In loco parentis: Don’t baby-proof collegiate life

By Alex Janssen     9/3/24 10:51pm

Editor’s Note: This is a guest opinion that has been submitted by a member of the Rice community. The views expressed in this opinion are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the Thresher or its editorial board. All guest opinions are fact-checked to the best of our ability and edited for clarity and conciseness by Thresher editors.

I’m not a particularly likely defender of Rice publics, especially one whose name consists of two nouns I don’t particularly like: “night” and “decadence.” Still, I firmly believe that the decision to end yet another flagship Rice tradition is yet another case of a wider infantilization of the Rice community. My position is simple: We’re adults. Let us make stupid decisions.

Undergraduate affairs at Rice have been subverted by a corrosive idea of Rice being a family — corrosive in that it has slowly seeped into all corners of decision-making. Family is, at first glance, a symbol of care, of love, of belonging. However, family comes with obligations, and Rice clearly doesn’t see the relationship with its community as equal. In the context of an overextension of the concept of culture of care, Rice strips its predominantly over-18 student body of something that the university has a proud history of supporting: individual choice.

---

---

When I was selecting which university to go to, Rice’s academic freedom was a major selling point for the flexibility it offers through division requirements. The core foundation of our academic program is minimal, allowing students to specialize or generalize as much as they see fit. I’ve seen friends go incredibly deep into graduate-level classes while others combine majors that, at many universities, would be impossible to fit in four years.

However, in my three years at Rice, administrative conversations about retooling our flexible requirements have become more common. Take Beer Bike — a student tradition that the university seems to have co-opted to highlight our vibrant student life — which has been split into heats, lengthening the race for the safety of riders. These discussions are framed — rightfully so — around values of care and community safety, but, like with NOD, the sacrifices to our university culture of independence are left under-discussed. Drastic changes to student-led traditions should come from the student body itself.

I recognize that any damage that happens under an administrator’s watch will lead to sound and fury from parents, cousins, yoga instructors and anyone else who has some interest in the community’s health and access to an email account. I recognize that events can cause negative publicity, such as the early COVID-19 waves which occurred during my freshman year. However, I do think that, in the current university climate, we are far more likely to slip into over-policing of university life than under. If Rice cares about producing bold future leaders, perhaps a good place to start is letting students lead their own lives.

---