Up. What a great direction. It is where we climb. Where the surf is. A superb movie.
Bzzzt. Check me. Don't you want to know who it is? What they're saying? Check. Only takes a second ... What are you missing?
Hello, readers! My name is Mitch Mackowiak, I am a freshman at Lovett College, and I am the new Thresher opinions editor. You might find me slinging discs at frisbee practice, (joyfully) slaving away in Anderson Hall, or relaxing in that courtyard with the extremely photogenic tree outside the Humanities Building. It is my job to ensure your voices are heard regarding any issue around campus - I am essentially a suggestion box for Rice
This is a response to Olivia Hansen's column.
As Rice University looks ahead after its Centennial Celebration, another organization on campus will soon be celebrating as well. The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy will mark 20 years of excellence next year. During that time, we have built programs in energy and geopolitics, science and technology, space policy, health policy, public finance, Latin American issues and Middle East conflict resolution - all making valuable contributions to policy here and abroad. In the past two decades, we have also been fortunate to host distinguished statesmen, scholars and business leaders. However, throughout our development, our core mission remains to connect Rice, its students and the world of ideas on campus to the world of action on a global scale.
Author Gil Stern once said, "Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute." With that one quote, he perfectly exemplified the contrast between pessimism and optimism. However, this contrast can sometimes be so great that the pessimist is pitted against the optimist.
"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." - President Abraham Lincoln.
Clear and consistent standards, expectations and communication are necessary for a strong student-led community at Rice University - especially as they pertain to student health and safety. In the interest of clarity, the university's emergency medical services amnesty policy, as detailed in Article B, Section 4 of the Rice Alcohol Policy, was recently amended to better explain the violations to which amnesty applies, what amnesty entails, the requirements for receiving amnesty and behaviors that will result in the loss of amnesty.
While some aspects of the Centennial Weekend left much to be desired, the event as a whole served as a reminder for students that the university we attend is a unique place with a colorful history and a myriad of opportunities that we would not have elsewhere.
