Administration should listen to student voices
Amid a flurry of RSVPs, the Student Association claimed on their Facebook event for the CUC protest that the Faculty Senate will “likely approve” the widely contested credit hour limit proposal. While how the Faculty Senate intends to vote has not been confirmed, the fierce student opposition to the CUC’s proposal makes it perfectly clear that if the administration cares at all about our voices, they will vote “no.”
700 students (and counting) have expressed either interest or commitment to the SA’s sit-in protest event on Facebook, and 87 percent of respondents in an SA survey have opposed the proposal. If the Faculty Senate votes to approve the credit hour limits, it will be one of the most blatant confirmations of everything that many Rice students may have already suspected: The administration does not care about our voices.
The SA’s response to the proposal has been an example of good leadership. Not only did the SA gather students’ responses through surveys, but they also gave a thorough presentation during a Senate meeting outlining student concerns as well as other alternatives to solve the issue at hand. That the Faculty Senate has moved to vote so quickly feels likes deception, and that other possible alternatives were ignored.
What is the point of conducting surveys across residential colleges to gauge student opinion if student opinion holds no weight? Why do we act as though the Student Senate has any form of oversight? Why does the SA bother to provide suggestions for alternatives when ultimately, these options are ignored in favor of the original, highly unpopular proposal?
A vote by the Faculty Senate to approve this proposal is a slap in the face to the many students who have voiced their legitimate concerns, and will shatter any remaining illusion that Rice students have a say in their education.
More from The Rice Thresher
Letter to the Editor: Pro-autonomy after Roe: what the life debate ignores
When “Pro-Life After Roe” was published in the Thresher, we were in the midst of finalizing a semester-long report on the state of reproductive rights in Texas. We had spent the day compiling firsthand accounts of the panic, pain and trauma produced by abortion bans. It felt necessary to address the guest opinion and confront the harms of abortion restrictions.
We should educate ourselves on Rice’s history
Rice’s 111-year history is marked by lots of positive impact — and plenty of harmful actions. William Marsh Rice, the university’s founder and namesake, was a slave owner, and from the school’s establishment as a free institution for only white students to Ku Klux Klan meetings occurring on Rice property, the connections to segregation and racial injustice cannot be denied.
Clinking glasses, not heads: Speakeasy Pub's winning formula
As Rice has been struggling for the past few weeks with our culture around alcohol and public gatherings, Speakeasy Pub last Thursday night has shown us that a safe, responsible and fun drinking environment is still very possible.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.