Special Projects

2011 Commencement speaker selected

The New York Times columnist David Brooks will be the speaker at the 98th Commencement on May 14, 2011. A committee consisting of six students, representatives from President David Leebron's office, Hanszen College Master Rob Griffin and Associate Dean of Undergraduates Matt Taylor selected Brooks to speak at commencement. "One thing I like about David Brooks is he's a real independent thinker," Leebron said. "He's generally identified as a Republican commentator, but he is independent. When you get up in the morning and go to a David Brooks column, you can't say 'I know how it's coming out [in the end].' There are a lot of other commentators that, once you know the issue, you know exactly what they're going to say."

Commentary: Keep the lock on this Tiger's cage for now

To the casual golf fan, Tiger Woods might as well have been ensconced in his Mississippi rehabilitation clinic the entire summer, instead of attempting to recover his golf game. Save for an incredible performance in the third round of the U.S. Open, golf 's most familiar face was nowhere to be found in 2010. After Phil Mickelson won The Masters Tournament, the next three majors produced relatively unknown victors: the U.S. Open champion was a Northern Irishman (although not young phenom Rory McIlroy) named Graeme McDowell, the Claret Jug was hoisted by South African Louis Oosthuizen, adding to his country's World Cup hosting glory in the process, and finally in the PGA Championship, Martin Kaymer became only the second German to win a major in golf. To put it simply, the leader of the links has failed miserably in his comeback from the marital troubles that became public in November 2009.

Open Letter from Alumni Regarding the Sale of KTRU

Open Letter from Alumni to the Rice Community Regarding the Sale of KTRU 91.7 FMWe, the undersigned, call on President Leebron to halt the sale of the KTRU license, transmitter and frequency to the University of Houston, to preserve this cherished piece of Rice student culture, and to begin to restore the trust between the administration and the alumni.

Commentary: Attendance mandatory for volleyball

Looking for something to do tonight between dinner and the first public party of the year? I have a suggestion: Watch the volleyball team take on Texas Tech University at 7 p.m. in Tudor Fieldhouse.This is the team's first chance to see all that preseason work pay off. The team has been practicing twice a day since Aug. 9. When school started, the team kept practicing three hours a day, with weights twice a week. When most members of the class of 2014 were enjoying their last weeks at home with friends and family, Lindsay Daniel, Tyler Jenkins, Mariah Riddlesprigger and Megan Shepard were already on campus. And while I've been napping in the afternoons this week trying to recover from O-Week, they've been in the gym trying to make sure the Red Raiders are sorely disappointed by the outcome of tonight's match.

Shepherd School of Music ranks high

The Shepherd School of Music started off this year with a standing ovation. According to the 2011 edition of The Fiske College Guide, the Shepherd School was ranked among among the top ten music schools in the nation. Other schools mentioned in Fiske's top 10, ranked in no particular order, include the Juilliard School, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Oberlin College, Yale University, Berklee College of Music, University of California at Los Angeles, Carnegie Mellon University, Curtis Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music and Indiana University.

Smooth Transition

Many changes to the Rice campus welcomed students at the start of the fall semester. Though some of those changes have been met with some resistance, the Thresher has been encouraged to see that the new renovations to Will Rice and Baker Colleges have gone without a hitch. The return home for these two colleges has been comfortable and well-received, thanks in large part to planners who all too often hear only criticisms for mistakes, rather than praise for unnoticed smoothness. According to Facilities, Engineering and Planning Project Manager Larry Vossler, "during the first 14 days, a total of four work orders were issued for more than 100 rooms, compared to 5,500 work orders at Duncan and McMurtry [Colleges] in early August of last year" (see story, page 12). The Thresher commends the planning and execution of the move-in into the renovated colleges this semester.

V2C goal reached

The expansion of the incoming class is coming to a close. This year's incoming class of approximately 945 students matches the target size of all future matriculating classes as set out by the Vision for the Second Century at Rice, Vice President for Enrollment Chris Muñoz said.

KTRU sale leaves campus clubs unsafe

These are the times that try Rice's soul. The recent incident involving the sale of the KTRU transmitter necessitates a surge of vigilance and skepticism among the student body. Unless the Rice administration is forcefully made aware of student opposition to the secretive process through which the KTRU tower and frequency were pawned off to the University of Houston, we must operate under the assumption that any university asset or program the administration deems unprofitable or underutilized is available for sale to the highest bidder. All members of the Rice community should be alarmed by the dangerous precedent established by the subversive liquidation of a fixture of our university's culture. We must demand more accountability and transparency from our administration. While neither the administration nor the Board of Trustees is obligated to obtain student input before making decisions, effecting drastic changes to a student-run organization should involve students. President David Leebron claims that the negotiations for the sale were, "by necessity, confidential" in order to "bring them to a timely conclusion." However, the administration began appraising the station's value and scouting the market years ago - all without notifying any student stakeholders. The administration's failure to inform students that a major student organization could undergo irreversible changes is unacceptable. If crafting a deal to sell the transmitter necessitated secrecy, then Rice never should have made the offer in the first place. It is disappointing and perplexing that the administration was more candid about the potential merger of Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine than it was about the sale of a radio tower. Given the immense backlash that resulted from its previous attempt to shut down the KTRU signal, it is hard to imagine that the administration's opacity was not a deliberate attempt to preclude dissent and to obviate organized opposition. The administration may never admit it, but its actions suggest it had something to hide. More disturbingly, its choices permanently undermine confidence in its receptiveness to student input. Unless students actively express our disapproval, Rice administrators have little incentive to operate more openly in the future.

Rice Volleyball 2010

While the Owls were certainly displeased with the ending to their 2009 season, a look back at last year's accomplishments reveals a successful season. Rice qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, while also winning the Conference USA Tournament held at Tudor Fieldhouse last November. The Owls understand, however, that the success of last season means little if they do not continue to take steps forward. Despite last year's achievements, Head Coach Genny Volpe believes that this year's squad can build upon 2009.

Photos: Local band true to KTRU

Darwin's Finches members Justin Saladino, Dronbo Malx and Matty the Beast play for KTRU's Local Show Tuesday. Local artists turned out to play live in a show of support for KTRU in light of the pending sale of the station's transmission tower and broadcast license.

KTRU in Hindsight

As detailed information about the sale of KTRU to the University of Houston continues to be disseminated throughout the student body, many groups are taking steps to determine the immediate future of the organization (see story, page 1). Alumni, KTRU disc jockeys and members of the greater student body are taking action to keep the deal from going through, while the administration tries to ameliorate the situation through discussions with KTRU about its future online operations. We at the Thresher believe that both attempts are simply too little, too late.First, it should be noted that President David Leebron personally met with KTRU officials in an attempt to explain the decision made by the Board of Trustees. Though KTRU affiliates may not have come away with satisfactory answers as to how the university put a price tag on their lives, President Leebron's outstretched arm is a welcomed sign.

Ramadan sacrifices extend beyond fasting

It's 3 p.m. I'm staring intently at the course catalog trying to figure out which classes I want to take for the semester, but it's not going well. Every few seconds, I find myself glancing woefully at my yellow water bottle that's sitting across the room. I force myself to look back at the screen."Come on, Shamsa!" I tell myself. "Find those D3s!"

Administration consistently neglects students' input

In the past few weeks, KTRU has received a tidal wave of support as it faces the imminent sale of its broadcasting rights. The support comes largely from KTRU and Thresher media alums who spent many a Wednesday night down the hall from each other; however, these people are coming out of the woodwork.And this is KTRU we're talking about: an organization on campus that has its requests for blanket tax increases consistently voted down - overwhelmingly - by the student body, and whose listener base on campus is likely outnumbered by the students who would rather see it closed for good.

Letters To The Editor

Online Comment of the Week

Smooth transition back for Baker and Will Rice (2)

While Will Rice and Baker College students returned to the south at the beginning of the semester, greeted by new, greener buildings, Lovett College got more space through the acquisition of an adjacent Baker wing.

KTRU protest draws diverse crowd

Several hundred students, alumni, faculty and other members of Houston's KTRU community gathered in the heat of the day 2 p.m. Sunday to protest the university's decision to sell KTRU's FCC broadcasting license and 50,000- watt broadcasting tower to KUHF. KUHF, which currently offers a mix of both classical music and news programming, would use the new station to split into an all-news station at KUHF 88.7 FM and an all-classical music station at KUHC 91.7 FM. A series of speakers told the assembled group, many of whom were holding signs reading "Save KTRU" and sporting black and yellow KTRU stickers, about their anger with the administration and their personal feelings about KTRU's value.

Meet McMurtry's new RA

Metro 101

Even native Houstonians sometimes have trouble navigating the METROrail - my own freshmen can attest to this - but the rail is a Rice student's best friend. It can connect you to all kinds of food and activities outside the hedges; you just have to know where to look. No car? No problem. The METRO can get you where you want to go. First off, if you haven't already picked up your Q-Card from the Cashier's Office, do it. It's free, and the Cashier's Office will refill the card with $50 every time you get low: All you need to do is present your Rice ID with the Q-Card.

President David Leebron responds to Thresher staff editorial, student and alumni concerns over KTRU sale

In response to last week's staff editorial ("KTRU sale dealings ominous for all student organizations," Aug. 20), President David Leebron invited members of the Thresher editorial staff to discuss the sale of KTRU's transmission tower, broadcasting license and equipment.

Photos: Ride like an Egyptian

Hanszen Masters Rob and Ann Griffin (top) ride a camel as part of Hanszen's Pharoah Week. Their children Liam and Merry (bottom) also wanted to get in on the action. This is not the first time Hanszen has had camels; they also rented them at the end of last year.