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(11/21/08 12:00am)
Recently, publications like The Financial Times, The Economist and U.S. News and World Report have ranked the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management as among the top 25 in the nation (see story, page 1).Compared to the lackluster numbers from previous years, these new rankings, which are measured based on the salaries of Rice MBA graduates, are considerably better and indicate that the Jones School must be doing something right.
(11/21/08 12:00am)
Last Thursday, Nov. 13, the Baker Institute staff arrived in the morning to find that 22 international flags had been stolenfrom the Centennial Campaign tent (see story, page 10). The flags, which were meant to be decorations for Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's speech later that afternoon, have still not been recovered.
(11/21/08 12:00am)
In last week's issue, the Thresher reported in "Esperanza gets record turnout" that the DJ for the formal was Lovett College sophomore Alex Marks. We did not realize that Lovett College junior Evan Gilmore also deejayed at the event. The Thresher regrets the error.
(11/21/08 12:00am)
Whoever thought of college night is an absolute genius - having an excuse to wear ridiculous costumes all day long is liberating and being able to drink in class feels so wrong, and yet so right. But just as we must temper our drinking so we don't die of alcohol poisoning, we must also temper our college nights so they don't fall victim to the same affliction. Because at this moment, college night is in danger.It started a few weeks ago when Jones College hosted its college night and many Jones students raided Professor Zhiyong Gao's classroom, wreaked general havoc and left a trail of destruction in their wake (See story, page 1). Now, there have been many a crazy college night, but in this case, students left so much debris behind that the custodian who cleaned class afterward became upset and alerted Gao, who filed a complaint with chair of the Math Department and Will Rice College Master Mike Wolfe. Consequently, Brown and Martel colleges hosted their college nights in their respective commons, allowing students to drink while their masters lectured on different topics.
(11/14/08 12:00am)
The big blue curtain is finally gone, and Tudor Fieldhouse has finally opened its renovated doors (see story, page 1).First and foremost, we would like to congratulate everyone directly involved with the project for finishing everything necessary for the hosting of both women's and men's basketball home-openers this weekend. The ridiculous Houston weather never quite cooperates with the construction schedules of mere mortals, but despite torrential rains, flooding and a bonus hurricane, the doors will still be open tonight and tomorrow for the arena's game-play inauguration.
(11/14/08 12:00am)
Many students attempting to register for their Spring 2009 classes discovered this week that there is a new error message to be found in the ESTHER system: "Pre-req and Test Score Error." Newly-implemented by the Registrar's Office, the change comes on the heels of of the double-booking restriction put into effect during registration for this semester (See story, page 1).This newest change signals a disturbing trend in the Registrar's Office. In conjunction with the pending changes to the academic calendar, which will greatly diminish the timeframe in which students can modify their schedules, the double-booking restriction curtailes the possibilities of the course shopping period. Prerequisite checking - and the associated errors within ESTHER related to it - has done nothing to repair this situation. In fact, ESTHER's failure to properly identify cross-listed and in-progress courses has prevented students from registering for courses in which they belong.
(11/14/08 12:00am)
After years of declining attendance and profit loss, Rice Program Councilhas found the key to hosting a successful Esperanza.
(11/07/08 12:00am)
While participating in the Halloween edition of the twice-monthly Baker 13 run last Friday, Martel College sophomore Will Meyers won a fight with a Fondren Library window, shattering the entire pane in an enthusiastic effort to make his mark (see story, page 1).While we lament the ordeal Mr. Meyers had to endure while partaking in one of Rice's more notorious traditions, and we cringe at the thought of what his injuries could have been had he jumped facing forwards instead of sideways, we feel we must issue a word of caution to all of those who aim to emulate Meyers in the future.
(11/07/08 12:00am)
Today, Rice announces that it is seeking to raise an unprecedented $1 billion with its Centennial Campaign to honor Rice's 100th anniversary in 2012 (see story, page 1). Currently, Rice has raised $500 million, although some of this money includes donations given to Duncan and McMurtry colleges and other current projects.Getting more money is not a bad thing - we certainly think it's a good idea that Rice is raising money through this campaign considering the student expansion it is facing in the coming years, and we are impressed with the $400 million President Leebron stated he wants to spend on undergraduate and graduate programs. Nevertheless, the administration must use its money wisely and concentrate spending on what really matters.
(10/31/08 12:00am)
Wednesday morning, the Houston Chronicle printed an article divulging that Rice and the Baylor College of Medicine have been discussing the possibility of an institutional merger. Wednesday afternoon, President David Leebron sent an e-mail to campus addressing the issue (see story, page 1).We sincerely hope the university pursues the acquisition of BCM for several reasons. First, BCM's reputation would instantly enhance Rice's prestige on both a national and international scale. The university could boast ownership of both a business and medical school, immediately boosting our ability to compete with peer institutions like Washington University in St. Louis in terms of post-graduate programs. Secondly, BCM would find in Rice a more stable financial future, which can only help in increasing its status as a top medical school. Thirdly, any possible merger could be made very smoothly thanks to Rice's long collaborative history with BCM, and the fact that the medical school's administrative and physical structures are already in place. Lastly, but very importantly, the merger would probably have a minimal effect on the day-to-day life of the average undergraduate. There would be no on-campus construction or increase in on-campus foot and vehicle traffic, and undergraduate institutions would be (we hope) largely unaffected.
(10/31/08 12:00am)
Although we are too modest to accept that last week's staff editorial ("Be NODdy, just not stupid," Oct. 24) was the principal or even a major cause for the diminished number of arrests and EMS calls at this year's Night of Decadence, we appreciate that the vast majority of partygoers followed our advice and enjoyed the night responsibly (see story, page 1). NOD's staying power has much to do with how its guests conduct themselves, and it appears that most of them understood and respected this fact.That is not to say that Wiess College itself did not have anything to do with it. We must congratulate Wiess' social committee for providing an organized and safe environment for students. The multi-wristband system made it easier for student security volunteers to monitor the party, which in turn limited the number of intercessions RUPD needed to make. All in all, Wiess carried NOD out very well, and the college should be congratulated on yet another successful year of promiscuous partying.
(10/31/08 12:00am)
Environmental Studies 302, a class focused on raising awareness about sustainability issues on the campus, kicked off an all-college recycling contest on Monday (see story, page 1). The idea is a good one - students generally respond positively to inter-college contests, especially when prize money is involved. Also, it is nice to see a campus recycling program initiated by students, rather than by a faculty member or administrator. There is nothing wrong with initiatives coming from the top, but students tend to subscribe more to grassroots movements instigated by their peers.While the contest's concept is commendable, however, its implementation suffered from one of Rice organizations' biggest problems: inadequate advertising and communication. The competition's kickoff was accompanied by little gusto and fanfare, meaning most students were unaware of it. This obscurity is something that should be remedied in the next few days, and hopefully, even though the contest ends a week from today, students can still make up for lost time.
(10/24/08 12:00am)
Who knew that an interesting lecture series was hosting ethnically diverse speakers on campus? Answer: Apparently, not enough people. Last Wednesday, renowned physicist Sylvester James Gates spoke at Rice as a part of the President's Lecture Series of Diverse Scholars. The Diverse Scholars lecture series, which started five years ago, differed from the regular President's Lecture Series in that it held a specific emphasis on inviting minority scholars to speak on campus. However, its short-lived life has come to an end (See story, page 1).
(10/24/08 12:00am)
Back in 2005, when the police blotter was still descriptive enough to be entertaining, the Thresher reported the following entry regarding an incident that occurred the night of that year's Night Of Decadence: "Subject jumped from Wiess' fourth floor to third floor and landed on cement. Intoxicated underage student fought with four officers and was detained. Subject found to have fake IDs in wallet. Student remanded to Harris County Jail" ("Police Blotter," Nov. 4, 2005). Did we laugh the first time we read this entry? Yes. Did we laugh at it again as we re-recorded it above? Absolutely. There is no doubt that it is an entertaining story. But on the other hand, it is also a chronicle of someone's downright stupid actions.
(10/24/08 12:00am)
Rice Program Council officially announced today that the band The National will perform Nov. 7 as part of Rice's homecoming weekend activities. With the live show on Friday, and the football game and Esperanza the next day, students should have more than enough activities in which to partake. In a staff editorial we wrote in September, we stated "the burden is now on RPC to go to students for ideas, to increase its visibility and prestige on campus . RPC has the chance to make itself one of the most active and most respected organizations at Rice" ("With great budget comes great responsibility" Sept. 19). The results to this point have been impressive, and we applaud RPC for its obvious efforts to break from the mold of previous years. It appears as though this year's homecoming and Esperanza will be more memorable than students are used to, and we cannot wait to see how they turn out.
(10/10/08 12:00am)
Monday night, Dean of Undergraduates Robin Forman and Vice President for Finance Kathy Collins faced a Farnsworth Pavilion jam-packed with students and their representatives at the Student Association's weekly meeting (see story, page 1).Forman and Collins presented a rough description of and fielded questions about the future changes to Rice student organizations' finances.First of all, we would like to thank all of the students who attended the meeting. Any proposal with such wide-reaching ramifications as this one demands open and frequent communication between undergraduates and administrators, and those of you who voiced your opinions took important steps to facilitate that communication.
(10/03/08 12:00am)
At Monday's Student Association meeting in Farnsworth Pavilion, Vice President for Finance Kathy Collins will speak to those in attendance about a goal that has been set forth to change the way Rice undergraduate organization finances work (see story, page 1). Instead of being able to use external, public banks to house funds, clubs and colleges would be required to transfer their money to internal Rice accounts, for which the university would act as banker.Any plan leading to this goal has the possibility of drastically changing how colleges and undergraduate clubs function. The role of the treasurer, methods of withdrawing funds and writing checks and the ability for any student to be reimbursed would all be altered. The greatest issue at hand is that with this proposed financial plan, clubs could lose a great deal of autonomy and freedom.
(10/03/08 12:00am)
Back in January, when the Faculty Senate was in the process of approving the 2009-'10 academic calendar, the main concern of most students was that the senate kept spring recess on the books. What went relatively unnoticed by both students and some faculty, however, was that the add/drop periods starting in fall '09 had been cut in half (see story, page 1). This change, if kept, would be a serious detriment to the recent progress made towards giving students greater autonomy in the class registration process. The recent elimination of registration PINs means that students are now free take advantage of Rice's flexible shopping periods, which allow students to optimize their schedules with the most information possible about a particular course or professor. Of course, this benefit will be short lived if the newly accepted deadlines have the effect of forcing students into hasty decisions.
(10/03/08 12:00am)
To quarterback Chase Clement and receiver Jarett Dillard, we would like to offer our congratulations. They scored their 40th and 41st career touchdowns as a pair last Saturday, the most ever between a NCAA quarterback and receiver (see story, page 1).For the past three years, both as fans and fellow students, we have enjoyed watching them play, and they have approached their game and their records with commendable class. We are looking forward to the rest of the season, and we hope that their last season at Rice culminates with a bowl victory.
(09/26/08 12:00am)
When Hurricane Ike headed towards Houston last weekend, Rice did a great job communicating with undergraduates about shelter and food. However, graduate students seemed to be left out of the loop (See story, page 1). It wasn't until Thursday evening that graduate students received any definitive word about plans for Hurricane Ike from Dean of Graduate Students Paula Sanders, who e-mailed graduate students notifying them that they could not seek shelter at Rice because the school would be closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Students housed in the Rice Graduate Apartments were told they may be able to find shelter at Rice. Unsurprisingly, this e-mail threw a wrench into the plans of everyone who had made an evacuation to Rice part of their safety plans. Then, the Crisis Management Team e-mailed graduate students Friday morning to inform them that Rice would provide shelter in the Janice and Robert McNair Hall and the Rice Memorial Center until Monday, but it would only be provided for students living in the Graduate Apartments, who were under mandatory evacuation.
