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NEWS 2/5/09 6:00pm

New in Town not all that new

By Jackie Ammons

Playing on multiple clichés doesn't make a film deep or multi-faceted, it just makes the movie one big, dopey cliché with no real meaning whatsoever. Such is the case with Renee Zellweger's latest movie, New In Town. With themes that aren't all that new, the film relies on tired storylines that are simultaneously boring and cheesy.New In Town centers on metropolitan executive Lucy Hill (Leatherhead's Zellweger), who moves to supervise a small town factory in the cold climate of Minnesota. The heroine predictably falls in love with the warm-hearted union representative (Living Proof's Harry Connick Jr.) and makes friends with the small town's folk (Baby Mama's Siobhan Fallon and Burn After Reading's J.K. Simmons). In the end, Lucy not only gives up her old, flashy lifestyle, but also helps the rural town survive the mighty corporation's threats. The film makes the statement that Lucy is not just your everyday heroine, but also a defender of human rights . and of the secret tapioca recipe. How corny.

NEWS 2/5/09 6:00pm

Saturday's Sports Update: Women's basketball falls to UH

By Yan Digilov

The women's basketball team made the short trip across town to the University of Houston today for part-two of their cross-town rivalry, in which they were looking to avenge a hard-fought loss at Tudor Fieldhouse on Wednesday. The two teams came out with strikingly different demeanors. While the Owls could not make more than a single bucket in the first six minutes of the game, the Cougs put up an easy 14. Houston accumulated a 14-point lead at 23-9, their largest of the game, with eight minutes left in the half.

NEWS 2/5/09 6:00pm

SA makes good choice with trayless resolution

By Staff Editorial

As the evidence piles up indicating that the removal of trays will result in lower water bills and electricity costs for Rice's servery system, we have to applaud the Student Association's proposed resolution supporting the measure (see story, page 1). We also greatly appreciate that H&D chose not to exercise its right to act unilaterally in this decision and instead chose to collaborate with the student body.Preliminary test-runs of the trayless program - "Wasteless Wednesdays" at the south servery - have shown upwards of a 30 percent reduction in food waste and an 11 percent reduction in water usage at each meal, and we firmly believe that any type of practical cost reduction is a welcome sign, especially in today's economic climate.

NEWS 2/5/09 6:00pm

New physics building will bring prestige

By Staff Editorial

The new Brockman Hall for Physics, slated to be completed in December 2010, should be heralded as a welcome addition to the Rice campus (see story, page 4). Although the construction may hamper our peace and quiet, the resulting building will create the perfect amount of peace and quiet that our physicists require to conduct their experiments.The Physics and Astronomy Department may already command much of the administration's attention, but Rice should do everything possible to ensure that its achievements attract more focus outside the hedges. Rice's physicists have already garnered praise for their research, and their move to the state-of-the-art of Brockman Hall will allow them to pursue ever more ambitious experimental goals . At the very least, Rice will have a new recruiting tool, since the building will be attractive to both potential students and potential faculty, and that, of course, is a very good thing.

NEWS 2/5/09 6:00pm

Debate considers pros, cons of public service academy

By Hallie Jordan

[Editor's Note: This story's original online posting attributed all of U.S. Public Service Academy Co-Founder Shawn Raymond's quotes to his partner, Chris Myers Asch, who was not present at the debate. The story has been updated to rectify the mistake (Sunday, Feb. 15)]The United States has five universities dedicated to military service but none for public civilian service. Advocates of this idea, Shawn Raymond, co-founder of the U.S. Public Service Academy, and Philip Levy, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, discussed the pros and cons of the creation of such an academy in a debate held in the Rice Memorial Center Tuesday.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

SA election, O-Week spur involvement

By Timothy Faust

If you're going to be at Rice for the 2009-'10 academic year and you're reading my column, then you're probably looking for one of two things: sage, unsolicited advice about how to live your life or sophomoric jokes about how awesome beer is. Today I have more of the former and less of the latter.The results of the next few weeks of this academic year constitute what is the most significant indication of how successful and fun the undergraduate population will find the next school year. Many colleges will soon elect a president and governing body; dozens of candidates and applicants are crossing their fingers and fighting for Orientation Week coordinator bids at the nine established colleges and the two mysterious new colleges; and an alarmingly charming Student Association Elections Chair announced the beginning of SA election season this past Monday.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Yes We Can: Fashion inside the hedges isn't a hopeless case

By Deanne Nguyen

Starting with this week, the Thresher is going to have its very own fashion column. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Fashion? What? At Rice? Um, no." And I'm not going to lie; when I first came to Rice, I thought the exact same way.Every day I watched droves of people walk to class in their hoodies and jeans, pajamas and sweats, without a care for what they were wearing. As someone who chooses to spend 20 minutes of every morning just staring at her wardrobe, who dares to brave the academic quad in heels, I found it disheartening to discover that my peers did not share the passion that I had for getting dressed.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Solar Decathlon team aims to create sustainable home

By Margeux Clemmons

This year, Rice's Solar Decathlon team is turning a house into a home. Their solar-panel powered house has been four years in the making, and in October it will compete in a national competition in Washington, D.C. before being donated to a family here in Houston.The Department of Energy accepts proposals from 20 teams internationally every two years to participate in the Solar Decathlon competition, displaying the exhibitions of new energy-efficient technologies and sustainable designs on the Mall in Washington DC.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Minors tangible results of student innovation

By Staff Editorial

Once upon a time, the Thresher expressed displeasure that the Faculty Senate had chosen to lay the groundwork for Rice to introduce minors to the undergraduate curriculum ("Minors programs call for proper treatment," May 19, 2006). The editorial staff expressed concern that a wave of new minors could possibly overtax already-stressed students and cheapen major curriculum by stretching department resources. However, we of the current editorial board must say that so far, the spate of introduced minors has not given us any cause for concern, and most, including the newly proposed neuroscience minor, have left us impressed (see story, page 1). We applaud the initiative and motivation shown by those students who in recent months and years have worked to introduce new interdisciplinary studies in the form of minors. Far from stretching resources, these minors - business, sociology and the recently approved Jewish studies - have opened doors for students to take advantage of the best in multiple departments, not the worst.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Campus Reaction

 

"Currently, Rice offers no classes in neuroscience to undergraduate students or classes taught by Rice professors. But with the aid of resourceful undergraduates and the possible help of a merger with Baylor College of Medicine, Rice could create a neuroscience minor. What do you think about this possible minor?

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Women's tennis rebounds with home win after UT loss

By Prem Ramkumar

The women's tennis team has found a consistent force and unexpected star in redshirt freshman Jessica Jackson, who has yet to lose a match this year in singles play. This past weekend, Jackson and the Owls (3-1) traveled to Austin, where they lost a 1-6 decision to the 16th-ranked University of Texas before returning home to put away Sam Houston State by the reverse score. According to Jackson, the players were optimistic about their chances against the Longhorns.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Podcasting possesses power to aid present, future students

By Amanda Melchor

One of the great things about college, especially at a university like Rice, is the plethora of technology available to guide students in learning. The Digital Media Center offers both video and photographic cameras for student use as well as programs and classes to help them create DVDs and Web pages. But as I browsed through my iTunes account the other day, I was taken by a particular feature that Rice could use: more podcasts.Essentially, a podcast is a media file that can either be audio (like an mp3 file and most music) or video file. The iTunes store has free podcasts with topics ranging from sports to science to politics and virtually everything in between. Podcasts are simple tools - and cheap if done through the Digital Media Center - that the university could use more to not only help its current students but also aid future matriculants.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Backpage's Voyage through the Annals of History

By Tim Faust & Eric Doctor

Welcome to the Backpage's Journey through the Annals of History! Because the Backpage can't go online each week, we've chosen to dig up an article from the Thresher's past and put it online for the world to rediscover. We've also recorded two audio readings in case all these words get too burdensome on your eyes. Please enjoy and send any comment to backpage@rice.edu.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

All trailer, no trash: Rice Gallery's latest exhibit goes green

By Leo Carter

This month's Rice Gallery exhibit is a little out of the ordinary. While in the same vein as the gallery's usual architectural installations - begun by Shigeru Ban in 2002 - the Emergency Response Studio is different because it is mobile. Artist Paul Villinski had the idea for his latest piece while rummaging through post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans in 2006 for found objects and refuse to use as artistic material. It was then that he noticed the dilapidated house in the large-scale photograph that currently hangs on the left wall of the gallery in Sewall Hall.Reflecting on traditional war artists like Winslow Homer, Villinski said that being in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina made him feel like some war was being waged.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

New colleges near completion

By Catherine Bratic

Now that plans have been laid for populating Duncan and McMurtry colleges, the only thing left to do is build them. Last Friday, the Thresher and the college presidents toured the north college construction site, checking in on its progress and planning the transition. At the entrance to the main site trailer - actually seven trailers merged together due to space constraints on the site - posters reminded visitors that entry was prohibited without a hardhat and safety vest. Inside the trailer, the mood was more urgent as signs counted down to Orientation Week, the be all and end all deadline. A series of aerial photographs chronicled the progress and the transformation of the area from parking lots and trees to the nearly-finished buildings that stand there today.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Rice staff member assaulted

By Cindy Dinh

An investigation is in progress to find a man who assaulted a Rice staff member late Tuesday night. At approximately 10:57 p.m. a staff member in the Humanities Building radioed in a call for help after she found a man sleeping on a table in Room 327. When she asked him to leave, the man got up and ran toward the staff member where a struggle ensued. She used a university radio to call for help and escaped to the women's restroom. The man followed her in and physically assaulted her. However, he fled the scene after hearing feedback from the radio from those responding to her call. The staff member then locked herself in the bathroom stall before the Rice University Police Department and co-workers arrived, according to Captain Dianna Marshall. The suspect is described as a male, white, about 25-28 years of age, 5 feet 6-7 inches tall with light brown hair and eyes. He had three pre-existing red scratches on the right side of his face. At the time of the incident he was wearing a black jacket and black gloves.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Lovett searches for new RA

By Josh Rutenberg

Last week, Lovett College Resident Associate Rolf Ryham announced he would be leaving Rice to pursue a tenure track position at another university. In response to his recent announcement, Lovett's Central Committee has formed a search committee charged with finding a new RA for the upcoming school year.For the past two years, Ryham has served as RA for Lovett College along with math graduate student Renee Laverdiere. Both Ryham and Laverdiere hold degrees in mathematics, and can often be found assisting students in the common areas.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Closing time

By Casey Michel

Damon Stoudamire needs closure. The diminutive point guard, who burst into the league with his 5'10" stature and pinball-machine energy, knows that his career might be over. It's the middle of the NBA season, but for the first time since 1995, Stoudamire can't be found in NBA colors, nor on the injured reserve, nor collecting a massive payday from a European club.

NEWS 1/29/09 6:00pm

Men's basketball squad stuck at one conference victory

By Brody Rollins

Last Saturday's 78-40 loss against the University of Alabama-Birmingham marked the team's third straight defeat by at least 25 points, and was the second straight game in which a slow start dimmed the Owls' hopes by halftime. During the first seven minutes of play against the Blazers (13-8, 3-3 Conference USA), the Owls (6-14, 1-6 C-USA) were outscored 19-2 en route to a 37-15 halftime deficit.

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