Special Projects

Wiess seeks new master

At the end of the 2010-2011 academic year, Wiess College Master Mike Gustin, professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and his wife, Denise Klein, will be completing their five-year term as masters. According to Sam Oke, chair of the Master Search Committee, a search committee has been created to begin the process of finding new Wiess masters, which will hopefully be completed by the end of the fall semester.

Saturday's Sports Update : Despite the final score, football stays with the Longhorns

While the scoreboard did not necessarily go their way, it was still a good day to be an Owl on Saturday.The football team kicked off their season on Saturday at Reliant Stadium against the University of Texas, ranked 5th in the nation. Over 70,000 filled the stadium, making it the most-highly attended Rice season opener since 1961.

Brooks a poor commencement speaker pick

This past Friday, I got a nasty shock when I read in the Thresher that The New York Times columnist and talking head David Brooks would be the class of 2011's commencement speaker. As a Times reader, political science major and longtime non-admirer of Brooks, I'm disappointed both by the choice of speaker and the embrace of indulgent intellectual mediocrity that it represents. Brooks first came to my attention when I was a bored and nerdy high schooler. While my classmates with good TV reception and social skills caught up on "The OC," I sat at home with my parents, watching "The NewsHour" with Jim Lehrer on PBS. At the end of the hour, the program often had two commentators to come on and debate political issues, and Brooks would represent the conservative viewpoint alongside his liberal counterpart Mark Shields. I remember slowly noticing off-putting patterns in Brooks' style: I didn't like his smug snipes at his debate partners, his obviously premeditated jokes or his confident blusters through long strings of tautologies. Later on, I learned that he wrote a column twice a week in The New York Times and appeared regularly on national public radio. A July profile of Brooks in New York Magazine reported that President Obama pays close attention to the columnist's opinions and courts his good opinion. Clearly, David Brooks is an influential writer with a very large platform. But he's not the kind of political thinker our country needs, and he's not a good choice to speak at Rice this spring.

KTRU hosts forum to voice sale concerns

Students, alumni and members of KTRU's Houston community came to Sewall Hall 301 on Wednesday night to attend a forum on KTRU's sale. KTRU Station Manager Joey Yang said that he invited President David Leebron, Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson, Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby and Vice President for Public Affairs Linda Thrane, but Thrane and Leebron told him that they would be unable to attend. "We're really disappointed," Yang said. "So many students came out with questions for the administration, and they weren't here to answer them."

Rice Football 2010: Flying beyond November

Let's face the facts: Last football season was a rebuilding year.After a disappointing 2-10 season in 2009, in which Rice returned only three starters from their 2008 Texas Bowl win, the Owls football team hopes that they have enough talent added to the program that this year will be a different story.

Parents face dilemma in punishment styles

On July 6, 2010, ABC's "Good Morning America" aired a segment titled, "Parents vs Grandparents: Spanking Divides Generations." Spanking a child, as a disciplinary act, has become rather controversial, not only between the younger and older generations, but also among parents of all ages. An example of this divide was that between the couple Laura and Todd Mansfield of Portland, Ore., and Laura Mansfield's parents. The Mansfields' two children, both under the age of seven, were staying over at their grandparents' house for the weekend. The children were spanked by their grandparents after they were found pulling out their grandmother's flowers from the garden. The Mansfields, who never spank their children, were enraged. Laura Mansfield's father did not see spanking as traumatizing or harmful. After all, spanking had been a part of growing up. But the Mansfields felt otherwise. In fact, Laura Mansfield stated that she believed "spanking can be used as a form of abuse."

Rice Football 2010: Returning junior free safety Travis Bradshaw defines what it takes to find success on the gridiron: hard work

Travis Bradshaw understands adversity and what it takes to overcome the steep odds stacked against Rice on the gridiron. As a former walk-on, the junior free safety worked his way out of serving as only a scout team footnote and into the Owls' starting 11 on defense by the end of the 2008 season. While his individual perseverance has yielded spectacular personal statistics, such as leading the NCAA in unassisted tackles per game last season, Bradshaw realizes that he now needs to help his unit - the secondary - climb out of the abyss that they found themselves in at the end of last year. The Owls' last line of defense surrendered 28 touchdowns through the air, along with 273.4 passing yards per game, while nabbing only six interceptions, placing them near the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Volleyball rolls over Red Raiders and Roadrunners

While most volleyball teams would be happy with the results Rice posted last weekend, this year's team heads out west this coming weekend with a bitter taste in their mouth. Hosting the first of two Rice Invitational tournaments, the Owls got off to a hot start against Texas Tech University on Friday evening at Tudor Fieldhouse. Sophomore Laurie McNamara, a transfer from Villanova University, paced Rice's attack in the first set with five kills, while senior setter Meredith Schamun recorded 14 assists, allowing Rice to take the first set 25-23. McNamara would finish with 10 kills, one of three Owls to record double-digit kills.

Add/Drop petitions soar in '09-'10

The Committee on Examinations and Standing received 567 petitions from students requesting exceptions to the university's academic rules last year, an increase of 258 from 2008-2009. About 250 of the students requested permission to add a class after the Week 2 deadline. EX&S is a university standing committee comprised of 11 professors and 3 undergraduates nominated by the Student Association Senate, charged with enforcing the university's academic regulations and considering petitions from students requesting exceptions to these regulations due to extenuating circumstances.

Getcheroxoff our university's public party policy

It was recently announced that Lovett College's famed Getcheroxoff party will feature several changes this year, geared toward upping security and preventing unwanted disturbances from the party (see story, page 10). The Thresher applauds the college for preemptively taking measures to ensure the safety of the student body. Concerns for campus security should always be placed at the forefront of decision-making.However, because the changes are so different from Rice's established public party structure, the campus rumor mill has been spreading a misconceived notion that paints an improper

This week's A&E cartoon

Alas, Angelika: Theater's abrupt closure leaves void

Last Sunday, to the surprise of many Houstonians, the Angelika Film Center downtown simply didn't open for business. Would-be moviegoers were greeted by an empty box office, brown paper covering the glass front doors and a short note that began with, "We regret to inform you that the Angelika Film Center closed today," taped to the inside of the ticket booth window.I first saw the news on Twitter that morning, then disbelievingly did a quick Google search and found a CultureMap Houston article that confirmed the worst. Suddenly remembering that I work for the Thresher, I grabbed my camera and took the METRORail downtown to see what I could find out. I also needed to snap some photos for my Digital Photography class, so I was killing two birds with one stone.

Letters to the Editor

Online Comment of the Week

Photo: The next generation of Owls

Former standout Rice tight end James Casey (Lovett '09) looks on during a Rice practice last week, as his wife Kylie holds their young son Cannon. Casey is currently playing with the Houston Texans.

Rice Gallery cutting back

Add the Rice Gallery to the long list of recession casualties piling up this fall. In the midst of the KTRU sale controversy and the reality of budget limitations in various academic departments, the Rice Gallery is experiencing a 27 percent decrease in university funding for the Fiscal Year 2011. Gallery Manager Jaye Anderton said that steps have already been taken in an attempt to offset some of the budget cuts. The Gallery has asked for and subsequently received an undisclosed amount in donations from Gallery members and patrons.

Rice at risk of losing identity without students' input

I graduated from Rice University in 1992. I never worked for KTRU, nor was I particularly a fan of the station while a Rice student. However, what I've seen and heard about the decision to sell the KTRU radio broadcast tower - which became a Rice asset during my time there - has been extremely disappointing and not "Rice-like." Worse, President David Leebron's reaction to the criticism has been patronizing and dismissive, while completely misunderstanding why students and alums are objecting.As a very proud Rice alum, I've tried to stay involved - including interviewing prospective students from the San Diego region. One quality I emphasize is that Rice students are not treated like a temporary customer. Admission to Rice means becoming an integral part of the Rice community for the rest of their lives. They are invited to participate in, and contribute to, key decisions affecting the community they've chosen to be a part of.

Slideshow: Rice Football: Practice Time

Getcheroxoff 2010 steps up security with wristbands

Taking a leaf out of Night of Decadence's book, organizers of Lovett College's fall public party, Getcheroxoff, will be taking several measures to increase security and prevent non-Rice students from attending the party. The theme for this year's party, which will be held on Sept. 11 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., is the Candy Shoppe, with candy-themed decorations throughout the commons. These measures were prompted by unforeseen crowd issues at last year's Getcheroxoff, which Lovett Social Michael Powers said was due to the increase in the size of the freshman class last year.

Opposition to KTRU sale

This week's Student Association meeting introduced a resolution entitled "To Disapprove of the Secretive Process Employed During the sale of KTRU-FM; To call for a Collaborative Dialogue between Student Stakeholders and the Rice Administration" (see story, page 11). The Thresher would like to highlight this commitment as it pertains to both the student body and the university's administration.First, the SA's support of student organizations is commendable. Though they are understandably powerless to take any action stronger than passing a non-binding resolution, their demand that "the Rice administration provide a concrete assurance ... that the decision to confidentially appraise and sell KTRU-FM was indeed not a precedent" properly engages decision-makers to come to the table and share future plans with the student body. In a place where institutional memories rarely reach back further than four years, it is important that the administration carve in stone their commitment to students.

Men's Cross Country 2010: Squad continues running down the dream of C-USA crown and regional glory; returns five of top seven runners

While the opening scene of the immortal Chariots of Fire may conjure up notions of long-distance running being a relaxing and carefree hobby, the men's cross country team knows all too well the trials and perseverance required to complete a grueling course, much like the muddy one that Rice faced last Halloween at the Conference USA Championship. With its third-place finish still lingering in their minds, Rice is ready to compete yet again for conference and regional glory. The Owls boast a significant part of their squad still intact, although Head Coach Jon Warren (Jones '88) is quick to point out the losses the Owls have incurred to graduation in Simon Bucknell (Martel '10) and to expiration of eligibility in senior Scott Zivick. Bucknell finished first for the Owls in all four of his races last year, while Zivick was a consistent scorer for the Owls in nearly every meet, finishing 18th overall at the C-USA Championship last season.