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In theThresher's first advice endeavor in years, Denver Greene, a Brown College senior, will attempt to answer your questions and quandaries, both Rice-specific and otherwise.Dear Denver,
With the fireworks settled and the students all moved in, the kinks of McMurtry College and Duncan College are now coming out of the woodwork. Clogged pods, busted sinks and a lack of cell phone service are not the way administration and construction officials planned to welcome the two new colleges, but that is the way that they have now entered the college system (see story, page 1).We are not here to lay the blame on any one group or organization; with so many players involved, there is shared fault, just as there is shared accomplishment in overcoming tragedy, a devastating hurricane and financial downturn to see McMurtry and Duncan rise in time for the 2009-10 school year. Even if we tried to, we could not disentangle the many projects and ideas which were both proposed and snuffed out before the McMurtrians and Duncaroos entered the Rice community.
Hurricane Ike ravaged Rice's campus last September, cancelling and disrupting our livelihoods. This year, the weather has remained calm, but another storm seems to be brewing: H1N1. As such, we are prodding each of you to get a flu shot this year (see "Online only: Health services advises for flu shot," ricethresher.org). The process is simple, cheap and quick, and while the virus may not uproot any trees, there's no promise it won't cause more harm than Ike.
As part of the Vision for the Second Century, President David Leebron recommended the addition of creative, memorable and impressive art onto Rice's campus, a way of expanding the aesthetic and vibrant aspects of a campus that is relatively lacking, at least compared to peer institutions. Now, with the donation from Suzanne Booth (Hanszen '77), this part of the V2C will see its first major thrust (see story, page 9).Since design specifications are not yet available, we cannot fully throw our weight behind the proposed skyspace. However, from the descriptions made available, we are thoroughly enamored with imagining watching the LED light shows as the Houston sun sets behind Fondren library. James Turrell is a highly-accomplished artist, and we are thrilled that he has selected Rice as his next canvas.
It's been nearly four years since President David Leebron first unveiled his plans to bring a pair of new colleges into Rice's fold. It's been two years since students first began noticing the signs of construction, from the green fences to the towering cranes. It's been a year since we first began seeing the skeleton of the structures thrown up, beam by beam, mortar and brick and wood alike.At long last, five days ago, McMurtry and Duncan Colleges finally opened their doors to their first classes and began their first foray into the incomparable Rice college system (see story, page 11). They represent the spearhead of Leebron's Vision for the Second Century, a plan to expand Rice's girth and reputation. Sure, there's a tent outside McMurtry that tends to leak when the sprinklers are a bit too strong. And yes, Duncan may have a couple other projects awaiting construction - namely, a servery, but also a fountain (that will hopefully not spray over McMurtry's tent).
The deal Rice and H-E-B have crafted, allowing H-E-B employees to park for free on West Lot, may seem strange at first glance (see story, page 4). Rice seems to be reaping no benefit out of the agreement - had the university installed an H-E-B olive bar in the Rice Memorial Center, the deal may seem more even-handed.One day, Rice may see a return on this display of kindness. But if that day never comes, we won't mind. The area where H-E-B employees park are often empty, and never full, thus negating any impact the H-E-B employees may produce. Rice is simply helping a neighborhood business, during a time in which economic times are harsh all around. Any little bit can help, and Rice's generosity should be commended.
With last week's commencement, we see another crop of young minds exit the Sallyport and begin their post-college years (see story, pages 8-9). Thus, congratulations are in order. While it may not be the most opportune moment to end your Rice career, we know that if anyone can succeed in what CNN calls "The Worst Year to Graduate," it is you guys. You slogged through years of cumbersome construction, made your teachers swoon with your performance (we hope they didn't swoon too much, though - see story, page 1) and rode the Todd Graham roller coaster to its infuriating end, only to see Rice reach even greater heights at this year's Texas Bowl. Your time at Rice, these so-called "greatest days of your lives," will always be with you. You will always have a home within the hedges, and we couldn't be more excited to see you take your first steps into the world.
Not long ago, the television show South Park lampooned the recent spate of teacher-student relationships plaguing the nation. But instead of the stereotypical male teacher-female student power dichotomy, South Park showed that the headlines were dominated by female teachers, juxtaposing this illegal relationship with the hypocrisy with which society tends to view it.Ignoring crudeness for a moment, South Park was on to something. The relations between teachers and students - almost always improper and, according to law, non consensual - is no longer relegated to creepy older men, and has become all-too-prominent in our society.
That's all, folks. The Thresher is closing up shop, shuttering the shades and tossing out all the trash littering the office. Summer is here, and we're done.Well, for a couple weeks, at least. Fingers crossed, a road trip to Omaha will be in our future, watching the baseball team battle in its fourth consecutive College World Series. We may not have home advantage during the Super Regionals (thank you, University of Central Florida), but an 11-6 road record should keep us in the running for another National Championship.
The Thresher has a new policy: If any individual, group or organization wishes to donate at least $4.6 million to us, we will put their names and logos on the front page. After all, what would be better than honoring them in the place that people see most often?Such is the thinking behind the new project to honor Rice's major donors (see letters, page 2). As you can see, people are up in arms over the proposed design - concentric ellipses surrounding Willy's statue in the academic quadrangle. And since we aren't allowed to sign our names to those letters, we will express our resentment to this proposed plan with an editorial.
Houston has had its fair share of gun violence over the years, but Rice, a hedge-lined bubble, has provided students an aura of safety for years on end. But this doesn't just come from the lack of law-breaking denizens calling Rice home. Much of the safety we've come to take for granted stems from the university's desire to check concealed weapons at the door, disallowing unseen weaponry from entering the campus.But if the Texas legislature decides to pass HB 1893, a bill that would allow concealed weapons on campus, all that may change (see story, page 1), and change for the worse.
Not long ago, a member of the Rice staff had been violently assaulted and the perpetrator, a man with a clear description, was on the lam, putting the entire Rice campus at risk for another attack. We wrote - nay, pleaded - with the Rice University Police Department to properly implement and utilize the Emergency Alert System that was put into place almost two years ago ("Safety measures need revamping," Jan. 30). We asked RUPD to alert us whenever the information was pertinent to our safety and well-being. We didn't mind having our inbox full or text messages eaten up, so long as the information sent kept us free from harm and our belongings safe at hand.After all, that's what the system was created for. And while we were eventually alerted of the assault, the details of the situation escaped in an infuriating trickle.
If you're reading this right now, it means that we're unhappy - 30Nights is still cancelled (see story, page 6). What was shaping up to be a great Wednesday night - senioritis-laced seniors mixed with Element is always a good concoction - has now turned into another typical, paper-churning slog. Yes, we're complaining, and here's why:30Nights, with its marketing blitz and higher sales of tickets, was set to go off without a hitch. People were excited about this party, and rightfully so. In a week that people needed to blow off steam, the team behind the party's planning was doing an excellent job, and with an expected 350 attendees - 200 pre-sold and 150 more expected, according to an e-mail - the club Element was due to be hoppin'.
In the March 27 article "Bikes-for-cars for grad students," the Thresher incorrectly stated that the retail prices of the Giant Boulder-brand bicycles sold to the Rice Village Apartments retail for $735. They actually retail for $330. The Thresher regrets the error.
The relations between the faculty and the Student Association, already significantly improved under the previous two administrations, look to be getting another boost. With the recent appointment of the SA president to the University Council, the students will have yet another conduit of communication between ourselves and the faculty and administration (see story, page 1).While the position is not new, it has certainly seemed to be lacking within the last few years, so much so that the position has lost almost any credence whatsoever with the student body. President David Leebron's office hours have seemed to negate any necessity for the University Council.
Since the Thresher's main mode of communication still takes place via dead trees, it may seem a touch ironic that we would espouse the Rice Graduate Apartments' attempt to go green (see story, page 1). With the installation of the bikes-for-cars program, Rice has taken the environmental ball and run with it, all the way to a sustainable future.The meat of the program is commendable - trading cars for bikes will eliminate both congestion and carbon emissions - but a few details need to be tweaked in order for this program to reach its fullest potential. First, the cost of the bikes, $750, is an exorbitant amount. As we are all aware, we are in the midst of the Great Recession, meaning that any inordinate expenditures should be axed before they reach their final stages. While we understand that the bikes are LEED certified, there are times when you must make sacrifices for the health of the pocketbook. If you halve the price tag of these bikes, you will still receive a quality bicycle and double your potential consumer base. You could even consider giving the tenants a voucher for a bicycle instead of selecting one for them, although that may limit discounts.
We would like to extend our congratulations to a pair of very deserving staples of the Rice campus. The first is Wayne Graham, the unofficial leader of the Rice campus. Where Graham goes we follow - all the way to 800 wins.Secondly, we would like to extend our congratulations to Rice's Emergency Medical Services program for its fourth service excellence award. We cannot begin to express all of our gratitude for the services REMS perform, from hand-making splints to easing our bodily qualms to providing pop quizzes about the current president. They make Rice that much safer, and for that we are indebted.
There are no Rice traditions that compare to Beer Bike. Not Rice baseball, not O-Week and most definitely not pumpkin grades. Thus, you will understand why we are more than a tad perturbed that the planners of this year's Beer Bike have changed the format of this year's parade, limiting all colleges to only one truck (see story, page 5). We take exception to this decree, made without student vote and with little student consent outside of each college's coordinators, for a multitude of reasons. First, and perhaps foremost, is the reasoning that the restriction of trucks will somehow prepare students and coordinators for the pending arrival of two new colleges. This reasoning is flawed - how will imposing restrictions on this year's students prepare them, or the coordinators, for the addition of Duncan and McMurtry? How will fewer trucks ready us for next year's increase? The only reason that this may help us is that coordinators will have to deal only with finding one truck, which may have been a planned imposition for next year, as Duncan and McMurtry, the two largest colleges, would, most likely, have filled the most trucks with those plastic pellets of pain. (Or, for the pessimistic, Duncan and McMurtry could possibly lack the college cohesiveness that necessitates the filling of balloons, putting them at an obvious disadvantage, but we digress).
If you can read this staff editorial, then you will understand why we cannot help but laugh at the "red light" the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has given Rice for the university's free speech policy (see story, page 1). As an organization that deals solely in media, we at the Thresher believe we are in the perfect position to chide FIRE for giving Rice the worst possible rating. FIRE is an organization that, for all intents and purposes, seems to lack credibility as a watchdog organization. We strain to believe that Harvard University, Emory University, Stanford University and the University of Chicago could join Rice in the "red light" category, while Southern Methodist University earns a "yellow light."
In the Feb. 27 issue, a graphic on page 8 mistakenly listed Jackie Ammons, Kelsey Zottnick and Andrew McElroy Patterson as Honor Council winners in their respective years. However, Honor Council Representatives are not selected based on the one with the highest votes. The elections were uncontested and allowed for multiple winners. The Thresher regrets the error.
