Special Projects

Women fall short of C-USA four-peat

Two weeks ago, the women's track team stood on the threshold of history, one event away from winning four consecutive Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, a feat unmatched in women's C-USA history. Headed into the final event of the meet, the 4x400 relay, Rice stood half a point ahead of its nearest competitor, the University of Texas - El Paso. UTEP's relay team finished the event in 3:46.83 in a heat preceding the Owls' run. Rice needed to beat that time to win the meet, but the Owls posted only a 3:49.38 finish. With that, UTEP surged ahead to defeat Rice in point total, 113.5 to 110.

Installations bolster campus art scene

Rice may be an arboretum, but an art museum it is not. So we were pleased to hear of the university's successful bid to host sculptor James Surls' bronze and steel work through the end of August (see story, pg. 1). Rice secured the sculptures over several Houston parks and promenades, and the works, which were previously exhibited on New York's Park Avenue, are scattered across campus. In light of next week's events, our first question has to be: Are these sculptures jackable? But, Willy Week aside, we see this as a positive addition to our campus that does not destroy the ambiance. Our only beef with the sculptures has to do with their aesthetic appeal. The works are divisive, and in fact, many on our staff consider them downright ugly, which is why we are also relieved this is a temporary exhibit. However, when push comes to shove, we hope this signals the beginning of a trend to bring more art to campus and to appreciate structures beyond the construction of the next mega-college. We hope Rice will strengthen its ties with the Houston art scene - a large, talented community - and look into bringing more traveling exhibits to campus. What better way to connect with the surrounding community?

Anticipation rises as Beer Bike nears

On your mark, get set ... oh, Beer Bike is still a week away. On March 20, the Beer Bike Parade will take students to the Beer Bike track, where students, faculty, staff, alumni and other members of the Rice community will watch the four races of this year's Beer Bike.The race schedule this year will be slightly different due to the addition of an exhibition race between Duncan College and McMurtry College. The alumni race will start at 12:40 p.m., 20 minutes earlier than in past years, and the exhibition will start at 1:25 p.m. The exhibition will follow alumni race rules, which means that there will be five male and five female bikers and chuggers on each team, with each biker riding two laps and each chugger drinking 12 ounces.

Last week's online poll results

New art blends with organic landscape

Miracle-Gro is not responsible for the sculptures that have cropped up on campus; James Surls is. Rice was selected as the venue for seven of Surls' bronze and steel installation pieces, which are now featured in the Central and West Quads, the field next to Herring Hall and the area outside the BioScience Research Collaborative. The sculptures are part of a traveling exhibit that had been on display on New York City's Park Avenue. When University Art Director Molly Hubbard heard the show was coming to Houston, she submitted a bid for Rice to host the sculptures.

Online only: Golf places 13th at Border Olympics

With two spring tournaments under its belt, the golf team entered the Border Olympics with high hopes. A solid first round only reinforced the team's confidence, but the wheels fell off Rice's performance after that, leading to a disappointing 12th-place finish.Freshman Jade Scott, one of two Rice golfers to have won an individual title this season, led the Owls with an opening round 70. Junior Michael Whitehead and senior Michael Buttacavoli were not far behind, posting 71 and 72, respectively. Combined with senior Christopher Brown's 75, the Owls' score of 288 put them one shot back of the University of Arkansas.

Online only: Lovett endures construction woes

Casino party facades aren't the only plywood structures cropping up around Lovett College this week; in response to noise complaints, Facilities, Engineering and Planning installed an eight-foot plywood sound wall between the Lovett College commons and the Will Rice College commons Wednesday.The sound wall was built at the suggestion of Lovett College president Drew Berger.

Polanski serves up some tense suspense with The Ghost Writer

The first scene of The Ghost Writer feels like something from a Hitchcock movie: A passenger goes missing from the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, and his body is found washed up on the beach. In scenes to come, the movie will allude to modern politics and rely on a car's GPS system for a valuable clue, but The Ghost Writer is still an homage to Hitchcock's mode of storytelling. This is an old-fashioned suspense movie updated for a new century. Ewan McGregor (Angels and Demons) stars as a professional ghost writer whose name is never mentioned. The writer is assigned to pen the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Die Another Day's Pierce Brosnan). The last ghost writer to try to write Lang's life story-well, his body is the one that washed up on the beach.

Online only: Women's basketball season ends in loss to UTEP in first round of C-USA Tournament

When a team loses their first seven games but still manages to come back and find thirteen victories in a season, what else can you do as a coach but pat them on the back?"I did the team a disservice by scheduling five straight tough road games," Head Coach Greg Williams said. "I'm so proud of how they rebounded and pulled together. We knew we were a young group at the beginning of the year, but they really grew and we're really excited moving into next year."

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Commentary: Olympian bad boy Bode Miller deserves respect

From the moment an athlete is chosen to represent his or her country in the Olympics, the one image that continues to burn as bright and long as the Olympic flame in the mind of each of these athletes is the vision of standing atop the podium, adorned with a gold medal and blinking back tears as his or her national anthem resonates throughout the air.Too bad Bode Miller doesn't really care about Olympic medals. Or what you think about him. Which is exactly why he is the best example of what a true athlete should be.

Photo: Going Texan

Rodeo Chairman of the Board Butch Robinson (Wiess '71) spoke during lunch Wednesday at Wiess College in celebration of Go Texan day.

Women earn two wins

Southern Louisiana proved to be the perfect locale for the women's tennis team to start spring break. In matches against Louisiana State University and Tulane University, Rice earned a pair of wins. The 31st-ranked Owls (8-3) have proved unstoppable in the past few weeks. Riding on momentum from the beginning of February, begun by wins over the University of Arizona (8-2) and Texas Tech University (12-1), the Owls have won five straight, including their third straight win over a ranked opponent.

'Heels and 'Horns too much for Owls

Senior Bruno Rosa sat with a dark blue towel draped over his head, over his face, for nearly a minute. It was an overcast Wednesday afternoon, and he'd just fallen in one of the worst matches of the year, 6-1, 6-0, to the University of North Carolina's Clay Donato. Rosa's pose, disheartened and slumped, told you all you needed to know about the state of the men's tennis team. Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the 30th-ranked Tar Heels (9-2) was just the latest mark in a litany of setbacks for the 51st-ranked Owls (6-6).

Diversity finds new role at Rice

Don't feel left out. Rice's newest administrative addition, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, will be tasked with enriching campus life by taking advantage of Rice's cultural diversity. Associate Provost Roland Smith realized the need for more coordinated efforts in dealing with campus diversity after surveys were distributed by the Council for Diversity and Minority Affairs. Smith, a member of the council, talked with individuals at other college campuses and researched diversity inclusion in higher education, submitting his findings to President David Leebron.

Cougars outrun Owls to take C-USA Indoor title

From the moment the doors to the Yeoman Fieldhouse opened for the Conference USA Indoor Championships Feb. 26, the identity of the Houston school which would take home the gold was never a mystery. Unfortunately for Rice, that school was none other than the University of Houston, which collected an impressive 183.5 points on its way to its fourth-consecutive C-USA Indoor title. The Owls racked up 92 points, good enough for fourth place, something Head Coach Jon Warren (Jones '88) was not displeased with.

Thursday's Sports Update : California downs baseball team 8-6 to begin weekend four-game series

The baseball team was unable to dig themselves out of an early hole, falling 8-6 on Thursday night to the home run-happy University of California at Reckling Park Thursday evening. Sophomore Taylor Wall got the start for the Owls (8-6) but surrendered six runs in five and 2/3 innings of work. California (8-3) catcher Chadd Krist hit a line drive over the wall in left field to give the Golden Bears a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Cal offense delivered again in the sixth inning when third baseman Tony Renda took Wall deep, pushing the Golden Bears' lead to 6-0 with their second three-run home run of the game.

Calling all Company!

After two smaller productions last semester - Freshman One-Acts and The Moustache - Wiess College Tabletop Theater kicks off its spring season with its production of Company. A concept musical different from the plot-driven musicals seen in recent years from Wiess, Company excels musically but falls short of its full potential due to technical inconsistencies. Written by George Furth and Stephen Sondheim, Company follows Robert, a single, 35-year-old New Yorker, and his married friends. Opening with Robert's surprise 35th birthday party and moving into a series of short vignettes, the production brings into focus both a man's fear of commitment and problems facing a series of odd and memorable couples.

Beer Bike parade to include increased RUPD presence

While some colleges are prepping for Beer Bike by filling up water balloons and practicing their chugging, a select few individuals are focusing on ensuring the parade is a safe environment. Although the Beer Bike Parade has kept its trucks and water balloon fight, there will be several other format changes this year. The parade will follow the Inner Loop past the north colleges, in the opposite direction as in the past, due to construction at the south colleges, and will feature an increased security presence.

Relish: Slow down, save some cash, enjoy Giacomo's

Since it opened last semester, Giacomo's Cibo e Vino on Westheimer Road has had Houston foodies buzzing. It's easy to see why: Giacomo's is everything that Italian dining should be, serving high-quality food that's true to tradition without putting pressure on wallets or waistlines. The restaurant, named after the owner's dog, is an unpretentious, off-the-beaten-path eating establishment that introduces customers to European Italian cuisine, a welcome break from the generic Italian-American chains that populate Houston.In fact, Giacomo's demonstrates the type of counter-style dining one may expect to see in Venice. The modern retro interior is all clean colors and crisp lines, and features a wall bedecked with colorful trapezoids, itself a representation of the up-to-date attitude of the restaurant with traditional offerings and service. Upon their entry, guests are directed to a cafeteria line, where they can choose from three types of dining. The first is cibo subito (immediate food), which includes a selection of cichetti, or antipasti, soups and sandwiches. Diners may also opt to wait a short time for cibo rapido (fast food) of pastas and salads, or slightly longer for cibo lento (slow food), main courses of pastas and meats. Our party opted for a variety of the three dining options, and everything arrived promptly. Though we at first felt overwhelmed by Giacomo's unconventional dining options, we found the wait staff friendly and helpful, as they offered suggestions for entrees and antipasti options that were not featured on the menu.