Opinion

​Endorsements and analysis from the current SA president

To better inform students, I decided to share my perspective for this year’s Student Association president, internal vice president and treasurer races based on my evaluation of their past experiences, their public campaign posts, Thresher debate performance and one-on-one interviews.

#NEVERAGAIN: After one too many tragedies, gun laws must be reformed

What happened at my alma mater is unacceptable. This massacre was preventable. Students, teachers and administration did everything right. It was our government that failed the 17 people who were murdered.

​Ariana Engles for Student Association president

Engles' ability to listen, reflect, ideate and take concrete steps toward implementation make her the candidate who would have the most positive impact in the coming year.

​Grace Wickerson for Student Association internal vice president

We are lucky to have two excellent candidates this year with realistic goals and an emphasis on using feedback to guide the SA. Wickerson’s emphasis on going past the status quo while keeping their ideas realistic and within the scope of the role have earned them our recommendation for SA IVP.

​Lauren Loh for Student Association treasurer

Loh’s ideas, even if not revolutionary, indicate that she understands the basic job as described in the SA constitution. Though the candidate field sets the bar somewhat low, we encourage you to give Loh the dough.

​Break ice in case of emergency: Reevaluating our response to sexual assault

It’s hard to tell a friend that they are allowed to be scared and hurt and sad; it’s even more difficult to tell a friend that they should feel this way. But that was all that I needed.

Still waiting on my Pulitzer Prize

Editorial: Resolution to create more minors requires more thought

Demanding that every department except music and architecture designate certain existing majors as minors is the wrong approach to this issue. Instead, there should be more research and discussion on which majors in which departments could actually be beneficial and desirable as minors.

Our reasoning on debate invitations

One of Rice’s many traditions is a debate between the Student Association presidential candidates, moderated by the Thresher. We have decided to not include candidate Morgan Gillis in the debate.

LTTE: Beer Bike team reduction is vital to increasing safety on the track

We do need to make the certification process more difficult in order to ensure safety, but at the same time, we also need to decrease roster sizes.

LTTE: A Response to “SA to vote on resolution rejecting speaker disinvitations.”

Ultimately, if the spirit of the Academic Freedom Working Group was unclear from Tuesday’s article, we hope to illuminate it now. 

We endorsed a Democrat — here’s why that’s a big deal

The Rice University Young Democrats typically don’t endorse candidates in Democratic primaries. Here's why we did.

Editorial Cartoon: Inner workings of the SA

Editorial: The ideal Beer Bike is 10 bikers at 8 a.m.

Though not all of the proposed changes are moves in the right direction, we applaud the efforts to continue making Beer Bike a campus-wide event that is both safe and fun.

Don’t call me ‘queer’: A reaction to the sexist, homophobic and transphobic rhetoric of the ‘Virginity’ study

“What is Virginity, Anyway?” employed ignorant and outdated language and theory to frame sexuality and gender identity. In doing so, the feature reinforced harmful sexist, homophobic and transphobic ideology.

Letter to the Editor: In Defense of Rice Men’s Basketball

Rice men’s basketball is still worth our time. In response to last week’s column in the Thresher sports section, “A midwinter airing of grievances” (Jan. 23, 2018), I would like to highlight the simple resiliency of this year’s team. 

The Utility of Knowledge

Because of my academic interests (philosophy and psychology), I have often experienced others questioning the usefulness of the knowledge produced by these disciplines. 

Is it art if I don't like it?

LTTE:​ ‘Origin, 135 Degrees’, a platform of decadence

And so the legacy of ill-conceived art funded by Rice University continues. 

LTTE: ​MLK Day float’s purpose far transcends its appearance

Four years ago, I became a float rider and recruiter for members of the Association of Rice University Black Alumni to represent Rice University in the Martin Luther King Jr. parade. I vividly recall the first time I saw the Rice float. It reminded me of a rickety wooden heap. I said to myself, “Is this it?”