Meet the new college presidents

2/14/13 6:00pm

In the past few weeks, students all across campus cast their ballots to elect the newest crop of residential college presidents. Now's your chance to learn more about these new leaders and their thoughts about key issues like their presidential goals, the alcohol policy and their favorite traditions. 

 1. How do you plan to help your college respond to any potential changes to the alcohol policy? 

 2. What are 3 things you would like to accomplish as president? 

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 3. What is your favorite tradition at your college? 

 

Adrian Yao/Baker College

1. Baker's culture is not dependent on the types of alcohol we drink, nor is it dependent on irresponsible behavior, and I am confident we are all mature enough to be able to handle the changes to the alcohol policy without jeopardizing our culture. We just all need to know that- and I plan to help us realize the strength in our community. 

2. The first and most important goal I would like to accomplish is to redefine Baker pride as pride not just in the college history, but also in our current community and its members as a whole. I would also like to bring the power to shape the culture and history of our college to every Bakerite, so that everyone can leave knowing they personally contributed to making this college better. Finally, part of this presidency is going to be known for the implementation of the new alcohol policy, so I would like to make this transition as safe and with as much student buy-in as possible. 

3. My all-time favorite Baker tradition is the freshman camping trip because of the way it brings an entire class together, while also celebrating Baker pride for the upperclassmen. The freshman camping trip is when the freshman class camps somewhere outside of Houston on one Friday night in November and comes back to Baker the next morning with a Christmas tree that the freshmen found, chopped down and hauled back. It is then a spectacle for the upperclassmen to watch them struggle with setting the tree up in the commons while rekindling freshman-year nostalgia. It's kinda cute. 

Won He Lee/Will Rice College

1. The best way to respond to any change that may occur is to try to understand the reasoning behind why parts of the alcohol policy were changed. It's easy to stand from the outside and criticize changes that may not make much sense, but there was a long thought process that went behind each decision. Knowing what that reasoning is makes it much easier to accept why these changes need to happen. Clearly articulating these reasons and making Will Ricers understand them will hopefully ease the transition that the drinking culture at Will Rice will go through. 

2. 1. I really want to strengthen the community at Will Rice even more. Our college is already really tight-knit, but there's always space for improvement. 2. Empower the underclassmen to step up and serve the college. They're the next generation who are going to keep our college burning with the spirit of the Phoenix. 3. Sweep Beer Bike. 

3. My favorite tradition is Keg in the Quad. Every other Friday or so, we put a keg out in the quad along with non-alcoholic drinks and food so people can come out to relax and celebrate the start of the weekend. People chitchat on the benches, throw a football around and eat good food, and the atmosphere is super chill. It is the best way to start the weekend and hang out with your friends. 

Caroline Gutierrez/Hanszen College

1. As we are in this waiting period to hear of any concrete changes to the Rice alcohol policy, it is crucial that we take time to reflect on our college-specific and campuswide drinking cultures to determine best practices to carry into this transition period. As Hanszen president, I see my role in this situation being two-fold: 1) being able to communicate the expectations and reasoning behind the decisions of the Rice administration to Hanszenites, and 2) actively taking part in the reshaping of the drinking culture at Hanszen according to the new policy, whether that means overseeing healthy drinking events or even facilitating discussions to ensure that healthy drinking habits are promoted within all classes and that these healthy habits remain apart of Hanszen's drinking culture. 

2. As Hanszen president, I am hoping to: 1. continue to cultivate a family community at Hanszen, 2. re-evaluate and rediscover the purpose in our traditions, rather than just go along with them because they are what's always been done, and 3. act as a liaison to help Hanszenites better the Rice campus. 

3. My favorite Hanszen tradition is Crane Day. After being required to evacuate Hanszen New Section during the construction of new Wiess, Hanszenites made the best of a bad situation, got a keg and threw a party in the quad. We now pay tribute to this great day every February- it is much like a college night, but it's my favorite tradition because it proves that older residential colleges can still develop new traditions. 

Bernard Miller/Wiess College

 1. As president, I will ensure there is a clear understanding of our new expectations by communicating the changes to Wiessmen. Also, I will work with other Wiessmen to explore ways to maintain our culture and traditions in a way that complies with the alcohol policy changes. Finally, I will support the Wiess chief justice and other members of our college court system in appropriately enforcing the new changes in the alcohol policy. 

2. 1. Empower more Wiessmen to creatively engage in, take ownership of and find ways to improve our college. 2. Find opportunities to improve the social cohesion at Wiess. 3. Ensure that our college culture and traditions transition smoothly into any changes in the alcohol policy. 

3. My favorite tradition is the Ubangee. The Ubangee is the ultimate expression of Wiess love and is something that every Rice student should experience before graduation. 

Connor Hoppe/Jones College

1. I plan to help the drinking culture at Jones respond to any potential changes in the alcohol policy by doing my best to serve as a bridge between the administration and the student body. Many misunderstandings are created by the fact that the students aren't aware of the reasoning behind decisions from the administration or the administration simply isn't able to adequately see things from the student point of view because, well... it's been a long time since many of them have been in our shoes. My hope is that by taking the time to gain a full understanding of both points of view, regardless of whether they are at odds with each other or not, I can convey this information and bring both sides a bit closer to understanding each other. 

2. 1. Improving history-keeping at Jones, 2. engaging off-campus students better and 3. reclaiming the Martel parking lot. Jones is severely lacking in terms of consistent history-keeping; I'd like to empower our historian to be more than a photographer, work with the Woodson Research Center and use existing relationships with them to improve our archives, and set up a sustainable system that will ensure better history-keeping for the foreseeable future. Currently, we have very little programming for OC students, something which can be rectified by working with the OC floor rep and subsidizing more meals on a regular basis. Finally, some years back we lost our precious parking spaces to the construction of Martel dormitory. I would like to reclaim those spots by whatever means necessary. 

3. My favorite Jones tradition is the annual Christmas party. The Jones Christmas party is held on the last day of classes in the fall right before study days begin. Generally, the last week of classes is one of the most stressful times of the year, many would argue even more stressful than finals period itself. During the rest of the semester, regardless of if it's the weekend or a short break, we all still have the thought of some work that we should be doing hanging over our heads. However, for that brief night between the last week of classes and buckling down to start studying for finals, we can all take some time to truly enjoy ourselves and forget about classes for once. 

John Muller/Brown College

1. If changes do take place, I want to be open and honest with Brown about how our drinking culture and the expectations associated with it will change. I also want to engage both drinkers and nondrinkers in these changes since the college drinking culture affects everyone who lives at Brown, not just those who imbibe. 

2. As president, one thing I'd like to focus on is continuing to bridge the gap between the SA and the colleges. Additionally, I'd like to increase the number of collaborative college events such as shared pub nights, college nights and Friday quad events. Most importantly, at Brown, I want to make sure we have a smooth transition going into next year. Besides having to worry about accommodating any potential changes to the alcohol policy, Brown will also be getting new masters next year, and I want to ensure that their time as masters gets off to a good start. 

3. My favorite tradition would have to be Brown Day. It's an event that happens in our quad at the end of the spring semester that allows everyone from Brown to unwind before finals and to enjoy being a part of Brown. 

Danny Cohen/Lovett College

1. I, the chief justice, and all of the Central Committee will have a uniform strategy of enforcement that is fair and publicly communicated to all Lovetteers so that no one is confused about or unaware of the expectations that we, as a college, set. Everyone on the Central Committee will embody this principle and will always be open to feedback and recommendations from Lovetteers. The key is to encourage safe, responsible social behavior and to encourage Lovetteers to discourage each other and guests of Lovett from making poor decisions. Everyone should model the appropriate behavior that we want at Lovett and keep each other accountable through informal and formal mechanisms. 

2. 1. Increase Lovett bonding and freshman class unity through the expansion of the Lovett new student representative's role. 2. Increase intercollegiate interactions to improve intercollegiate relationships by increasing the number of jointly coordinated events by the colleges and providing more opportunities for Rice students to interact through their colleges with other colleges. 3. Ensure a smooth and safe transition to the new alcohol policy. 

3. Although new, Lovett's tradition of dominating powderpuff is my favorite tradition because it is one of the few times when everyone from the college, drinkers and nondrinkers alike and all other socially divided groups, come together to support each other. Everyone cheers on our awesome ladies and shows their pride for Lovett. It also proves that, as our cheer says, "We are the best college." 

Caitlin Devereaux/Sid Richardson College

1. It's difficult to know what my exact response will be since the alcohol policy changes have not yet been officially decided. In general, I would like to promote healthy and responsible drinking habits, such as continuing to encourage social drinking rather than secretive or more dangerous behaviors. Some traditions may have to be redesigned in response to policy changes, and my hope is that we can come up with ways to organize these events so that they are still fulfilling and fun. I don't want Sidizens to feel the loss of any positive or social aspects of our drinking culture, even if the alcohol policy changes what can be consumed at these gatherings. 

2. My primary goal is to spend a lot of time listening to my college. Along those lines, my second goal is to provide support and guidance to Sidizens who have great new ideas or programs they would like to implement within the college. My third goal is to faithfully represent the interests of my college to the campuswide community, whether that be in SA meetings, in conversations with members of the administration or just among the other presidents. All in all, I hope these three goals come together to create a Sid community that feels happy, welcomed and cared for. 

3. There's nothing quite like getting out of class at 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon and walking back through the grove to the sounds of Radio Free Sid, particularly Back in Black. To me, that always signals the start of a great weekend. Although, I do admit to owning a necklace of plastic baby heads, and the Orc Raid is another Sid tradition that holds a special place in my heart. 

Izzy Spanswick/Martel College

1. I think it is important that Martel fully understands any new changes that are implemented. I will be working closely with and supporting my awesome chief justice to make sure problem areas are looked at closely and a suitable solution is reached. With a thorough understanding of what the changes are and why they were made, I believe my college will be able to adapt well to the new rules. 

2. 1. I want to work with my new prime minister to improve committees. We have quite a few committees that all put on amazing events at Martel, but I want to see more collaboration between these groups and more involvement from the college. 2. I want to improve public spaces at Martel- we definitely have the best facilities on campus, and every area of Martel should be at the same high level. 3. I want to increase Martel involvement with athletics. We have a bunch of talented athletes at Martel, and I want to get the rest of the college excited to get out there to support them. 

3. Martel Matriculation: While the Rice Matriculation welcomes all new students to the Rice community, our matriculation welcomes new Martelians to the family. Martel Matriculation truly generates a sense of comfort, security and caring among the new students and helps foster the sense of family that permeates throughout all of our college. 

Mason Sanders/McMurtry College

1. I do not see it as my job to change the drinking culture of a college. That's up to the members. I hope that McMurtry can be a place that takes pride in its community standards, and I hope to reinforce that McMurtry is an inclusive community that is welcoming to a wide range of students. 

2. I hope to truly serve as a representative of the whole of McMurtry. I feel like it's easy for a small, loud voice to be heard, but I want others to be able to contribute as they deserve. This is especially important with the restructuring within our McMinistry and the call for closer ties with the SA. 

3. I actually love that we don't have concrete traditions yet. Part of the beauty of being a young college is the privilege to make the traditions as we go. I think tradition is a pretty organic process, and Rice students are pretty creative. I'll just say to look out for bananas at Beer Bike this year. 

Jeremy Scher/Duncan College

1. As president, I will engage the college leadership, adult team and community to determine how we can best align our culture to fit within the framework of current and future changes. 

2. I hope to highlight different forms of involvement, particularly those not requiring a formal position or title. As a president of a new college specifically, I hope to work with members of the community to standardize our positions and procedures to provide structural consistency. I also want to ensure that a wide range of opinions and perspectives are factored into the decisions made by our government. 

3. I personally love DuncTavern. When Duncan first began, we lacked the room in our budget to fund a pub night. As a result, we decided to utilize the Duncan Sundeck, and the event now provides a chance to socialize and enjoy each other's company with good food and music. 

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