After a series of trials and error, Facilities, Engineering and Planning staff may have stumbled upon the secret for its eco-friendly water-permeable concrete: Use the concrete in more lightly-traveled areas. After installing a test strip of concrete in the North Annex lot last year, FE&P workers have learned to mix the concrete off site and that the water-permeable concrete, which can be significantly more expensive than regular concrete, is not interchangeable with regular concrete. The first test patch of permeable concrete was installed in April 2007 on the future site of Duncan College. It has been used in the North Annex Parking Lot, on the walkway between Hanszen College and the Inner Loop, the Oshman Engineering Kitchen, and in front of the Ralph O'Connor House.
To egregiously misquote AbortionFacts.com, if it "feels so good, why do I feel so bad?" Such is life in the Facebook universe. By way of bells, whistles, graffiti, tags and pokes, the mammoth social network has become our choice method of social intercourse. According to its About page, Facebook yields "the power to.[make] the world more open and connected," and it does. But Trojan knows that some things are better left unshared.Mark Zuckerberg, self-acknowledged computer geek and - according to the June 26, 2008, Rolling Stone article "The Battle for Facebook"- mathlete, science Olympian, Latin honors society participant and band member, possesses the endearing nerdish quality we've all come to know, love and live at Rice. But the blue-hued child he spawned in early 2004 has torn away at our social motivations, our dialog skills, our yearnings for close relationships and - dare I say - our happiness. Ironic it is that a Harvard colleague of Zuckerberg's claimed they had "a lack of time . to do social networking." Now we instant-friend that kid from GenChem to whom we've never said three consecutive words; that's "networking." And we eschew asking out that nice girl down the hall because she's not "Looking for: Dating." In his crusade to obliterate social barriers, Zuckerberg realized quite the opposite. Today's Facebook universe is but a tour of expediency, of shallow interaction.
With the extension of its hours until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, Fondren Library's doors will be open longer than they have been in the recent past (see story, page 1). For those seeking a few extra hours of peace and quiet to finish that once-in-a-while project or thesis-length essay, this is a good change; any extra bit of time helps in those high-pressure situations. For others, though, this change may be slightly detrimental.Rice gives us plenty of encouragement to get outside the hedges on the weekends. The serveries are closed on Saturdays, meaning students have little choice but to go off campus for food. Once the campus border is breached, it is much easier for students to motivate themselves to enjoy the Houston nightlife, which includes anything from symphonies to ballets to nightclubs to jazz bars.
As part of the new national accreditation process, 844 new freshmen and transfer students will participate in assessments aimed at monitoring the quality of undergraduate education. The new accreditation process began last year with exit-level exams for graduating seniors to demonstrate the quality of learning in colleges and universities. Student performance on these exams determine whether the school gets accreditation.
We hope you dislike Hurricane Ike enough to avoid partying outside with him come this weekend. Whether you evacuate the city or not, remember to take all the precautions necessary to ensure your safety, including notifying your college masters and family of whatever you do. If you take to the road, be sure to fill your car with gas and bring food, water and maybe even a first aid kit, too. If you stay in Houston, whether at your college or in your apartment, be sure to stock up on the aforementioned essentials, as well. For hurricane updates and information on campus closures, continue to check Rice's homepage at www.rice.edu and the Thresher Web site at www.ricethresher.org.
Because of his age and health history, Senator John McCain, more than any other presidential candidate in recent memory, needed to pick a running mate who could step in to the presidential role (if needed) and still keep voters feeling comfortable. Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin fails miserably in this respect."As for that [vice president] talk all the time, I'll tell you, I still can't answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the [vice president] does every day?"
Last season the women's cross country team had a standout record, winning both the Conference USA and the regional championships on their way to finishing 16th overall at the NCAA national meet. Despite the loss of some key performers, head coach Jim Bevan believes this year's team can improve on last season's success. "If we stay healthy, we can be a better team than we were last year," Bevan said.
The women's soccer team finished its weekend trip to Oklahoma with a split decision last weekend, falling to Oklahoma State 4-0 on Friday before defeating the University of Oklahoma 1-0 on Sunday. Heading into the weekend, the Owls had placed a larger target on the backs of 17th-ranked OSU.
Even though the volleyball team competed in unfamiliar territory this past weekend, the Baylor Classic tournament in Waco was full of reunions. Rice played the University of Texas-San Antonio for the second consecutive week and head coach Genny Volpe faced off against Weber State University head coach Al Givens, who coached her during her college career at Texas A&M University. The Owls hope to build on their success this weekend when they travel to Nacogdoches, Texas, for the Ladyjack Invitational, hosted by Stephen F. Austin University. The Owls square off today against the University of Oklahoma at 11 a.m., and will quickly follow up that match with a second one against Creighton University at 4 p.m. On Saturday, Rice will tussle with SFA at 2 p.m. Volpe said this tournament will be full of strong competition.
Students seeking a quiet place to work on Friday and Saturday nights can now avail themselves of Fondren Library's new hours. Fondren will now be open an additional two hours Friday and Saturday as part of a pilot program that will continue through the fall semester. The library will now be open from noon on Sunday to midnight on Friday and from 9 a.m. to midnight on Saturday. Fondren will keep its normal facilities open during its new evening hours, Vice Provost and University Librarian Sara Lowman said. Like on any normal weekday night, two staff members will be on duty and the hours of the reference staff will not change.
Rice received a record $100 million in external funding for research and education last year, which will allow the university to fund cutting-edge research and facilitate the creation of many new programs. Most of this funding will go toward the sciences and engineering disciplines. "This increase shows that Rice is really moving in the positive direction, and I think the future trend will be great," Vice Provost for Research Jim Coleman said. "The increase means that the faculty and staff were incredibly productive in securing funding to do the research teaching and outreach which they think is important."
You must have a large store of faith to attend the Telluride Film Festival. With a lineup that is not announced until you are cozily nestled in one of the ski lodges of the small town, there is no chance to shop for Oscar bait or star directors. Even the staff is kept in the dark about who and what will appear, but they faithfully return year after year, most as volunteers, simply because Telluride is so unique.Do not expect the festival to be a few days of star chasing; there is an unspoken code that actors and directors are there only to present and talk about their work, not to hand out autographs or pose for pictures. This creates an atmosphere centered on film where you'll find people talking about the movies instead of the celebrities.
Unfortunately for the University of Memphis, losing athletic contests at the last minute is becoming a familiar feeling. First, the Tigers' basketball team lost the national championship in the dwindling moments last spring. Then, the Tigers' football team could only watch as its pesky Owl opponents seemingly stole a 42-35 victory last Saturday night. Some might say that two instances is not enough to establish a pattern, but the dejection on the Tigers' faces as they watched freshman defensive back Chris Jammer seal the win for Rice certainly resembled the expressions shown by their basketball team six months ago. Immediately following the first interception of his career, Jammer's 69- yard return for a touchdown with 11 seconds left capped a game that saw Rice recover from a 28-13 deficit in the fourth quarter en route to its first 2-0 start in four seasons.
All Rice University offices are closed Friday through Sunday. Business will resume Monday at normal hours.University officials strongly encourage all students, faculty, and staff to verify their contact information via ESTHER (http://esther.rice.edu), as well as register their cell phone to receive text and voice messages from the Rice Emergency Notification System.
Pasha Turkish Restaurant is a cozy little house that has been converted into a restaurant to cater to the surrounding Rice community. Located on University Blvd. between Greenbriar Dr. and Morningside Dr., Pasha caters to a variety of tastes and wallet sizes. Recommended by publications like Zagat, Texas Monthly, the Houston Chronicle and My Table, Pasha is open only for lunch and dinner, with a menu for each.The lunch menu caters to those stopping by to get a quick bite to eat. Menu items are downgraded slightly in size and are less expensive than at dinner. Try the creamy mashed chickpeas, tahini and garlic hummus as an appetizer to go along with a free order of unlimited, freshly-baked brick oven bread and olive oil infused with rosemary and ground black pepper. Also delicious are the Dolmas, delicacies of fresh white rice, crushed pine nuts, chopped onions and Turkish spices stuffed inside a rolled grape leaf.
Providing education in poor countries is possible for just $2 a day, Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, said this week to a crowd including over 500 freshmen. The bestselling author of this year's common reading spoke in the Rice Memorial Center's Grand Hall Tuesday. The speech was part of a series of common reading events that will include a film series, "Beyond Belief," Sept. 24 in the Rice Media Center. Mortenson serves as the director of the nonprofit Central Asia Institute, which supports 64 schools, over 520 teachers and 25,000 students in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Three Cups of Tea, a New York Times Bestseller that won numerous nonfiction awards, chronicles Mortenson's efforts to build schools for girls in these countries.
Physics professor Mutchler dies
