Special Projects

Men see silver lining in dealing with top foe

There is always a silver lining when you are your own worst enemy: At the very least, you know your enemy well. That seems to be the case for the men's basketball team, which dropped another big lead to the University of Alabama at Birmingham last Saturday and found itself fighting back to beat Division II Texas A&M International University Monday. The laundry list of issues that has kept Rice (8-15, 1-8 Conference USA) at the bottom of the conference standings touches every aspect of its game.

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Online only: New health advisor program to replace former clubs

If you're feeling a bit depressed or under the weather, a new breed of specially trained Rice Health Advisors will soon be able to take care of you.The new RHA program, implemented at the beginning of this fall semester, has replaced two former clubs, Health Representatives and College Assistance Peer Program. Health advisers to be deployed next academic year are currently enrolled in a new class, UNIV 250: Rice Health Advisors. The class, with approximately 30 students, is taught by Assistant Director of the Wellness Center Marissa Howat and provides the advisors with specialized training.

Vagina Monologues deliver touching show

Interested in truly celebrating an anti-Valentine's Day this year? Well, there may be no better place for those against commercialized romanticism and repressed heterosexuality than at a performance of The Vagina Monologues in the McMurtry College Commons this weekend. This year's production, co-directed by Wiess College junior Jocelyn Wright and Wiess sophomore Matt Banks, fits the bill nicely. An unabashed tribute to sex, the female experience and reproductive anatomy, that enigma to men and women alike, The Vagina Monologues strings together a series of powerful stories with a good deal of humor and insight to create an altogether enjoyable show.

Erratum

In last week's article on college budget cuts ("College course budgets face cuts," Feb.5), the Thresher reported that college courses began two years ago. Student-taught courses began two years ago, whereas college courses have been around for more than ten years. The Thresher also reported that college course budgets were cut after some colleges did not use up their college course budget. However, the colleges were spending their entire course budget on courses taught by professional instructors, and the decision to cut the college course budget was based on an expression of support for, and confidence in, the continued growth and impact of the student-taught course program. The Thresher regrets these errors.

Duncan College establishes 'fresh' identity

Serving as Rice's newest residential college, Duncan College has come into its own following its first semester on campus. Named after Rice alumnus Charles ('47) and Anne Duncan, the 11th college has both turned its green reputation into a mecca of environmental friendliness and brought an entirely new meaning to the word 'BaDunc'.Made up of 79 freshmen, the Duncan class is sharing its rooms with its sister college, Baker College. However, this integration goes beyond just living spaces, as the two colleges eat meals together, play intramural sports together and even vote together. Instead of differentiating Baker students from Duncan students, the combined student body is referred to as "BaDunc."

Owls rock Tigers, Hurricanes in homestand

If there were questions remaining about the stability of the men's tennis team's doubles slate, or how the two new transfers would fit into the lineup, or if senior Bruno Rosa, ranked 19th in the nation, had the mettle to shoulder the 32nd-ranked Owls (5-1), last weekend provided a cheat sheet. Doubles success? Check.

This week's A&E cartoon

Bustin' a move

Baker College juniors Weikei Yu (left) and Johnny Li take it to the floor to show off their dance moves for Rice Dance Marathon's "So You Think You Can Dance?" fundraiser, which raised more than $1,300 for Texas Children's Hospital last Saturday.

Problems decline at Duncan, McMurtry

The technical difficulties faced by Rice University's first green colleges gave Duncan College and McMurtry College a rough start last fall. However, students and staff agree that the problems are now decreasing in both frequency and magnitude. According to Student Maintenance Representatives at both colleges, students issued multiple complaints about the living situation during the fall semester. Work orders last semester ranged from the absence of hot water to a lack of light switches, but both Matt Fritze, the SMR for Duncan and Baker College, and Michael Rog, a co-SMR for McMurtry and Will Rice College, said the problems are now minor and more contained.

Lunar New Year entertains, but not without rough spots

If last month's New Year's celebration is too hazy to recall, don't worry: You can celebrate all over again at this week's Lunar New Year festival. Vibrant choreography and diverse performances almost make up for so-so dancing in Rice's annual Lunar New Year show, which celebrates the Chinese New Year and features performances by all of the East Asian clubs on campus. The show offers a diversity of cultures represented - Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tibetan routines are featured - and acts offered, as the program is composed of both traditional and contemporary dances, martial arts, a cappella singing, a fashion show, a magic show and, of course, lion and dragon dances.The show's opening act is a traditional Chinese fan dance, in which performers use large, beautiful pink and green fans adorned with sequins to emulate the fluttering of butterflies as "Serenity," a contemplative traditional piece, plays. The variety of movements and formations of the four dancers keep the routine interesting, and the performers execute fanned motions with strong arms while showcasing some nice leaps, but awkward turns and obvious blunders in arm and leg placement are impossible to ignore in such a small group of performers.

Online only: Brochstein earns prestigious architectural award

The Raymond and Susan Brochstein Pavilion has added yet another award to its already crowded trophy case. Last month, the building received the Institute Honor Award for Architecture from the American Institute of Architects, which is given to recognize excellence in architecture and increase public awareness of the architecture practice.This year, the institute reviewed about 700 candidates before selecting the final 14 winners from around the world, from Yale University in New Haven, Conn. to Stuttgart, Germany. Buildings could be of any size, style or budget as long as they were constructed or renovated after 2003.

Online only: Fondren receives gift of Korean encyclopedias

In a ceremony last Thursday in the Kyle Morrow Reading Room of Fondren Library, South Korean Consul General of the city of Houston Yun-soo Cho presented the library with a set of Korean dictionaries and encyclopedias that will soon be available to students as part of the reference section.Howard R. Hughes Provost Eugene Levy, Vice Provost and University Librarian Sara Lowman and Director of the Chao Center for Asian Studies Tani Barlow accepted the gift. These dictionaries will fill a gap in the library's collection, Cho said about his first visit to Houston and the Fondren Library, because Fondren has few South Korean-published reference books.

Sporadic, inconsistent security beleaguers METRORail system

I have a love-hate relationship with the METRORail. On one hand, I can't live without it. I don't have a car, and when the hospitality of other drivers runs dry, I rely on the METRORail to get around. With a simple tap of my METRO Q Fare Card, the rail rapidly ferries me to my destinations of choice: My beloved Tacos A Go-Go, the Angelika, the museum district and several other prominent Houston locations are just a few stops along the track. The METRORail is relatively quick and easy, and best of all, free for Rice students.

Relish: Crossing the border at El Tiempo Cantina (online only)

Though Cinco de Mayo is still a few months away, we took our palates south of the border this week and indulged our appetites with some comida mexicana at El Tiempo Cantina. With its luscious food, delectable drinks and festive atmosphere, we are confident that El Tiempo Cantina will satisfy most Tex-Mex cravings.Ambiance

Online only: Rice alumna found dead after Haiti quake

Diane (Berry) Caves (Baker '00), a Rice alumna who went missing shortly after the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, was found dead last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Caves, a program analyst for the CDC's Atlanta headquarters, departed for Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Jan. 6, only six days before a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the country.Authorities identified her body in the rubble of Hotel Montana, a popular hotel for Americans visiting Haiti, where she had been staying while on a three-week assignment to work on the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in Haiti. The hotel collapsed during the earthquake. Two other employees of the CDC who were in Haiti at the time of the disaster have since been found and are safe.

Photo: By the seats of their pants

During a joint show with The Philharmonics last Friday in Lovett College's basement, Spontaneous Combustion entertained the audience with improv skits, quick-witted humor and general tomfoolery.

Exclusive video: RUPD's Chief Taylor discusses campus crime and safety

Letters to the Editor

Online Comment of the Week

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