Endorsement for Beer Bike tax increase

By Staff Editorial     3/13/12 7:00pm

This year, the Beer Bike blanket tax has been proposed to double in cost from $5 to $10. While at first this may seem like a jarring amount to charge students, this change will help Beer Bike attend to its annual budget deficits. The proposal needs 20 percent of the student population to participate in the vote and a two-thirds majority vote in its favor for it to pass. The Thresher endorses the proposed increase in tax and encourages students to vote in its favor.

In the past few years, Beer Bike has operated with a very high budget deficit and has frequently had to pull from its emergency fund to compensate for major expenses. The Beer Bike coordinators often had to obtain bleachers for the races with the knowledge that they could not pay for them out of that year's budget. The amount of deficit puts a horrendous amount of stress on coordinators every year when trying to provide the best experience for students.

The reality is that Beer Bike will not be able to continue its traditions in the future with ever-growing costs. It has exhausted its funds and is in desperate need of financial help. While sponsors have been approached, many do not want to have the word "beer" associated with their company. Also, students need to realize that Beer Bike must not attain a public status, as that could catch the attention of unfriendly outsiders.

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The Thresher asks students to consider voting for the proposal and helping out a Rice tradition that for years has provided the campus with joy.

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