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OPINION 8/31/11 7:00pm

Silence on EMS stats an improved policy

By Staff Editorial

 Texan pride abounded last Friday on the Martel Rotunda where the annual Texas Party was hosted (see story, pg. 1). The party boasted huge attendance numbers and gave incoming students a promising first view of Rice's social scene. Unfortunately, alcohol safety was less than ideal. While the lack of alcohol safety is not a new phenomenon at college parties, the handling of the over-intoxicated students seemed to be smoother than usual. The care-taking station was utilized for students who needed a break or EMS attention. Even more impressively, administration and EMS have been mute on the EMS numbers for the night; this represents a stark departure from last year's practice of releasing the the number of students receiving EMS attention at a party. The EMS numbers contribute to nothing productive: high numbers encourage students to not call EMS in the future in order to lower EMS calls; low numbers indicate that students did not call EMS, but it does not necessarily mean that students were safe on a given night. By establishing a precedent to not release EMS numbers the university can help cut down on the "next morning" rumors and the myth that students should avoid calling EMS. 

NEWS 8/31/11 7:00pm

"Texas!" spurs pride in Lone Star State

By Farrah Madanay

In 1961, Angus G. Wynne, Jr. developed an amusement park in Arlington, Texas. The park was christened "Six Flags Over Texas," after the flags of the six distinct nations that claimed sovereignty over Texas soil throughout history. The Houston Museum of Natural Science guest curator, J.P. Bryan, modeled "Texas! The Exhibition" upon this idea of presenting Texas' history as six segmented eras, with an extra section reserved for Native American culture.

NEWS 8/31/11 7:00pm

O-Week author defines honor

By Hallie Jordan

The author of this year's Common Reading author spoke to an audience of about 100 people in the RMC Grand Hall on Tuesday about honor and respect explaining how they apply to specifically to Rice along with the rest of the world.

OPINION 8/31/11 7:00pm

Houston drought requires Rice's cooperation

By Staff Editorial

The city of Houston is in a level two drought, and the situation is much more dire than what most at Rice believe (see story, pg. 1). The harsh shortages are affecting the Houston community, while the Rice community remains largely shielded from the issue within the hedges. However, as per our university's mission statement and essence, we play an integral role in our local community, and that dictates that we become a part of the water shortage solution rather than continue contributing to the problem. 

NEWS 8/31/11 7:00pm

?Martel Texas Party draws huge crowd

By Ellen Liu

Around 2,000 students donned their cowboy hats and plaid shirts for Martel College's "Don't Mess with Texas" party last Friday. As the first party of the year, this event is usually well attended, but this year's numbers were much higher than in previous years, Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson said.

NEWS 8/31/11 7:00pm

Project Spotlight: Locks of Love

By Seong Jong Hong

Rice students might be in for a close shave, come September 19. And no, not that close shave you had when you didn't do the assigned reading for a class, but your teacher just happened to push back the quiz to another day.

NEWS 8/31/11 7:00pm

What's Their Secret

By Chris Chan

There is hardly a student that graduates from Rice without having heard of Professor James Brown's name.  As an esteemed economics professor boasting a long history of receiving the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching four out of the last 10 years, Jim Brown is widely known throughout campus for his insightful and challenging core economics courses like ECON 201 and 301, winning consistent accolades from the student masses.

NEWS 8/31/11 7:00pm

Limelight: Kaitlyn Johnson

By Sonia Pothraj

Opera is one of the most under-recognized art forms in the young adult world. Whereas Lady Gaga and Kanye West have become common names in every college student's musical lexicon, operas like "Carmen" and "Pirates of Penzance" are significantly less well-known.

NEWS 8/31/11 7:00pm

Relish: Miss Saigon misses target

By Luis De Las Cuevas

Miss Saigon Cafe is a small establishment, conveniently located in the heart of Rice Village. While the proximity to school and the promise of warm Vietnamese food make for an appealing combination for those who are sick of the day's servery options, the shoddy atmosphere and overpriced menu are quick to eliminate it from further consideration. The food, while not bad, is decidedly not special.

OPINION 8/31/11 7:00pm

Common reading interest dwindling

By Staff Editorial

Rice hosted the author of its common reading book, "The Honor Code," this past Tuesday (see story, pg. 1). Unfortunately, many new students bypassed the opportunity to hear Kwame Anthony Appiah speak. Only a hundred students attended the talk; the poor attendance reflects the continued struggle of the common reading program at Rice to really captivate the enthusiasm of new students. 

NEWS 8/31/11 7:00pm

Styling Tips of the Week

By Brittney Xu

Like Michael Kors once said, wearing white next to one's face makes one look instantly younger. It is a universally flattering color on nearly all skin types. Pull on a white shirt — it instantly brightens your look. Pei kept her outfit neutral, with olive shorts against her top. But to keep her outfit interesting, she chose sparkly silver Toms that stand out. An eye-catching accessory is all you need to complete an outfit. As the weather gets chillier, transition your favorite Summer white dress into the Fall season by adding a chic brown bomber jacket or patterned cardigan.

NEWS 8/31/11 7:00pm

Rice Football 2011

By Teddy Grodek

Earlier this month, ESPN.com put Head Coach David Bailiff on a list of head coaches in risk of losing their jobs, claiming that his job performance over the last two years, despite the first Rice bowl victory in decades three years ago, puts his future in jeopardy. Surely, Bailiff is feeling this pressure and knows that this is the year in which he and his team must perform, or the last few years of rebuilding will be for naught. 

OPINION 8/31/11 7:00pm

The Party Patrol rates the year's first public party at Martel College

 

Just like Iowa in a presidential primary, Martel's public party, Don't Mess With Texas, is known for above all being first. This only means it is the first party that the Thresher Party Patrol, a ragtag group of hard-hitting journalists dedicated to covering the unique phenomenon known as the public party. 

OPINION 8/31/11 7:00pm

Erratum

By Staff Editorial

In the August 26 issue of the Thresher ("Three 6 Mafia"), the total number of stamped tickets was incorrectly reported. In actuality, 1,859 tickets were stamped. The Thresher regrets this error. 

NEWS 8/31/11 7:00pm

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Water

By Brooke Bullock

With the city of Houston in drought with lack of rainfall and experiencing record-breaking heat, Rice Facilities Planning and Engineering has a wide variety of water conservation projects and tips students can use to help save water on campus.

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