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Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                            Matt Dulin                             Tony Hernandez 
                Jim Parsons             Dusti Rhodes          Blake Whitaker

From garage to legislature, a semester of change

Ah, spring.

Just think: soon it will be 80 degrees, at which point we'll trade in our complaints about the chill for lamentations about humidity.

I can't wait.

Every new semester bodes change in big ways and small ways. This semester is no different. About the only thing that doesn't change is The Daily Cougar's role in it all, as an ever-present watcher and storyteller. 

About the time new leaves turn and flowers break ground -- at the onset of true spring -- exciting events will be shaping the next season of UH history.

In February, when Houston at last sheds its final Canadian cold front, UH will host its annual Student Fees Advisory Committee meetings, where groups funded by student fees are value-tested and grilled to make sure student dollars are well spent. Meanwhile, the Student Government Association will be making preparations for another UH student ritual: SGA elections. The government will be riding off a wave of impressive voter involvement last year -- it will be interesting to see how well the SGA holds students' attention this time and if there will be another rival political party to challenge the dominant UH 4 U group.

Government on a higher level -- in Austin -- will go to work this spring, and UH will try, as it has for many years before, to muscle its way onto the floor of the House or Senate, making its case for increased state investment in research and higher education. In February, the Houston Alumni Organization-sponsored group, Cougar Advocates of Texas, will spend a day with lawmakers in the Capitol to generate interest in UH's priorities. This year, they may find more fertile ground, as early estimates suggest the Texas economy is slowly improving.

Throughout the semester, construction projects like the parking garage and the new science building keep the campus in metamorphosis. Like the winter chill or the summer heat, this is something else we should get used to at UH. 

Looks like spring holds a lot in store for the University -- at least a little more than just warmer temperatures. 

-- Matt Dulin, editor in chief, Spring 2005