In last week's issue ("Schedule Planner goes live"), credit for creating the course schedule planner should have also been given to Duncan junior Estevan Delgado.
Next fall, the humanities department plans to undertake a new research initiative called Rice Seminars, during which a small group of faculty and students will meet to discuss pre-specified topics in an effort to link Rice to the community.
At the start of the season, it appeared that veteran senior quarterback Nick Fanuzzi was destined to be holding a clipboard on the sideline and watching the Owls' (3-6, 2-4 C-USA) season unfold. After losing his starting position over the summer to sophomore Taylor McHargue, it looked like the University of Alabama transfer was essentially done as an integral player. He proved all of that wrong this past weekend in the homecoming game against the University of Texas at El Paso (4- 5, 1-4 C-USA), which ended with a 41-37 win for the Blue and Gray.
Like a losing season for the Washington Redskins, the soccer team's elimination by shootout in the Conference USA tournament seemed inevitable. Last year, Southern Methodist University defeated the Owls 4-2 in a shootout after no goals were scored in 110 minutes. This year, Rice escaped a complete scenario of deja vu by beating the Ponies in overtime. But the shootout defeat finally found the Owls in the semifinals of the tournament, this time at the hands of the University of Texas-El Paso.
Against an opponent such as East Carolina University (2-22, 0-15 C-USA), the Owls knew the only way they could slip up was if they beat themselves. With Tulsa University and Southern Methodist University following the week after, it would have been easy for Rice to look ahead and ignore ECU. However, the Owls did not let such distractions take part as they cruised to a perfect weekend, beating ECU twice.
For those searching for a single image to sum up the prospective men's basketball season, the scene in the Trauber Suite at Tudor Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Oct. 26 was an appropriate one. As the players sat at individual tables waiting for one-on-one interviews with the media, five freshmen brought the energy and liveliness to the room. The close-knit group of rookies sat front and center, exchanging laughs and cracking jokes as media members continued to enter the suite. Unlike in years past, it was not the talented group of underclassmen that garnered all of the attention when the cameras and audio recorders were turned on. In the back of the room sat Head Coach Ben Braun's veteran core of juniors and seniors, a group ready to assume expanded leadership roles for a team with postseason aspirations.
"Hunger is good discipline and you learn from it." So ponders a young Ernest Hemingway in his lesser read, yet still fascinating novel A Moveable Feast. When I read that line back in high school I appreciated the profoundness in which it was written, but only when I matriculated at Rice University some months ago did I really begin to feel its truth. In fact, if that line was translated into Latin, I'm fairly certain that Rice would have a new unofficial motto.
Rice University had the opportunity to host Condoleezza Rice for the second time in four years this past Tuesday (see story, pg. 1). The former Secretary of State detailed her rise to prominence while peppering the audience with amusing anecdotes about her experiences in the White House and abroad. Rice not only kept the crowd entertained but offered pointed analyses about the state of the country in today's world. Most impressively, Rice geared her talk towards undergraduate students by posing advice about following passions and pursuing a career in public service. References to the book she was selling were at an absolute minimum.
Expectations are higher than they've ever been for the Rice women's basketball team this season. After a surprising 18-13 regular season and a berth in the Women's National Invitational Tournament during the 2010- 2011 campaign, Head Coach Greg Williams (Hanszen '70) finds himself in the unfamiliar position of leading a team that is going to compete for a Conference USA title.
1) Start with a plain T-shirt, or even better, a T-shirt with a sports logo on it.
Two rumors have spread through the student body that discourage students from contacting Rice Emergency Medical Services in alcohol related incidents, University Court Chair Ellory Matzner said.
On Nov. 18, the pubescent ride that is the Twilight Saga will begin to come to an end. The recent release of its soundtrack, however, foreshadows a potentially successful beginning to an end.
Wiess Tabletop Theater's Fall production, "Chatroom," wastes no energy or time in its performance of Enda Walsh's heavy but fast-paced play. Producers Liz Castillo, a Wiess College senior, and Ian Kretz, a Wiess sophomore, along with director Ian Bott, a Wiess junior, have formed a production true to the vivid and sometimes even grotesque quality of Walsh's work. Though the one-act play is short, running about one hour, Tabletop's "Chatroom" is engagingly concentrated. The simple premise of six high school students communicating through chat rooms becomes a palette to tackle complex topics like manipulation and suicide. Despite such grave subject matter, the play finds unconventional ways to be funny, resulting in a poignant and entertaining play.
After a successful home meet the week prior, the swim team headed north for two consecutive meets against Texas Christian University and the University of North Texas. However, victory was not on Rice's side, as the team fell short in both outings. First, it was the Horned Frogs that claimed a 159-126 non-conference dual meet win over the Owl swimmers on Friday evening in Fort Worth. Although Rice won six of the meet's 16 events overall, TCU won eight swim races and both springboard diving events, as Rice does not have any divers on its roster.
Here are the highlights from the Spring 2011 evaluations. Courses with less than 10 responses as well as LPAP, college and graduate-level courses were not included in this analysis. Information is presented as-is and without testing for statistical significance. With that in mind, data may be less accurate for courses with fewer responses.
The Rice Thresher would like to bid the Rice Men's and Women's Basketball team the best of luck as it begins its season this Friday and Saturday (see stories, pgs. 20-21). The Men's team opens at home against the University of New Orleans, and the Thresher encourgaes students to attend the game.
In the life of a high school senior, few things are scarier than that college admissions interview for your dream school. Sitting across the table from an alumni interviewer or an admissions staff member can be incredibly intimidating, especially when you think your entire future rests on your ability to answer a barrage of tricky questions. Fortunately for many prospective students, there is an alternative to the traditional interview.
