Student Association Minutes
The following were noted at the most recent meeting of the Student Association on April 11.
A survey on what students hope to get out of the coming convenience store will be released soon by the student life committee.
Jones College freshman Joy Dai was appointed SA director of technology and Jones junior Vinny Singh was appointed SA historian for the 2011-2012 session.
The Drinking Culture Task Force presented the results of their student survey. 672 students responded, and the task force's members also spoke with college presidents, chief justices and socials as well as Rice University Police Department and Rice EMS.
According to the DCTF, the survey results suggested that: students consume hard liquor because it can be mixed in a variety of ways; transfer students feel that the wet campus increases safety; the lack of a greek life system at Rice reduces binge drinking, though varying opinions were present on whether more or less drinking occurs at Rice on the whole; students feel RUPD officer discretion is unpredictable and students and chief justices have less interaction with RUPD than they should; most students would call EMS for a friend if necessary but slightly fewer would want EMS called for them; students seem uneducated about when a transport might be necessary; 19 of 64 respondents who had been transported felt it had been unnecessary; underclassmen are more likely than upperclassmen to make use of the Rice Health Adviser system, though the task force believes that as the system becomes institutionalized this trend will disappear; parties need caregiver systems with a defined hierarchy; and 65% of students who drink punch at private parties associated with public parties do not know the alcohol content.
DCTF will make a further report and suggestions at the April 18 SA meeting, though their initial suggestions include to make UCourt effective by having college representatives to it, adding alcohol education to O-Week, having each college handle general alcohol education and creating a permanent committee to monitor alcohol usage and culture at Rice.
Coffeehouse General Manager Christine Cooper presented on Coffeehouse's planned expansion to the Kelley Lounge. Cooper said Coffeehouse's revenues amount to $250,000 a year and that expansion is necessary because the current space is too small to host all of the equipment necessary to expand business, current storage space is scattered, there is little seating, there is a desire to offer an expanded menu and to host more events. Coffeehouse will be paying 15% of the estimated $200,000 of expansion costs and Rice's Capital Improvement budget will be paying the remainder. Coffeehouse also paid $10,000 for a feasibility study and will pay up to $50,000 on new equipment.
Outgoing KTRU Station Manager Joey Yang and incoming KTRU Station Manager Kevin Bush spoke on the endowment being set up for KTRU with funds from the sale of the radio station's tower and broadcast frequency rights. Yang said KTRU wants to be the way music happens on campus and that the endowment will go primarily toward funding concerts.
SA President Georgia Lagoudas announced that she is keeping a blog of her experiences as SA president, which can be found at saprez.rice.edu.
The April 18 meeting will be the last of the semester, and the theme is ‘Favorite College Public Party.'
The SA will next meet at 9 p.m. in the Farnsworth Pavilion on April 18.
More from The Rice Thresher
Jones wins men’s and women’s Beer Bike races, GSA snags alumni
Jones College won both the women’s and men’s Beer Bike 2024 races, while the Graduate Student Association claimed the alumni team win. Hanszen College bike teams were the runner-up in the alumni and men’s races, while Brown College was the runner-up in the women’s race. Martel and McMurtry Colleges did not bike in the alumni race, according to the Rice Program Council’s final report, and the GSA was disqualified from the men’s race for accidentally sending out two bikers simultaneously.
Rice wraps up Conversations on the Middle East series, looks to fall semester
With the final session rescheduled to Wednesday April 17, the Conversations on the Middle East series is coming to a close.
Rice SJP hosts protest in response to S.RES 02 tabling
Rice Students for Justice in Palestine staged a walkout and protest in response to the tabling of S.RES 02, a resolution that proposed a divestment of student funds to Israel-aligned companies, outside the Allen Center, April 12. The protest occurred during Owl Days, when prospective students were touring the campus.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.