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(01/15/10 12:00am)
Since Lance Berkman did not answer our calls for aid ("An open letter to Lance Berkman, concerning Beer Bike," Nov. 20), we applaud the necessary parties for taking it upon themselves to pony up the funds to construct the new Beer Bike track (see story, page 1). The annual event is unfairly shunned by the university, so the recognition of its inherent importance - to the tune of more than $100,000 - is a commendable feat.Alas, that is where our applause ends. We've looked over the proposed changes. We agree with sentiments - safety should be the preeminent concern of the organizers of the school-wide race. However, and we hesitate to sound like codgers opposed to any notion of change, the proposed shifts of the parade, both in location and logistics, are resoundingly incompetent.
(01/15/10 12:00am)
It was slated to be the biggest development Rice had seen since the advent of the college system. It was going to propel Rice into the upper echelon of educational institutions in terms of both prestige and research monies. It was going to create the intellectual and innovative center of the fourth-largest city in the world's wealthiest nation.Instead, the proposal to merge Rice and the Baylor College of Medicine was the biggest anticlimax our university has seen in recent memory (see story, page 1). The sound of the deal failing earlier this week was deafening, and reverberated across the university. We can't say we're not disappointed that the deal fell apart - everyone likes to be part of a historical occurrence, of course - and it is worrisome for those in the Rice-Baylor program, who will soon be attending a medical school whose finances are in such unsteady waters that the most logical course of action, merging with Rice, was torpedoed.
(12/04/09 12:00am)
In the Nov. 20 issue, the Thresher ran a column entitled "Dear Denver: Who to Trust?" in which the author addressed a personal matter. The column breached the boundaries of what is expected of both an advice column and our publication. The Thresher deeply regrets the error.
(12/04/09 12:00am)
With the end of classes (and the coming of Houston snow, surprisingly enough), the Thresher will be undergoing its annual winter break hibernation. But this won't be a traditional hibernation -- while our first issue of the spring semester won't be out until Jan. 15, there will be plenty of sports updates during the break while we keep tabs on the goings-on of the men's and women's basketball teams. So tune in early and tune in often, and keep tabs on the Owls' march to the Big Dance.
(12/04/09 12:00am)
In their short life spans, Duncan College and McMurtry College have already faced more than their fair share of challenges. The colleges opened with malfunctioning air-conditioning units, broken locks and virtually nonexistent cell phone reception. They encountered growing pains in meshing with Baker College and Will Rice College. There have been moments of triumph, to be sure - look no further than Monday's remarkable Powderpuff championship for McWill (see story, page 10) - but the moments of morass seem to outweigh the minor miracles.Yet another moment of chagrin seems to have come to pass over the past few weeks. The administration chose to forgo methods used to populate Martel College in 2002 (see column, page 3), instead sprinkling random transfer invitations to the new colleges among the original nine colleges, with a select number of guests attached to each invitation. The university purposely overshot the number of invitations, correctly anticipating a certain number of students would decline the invitation.
(12/04/09 12:00am)
As if you weren't sick enough of hearing about the economy, it appears Rice is instituting a 5 percent general fund budget cut effective in July (see story, page 4). Though no plans have yet been finalized regarding what budgets in particular are to be cut, we feel the need to both applaud and to warn the powers that be about the possible decisions facing them.Dean of Undergraduates Robin Forman maintains that these cuts will not come out of the colleges' budgets - which are funded by the "student fees" portion of tuition - and we stand behind his decision. At the same time, however, cutting budgets from the college masters and resident associates might be problematic. The masters' budgets, for example, fund college courses, which are often some of the most unique classes one can find at Rice. Additionally, possible trips to symphonies and potential lectures may have to be shelved for fiscal reasons.
(11/20/09 12:00am)
Dear Lance,By now, we're sure you've heard the news: Beer Bike is changing (see story, page 1). This year, the first in which the number of colleges runs into double digits, the most sacrosanct part of Rice's culture will look . different. See, two new colleges have ridden in on their environmentally friendly horses and decided to crash the party, changing up the game plan and turning this year's Beer Bike into a cauldron of concern and confusion.
(11/20/09 12:00am)
In an article we published earlier this month ("NOD attracts whole new world of scantily clad," Nov. 6), the Thresher incorrectly reported that attendance at the annual Night of Decadence increased by 1,000 from last year. The attendance increased by 100. The Thresher regrets the error.
(11/20/09 12:00am)
Last Saturday, the football team won its Homecoming game against Tulane University (see story, page 14). This isn't a misprint. For those following the team's progress - even for those blissfully unaware - the win was an unexpected godsend. What better way to welcome hundreds of Rice alumni back to their former home? (And what better way to encourage them to donate money to the university than with a victory-infused pride?)The team hasn't had an easy season, by any means. Plagued by numerous injuries and a close loss to Southern Methodist University two weeks ago, Saturday's win energized present and former students alike.
(11/13/09 12:00am)
As the saying goes, "No news is good news." Which is why students, when contacted by the Honor Council, have always been stricken with fear. The Honor Council has established itself as one of the most mysterious entities on campus, and little of the reasoning behind its decisions have previously been available to students.This year's revision of the Council's Consensus Penalty Structure, however, is far more elaborate than in recent years and may alleviate this problem (see story, page 1). The Council upheld its previous minimum and maximum penalties, but added much-needed clarification. The governing structure now makes public the available penalties between these extremes (see honor.rice.edu).
(11/13/09 12:00am)
We know that the 50-year plan University Architect David Rodd showcased at Monday's Student Association meeting is little more than a contingency plan, but we can't help but express our excitement for some of the plans readied for the university's policy-makers (see story, page 1). It is comforting to know that Rice is looking with wide aspirations toward the first half of the century, and we commend Rodd on an informative and comprehensive speech to the student body.Some students seemed to think that Rodd's presentation incorporated only ideas set in stone, which, thankfully, couldn't be further from the truth. There are too many variables, too many factors, to know what life 50 years from now will entail. Automobiles may be obsolete. The Baylor College of Medicine may be the Rice College of Medicine. Rice football may be Houston's main pigskin attraction. No one can say otherwise. Thus, it is comforting to know that some of these ideas that Rodd has put forth are far from completion and are little more than gestating right now.
(11/06/09 12:00am)
As Duncan College and McMurtry College begin filling up with sophomores and juniors from across the nine other colleges, we tip our hats to the Dean of Undergraduates office, specifically Assistant Dean Matt Taylor, for making the process both smooth and transparent (see story, page 1). Through the entire process, Taylor has kept students informed of the ins and outs of transfer plans. Many projects across campus are either shrouded or clouded, but this system was a fresh change.That being said, we feel this process was not as seamless as it could have been, for two main reasons. First, we feel the selection process should have been limited only to rising juniors, not both rising juniors and rising seniors. We wonder what well-adjusted rising seniors, those not disenchanted with their current situations, would abandon their college for new pastures in their final year at Rice. Unlike the rising juniors, whose two remaining years provide enough time to create lasting improvements to the colleges, seniors will be one-and-done, flitting and flipping through the system in extraordinarily little time.
(11/06/09 12:00am)
Contrary to outward appearances - most notably, that we print thousands of copies of the paper each week, and the recycling bins in our office are often neglected - the Thresher supports environmental efforts. The latest of these, the Green Dorm Initiative, the brainchild of Rice's own Environmental Club, began this week for members of Brown College (see story, page 1). The initiative aims to increase awareness about the amount of energy and water needed to perform everyday tasks. Students will self-report the lengths of their showers, the number of times they've shut down their computers, their light usage and other aspects of their existence, sustainable or not.Raising awareness is great, and a monetary reward for those who, at the end of the competition, have been judged to live most sustainably is even better. But who's likely to participate in the initiative? Those who take two-minute showers in the first place. The people who drive Priuses and insist on setting their thermostat at 78 degrees during the long, brutal Texas summer. The Tetra Points reward may be an incentive to some, but those in it purely for the money are unlikely to keep up the sustainable efforts after the 20-day competition. We feel that the spirit of the competition comes from the right place, though it's nothing new or groundbreaking and may not legitimately change the behavior of those not already invested in the green movement.
(10/30/09 12:00am)
The Thresher has a long, tumultuous history with the Rice Program Council. They plan events, we complain about them, the animosity continues. Last week's staff editorial notwithstanding ("Esperanza planning proves problematic," Oct. 23), however, we've had generally good things to say about RPC in the past year. Last year, they booked a big-name band, The National, for Homecoming, and Ben Kweller for Willy Week, and the on-campus Esperanza impressed even the sharpest of critics. Forget about last year's Rondelet, and RPC seems to be getting better each year.As such, we feel that RPC's idea to step up accessibility is well-founded (see story, page 1). While club membership in previous years may have been somewhat limited, this year's application process allowed interested students the opportunity to join any of the committees. Since our blanket tax monies fund the club, it only makes sense that RPC publicize their organization more and that students, especially underclassmen, get involved.
(10/30/09 12:00am)
On Monday, President David Leebron spoke to nearly 100 students at the Student Association meeting, displaying his wit and charm to an attentive and concerned audience. After touching on Rice's rise through the rankings, Leebron reached the meat of his presentation: the discussion surrounding the proposed merger between Rice and the Baylor College of Medicine. He handily fielded the subsequent questions, and students left the meeting feeling confident their concerns had been answered.Unfortunately, one question remained: How did this speech and the ensuing discussion differ from the one that occurred just a few days earlier at his State of the University address?
(10/23/09 12:00am)
Two weeks ago, an incident at Willy's Pub presented the institution with a quandary. The self-imposed decision to keep Pub dry for a week was, we believe, a sound decision, one that allowed Pub to both educate and take responsibility in a successful and obvious manner. While the incident was not necessarily their fault, their response should be commended (see story, page 1).That being said, we are worried that the hesitancy to see the incident repeat itself will push security at Pub beyond reasonable enforcement. As it stands, Pub plans on installing a large sign near the entrance denoting what the possible penalties for infractions entail, which is fine in and of itself. So too are the plans to reinforce checks on drinking ages - including those who already have a wristband. But plans are also in motion for security to check bags upon entering Pub.
(10/23/09 12:00am)
We acknowledge it would be tough to follow up on the grandeur of last fall's Esperanza, which was held on campus in a Centennial Campaign kickoff tent. Rice Program Council scored the venue free of charge, and students enjoyed a focus on both student DJs and a classy atmosphere complete with a fountain and upscale finger foods. The 1,000 tickets quickly sold out, leaving a large number of students disappointed they couldn't attend the revamped dance.RPC hit a high note with last year's formal, and it's hard not to compare it to this year's (see story, page 4).
(10/09/09 12:00am)
It may be ironic that we espouse the merits of sustainability on a dead tree, but please, bear with us. Our intent is sincere. We would like to commend the university for its improvement upon last year's score, delineated on the Sustainable Endowments Institute's Green Report Card (page 6).While we are not yet to the level of some other universities - our B grade certainly leaves room for improvement - the jump from last year's B-minus shows marked improvement. One need look no further than McMurtry College and Duncan College, the most environmentally-friendly colleges on campus, to recognize the university's attempts at decreasing its carbon footprint.
(10/09/09 12:00am)
In Alex Bonnel's column in last week's Thresher, "Magnolia League's potential too good to pass up," the attribution of information to Wikipedia was unclear. Background information from Wikipedia began with the start of the column and concluded with the sentence "SMU and Rice were not willing to give up the Cotton Bowl income, and Duke was already heavily entrenched in its rivalry with the University of North Carolina." The two sentences following this section are the opinion of Bonnel, not content from Wikipedia, though there is a reference to the Magnolia League entry in the following paragraph.
(10/09/09 12:00am)
While the Houston winter is not nearly as frigid as what most of us may be used to, this winter break will nonetheless leave many students out in the cold. No, the residential colleges' air conditioning will not be left on full blast - instead, the residential colleges will be completely shut down, electricity and water turned off, while students are off building their snowmen (see story, page 1).That may be fine for those who were planning on venturing home for the break already, but for the remaining dozens, or possibly hundreds, who weren't planning on jumping the hedges during the three-week hiatus, the plan is undoubtedly a bit difficult to swallow. They won't be staying in a Motel 6 - but they won't be staying in Hotel Zaza, either. They will have to ship out for three weeks, living like a rock star on the road, or at least like a family whose house is undergoing a brief remodel.
