The following were noted at the most recent meeting of the Student Association on March 12.
When the owner of Java Pura, Richard Colt, suggested that I take a tour of Java Pura's local roasting factory, I jumped at the opportunity to see coffee-roasting and packaging process for the first time. Upon arriving, I realized I had expected a much larger operation than the one I found: a room containing two large machines and walls aligned with large bins of unroasted coffee beans. The aroma of fresh unhampered coffee beans wafted to my nose. The factory room was unexpectedly small, and I craned my neck looking for the door that would lead to a much larger room filled with workers pouring beans into the roasters and the machines booming and crackling as the coffee was roasted. To my surprise, that room with two machines and buckets of coffee beans is the entire Java Pura coffee-roasting factory.
Baker Kitchen Executive Chef Cari Clark has tasted cuisines from around the world, so it may come as a surprise to learn that her favorite food is something even the less traveled may well be familiar with: Rice Krispies treats. For Clark, her love of Rice Krispies treats makes sense in the context of her approach to cooking: minimal ingredients, simple dishes.
Last Thursday, an estimated 300 students gathered in the Shell Auditorium for the 2012 Rice Veritas Forum. The title of this year's event was "Do We See Him Clearly?"
Click the images to read about the new presidents.
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.
Digital camera in one hand and a pile of prints in the other, Jones College senior Hallie Jordan roamed around Paris last June on a mission to recapture the same locations photographed by Eugene Atget 100 years ago. As part of the Fotofest 2012 Biennial, Jordan's Days and Nights in Paris: In the Footsteps of Atget is on view at the Rice University Media Center now through March 23.
Rice students are known for their steadfast devotion to Rice's most famous tradition, Beer Bike. However, next week, the second round of the SA Spring Elections will test whether students are willing to back up their support of Beer Bike with their wallets.
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.
The lovely ladies of Duncan's 4D suite pleasantly invited me into their common room to have a look around. Junior Mecklin Ragan walked me in, where we found seniors Christina Coravos and Amber Makhani. I was immediately immersed in a homey, comforting atmosphere. The room is filled with comfortable couches crammed with pillows, assorted types of chairs and multiple ottomans.
If the Lorax really could speak for the trees, he would have nothing but praise for the Rice campus. That's because Rice was named a 2011 "Tree Campus USA" by the Arbor Day Foundation. Rice will celebrate its recognition as a Tree Campus USA during a ceremony on April 14 as part of UnConvention, Rice's campus-wide open house.
This year, the Beer Bike blanket tax has been proposed to double in cost from $5 to $10. While at first this may seem like a jarring amount to charge students, this change will help Beer Bike attend to its annual budget deficits. The proposal needs 20 percent of the student population to participate in the vote and a two-thirds majority vote in its favor for it to pass. The Thresher endorses the proposed increase in tax and encourages students to vote in its favor.
Director of Rice University's Religion and Public Life Program Elaine Ecklund will direct an international study of science and religion thanks to a $2 million grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation.
Incoming undergraduate students at Rice will be paying $36,610 for the 2012-2013 school year, 4.9 percent more tuition than current students are charged. This increase is a continuation of a trend that included a 5.4 percent rise in 2011-2012 and a 5.3 percent rise in 2010-2011.
Next fall, Rice University will implement a new writing-intensive initiative in which freshmen will be required to take a writing-focused seminar, and Fondren Library will be home to a new Center for Writing, Oral and Visual Communication.
Starting next year, students taking introductory language courses will attend class five days a week, and courses will be five credits.
The following were noted at the most recent meeting of the Student Association on March 5.
