The Thresher will be having it's first recruitment session of the year this Saturday, Sept. 6, in the RMC. The times and locations breakdown is as follows:2-2:30 p.m. Sports (Miner Lounge), Photo (Thresher office)
Currently, a proposal called the Amethyst Initiative is circulating among college and university presidents, purporting to be a call to "informed and unimpeded debate" about the current status and effectiveness of America's alcohol legislation (see story, page 6). At this time, more than 120 presidents have signed the initiative, and a few of them are from schools we nominally label "peer" institutions, like Duke University. Despite the buzz surrounding the Initiative, president David Leebron has still not signed it, because he feels that far from being free from bias, the Initiative's implied conclusion is that the current policies are not working, and the drinking age needs to again be lowered to 18.
The day I moved back on campus a few weeks ago, I wore a New York Yankees t-shirt. I wasn't trying to make a statement or be an obnoxious Yankees fan; it just happened to be the shirt I wore that day. That afternoon, as I was walking with my parents across the Wiess College Acabowl, a friend of mine yelled from the fourth floor balcony, "Yankees suck!" My dad, a lifelong Yankees fan, muttered to himself, "The truth hurts," demonstrating that this season, more than any in recent history, has been rough for Yankees fans everywhere.
Like many of the incoming freshmen, I did not want to read Three Cups of Tea. I had even less of a reason to do so as well: I am a mechanical engineering senior, and I had absolutely no involvement with O-Week. I will confess: It took me the better part of two weeks to finish the book. Not because I did not like it, or thought it was idealistic or sappy, but because I have had a glimpse into the main character Greg Mortenson's world.
At 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, the Rice Chorale will perform Gabriel Fauré's Requiem in the Edythe Bates Grand Organ Recital Hall in Alice Pratt Brown Hall (the Shepherd School of Music Building).This is the sixth year Tom Jaber has led Rice University's only choral group in a memorial concert honoring those who died in the infamous terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The first of these concerts, in 2002, was part of a worldwide event that coordinated the performance of Mozart's famous Requiem at the exact time of the first aircraft's impact into World Trade Center towers. In years since, the Chorale has presented requiem settings by Brahms, Rutter and Durufle, among others.
The problem with Hollywood is that it's seasonal. Year after year, the summer season sizzles the box office with action flicks that titillate the eye, but not the heart (The Dark Knight is a lone exception). In the winter, movie executives release emotional dramas that make the audience weep and help the Oscar committee hand out golden statues. But what about the fall and spring? These periods are what I like to call the "butt crust" season, marked by all the movies that are bound for the $5 DVD aisle at Wal-Mart. These flicks feature actors who frequently appear on Lifetime, reveal their entire plots in one-minute trailers and cast Vin Diesel in the starring role.Unfortunately, we are currently knee-deep in these movies. Rather than fork over $10 for the horrific opportunity to sit through two hours of Anna Faris (Scary Movie series) in House Bunny or Vin Diesel in Babylon A.D. (a total rip-off of the stellar The Fifth Element), I have decided to preview of my top seven most anticipated films for the upcoming year.
Some had internships, some sought adventure abroad, some bummed around the house, some spent the summer looking for a job, and a few found employment. After sitting in classrooms for a good nine months, the majority of American youth need a new scene. Summer is a time for - as John Cleese would say - "something completely different." Having torn free from the bonds of professorial dictates and stifling schedules, the ability to choose one's activities for the following three months is a luxury of epic proportion. And some do have great opportunities: wealthy parents or a generous relative may finance a trip to Europe. Numerous applications painstakingly written months in advance may have provided one with the opportunity to work as an intern or lab assistant. Others may return to their hometown community swimming pool to reclaim their lifetime gig as the beloved lifeguard. Yet for each trip to Europe or invaluable experience at a top organization there are many wholly unable to set their own summertime agenda. The economic woes of the past year served only to intensify this unfortunate reality. The precise definition of an economic recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Although the country did not fall victim to even one quarter of such anemic figures, Americans did feel the pressure of a slowing economy, as (among other things) the housing bubble burst, the dollar weakened and gas prices soared. In the midst of the economic malaise, students throughout the country finished school and ventured out in search of a job - for a bit of spending money, resume enhancement and good old-fashioned character building.
As part of a growing investment in research, Rice University selected Mary Farach-Carson as its first associate vice provost for research. Farach- Carson, who currently teaches and directs research at the University of Delaware, will begin her work at Rice next fall. The creation of this position follows Rice's rapidly expanding interest in research and collaboration detailed in President David Leebron's Vision for the Second Century. In promoting research, Farach-Carson will help encourage and create links with the Texas Medical Center and will also become a part-time faculty member as a professor of biochemistry and cell biology. She will work extensively with the projects of the Collaborative Research Center, which is scheduled for completion in 2009.
After dismantling Southern Methodist University for the third year in a row, the Owls will look to jump out to a quick 2-0 conference start when they face the University of Memphis at 7 p.m. tomorrow night in Tennessee. Rice should have the upper hand in terms of momentum: While the Owls are coming off a solid victory, Memphis is trying to bounce back from a 41-24 loss to the University of Mississippi.
"Dude? You still listen to MGMT? Their EP was okay, but Oracular Spectacular seriously fell out of their usual shape-shifting psychedelia. Now it's just MTV bullshit. What's next, the freaking Jonas Brothers?"Yes, actually.
Rice's Webmail received an update in May to make it faster and better able to handle the large volumes of e-mail sent to and from Rice accounts every day. Barry Ribbeck, Director for Information Technology Systems, Architecture and Infrastructure, said the update replaced old hardware and software from the Webmail interface, which could no longer accommodate Rice's increasing volume of mail. The Webmail page also got a makeover, which Ribbeck hopes will make commonly used features such as spam filters and vacation messages easier to find. Ribbeck said the update was made following student requests for faster Webmail.
As I traipsed among Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens the other day, flanked by Gray-Headed Flying Foxes and the serene Circular Quay, I decided to treat myself with a dollop of hazelnut gelato. And after I had returned to the confines of my dorm, crashing wearily into bed and flipping open my laptop to the awaiting ESPN.com, I checked out the latest musings of sports columnist Scoop Jackson.
A couple of years ago, the movie American Dreamz merrily imagined a world in which a thinly disguised President Bush, attempting to boost his popularity ratings, becomes a guest judge on American Idol. Last month, something similar occurred in real life, and I think I might have been the only observer to notice it. Senator Barack Obama turned the selection of his running mate into a weird reality TV show, dropping hints, secretly naming finalists and eliminating the lowest-ranked contestants.Two days before Joseph Biden joined the Democratic ticket, CNN and other news sources reported that Obama was telephoning various important politicians to let them know "they had not been selected" to become "finalists" for the vice-presidential nomination. Meanwhile, Texas Congressman Chet Edwards was able to confirm to the media that he was a "finalist" to become Obama's vice president.
Living off campus can be a learning experience. Students venturing beyond the accommodating dorm situation have to suddenly deal with bills, buying groceries and preparing meals. However, Will Rice College and Wiess College are now offering to shoulder the lunchtime burden by offering free weekly meals. At Will Rice, where the program is in its third year, off-campus students are provided with free sandwiches and cookies each Friday. Wiess is pioneering a similar program, and will be offering free sandwiches to off-campus students Tuesdays for the next two weeks to gauge student interest. Will Rice Master Paula Krisko said she and her husband, Mike Wolf, started the program two years ago as part of a series of efforts to get off-campus students more involved in residential college life.
With hurricane Gustav nowhere to be seen in the West University area last weekend, the volleyball team stole a sizable share of the limelight. The Owls went home Friday night with two convincing wins over opening-day opponents University of Louisiana-Lafayette and University of Texas-San Antonio, sweeping both home matches by 3-0 scores. Unfortunately, Rice's fortune dimmed with Saturday's 3-0 loss to the University of Michigan, but the squad returned to center-stage Tuesday with a four-game win at Sam Houston State University. This weekend, the Owls were scheduled to travel to the Louisiana State University Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge, Louis., but the tournament was canceled after Gustav made landfall close by. The team will play in the Baylor Classic at Waco, Texas, instead, squaring off with host Baylor University, Weber State University and, once again, UTSA.
For most Rice students, powderpuff is a unifying display of college dominance and pride, but for female varsity athletes, choosing to play is a decision that has consequences far beyond representing one's college. The game's worst kept secret asks Division-I athletes to choose between participating without the approval of their coaches or missing the chance to take part in one of the most popular aspects of college life. Without knowing how deceptive the title "powderpuff" is at Rice, many freshman athletes join the squad with good intentions.
As the federal law that has set the drinking age at 21 comes up for review next year, college and university presidents and chancellors from across the country have come together to sign the Amethyst Initiative - begun in July - which advocates an informed and unimpeded debate to see if the current policy is working. The initiative, so named because of the ancient Greek myth that amethyst would ward off the effects of drunkenness, states that the current law has created a culture of binge-drinking often conducted in secret that endangers student health and safety. The initiative currently has over 120 signatories, including presidents of some of Rice's peer institutions, such as Duke University and Dartmouth University.Although President David Leebron said he was in favor of a debate about the merits of the current drinking age, he said he did not sign the Amethyst Initiative because he felt it was advocating that the drinking age should be lowered to 18. Leebron said he needed more research and information before he could advocate that position.
