Special Projects

Owl Days dates to change

Come mid-April, prospective students will descend on campus in greater numbers than ever before. Rice's Student Admission Council and the Office of Undergraduate Admission set this year's Owl Days and Admit Days in the final two weeks of classes, giving admitted students the opportunity to visit Rice and get a taste of campus life. This year's Owl Days are scheduled for April 15-16. As in previous years, prospective students will stay overnight with student volunteers. The two Admit Days will occur the next week, on Friday, April 23 and Monday, April 26 - the final day of classes and the first day of dead week, respectively.

Tigers outclaw Owls

With adrenaline running high and expectations continually rising, the women's basketball team had all the momentum in the world coming into its only game of the week, a weekend road match-up with University of Memphis last Saturday, an elite program in Conference USA. Unfortunately, the Owls (8-10, 2-3 C-USA) needed just a pinch more momentum, as they fell 59-58 in an overtime thriller that was just as entertaining as it was close.

Wednesday Sports Update: Green Wave trip up Owls in overtime

After finally snapping a seven-game slide against East Carolina University on Saturday, the men's basketball team was looking to turn its season around against a struggling Tulane University Wednesday evening. But a night that looked like it would be the start of the team's redemption turned into disaster. Rice (7-13, 1-6 Conference USA) finished the night falling to Tulane (6-14, 1-6 C-USA) in overtime by a score of 79-74.Freshman forward Arsalan Kazemi led the Owls with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Junior center Trey Stanton contributed 16 points.

Thomas Blakeney dies at 46

Thomas Alson Blakeney III died Wednesday, Jan. 20 at St. Luke's Hospital after nearly 19 years of service to the Chemistry Department working in its stockroom. He was 46. The cause of his death was not released.

Dates of Owl Days, Admit Days ill-chosen

Many students' first experiences at Rice consist of overnight visits as prospective students. The tradition lives on, even if over the past few years the names, dates and frequency of Rice's annual official prospective student visits have changed - from Owl Weekend to Owl Days to now Owl Days and Admit Days - to accommodate the growing class sizes (see story, page 1). Despite these changes, the idea has remained basically the same: Allow prospective students, who have already been admitted to Rice and are whittling down their final college choices before the May commit deadline, to stay on campus with a student host, sit in on classes of their choice and experience Rice culture as a whole. Unfortunately, the proposed dates for this year's Owl Days and Admit Days, sandwiching the last week of classes, threaten to undermine more than one Rice tradition. Admit Days' occurrence on the last day of classes, which is coincidentally College Night for both Hanszen College and Wiess College, guarantees that parents and prospective students alike will be eyewitnesses to some of the most widespread drunken antics on Rice's campus this side of Beer Bike. While the administration would like to flaunt Rice's social sphere along with its academics, this is not the angle to take - and one that seems almost antithetical to the administration's attempts to sweep all things Beer Bike-related (i.e., intoxicated and crazed) under the rug. The large majority of parents and prospective students will undoubtedly be perturbed by costumes and drinking games in the backs of classes; in turn, the Rice University Police Department will be keen on cracking down on underage drinking, which we fear will temper the merriment of certain revelers. Additionally, students interested in sitting in on a class or two will be shortchanged: Most classes on the last day will consist of exams, and those that don't will be dominated by drunken antics. And we're not even going to touch on the awkwardness of prospective students coming during the first day of dead period, when no classes are even in session.

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Taco Trek: The Original Ninfa's

Another week's end can only mean another trek into the Taco District for the Thresher's most courageous thrill-seekers. In the second installment of their culinary adventures, Yan Digilov and Ben Lopez, our lovably scruffy duo of tacologists, head for the western frontier to the ageless outpost of the Original Ninfa's.

Slip in "best value" rankings discouraging

Despite the Vision for the Second Century's plan to continually improve all aspects of the Rice experience, the newly released rankings from The Princeton Review hint that the opposite is happening (see story, page 1). Rice, while still ranked first in "quality of life," has gradually slipped in "best value" and now sits in seventh place behind a mix of small East Coast liberal arts schools and Ivy League powerhouses. While Rice is still in the top 10, we cannot be satisfied with continual downgrades. In the past, Rice sold itself on its "best value" reputation, with need-blind admission and an increasing no-loan income threshold. However, other schools have caught on to the needs of today's college students and their families, and are now leaving Rice in the dust with even more generous financial aid policies. Has the V2C pushed the university too far?

Coordinators vote against Beer Bike parade proposals

On Monday afternoon the college Beer Bike Coordinators voted against proposed changes to this year's parade, electing to keep the parade the same as it was in 2009.The final vote, which took place through a secret ballot, was 10-1 in favor of keeping the current parade format. Each college received one vote.

Photo: Beer (bike) debates

Beer Bike Coordinator Brian Henderson spoke to Monday's SA meeting about the proposed changes that would move the Beer Bike parade from the Inner Loop to a field near the football stadium this year.

Breaking down barriers

It is Monday, and a tangible sense of excitement and raw creativity fills the Rice Gallery as volunteers and various gallery staff work to install El Anatsui's new piece, Gli, into the space. An industrial elevator allows workers to connect large sheets of flattened bottle caps to fishing line suspended from the ceiling. Kim Davenport, the gallery's director, converses with her colleagues regarding the proper positioning of the sheet in relation to the overhead lighting. The industrial logistics that make a work like Anatsui's 20-foot-high installation a reality contrast sharply with the overall aesthetics of the final product.

Real sympathy for mentally ill requires awareness, openness

As the spring semester begins, students leave the holiday warmth of their families to return to problem sets and design projects that pile up like the dead leaves that litter the quad. Less conspicuous this time of year, however, is that winter can be an especially difficult time for those with mental illnesses, a significant but often unrecognized and untreated portion of the collegiate population.University years, typically when arresting uncertainty and ambiguity proliferate, are a particularly trying time for the mentally ill. As someone who suffered from mental illness while at Rice and has friends still there with similar afflictions, I understand that the fear of stigma and even university retribution prevents many from seeking help - a dangerous prospect for youth who typically have little familial support nearby and a plethora of means by which to harm themselves. In light of this, I ask you, the reader, to resolve to develop a more authentic sympathy for the mentally sick, especially those with whom you learn and reside.

Last week's online poll results

Relish: A taste of the 'BBig' Easy at BB's

In a salute to the New Orleans Saints football team that recently made it to the Super Bowl, we decided to have some New Orleans-style grub this week at BB's Cajun cafe. And like the team's play in last Sunday's NFC Championship, our football-inspired decision did not disappoint, as BB's offered a quick, casual and down-home meal. Before we get into the details of the place, it's necessary to point out two things. First, that BB's will start delivery in a few weeks, and second, the menu is undergoing a bit of modification, so some of the items that we sampled may not be available in the future. Still, that shouldn't discourage you from trying out the place.

Röcbar selected as 100 Days venue

Busy seniors worrying about life after Rice have at least one reprieve as their collegiate careers wind down: 100 Days, a dance traditionally celebrated 100 days before commencement to kick off the countdown to graduation in May. This year's dance will be held Feb. 2 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at R?cbar, a downtown nightclub. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, and can be purchased from the senior committee college representatives at meals or at the Rice Memorial Center info desk.

Brown begins new search for replacement RAs

With Resident Associates Kevin MacKenzie and Corina Rogge preparing for their departure from Brown College at the end of this semester, the search for a replacement has begun. MacKenzie, a biochemistry and cell biology professor, and Rogge, a chemistry instructor, have been RAs at Brown for eight years.

Men's basketball hopes to end skid this weekend

The men's basketball team enjoyed a light schedule last week, as the team only played one game during the past seven days. After dropping a tight game against the conference-leading University of Tulsa, Rice (6-13, 0-6 C-USA) is taking the time to recuperate and prepare to end a seven-game losing streak beset with inconsistent play and missed opportunities. Their game against Tulsa (16-4, 5-1 C-USA) proved to be one of their most competitive road games this season. But just when it looked like Rice might have a chance to steal a win from the conference-leading Miners, that light was snuffed out. Not for lack of talent, though, but because of a lack of focus, according to Head Coach Ben Braun.

SA begins blanket tax reform

Earlier this month, the Student Association created a new committee on blanket tax reform to correct the perceived lack of oversight in tax proposals. The need for oversight of the unregulated system was highlighted by repeated confusion at election time. For example, until last year, University Blue, a former student-run literary publication that had been defunct for several years, continued to receive $1 from each undergraduate student's tuition. Of the six blanket tax proposals to reach last year's ballot, the only one to pass was an amendment to remove UBlue's blanket tax.

RSVP hosts education awareness

This week, the Rice Student Volunteer Program gave students the opportunity to participate in a different educational system. The fourth annual Education Awareness Week, organized by the RSVP Education Committee, included events ranging from a trip off campus to help autistic students to an on-campus presentation by State Representative Ellen Cohen. The Education Committee is headed by Will Rice College sophomore Liz Jackson and Wiess College senior Mimi Arnold.

Parade proposals deserve consideration

As members of the Rice community, we all understand how sacred Beer Bike is. So, with the Student Association poll on the proposed Beer Bike parade changes open and a decision due following this Monday's vote, a few points about the proposed plan warrant clarification.The decision is ultimately in the hands of the students. On Monday, there will be a vote by the college Beer Bike coordinators, who were selected by each college to plan the event. College coordinators have done a fantastic job of eliciting discussion during college government meetings, and the campus-wide coordinators answered questions about the changes at the most recent SA meeting.