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NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

The Sammys: The best of Rice theatre

By Joe Dwyer

"These secretly-tabulated results were presented to the Thresher in a sealed envelope by Price Waterhouse representative John R. Heaner" reads the April 24, 1980 issue of The Rice Thresher, which holds the distinction of handing out the first-ever Sammy awards.Thirty years later, the voting format and awards categories have evolved somewhat (not to mention PricewaterhouseCoopers no longer handles the voting results), but the original spirit and purpose of the Sammys has remained unchanged: "To honor those members of the Rice Community who have excelled in the theatrical arts ... None of the winners will be blessed with either gold statuettes or national television exposure, but the sense of achievement and reward should still be there, nonetheless."

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Commentary: Pre-graduation bucket list around Rice athletics

By Casey Michel

I don't have many regrets from my college days, but one sticks out like Brian Cushing in a banned-substance test. It was three-and-a-half years ago, my greenness showing loudly on my University of Oregon shirt as I climbed the steps of Autry Court to watch a men's basketball game against the Ducks. I hadn't shaken my original love for UO, and it was only after hours of ribbing that I'd realized my fois gras, er, faux pas. Not that you needed a glimpse into my collegiate journal - here are your requisite Ken Griffey Jr. and "One Tree Hill" name-drops - but I bring up this embarrassment to illustrate the fact that there are a few things about Rice sports, and college sports in general, that you need to know. For starters, always, always root for Rice. I don't care if your name is Rudy Ruettiger or if you literally bleed Longhorn orange (Longhorange?) - this is your school, and these are your teams. But more than that, these are your classmates, so for the sake not merely of victory but for the ties that bind us to one another, for the blanket that covers all of us in the Rice community, root them on. They not only appreciate it, they thrive on it, and you'll find that you've made some friends along the way.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Wednesday's Sports Update: Baseball loots Pirates in search of C-USA title

By Meghan Hall

Rice's journey in the Conference USA Championship began Wednesday afternoon at the University of Houston, where the Owls beat East Carolina University 11-3 at Cougar Field. Sophomore Taylor Wall (5-5) started for Rice Wednesday and was immediately awarded run support, a welcome development for the lefty. Junior right fielder Chad Mozingo led off the first with a double and scored on junior shortstop Rick Hague's homer to left field. Sophomore third baseman Anthony Rendon also scored thanks to a single by senior catcher Diego Seastrunk.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Golf takes second place in C-USA Tournament

By Paul Fitzgerald

With its season on the brink, the golf team had just one tournament left to keep their season going. But despite the pressure, Christopher Brown (Brown '10) and the Owls came up big, taking a second-place finish to clinch a berth in the NCAA Regionals in College Station on May 20- 22. The Rice golf team has had a successful season, winning two team titles and two individual titles prior to the Conference USA Championship in Sorrento, Fla.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Men dazzle in first meet at newly renamed Holloway field and Ley Track

By Jonathan Myers

With the advent of the J. Fred Duckett/Rice Twilight meet April 24, the men's track team will no longer call the Rice Track Stadium home, with Head Coach Jon Warren presiding over the renaming of the facility as the Holloway Field and Ley Track. The Owls responded to the christening enthusiastically, with rising senior Ugo Nduaguba accomplishing his best mark of the season in the triple jump, finishing first with a jump of 15.57 meters. For his efforts, Nduaguba was named Conference USA Athlete of the Week, earning the honor for the second time during this outdoor season. Freshman Alec Hsu furthered his role within the pole vaulting corps, taking first place with a vault of 5.16 meters.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

97th Commencement: Phi Beta Kappa Society Inductees 2010

 

Seventy-five students, three more than last year, became members of Phi Beta Kappa, an honor society that recognizes outstanding achievements in the liberal arts and sciences, at the annual induction ceremony Friday in Hamman Hall.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

97th Commencement: Nobel laureate Yunus addresses grads

By Jocelyn Wright

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus shared with graduates the life experiences that inspired him to found Grameen Bank, which provides microcredit loans in Bangladesh, in his speech at the 97th Commencement on May 15.When Yunus returned to Bangladesh, his home country, after teaching at Middle Tennessee State University in the 1970s, he was shocked by the way villagers were exploited by the money-lending industry. He related the story of a woman who received a loan of five taka ($0.07) on the condition that she sell all her products to her money-lender at the price he decided.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Owls trample Thundering Herd, stand atop C-USA

By Ryan Glassman

With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the baseball team found themselves in first place in the Conference USA standings. The Owls (30-17, 11-4 C-USA) would travel to West Virginia to take on Marshall University, a team sitting just two-and-a half games back in C-USA rankings. Needless to say, the impending road conference challenge would provide a significant test for Rice. And after splitting the series' first two games, the Owls prevailed in the rubber match to take the series and expand their conference lead.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Saturday's Sports Update: Golden Eagles fly too high for Owls

By Meghan Hall

There was an early offensive outburst in Saturday's game, but on Saturday that honor belonged to the University of Southern Mississippi. Rice could not overcome the first inning and lost the Conference USA Championship to Southern Miss 7-4.The Eagles (35-22, 14-10 C-USA) put up a four-spot in the first, thanks in part to two walks and a bases-loaded, two-run error by freshman second baseman Michael Ratterree.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Thursday's Sports Update: Cougars no rival for Owl bats in baseball's 24-3 rout of Houston

By Meghan Hall

At the conclusion of yesterday's game, senior catcher Diego Seastrunk said, "We have to play every pitch. I feel like this team loses focus easily, and we get behind and we lose our focus so we just have to play every pitch as if it's our last."Rice certainly kept its focus tonight as it bested the University of Houston 24-3 (in seven innings) in its second game of the Conference USA Championship.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Relish: Turning over Banana Leaf Malaysian

By Catherine Bratic & Sarah Rutledge

Tucked away in the corner of a freshly built shopping center, Banana Leaf Malaysian Cuisine initially seems to be just another Chinatown restaurant. Its bamboo decor and thatched-hut kitchen may be Asian kitsch, but the charming, if small, restaurant delivers fresh tastes and complex flavors.Malaysian food is a melange of Indian, Eurasian and Chinese cuisines, with curries, herbal soups and stir-fried noodle dishes. These numerous influences give a comforting glimmer of familiarity to anyone setting out to experience Malaysian cuisine for the first time, while still allowing diners the experience of exploring a new cuisine. The many hefty cultural influences shaping Banana Leaf's extensive menu are presented phonebook-style, like at many of the surrounding restaurants,. Appetizers run from $2.95 to $7.95, and while the priciest seafood dishes can weigh in at over $20, depending on market prices, the majority of the menu items are well under $10 apiece. Lunch items, available on weekdays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., are $4.95 to $5.95.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Photo: SAAAAAFE!

 

Sophomore Michael Fuda slides in to steal second base against East Carolina on April 24. Fuda is batting .333 for the season.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Colonel reflects, compares Rice to West Point

By Cindy Dinh

What does a public institution that trains military personnel have in common with Rice? At their essence, both have leadership development and the ability to enhance social-cultural relationships as Colonel Daniel Ragsdale, a visiting administrator from West Point, noted from his year observing Rice. As part of the American Council on Education Fellowship, Ragsdale, vice dean for education at West Point Academy in West Point, New York, has spent the past year at Rice meeting with faculty members, administrators, program directors and students to observe how the school runs. Since 1965, between 40-50 fellows in the program are selected from nominations to spend an academic year at a host institution, immerse themselves in the culture and work directly with the institution's presidents and administrators as part of a leadership development program in higher education. Next year, Rice's own Joel Thierstein, Executive Director of Connexions and Associate Provost for Innovative Scholarly Communication, will be an ACE fellow for the 2010-2011 academic year.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Thurdsay's Baseball Update: Baseball clinches regular season title, top seed in C-USA Tournament with win over UAB

By Meghan Hall

Coming off a string of offensively dominated games, Rice toned down the bats tonight but still found success with its 5-2 victory over the University of Alabama-Birmingham. With their win today, the Owls (34-19, 16-6 Conference USA) capture sole possession of the C-USA regular season championship. They will also hold the first seed in the C-USA Championship, which begins at the University of Houston May 26. Jared Rogers (7-1) started for Rice this evening and pitched splendidly, forfeiting only four hits with no runs and four strikeouts.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

97th Commencement

 

Members of the class of 2010 stand attentively, waiting to be seated by President David Leebron as commencement ceremonies began Saturday morning.Read coverage on the commencement speech, see the

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Shumway selected as HUMA dean

By Hallie Jordan

As the search for a new dean of undergraduates begins, the search for a new dean of humanities ends, a year after it began, with the selection of Nicolas Shumway, who will become the new dean of humanities beginning July 1. Shumway will be replacing former dean of humanities Gary Wihl, who resigned last year. Allen Matusow, a history professor who served as Rice's humanities dean for 14 years in the 1980s and early 90s, has worked as interim dean for the past school year.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Women's track searching for fourth-consecutive outdoor C-USA title

By Natalie Clericuzio

Repeating a championship in any collegiate sport is a challenge. With the revolving door of outgoing seniors and incoming freshmen, the team dynamic is always in flux. But over the past three seasons, the women's track and field team has maintained a high level of excellence and won three-straight outdoor Conference USA Championships. This weekend, they were heading for a fourth. A title there would make them the first women's team to win four straight conference championships, a feat previously accomplished only by the Rice baseball team and men's tennis team. Before the C-USA Outdoor Championships, the women's track team competed in three meets since classes ended April 23. On April 24, Rice hosted the Fred Duckett Twilight meet at the newly christened Holloway Field and Ley Track. There, the team had several lifetime bests and improvements on previous times.

NEWS 5/16/10 7:00pm

Sustainability a personal responsibility

By Mishal Thadani

Recently I was interviewing for a job position involving renewable energy when my interviewer asked me a question I've never really been asked before: "What does sustainability mean to you?" To be honest, I tanked this question. I thought about all the times any professor, lecturer or die-hard environmentalist spoke of sustainability, without providing a clear-cut definition for it. I spattered about leaving carbon footprints and how being wasteful was contaminating the environment, but knew I was skirting around the core of the birthing of sustainability.

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