Special Projects

McMurtry College officially inaugurated in style

The campus resonated with voices shouting, "Three cheers for Murt, Murt, Murt; leave other colleges in the dirt, dirt, dirt," last Friday afternoon, as members of the Rice community gathered to celebrate the official inauguration of McMurtry College.McMurtry is Rice's 10th residential college. Burt (Baker '56 and '57) and Deedee (Brown '56) McMurtry flew in from their home in California to attend the formal ceremony recognizing their contribution which made building McMurtry possible.

Endowment sees renewed growth

For fiscal year 2010, which ended on June 30, the Rice endowment was measured at $3.79 billion, up from $3.61 billion at the end of fiscal year 2009. According to Interim Vice President of Investments and Treasurer Ron Long, the return on the endowment was an increase of 9.9 percent, as opposed to a loss of 18.2 percent during the previous fiscal year. According to Long, the $3.79 billion is calculated by taking the figure from the year before, adding investment returns on the year ($358 million) and cash gifts ($36 million) and subtracting the amount distributed to the university for spending ($221 million).

Rice: the embodiment of conservatism

It should be evident that Rice is, simply put, awesome. We routinely win quality of life awards; every Owl knows that, if there is paradise on Earth, then it surely lies within the hedges. It is harder, though, to find out what exactly sets ?Rice apart.Plenty of other schools have great education opportunities and professors, and many others have intelligent student bodies. The answer might surprise some, but I firmly believe what separates Rice from the nation's other institutions is a tried and true ?conservative philosophy.

Letters to the Editor

With a mixture of amusement and bewilderment I was able to see myself quoted in Brooke Bullock's recent article ("New world lit department considered," Oct. 29). The article leaves the distinct impression that, due to the interdisciplinary nature of German Studies, German Studies faculty actively support a merger of the department with Hispanic Studies, French Studies, and Classical Studies. Indeed, my remark to Bullock that German Studies happens to be an interdisciplinary field of study - from literature and history to film studies and political theory - was even taken to imply that I myself was actively supporting such a merger along the lines suggested by the many comments made by José Aranda, my esteemed colleague and the chair of Hispanic Studies as well as French Studies. Let me be very clear about this: The fact that German Studies is an interdisciplinary field of research should, under no circumstances, be taken to mean that the department of German Studies, or myself, would like to see German Studies at Rice dissolved into a "world literature department." Sure, because of its history as a discipline, as much as because of the current constellation of internationally renowned faculty at Rice, German Studies has always been involved in establishing strong links to neighboring departments, both at Rice and beyond. Just take a look at german.rice.edu. But the fact of interdisciplinarity is neither an argument for, nor an argument against a department merger. It is entirely unrelated to the administrative questions at stake in this discussion. I am happy to assume, though, that I have not been intentionally misquoted. Christian J. Emden Associate professor of German Studies

Photo: Shaving cream attack!

A group of runners go through Jones College's South knuckle during the annual Halloween Baker 13 run.

Classic Flicks: Herzog's Stroszek intriguing; moving

If you have never heard of German film director Werner Herzog, one of the early proponents of the New German Cinema movement of the '60s, '70s and '80s, I envy you - you are in for the movie-going experience of a lifetime. Many directors dilute their otherwise magnificent oeuvres by producing mediocre films in their later years. Herzog is the exception: a director who has yet to take a misstep in his work and continues to produce great films. In Stroszek, Bruno Stroszek (credited as Bruno S.), a recently released convict, his prostitute girlfriend Eva (Eva Mattes) and their senior neighbor Scheitz (Clemens Scheitz) leave their home in Germany for 1970s rural Wisconsin in search of a better life. Herzog builds up and tears down the American dream in Stroszek; Stroszek's hopes crumble before him as he slowly learns the harsh laws of life.

'Green' grade disappoints

Rice University was given a B+ as an ecologically "green" rating in the College Sustainability Report Card (see story, page 4). This rating represents an improvement over last year's B rating; however, it does not quite meet Rice's expectations of being a member of the more elite ecologically conservative universities. The report cited Rice as lowest-rated in the areas of endowment transparency and ?administration. Upon reflecting on some of the university's more conversationally questionable practices, this C grade for the administration is not surprising. Many campus-wide issues require attention, such as the campus sprinkler system. The sprinkling schedule, at least around parts of the campus, seem to be malfunctioning, resulting in plants being watered at peak temperature points during the day. Watering while the sun is out is an absolute waste, since a majority of the water being dispensed is simply evaporated by the beating sun. Furthermore, the sprinklers seem to lack any sort of sensors that prevent over-watering or watering during rain. The implementation of this sort of sensor system would not be a huge financial burden and would alleviate a great deal of water waste, saving the university money in the long run, while also helping the environment. Smaller problems around campus also persist, such as the constantly frigid temperature of the Duncan College Commons and the perpetual running lights that are impossible to shut off in the common rooms of many of the newly constructed suites.

Leebron talks pop culture: Lady Gaga, rad, fetch, Bieber hair and Inception vs. Avatar

Rice Thresher: Are you familiar with the Harry Potter series? Which Hogwarts house would you believe the Sorting Hat would place you into?Leebron: Gryffindor. I think I'd be in the same house as Harry Potter, my fellow wizard.

Volleyball feasts on C-USA bottom dwellers

Although the regular-season conference title became a more difficult goal to attain for the volleyball team due to continued wins by conference front runners the University of Tulsa and Southern Methodist University this weekend, the casual observer would not have been able to tell by the performance Rice posted this weekend. The Owls rebounded from last weekends' tough losses at home to Tulsa and SMU with a perfect weekend on the road.On Friday, the Owls started the weekend off right by beating East Carolina University (1-23, 0-12 C-USA) 3-1. For the match, sophomore middle blocker Nancy Cole had a career-high 20 kills, breaking her week-old record of 18 that she tallied against SMU, while freshman outside hitter Mariah Riddlesprigger added 15. Cole also had a remarkable .471 hitting percentage and added five blocks for the Owls. Senior setter Meredith Schamun led all players with 35 assists, while senior libero Tracey Lam had 19 digs. Junior outside hitter Jordan Meredith provided 10 digs and freshman middle blocker Megan Shepard contributed nine kills.

Women take second place at C-USA Championship

In eight days, the women's cross country team will run at the South Central Regional race. In other words, it's go time. Before the season, the team's goal was to qualify for the national meet. In order for that to happen, the team must place in the top two at Regionals. After last weekend's second-place finish in the Conference USA Championship meet behind No. 24 University of Tulsa, the team has to kick it into high gear between then and now, according to Head Coach Jim Bevan.

Online only: Rice hosts annual law panel

Eight local lawyers, judges and law professors joined students Monday at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy for the annual Legal Career Panel hosted by Legalese - Rice's pre-law society, the Baker Institute Student Forum and LOVE 237: Introduction to Law course. The panel is hosted every year to give students some insight on various areas of law, what lawyers do, what a typical day is like and how they got their positions, Assistant District Attorney for Fort Bend County Rudy Ramirez (Lovett '01) said.

Men's cross country aided by youth movement

In many ways, the Conference USA Men's Cross Country Championship has become more theater than sport, following a meticulous script that puts either the University of Tulsa or the University of Texas at El Paso as the lead actor and the Owls as the supporting role. For better or worse for the men's cross country team, Rice has followed the script perfectly, as they took home their third place finish in the C-USA Cross Country Championship held Monday at Indian Springs Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. Tulsa racked up just 34 points, with UTEP following closely with 42 and Rice trailing in third with 87. Redshirt junior Michael Trejo assumed his role as elder statesman of the roster, taking 10th place overall and earning a spot on the All-C-USA Second Team. Following him were redshirt junior Gabe Cuadra with a time of 24:31, freshman John Cavallo, who crossed the finish line just six seconds behind Cuadra to earn 19th place, and redshirt junior Matt Carey, who, in making his first appearance for the Owls this year, joined Cuadra and Cavallo on the All-C-USA-Third Team with his finish in 20th place. The fifth man and final scorer for the Owls was redshirt junior James Llamas. Rounding out the runners for the Owls were three true freshmen, Wyatt Doop who came in with a time of 25:33, Anthony Urbanelli and Travis Roberts, who were all just a second apart from each other. Redshirt sophomore Anthony Lauriello came in 43rd place, finishing the race in 26:28. Elkana Rotich from UTEP took the individual title, with Cavallo earning the Freshman of the Year Award.

Ignoring immigration is ignoring the future

There is often much discussion about U.S. immigration policy; however, the discourse invariably focuses on illegal immigration and, of late, the Arizona immigration law. While both of these issues are worth debate, I will focus on another, less mainstream yet vitally important facet of the immigration issue: visa quotas for highly skilled workers.The U.S. has always been a haven for the brightest minds - Albert Einstein, Ieoh Ming Pei and Vinod Khosla, to name a few. The world's greatest students view U.S. universities as among the best in the world. This mindset annually empowers more than 500,000 foreign-born students to travel thousands of miles to attend American universities.

The Smoking Section steams up Willy's Pub

Last week, the Thresher snuck backstage following The Smoking Section's crowd-slaying show at Willy's Pub to hang out with the band and bask in the glow of their fame while asking them deep and soul-searching questions. The conversation covered everything from jorts to, of course, spirit animals.Rice Thresher: So how long have you guys been playing together?

Errata

In last week's article on the world literature departments ("New world lit department considered"), the Thresher quoted Associate Professor of German Studies Christian Emden in a way which implied support of a merger between the world literature departments. However, it was not the intention of the Thresher to align Emden or the German Studies department with the supporting side of ?the debate. Last week, the Thresher incorrectly reported some of the grades from the Baker Institute Student Forum's "Grade the President" panel ("BISF event gives Obama 'C+'," ). Obama's initial score was a 3.07, not a 3.20. 2.90 is a B-, not a C+.

Last week's online poll results

Sports notebook: Fall ball draws to a close today

With the advent of the somewhat chilly November weather, the baseball team's fall practices end today. While starting spots up for grabs on both the mound and the field will likely not be solidified until the team starts workouts again in January, the coaching staff will look at the stats produced in fall ball as an indicator of who could bring the most pop to the lineup or the most power from the mound. Of the hurlers, several players stand out as having improved remarkably since last spring. Junior Matthew Reckling has improved his control to a large extent, allowing four hits in five innings of work on Monday to go along with five strikeouts and just one walk. His fastball has been clocked consistently in the mid-90s, and his curve ball has remained solid. Fellow junior Taylor Wall additionally threw four scoreless innings on Monday, marking a strong finish for him.

How GREEN is Rice

Rice has been improving its green awareness and sustainability, but has room for improvement according to the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card published by the Sustainable Endowment Institute. Rice University received a B+ overall, taking it out of the category of Campus Sustainability Leaders. The grade is in fact an improvement from last year's B, but according to the report card's press release, several other universities, such as Yale University, Brown University and the University of Minnesota, drastically improved sustainability and cost-saving measures in the past year, moving them up to the A or A- category. With increased competition, Rice did not make the cut to be a sustainability leader this year.

Class project greens Brochstein

Customers familiar with the morning routine at Salento Cafe in the Brochstein Pavilion were served their habitual cup of joe with a distinct change when the "Green the Brochstein" kickoff event took place this past Monday. Baristas dawning green bowler caps and matching scarves advertised coming changes to the Pavilion through the new "Green the Brochstein" initiative, a student-led effort to make the cafe more environmentally conscious. The event, which was organized by a group of members of the class ENST 302: Environmental Issues: Rice Into the Future, was created to gauge consumer demand for more environmentally friendly offerings and organic food items at the cafe. Surveys were created to see if the added expense may be cost-effective in the long run. The event included special promotions such as free samples of a new sandwich, an opportunity to meet the head chef of Salento and discounted coffee for customers who brought their own reusable mugs.

Absentee voting lacking

The Nov. 2 mid-term elections were quite historic, with Republicans regaining a wave of momentum that they had dramatically lost only two years ago. High national voting turnout was mirrored by the turnout of Rice student voting (see story, page 1); approximately 400 Rice students participated in voting on-campus, a distinct increase from the 2008 elections - a particularly impressive feat, since this most recent election did not include the vote for the presidency.Thus it seems that Rice's various attempts to get out the vote and promote student participation in the democratic process were successful. However, 400 students still represent a relatively low proportion of the entire student body eligible to vote. The fact remains that Rice is predominantly populated by out-of-state students, many of whom refuse to alter their hometown allegiances by registering to vote in Harris County.