Special Projects

ALFA committee solicits student input

Got a $6 million idea? The Student Association's Asset Liquidation Funds Appropriations Committee is soliciting student ideas - great and small - for proposals to submit to President David Leebron on how to use $6 million of the money from the sale of the KTRU tower.Committee Co-Chair Selim Sheikh said that the committee is seeking input both online, through ALFA's website and Facebook, and in person by going to cabinets, hosting forums and coffee breaks and having single committee members meet with groups of students at lunch.

Men's tennis goes home to sweep opponents

Returning to their nest at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium after their slip-up last weekend at Louisiana State University, 34th ranked Rice continued their undefeated streak at home (5-0) with an impressive 7-0 win over the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (0-5) on Friday and 6-1 wins over the University of Texas-San Antonio (2-2) and Abilene Christian University (2-2). To add to the Owls' weekend triumphs, senior Oscar Podlewski was named the Conference USA Tennis Athlete of the Week after he went 3-0 on the weekend.

State may cut TEG funding

Rice expects to see a drop of approximately $1 million in financial aid funds from the Texas Equalization Grant Program for the academic year of 2011-2012. Last year, Rice received $2.6 million from the state annually to help support Texas resident students at private universities whose families' average income is less than $29,000. Out-of-state students who are National Merit Scholars can also get these grants.

Beyond the Hedges

National

RUPD removes unregistered bikes, frees space

Rice University Police Department has been removing unregistered bicycles in an initiative to motivate students to register their bikes. Sixteen bikes had their locks cut and were taken from around Lovett College on Wednesday. Baker College and Will Rice College also had unregistered and abandoned bikes removed earlier this month, and students from McMurtry College and Duncan College received notices earlier this month regarding the removal of unregistered bikes next Friday.

Women's basketball wins crucial game at Memphis

Talking with freshman star forward Jessica Kuster before last weekend, it was no secret that these two Conference USA games were the Owl's most important - and most difficult - of the season. "It's great being one of the best teams in the conference right now, but we have to get wins this next weekend," she said. "It's no secret that [the University of] Houston and [the University of] Memphis are both great teams, and we're going to have to play really well to stay at the top."

Rice Baseball 2011: Practice makes perfect (slideshow)

America has opportunity to counter radicalism

The traditional order of the Middle East is being torn asunder. For decades, the United States has supported dictatorships in the Middle East, and now almost 60 years of autocratic malgovernance has taken its toll. The Arab street has risen up, incensed by corruption, police brutality, and a fundamental lack of economic opportunity. Ben Ali in Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt have been cast aside, and now protests gain force like a cresting wave in Libya, Algeria, Jordan, Yemen and Bahrain. Caught flat-footed the first two times, the Obama administration must now formulate a proactive policy that not only ensures the stability of US security interests, but also allows and encourages reform efforts in future countries. However, most U.S. policymakers are looking at these protests as a potential problem. They worry about Israel, oil, and that radical Islamists will gain control of billions of dollars of U.S. weaponry. What they fail to realize is that in these uprisings and protests rests an opportunity. We have an opportunity to fundamentally engage the Arab street and show that we do not seek merely clients, but companions and partners in the journey of democracy.

Rice Baseball 2011: After hard work, Reckling given opportunity

As the countdown for the first pitch of the season comes to an end, lately there is always one indisputable question that remains loud and clear above all other hype and excitement. Who will be dependable on the pitching staff this year?The last two years were less than satisfactory for Rice's pitching department. Injuries plagued the lineup in 2009, while the pressure on the team's young staff last year may explain the inconsistency in their pitching performance throughout the season. The stakes are higher than ever, as disappointed fans hope for a solid pitcher that will lead the road to Omaha, Neb. after a two year hiatus from the College World Series.

Women's track powered by Pye's and Ince's feats

Mark your calendars and let the countdown begin. Only seven days remain before - no, not spring break - the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. While spring break may seem particularly early this year, the women's track and field season feels that much shorter as well. From the first day of practice to the start of the conference meet, the track and field team will have just seven weeks of training under their belts since returning from winter break. In fact, the C-USA Championship will be only the fourth full-squad meet for the Owls of the season. However, now that the weather has climbed out of the mid-30s into the mid-70s, the team will have had two full weeks of uninterrupted training - knock on wood - in the lead-up to the meet.

Rice Baseball 2011: Starting Lineup 2011

Rice Baseball 2011: Rathjen ready for center stage

Most players may come out of a below par season with a new hunger to improve their game. It's rare when you see someone emerge out of average and prove himself invaluable during the season. Unless you're Jeremy Rathjen, or better known as Jeremy "Wrath-jen." The graduate from nearby Memorial High School had a tremendous season last year. He started 53 out of team's 63 games, 22 as a designated hitter and 31 as an outfielder. He hit a .317 batting average and a slugging percentage of a .584, a whopping increase from his .232 batting average and .358 slugging percentage the previous year.

Rice Baseball 2011: Conference USA in Action

Rice continued its indomitable reign in Conference USA last season, winning the regular season title and destroying C-USA tournament competition in its first three games before succumbing to the University of Southern Mississippi. While Tulane University is the only other C-USA team ranked in the preseason rankings, East Carolina and Southern Miss boast two of the top three pitching staffs in the conference and will make runs at NCAA berths. Still, Rice has the most raw talent of any roster in the conference and will look to win both regular season and tournament championships on its way to a national seed.UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

Rice Baseball 2011: Stepping up to the plate

With five of eight position players eligible for the draft this summer, the team knows now is the time to end the two-year Omaha drought

Panel discusses future of human spaceflight in U.S.

Students, alumni, faculty and staff explored space at a panel discussion about human spaceflight in the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy on Tuesday, Feb. 15. The presentation, titled "U.S. Human Spaceflight: Continuity and Stability," discussed NASA's future plans, including the possible commercialization of space travel, and featured prominent speakers from the aeronautics industry. It was sponsored by the Baker Institute's Space Policy Program - a regular sponsor of such space-related events.

Campus Reaction: Rice students must avoid apathy (Eric Friedlander)

As a freshman, I can remember Rice students being described as people who were interested in learning for the sake of learning. There was a certain awesome quirkiness that permeated life here. I still remember a group of seniors building a touchscreen table remotely similar to something you would find in the movie Iron Man out of a glass table, a projector and a webcam. The point is that Rice students used to be more concerned with the intrinsic beauty and innate "badass-ness" of nature and technology instead of starting a career 10 minutes into their first day of Physics 101. This sort of trend can be attributed to several things. First, the generation of students that are entering college now are just plain different than those who entered Rice eight years ago. This generation is more sheltered and tends to excel in a structured environment. This small generational gap might explain the rise in pre-meds at Rice, despite the fact that getting into medical school is more difficult than ever. Yet the thought remains that perfect grades and perfect attendance will ensure admission. This type of thinking leads to less creativity and diminishes a culture of quirkiness that is vital at Rice.

Interview: Physics professor Hafner receives Hackerman Award

The Welch Foundation honored Physics Professor Jason Hafner with this year's Normann Hackerman Award in Chemistry Research. The award, named for the chemist and former Rice University president, recognizes chemical scientists in Texas beginning their careers. Hafner earned a master's degree in physics at Rice in 1996, a and has served as a faculty member at Rice for the past nine years. The Rice Thresher: What is your research background?

Note

Note: The Thresher apologizes to any individuals offended by last week's Backpage. Although the content was meant to be satirical in nature, any offense caused was unintentional and regrettable.

Divide between academs and ESCIs apparent

Within the first month of my time at Rice, I became familiar with the reputed, and often very real, divide between students majoring in science and engineering and those in the social science, humanities and arts. In my day (two years ago), they were called ESCIs and academs. I, a political science and environmental policy major, was planted firmly on the side of academs and passionately sparred many a time with my science-oriented friends. But always in my mind was the assumption that this poor communication and lack of understanding about the content and culture of the two sides was a product of the college existence. I figured that life beyond the hedges had a convenient bridge over the divide. As it turns out, folks, I was totally and completely wrong. After spending two years on the outside, I've discovered the same lack of communication and coordination exists between these realms in the working world. It also turns out that if you find a job that helps bridge the divide, you'll be on a path to making change.

Controller's Office burden on treasurers

It's almost changeover season on campus - clubs, organizations and college governments are all getting ready to hold elections or tryouts before handing over the reins to a new group of students. Among these new electees, a fresh batch of treasurers across campus will be inheriting the ledgers and piles of receipts that come with the position. More than likely the majority of the new treasurers will also require training from the Controller's Office to be authorized for form signatures and the use of purchasing cards and the electronic BANNER and TouchNet systems.