Rice remembers 9/11

It has been a trying 10 years for our country since the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001. However on the 10-year anniversary of the terror strikes, we at the Thresher hope that the Rice community and the whole country can come together and remember those that perished in the tragedy. Rice is hosting a number of events in memoriam of the anniversary. On Sunday, there will be a vigil and there will also be bell tolls at the exact time of each of the four attacks to the minute ten years ago. The Thresher strongly encourages everyone to participate in these memorial events and to take time to reflect on the 9/11 tragedies. as unity is what will move this great country forward.

Common reading interest dwindling

Rice hosted the author of its common reading book, "The Honor Code," this past Tuesday (see story, pg. 1). Unfortunately, many new students bypassed the opportunity to hear Kwame Anthony Appiah speak. Only a hundred students attended the talk; the poor attendance reflects the continued struggle of the common reading program at Rice to really captivate the enthusiasm of new students. 

Houston drought requires Rice's cooperation

The city of Houston is in a level two drought, and the situation is much more dire than what most at Rice believe (see story, pg. 1). The harsh shortages are affecting the Houston community, while the Rice community remains largely shielded from the issue within the hedges. However, as per our university's mission statement and essence, we play an integral role in our local community, and that dictates that we become a part of the water shortage solution rather than continue contributing to the problem. 

Erratum

In the August 26 issue of the Thresher ("Three 6 Mafia"), the total number of stamped tickets was incorrectly reported. In actuality, 1,859 tickets were stamped. The Thresher regrets this error. 

Silence on EMS stats an improved policy

 Texan pride abounded last Friday on the Martel Rotunda where the annual Texas Party was hosted (see story, pg. 1). The party boasted huge attendance numbers and gave incoming students a promising first view of Rice's social scene. Unfortunately, alcohol safety was less than ideal. While the lack of alcohol safety is not a new phenomenon at college parties, the handling of the over-intoxicated students seemed to be smoother than usual. The care-taking station was utilized for students who needed a break or EMS attention. Even more impressively, administration and EMS have been mute on the EMS numbers for the night; this represents a stark departure from last year's practice of releasing the the number of students receiving EMS attention at a party. The EMS numbers contribute to nothing productive: high numbers encourage students to not call EMS in the future in order to lower EMS calls; low numbers indicate that students did not call EMS, but it does not necessarily mean that students were safe on a given night. By establishing a precedent to not release EMS numbers the university can help cut down on the "next morning" rumors and the myth that students should avoid calling EMS. 

ALFA funds making an impact

While the KTRU radio tower sale ruffled its fair share of feathers among the student body, students are now beginning to see the marginal returns on the nearly ten million dollars acquired in the transaction (see story, pg. 4). The Three 6 Mafia concert was funded partially by endowments from the KTRU money as are many other projects that are slated to begin shortly and in earnest in 2012. While ALFA fund expenditures are still pending administration approval, university funds are being used for expenditures that will ultimately come from the ALFA budget.The Thresher is anticipating the final approval of the ALFA funds for projects that will further improve student life quality.

Campus-wide Assassins battle epitomizes Rice's distinct culture

This coming week, students have the opportunity to participate in a campus-wide game of Assassins (see story, pg. 4). The recently busy RPC will be hosting the event which begins on Monday. The decision to host the event earlier than normal was a prudent one; it gives freshmen the chance to meet new people early in the year, and nothing starts a new friendship quite like a water gun ambush. While the game may seem mildly trivial, it is a sort of event that epitomizes what Rice culture. Rice is a fun and quirky place. Every student, every college, and even every professor, has some sort of odd tendency or characteristic that ironically puts them right at home at Rice. Similarly, this campus-wide Assassins battle will undoubtedly seem quirky to the bystander who watches a watergun-wielding freshman chasing someone across the academic quad; however, at Rice that sort of thing seems to fit in. Rice has the privilege of being a small and unique university, and hosting events such as Assassins helps explain Rice's perennially high quality of life rating. These commendations should not be taken out of context, in the end it is only a game; however, it is the combination of small, distinctive things such as Assassins that makes Rice into the school that it is.

Outreach Day a success

This past O-Week, Rice extended its long established tradition of reaching out to the community and serving the needy (see story, pg. 5). Outreach Day was a vast success; it drew 488 new students to a myriad of projects around Houston. The number of participants exceeds that of any past Outreach Day. Furthermore, 88 percent of those students who signed up for a project actually participated — an incredible ratio when factors such as peer pressure to attend Dis-O and fatigue from a long O-week are considered.

New RMC dining offers diverse dining options

This summer marked a number of changes in the RMC, many of which were long overdue (see story, page 9). Thanks in part to the efforts of Kevin Kirby, Boyd Beckwith and RMC renovation funds (not to mention years of student polling), Coffeehouse now sits in a larger location that will enable the student-run business to flourish, without having to sacrifice the study spaces in the Kelley Lounge. While not a part of the RMC, the dedication of a space in Hanszen College for Hoot South is another prime example of the administration working with student entrepreneurship for positive outcomes. The installation of Droubi's in Sammy's will invite a different flavor to campus along with a lot of potential that we hope the Mediterranean cuisine will bring.

Campus must grow to match incoming classes

Recent string of RPC events strongly contributing to student life on campus

Coming off of the success of its recent Harry Potter movie screenings, RPC has once again found a way to live up to its name by organizing Three 6 Mafia and The Wild Moccasins for a back-to-school concert (see story, page 1). Not only has RPC managed to snag an Academy-Award winning group and tackle the problem of publicizing the event during the summer, but the concert will certainly make a positive impression of what student organizations are capable of to incoming students and returning students alike. The use of ALFA funds to create a concerts endowment have proven that at least some of the funds have been used successfully. We can't wait to see what else RPC has in store for future events.

Erratum

More fond farewells for graduating seniors

Of course, where would we be without the hard work of our advertising staff? Probably broke and out of jobs. That's why we can't express enough of our thanks to Cathleen Chang and Molly Slattery, our outgoing ads managers, who made the process run seamlessly. Cathleen always had a smile in the office and Molly never hesitated to lend a hand. Thanks is also due to Tiffany Kuo, our former classifieds manager, who made the brave decision to stay on even after reading some of the sketchy classifieds from week to week.

Gmail transition should be voluntary

Although the decision to switch to Gmail originated from suggestions from graduate students, only undergraduates will initially be moved to Gmail, leaving faculty, staff and even graduate students using the old webmail system. It may be a good idea to take the transition one step at a time, but doing this on a voluntary basis would be a more efficient approach. Rather than forcing over reluctant students or keeping out enthusiastic faculty, staff and graduate adoptors, allowing voluntary transition would enable thoseundergrads, graduates, faculty and staff less concerned with using Gmail for secure purposes (and more as a communication tool) to do so. Gmail provides a number of convenient services, such as document sharing and calendaring, that webmail will continue to lack. IT services already distributes information to departments and colleges; informing individuals of any security risks associated with switching to Gmail would enable people to make the choice for themselves.

DCTF survey reveals disturbing trends

The Drinking Culture Task Force released its campus-wide survey results, revealing some troubling trends among the Rice community (see story, pg. 1). The survey received a resounding 672 responses from a diverse cross-section of the 11 colleges, surveying both drinkers and non-drinkers (about 25 percent of respondents said they did not drink). This commendable response rate is a result of good distribution, social networking and the utilization of college-wide distributions in addition to university-wide initiatives. The vast number of responses also proves how important the alcohol discussion has become, not just for a small population at Rice, but for the entire community

Best of luck to KTRU as it moves to new-age media

Student taught course program at Rice is cutting-edge

Student-Student-taught courses have become quite popular at Rice, and we're not alone in our affinity for them (See story, pg. 1). An interest in student-taught courses is sweeping across the country with Rice at the very forefront of the movement.

Erratum

Hoot's success and expansion paves way for more entrepreneurial endeavors at Rice

While the entrepreneurial spirit of Rice University may not be amongst the country's greateast — certainly not in comparison to Stanford's, whose students have contributed to little start-ups you may have heard of such as Google, Yahoo and Cisco — we are definitely making strides as a University towards fostering student entrepreneurship (See story, pg. 1).

Athletic Department effective in distributing NCAA Finals tickets to students

The Athletic Department, not to be bested by RPC's Harry Potter pre-midnight showing ticket distribution last semester, generously provided students around campus the opportunity to obtain free NCAA Final tickets (see story, pg. 9). A portion of the unsold UConn tickets were donated to Rice for use by its students; a similar donation was made to the University of Houston. Furthermore, instead of exclusively dealing the tickets to athletes, the Rice Athletic Department allowed all students equal opportunity to experience this exclusive event.