The 2012 Student Association General Election had its lowest turnout since 2002. The bleak 28 percent student participation portrays the undergraduate student body in the unflattering light of apathy, but the problem of low voter turnout lies with the SA as well.
The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy provides excellent opportunities to Rice students, including paid internships during the school year and the chance to discuss policy with prominent guest speakers. In the summer, the institute funds internships for a select group of students in Washington, D.C., or Paris, France. This semester, one of the institute's newest initiatives, the student-led Public Diplomacy & Global Policymaking in the 21st Century Program, is offering an even more incredible experience for 12 undergraduates: a weeklong trip to Qatar, where students will attend a conference with their counterparts in Education City.
Lovett College was filled with the smell of gasoline last week, forcing students to evacuate out of both fear and, in some cases, watering eyes (see story, pg. 1). The open grate in front of the college that connects directly to the buildings' ventilation system shed light on what is clearly a safety hazard.
The Thresher commends the implementation of a standardized process for establishing food representatives in each college. Currently, the colleges have varying numbers of food reps who often have different jobs. Now, each college will have one food rep who is an elected cabinet member (see story, pg. 1).
Last week, Americans were exposed to the horrible fact that college students engage in illegal activities while on campus. Even worse, football players commit the same sorts of crimes that the general student population does. Who knew?
Rice University is known for offering the best quality of life to its undergraduate students. Students admitted to Rice pay up to $34,900 on tuition and about $12,000 on room and board annually. While Rice has upheld its standard of living in most colleges across campus, some of the older colleges are severely lacking, namely Hanszen College.
The player rushes forward, the ball tucked securely under his arm as he bolts towards the hoop, seeing an opening. The opposing team is catching up with him, and he barely manages to avoid a tackle when out of nowhere, another ball comes flying toward him. It hits him squarely in the arm and he skids to a stop, groaning as he is forced to drop the ball and go back to his own goal to tag back in; luckily, his teammate is ready, and she scoops the ball up before the goalkeeper can get his hands on it. All that's left now is a clever spin out and a good arm to get the ball in the hoop, scoring her team 10 points before a yellow-clad player comes cartwheeling onto the pitch.
After more than a year-long attempt to switch from Rice Webmail to Gmail, Information Technology and Google have finally signed a contract, meaning Rice students will begin using Gmail next semester (See story, pg. 1). University administrators decided to switch to Gmail because of student interest and the perceived usefulness of the Google applications associated with Gmail, such as Google Documents.
The Lifetime Physical Participation Activity Program has proved itself to be about as inefficient as its burdensome name. Fortunately, some much-needed change is forthcoming to the program (See story, pg. 1). Four proposals have been offered to the student body to vote upon, and these ideas range from abolishing the program to maintaining the status quo.
Until recently, the system for housing on campus had no uniform policy regarding co-ed living on campus (See story, pg. 6). Students had to appeal to their masters and parents for approval. Fortunately, the Committee of Masters and Presidents has approved a campus wide initiative to institute a uniform policy of gender-neutral housing. This policy will put the power of choice with the student population, letting them choose with whom they will be more comfortable with. While the Thresher supports this new policy, we urge students to exercise this right judicially, as with any roommate. College relationships are in no way set in stone, and choosing to room with someone you are dating could lead to disastrous results.
The SA election does not simply concern elected positions; there is also an important amendment that Rice students can vote on. One of these concerns the University Court requirements for office. As the rules currently stand, a U-Court judge can also sit on a college court. This inherently creates conflict of interests if U-Court heard a case from college court on its appellate jurisdiction, especially if the student
Who knew Rice's Internet student services needed to be improved? It turns out, most of us are painfully aware of this fact every day. Faced with the necessary tasks of checking email, registering for classes or checking on our homework, most Rice students access the Internet on an hourly basis. Computers and the Internet have become a fundamental part of our daily lives and our academic experience. From the Common Application to applying for graduation, our time at Rice consists of a significant online component. While our university has made significant strides in many domains over the past few years, through new buildings, initiatives and research discoveries, it feels as though we have seriously stagnated in terms of our Information Technology. While we may be attending Rice in the year 2012, core online elements of our educational experience remain behind the times.
