Opinion

Vote for me, and I’ll fight for you

Candidates for Student Association president always write the same things in these op-eds about wanting to find a way to work with the college system, increase communication with the student body and enhance the Rice experience (whatever the hell that means). While these are certainly important and admirable goals, I am not going to pander to you like that or waste your time because the stakes are too high.

A past to shape the future

Over the next week and a half, I will share my goals and vision for the next SA term in almost every place imaginable on campus. However, these ideas will only be thoughts without you understanding who I am and why I think I would be good for Rice.

Love is kind, love is patient, develop personal bonds

“Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says: ‘I need you because I love you.’” -Erich Fromm If you search “finding love at college” on Google, the first link will be a Cosmopolitan article entitled, “Don’t Fall In Love In College.” Here is the world’s best search engine telling you to give up, to stay away from love in college. And there’s reason behind that.

Though we forget the details, we are all going to be OK

On the afternoon of Super Bowl Sunday, I opted for solidarity. There was a screening of Laurie Anderson’s “Heart of a Dog” at the Museum of Fine Arts that I wanted to see.

Stereotyping cheaters unacceptable

Until last Tuesday, I couldn’t say I was genuinely disappointed in a sizable number of Rice students. Sure, there were some basketball and football games I would’ve liked to see with a fuller student section, but I had never been angry at the Rice community or embarrassed to say I was a part of it. 

‘Seventh Under Scrutiny’ headline revisited

Last week, Kaylen Strench wrote an opinion piece in the Thresher calling attention to the lead story of the previous issue, whose headline read, “Seventh Under Scrutiny: Sid Richardson College faces administrative backlash following sexual assault at unregistered party.” Kaylen wrote that the headline and accompanying photo of Sid contributed to making it “not only unclear that a sexual assault had occurred, but ... imply[ing] that whatever happened, the members of Sid Seventh were somehow to blame.” The headline for the article was the topic of considerable discussion among certain members of the Thresher editorial staff.

Promoting athletics is just the beginning

A flourishing athletic environment fosters campus culture and unites the community. Unfortunately, Rice’s lack of appreciation for university-wide athletics is evidenced by the low attendance at games, which strains relations with student athletes. Although promotions from Rice Athletics have certainly made strides towards improving attendance at games, marketing campaigns can only go so far, and they may not be sustainable (see p. 9). Improvements to Rice’s athletic environment should be driven by the student body as well as the faculty to encourage support for our athletic programs and build a stronger relationship between athletes and the rest of the undergraduate community.

The Honor Code and fairness at stake

What is justice? This simple question has given the western world fits since at least Plato’s “Republic.” With regards to societal punishment, I would answer the question with the words ‘fairness,’ ‘due process’ and ‘a trial by jury.’  These are not simply words — our country was built on these words, and they have a specific meaning.

Letter to the Editor: NTDs a global health priority

I initially became interested in the global impact of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) during a policy course I took at Rice during my sophomore year; the speaker was President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute Peter Hotez, an expert in the field.

We shouldn’t put circumstance over assault

Evaluating Rice’s sexual assault response

Along with the rest of the Rice community, I received a crime alert Saturday morning that a female student had been sexually assaulted at a party at Sid Richardson College the night before. The university and student body reactions that followed have been mixed, with the administration responding better relative to than the students. 

Atmosphere still dismissive of survivors

Sid Richardson College is embroiled in controversy after a female undergraduate reported that she was sexually assaulted by a male undergraduate at a private party on the college’s seventh floor. The Rice University Police Department sent an email Saturday announcing an investigation into the assault that allegedly occurred at 12:30 a.m. the same day before announcing later that night that they had identified the suspect.

Letter to the Editor: Parking garage short-sighted

The office/parking garage article in the Jan. 20 Thresher indicates that Rice students are quite supportive of the new six-story office building and seven-level parking garage south of Allen Center. Similarly broad support was apparent from my communications with faculty and staff about concerns over the construction plans. Senior Rice administrators met with me and demonstrated that they had carefully designed the project to maximize benefit to the Rice community and minimize sustainability concerns. But darker concerns persist.

Honor Code deserves another look

As incoming students enter Rice, many are surprised by the degree to which the university’s Honor Code extends trust to the student body.

Choosing the right way

By seizing the chance to explore deeper meanings of my existence through self expression, I followed where the opportunity led and never looked back. This was my chance to do so again, and I haven’t regretted it since.

Letter to the Editor: I want butts in those seats

I often like to attend a Rice men’s basketball game, but it appears I am in the minority, especially compared to the Rice students.

On becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg

Rice has recently reached a new level of positive PR in national media outlets. The coverage has centered around the Entrepreneurship Initiative launched in 2015, a well-funded push to expand the academic, extracurricular and co-curricular re-sources for entrepreneurs at Rice.  The university was featured in a front-page article in the Dec.

Life's a Mitch: Invitation for Deliberation

Whoever thought up the New Year’s resolution probably intended well by it, but its meaning has eroded to today’s infamous, scare-quoted “resolution.” Failed reform became the norm.

Academic breadth in a liberal education

You mention that you study the liberal arts and immediately hear the scoff, “What are you going to do with that?” This derision stems from a specious idea that equates a liberal arts education with studying certain disciplines that “don’t pay well.” But the ideological core of a liberal education is an approach toward learning that celebrates acquiring knowledge for its own end, rather than for any vocational advantage.

Letter to the Editor: Sexual assault from the perpetrator's perspective

The one thing that stood out to me in the SB#4 conversation, of Thresher op-ed fame, was Bridget Schilling’s courage.