Proposed plan to honor donors disrespectful

By Staff Editorial     4/16/09 7:00pm

The Thresher has a new policy: If any individual, group or organization wishes to donate at least $4.6 million to us, we will put their names and logos on the front page. After all, what would be better than honoring them in the place that people see most often?Such is the thinking behind the new project to honor Rice's major donors (see letters, page 2). As you can see, people are up in arms over the proposed design - concentric ellipses surrounding Willy's statue in the academic quadrangle. And since we aren't allowed to sign our names to those letters, we will express our resentment to this proposed plan with an editorial.

Don't get us wrong - there's little wrong with the actual design. It is subtle and flowing, symmetric and simple. But it could not have been put in a worse spot. William Marsh Rice chose to have his ashes placed in the statue. To place the names of corporate conglomerates, to many of whom $4.6 million is but chump change, around his remains is an abhorrent affront to his legacy.

Furthermore, this quad is the place where all students - past, present and future - gravitate. The quad is one of the few places on campus that has been there for decades, one of the few places that has remained untouched, aside from some Ike-induced landscaping. Construction aside, this design will change the essence of the quad, disrupting the green fields and turning Willy's statue into a bull's-eye.

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There are numerous other places on campus where this design could fit, and we can't think of one better than the fountain between the Jones School and the Baker Institute. Not only is it in a central area of campus already, but the fountain itself is circular, adding another level of symmetry.

We hope the administration will rethink its decision to honor its donors in this fashion. While it is necessary to give them some type of thanks, it is possible to do so without making Willy roll over in his grave.

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