Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Rice College Republicans say they’re committed to registering voters. Their recent record indicates otherwise.

In the Oct. 3 issue of The Rice Thresher, the Rice University College Republicans claimed to support increasing voter turnout. RUCR President Juliette Turner claimed in her interview with the Thresher that her group has not been invited to participate in campus events to increase voter registration. 

Hey Dems: Get off Twitter and get out the vote

It’s been a busy few weeks in the political world. According to my Facebook feed, our community is fired up about the upcoming election. Since early voting starts next week, now is the perfect time to get involved in local progressive organizing. But that’s not how things work at Rice.

Response to Scannell: ‘Job interview’ or criminal trial? The two sides are talking past each other.

In the Oct. 3 issue of the Thresher, Maddy Scannell, like many Democrats, called Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation hearing “a job interview.” Others, however, have quibbled with this description. Right-wing commentators dispute this characterization because they believe the confirmation hearing ought to be treated as a judicial proceeding. My intention in writing this piece is not to align myself with either of these contexts; rather, I am interested in the language itself. What does it mean to view Kavanaugh’s hearing as a job interview? What does it mean to view Kavanaugh’s hearing as a judicial prosecution?

Lying is for losers: Very serious reasons to tell only the truth

If I told you that I wanted to create a lie-less utopia, would you want to join? I hope you would, because I think it’d be a great place. Friends, I really want to convince you all to tell the truth to everyone about everything, no matter the situation. I guarantee you’ll enjoy life more if you do. Now don’t get me wrong; I don’t think for a second that a lie-less utopia is possible. One of you guys will slip up, I’m sure. Not everyone can be as honest and perfect as I am. Regardless, I feel like I have to try and persuade you. There’s no harm in trying, you know? Now, a word of caution: I don’t have a single empirical or even fact-based argument to support this dream of mine. I just have a series of selfish, somewhat thought-out reasons. I can’t promise you’ll agree with me, but you’ll definitely be entertained.

Editorial: Voter registration closes October 9. Not from Texas? No problem.

Texas is dead last in the nation in voter turnout, according to census data (see “Push to the Polls” in Features), and the problem is even worse among younger Texans — a paltry 27.3 percent of college-age Texans  made it to the polls in the 2016 presidential election. In midterm elections, the problem is even worse. Only 11 percent of Texans aged 18 to 24 reported voting in the 2014 midterms, a stark contrast to the more than half of Texans above 65 who reported voting.

Editor’s Explainer: Roberts would be new swing vote

Judge Brett Kavanaugh, if confirmed to the Supreme Court, will take the seat left by retiring justice Anthony Kennedy. Though nominally a Republican, Kennedy was the swing vote on a variety of 5-4 decisions. Kavanaugh, conversely, would be the second most conservative justice on the court, according to political scientist Lee Epstein. This change in the court’s ideological makeup would likely make Chief Justice John Roberts the new swing vote. 

Confirming Kavanaugh sends wrong message

The #MeToo movement was supposed to be a national reckoning, an exposure of the frequency of sexual violence across America — from Hollywood to government to college campuses. Rice, to its credit, has attempted to reduce the frequency of assaults in a number of ways. The Critical Thinking in Sexuality program is a strong step beyond our peer institutions, and Rice is reportedly reevaluating the practices of Student Judicial Programs after the departures of Donald Ostdiek, the former associate dean of undergraduates, and Lisa Zollner, the former director of SJP. But we, as students, have to acknowledge that Rice is an outlier. In much of the country, this issue is largely swept under the rug.

On Kavanaugh, Ford and the #MeToo Movement

Let me be the 100th woman in your life to say this today: I'm extremely, extremely disappointed. After watching all seven hours of testimony, I’m disappointed by senators hiding behind party lines. I’m disappointed by the standard that Brett Kavanaugh has set for future court nominees. But most of all, I’m disappointed that the outcome actually doesn’t disappoint me. I should’ve known that the actual facts would be irrelevant when senators on both sides took turns repeating already disproven claims But now I’m here to talk more about the wider implications of these disappointing events (and they don’t look good).

Rice must expand financial aid eligibility for international students

When my parents got divorced a few months ago, my family went into panic mode. Dad kept pushing me to figure out a way to use my impending permanent resident status as proof of eligibility for FAFSA, while Mom figured out ways to take out an even bigger loan in case Dad was unable to pay the bills. After hearing news of the new tuition assistance program for middle-class students, I excitedly called the financial aid office only to find out that as an international student, I would be ineligible. Even if Rice expanded aid to international students, I could not apply for need-based aid because I had shown on my application that I could pay the sticker price — a virtual necessity for admission in the eyes of my college advisor, and a binding declaration that would make me ineligible for financial aid for as long as I attend Rice, no matter any change in circumstances. 

Editorial: Rice should set specific goals for international student aid

The Rice Investment will expand Rice’s tuition and fee grants dramatically. But the it doesn’t offer the same help to international students, who make up 13 percent of this year’s incoming undergraduate class (see p. 1). To address this, the administration should set measurable and actionable goals for providing financial aid to international students. 

Rice’s new financial aid is great for the few who make it in

Like many other students, we were excited to hear that Rice will be overhauling its financial aid system. While need-based financial aid already pays for our tuition and the majority of other expenses, this policy change will probably result in a small, but very helpful, increase in our aid next school year. More importantly, though, it seems like Rice might finally be trying to make itself more inclusive of people whose families are not financially stable or well off.  However, despite the fanfare, we are skeptical that this financial aid overhaul will significantly increase Rice’s accessibility to low-income students. Rice now promises a smoother ride to a low-income student if they manage to make it through the admissions process, but this policy does not make that road any easier. While this change is good for students from middle- and lower-class families who currently attend or might someday manage to get in, economically disadvantaged students still face an enormously difficult challenge in gaining admission in the first place.

Rice's next investment: financial accessibility beyond tuition

Waking up to last Tuesday morning’s news about the Rice Investment, I was thrilled to see such a significant change in how we structure financial aid at Rice. Rice is an incredible school, and such a broad change will make it possible for more students to access a Rice education. But I feel it is important to mention that even though tuition and room and board will be more affordable for many students, there is still work to be done to make Rice truly accessible to lower-income students.

Editorial: The right investment: Rice expands access

The Thresher Editorial Board applauds the Board of Trustees and President David Leebron for demonstrating Rice’s dedication to financial accessibility.

There’s more to life than career fairs and co-ops

Last week, three Rice alumni who work at General Electric wrote an opinion piece in which they called on freshmen and sophomores to quit making excuses, stop messing around with fruitless activities like college leadership or studying abroad and apply for professional internships as early as possible in their undergraduate careers. While I do not question that the authors were well intentioned, their piece makes sweeping assumptions that are ignorant, damaging and simply incorrect.

Success without happiness: A eulogy for Mac Miller

Mac Miller's death should serve as a wake-up call for us as a global community: we must be more aware, more knowledgeable and more sympathetic toward those suffering from mental illness.

Give student artists the space they deserve

Democrats have a metrics problem

In Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, Republicans dodged a bullet when Rep. Martha Roby beat back a far-right challenger in the Republican primary. The race’s competitiveness plunged. FiveThirtyEight, the gold standard in election modeling, now gives Roby just over a 98 percent chance of victory in the general election. Meanwhile, a shockingly close special election result in Ohio’s 12th District gave Democrats a great deal of hope for taking the seat in November. FiveThirtyEight's models show the race to be a coin flip. 

Freshmen and sophomores should pursue professional internships

I wish that, six years ago, one of my advisers had told me the impact that getting a “real” job, outside the hedges and in my chosen field, could have on my career.  The three authors on this piece, all Rice alumni working at General Electric, are passing along this advice: Don’t wait until junior year. Getting real-world, relevant, practical experience in a field is the best way to set your professional career up for success.

70 of 70: After sexual assault, how do students process the trauma?

The authors of this article would like to warn readers that it discusses the trauma experienced by survivors of sexual assault. Last week’s article “7 of 70” provided insight into the possible judicial options available to survivors of sexual assault.

Letter to the Editor: In Defense of Public Parties

About a year ago, the Thresher started publishing “Party Patrols,” reviews of public parties around campus.