closing the coogs' house

University of Houston suspends classes due to coronavirus concerns

University of Houston central campus exterior Ezekiel Cullen building

University of Houston classes will be moved to online-only.

Photo courtesy of University of Houston

Following the news of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo canceling the remainder of its run, and in keeping with other major universities across the country, the University of Houston announced that it will hold no classes — in-person or online — from March 16-21.

Classes will then resume remotely, either in online or alternative format, beginning March 23. The move is an effort to mitigate the spread of coronavirus/COVD-19, according to the university. There are no current cases of the virus at UH.

“I understand that these precautionary measures may be inconvenient and disappointing to you, but we hope these efforts can help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” said UH president, Renu Khator, in a letter to students and staff. “Your health and safety are our priority.”

Students are asked to stay at home. University housing and dining services will be open for student residents who need it. Sanitization and hygiene protocols will be escalated, according to the school.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to work from home. UH’s offices, including Sugar Land and Katy, will remain open and all offices and services will continue to operate. Research labs will be open and related services will remain in operation.

The university also announced that events funded and sponsored by school and requiring large gatherings of more than 50 people in the Greater Houston Area are discouraged through March 31.

Khator also added that needed facilities will be maintained using aggressive sanitization and hygiene protocols as recommended by authorities.

UH has also implemented travel restrictions, travel reporting, and self-quarantine protocols, prepared to move to online instruction, and established an email address (coronavirus@uh.edu) for concerned students and staff, per an announcement.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”