Rice's South Asian Society presented its annual winter dance extravaganza on Nov. 19 to a packed crowd in the RMC grand hall. With dancing, singing and even a fashion show, Dhamaka had something for everyone.
In case you find yourself at home this winter sipping hot cocoa with nothing better to do than expand your cinematic consciousness, here is a list of some fantastic films, both new and old, which will hopefully while away the winter blues. You will notice that the majority of these films are neither actually holiday-themed nor in any particular order, but great films need no season.
The Student Association has pushed deadlines back until next semester for a bill that would suggest ways to get outside newspapers brought to the residential colleges. The SA had originally hoped to have a final draft of the bill ready to present by the end of the semester, but talks about financing and concerns from college leadership have postponed the bill. Drafted by SA Secretary Yoonjin Min, Lovett College sophomore Brian Strasters and SA President Georgia Lagoudas, the bill originally proposed to institute a $5 increase in student fees to cover costs for the newspapers.
Rice continues to reach beyond the hedges as two students head to the United Kingdom next fall to pursue their graduate studies practically free of charge as Marshall Scholars.
The sculptures currently on display in the "New Sculptures" exhibition certainly do not look like work you would expect from beginning sculpture students. The exhibition, showing until Dec. 16 in the Main Gallery of the Rice Media Center, features work completed by ARTS 365: Sculpture I students under the direction of lecturer Natasha Bowdoin. The contemporary sculptures vary in size and media, including wood, metal, plaster and cardboard. Through the class projects "The Giant Head," "The Deconstructed Chair" and "The Body Fragmented," Bowdoin encouraged students to explore the relationship between concept ?and construction.
Curing cancer has long been a lofty goal of scientific researchers and one that researchers in the Rice University Department of Chemistry have made promising strides toward achieving in recent months.
The Rice Dance Theater performs its fall show "Points of Contact" in the Dance Theatre of the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center. The show ran from Nov. 16 through 18 for sold-out audiences of students, faculty and staff.
In my short life, I have had the privilege of reading some truly amazing literature, from Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov to Herman Melville's Moby Dick. However, I have never encountered a book more profound than Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. As the beloved children's novel celebrates its 50th anniversary this week, I am reminded just how relevant and important it still is.
Vampires, wolves and babies, oh my! The Twilight saga continues with the new film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn–Part 1. With a more seasoned cast and faster ?plotine, the newest addition to the Twilight saga keeps the audience entertained.
Very few events draw large groups of Rice students together. In fact, such a feat is nearly impossible without the promise of a free T-shirt or free food of some sort. However, the creation of college caregiver programs around campus is defiantly moving against that trend.
For 360 days of the year, leftovers are a downtrodden refrigerator staple. They lurk as the tired remnants of a now-debased meal. Nonetheless, there exists one grand exception in the days following Thanksgiving.
I am an ardent supporter of President Barack Obama and have often used this space to praise him and his policies. Yet I cannot be a blind supporter; when they err, it is our responsibility to criticize those we admire. As such, today I write to express my fundamental disagreement with the president.
After winning the season opener against a simply overmatched University of New Orleans squad, the men's basketball team hosted three more non-conference opponents at Tudor Fieldhouse before making the Thanksgiving weekend trip to South Padre Island where the competition grew tougher.
The alcohol policy probation has been lifted effective next semester by Dean Hutchinson after nine months of efforts by student leadership to make the university environment more conducive to safe drinking (see story, pg. 1). The probation rules varied among the residential colleges, but the greatest impact it had on the university party scene was the deprivation of punch and shots at private parties around campus. While the probation seems to have been effective in reducing the ease of binge drinking at private parties, liquor use in private quarters was still quite prevalent. In short, the probation did not seem to stop individual students from drinking heavily if he or she desired to do so; it did, however, serve as a stark wake-up call for students around campus.
Many Rice students from outside the Southern United States can attest to the fact that our university is not exactly the most well-known or prestigious school on the coasts. Indeed, when telling someone from Massachusetts or Oregon about Rice, you are likely to be asked whether it's a small liberal arts school or to receive a blank stare. While there are some who have heard of Rice and a few who know what a great institution it really is, the fact of the matter is that our eventual alma mater simply does not carry the same weight as schools such as Stanford or the supposed Holy Grail known as Harvard. Here's a thought though: so what?
Palestine was accepted into the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a member state on Oct. 31, 2011. President Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel reacted first, condemning UNESCO's acceptance of Palestine. His policy provoked intense criticism from the Israeli people and the international community. As an act of solidarity with Israel, the United States withdrew its own funding from UNESCO, a sum of $80 million constituting 22 percent of UNESCO's total funding.
The 2011 football season ended with just as many questions as it started with, as the mediocre 4-8 season did little to prove to die-hard fans that Head Coach David Bailiff is the future of the program. With the disappearance of junior running back Sam McGuffie, another mid-season quarterback change, and a still struggling defense, it's hard to find silver lining in the campaign that yielded little more to celebrate than wins against three bottom-tier Conference USA teams and against a Purdue University team on a miraculous blocked kick.
After a disappointing 1-2 start, the much-lauded women's basketball team finally started playing up to its potential on its recent trip to Chicago before coming back to Tudor Fieldhouse.
