Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Thursday, March 28, 2024 — Houston, TX

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Erratum

(09/22/11 12:00am)

In the Sep. 16 issue of the Thresher ("Limelight: The Rice Players' season"), the directors of the listed productions were incorrectly attributed. Joseph Lockett is directing Dead Man's Cellphone, opening this week, and T.J. Burleson is directing The Baltimore Waltz, opening next spring. The Thresher regrets this error.


Bicycle Awareness Week antagonistic to cyclists

(09/15/11 12:00am)

The recent Bicycle Awareness Week seemed to antagonize campus cyclists more than promote them (see story pg. 7). The influx of signs around campus offer pointed, patronizing directions to bikers; furthermore, these signs address only bikers, not pedestrains. Campus biking safety is not a simple one-way street. Pedestrians, cars, scooters and bikes all have equal responsibility to pay attention to the road, and the recent attempts to only focus on the bikers' responsibilities is absurd. The Bicycle Awareness Week also coincided with the negative news that bikers will soon be susceptible to moving violation tickets. Frankly, biking safety around campus is reasonable, and bikers seems to be quite responsible on the whole. RUPD's decision to begin ticketing bikers will only dissuade students from using bikes on campus. If Bicycle Awarness Week is to occur again at Rice it should be completely overhauled, and the vastly negative tone of the week needs be reversed. Perhaps in the future, we can take a look at promoting the environmentally-conscious act of biking, offer biking opportunites around Houston and emphasize campus cycling facilities such as the bike shop.


Rice's football team gives hope for 100th season

(09/15/11 12:00am)

The Rice Owls football team found itself on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays this past Saturday for its unbelievable last-second, game-saving field goal block (see story pg. 1). The Owls looked great all afternoon and were rewarded with a marquee win against a Big Ten opponent. In fact, the win against Purdue marked the first win Rice has posted against a BCS league opponent since 2001. The victory has the potential to spark the team to a great season and to rejuvenate student interest in the football team. The home opener was very well-attended, and those students who left early were plagued with the guilt of missing the greatest Rice athletics moment of the past few years. Rice looked good against a stronger University of Texas opponent during the first half and came away with a huge win in their second game of the season against Purdue. The team deserves the students' support, as this may just be the breakout year we've all been dreaming about. As the hero on the last play, Justin Allen said, "The last couple years we're just a play away or one step short. But today we weren't. Today we took that last step, and we believed in ourselves."




Rice remembers 9/11

(09/08/11 12:00am)

It has been a trying 10 years for our country since the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001. However on the 10-year anniversary of the terror strikes, we at the Thresher hope that the Rice community and the whole country can come together and remember those that perished in the tragedy. Rice is hosting a number of events in memoriam of the anniversary. On Sunday, there will be a vigil and there will also be bell tolls at the exact time of each of the four attacks to the minute ten years ago. The Thresher strongly encourages everyone to participate in these memorial events and to take time to reflect on the 9/11 tragedies. as unity is what will move this great country forward.


Common reading interest dwindling

(09/01/11 12:00am)

Rice hosted the author of its common reading book, "The Honor Code," this past Tuesday (see story, pg. 1). Unfortunately, many new students bypassed the opportunity to hear Kwame Anthony Appiah speak. Only a hundred students attended the talk; the poor attendance reflects the continued struggle of the common reading program at Rice to really captivate the enthusiasm of new students. 


Houston drought requires Rice's cooperation

(09/01/11 12:00am)

The city of Houston is in a level two drought, and the situation is much more dire than what most at Rice believe (see story, pg. 1). The harsh shortages are affecting the Houston community, while the Rice community remains largely shielded from the issue within the hedges. However, as per our university's mission statement and essence, we play an integral role in our local community, and that dictates that we become a part of the water shortage solution rather than continue contributing to the problem. 



Silence on EMS stats an improved policy

(09/01/11 12:00am)

 Texan pride abounded last Friday on the Martel Rotunda where the annual Texas Party was hosted (see story, pg. 1). The party boasted huge attendance numbers and gave incoming students a promising first view of Rice's social scene. Unfortunately, alcohol safety was less than ideal. While the lack of alcohol safety is not a new phenomenon at college parties, the handling of the over-intoxicated students seemed to be smoother than usual. The care-taking station was utilized for students who needed a break or EMS attention. Even more impressively, administration and EMS have been mute on the EMS numbers for the night; this represents a stark departure from last year's practice of releasing the the number of students receiving EMS attention at a party. The EMS numbers contribute to nothing productive: high numbers encourage students to not call EMS in the future in order to lower EMS calls; low numbers indicate that students did not call EMS, but it does not necessarily mean that students were safe on a given night. By establishing a precedent to not release EMS numbers the university can help cut down on the "next morning" rumors and the myth that students should avoid calling EMS. 


ALFA funds making an impact

(08/25/11 12:00am)

While the KTRU radio tower sale ruffled its fair share of feathers among the student body, students are now beginning to see the marginal returns on the nearly ten million dollars acquired in the transaction (see story, pg. 4). The Three 6 Mafia concert was funded partially by endowments from the KTRU money as are many other projects that are slated to begin shortly and in earnest in 2012. While ALFA fund expenditures are still pending administration approval, university funds are being used for expenditures that will ultimately come from the ALFA budget.The Thresher is anticipating the final approval of the ALFA funds for projects that will further improve student life quality.


Campus-wide Assassins battle epitomizes Rice's distinct culture

(08/25/11 12:00am)

This coming week, students have the opportunity to participate in a campus-wide game of Assassins (see story, pg. 4). The recently busy RPC will be hosting the event which begins on Monday. The decision to host the event earlier than normal was a prudent one; it gives freshmen the chance to meet new people early in the year, and nothing starts a new friendship quite like a water gun ambush. While the game may seem mildly trivial, it is a sort of event that epitomizes what Rice culture. Rice is a fun and quirky place. Every student, every college, and even every professor, has some sort of odd tendency or characteristic that ironically puts them right at home at Rice. Similarly, this campus-wide Assassins battle will undoubtedly seem quirky to the bystander who watches a watergun-wielding freshman chasing someone across the academic quad; however, at Rice that sort of thing seems to fit in. Rice has the privilege of being a small and unique university, and hosting events such as Assassins helps explain Rice's perennially high quality of life rating. These commendations should not be taken out of context, in the end it is only a game; however, it is the combination of small, distinctive things such as Assassins that makes Rice into the school that it is.


Outreach Day a success

(08/25/11 12:00am)

This past O-Week, Rice extended its long established tradition of reaching out to the community and serving the needy (see story, pg. 5). Outreach Day was a vast success; it drew 488 new students to a myriad of projects around Houston. The number of participants exceeds that of any past Outreach Day. Furthermore, 88 percent of those students who signed up for a project actually participated — an incredible ratio when factors such as peer pressure to attend Dis-O and fatigue from a long O-week are considered.


New RMC dining offers diverse dining options

(08/21/11 12:00am)

This summer marked a number of changes in the RMC, many of which were long overdue (see story, page 9). Thanks in part to the efforts of Kevin Kirby, Boyd Beckwith and RMC renovation funds (not to mention years of student polling), Coffeehouse now sits in a larger location that will enable the student-run business to flourish, without having to sacrifice the study spaces in the Kelley Lounge. While not a part of the RMC, the dedication of a space in Hanszen College for Hoot South is another prime example of the administration working with student entrepreneurship for positive outcomes. The installation of Droubi's in Sammy's will invite a different flavor to campus along with a lot of potential that we hope the Mediterranean cuisine will bring.



Recent string of RPC events strongly contributing to student life on campus

(08/21/11 12:00am)

Coming off of the success of its recent Harry Potter movie screenings, RPC has once again found a way to live up to its name by organizing Three 6 Mafia and The Wild Moccasins for a back-to-school concert (see story, page 1). Not only has RPC managed to snag an Academy-Award winning group and tackle the problem of publicizing the event during the summer, but the concert will certainly make a positive impression of what student organizations are capable of to incoming students and returning students alike. The use of ALFA funds to create a concerts endowment have proven that at least some of the funds have been used successfully. We can't wait to see what else RPC has in store for future events.



More fond farewells for graduating seniors

(05/17/11 12:00am)

Of course, where would we be without the hard work of our advertising staff? Probably broke and out of jobs. That's why we can't express enough of our thanks to Cathleen Chang and Molly Slattery, our outgoing ads managers, who made the process run seamlessly. Cathleen always had a smile in the office and Molly never hesitated to lend a hand. Thanks is also due to Tiffany Kuo, our former classifieds manager, who made the brave decision to stay on even after reading some of the sketchy classifieds from week to week.


Gmail transition should be voluntary

(05/17/11 12:00am)

Although the decision to switch to Gmail originated from suggestions from graduate students, only undergraduates will initially be moved to Gmail, leaving faculty, staff and even graduate students using the old webmail system. It may be a good idea to take the transition one step at a time, but doing this on a voluntary basis would be a more efficient approach. Rather than forcing over reluctant students or keeping out enthusiastic faculty, staff and graduate adoptors, allowing voluntary transition would enable thoseundergrads, graduates, faculty and staff less concerned with using Gmail for secure purposes (and more as a communication tool) to do so. Gmail provides a number of convenient services, such as document sharing and calendaring, that webmail will continue to lack. IT services already distributes information to departments and colleges; informing individuals of any security risks associated with switching to Gmail would enable people to make the choice for themselves.