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(08/29/08 12:00am)
We set out to do some quick investigative reporting on the new south-campus steamy topic - the rocket-shaped cylinder protruding from the middle of old-Wiess field near the South Servery. You know what we are talking about - the 10-foot high pipe that blasts a white mushroom cloud of gas into the air just about every lunchtime. Is it poison? Is it radioactive waste? Is it a rocket ship manned by maniacal squirrels (see editorial cartoon)? A quick search for "construction" at www.rice.edu reveals that the cylinder is, in fact, an exhaust vent for the steam running through the newly-installed underground tunnel running to the South Plant. Workers are apparently testing the tunnel's integrity, and in order to do this, they have to release the built up steam so they can get inside.
(08/22/08 12:00am)
Some may think that college students do not need cars and that living on campus enables them to have access to most necessities. But who's to say when the urge to go exploring off campus will strike? There will be times when the sterile, dead atmosphere of Fondren Library just doesn't cut it as a late-night study spot; only the 24-hour Starbucks will do. There will be times when students want to go to Katz's at 3 a.m. to indulge in a smorgasbord of artery-clogging delights. And there will be times when students may simply want to go for a drive to clear their thoughts. For many students without cars or parking spots, these off-campus options had not been available to them. That is, until this year.With rental car system ZipCar available to students (See story, page 6), students will be able to rent a car for $7 per hour - with a $35 annual fee - to drive to their heart's content. The models available to students include a Toyota Prius and a Volvo S40, and there is one of each. Unfortunately, two cars for about 50 percent of carless undergraduates seems to be low, which could lead to some problems, especially if a student walks to Baker Lot only to find that neither the Prius nor the Volvo were there.
(08/22/08 12:00am)
While the Princeton Review recently ranked Rice number two in the best race/class interaction at a university (See story, page 1), the interaction amongst diverse groups does not always extend to athletes. Athletes have always been a somewhat isolated group from the rest of the student body. Because the practice times for many athletes, especially football players, typically coincides with many O-Week activities, there have been several O-Weeks in the past in which athletes were quarantined in gyms while their classmates were learning profane cheers or meeting people around campus. Perhaps as a result of this segregation during O-Week, some athletes never truly became integrated into the Rice culture. But Rice is taking a step forward with the appointment of Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development Suzanne Boué (See story, page 8).According to Boué, the athletic department has always had people working to help athletes become integrated with the university. But it's the creation of Boué's position that really shows that the athletic department is making a focused effort to help athletes become more involved at the university.
(08/22/08 12:00am)
Many of us have been following the case of former Rice student Matthew Wilson, who disappeared last December and was found Aug. 13, 2008 in Berkeley, Calif. (See story, page 1.) Wilson was recently charged with theft of University of California-Berkeley property, but the charges were dropped. At the moment, he has been placed in a mental hospital on suicide watch.With all the media coverage surrounding Wilson, it would be easy to spin every bit of minutae into an overblown media sensation, but the fact is that we don't yet know why Wilson dis-appeared, and until we learn the facts, all we can do is remem-ber that he once was, and still is to many of us, a fellow Rice student.
(03/21/08 12:00am)
At 6 p.m. last Friday, the athletics department announced to the public that Willis Wilson (Will Rice '82), men's basketball coach for 16 years, would not be retained by the university. (see story, page 1) There were not many people around when the news broke; on campus, people were either gone for the weekend, at Reckling Park watching the baseball game or glued to television screens watching the Houston Rockets going for 21 straight wins. There was no ceremony, no real press conference, no farewell party for the longest tenured coach in Rice history. The news was broken, and then it was gone.We feel this hushed and hurried showing of the door is an insult to one of the most loyal men ever to walk on Rice campus. He was a stellar student athlete and alum, and although he took a great deal of flak for his coaching results, his devotion to his job and players was visible to the entire Rice community. Wilson deserves more than standard treatment for a college coach parting ways with a university. He deserves a chance to be thanked by the students currently attending his alma mater and the fans for whom he loved coaching so much. He deserves more than what he got.
(03/21/08 12:00am)
After a long delay, and well after its usual fall semester timeline, Rice announced Tuesday that this year's commencement speaker will be former Rice president George Rupp (see story, page 1). While we know Rupp will provide an excellent speech and we appreciate the selection committee's decision to choose a familiar speaker, we feel that in the future the committee should focus on attracting people whose public notability has a wider reach. Certainly, former Rice presidents are active enough in the wider community to offer much poignant advice to graduates, but there is plenty to be said about choosing a speaker who is not necessarily "from the family," yet who can still deliver a Rice-relevant message.In addition, we hope next year's selection committee convenes earlier in the year. The most sought-after speakers receive invitations many months or even years in advance, and if Rice wants to give itself the best chance possible to land one of these people, it should not be one of the last schools to start looking.
(03/21/08 12:00am)
Will Rice Will Sweep . you off your bike, apparently. In a recent unregistered jack attempt, members of Will Rice College strung fishing wire across random paths across campus (see story, page 1). However, the prank turned into a much more serious affair when two students biked into the wires, injuring themselves.
