Special Projects

Mustangs corral Owls in pool; Hurricanes up next

In a matchup of the two schools who have combined to win the last 15 Conference USA championships, the swim team proved they still have a lot to learn from Southern Methodist University. The SMU women's swim team won 156-106 in a C-USA dual meet, the first of the season for both teams, on Oct. 15 at the Rice Aquatics Center. It was just last spring when Rice ended SMU's winning streak of 14-straight conference championships in women's swimming by claiming the 2011 C-USA title and it is clear from Saturday's match that the Mustangs were out for revenge. Rice showed that it was still out to contend this season, as sophomore Chelsea Fong set a facility record with a time of 2:05.64 in the 200-yard individual medley and senior Alex O'Brien took the top position in the 1,000-yard freestyle, but, possibly seeking vengeance from their loss last season, SMU won 12 of the meet's 14 events while setting seven facility records.

Commencement speaker a solid choice

Salman Khan has been selected as the commencement speaker for Rice's 99th graduation ceremony (See story, pg.1). The pick is an interesting one in that he lacks the star power typical of a commencement speaker, yet represents many of the aspects of an ideal Rice graduate. As the founder of the non-profit Khan Academy, Khan represents entrepreneurship, leadership, a focus on education and community conscientiousness. While Khan may not be a household name right now, he certainly represents the upcoming generation of leaders. Khan's vision has already created one of most effective open-source educational resources available, and he will likely continue to revolutionize education as his career progresses.

Ask the Thresher

Special interests hurt legislation

At a recent Baker Institute event, former Senator Alan Simpson said: "If the U.S. government is beholden to AARP and Grover Norquist, then we don't have a prayer, don't have a prayer, of getting anything done." His analysis, though dismal, is completely accurate — U.S. policy is paralyzed by moneyed special interests, and it is eating away at our democracy and hindering any chance at progress.

University-wide picnics a great addition to campus life but require major improvements

You'd be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't enjoy a good picnic. The idea of sitting outside and enjoying the nice weather, good company and a tasty meal has a particularly timeless and idyllic feel to it. These aspects of picnics and the bonding that they engender have led the university to pursue many of these events on various occasions throughout the year, from O-Week to Willy Week and other, more random times in between. While the intent is good and the idea behind the picnics is a great one, a growing number of students do not seem to enjoy the picnics as much as one would think. In fact, some students downright avoid them in favor of off-campus alternatives.

Pub's resurrection dependent on support of Rice community

While Willy's Pub's financial woes are widely known, it seems that now the establishment is less fiscally viable than ever before (See story, pg. 1). With Little Willy's floundering, unsustainable operating costs, and the shift to hosting Pub Nights at home colleges, Pub is finding it more and more difficult to escape the red.

Pub faces shutdown

Suffering from an ongoing financial decline since the drinking age in Texas changed from 18 to 21 in 1986, Willy's Pub is now close to going under.

This week's editorial cartoon

Click the image to enlarge.

Freshmen One-Acts a crack up

What do you get when you combine some new students with three chimpanzees, two atomic bombs and one awkward reference to bestiality? You have the 2011 production of Wiess Tabletop's Freshmen One-Acts! A long lasting Wiess College tradition, the show stars 24 new Wiess students performing in short plays directed by Wiess upperclassmen. As usual, Wiess again delivers an amusing, varied performance guaranteed to make anyone happy.

Academic Cup at Rice

Three Hanszen College seniors have begun developing an Academic Cup competition similar to the athletic competition provided by the President's Cup to encourage scholastic rivalry. Head Academic Fellows and seniors at Hanszen College Raymond Verm and Apoorv Bhargava and Hanszen college senior Travis San Pedro, think this idea will be instrumental in raising awareness of the fellows program campus wide.

Limelight: Jarvis Sam, Music World Intern, Beyonce fan

Few can attest to learning the entirety of Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" dance in less than seven minutes, or only two viewings of the YouTube sensation. Among this small denomination is Jarvis Sam, Hanszen College junior and employee at Music World Entertainment, a local record label in Houston representing Destiny's Child and Beyonce Knowles.

New fire drills encourage more participation

Fire drills may come and go, but students aren't always so cooperative. Rice hopes to change this attitude with a series of drills that place a greater emphasis on procedures and evacuation.

Volleyball climbs near top of C-USA

The Owls returned to the friendly confines of Tudor Fieldhouse hoping to add to their dominating two-game sweep at Marshall University the previous weekend. However, home was not totally sweet for Rice, as the team fell to the rising University of Central Florida. It did recover later in the weekend when the Owls easily took care of the University of Texas-El Paso.

Architectronica party represents refreshing break from the usual party scene at Rice

It was a beautiful spectacle to behold last Friday in Anderson Hall.

Congrats, Lance Berkman

The Thresher would like to congratulate Rice alumnus Lance Berkman (Will Rice '98) for his great season and for making the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Berkman

Commencement speaker chosen

Educational entrepreneur Salman Khan will speak this year for Rice's 99th commencement.

Football snatches defeat from the jaws of victory

Another week, another tough loss for the football team, which was, for once, only a few key plays away from a well-fought victory. While it is a tough road trip up to Marshall University in West Virginia, the team that now sports a 2-3 record simply looked unprepared in the first half.

Energy Debate held at Rice

The Baker Institute hosted the first round of an international Global Energy Debate on Monday night.

Wibawa holds on for one-stroke victory at Lone Star

Going into Tuesday's final round, sophomore Jeff Wibawa sat four shots back of the tournament's leader. With the winds boosting scores during the final round, Wibawa emerged with an even-par 72 and his first career individual tournament victory.

Student Association Minutes Oct. 17th

The following were noted at the most recent meeting of the Student Association on Oct. 17.