Editorials

Rice has work to do to improve social mobility

Conversations around wealth inequality on campus have picked up in the past few years, with initiatives ranging from food pantries to stipends for student leaders created with the intent to bridge the gap. However, all the free Beer Bike T-shirts in the world don’t make up for that fact that Pell Grant recipients at Rice face a lower graduation rate than students who do not receive financial aid.

Rice should lead in maternity leave policy

Rice has upheld vastly unequal maternity leave standards for its staff members and tenure-track professors for over 20 years. While tenure-track professors are able to take a semester off at full pay, staff members are offered only up to five or seven weeks — depending on delivery circumstances — at only 80 percent of their salary.

Take pride in Houston

With the Astros having been on the national stage for the World Series, hopefully you’re feeling some Houston pride. When Beyoncé or Travis Scott top the charts, it’s fun to take  their shoutouts to H-Town a little personally.

Consider more than horse-drawn carriages in your weekend plans

This weekend, students have the options of going to Wiess College’s Night of Decadence and Chi Alpha’s Evening of Elegance. 

Consider ethics in your job search

A petition demanding that the computer science department cut ties with Palantir Technologies raised concerns about Palantir’s connections to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As we are students in a border state where ICE has a large presence, the petition raises a valid concern about Palantir specifically. 

Accountability for sexual violence shouldn’t be limited to SJP

The anonymous opinion published in last week’s Thresher has prompted hundreds of students to demand change from administration. We all witnessed expressions of anger and protests around campus, which prompted an administrative apology at the end of last week.

Admin should stand with LGBTQ students from Rice and Baylor

The last time the Marching Owls Band performed a halftime show at a football game against Baylor University, they formed a IX on the field to call out Baylor’s cover-up of a sexual assault scandal — and the Rice administration gave an official apology. 

Support athletics without elitism

At Saturday’s football game against the University of Texas, Austin, students resorted to the same, tired means of “supporting” Rice athletics — making fun of the opposing team’s academics. 

Rankings should not drive Rice policies, goals

With the recent precipitous drops in acceptance rates at Rice, students, including ourselves, began to wonder — how will this affect our rankings? As much as we claim to not care about how we’re ranked, it doesn’t stop us from sharing the latest Niche or Princeton Review ranking (especially if it makes us look good). 

VADA building could answer years of student, faculty concern

For years, students on campus and the Thresher editorial board have been petitioning for more visual and dramatic arts support — in space, funding and recognition. With Tuesday’s announcement of a new, dedicated VADA building in the near future, there is finally hope that all three of these requests will be fulfilled.

Don’t pass on student opinion

Following faculty concerns that students are misusing the pass/fail option, the faculty senate formed a working group last semester to reevaluate the existing policy. 

Renovated RMC must feature student media spaces

The impending Rice Memorial Center renovations are a potentially exciting new development for Rice’s campus. Upgrades could transform the RMC into an even more welcoming hub of campus life with renovations to Coffeehouse, the multicultural center and study spaces. 

Administration should prioritize VADA in fundraising efforts

More than five years ago, the Thresher editorial board wrote about the visual and dramatic arts department’s need for attention from the administration, specifically that it “could greatly benefit from new space and materials.” 

Crumbling Hanszen threatens residential college experience

This year, Hanszen College’s room draw ended with 17 unclaimed beds. It’s been well-established that Hanszen’s housing facilities are in dire need of upgrades, but so far Rice’s administration has largely turned a blind eye.

Rice Crisis Management should have issued notifications during Deer Park fire

A cloud often hangs over the student body as it returns from spring break. Usually, that’s a product of mixing Frio 6.0, Red Bull and sunshine. This year, though, that cloud was the result of a massive fire at a chemical storage facility on the bank of the Houston Ship Channel.

Cut class and head to College Station on Friday

The women’s basketball team received potentially great news on Monday: when it tips off its opening game of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at 1 p.m., it will do so a mere two hour drive from its home court — in College Station on the campus of Texas A&M University.

Editorial: Next SA should open doors

Every election cycle, candidates push to increase the diversity of ideas that make their way from the student body to the Student Association Senate. 

3-6-2019 Editorial Cartoon

Editorial: SA bill right for #MeToo era

The Thresher editorial board strongly supports the Student Association’s efforts to prevent violent and sexual abusers from holding elected office in campus-wide organizations, including the SA Senate.

Editorial: For Student Association President: Grace Wickerson

It is the opinion of the Thresher editorial board that only Brown College junior Grace Wickerson has the experience, attitude and knowledge to effectively lead the student body as next year’s Student Association president.