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Two tallies tout Rice as fourth best-value university

Rice was ranked fourth last week on both the Princeton Review and Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine's lists of best value private schools for 2009, falling from the number one position it held on last year's Princeton Review and improving by one spot on Kiplinger's list. The lists compiled data from private campuses across the country. Schools were ranked on the basis of academic quality, student opinion and financial aid packages. Other consistently high-ranked institutions include Princeton, Harvard and Yale universities.

Best value ranking sits a little low for comfort

Rice has always been about getting a good education for the best value. From the free-tuition policy that lasted more than 50 years after the university's opening day to the No. 1 "Best Value" ranking in last year's Princeton Review, maintaining the ability to educate students more effectively while charging less than our competitors has been central in Rice's institutional goals since day one. This is why we hope that Rice's placement of only fourth-best on two separate best value lists is only temporary (see story, page 1). It is true while we fell from the top spot in the aforementioned Princeton Review, we did rise one slot from fifth in Kiplinger's Personal Finance, but it might be worth asking: why did we stop the ascent at number four?Certain other universities took the spots ahead of us: Swarthmore, Harvard and Princeton in the Princeton Review, and California Institute of Technology, Yale and Princeton in Kiplinger's. Most of these schools sport tens of billions of dollars in endowment funds, and, consequently, no-loan thresholds higher than the clouds - a factor to which both sets of rankings give great weight. Rice has some reason to complain, though, since the rankings came out before the administration announced a raise in our own no-loan threshold from $60,000 to $80,000 ("Rice modifies financial aid," Jan. 9).

International notability a good sign

If it seemed like there were a lot more tour groups going around than usual last semester, you probably were not imagining things. For the Fall 2009 incoming class, a record 10,818 prospective students applied to matriculate at Rice, an 11.5% spike from the 9,812 who sent in materials last year (see story, page 1). But it is not just that more students were applying - approximately 28 percent of those who applied early decision were offered admission, a wide margin over last year's 24 percent who were allowed in early. When this influx of new students arrive on campus next year, there's also a higher probability that they will be from somewhere other than the United States, as the number of those applying from abroad was 28 percent higher than last year.Combined with the 63 percent spike in worldwide applicants we saw last year, this glut of incoming internationals is a welcome change. But perhaps change isn't the correct word, as Rice has long been viewed as having one of the best class-race interrelations in the nation ("Princeton Review ranks Rice No. 2 for quality of life, race/class interaction," Aug. 22). Still, an increase in diversity, regardless of whether or not we had already attained a suitable level, is commendable.

Men's basketball breaks 19-game conference losing streak

The men's basketball team's conference drought stretched a span of nearly two years, but as of last Wednesday, the Owls' Conference USA woes are no more. Although they lost the C-USA opener against Tulane University, Rice (6-10. 1-1 C-USA) rocked Southern Methodist University at home on Wednesday to heave the season's biggest remaining monkey off their back. The Owls will attempt to continue their mastery of home play in tomorrow afternoon's match-up against the University of Central Florida at Tudor Fieldhouse. UCF's (11-6, 0-2 C-USA) biggest threat is preseason all C-USA guard Jermaine Taylor. Taylor is averaging a league-leading 23.7 points per game and has been instrumental in the Knights' hot start, which includes a close loss to the University of Memphis in their C-USA opener.

Owl see you in the kitchen

Hanszen College sophomore Courtney Ng and Jones College seniors Caroliuna Simao and Chuan Li adorn a brownie in the shape of an owl during the Rice Memorial Center's Snack Attack Wednesday night in the Grand Hall.

Data show modest increases in Rice faculty salaries, continuing salary disparities based on gender

In 2007-'08, Rice University faculty earned the highest average faculty salaries and compensations of any Texas university, according to data published by the American Association of University Professors. In that term the average salary for Rice faculty members was $103,700. When benefits are included, the average compensation for all Rice faculty members was $129,100.The data also showed that salary disaprities continue to exist between male and female faculty members.

Men's 2009 Tennis Preview

What is leadership? Is it the respect automatically assigned to the eldest, the veterans and the weathered? Or is it something earned, something found when the obstacles are toughest and the chips are at their lowest? This is the question the men's tennis team has dealt with in the weeks before the dawning of their spring season. Traditionally, those at the top of the ladder - such as junior Bruno Rosa, currently ranked 26th in the nation - would be the ones steering the team. But a glut of highly-touted, highly-talented freshmen has made the idea of team leadership a bit more opaque.

Owls continue search for offense in pair of road losses

After a decisive victory against George Washington University last week, it seemed as though the women's basketball team was on an upswing, but youth and inconsistency once again undercut the Owls' efforts. Rice traveled to El Paso last Friday to take on the University of Texas-El Paso in the first conference game of the season. From the start, the Owls seemed to carry with them the momentum from the win against GW: For the fourth time in two seasons, Rice carried a halftime lead into the locker room.

Science and faith not totally separate, exclusive domains

This winter break, I ran into a peculiar type of person. Most of you know the type I'm talking about - the one who thinks Ann Coulter is funny and who honestly has more respect for the talk show hosts who ridicule our politicians than the politicians themselves. The type who associates to the point of confusion the ideals of our Founding Fathers, those of the Republican Party and those of the Bible. The worst part was that they were related to me.On the other side of things, though, are people like my roommate from last year, whose devotion to the Democratic Party was total and unquestioning. Someone who was disappointed in both Democratic candidates because they were not radical enough. Someone who seemed to take the highly polemic work of Richard Dawkins at face value.

Rice overlooks out-of-state students

Over the last few years, we've seen the introduction of a new campus-wide marketing effort and new slogans and taglines to broaden Rice's footprint in the college market. The driving motivation behind the implementation of all these changes was to break Rice's regionalized reputation as the "Harvard of the South" and to begin to draw students more heavily from schools outside of Texas. While some say that the measures we have taken as a university - making phrases like "Unconventional Wisdom" and "Who Knew?" the most prominent verbal associations with our name - are actually cheapening our reputation, that's not the point of this article.My point is that, for all the money we're putting into advertising, we should be experiencing tremendous returns. But when I go home, most people I talk to have never heard of Rice, and half of those who have don't know whether it's in Houston or Austin. Financing isn't the only support that a project of this scale needs. If we're really trying to draw out-of-state students, the administration - with the help of the Faculty Senate - needs to make efforts to accommodate them.

New hygiene product can aid green effort

Every time I tune into the increasingly prevalent environmental news, everywhere from documentaries to commercials to blogs to newspaper headlines, I tend to feel like the sky is falling and the world is burning (or, rather, melting). It's easy to feel like there is nothing we, as mere players in such a vast system, can do to make a difference. But there is. There is the truism of "recycle, reduce, reuse," and while they are all as important as ever, the "reduce" facet deserves more attention than it normally gets. Well, maybe it is time to look into this "reduce" concept.Luckily, there is something relatively new on the horizon that most people probably don't know about yet. And you'll have to excuse me, guys, because although the environmental issue affects all of us, this column is mainly directed at women. Enter: the menstrual cup.

Men's 2009 Track & Field Preview

The University of Houston Cougars continue to become an increasingly larger target on the Rice University Athletic Department's office dartboard. Not only did the football team circle the final tilt on the 2008 schedule against UH as an important matchup that could possibly make or break their season, head men's track and field coach Jon Warren (Jones '88) has stated that the Houston men's indoor track team will be a competitive rival in the battle for the Conference USA men's indoor track title.

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Nocturnal noshing: Because all-night food still loves off-campus.

A diverse student body in a diverse city needs a diverse selection of dining options. Along with T.C. and House of Pies, here are a few more ways to ward off the midnight munchies.

Outer Loop hazard to drivers, pedestrians

A substantial hazard exists that surrounds all of Rice University: the Outer Loop. As someone who has traveled and crossed the Outer Loop several times, whether merely for exercise or as a pathway to reach an alternate destination, I am fully aware of the large number of pedestrians who make use of it daily. For anyone who uses it, the sacred Outer Loop serves as an excellent jogging and walking lane, a convenient route to different parking lots and a barrier that, coupled with the hedges, shields Rice from some of Houston's more unsavory aspects. But the Outer Loop itself presents several dangers to both the students who use it and the drivers who cross it getting in and out of Rice. During the nighttime and early morning hours, the Outer Loop becomes a deadly intersection of pedestrians and cars. I frequently have been the passenger inside a car whose driver nearly crashed into an innocent jogger, a incident caused not only by the alarming lack of light but also by the general dynamics of the Outer Loop. The first impulse might be to blame the driver for his recklessness, but it is not completely his fault.

Halas' cancer work earns Department of Defense nod

The world is always looking for a way to cure cancer or at least find a way to fight it. As it turns out, we may just have to look among our faculty.The Department of Defense named Naomi Halas, a professor of chemistry and electrical and computer engineering, a National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellow at the end of last year.

Eastwood's engine stalls in Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood has suggested to the press that his new drama Gran Torino will be his final acting appearance. But this disorganized disappointment would be an inappropriate finale to Eastwood's brilliant fifty-year career. At its onset, Gran Torino promises to be many things: funny, tense, moving and original. It fails to deliver on every count.Yes, there are many chances for Eastwood (Dirty Harry) to whip out a gun and terrify bad guys in this movie. His character, a crotchety old man named Walt Kowalski, snarls, speaks almost entirely in racial slurs, confronts various thugs, beats up a guy one-third his age and says things like, "Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn't have messed with? That's me." But, for the most part, the film substitutes violence for actual drama.

Commentary: With Darius, the list of issues carries on for miles

My issues with Darius Miles began at a Chipotle.Unlike most, I hate the place. I hate the overpriced food, hate those silver-plated tables, and hate the info-laden cups that tell me why a farmer in Iowa thinks pigs are sexier than Marisa Miller.

News in Brief: Inner Loop flooding; Nanotoxicology commendations

Flooding in Inner Loop due to city of Houston

Rice bowl win both historic and reflective of senior accomplishments

It was a reverse. During the third quarter of the Texas Bowl, Chase Clement sent a lateral, short and sweet, at Jarett Dillard's chest. The All-Everything receiver took the pass as the Western Michigan defense began to swarm, ready to cement a loss of yards. But Dillard, more often known for class than cleverness, wheeled and flicked the ball back to Clement, wide-eyed and wide-open, who popped into the end-zone to give Rice a 30-0 lead.