Letter to the Editor: Encouraging humanities requires attention before and after admission
At the heart of the problem is the shrinkage in the overall number of self-described humanities applicants.
At the heart of the problem is the shrinkage in the overall number of self-described humanities applicants.
Expecting the Career Expo to be the start and finish of a job/internship search is a major mistake for any student, regardless of major.
We were disheartened by President Trump’s decision to rescind the Obama administration’s immigration policy known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
For some, the Expo no doubt provides an avenue toward jobs. For others, however, most often humanities and social sciences majors, it doesn’t offer much of a way forward.
Yes, Rice is known for biological sciences and engineering, but we cannot truly claim to be one of the preeminent national universities if we focus so heavily on technical disciplines.
Supporting the arts on campus isn’t as simple as decorating light poles.
People are concerned for their environment when a hurricane destroys it, but will not change their way of living to protect themselves from the same damage in the future.
Rice’s campus was lucky to be largely unharmed due to Hurricane Harvey. Thanks to the administration’s careful planning, students were safe and well-fed despite the storm. The crisis management team’s updates provided a constant flow of information and Housing and Dining supplied on-campus students with plenty of food. Facilities and Engineering made sure buildings were safe before reopening them and fixed any problems they found.
Rice is a bubble — most students here will attest to that. I don’t think it’s ever been more true than in this last week.
Over the last week, more than 2,000 Rice students, faculty and staff signed up to help rebuild the city we all call home through the Rice Harvey Action Team collaborative. They have volunteered nearly 8,000 hours, waking up before the sun rises and working long after it goes down. The Rice community’s sense of civic duty has been inspiring to everyone; however, we can and should ask more of each other.
I am writing this because I was once a confused and concerned member of the Rice student body, wondering what I could possibly do to help the social injustice happening both in my city but also hundreds of miles away — like in Charlottesville.
The 2013 bombings did not rob the city of its spirit. It reinforced what it meant to be a Bostonian, and it ignited a sense of pride and togetherness that we never truly had before. If the heroic efforts of Houstonians are any indication, Harvey will do the same to Houston. Yes, it will take time to rebuild and heal. But when that happens — and believe me, it will — Houston will be stronger than ever before. In your face, Harvey.
We’ve come to the role of editor-in-chief through different paths — Drew as a news writer and editor, Juan as the paper’s business manager and a sports writer — but we share a common goal. From documenting day-to-day student life to investigating the most serious issues on our campus, we seek to provide an unbiased lens into the Rice community.
This year we are reminded once more that we don’t live in a bubble here at Rice, and that external events — good and bad — have an impact on our community. On Monday morning, I sent a letter to the campus community conveying some thoughts on the outrageous and tragic events in Charlottesville. I placed it in the context of our own values, and the importance of both our commitment to those values, and for taking responsibility for living those values.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the SA, we are the campus-wide student government organization that collaborates with students, administrators and the colleges to represent your interests to the faculty, administration and external organizations. Our mission is to enrich the undergraduate experience by engaging, inspiring and advocating for all Rice undergraduate students.
This May, 62 percent of ExxonMobil shareholders voted in favor of the company reporting the impacts of climate change on its business. In 2016, shareholders of Fluor, a major global engineering firm with over $19 billion in annual revenue, voted to require the company to formally report all of its political contributions. Yet, due to the $5 billion Rice University endowment’s sole focus on investment-picking, had it been an investor in either of these companies, it would have abstained from these votes, a de facto vote against these proxy resolutions for positive social change.
While I applaud the Student Association’s efforts to “encourage engagement beyond the hedges,” providing full access to The New York Times for free may not be the best way to effect change on the levels of student engagement with the wider world.