Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Sunday, April 06, 2025 — Houston, TX

Opinion


OPINION 3/23/16 8:46pm

Revisiting college jacks: Out of line and out of sync

On Tuesday night of Willy Week, Brown College was jacked in a totally unacceptable manner. This “jack” involved putting sexual lubricant on the door handles throughout the Brown Tower and Quads, and though that was supposed to be it, several other acts occurred in conjunction with it.


OPINION 3/23/16 3:55pm

​Campus-wide discussions necessary for effective self-governance

Sid Richardson College recently established a self-imposed ban on private parties in response to the Lads in Plaid incident and corresponding violations of the alcohol policy (see p.1). The Thresher believes the restriction fair, given the necessity of preventing similar violations in the near future as the college works to foster a culture of self-governance and responsibility.


OPINION 3/23/16 3:52pm

Academic advising: A call to action

Last week, the Thresher published a few op-eds expressing disgruntlement with Rice academic support systems. Perhaps the support systems themselves need support, they argue. Though these articles do raise some valid points and areas of improvement, the articulated dissatisfaction is largely overstated. I hope to clarify and discuss some of the concerns here.


OPINION 3/23/16 3:51pm

Revisiting college jacks: Out of line and out of sync

On Tuesday night of Willy Week, Brown College was jacked in a totally unacceptable manner. This “jack” involved putting sexual lubricant on the door handles throughout the Brown Tower and Quads, and though that was supposed to be it, several other acts occurred in conjunction with it.




OPINION 3/15/16 8:58pm

Rice must reevaluate its academic support systems

As a senior who has been both a Peer Academic Advisor and an Academic Fellow, I have formed some critical opinions on both of these programs, especially with regards to the lack of communication between the heads of the college-specific programs and their teams, as well as between the Office of Academic Advising and the collective bodies of PAAs and Fellows/Mentors.



OPINION 3/15/16 8:48pm

The fall of empathy and rise of Donald Trump

If you’re like me, you’ve watched with dismay over recent months as Donald Trump sped to the front of the pack of Republican presidential nominee hopefuls. If you’re like me, you’ve bemusedly asked yourself, “Who is voting for this guy?” I’ve spent much time thinking about politics in my political science coursework and during internships in Congress, the U.S. Department of Education and the White House. But it wasn’t until I set aside politics and began thinking about my hometown, a small municipality in upstate New York, that an answer emerged: Donald Trump is winning because his campaign is founded on false empathy.



OPINION 3/9/16 4:26pm

Rice needs more student investment in student media

Who here remembers the RU Observer? If you’re a freshman you most likely have no clue what I’m talking about. But for the older members of the Rice community, the RU Observer occupies a specific niche in our institutional memory. They were the digital-first outlet, the disruptor, the Buzzfeed of Rice, and they acted as a supplementary news source to the Thresher, for better or for worse.


OPINION 3/9/16 4:25pm

In search of good teachers

A quick glance at the comments students leave in course evaluations reveals that justifications for the high ratings of a professor often concern easily obtained grades, low workloads, a professor’s aptitude for making jokes and a general high entertainment value to the classes. Curiously, the mention of teaching itself is frequently missing. So what does good teaching look like? Being no expert on university teaching, in an attempt to answer this question, I can draw upon only my own experiences.



OPINION 2/23/16 6:20pm

Value marginalized voices in our colleges

From our first day of O-Week, we are told Rice actively works to build inclusive and diverse spaces and a “culture of care.” O-Week coordinators assemble their new students into O-Week groups of diverse identities and backgrounds. We view the residential college system as a social equalizer and living space for all students, and espouse that we value inclusivity and diversity. In practice, we often fail to translate these ideals into reality.


OPINION 2/23/16 6:16pm

Students of color should apply to advise

When I got my O-Week book, I was thrilled. It was the summer of 2013 and I couldn’t be more excited to be going to Rice. I tore the package open, read the letter from my O-Week coordinators and proceeded to flip through the book. As I got further into it, I realized my goal was no longer to learn about O-Week, Brown and Rice generally; rather, I was on a manhunt. Not for anyone I knew or even my own advisors, but for someone who looked like me.


OPINION 2/18/16 10:06pm

What I will do for you

What I will do for you I would like to take a chance to share my plans for some of the most pressing topics facing our campus right now, as well as some of the priorities that students have directly addressed to me.


OPINION 2/18/16 10:43am

Leadership styles in the SA election

There are multiple ways to define a leader and be a leader, all of which are valid in their own spheres. Two clear and different leadership styles are at play in this year’s SA presidential election. Griffin Thomas promises to lead from the front, representing Rice and the student body that will elect him, while Joan Liu promises to lead from behind, following the lead of the students and attitudes on campus.


OPINION 2/17/16 12:28pm

A letter to the SA candidates from a previous SA EVP

Dear Candidates, This past week I have enjoyed reading your candidate mission statements, watching your campaign videos, and learning more about your platforms through various social media. This week also allowed me to reflect on my term as SA external vice president during the 2014-15 year, and this reflection led me to write this letter.