New RPC committees increase efficiency

By Staff Editorial     10/29/09 7:00pm

The Thresher has a long, tumultuous history with the Rice Program Council. They plan events, we complain about them, the animosity continues. Last week's staff editorial notwithstanding ("Esperanza planning proves problematic," Oct. 23), however, we've had generally good things to say about RPC in the past year. Last year, they booked a big-name band, The National, for Homecoming, and Ben Kweller for Willy Week, and the on-campus Esperanza impressed even the sharpest of critics. Forget about last year's Rondelet, and RPC seems to be getting better each year.As such, we feel that RPC's idea to step up accessibility is well-founded (see story, page 1). While club membership in previous years may have been somewhat limited, this year's application process allowed interested students the opportunity to join any of the committees. Since our blanket tax monies fund the club, it only makes sense that RPC publicize their organization more and that students, especially underclassmen, get involved.

While freshmen dominated most of the RPC applications, upperclassmen didn't appear quite as interested. We wonder if some of these bright-eyed freshmen may drop off the radar after that first big chemistry test, but in a few years, provided they're still in RPC, they could be a solid, knowledgeable group.

The decision to compartmentalize RPC's tasks by reorganizing its committees is a solid one. While it's too early to examine the effects these changes will bring, having a focused group handle one task at a time may ensure better-planned, more enjoyable events.

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And, hopefully, keep us from complaining too regularly.

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