Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Tuesday, April 29, 2025 — Houston, TX

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Rondelet cancellation a result of venue selection and subpar advertising scheme

(01/18/12 12:00am)

The Rice Program Council hosted winter formal, Rondelet, has been canceled due to an apparent lack of interest (see story, pg. 1). Upon selling a mere 20 tickets in the first week of sales, the RPC elected to terminate the event instead of risk enduring a financial loss during the event. RPC was forced to absorb losses already once this year when Esperanza failed to meet the projected sales of 1,000 tickets to cover the cost of the larger Hobby Center venue.


New RUPD chief tasked with improvement of RUPD-student relations

(01/12/12 12:00am)

Rice University has chosen Johnny Whitehead to succeed Bill Taylor as chief of Rice University Police (see story, pg. 1). Whitehead will arrive at Rice sporting an impressive resume which includes university, private sector and public government security experience. He is certainly talented and qualified for the position, and the Thresher is impressed by the positive response he has generated among those who have interacted with him.


Jones College biometric security underwhelms in practicality, overwhelms in price

(01/12/12 12:00am)

Jones College will soon be furbished with biometric fingerprint security to limit access to external and bathroom doors. While improving campus security should always be priority, this proposal fails to significantly enhance student safety for its hefty price tag of $3,000 to $5,000 per scanner. The current proposal plans to place approximately a dozen scanners in Jones, and there are plans to expand the biometric scanners to other colleges with common restrooms. The staggering expense associated with this initiative makes the implementation of biometric security around campus not only unfeasible but simply preposterous.


Removal of alcohol policy probation a testament to quality student leadership

(11/30/11 12:00am)

The alcohol policy probation has been lifted effective next semester by Dean Hutchinson after nine months of efforts by student leadership to make the university environment more conducive to safe drinking (see story, pg. 1). The probation rules varied among the residential colleges, but the greatest impact it had on the university party scene was the deprivation of punch and shots at private parties around campus. While the probation seems to have been effective in reducing the ease of binge drinking at private parties, liquor use in private quarters was still quite prevalent. In short, the probation did not seem to stop individual students from drinking heavily if he or she desired to do so; it did, however, serve as a stark wake-up call for students around campus.




Errata

(11/17/11 12:00am)

In the Homecoming photo spread in last week's issue, caption number one should have referred to the Rice Program Council. Caption number six should have acknowledged Peter Boie. Caption number seven should have included the RPC's collaboration with SpoCo for the Upright Citizens Brigade. The Thresher regrets these errors.


ESTHER waitlist needs tweaks

(11/16/11 12:00am)

Among many of its recent upgrades, the Office of the Registrar has added a waitlist feature to ESTHER's course registration (see story, pg. 1). While the waitlist restored some order to the special-registration frenzy that inevitably follows normal ESTHER registration, it was not without problems. Most notably, seniors needing a class to graduate were initially unable to special-register for a class with priority because pofessors were prohibited from signing any forms whatsoever.





Condoleezza Rice appeals to Rice community

(11/10/11 12:00am)

Rice University had the opportunity to host Condoleezza Rice for the second time in four years this past Tuesday (see story, pg. 1). The former Secretary of State detailed her rise to prominence while peppering the audience with amusing anecdotes about her experiences in the White House and abroad. Rice not only kept the crowd entertained but offered pointed analyses about the state of the country in today's world. Most impressively, Rice geared her talk towards undergraduate students by posing advice about following passions and pursuing a career in public service. References to the book she was selling were at an absolute minimum.



Housing and dining fails to back architecture proposal

(11/10/11 12:00am)

A competition held for Rice architecture students to design a community garden has fallen through. Although, the original plan was to have the winning architecture proposal become reality for a garden near Rice Village, H&D has since backtracked and decided that the winning proposal will contribute to the ultimate design to be implemented at some point in the future. Since the university has a distinct reason not to use valuable land in Rice Village for a community garden, it should have thought twice about committing to the terms of this competition in the first place.



Congratulations to Lance Berkman and the St. Louis Cardinals

(11/02/11 12:00am)

Congratulations to Rice alumnus Lance Berkman for his contributions to the World Series winning St. Louis Cardinals. Berkman followed his excellent season with an extraordinary playoff performance which included a game and series-saving single with his team down to its final strike. He was a key contributor to the World Series victory and is an accomplished veteran truly deserving of this victory.



New schedule planner assists students with rigors of registration

(11/02/11 12:00am)

A new schedule planning aid has been created in an effort to make the registration process a bit easier for students (see story pg. 1). The tool creates a calendar of potential courses in a Google Calendar format. The most significant addition is the feature which allows courses to be sorted by both professors and time slots. It also allows students to select multiple classes of interest, even those in the same time slot, and then narrow them down. Students will definitely benefit from being able to see a schedule overview laid out on a calendar.


Rice professor shows great integrity amid censorship scandal

(11/02/11 12:00am)

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Professor John Anderson has become a local media focus since his censorship spat with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (see story pg. 1). The commission removed many facts that pointed toward human-caused global warming. However, Anderson refused to have his data presented in this manner. By revoking his publication from the state agency, Anderson exemplified the highest standard of integrity in his decision to withdraw his publication. In the cut throat world of academia, a professor's stature is determined in large part on his or her publications. Anderson, in his decision to choose no publication over a censored publication, represents exactly the kind of integrity Rice stands for. The decision was one which placed principles over prestige and the truth over fanfare, and this choice should be respected.


Errata

(10/27/11 12:00am)

In the Oct. 21 issue, "What's their secret" incorrectly stated that the professor's hometown had a population of one million; however, the population is actually approximately 100,000. Furthermore, the number of COMP 140 students has grown from 20 to 113, and the number of Computer Science majors has increased from 21 to 75.