The Rice Thresher

Red, White and Blue

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

... and Goldenrod too! A color palette of academic regalia filled the Academic Quadrangle for Rice's 96th commencement ceremony May 9. Flip to page 6 for a copy of the commencement speech by Women for Women International CEO Zainab Salbi and pictures from the event.

Amorous relations revisited

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Don't stand so close to your professor! The Faculty Senate updated its Statement on Consensual, Amorous Relations with Students for the first time in over a decade last month. The new statement, which goes into effect in September, prohibits any romantic relationships between faculty and all undergraduate students, and between faculty and graduate students directly under their supervision or in their department.

Rice professor on NASA mission to Hubble

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

If all goes according to plan, the Hubble Space Telescope will not be the only one reaping the benefits of Mechanical Engineering professor Michael Massimino's second mission to space.

"[I have] a Mech-E T-shirt signed by all the students and faculty of the department," Massimino said.

Man shot near Rice

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Metro Police shot and killed a man carrying a knife last week just outside of the Rice campus. The police had been following the man after he became involved in an altercation at METRORail's Dryden/TMC station, south of campus. When he took off along the outer loop, Metro Police fatally wounded the man, Rice Director of News and Media Relations B.

South lot spaces reduced

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The South Colleges will have to say goodbye to some of their parking lot next year. Project Manager for the South Colleges Renovation Larry Vossler spoke with all the college presidents about the changes in a meeting on April 30.

Vossler declined to comment further than what he discussed in the meeting.

Malik, Henderson to coordinate Beer Bike

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Beer Bike may have just ended, but plans for next year's event are already underway.

The campus-wide Beer Bike Coordinators for next year will be Jones College junior Nazish Malik and senior Brian Henderson.

Both Malik and Henderson have been involved in Beer Bike before: Henderson was security coordinator his sophomore year and parade coordinator last year, while Malik was Jones Beer Bike coordinator last year.

IT set to require e-mail authentication

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Information Technology will be changing the way e-mail is sent starting Oct. 15 by requiring authentication for all e-mail being sent from computers on campus networks.

IT already requires authentication for e-mail sent off campus, Information Security Officer Marc Scarborough said.

Student video contest shows perspectives on life at Rice

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

First Rice, then Hollywood? The winners of the Rice University Student Video Contest "Lights, Camera, Action: Your Life at Rice" were announced April 22. The contest was sponsored and coordinated by the Center for Civic Engagement, the Community Involvement Center, the Digital Media Center, Fondren Library, Information Technology, the Office of Sustainability, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduates and the Wellness Center.

Rice's Indian dance team snags first place

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Catching on to the dance fever, the Rice Chowl Bhangra team earned its place in fame by securing first place at Nasha 2009, a state-wide competition in traditional Punjabi dances held at the University of Houston on April 10.

Chowl Bhangra, which means Rice Bhangra in Punjabi, competed against six other collegiate and dance academies in Texas, placing first overall.

Leebron Q&A

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

This interview continues the Thresher's monthly question-and-answer series with President David Leebron to ask him about current events, university issues and anything else of interest to the Rice student body. To submit a question for a future interview, email threshernews AT gmail.

Spontaneous Asphyxiation

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Will Rice College senior Josh Levin rescues Timothy Faust (Brown '09) while other members of Slow Burn, a student long-form improvisational comedy troupe, look on gleefully during a particularly breath-taking scene in the group's final performance of the year.

Commencement 2009

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

"Don't have any pressure on you not to live your truth on a daily basis," Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International said during the 96th Commencement, held on Saturday. "Live your dream. It is not worth living life without that."

Salbi founded Women for Women International, an organization that gives support to women in war-torn areas by providing basic necessities, education and microcredit loans for new businesses, at age 22.

Commencement 2009 Slideshow

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

2009 Rice Phi Beta Kappa initiates

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Seventy-three alumni were inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society by the Rice University chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Beta of Texas May 8. The society emphasizes learning for the sake of learning, Beta of Texas chapter Secretary Randal Hall (history graduate student '98) said.

After late-season bumps, Rice sprints into postseason

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The baseball team is used to blitzing through the heart of the season, but with two recent losses, this year has been a bit different.

Fortunately, the second-ranked Rice baseball team has finally righted its ship injury-wise and is sailing toward the postseason.

For fourth time, Tulsa trounces Rice

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

If the University of Tulsa's men's tennis team parades out next year against Rice in red, white and blue jerseys, twirling basketballs and whistling a happy tune, don't be surprised. They're only filling the roles they've earned: That of the Harlem Globetrotters to the Owls' Washington Generals.

Golf ends season on sour note

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The golf team's final event concluded much like their season did: disappointingly. The Owls jumped out to a hot start at the Conference USA tournament last month, but a poor second round meant the team would record a below-expected finish for the third straight year.

Owls finish strong heading into C-USA championship

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

If you thought Jason Colwick would slow down after his indoor national championship season, think again.

The junior vaulted 5.70 meters to win first place at the Texas Invitational in Austin May 2 on his way to his third Conference USA male athlete of the week award for the outdoor season.

Women's track looks to defend outdoor championship this weekend

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Even though classes have been finished for a month, the Rice women's track team has been training hard and busy competing in three major meets.

The team has used the extra free time that comes after finals conclude to prepare and rest for the Conference USA meet this Thurdsay, Friday and Saturday in Tulsa, Okla.

Casey, Dillard selected in fifth round; Clement waits

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Those familiar with tight end James Casey recognized the congenial, hardworking football player that sat before the Houston press on the afternoon of April 26 at the Houston Texans' facility.

But from his description of the previous 24 hours, there was no doubt that a much more fearful and concerned man sat with family glued to the television just moments before.

Spirit squads stepping it up

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Two Bowl trips, a $27 million dollar renovation of the basketball facilities and the signing of one of the winningest basketball coaches in the nation are all just parts of Athletic Director Chris Del Conte's vision for the future of the Rice athletics. Simultaneously, with neither the resources of a full-time staff nor the ability to raise six-figure alumni donations, students leading the Rice spirit squads have been working to move their teams in a direction parallel to Del Conte's vision.

Semifinal finish pushes women to winning record

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

In a season that was consistently middling, it makes sense that the women's tennis team was bounced from the Conference USA Tournament in the middle of competition. Despite home court advantage, the fifth-seeded Owls finished their season with a 13-12 record after being bounced in the semifinals to Southern Methodist University after impressive wins against the University of Southern Mississippi and fourth-seeded University of Houston.

Volleyball update (Photo)

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

After losing starters Karyn Morgan and Jessica Holderness, the volleyball team got its first bit of action in an intra-squad scrimmage on April 15. As a new senior, Natalie Bogan, spiking, was given the reigns of the squad for the first time.

Faheem's Year in Review

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

After sifting through piles of homewoals, the only thing keeping me motivated is the prom¬ise of fresh non-Houston summer air and the badass blockbuster movies that come with it. But see¬ing as our 2008-'09 academic year is finally coming to a close, I think it is most appropriate to take a look back at the movies released this past year, from the films that were visually stunning and emotionally compelling to the films that should have been thrown into the mouth of Mount Doom.

A Word With Your Wardrobe: Dressing for Rejection

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Dear seniors (or, should I say, graduates): This one's written all for you. Here at Rice, you've been given a lot of yes's: Clubs, grants, letters of recommendation, parking fee waiv¬ers, friends and even boys. Granted, there may have been some minor obstacles along the way, but in the end, those sweet words of approval were always within reach.

Gettin' schooled: Hanging with Rhyme University's Charles Iyoho

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

A little under a month ago, the Thresher sat down with Charles Iyoho, aka "Black Caesar," one half of the hip-hop duo Rhyme Univer¬sity. He was in town performing at an AIDS Foundation Houston benefit in Rice's own Grand Hall that night. What makes these brothers dif¬ferent from all the other blinged-out rappers dominating the air¬waves today? Firstly, Charles has a master's degree from the University of Houston and his brother Tony, aka "Grayhound Bustrip," has a Ph.

The Sammys: The Best of Rice Theater

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

First awarded in 1980, the Sammys are the Thresher's way of recognizing Rice theater productions. This year, over 200 of you voted on the performances and productions that made you laugh, cry or both. There were several excellent original productions that were put on this year - enough to merit the addition of student-written categories in both the play and musical categories - and hopefully we will see this number grow in the future So go ahead and kick back, grab a cold one and see how your favorite shows fared this year.

Silversun Pickups' latest album guaranteed to make you Swoon

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

One of the things I got out of my brief stint as a KTRU DJ was a copy of Silversun Pickups' debut album, Car¬navas. A fellow DJ suggested them to me after I told him I was a big fan of The Smashing Pumpkins, and once I had spun a few of their songs and lis¬tened to their Pikul EP, I was hooked.

Blogging creates window to self-discovery

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Everyone should have a blog. In today's society, blogs are no longer hobbies of a few, but near-necessities for the majority. At the very least, it allows you to have good, quality "you time" with the computer while you write about your day. Your entries might begin with something like, "Dear Mr.

Overinvolved students expose pretension

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Rice is home to some of the brightest young minds in the coun¬try. Students hail from all sorts of backgrounds, and there is no deny¬ing that we are all highly intelligent and capable. There is no doubt at all that Rice is a prestigious univer¬sity - but prestigious universities attract overachievers.

Government wrongly ignores inhumane torture tactics

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

"Some of life has to be mysteri¬ous. Sometimes in life you wanna just keep walkin'." This is what Peggy Noonan, Reagan speechwriter and frequent Republican pundit, had to say about the U.S. Attor¬ney General's recent declassification of documents that describe a number of methods explicitly authorized by Bush Administration officials for use as "en¬hanced interrogation techniques" by the CIA.

Amorous relations change a necessary repair

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Not long ago, the television show South Park lampooned the recent spate of teacher-student relationships plaguing the nation. But instead of the stereotypical male teacher-fe¬male student power dichotomy, South Park showed that the headlines were dominated by female teachers, juxtaposing this illegal relationship with the hypocrisy with which soci¬ety tends to view it.

Congratulation to recent graduates

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

With last week's commencement, we see another crop of young minds exit the Sallyport and begin their post-college years (see story, pages 8-9). Thus, congratulations are in order. While it may not be the most opportune moment to end your Rice career, we know that if anyone can succeed in what CNN calls "The Worst Year to Graduate," it is you guys.

Summer time, when the weather is fine

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

That's all, folks. The Thresher is closing up shop, shut¬tering the shades and tossing out all the trash littering the office. Summer is here, and we're done. Well, for a couple weeks, at least. Fingers crossed, a road trip to Omaha will be in our future, watching the baseball team battle in its fourth consecutive College World Series.

This Week's Editorial Cartoon

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

For a higher resolution version of this week's cartoon, click on the image above.

Letters to the Editor

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Online comments of the week In response to "Miley's latest flick is 'Best of Both Worlds'" (April 17): I've gotta say I've been pretty disappointed with Thresher movie reviews this year. Between the guy who reviews B-movies and spends more time showing off how funny he thinks he is instead of review¬ing movies and this girl who only watches movies about ponies, there's not a consistent or logical voice among any of them.