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(01/09/09 12:00am)
There's nothing easy, nothing fortunate and nothing guaranteed about the current recession.Nobody is unaffected, and nobody without responsibility. So when President David Leebron announces a hiring freeze (see story, page 1), we should not look at the plan as a surprise; rather, we should look at this stoppage as a necessary measure for Rice's fiscal survival during the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression.This freeze, the cessation of expansion, puts the campus's status as an elite institution at risk. On average, Rice hires 38 people per month, many of those heading into Housing and Dining and Facilities, Engineering and Planning to accelerate the university's recent growth. Now, you may not find yourself personally affected by the Big Chill, but that doesn't mean that the student body shouldn't chip in to carry us through the mire and muck of these times. Because many service resources will be stretched to the max, a greater burden of maintaining Rice's reputation and good order will fall on the student body's shoulders. It means that students should be more aware of the ramifications of their actions. When a night at Willy's Pub turns into a night of debacles, try to rein the destruction in a bit. Be aware of your surroundings, and keep the mayhem to a minimum.
(01/09/09 12:00am)
With all the attention recently on the economy, it may come as a surprise to hear that Rice is raising its no-loan threshold, giving higher-income families the opportunity to qualify for a financial aid package that does not include loans (see story, page 1). Taking its lead from Ivy League schools like Harvard and Yale, Rice decided last week to increase the annual income threshold from $60,000 to $80,000.Pardon us while we stand and applaud.
(01/09/09 12:00am)
This week, Wiess College senior Jeremy Caves showed off his scientific literacy, and in an magnificent showing with the rest of his research team, he won Houston's Recycle Ike contest by suggesting that the city turn the organic waste into Biochar (see story, page 1).While our lengthy stays in the newsroom and away from the lab prevent us from fully comprehending just how remarkable a process this truly is, we do know that by turning Ike's debris into buried carbon, Caves and his crew have taken one more step toward providing a good environment for all of Rice's generations.
(12/05/08 12:00am)
Probably everyone would agree that Rice's comprehensive alert system would be good for notifying students of impending natural disasters, campus closings and crimes in the surrounding neighborhoods. But what about the on-campus presence of a gun-wielding man fleeing the Rice University Police Department?We feel that when a man accused of physically assaulting his undergraduate girlfriend evades police custody by vaulting from the roof of Brown College (see story, page 7), students should be notified of his whereabouts, and we don't mean in an e-mail an hour later. Nevertheless, we are very appreciative that at least some college masters provided the electronic communication, considering others did not even bother with that limited notice.
(12/05/08 12:00am)
How is it that Stuyvesant High School can book This American Life radio show host Ira Glass for its commencement and Rice University cannot? We have a few ideas about this.Today, the Commencement Speaker Committee announced that the speaker for the 2009 Commencement will be Zainab Salbi, the founder and CEO of Women for Women International, an organization that helps female survivors of war to rebuild their lives through providing them financial assistance and education (see story, page 1). Though Salbi's father served as Saddam Hussein's personal pilot, Salbi herself is not associated with Hussein, as is evident from her body of humanitarian work.
(11/21/08 12:00am)
Recently, publications like The Financial Times, The Economist and U.S. News and World Report have ranked the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management as among the top 25 in the nation (see story, page 1).Compared to the lackluster numbers from previous years, these new rankings, which are measured based on the salaries of Rice MBA graduates, are considerably better and indicate that the Jones School must be doing something right.
(11/21/08 12:00am)
Last Thursday, Nov. 13, the Baker Institute staff arrived in the morning to find that 22 international flags had been stolenfrom the Centennial Campaign tent (see story, page 10). The flags, which were meant to be decorations for Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's speech later that afternoon, have still not been recovered.
(11/21/08 12:00am)
In last week's issue, the Thresher reported in "Esperanza gets record turnout" that the DJ for the formal was Lovett College sophomore Alex Marks. We did not realize that Lovett College junior Evan Gilmore also deejayed at the event. The Thresher regrets the error.
(11/21/08 12:00am)
Whoever thought of college night is an absolute genius - having an excuse to wear ridiculous costumes all day long is liberating and being able to drink in class feels so wrong, and yet so right. But just as we must temper our drinking so we don't die of alcohol poisoning, we must also temper our college nights so they don't fall victim to the same affliction. Because at this moment, college night is in danger.It started a few weeks ago when Jones College hosted its college night and many Jones students raided Professor Zhiyong Gao's classroom, wreaked general havoc and left a trail of destruction in their wake (See story, page 1). Now, there have been many a crazy college night, but in this case, students left so much debris behind that the custodian who cleaned class afterward became upset and alerted Gao, who filed a complaint with chair of the Math Department and Will Rice College Master Mike Wolfe. Consequently, Brown and Martel colleges hosted their college nights in their respective commons, allowing students to drink while their masters lectured on different topics.
(11/14/08 12:00am)
The big blue curtain is finally gone, and Tudor Fieldhouse has finally opened its renovated doors (see story, page 1).First and foremost, we would like to congratulate everyone directly involved with the project for finishing everything necessary for the hosting of both women's and men's basketball home-openers this weekend. The ridiculous Houston weather never quite cooperates with the construction schedules of mere mortals, but despite torrential rains, flooding and a bonus hurricane, the doors will still be open tonight and tomorrow for the arena's game-play inauguration.
(11/14/08 12:00am)
Many students attempting to register for their Spring 2009 classes discovered this week that there is a new error message to be found in the ESTHER system: "Pre-req and Test Score Error." Newly-implemented by the Registrar's Office, the change comes on the heels of of the double-booking restriction put into effect during registration for this semester (See story, page 1).This newest change signals a disturbing trend in the Registrar's Office. In conjunction with the pending changes to the academic calendar, which will greatly diminish the timeframe in which students can modify their schedules, the double-booking restriction curtailes the possibilities of the course shopping period. Prerequisite checking - and the associated errors within ESTHER related to it - has done nothing to repair this situation. In fact, ESTHER's failure to properly identify cross-listed and in-progress courses has prevented students from registering for courses in which they belong.
(11/14/08 12:00am)
After years of declining attendance and profit loss, Rice Program Councilhas found the key to hosting a successful Esperanza.
(11/07/08 12:00am)
While participating in the Halloween edition of the twice-monthly Baker 13 run last Friday, Martel College sophomore Will Meyers won a fight with a Fondren Library window, shattering the entire pane in an enthusiastic effort to make his mark (see story, page 1).While we lament the ordeal Mr. Meyers had to endure while partaking in one of Rice's more notorious traditions, and we cringe at the thought of what his injuries could have been had he jumped facing forwards instead of sideways, we feel we must issue a word of caution to all of those who aim to emulate Meyers in the future.
(11/07/08 12:00am)
Today, Rice announces that it is seeking to raise an unprecedented $1 billion with its Centennial Campaign to honor Rice's 100th anniversary in 2012 (see story, page 1). Currently, Rice has raised $500 million, although some of this money includes donations given to Duncan and McMurtry colleges and other current projects.Getting more money is not a bad thing - we certainly think it's a good idea that Rice is raising money through this campaign considering the student expansion it is facing in the coming years, and we are impressed with the $400 million President Leebron stated he wants to spend on undergraduate and graduate programs. Nevertheless, the administration must use its money wisely and concentrate spending on what really matters.
(10/31/08 12:00am)
Wednesday morning, the Houston Chronicle printed an article divulging that Rice and the Baylor College of Medicine have been discussing the possibility of an institutional merger. Wednesday afternoon, President David Leebron sent an e-mail to campus addressing the issue (see story, page 1).We sincerely hope the university pursues the acquisition of BCM for several reasons. First, BCM's reputation would instantly enhance Rice's prestige on both a national and international scale. The university could boast ownership of both a business and medical school, immediately boosting our ability to compete with peer institutions like Washington University in St. Louis in terms of post-graduate programs. Secondly, BCM would find in Rice a more stable financial future, which can only help in increasing its status as a top medical school. Thirdly, any possible merger could be made very smoothly thanks to Rice's long collaborative history with BCM, and the fact that the medical school's administrative and physical structures are already in place. Lastly, but very importantly, the merger would probably have a minimal effect on the day-to-day life of the average undergraduate. There would be no on-campus construction or increase in on-campus foot and vehicle traffic, and undergraduate institutions would be (we hope) largely unaffected.
(10/31/08 12:00am)
Although we are too modest to accept that last week's staff editorial ("Be NODdy, just not stupid," Oct. 24) was the principal or even a major cause for the diminished number of arrests and EMS calls at this year's Night of Decadence, we appreciate that the vast majority of partygoers followed our advice and enjoyed the night responsibly (see story, page 1). NOD's staying power has much to do with how its guests conduct themselves, and it appears that most of them understood and respected this fact.That is not to say that Wiess College itself did not have anything to do with it. We must congratulate Wiess' social committee for providing an organized and safe environment for students. The multi-wristband system made it easier for student security volunteers to monitor the party, which in turn limited the number of intercessions RUPD needed to make. All in all, Wiess carried NOD out very well, and the college should be congratulated on yet another successful year of promiscuous partying.
(10/31/08 12:00am)
Environmental Studies 302, a class focused on raising awareness about sustainability issues on the campus, kicked off an all-college recycling contest on Monday (see story, page 1). The idea is a good one - students generally respond positively to inter-college contests, especially when prize money is involved. Also, it is nice to see a campus recycling program initiated by students, rather than by a faculty member or administrator. There is nothing wrong with initiatives coming from the top, but students tend to subscribe more to grassroots movements instigated by their peers.While the contest's concept is commendable, however, its implementation suffered from one of Rice organizations' biggest problems: inadequate advertising and communication. The competition's kickoff was accompanied by little gusto and fanfare, meaning most students were unaware of it. This obscurity is something that should be remedied in the next few days, and hopefully, even though the contest ends a week from today, students can still make up for lost time.
(10/24/08 12:00am)
Who knew that an interesting lecture series was hosting ethnically diverse speakers on campus? Answer: Apparently, not enough people. Last Wednesday, renowned physicist Sylvester James Gates spoke at Rice as a part of the President's Lecture Series of Diverse Scholars. The Diverse Scholars lecture series, which started five years ago, differed from the regular President's Lecture Series in that it held a specific emphasis on inviting minority scholars to speak on campus. However, its short-lived life has come to an end (See story, page 1).
(10/24/08 12:00am)
Back in 2005, when the police blotter was still descriptive enough to be entertaining, the Thresher reported the following entry regarding an incident that occurred the night of that year's Night Of Decadence: "Subject jumped from Wiess' fourth floor to third floor and landed on cement. Intoxicated underage student fought with four officers and was detained. Subject found to have fake IDs in wallet. Student remanded to Harris County Jail" ("Police Blotter," Nov. 4, 2005). Did we laugh the first time we read this entry? Yes. Did we laugh at it again as we re-recorded it above? Absolutely. There is no doubt that it is an entertaining story. But on the other hand, it is also a chronicle of someone's downright stupid actions.
(10/24/08 12:00am)
Rice Program Council officially announced today that the band The National will perform Nov. 7 as part of Rice's homecoming weekend activities. With the live show on Friday, and the football game and Esperanza the next day, students should have more than enough activities in which to partake. In a staff editorial we wrote in September, we stated "the burden is now on RPC to go to students for ideas, to increase its visibility and prestige on campus . RPC has the chance to make itself one of the most active and most respected organizations at Rice" ("With great budget comes great responsibility" Sept. 19). The results to this point have been impressive, and we applaud RPC for its obvious efforts to break from the mold of previous years. It appears as though this year's homecoming and Esperanza will be more memorable than students are used to, and we cannot wait to see how they turn out.
