Opinion

Response to Karl Rove's remarks against Obama

Karl Rove, former Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush, recently wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal entitled "'The Road We've Traveled' with Obama." The piece centered on a film President Barack Obama's re-election campaign recently released entitled "The Road We've Traveled." Rove aimed to discredit the president's accomplishments, which are detailed in the film, yet, rather than offer constructive criticism, Rove resorted to hyperbole, sensationalist statements and even flat-out lies.

A development of teachers & technology

I recently attended a forum hosted by Sir Ken Robinson, of TED Talk fame, in association with the Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program. He spoke out against the systemic failure of K-12 education, particularly its failure to harness technology and create a personalized, organic learning environment that fosters creativity and interest in learning. I started asking my friends how their own teachers leveraged technology in high school. Most agreed that the synergy of a terrific teacher and innovative technology occurred only when the teacher truly understood the furthest limits of the technology, and when the technology was designed with simplicity and power in mind.

MOB needs a replacement space

The Thresher believes that it is unfortunate that the Marching Owl Band and non-major music classes are being left out in the cold and forced to gather in a room that is less than suitable for their needs (see story, pg. 6). The university needs to provide a space, such as the old swimming pool room in Autry Court, for these groups that have been a part of the campus culture for years.

Last week's online poll results

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This week's editorial cartoon

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Mental illness awareness at Rice: My story and a hope for stigma reduction

A friend called me up the other day asking, somewhat unexpectedly, if it was okay that he mentioned my experience with mental illness in his own session with a counselor. I agreed without thinking twice; after all, he was a close friend and I knew everything would remain in confidence.

Changes to Beer Bike: a mixed bag

Beer Bike is tomorrow, and while colleges will be celebrating with established traditions, the campus-wide coordinators and Student Judicial Programs are introducing several changes that will alter the dynamic of the event (see story, pg. 1). There are three significant changes being made to Beer Bike. However, not all of these changes are negative. First, the balloon fight will be held at two different stops. This change is supposed to get more students to the bike races. The second stop will be at the intramural fields and would therefore create a shorter walk to the races for students. The Thresher supports the new balloon fight structure and agrees that if students are willing to walk to the second stop and throw more balloons, they will also be willing to travel the short distance to the bike races.

Online comments of the week

In response to "A continuous rise in tuition decreases Rice's overall value" (Mar. 09, 2012):

Students must take advantage of the Wellness Center's opportunities

Upon starting at Rice, some of us were told that we would "learn as much outside of the classroom as inside, if not more."

Sid schools public parties this semester

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This week's editorial cartoon

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Last week's online poll results

Extended South Cafe hours cater to athletes

Housing and Dining has recently made the decision to extend its hours of operation for the South Cafe. This means that the cafe will open for 30 minutes (from 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) after South Servery closes. The new changes are excellent for those who eat late, especially athletes, who have always had problems with getting to the servery before it closes at 7:30 p.m.

College socials need more recognition and respect

This year, Rice has seen some fantastic public parties thrown by incredible socials at different colleges. Sid Richardson College took students back in time for a retro '80s party, while Duncan turned up the volume with its neon white-out. Numerous students flock to public parties to either steal the pizza at 10 p.m. or dance the night away with their partner of choice. Either way, public parties are an essential part of Rice student life, and it's all a result of the efforts of the college socials.

New writing program will lead to stronger students

The implementation of the new writing center in the fall of 2012 should help improve more than just writing on campus. First of all, it will hopefully help eliminate the age-old stigma on campus that taking a COMM class means you cannot write. With the requirement that everyone on campus has to take a writing seminar in his or her freshman year, we believe that the university will have leveled the playing field.

Online comment of the week

In response to "TCU drug scandal inflated" (Feb. 24, 2012):

Last week's online poll results

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This week's editorial cartoon

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A continuous rise in tuition decreases Rice's overall value

There is an old New Mexican folk story about three chupacabras who encounter three goats. The first chupacabra bites off a goat's head, rips its legs off and sucks out its blood. The second chupacabra rips off another goat's head and then sucks out its blood. The third chupacabra tells the final goat, "You should say thank you; I am only going to suck out your blood."

A salute to Baseball Coach Wayne Graham on his achievement

Congratulations to baseball coach Wayne Graham for getting inducted into the Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame. He has been at Rice for the past 20 years, has amassed 900 wins in his career and got the Owls their only national championship in 2003. He has affected the lives of numerous athletes and has been a pleasure to have as part of the Rice community. Congrats to him as he keeps on trekking, trying to lead the Owls to their 18th straight postseason berth and their second ever national championship.