitter during the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Titled “Student and athlete — a day in the life,” the short served as an ad for the NCAA and depicted a young man’s routine during a typical day as both a university student and collegiate athlete.

In the span of 30 seconds, he wakes up pre-dawn, raises his hand in the front row of a class, mixes it up with friends on the yard, jogs with teammates, calls plays and gets in-huddle coaching during a basketball game, checks his phone in the library afterward and, finally, lays back down in bed, poised to do it all again the next day.

The reaction from former and current collegiate athletes ranged from lampooning it via comedic memes and parodic videos to some providing their actual schedules showing far less leisure time and participation in education-based activities. The undercurrent of the criticism was that student athletes are overworked, undersupported and, most importantly, unpaid for their labor.

On Sept. 30, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 206 into law, granting NCAA athletes the ability to sign endorsement deals and allowing them to pursue sponsorships with the help of agents.

The long-overdue move represents an avenue of opportunity for thousands of athletes who have been profited from without receiving any of the rewards. It’s also a welcome step toward alleviating the glaring racial disparity of black athletes in major sports, who have been bell cows for their respective schools without being paid and sometimes unjustly punished for selling their own merchandise.

How that will unfold is yet to play out, but it’s not unsupported that the NCAA’s current player-student model is untenable.

In recent years, there have been increasing calls for athletes to be compensated, especially as major college sports have become big business, with conferences inking TV deals and schools garnering huge sponsorship contracts with companies like Nike and Adidas.

During March Madness alone, the NCAA earned nearly $1 billion over

the course of a few weeks.

Stars like LeBron James and Draymond Green came out in support of the bill, saying it’s a step in the right direction of economic justice for athletes who struggle to handle all the secondary costs of attending college — which can include finding ways to eat. Former UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi, whose viral floor routine earned the PAC-12 Conference and the NCAA millions of views across social media, didn’t receive a dime for the performance.

Critics of the bill say that allowing players to be paid will blur the lines between professional and amateur athletes, but it’s hard to see how the current dynamic doesn’t further entrench the established powers that already gain so much from players’ unpaid labor.

Earlier this year, a federal judge in California ruled in Alston v.

NCAA that the NCAA’s rules on compensation violate antitrust laws and need to be expanded.

But before the Fair Pay to Play Act was signed, Pesident Renu Khator, along with 21 other NCAA representatives, came out against its passage, saying among other

things the bill was unconstitutional.

This embarrassing move is sure to land on the wrong side of history.

So will Khator’s conservative style of leadership, which has grated some of her once-supporters and eroded her past progressive bona fides.

Assuming the law survives all the court challenges that will surely be mounted against it, when it goes into effect in 2023, it’s sure to cause a seismic shift across amateur sports.

It’s easy to imagine a scenario where the bill’s elements force other power states like Texas, Alabama, Ohio and Florida to adopt similar provisions rather than ceding crucial recruiting advantages to California and waging a costly fight they’re likely to lose.

Then, instead of simply luring top athletes with gigantic stadiums and state-of-the-art facilities, conferences will have to contend with the landscape of athletes making business-type decisions about where their talents will be properly compensated and how they’ll best be marketed while still in school.

The central question asks

President Renu Khator joined 21 other NCAA representatives in September in urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom to not sign a bill aimed at allowing student athletes to profit off their image. | File photo

whether athletes should be paid for their labor as schools are making billions from their product, and California has taken the first step in finally getting an answer.

Drew Jones is a print journalism senior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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Opinion Maryam baldawi, EDITOR

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Pokémon Go’s popularity creates a healthy community at UH

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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

Lots of students around campus play Pokémon Go. It has brought students together in an unprecedented way to relieve stresses. | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

kyle dishongh

opinion columnist

Pokémon Go was, and is, a massively popular game.

With an active player base of approximately 100 million people worldwide, it shouldn’t be a shock that it has a sizable presence at UH. The community surrounding the game is healthy, fun and welcoming to new and old players alike, which is great for students on a college campus.

Pokémon Go players are nearly unavoidable on campus.

Any time an event comes around, like a community day or a high-level raid battle, you can be certain groups of students will gather around notable locations like “The Statue of Four Lies” or “Fiesta Jarabe” in an effort to catch legendary Pokémon or fulfill some sort of in-game task.

Even beyond the group activities, students can be seen walking around campus, phones in hand, catching standard Pokémon or helping their team take gyms. Whether it’s a solo

trainer or a group of friends, you’re probably surrounded by these players at any given time. One would find it difficult to overstate the breadth of the player base here at the University.

Part of what makes the community so easy to get into is how accepting it is. Graphic design junior Rylie Cohen expressed her gratification for how open, welcoming and helpful other players are, especially to relatively new players like her. They understand that everybody has to start somewhere and are more than happy to accept new players into their ranks.

Hilton College junior Thomas Grant, a self-proclaimed lifelong Pokémon fan, similarly noted how nice everybody is. In addition, he mentioned a sense of comradery among players of his team, especially when participating in raid battles and community events.

This type of amicability from the players has been a major contributing factor to the allure

of the game.

Speaking of the game, it in itself has played a major role in attracting and retaining its players. Its catch, battle, train and trade gameplay loop has adequately captured the spirit of the classic Pokémon games and reformed them for the modern age. Exercise science junior Zachary Bailey said the introduction of player versus player battles in late 2018 led to him giving the game another try because it made the work put into raising a strong team lead to something greater.

Another component to the popularity of the game on campus is UH is just a good place to play. Aside from the high levels of community engagement, the campus is home to a high concentration of points of interest, like PokéStops and gyms. Anybody looking to play wouldn’t need to venture far from their class or dorm in order to engage with these, which is obviously a convenience.

What’s likely the most

attractive feature of the game is its capacity for bringing people together. Computer science junior Alejandro “Alex” Alaniz said he had given up on the game before coming to college, but upon seeing his friends play it and have a good time with each other, he decided to give it another shot. Now, he said it’s a fun hobby and a great reason to spend more time with his friends.

Pokémon Go is perfect for college students. It’s a free, lowstress game that allows one to get some exercise while meeting new people.

It’s a nice reprieve from the stresses inherent to attending a university, which is probably what makes it so popular here.

The fact that the players on campus are so willing to accept others with open arms is wonderful to hear, and hopefully it remains that way for the foreseeable future.

Opinion writer Kyle Dishongh is a finance junior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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