News in brief
College Way closureStarting last Wednesday, College Way in front of Autry Court began a daily scheduled 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. closure. The street will reopen next Tuesday. Construction crews are building a man hole and tying in new storm lines, Facilities Service Center Supervisor Eugene Kettlewell said in an e-mail last Friday.
He said sidewalks will remain open for pedestrian traffic and Lab Road, which lies between Entrance 18 and Alumni Drive, will become a two-way street with firemen directing vehicular traffic.
After 5 p.m. each day, when College Way temporarily reopens, Lab Road will again become a one-way street.
-Sarah Rutledge
New dean of sciences search
Dean of Natural Sciences Kathleen Matthews will be leaving her position in June.
A committee consisting of faculty, students, staff and a member from the Board of Trustees was formed last year, Provost Eugene Levy said in an e-mail Tuesday. He said the committee has not yet found a new dean to replace Matthews. Levy said he can not provide additional information on the selection process and that confidentiality will be maintained among those interested in the position. Assistant to the Provost Colleen Morimoto declined to comment further on the situation.
-Sarah Rutledge
Martel pipe bursts
Contractors hired by Housing and Dining to do work on the showers at Martel College broke a pipe Thursday morning on the east corner of the college, flooding water from the fourth floor to the third floor ceilings and walls, Frank Rodriguez, H&D Facilities Director, said.
Martel College junior Mike Benza, who lived in the room below the pipe break, said the water flowed through his ceiling, though he was able to move his belongings out of the way before they were damaged.
"The ceiling next door is completely saturated with water," Benza said. "I called [H&D] because I couldn't control it."
Benza speculated that the structural damage was extensive enough to require H&D to replace numerous walls and ceilings.
H&D temporarily shut off the water to Martel to repair the pipe, and emphasize that their liability was limited.
"The university is not responsible for things that happen in regards to accidents like pipes bursting," Rodriguez said.
-Catherine Bratic
More from The Rice Thresher
First-ever election block party draws crowds
A line stretched across the academic quad this Election Day. In contrast to previous years, however, the line was not for voting at the Sewall Hall polling location — it was for the first-ever election block party hosted by the Center for Civic Engagement. The event aimed to encourage student voting and engagement in politics, complete with a bouncy castle, free food and a DJ.
Students pack Sid Richardson to watch election results
Around 200 students crowded into the Sid Richardson College commons Tuesday evening, where voting results played out on the commons’ screen. As Massachusetts turned blue, a loud cheer erupted throughout the room.
Waits drop after morning voters crowd Sewall polling place
On Tuesday, 1,094 voters flocked to Rice’s Welcome Center to cast their ballots in the presidential, state and local elections. Wait times climbed to an hour shortly after the polling center’s doors opened at 7 a.m., with many hoping to beat the crowds during Rice’s first-ever non-instructional Election Day. The lines calmed down around noon, when students began congregating in the academic quad for the election block party.
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