Special Projects

RUPD reminds students to be cautious with belongings

In the first few weeks back at school, new classes, friends and social gatherings are most students' top priorities. However, safety and crime prevention should also be on top of the list. The first six weeks of the school year are when students, especially freshmen, are most vulnerable to crime and personal theft, Rice University Police Department Chief of Police Bill Taylor said, adding that this pattern applies to college campuses nationwide."First-year students are the most vulnerable, since they're distracted by social gatherings, classes and situations that they have not dealt with before," Taylor said. "When students come back to school they may be unfamiliar with their surroundings and don't pay enough attention to what they do with their personal property, [such as] new bikes, laptops and iPods."

Letters to the Editor

Online Comment of the Week

Commentary: Aardsma finally finds rhythm in majors

In 2003, Rice reached Shangri- La. The Owls brought home the 2003 NCAA baseball championship, showcasing the unreal pitching of the most talented trifecta college baseball has ever seen. The Big Three - Wade Townsend, Jeff Niemann and Philip Humber - catapulted Rice onto the national scene with their unabashed talent and unashamed verve. Everything they touched, every horsehide-and-stitched ball they burned by hitters, was gold.

New colleges promise growth, opportunities

It's been nearly four years since President David Leebron first unveiled his plans to bring a pair of new colleges into Rice's fold. It's been two years since students first began noticing the signs of construction, from the green fences to the towering cranes. It's been a year since we first began seeing the skeleton of the structures thrown up, beam by beam, mortar and brick and wood alike.At long last, five days ago, McMurtry and Duncan Colleges finally opened their doors to their first classes and began their first foray into the incomparable Rice college system (see story, page 11). They represent the spearhead of Leebron's Vision for the Second Century, a plan to expand Rice's girth and reputation. Sure, there's a tent outside McMurtry that tends to leak when the sprinklers are a bit too strong. And yes, Duncan may have a couple other projects awaiting construction - namely, a servery, but also a fountain (that will hopefully not spray over McMurtry's tent).

Brothers remembered for community service

Stone Taylor Weeks, 24, and William Holt Weeks, 20, died in a car crash July 23 en route to Washington, D.C. The brothers, both researchers at the Baker Institute of Public Policy, were traveling to visit family and friends, and to attend a party celebrating the release of history professor and Baker Institute fellow Douglas Brinkley's new book, The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America. Within the history department, Stone worked for Brinkley as a research assistant after graduating with a B.A. in History from the University of Delaware in 2007.

Commentary: Rice sports need and deserve support

Orientation Week and the start of a new school year takes me back to when I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go to college. I was so unsure what I wanted from a school that I didn't make my final decision until the absolute last minute, April 30 of my senior year. At that point, I had pro-con lists galore for my two final schools, a la the decision techniques of Rory Gilmore. While the residential college system was definitely one of the bigger pros for Rice, so was the Owls' NCAA Championship-caliber baseball team.

Baseball's amateur draft takes two former Owls

As the Rice baseball team walked off the field at Alex Box Stadium on June 13, reeling from a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Louisiana State University in the NCAA Super Regionals, the players were already thinking to the arrival of the 2010 season and the new freshman class. However, because the Major League Baseball amateur draft had already taken place, the Owls knew that they stood a fair chance of losing several key components of the team who had fallen to the eventual national champions in two closely contested games.

Financial aid simplifies job search with new board

Finding work in this economy can be a job in itself, from scouring classified ads and bulletin boards to relying on word-of-mouth or random online postings. Finding a job on campus, however, has been streamlined to a single Web site on the Rice Financial Aid Student Job Board. Students can now go online to search for jobs on campus such as office assistants, research assistants, lifeguards or class graders.Students can access the job board at jobs.financialaid.rice.edu by signing in with their NetID under the tab "Applicants."

McMurtry is in tents!

McMurtrians and their advisors mingle outside of their tent commons, waiting for a dodgeball game to begin on Wednesday. To find out how the McMurtrians and their rival Duncaroos are being welcomed into the college system, turn to our four-page spread on Rice's two newest members.

Campus Reaction

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Streep, Adams whip up a winner with Julie & Julia

Two generations parallel each other in the new film Julie & Julia, where two real lives from different times find a connection in the world of cooking. Talented screenwriter Nora Ephron has produced one of her best works, transitioning from her more chick-flick screenplays (You've Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally) to a more historical - yet still lighthearted - film that is as enjoyable as it is clever.

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Rice ranks top in quality

We're number one! As detailed in the Princeton Review's new The Best 371 Colleges, Rice ranked at the top in the "best quality of life" category. The rankings were based on a survey of 122,000 students attending the 371 colleges featured in the book. The quality of life ranking was an aggregate of students' assessment of food on- and off-campus, dorm life comfort, campus beauty, ease of getting around campus, relationship with the local community, safety on campus and the surrounding area, interaction between students, friendliness and happiness of students and how smoothly the administration is run.

Inside the New Colleges

// Not only did they open at the same time, but McMurtry College and Duncan College share many of the same measurements and features. Both measure 125,700 square feet, for a total of 281,200 square feet, including the joint-servery. Each features five floors and 324 beds, split among 150 singles and 87 doubles. While the bottom four floors of each college have an internal hallway, the fifth floor is characterized by a single-width hallway with a terrace. The new colleges also have their own servery, complete with private dining rooms and libraries.

Donors hope to establish legacy, enrich student life

Burton ('56) and Deedee ('56) McMurtry

Surveying the summer's silver screen selections

Call me sentimental, but watching a movie in the theater is an emotional experience for me. The larger-than-life screen, the booming sounds and the novelty of watching a film for the first time is a thrill that seems new and exciting each time I go to the theater.This summer was no exception. It seemed that each movie I watched over the last couple months had some kind of personal connection to me, either because of the screening location or the individuals with whom I saw the films.

Parking deal evidence of Rice's generosity

The deal Rice and H-E-B have crafted, allowing H-E-B employees to park for free on West Lot, may seem strange at first glance (see story, page 4). Rice seems to be reaping no benefit out of the agreement - had the university installed an H-E-B olive bar in the Rice Memorial Center, the deal may seem more even-handed.One day, Rice may see a return on this display of kindness. But if that day never comes, we won't mind. The area where H-E-B employees park are often empty, and never full, thus negating any impact the H-E-B employees may produce. Rice is simply helping a neighborhood business, during a time in which economic times are harsh all around. Any little bit can help, and Rice's generosity should be commended.

Comp exam results remain steady despite class growth

Even though the size of the freshman class increased substantially, the percent of students passing the composition exam remained at 71 percent, indicating both the reliability of the exam and the consistent strength of the incoming class, Program for Communications Excellence Director Deborah Barrett said.Although the percent of international freshmen increased by 67 percent this year, Barrett said this did not make any difference in the exam results, a trend consistent with last year.

Reli professor leaves legacy of compassion

Edith Wyschogrod, a former religious studies professor, died July 16. She was 79.Wyschogrod, a native New Yorker, started her career teaching philosophy at Queens College of City University of New York. She advanced from lecturer to a permanent member of their faculty and, in 1967, to chair of the department. She held this position until 1992, when she joined the Rice Religious Studies Department.

Rayzor Hall welcomes Spanish Resource Center

The new Spanish Resource Center, which opened this summer, will offer students an opportunity to learn about Spanish language and culture through an extensive reference database and educational activities, hosted in conjunction with the Department of Hispanic Studies, Spanish Resource Center Director Miguel Hernáiz said. Funded by the Ministry of Education of Spain and located in Rayzor Hall 321, the center is free and will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to students, faculty, staff and the Texas community, Hernáiz said.