Letters to the Editor

2/18/10 6:00pm

Online Comment of the Week

In response to "Sporadic, inconsistent security beleaguers METRORail system," Feb. 12: Measuring the METRORail's safety by its 2004 numbers (it opened Jan. 1, 2004) is like evaluating Martel College's social coolness based on its very first transfers. Misleading at best. METRORail has run almost without incident in the years since, so don't worry too much about safety!

And adding additional METRO police is a topic worth debating, but I'm not sure it would work for Houston. For one, the open stations we have don't lend themselves to turnstiles or ticket booths. And second, Houston would have to consider how much would be gained from increasing the frequency of fare checks. METRO claims that less than 10 percent of passengers are free riders. And, since METRORail fares only account for roughly 25 percent of the cost of carrying a passenger, adding extra police to chase only a small percentage of lost revenue doesn't make much economic sense. The METRO, as heavily subsidized as it is, is probably pursuing the most revenue-effective course of action by expanding its network of light rail lines to increase overall use of the system and continuing its honor-system fare policy.

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Ted Wieber

Referendum to impose limitations

To the Editor:

As leaders in the Rice student body, we feel it is necessary to address the Beer Bike referendum on this year's Student Association General Election ballot. While referenda are important checks on the centralized power of the Student Association Senate, this piece of legislation does not represent a proper use of this system. Rather, it is an irresponsible and sensationalist reaction to the debate over the format of this year's Beer Bike parade.

It is to be expected that there will be a great deal of passion in any Beer Bike debate (whether it takes place in Willy's Pub or the Farnsworth Pavilion). There is little indication, however, that the campus-wide coordinators abused their power in a manner that would justify this reaction. They were asked to conduct campus-wide polls to examine the popular opinion of the student body, and they have abided by the result of that vote.

While there is value in upholding our traditions, it is important that as a student body we not become stagnant. The current format of the Beer Bike parade is the result of almost 20 years of evolution, adapting to the conditions and desires of the students as new challenges and opportunities present themselves. In light of the history of the parade, it seems foolish and arrogant to believe that the present scheme is the pinnacle of parade design and that no improvements could ever be made. This referendum, rather than encouraging future Beer Bike coordinators to explore new options (as a majority of the student body indicated they would ask them to), makes the process of implementing any change simply daunting.

Furthermore, this referendum sets a number of poor precedents: It encourages students to attempt heavyhanded political maneuvers to achieve their goals, rather than speaking directly with the relevant organization (here, the members of the Rice Program Council). In seeking resolutions to any issue, a legislative move of this nature should be the last resort, not the first. We should feel comfortable approaching our elected leaders with our concerns.

Additionally, it creates a dangerous precedent for the SA to regulate the activities of each subsidiary organization (Thresher, RPC, KTRU, etc.) via student referendum. We feel that this power is rarely appropriate and that the subsidiary organizations should be allowed to function without fear of censorship or legislative imperatives, either in the form of a Senate vote or referendum similar to the one here in question.

Ultimately, there is little reason to believe that this referendum is a necessary, or sensible, response to the discussions surrounding changes to the parade format. It is unlikely to effectively safeguard the tradition as we know it, but it will certainly hinder campus-wide Beer Bike coordinators in future years (if not completely discourage them from taking the job).

We urge the student body to carefully consider the implications of this referendum when voting in this year's General Election.

Kathy Kellert, Baker President

Kyle Clark, Will Rice President

Erol Bakkalbasi, Hanszen President

Alex Bonnel, Wiess President

Andrew McDermott, Jones President

Jackie Ammons, Brown President

Erin Finn, Lovett President

Sam Wang, Sid Rich President

Sean McBeath, Martel President

Patrick McAnaney, Student Association President

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