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(11/19/10 12:00am)
As we prepare for Beer Bike 2011, it would be simply imprudent to ignore the lessons of past Beer Bikes. In order to assure the continued success of our most beloved tradition, it must evolve in some capacity.One of the growing problems that Beer Bike coordinators face is the increasing difficulty to acquire rental trucks for the parade. Local establishments have grown wiser in past years, realizing that their property faces great liability when rented to drunk college students holding a 4,000-person water balloon fight. Furthermore, the mixture of trucks and drunk students is a less than palatable combination from a safety perspective. While any major injuries have yet to occur as a result of the trucks on the route, one has to assume that it is only a matter of time.
(11/12/10 12:00am)
The Thresher would like to commend the Rice Program Council for procuring six theaters at Edwards Cinema for an exclusive Rice pre-screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (see story, page 6). After all, for a university that has so much in common with Hogwarts - the House Cup is the President's Trophy, Hogsmeade is the Rice Village, Leebron is Dumbledore, the Grand Dining Hall is the Baker College Commons, the Sorting Hat is a computer in Lovett Hall and Slytherin is Sid Richardson College - it is only fitting that Rice students should be privileged to see the penultimate film of the series four hours before our peers.The RPC truly planned outside the box in orchestrating this event. It is not only a unique event in itself, but it is one that captures the interests of a near majority of the campus. Of course, there is no one single event, whether it be a musician, show or performance, that captivates every student on Rice's campus, but Harry Potter comes pretty close.
(11/12/10 12:00am)
In last week's issue, two sentences were erroneously added to Evan Mintz's letter to the editor.Last week, the Thresher incorrectly identified Chef Annette Burnam as Salento's head chef ("Class project greens Brochstein"). Burnam is Salento's local jam supplier. Additionally, the survey offered at the event was made to gauge if customers would pay more for other local products to be put in different menu items. The coffee discount mentioned in the article was not a one-time promotion, but instead is still in effect.
(11/12/10 12:00am)
Athletics and academics are a difficult duo to balance; however, it seems that Rice athletes have a knack for doing just that (see story, page 1). With many sports programs in the top five of national graduation rates, Rice has truly integrated its notable academic reputation into its athletic programs.Making this accomplishment even more legitimate is the fact that Rice does not create specific or special courses or tracks for athletes to follow in their academic career. While athletes have access to special advising and tutors, it would be very difficult to maintain that an athlete's degree is less than that of a non-athlete.
(11/05/10 12:00am)
The Nov. 2 mid-term elections were quite historic, with Republicans regaining a wave of momentum that they had dramatically lost only two years ago. High national voting turnout was mirrored by the turnout of Rice student voting (see story, page 1); approximately 400 Rice students participated in voting on-campus, a distinct increase from the 2008 elections - a particularly impressive feat, since this most recent election did not include the vote for the presidency.Thus it seems that Rice's various attempts to get out the vote and promote student participation in the democratic process were successful. However, 400 students still represent a relatively low proportion of the entire student body eligible to vote. The fact remains that Rice is predominantly populated by out-of-state students, many of whom refuse to alter their hometown allegiances by registering to vote in Harris County.
(11/05/10 12:00am)
Rice University was given a B+ as an ecologically "green" rating in the College Sustainability Report Card (see story, page 4). This rating represents an improvement over last year's B rating; however, it does not quite meet Rice's expectations of being a member of the more elite ecologically conservative universities. The report cited Rice as lowest-rated in the areas of endowment transparency and ?administration. Upon reflecting on some of the university's more conversationally questionable practices, this C grade for the administration is not surprising. Many campus-wide issues require attention, such as the campus sprinkler system. The sprinkling schedule, at least around parts of the campus, seem to be malfunctioning, resulting in plants being watered at peak temperature points during the day. Watering while the sun is out is an absolute waste, since a majority of the water being dispensed is simply evaporated by the beating sun. Furthermore, the sprinklers seem to lack any sort of sensors that prevent over-watering or watering during rain. The implementation of this sort of sensor system would not be a huge financial burden and would alleviate a great deal of water waste, saving the university money in the long run, while also helping the environment. Smaller problems around campus also persist, such as the constantly frigid temperature of the Duncan College Commons and the perpetual running lights that are impossible to shut off in the common rooms of many of the newly constructed suites.
(11/05/10 12:00am)
In last week's article on the world literature departments ("New world lit department considered"), the Thresher quoted Associate Professor of German Studies Christian Emden in a way which implied support of a merger between the world literature departments. However, it was not the intention of the Thresher to align Emden or the German Studies department with the supporting side of ?the debate. Last week, the Thresher incorrectly reported some of the grades from the Baker Institute Student Forum's "Grade the President" panel ("BISF event gives Obama 'C+'," ). Obama's initial score was a 3.07, not a 3.20. 2.90 is a B-, not a C+.
(10/29/10 12:00am)
Food at Rice may have its share of problems. Maybe it's not diverse enough, maybe it's not quality enough, maybe it's not vegetarian enough or maybe it's not healthy enough. Regardless of what complaints there may be against the on-campus servery food, let's cast away the protests and the shunning of serveries. Most of the common issues that students hold against H&D's meal offerings can be addressed if the administration can simply get a grasp on which concerns are of greatest priority.
(10/29/10 12:00am)
Duncan and McMurtry Colleges were well tended last year by their sister colleges. However, now as full-fledged colleges, neither Duncan nor McMurtry has the advantage of sharing sister college resources such as common room furniture, game room equipment and Beer Bike gear (see story, page 1). Instead, both colleges were forced to make heavy investments in their futures by purchasing a multitude of things that other established colleges do not need to budget for. Furthermore, most of the other nine colleges have the luxury of rollover money from previous years. Since these new colleges were not given any extra appropriations in the Dean of Undergraduate's college budgets, Duncan and McMurtry have received a disproportionate sum of the budget.
(10/29/10 12:00am)
As students prepare for an undoubtedly Decadent weekend (see story, page 1), dramatic stories of students afflicted by alcohol poisoning at universities around the country pour in. This month alone, incidents with the newly popular Four Loko caffeinated alcoholic drink have left a plethora of students hospitalized in Washington (Central Washington University), New Jersey (Ramapo College) and New York (Cornell University). Caffeinated alcoholic drinks' ability to mask inebriation is behind their quickly spreading popularity but also the cause of their dangerous health concerns. The recent outbreaks have even prompted officials to contemplate banning drinks such as Four Loko; however, these dangers are equally present with any sort of liquor-energy drink combinations. With this recent flurry of alcohol incidents around the country in mind and the upcoming celebration of Night of Decadence, it would be most prudent to recall Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson's words about Rice's unique "culture of care." After all, it is this dynamic that separates Rice from the rest. So, as we celebrate one of Rice's greatest traditions this weekend, let's have a great time while also keeping in mind the well-being of our fellow students. At the very least, let's not contribute to the growing movement that seeks to eliminate Four Lokos from stores' shelves.
(10/22/10 12:00am)
The Thresher would like to commend the joint efforts of the Student Association and Graduate Student Association in hosting the first annual Research Mixer earlier this month. As an institution known internationally for our focus on undergraduate research, it's a wonder that Rice hasn't already developed more events like this one (see story, page 6).It was refreshing to see an even distribution of disciplines represented among the research groups, rather than the typical asymmetry frequently exhibited by career fairs and other recruiting endeavors. While it would be nice to imagine all majors could be represente at the mixer, 40 lab groups is nothing to scoff at.
(10/22/10 12:00am)
There is a seemingly growing trend of discrepancies present in the food being served across different campus serveries (see story, page 1). While McMurtry College and Duncan College students are privileged with some of the best food and most options on campus at West Servery, other students are left with smaller kitchens that have less capacity to produce great food. To make matters worse, students at Will Rice College and Lovett College are burdened with catered food from West Servery as they await the completion of East Servery. This catered food inevitably offers a less fresh and less varied menu. The fact that all students pay the same amount of money - an ever-increasing number - for meal plans aggravates this harsh discrepancy of food quality even further. Students of Will Rice and Lovett took matters in their own hands
(10/22/10 12:00am)
The Thresher would like to congratulate the football team for its upset victory against rival University of Houston (see story, page 11).The season began with a solid performance against the University of Texas Longhorns, the #5 team in the country at the time. The Owls followed up with a close victory over the University of North Texas but were then held disappointingly winless in their next four games until this past Saturday against Houston. The win puts Rice at 2-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play. More importantly, the Owls were able to defeat their rivals, capture the Bayou Bucket for the second time in six years, and do it all in front of a spirited homecoming crowd. The thrilling victory and offensive explosion certainly creates optimism for the remainder of the season; the Bayou Bucket victory could very well be the staple win in the Owls' season and provides reason for the student body to support the team as we attempt to ride the momentum into the season's home stretch. The Thresher encourages all students to support not just football games, but all athletic events on campus.
(10/08/10 12:00am)
The Thresher would like to commend the Rice Program Council for venturing outside the average college student's musical comfort zone with their choice of DJ Earworm for this year's Homecoming Concert (see story, page 1). Rather than continuing the trend in recent years of playing it safe by catering to mass appeal, the decision to host a more experimental artist shows that RPC's goals lie not only in maximizing attendance but also in providing an interesting and memorable experience. Plus, if the guy ends up being even half as good as Girl Talk, the Grand Hall could easily turn into one massive dance party.The decision to charge a nominal admission fee is an unfortunate change to the show's format. However, the Thresher understands the necessity of covering the associated costs and finds the $5 in advance and $10 at the door to be affordable prices. The Thresher hopes that the event's price-tag does not dissuade any Owls from putting down their textbooks for a couple of hours to shake their tail feathers to juxtapositions of top pop hits.
(10/08/10 12:00am)
The Glasscock School of Continuing Studies is officially slated to receive a brand new facility once the remainder of project funds is acquired (see story, page 1). The price tag? A whopping $24 million. Currently, $9.5 million (a seemingly common sum of money these days) has been collected and the rest is anticipated to be accumulated by the Centennial Celebration.While this new facility allows the School of Continuing Studies to expand and offer more opportunities to Houston-area residents, the Thresher feels it is a bit of a disappointment to see this extravagant sum of money being funneled into a project that will affect a disproportionately small portion of the undergraduate student population. This concern is particularly valid at this current time of undergraduate enrollment expansion; it seems that as greater freshman classes expand the student body there should be a truly concentrated focus on undergraduate student needs.
(10/01/10 12:00am)
As homecoming approaches, so does the annual Esperanza, girls-ask-guys dance (see story, page 5). Offering Rice students a rare chance to dress up and revisit the high school glory days of proms and homecoming dances, Esperanza is traditionally an anticipated event. The past two years have both sold out their allotment of 1,000 and 600 tickets, respectively. This year's number of available tickets has been set at 800; although this is a sizable increase from last year's allotment, there is still concern that this year's Esperanza will fail to accommodate all of those that wish to attend, especially with yet another enrollment increase in this year's freshman class pushing Rice's population to 4,000 undergrads.Furthermore, the decision to host the dance off campus is one worth second-guessing. The 2008 edition of Esperanza, often dubbed as the most successful incarnation of the event, was hosted on campus. Yet, the Rice Program Council has elected to move away from this proven formula for the second year in a row. The Thresher hopes that Minute Maid Park's distance from campus doesn't make university-provided transportation unfeasible. While frequent shuttles are slated to bring students to and from Minute Maid Park, there is a great possibility that wait times will make the classy event a mess for many partygoers. In addition, the Thresher hopes that the privileged students who are able to drive to the dance have the luxury of complimentary parking around the stadium.
(10/01/10 12:00am)
This week, the Thresher was given one of the first looks into the thoughts and life of our new provost, George McClendon (see story, page 1). We would like to take this time to officially welcome him to our community and share the parts of his vision that excite us the most.First, we were happy to see that McClendon places such emphasis on understanding the traditions and unique attributes of this university. His three points of emphasis exhibit willingness and desire to continue pushing forward toward goals that the student body wants to achieve.
(09/24/10 12:00am)
The Thresher would like to be the first to welcome the tidal wave of parents that arrive on campus for Families Weekend (see story, page 7). Before you begin cleaning our rooms and folding our laundry, you should take some time to walk around campus and enjoy the many construction projects that your paid tuition money does not even begin to cover. As students that are dying to just make it to the weekend, we ask that you refrain from answering questions or making silly comments in the classes you visit, unless specifically invited to do so. In return, the body will make a concerted effort to turn the music down and make it look like we are here to develop marketable skills.
(09/24/10 12:00am)
The generally accepted expectation of a public party is that it is to be a social gathering in which all are permitted to enter. It would thus seem that Sid Richardson College failed to truly throw a public party last Saturday. The fire alarms and subsequent fire-code enforcement were a repeat of Sid's last party, School Girls. This recurring exclusion of scores of students from Sid parties is becoming a nuisance and is frankly unacceptable.Sid needs to take steps to secure its parties against these false fire alarms. As the freshman classes continue to grow and high party turnouts persist, it's undertandable that these sort of acts will happen from time to time. However, Sid is the only college to have parties fail, twice, because of this sort of activity. The Thresher hopes this does not become a trend.
(09/24/10 12:00am)
For many members of the Rice community, the news that the university's digital press is being shut down (see story, page 1) illicits a common reaction: The university had a digital press? While losing this resource puts an end to an innovative experiment we would love to see continue on campus, the Thresher believes that in the current economic situation, the viability of maintaining this press would be under question. Though the press was producing at an admirable capacity, taking into account its limited support, its contribution to the campus and to elevating Rice's national standing was negligible. Having produced 18 pieces of work in the last two years is a lot for a $200,000 annual operating budget, but according to some figures, it would take nearly twice that to even begin to make Rice University Press a recognizable entity on the national scene.
