Special Projects

Welcome, Parents

The Thresher would like to be the first to welcome the tidal wave of parents that arrive on campus for Families Weekend (see story, page 7). Before you begin cleaning our rooms and folding our laundry, you should take some time to walk around campus and enjoy the many construction projects that your paid tuition money does not even begin to cover. As students that are dying to just make it to the weekend, we ask that you refrain from answering questions or making silly comments in the classes you visit, unless specifically invited to do so. In return, the body will make a concerted effort to turn the music down and make it look like we are here to develop marketable skills.

Football embarrassed at home by Big Ten foe

A football offense is a complicated system, requiring exact precision of every moving piece in order to put together lasting drives. An offense is not merely a collection of talent but rather a group of players who can unite and play together. This precision is something that has yet to happen for the Owls (1-2) in any of their three games, most recently in last weekend's 30-13 loss to Northwestern University (3-0). Head Coach David Bailiff echoed these sentiments when talking about the offense's progress this week against Northwestern.

REMS director returns after 15 years

More than a decade after leaving Rice, Mark Escott (Jones '96) returned to the campus as medical director of the Rice Emergency Medical Services, which he founded as an undergraduate student in 1995. Escott, who previously worked for two years as REMS director after his graduation from Rice, started his new position in July. As medical director, Escott will set and approve the medical protocols followed by REMS. Along with this responsibility, he has taken up a position as a team doctor for the Athletic Department at Rice.Escott is proud of the growth REMS has shown, but said there will be changes and improvements to the organization. He said that an aspect of REMS that has not expanded as much as he would have liked is the participation of faculty and staff as responders. This expansion would reinforce REMS as more than a student organization.

Women's cross country cruises to victory at home

The women's cross country team is preparing for a fight back to nationals. In a season when Head Coach Jim Bevan can say that "this is by far the most competitive [Rice's] conference and region have ever been," the team is responding with a measure of competitiveness to match it. After a rain-out two weekends ago, the team finally began its season at the Rice Invitational on Friday evening. The team finished in first place, with senior Britany Williams placing first overall at 14:25 minutes. Sophomore Halsey Fowler, senior Nicole Mericle and junior Marie Thompson finished hundredths of seconds apart to capture third through fifth place. Sophomore Heather Olson placed eighth in 14:52 and junior Allison Pye grabbed ninth at 14:52.

Investigation of data theft ongoing

Two weeks after data theft was announced via campus e-mail Sept. 10, the Rice community is still trying to piece together exactly what happened and how such an incident can be prevented in the future.All of the 7,250 affected people were sent letters delivered to their campus and home mailing addresses, when available, Sept. 17 with steps to prevent identity theft.

Online only: Defending champs rebound from Week 1 loss

For the second straight weekend, the slate of powderpuff games was decimated by weather conditions and game cancellations, leaving just two games played. The more appealing match-up was the game between Will Rice College and Duncan College, two teams on opposite ends of Week 1 upsets. Duncan, in their first season as an independent powderpuff squad, defeated Jones College in overtime in the season's inaugural game, while the defending champions from Will Rice allowed 34 points in a loss to Lovett College. The Thresher's Game of the Week lived up to expectations on Sunday afternoon, needing overtime to separate the two teams for the second straight week. Will Rice bounced back from their season-opening loss, taking a 21-14 game from Duncan to even their record at 1-1 on the year.Game of the Week

Baker Institute Student Forum debate: Arizona immigration laws (1)

ARIZONA SPARKED THE current national illegal immigration debate, passing a law that has drawn criticism across the country. President Barack Obama quickly spoke out against it, saying it could "undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans." Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles was quoted by The New York Times comparing the measure to Nazism. What critics fail to realize is that this law is the result of a failure by the federal government, not the state of Arizona. Faced with few other options other than accepting the status quo, the Arizona legislature gave state authorities the right to enforce federal law by checking the immigration status of individuals who are in contact with police for other violations. It doesn't go above or beyond federal law, as has at times been painted, to discourage illegal immigration.

Golf can't hold up strong start in Arlington, finishes in eighth place

Despite posting the best one-round score of any team during the Head Coach Drew Scott (Wiess '98) era, the golf team fell short of converting that round into a top finish, posting an eighth-place finish at the UTA/Waterchase Invitational in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday. Senior Michael Whitehead led Rice throughout three rounds en route to a tie for fifth place. Whitehead, who qualified for the prestigious U.S. Amateur Tournament over the summer, finished at par or under all three rounds, and his cumulative score of 213 left him only four shots back of the event's individual champion, Derek Plucienski of the University of North Texas.

Double toil and trouble; fire burn, and caldron bubble

Students in HANS 164, Witches Weekly!, perform an Autumn Equinox ritual at sundown Wednesday in the grove outside Hanszen to raise awareness of neopagan religions and celebrate the turning of the season and prosperity of the fall harvest.

Sid's '80s fails to impress

The generally accepted expectation of a public party is that it is to be a social gathering in which all are permitted to enter. It would thus seem that Sid Richardson College failed to truly throw a public party last Saturday. The fire alarms and subsequent fire-code enforcement were a repeat of Sid's last party, School Girls. This recurring exclusion of scores of students from Sid parties is becoming a nuisance and is frankly unacceptable.Sid needs to take steps to secure its parties against these false fire alarms. As the freshman classes continue to grow and high party turnouts persist, it's undertandable that these sort of acts will happen from time to time. However, Sid is the only college to have parties fail, twice, because of this sort of activity. The Thresher hopes this does not become a trend.

Beyond The Hedges

National

To find a career, look past the paycheck

Information sessions, application deadlines and the career fair: It's that time again. As recruiters and job opportunities continue to arrive on campus, from listservs to the Huff House, anxious seniors, hopeful juniors and enthusiastic sophomores prepare for interview season. While students' main job focus may be on the industry, the payment or the job description, another criterion that is often overlooked might be just as important: The employer's code of conduct. While applicants have sometimes spent their undergraduate experience working toward a particular job, they often forget that they should be just as demanding of the employer as the employer is of them.Finding the perfect job seems like an impossible task. How is one supposed to find a professional position that suits one's interests, pays well, is within a good company, provides benefits and aligns with one's objectives? Many times, this combination is an ideal that cannot be found right away and one aspect of the job must be sacrificed. When looking for a job this year, Rice students will hopefully not overlook a crucial point: the employer's ethics. Oftentimes, myself included, students do not take enough time to truly know the position they are applying for. While they might know what the job is about, they sometimes forget to be as analytical when considering the employer.

Crumbs

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Voting an important way to stay involved with the Houston community

IT'S THAT TIME of the year again: a time when employers allow their employees to leave work early, professors permit students to slink into class late, a time where we collectively take a break from our usual daily routine to perform an act bestowed upon us as citizens of the United States. Yes, it's election season! Most elections kicked off their campaigning on Labor Day weekend, but another important date is looming upon us: the voter registration deadline. The prerequisite of all prerequisites. The unfortunate reality is that many of our fellow students either forget to vote (via absentee ballot or in person) or feel so disconnected to the candidates' platforms that they don't even bother to vote. I used to accept these excuses from my friends when they told me why they didn't vote in the last election, until I found out that a Rice student who registers to vote using their residential college address can vote on campus!

$32 billion industry

Students surround Willy's Statue for the Human Trafficking Vigil Sept. 19. Houston is one of the top ports for this crime.

Hanging with the Fresh Rice Breakers

Forget Step Up 3-D. The Fresh Rice Breakers are the real deal. The Thresher gets the scoop by chatting with three of the five guys that keep this reviving dance group strong.

Parker discusses leadership, economy

Houston Mayor Annise Parker (Jones '78) visited the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business last week to give the first presentation of its Thought Leadership series. This program was hosted and attended by the Jones Partners, a group of business professionals who work to encourage collaboration between the Jones School and Houston's business community, and geared toward bringing leaders of multiple sectors to speak at the Jones School. Parker came to Rice on Sept. 20 to discuss Houston's future and the importance of a partnership between the city and the Jones School.

New Walkmen album bends genres, shows versatility

Formed in 2000, New York City- based indie-rockers The Walkmen have created an eclectic piece of work with their sixth studio album, entitled Lisbon. As a whole, the album shines; its varied influences and thoughtful lyrics result in a delightfully enter- taining experience.An album of astonishing range, Lisbon in many ways seems undeni- ably modern and yet in even more ways seems to evoke the charming melodies and musical techniques of yesteryear. For instance, on "Torch Song," The Walkmen produce a doo-wop throwback - think Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, minus Frankie's superhuman falsetto, with a little bit of Vampire Weekend's New York swagger thrown in for good measure.

Last week's online poll results: