Issue 14, Volume 83

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Issue 14, Volume 83

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Big name on campus

A new barbecue restaurant that carries basketball great Clyde Drexler’s name recently started serving at the Satellite. | PG. 4

NEWS

Catalonia rebels against Spain

Dozens of UH students study and travel throughout Spain each year. None were harmed by recent violent revolutionary protests in Catalonia, but hundreds of locals have been. | PG. 3

SPORTS

Q&A: Relay champions in ‘elite club’

National titles don’t come often or easy, but this summer four sprinters earned one in the 100-meter relay. In an interview, they detailed the thrilling 38.34-second race. | PG. 9

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Nola Valente, EDITOR

POLITICS

Former gubernatorial candidate Davis visits UH for panel

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ISSUE STAFF CLOSING EDITORS

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Traynor Swanson COVER

Nabil Ahsan

Hispanic Caucus state committeeman of the DNC James Lee, Dean of Graduate College of Social Work Alan Dettlaff, retired politician Wendy Davis and Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast VP Rochelle Tafolla discuss the most recent legislative session in the Agnes Arnold Auditorium 2 on Monday night. | Emily Burleson/The Cougar

MICHAEL SLATEN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @MICHAELSLATEN

The Graduate College of Social Work and Texas Rising at UH hosted a "Lies into Laws" discussion panel Monday evening on Texas legislation in the Agnes Arnold Auditorium 2 featuring former Texas State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis and GCSW Dean Alan Dettlaff.

The panel opened with a 45-minute discussion with questions from Texas Rising at UH, a left-leaning political organization, followed by a Q&A session with the audience. The crux of the panel discussion was around the misinformation used to justify a bill or sway voters.

Davis said the “far-right side of the aisle” uses fear to motivate people’s biases and perspectives to support passages of their laws.

Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance received a vote in 2015, which would have prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. Davis said fear was used to help strike down the proposition with commercials depicting a man “going after your little girl” in a bathroom.

“There wasn’t a single incident of any kind of harm caused by a transgender person in a bathroom in the state of Texas,” Davis said. “So it was based on a lie, but they used that fear to justify the kind of things they are attempting to do.”

Wendy Davis Davis rose to national attention in June 2013 when she gave an 11 hour filibuster to block the passage of an anti-abortion bill at the end of a special session.

The bill was eventually signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry the following month in another special session. During Davis's filibuster, more than 150,000 people watched live on YouTube and the hashtag #StandWithWendy trended worldwide.

She lost the 2014 gubernatorial election to now Gov. Greg Abbot by 20 points, using the recognition she received from her filibuster to attempt to win the governor's office. She said at the panel she is a "retired politician" and now leads a nonprofit called Deeds Not Words that brings together young women to influence legislation.

Last week Variety reported that Sandra Bullock will play Davis in a film titled "Let Her Speak." Davis said that there is a short list of directors Bullock and the producers want to lead the project and said that she likes the screenplay, but it "could use some tweaks."

Bathroom bill Last January a bathroom bill was proposed in the Texas Legislature that would have regulated what bathrooms transgender Texans could use. The bill was killed by the Texas House of Representatives.

“The was one great victory for

the LGBTQ community, and the state of Texas, because really what that legislation would have done is said Texas is an unwelcoming state that seeks to discriminate against a specific population,” said UH alum James Lee, who is the Hispanic Caucus state committeeman of the Texas Democratic Party.

Lee said that he helped push a University-wide protective policy for LGBTQ students when he was at UH. He said he saw transgender students being followed and questioned about their gender identity when he was a student.

He cautioned that the current defeat of the “bathroom bill” was not a total victory.

“The consequences of that legislation, even though it didn’t pass, are really something we are going to be seeing for the next few years,” Lee said. “It’s going to be providing a continued stigma the LGBTQ community has faced for many years.”

Tougher immigration enforcement The panel made comments about Senate Bill 4, an immigration bill signed into law this year that requires local law enforcement agencies, including campus police, to follow through requests by federal immigration authorities to detain someone suspected of being in the country illegally. Parts of the bill have been blocked and are being tested in court. Dettlaff said students in the social work college

organized to spread awareness of S.B. 4.

“The main lie is that crime committed by the immigrant community is rampant, that undocumented immigrants are drug dealers, traffickers, murderers,” Dettlaff said.

Davis called the bill the a “loss” and said it plays on racial fears.

“One of the things I think is really important is even in the instances where we lose the immediate fight, for example SB4, there is so much value in the fight, and there is so much value in adding your voice to it,” she said.

Call to action After a 45-minute discussion, the panel ended with a Q&A. Panelists urged students to take action and avoid “slacktivism.”

Panelist Rochelle Tafolla, vice president of communications and marketing for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, said young people need to vote.

Davis said that young people often ask her why it's important to vote if their one vote won't make a difference.

“Politics is the place that the harms are happening, and when we remove ourselves from it, we give a hater power,” Davis said. “I encourage them to think about canceling the vote of one hater. Your job is to show up and cancel the vote of one hater.” news@thedailycougar.com

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Nola Valente, EDITOR

WORLD

From repressed to protest: Catalonia seeks independence UH has not suspended learning abroad programs but advises students to monitor violent situation NOLA VALENTE

NEWS EDITOR

@ NOLAVALENTE

Almost 900 people were injured in Barcelona — where many UH students study abroad each year — during conflicts between Spanish police and Catalan nationalists. Tension in Spain's northeastern region intensified after the national government in Madrid retaliated for the Catalan Parliament's vote for independence Oct. 27.

A long-ruling Spanish dictatorship banned Catalan language, names, traditional dances and all popular nationalism symbols including statues, flags and portraits, which were removed from public view until Catalans slowly gained autonomous rights, such as police and local administration, after the Constitution of 1978 was established.

More recently, the movement surged due to the economic downturn that struck Spain in 2008.

“For me, having roots in Spain — I’m second-generation Basque — I believe that all of them should belong under one flag, one country,” said Jaime Ortiz, vice provost for Global Strategies and Studies at UH. “As an outsider, I think they should not detach themselves from Spain.”

Tensions rising The Estat-Català party began the Catalan separatist movement with the group's inception in 1922, but it didn’t get far before Francisco Franco’s 39-year dictatorship began in 1936.

“It’s true that during Franco’s dictatorship, there was a brutal repression in Catalonia, but it was just as it was in the rest of Spain,” said Alberto Carnally, a Spanish unionist UH alum who now lives in Barcelona — Catalonia's capital.

“The only difference is that there was a linguistic component in Catalonia that did not exist in the rest of the country. Independents use this to their advantage a lot as the base of the conflict.”

Franco did not repress only Catalonia, Carnally said. It seemed that way because it was the only region with a different language, which the people were not allowed to speak because it was not in line with Franco’s views.

Roughly 92 percent voted in favor of Catalonian independence with less than 50 percent turnout after a large portion of residents were prevented from voting when Spanish police removed polling stations. | Courtesy of Alberto Carnally

Although Franco's regime ended with his death in 1975, some regional natives are still suspicious of the central government.

“Look at how the rest of Spain has treated us," said Maria Costa, a Barcelona resident and friend of Carnally. "Ever since Franco’s dictatorship suppressing our identity, to now incriminating us simply because we want our right to vote, our right to be independent."

according to a Marketplace article.

Nationalists think independence is the solution to what they see as an unfair exchange between the money they give to Madrid compared to the funds they receive, Costa said. The rules are outdated; from a socioeconomic perspective, things are different now, she said.

Cultural differences are also attributed to the independence movement.

“There are a lot of cultural, value and language inequalities between Catalonia and Spain,” said Andrea Vivancos, a Barcelona native who works in Houston. “I’m not really one to take part in this sort of thing, but considering what

people have gone through there, I think I should defend the place where I was born.”

Catalans take pride in being pacifists, Costa said, and now eight former officials of the recently dissolved Catalan government — dismissed by Madrid on Oct. 27 — have been incarcerated, and separatist group leaders Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart are in jail facing charges of sedition.

“We have peacefully protested over and over, because we believe in basic human rights," Costa said.

"We just want a democracy, and we are not given this freedom.

Instead, we are being treated like criminals and being violently attacked by the Spanish government.”

When the Catalan Parliament declared independence from Spain on Oct. 27, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy invoked

CATALON REVOLUTION

Continues on page 5

UH students abroad UH offers faculty-led study abroad opportunities in Spain each summer, but a student can study during fall and spring semesters through third-party affiliations.

“We have a few students in Spain, and they have all been contacted," said Kelly Kleinkort, the director of UH Learning Abroad.

"None to date have had negative or concerning feedback, and we — along with our program partners — are closely monitoring the situation."

Universities around the nation, including UH, are not closing down any Spain programs but continue to monitor the situation.

The State Department has not issued any travel warning specific to the Catalan-Spain situation, Kleinkort said.

All the partner universities overseas remain open, and students abroad are kept up to date on strikes and protests. They have also been advised to avoid demonstrations, follow instruction given by local authorities and monitor local news sources for updates.

Seeking independence Catalonia is composed of 7.52 million people. They represent about 16 percent of the country’s population, contribute 20 percent of national taxes and get a 14 percent return for public expenses,

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Nola Valente, EDITOR

CAMPUS

Satellite barbecue spot evokes UH basketball legend ANDRES CHIO

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @ CHIOANDRES

A piece of Houston history, Drexler’s World Famous BarB-Que, joined the lineup at the Student Center Satellite this fall.

“It’s pretty cool that that kind of a local place is here now," said biology freshman John Falcon, who eats at the Satellite on his way to class. "We have a lot of good barbecue here in Houston all over the place. I eat barbecue all the time at home, so I try not to eat too much of it here, but I’ll need to try it out.”

The original restaurant was founded in 1967 by the uncle of UH alum and NBA Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler. Since then, it was passed down to Clyde’s siblings, James, Virginia and Denice and

their mother Eunice.

Clyde Drexler took the University of Houston basketball team to two Final Four appearances alongside teammate and NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon.

He had an All-Star career with the Portland Trailblazers from 1983 to 1985 after being picked 14th overall in the 1983 NBA draft.

In 1995 Portland traded him to the Houston Rockets. That year the Rockets won the NBA championship with Drexler and Olajuwon leading the team.

Drexler stayed with the squad until he retired from playing and became a coach for the University of Houston basketball team in 1998.

He is now a color commentator

Drexler's Bar-B-Que in the Student Center Satellite was temporarily closed after Hurricane Harvey. | Nabil Ahsan/The Cougar

for Rockets home games and helps manage Drexler Holdings L.L.C.

BEHIND EVERY GREAT GAME THERE’S A SOLID GAME PLAN. HAVE A SAFE RIDE HOME.

69%

of college students used a designated driver when they socialized during the last school year.

Chartwells, UH's new food service provider, came up with the idea of bringing in the Drexler name while making their bid earlier this year, said District Marketing Manager Abel Valencia.

Chartwells' bid to replace Aramark, the previous food service provider, was finalized July 1, and it immediately began making changes.

Valencia said Chartwells contacted the Drexler family for the rights to use the name on campus, and after negotiations, the two parties made a formal agreement.

Valencia said Chartwells wants to bring in the Drexler name and other notable alumni names and businesses to the campus to strengthen a sense of community and identity.

After the initial discussions and agreement, the Drexler family took a step back, and Valencia said Chartwells now owns and operates the location entirely.

The restaurant originally opened on campus Aug. 21, but damage caused by Hurricane Harvey forced the entire Satellite to close. Though the Satellite partially reopened Sept. 18, Drexler’s was shuttered until Oct. 2.

It is open weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. along with the rest of the eateries in the Satellite, with the exception of Smoothie King and Starbucks, which remain closed.

Valencia also said that Chartwells plans to reopen Smoothie King on the first day of class next spring, and Starbucks is scheduled to return the first week of February.

“I haven’t had any issues eating here this semester,” said accounting graduate student Samantha Mathew. “I think it’s cool to use local places instead (of big chain restaurants) ... as long as the food is still good." news@thedailycougar.com

Secretary Perry speaks on energy The former Texas governer formed one part of a panel discussing the future of North American energy cooperation at the UH Hilton on Tuesday. Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Jim Car sat alongside Perry and P. Joaquin Coldwell of Mexico. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

Source: National College Health Assessment 2016

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Nola Valente, EDITOR

CATALAN REVOLUTION

Continued from page 3

Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which states that a self-governing community risks getting its power revoked if it acts against the general interest of Spain.

The national government took control over Catalonia and fired Carles Puigdemont, the regional president, along with the rest of the Catalan Parliament. Rajoy ordered elections to be held Dec. 21.

Spain says ‘no’ Despite Catalonia's identity as an autonomous community, unionists still believe they are all Spanish.

Characteristics that distinguish Spain from Catalonia are smaller than what bring them together, Carnally said. There are still many cultural, social and humanitarian bridges between the two.

“You can’t understand Catalonia’s history without Spain, and you can’t understand Spain’s history without Catalonia,” Carnally said. “There are other regions in Spain, such as Andalucia, that would have more of a right to say they are different.”

Ortiz, the vice provost, believes in equilibrium and said Catalonia has valid concerns, but he disagrees with the extreme position the region is taking to seek independence.

Oritz said he worries about the trend of regions declaring independence from central governments, including Scotland in 2014 and Quebec's ongoing debate of secession from Canada.

“If this became a successful trend, the whole world would be partitioned in not only the 196 countries that we have so far," Ortiz said. "Perhaps it could be 1,000 little, tiny territories, and that would not make any good for humankind. I believe in synergy: The more you get together and encompass a common goal as a country, you will be better off.”

simply want to vote and decide what happens in Catalonia, Carnally said. There are people who have never spoken of a referendum and just want independence, but many just want the right to vote and have even admitted they

would not vote for independence, said Carnally.

“Many Catalans believe they have been unjustly incriminated for simply wanting to vote," Carnally said. "They are partly right because they did nothing wrong.

If someone did wrong, it was the Spanish government for trying to stop the referendum but also the Catalan government for approving unconstitutional laws.” news@thedailycougar.com

What’s next?

All 135 seats in the Catalan Parliament will be up for election Dec. 21. Carnally anticipates the new left-wing Spanish party Podemos, now the third-largest in Spain, will be integral in making a peaceful agreement.

A big portion of independents

No UH students were injured by the sometimes violent protests in Catalonia. | Courtesy of Alberto Carnally

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

After suffering back to back losses, the Cougars have won two straight. With just Tulane and Navy left on the schedule, the team has a chance to finish strong with an 8-3 record. | File photo/The Cougar

FOOTBALL

Cougars exit bye week with sights set on strong finish REAGAN EARNST

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @REAGANEARNST

After earning bowl eligibility in a commanding performance against the Pirates last week, the rested Cougars return to action Saturday looking to ride the Tulane Green Wave to a win in New Orleans.

Sitting at 6-3, including 4-2 within the American Athletic Conference, the Cougars find themselves clinging to second place in the conference's West Division. Although highly unlikely, a combination of the Cougars winning both of its remaining games and the Memphis Tigers losing its final pair would put Houston in the AAC Championship game Dec. 2.

Tulane enters competition with a 4-6 record that features four losses by two scores or less, including a one-point defeat to Cincinnati on Nov. 4 and a twopoint loss against Navy on Sept.

9. Despite the team's troubles this season, the Green Wave finds itself just two wins away from potentially being selected for a bowl game in December — the team's first bowl since 2013 and second since 2002.

Thanks to the bye week, Houston is better prepared mentally and physically to face the task at hand and can avoid what would be a morale-crushing defeat in the latter stages of the season.

“(The bye week) came at a good time for health," head coach Major Applewhite said at his weekly Monday news conference. "Just getting everybody back, getting the guys who were knocked up back to speed and (injured players) closer to playing."

Rush of the Green Wave Both Tulane and Navy, the Cougars' next two opponents, utilize the triple option offense which uses an array of run plays that can be difficult to defend without adequate preparation.

Fortunately, the Cougars' bye week provided extra time to prepare for the unorthodox schemes.

"You have two teams that present different issues; they aren’t (traditional) NCAA offenses, they’re teams that have a triple option element in what they do offensively," Applewhite said Monday.

"They have great players and coaches. To steal a couple of days from each opponent during the off week to get ahead, get them out of the spread offensive world, get them more dialed-in to a dive-pitch quarterback and get them into those rules and responsibilities of what they have to do was helpful.”

Tulane places among the best offenses in the country by averaging 244 yards on the ground per game — good for No. 19 in the country leading up to Saturday's

The Cougars turn their focus to Saturday's game against the Tulane Green Wave following a well-deserved bye week. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

contest.

For what it's worth, the Green Wave surged to 488 yards of rush offense in its 62-28 beatdown of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane earlier this season, while the Cougars managed just 146 rush yards in their inexplicable 45-17 loss to the common opponent.

Tulane's backfield features a four-headed monster of backs that have all garnered at least 300 yards on the ground in 2017, including seven different players with at least one rushing score. Although contributions come from all around, senior running back Dontrell Hilliard leads the team with 11 TDs and 997 yards on nearly 6 yards per carry.

Football royalty The third option is the charm for the Cougars, whose previously stagnant offense has been reinvig-

orated by the play of former wide receiver sophomore D'Eriq King.

King, who began the season as the Cougars' No. 3 QB, received a majority of the team's snaps at the position after senior Kyle Postma was pulled early against South Florida. The sophomore stepped in and led the Cougars to victory against the nation's No. 17-ranked school before earning his first start the following week and helping his team cruise to a 25-point win against East Carolina.

Overall, King is putting together one of the most dynamic seasons in Houston school history with 11 TDs — five passing, four rushing and two receiving — including 896 combined yards between the three facets.

Oliver the place It's sometimes hard to believe that sophomore defensive tackle

Ed Oliver, who has talent that could dominate for any school in the country, plays college football in Houston.

But believe it and enjoy it because the nation's best defensive tackle can be found in the heart of UH's defense. Oliver continues to exert his dominance over opposing offensive lines en route to a 2017 campaign that has seen the sophomore record 10 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and three passes swatted.

His numbers, although still impressive, have faltered slightly in his second season due to the cancellation of a game, causing him to see minimal action against Temple due to injury precautions.

Since tweaking his knee in the Temple game, Oliver has sported a bulky knee brace to provide support at the cost of hindering mobility. According to Applewhite, the sophomore has shed the brace since the team's last game action – an unwelcome sight to opposing offenses.

“He told me they took the leash off, and I didn’t know what he was talking about at first," Applewhite said. "I saw he didn’t have his knee brace on, so he feels great about it.

All those things are for safety precautions, as long as he feels healthy and ready to go I’m feeling healthy and ready to go.” sports@thedailycougar.com

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BASKETBALL

Cougars start strong, find offense in season opener FRANK CAMPOS

SPORTS EDITOR

@ FRANKCAMPOSJ

The Cougars' search for offensive replacement, after losing guard Damyen Dotson to the draft, may end early with the emergence of sophomore guard Armoni Brooks and senior guard Wes VanBeck in the season opener against McNeese State.

Brooks led the Cougars with a career-high 22 points, including 5 of 8 shooting from beyond the arc. VanBeck followed in Brooks' footsteps and came away with 14 Senior guard Wes VanBeck drives to the basket at H&PE Arena during the Cougars' points, including three 3-point81-53 victory over McNeese State on Friday. | Marissa Reilly/The Cougar ers and three rebounds. Despite playing at TSU’s basketball arena, which will continue while the In March, Gray decided to play Conrad in an email.

Fertitta Center is built, the Couin a church recreation basketThe suspension might be gars are poised for a good season ball league with Second Baptist bigger news if the Cougars didn't with offensive staple Rob Gray Jr. Church. The suspension was take command of the game back on the court. enforced due to a $5 entry fee against the McNeese State, 81-53, Gray was absent on Friday due that Gray's friend paid for him early on. to an obscure NCAA rule that to register for the league. He was The Cougars shot 56.9 perdoes not allow athletes to play forced to return the five dollars cent from the field in the game, or practice with other organizaand serve the one game suspenincluding a blistering 18 of 26 in 10-11065_Cougar News November_ad_Print.pdf 1 spokesman 11/6/17 9:17 tions. sion, said team Jeff AM the first half while holding the

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Cowboys to only 29.3 percent on the floor.

“We are going to be a lot better a month or two from now, but it’s a good start,” said head coach Kelvin Sampson after the win.

“Our defense was really good. In the second half, we held them to 19 points. I’d like our pace to be faster. The reason our defense was better against Angelo State was because we rebounded better."

With the victory, the Cougars will now head to Lynchburg, Virginia to compete in the Paradise Jam from Nov. 17 to 19. They will have last year’s American Athletic Conference-leading scorer in Gray on hand this time to lead the team but still need to make up points from the 3-point line with the loss of Damyean Dotson to the NBA. Dotson ranked among the nation's top 10 leaders in 3-point field goal percentage with 44.3 percent and 3-point field goals made per game with 3.38.

Brooks and VanBeck seem ready to make up for some of the production left by Dotson. They combined for eight 3-pointers and looked comfortable from the line all night against McNeese State.

“We are looking to move the ball and let the ball find the shooter,” VanBeck said. “It’s not necessarily guys looking for me or Armoni. We move the ball around a few times, and eventually someone is going to be open.

Coach always preaches about moving the ball, so that's what we try to do.”

Although the Cougars have a young team and few expectations, Gray still thinks this team has the potential to make an impact.

“A successful season for us is making it into the NCAA Tournament,” Gray said. “Nothing else matters but winning and staying relevant this season.” sports@thedailycougar.com

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Frank Campos, EDITOR

Sophomores Jacarias Martin and Mario Burke and junior Cameron Burrell sprinted the final three legs of the 4x100m relay that won the national title in a school record time of 38.34s. The three men also competed in the national contest last year and placed second in the same event, losing by just 0.02 seconds to LSU. | File photo/The Cougar

TRACK & FIELD

Q&A: National relay champions reflect on joining elite club PETER SCAMARDO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @PLSCAMARDO2

Twenty-six national champions have emerged from UH track & field. But winning one event, the 4x100-meter relay, is second only to earning a team title. As senior Cameron Burrell said, the race is bigger than one person. It's the University of Houston that crosses the finish line, not one runner.

In 2016 the men's 4x100m relay team was just 0.02 seconds short of earning that national title, instead placing second.

At the 2017 championships in Eugene, Oregon last June, the team of then-sophomores John Lewis III, Mario Burke and Jacarias Martin and then-junior Cameron Burrell won the national title in a school-record 38.34 seconds. This was the first NCAA championship for the program since 2013, its first relay title since 1982 and the second in team history.

With the entire squad returning this year, The Cougar heard about what it was like on the day and what it means for the athletes to bring a national title back to Houston. The answers are recorded in the order in which they ran the race.

The Cougar: What were you thinking before the race started?

John Lewis III: Nothing. Really nothing

at all. Before the race, when I was warming up, I had gotten all those doubts and insecurities, that nervousness. I had shut all those down before I had even stepped onto the track. By the time we walked onto the track, I had cleared my mind, and any little nervousness that I usually have I let it wash away. Once I got onto the track for the finals, I was focused on listening for the gun and getting out as fast as I could.

Mario Burke: Just to get the stick around, just to run as good as I can.

Because I knew if I got the baton to Jacarias, and Jacarias got it to Cameron, then we’d have the gold medal.

Jacarias Martin: Excitement. I was real excited at that moment. When we were in the holding room warming up, all I had in my head was (that) I wasn’t going to lose to nobody today. And when I was doing my push-outs, I felt real good. The only thing coach told us to do was execute real well and just run our race, which is what I did.

Cameron Burrell: I knew we had a shot at it 'cause we had ran so well in the preliminary rounds. We were practicing well — everything was feeling good for us. Me being anchorleg, I probably have the least amount of control about what goes on. I think the most important legs are the first to second, because you have to be in the race. It’s really hard to win from behind in a relay. So I was thinking as long as I’m close, I’ll run my absolute hardest to cross the line first, and God put me in a position to win, so the pressure was on

me to finish the job.

The Cougar: What was going through your head during the race?

Lewis: (My mind) was blank as soon as the gun went off. All I knew was move. That was all I told my body. And so I ran, and when I got to the top of the curve, I’m like, "Go faster," and I got faster because I wanted to make sure without a doubt that I got the baton off to Mario (Burke). I didn’t want there to be any gray area. After I handed it off to him, it was like lightning. I transferred my energy to him, and he got out and ran, and I cheered him on as he went because before the race he had told me, "When you hand it off to me, make sure you tell me to go." So that was his motivator. So I was like, "Go Mario!"

Burke: Honestly when John was coming to me, I was surprised because he blew it out. By the time I saw him give me the baton first, I knew we had it because no one was going to pass me.

No one was going to pass Jacarias, and no one was going to pass Cam (Burrell).

So from that moment when John started, I knew we had it.

Martin: At that moment, I just cleared my mind and focused. Just taking the stick, not dropping it, and handing it off to first regardless of the consequences.

Just making sure Cam could cross the line first. When I handed the stick off, I basically ran a 200 — I kept running. I didn’t stop until he finished, and then that’s when I stopped.

Burrell: I don’t try to think about other

competitors, especially in a race. But in a relay, I almost couldn’t help it. So I tried to look through my periphery to see where I was, and I realized I was about first or second place. I think Auburn maybe had a step or two on me.

So at that point, when I realized where I was, I just went after it, maintained my speed and crossed the line.

The Cougar: What did you say to your teammates after the race?

Lewis: I was like, "We did it! We did it!" And (Cam) was really screaming at me like, "Man, we did it! We did it!" But I have been screaming like the entire time. After I handed it to Mario, I ran almost the entire second hundred, and then I hopped, screaming and jumping all the way back to the first exchange zone. That’s how I was able meet Cam because there was so much excitement and adrenaline that I wasn’t even tired.

Burke: We just hugged each other and said "We did it." We knew we could do it.

It was a long, hard process, but it finally came together for us.

Martin: I just told everybody, told them, thanked them for having me here. Without them running me hard and motivating everybody, I wouldn’t be where I was at that moment.

Burrell: Just we did it. That was it.

Hugged the guys, celebrated, did our victory lap. I couldn’t celebrate too much because I had to get ready for the 100. At the end of the day, I was happy knowing I was going home a champion.

The Cougar: What does it feel like knowing you've helped bring a national title back to UH? Lewis: It feels great, especially since I did have that mess-up at the Texas Relays, that I was able to perform on that stage and perform well. Regardless of what people want to think, everyone had high confidence for me on my team, and I know the announcers or other teams might not have. If they did know me, it was from Texas Relays, and if they didn’t know me, then they were like, "Who is this kid?" It was just really exciting.

Burke: It feels good because we came here with a lot on our plate. We were like the No. 1 recruiting class, and it feels good to know we've gave back what the coaches invested in us.

Martin: That’s a great experience.

Something I will never forget — ever.

And having a ring and some medals to back that up, I can always look back in life and be like, "I accomplished something in my track career."

Burrell: It was great. That’s what you work for all year. How many people on this earth can say that they won a national title? Not that many. It’s special. We’re now part of a very, very elite club. We set the tone for this year, so now we have to continue the traditions.

sports@thedailycougar.com To watch the interviews tune in to

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10 | Wednesday, November 15, 2017

OPINION 713-743-5304

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Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

CULTURE

Pakistani comedian makes laughter a charitable remedy

T

he healing element of laughter is a widely perpetuated cliche, but Pakistani comedian Danish Maqbool has broken into the industry and now uses his art to give back to his home country in the form of education rebuild where it is truly needed.

UH's ANUSHEH Pakistani SIDDIQUE SENIOR STAFF Student WRITER Association is contributing to The Citizens Foundation, a nonprofit committed to instituting change through education. PSA brought in Maqbool, a New Jersey-based comedian of Pakistani descent, to perform a free show and gather donations for TCF. This is an evolution of philanthropy, especially regarding this developing nation. The club is using this campaign to raise awareness and give back.

TCF was founded in 1995 and has built 1,441 schools for 204,000 students with an all-female faculty of 12,000, according to its website.

The female staff is crucial, as it allows potential employment for educated women.

The biased education system in Pakistan fails to serve the

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF

Emily Burleson

destitute, disenfranchised and illiterate, but by raising awareness and money in this revolutionary manner, PSA has made it a more approachable conversation.

Jasmine Davis

Making a way

Vacant

Maqbool feels that it is important to speak out in this particularly marginalized industry because he said he sensed a lack of “diverse and authentic perspectives.” This is evident in the comedy industry, where comedians are archetyped based on their distinctive “race of humor.” Few comedians have been able to transcend the binds of their color.

Not only does the West have an infamous reputation for its lack of diversity in comedy, but the East also delegitimize the value of this career. The precarious nature of financial security in comedy is coupled with the backbiting facet that it is immensely looked down upon in Muslim culture.

The faces of comedy in the United States are David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Jerry Seinfeld, the traditional whiten stereotype of the talk show host. Comedians of color, such as Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Hasan Minhaj, are successful, but they will not attain the level of notoriety as their white counterparts.

MANAGING EDITOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Sonny Singh WEB EDITOR

The Pakistani Student Assosciation hosted the event Laugh for Literacy to promote awareness for underpriviliged children. | Courtesy of Pakistani Student Association

CHIEF COPY EDITOR

Traynor Swanson

Maqbool said he "had to make it. Otherwise everyone would be right.” This pressure from his homeland and his current home stems from the stereotype that comedy is not compatible with his skin color.

Pakistani culture is not immensely hospitable to Maqbool's career due to the aversion toward liberal arts.

Interestingly enough, Pakistan is reputable for its poets and various creative arts, but the culture takes itself too seriously for comedy to find a comfortable home.

As with everything in the age of social media and technology, this mindset is shifting, but revolutionaries like Maqbool still face what he refers to as discrimination in the industry and fake love from family and friends.

As he goes on his third countrywide tour of U.S. colleges, Maqbool feels pressured to succeed in comedy — something that's commonly felt .

Any career outside the norm is looked down upon, especially as a vocation in which success is measured in laughs.

This event had the advantage of duality. It brought awareness not only to the charity organization in Pakistan, but also to stand-up comedy.

The rise of minority comedians, such as Minhaj and Trevor Noah, shows that the process is evolving.

The issue of race being relevant to this career is still prevalent because the aforementioned comedians are still referred to as “brown comedians,” which institutionalizes the disparities between race and relevance.

Laughs for literacy

Danish Maqbool is a Pakistani comedian. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

NEWS EDITOR

Nola Valente

The charity they’re working toward aims to raise awareness for the gender roles that must be endured to obtain an education in Pakistan. The public school system is an abysmal failure.

The gender discrimination has produced an incredible bias, with a 71 percent literacy rate for men, while women had only 48 percent in 2013. This stark contrast

embodies the obstacles presented to women, and rates tend to be lower in more rural areas. There are more public institutions of learning, but they’re poorly funded.

This has been the case for so long that lower classes no longer have the means or motivation to seek higher education. Societal constraints have hindered progress to the extent that people are discouraged.

The money raised from the stand-up set will be donated to an organization in Pakistan that seeks to better the public school system and recruit students. It is common to see children begging, stealing or selling common items for survival when they should be in school.

The gender gap makes parents apprehensive to send girls to school, especially considering the benefits a young marriage compared to investing in education. The war on terror has also demobilized literacy campaigns, as many educational institutions were damaged or destroyed. This makes it immensely difficult for the poor to leave the vicious cycle of destitution.

A charity like TCF is essential to Pakistan's development. There is progress every day as more students attend schools thanks this nonprofit's work. They are instilling an insatiable curiosity in children and investing in education for a better future.

An event like this poses quite the advantage to society and to our campus due to the awareness it brings with it. It pushes Pakistani culture to claim some adaptability to the arts, especially the comedic ones. It also makes this conversation far more palatable because it can be done amid laughter, which may not be medicine but is truly the best coping mechanism.

Senior staff writer Anusheh Siddique is a political science freshman. She can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

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COOGLIFE EDITOR

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PHOTO EDITOR

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Michael Slaten, Andres Chio, Reagan Earnst, Peter Scamardo, Erin Davis, Mia Valdez, Jennifer Gonzalez

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STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Cougar Editorial Board.

All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the writer. Opinions expressed in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or its students as a whole.

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OPINION 713-743-5304

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Dana C. Jones, EDITOR

CIVIL RIGHTS

Black students must advocate for the working class I

f the familiar narratives of the black experience — those of economic disparities, discrimination and the criminal justice system — have been lived out by members of the black economic underclass, then they are being documented, recorded and MIA VALDEZ ASSISTANT given a voice by OPINION EDITOR the members of the black community who have made their way into universities and other sectors of the middle class.

Harvard scholar and public intellectual Henry Louis Gates Jr. said in an article for the New York Times that black millennials who have attended college have been instrumental in the creation of the Black Lives Matter Movement, which has brought national attention to the hardships that black Americans face.

These African-American students and graduates, Gates said, have been what W.E.B. Du Bois might deem the ideal descendants of the Talented Tenth, constantly rising to the top without ever forgetting to pull their black counterparts out of the depths of economic poverty.

While this comparison coming from an important American figure is emboldening for young black students everywhere, the time is never too early to remember the faults of the original

Black student activists marched against police brutality at a Black Lives Matter event in August of 2016 near campus in a coalition of multicultural students to stand in solidarity against police brutality. | File photo/The Cougar

Talented Tenth and make every effort to avoid the same pitfalls.

The original Talented Tenth were able to rise out of the shadow of slavery not due to any qualities superior to the majority of black people in America, but because they began their races out of this shadow on different bases.

Du Bois was born in 1868 in Massachusetts on a small colony of free blacks. Gates notes that around 11 percent of black people in America were free before the Civil War, which is a generational privilege.

The original Talented Tenth of the 19th century actually distanced themselves from other members of the black community, as if they could find themselves

above the culture, which they justified with the belief that their talent, rather than blind luck, placed them in a position of mobility.

The current generation of black cultural leaders are certainly talented, but one thing that should never be forgotten is the way in which privilege factors into the equation.

Conversations about privilege in the black community are often held in private for fear that predatory audiences might make a jump on any critiques offered by the black community of itself, then use any semblance of black failure or insecurity to further discredit and jeopardize genuine and principled movements for justice.

Nonetheless, these private conversations and whatever critiques they may offer have always been necessary to the success of black rights movements.

While the task of documenting the harshest injustices AfricanAmericans have faced is not easy, it is important to acknowledge that although African-Americans are overrepresented in poverty statistics, nearly three-quarters of black American households are living above the poverty line.

Though the data may show the majority are not “living in hell,” as President Donald Trump remarked in a 2016 debate, African-Americans — who represent 13 percent

of the population — are still overrepresented in terms of economic instability and interactions with the criminal justice system.

This is why advocacy must remain important in the black community.

As a grassroots movement, Black Lives Matter has made waves across the nation. Although it lacks official headquarters, the movement manifests on college campuses with the help of students everywhere.

African-Americans in the upper and middle class must understand that their interest in climbing the socioeconomic ladder is as important as acknowledging the privileges of class, which often separate them from other insidious effects of economic immobility that their lessenriched counterparts face.

Being a part of the Talented Tenth of the 21st century means acknowledging your educational privilege, which the vast majority do, and honoring the legacy of advocacy that brought us into the future.

Now more than ever, members of the black community who have access to education and understand the nature of the oppressive forces must work as advocates for the people who are most impacted by those forces.

Assistant opinion editor Mia Valdez is a creative writing senior.

She can be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com.

CRIME

Racist roommate shows absurdity of hate crime laws O

n Nov. 1, the Hartford Courant reported on a hate crime committed by Briana Rae Brochu against her black roommate Chennel “Jazzy” Rowe. Though Brochu admitted to obscene acts such as smearing her used tampon on Rowe’s DANA C. JONES backpack and OPINION EDITOR sticking her toothbrush “where the sun don’t shine,” Brochu was charged with only breach of peace and personal misconduct.

This is an example of white

privilege protecting the guilty in the so-called fair justice system.

Even though hate crimes are typically difficult to prove, when the perpetrator admits to the crime and for doing it "out of spite," there is more than enough evidence.

In the case of penalties, breach of peace counts as a misdemeanor warranting only some jail time but can easily be alternated with community service, especially if the person has a clean record.

Some hate crimes are considered felonies, which lands the perpetrator in federal prison for at least one year.

Hate crimes are not only perpetrated by civilians, they are

also committed by the people that are supposed to stop people from doing the crime.

When it comes to people of color, we have seen that police face no criminal convictions for killing people of color 99 percent of the time, even when they're wrongfully killed, according to a 2015 study.

Hate crime laws have only been on the books for about 25 years.

The first federal law requiring law enforcement to keep track of crimes motivated by hatred passed the House in 1989, and President George H.W. Bush signed it into law a year later.

These laws were a direct response to historic and modern violence against marginalized

bodies. From postbellum lynchings and assaults on the LGBT community to rape culture, we can see that prejudice-fueled attacks are not out of the norm or few and far between.

The only drawback to hate crimes legislation is that they are extremely difficult to prove.

It's challenging to prove a perpetrator's justification, and hateful speech even directly before the crime does not affect the ruling.

Another complication: Hating others is so irrational that it is difficult to prove that violence or vandalism are motivated by such specific malice. It's ridiculous that someone could harbor hate

toward a group of people for something beyond their control.

Homophobia, racism and xenophobia aren't based in facts.

It is impossible to prove than Mexican immigrants ruined the U.S. economy or that Muslims are orchestrating all terror attacks.

But when the criminal admits to committing a crime –“out of spite” or otherwise – we need to take them at their word. If not, we are dismissing protection for the people who need it most in this country.

Opinion editor Dana C. Jones is a print journalism junior. He can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar. com.