Special Projects

Farewell, Eugene Levy

It is difficult to imagine Rice without the influence of Provost Eugene Levy (see story, page 1). Once upon a time, Rice students were notoriously wary of venturing beyond the hedges. Then Levy fronted the Passport to Houston program, which began in 2005, and the city's doors were thrown open. Likewise, when President David Leebron arrived on campus, his Vision for the Second Century was nowhere near the fleshed-out agenda it now represents. It was with Levy's backing that a pair of new colleges and an increased student body now call Rice home.Levy's influence has been heavy over the last decade, and it is readily apparent to see that the programs and ideas he has pushed have reaped dividends for both students and faculty. His presence was always behind the scenes - most mistook him for the eponymous star of American Pie - but without him, Rice would be nowhere near the leading institution it is today. After a decade's worth of work, Levy deserves this upcoming sabbatical as much as anyone. He will be missed over the next year, but we hope he finds the relaxation and revitalization his work merits.

Financial aid increases while applications surge

Despite the economic downturn, the Office of Financial Aid has increased the amount of aid it is offering students by several million dollars this year, Student Financial Services Director Anne Walker said. Though the office is awarding more aid than it did last year, Walker said students do not have a significantly greater need for aid than in years past. Instead, more families have special circumstances due to the uncertain economy that are causing more students to apply for aid, she said.

IKEA changes font, image

With more than 175 million copies printed every year, the IKEA catalog is the world's most-published non-fiction work, outpacing the Bible by more than three times. It showcases clean, modernist design at affordable prices, and for five decades not very much about the catalog has changed.Until now.

Texting while driving idiotic, dangerous

Abbreves (or abbreviations) have consumed the world of speedy communication, from e-mails to instant messages to text messaging. However, even if it's possible to say "I love you" in three characters (ilu), that does not make it any safer to text while driving, no matter how proficient your no-look keypad skills may be.Fortunately, lawmakers feel the same way, as media outlets have recently been clogged with an influx of stories about legislation banning texting while driving. Several states have already made texting while driving illegal. In Utah, for example, mixing texts and driving could get offenders up to 15 years in jail if they hit someone. In addition to bans at the state levels, Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York is pushing a bill outlawing the practice nationwide.

This Week's Editorial Cartoon

Levy leaves provost post

Without Howard Hughes Provost Eugene Levy's influence, Rice, as both a university and a campus, would be noticeably different. Levy's work with the Passport to Houston program, the Vision for the Second Century and the BioScience Research Collaborative has shaped Rice into the institution it is today. As such, his announcement Tuesday that he will be stepping down at the end of this academic year marks the end of a remarkable and prolonged career, President David Leebron said.

Rice's shanty town: from riches to rags

Two dollars will not buy you a latte from the Raymond and Susan Brochstein Pavilion, but it will be the per-diem budget for a group of students next week who will mimic poverty firsthand. In a simulation of Third World shanty towns, dozens of Rice students will be encamped in makeshift housing near Brochstein Pavilion next week. This past summer, students from Engineers Without Borders and Rice MicroFinance tackled logistics for the $2 A Day Challenge, working with a number of administrative organizations: Housing and Dining, Rice University Police Department, Facilities Engineering and Planning and Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby.

Head to head: A pair of editors discuss the merits of Twitter

Twitter's simplicity welcome

Intelligent design to take over all studies

By now, the consensus among reasonable people is that modern science indicates the theory of evolution was, at best, a misguided effort. Most contemporary theorists agree that evolution does not explain the fact that the universe is so perfectly adapted to our needs. And if even a single step in the alleged "evolutionary" process had gone wrong, we would be completely different creatures. We probably would not even be able to think.That is why there is increasing acceptance among the scientific community of intelligent design theory, or the theory that life is best explained as the product of some kind of prior plan, sketched out by an all-encompassing being far cleverer than we are. Intelligent design explains why the universe was designed for us and why our incredibly complex physical systems became what they are now. It also accounts for the usefulness of our brains, which would be mush had they just been left to random natural processes.

Rice Football 2009: With the Big Three gone, leadership role falls on wide shoulders of stalwart senior defensive back Andrew Sendejo

Andrew Sendejo recognizes that the beauty of college athletics lies in the turnover. Not the interception, per se - though as a defensive back he wouldn't be opposed to snatching one - but the personnel. Every year, roles are vacated and new, untried blood takes over. The constant rotation, year in and year out, can throw a team out of whack or a role into question. For some, it does - look no further than Rice's quarterback quandary if you want proof. But for the forward-looking, the new role does not quire a mile-long leap, but an inch-long shuffle.

Rising book prices drive students online

Amidst all the financial constraints swirling in 2009, students are looking to cut costs at every corner. For most, that entails pinching pennies in textbook fees.From scouring online marketplaces, to turning to the Student Association, to settling for the stacks at Fondren Library, students like Erica Herris have gone to many lengths to save money on their books.

ESTHER problems stunt registration process

ESTHER may not be the self-aware joint project of a conspiracy between the government and Rice administration, but it nevertheless came to a screeching halt on the Friday of Orientation Week when the system slowed down so much it prevented some students from being able to register for classes at all. To accommodate the largest class in Rice's history, the Office of the Registrar designated two registration time slots based on the last six digits of a student's Rice ID. The first group registered at 8 a.m. and the second at 8:30 a.m. However, both groups encountered difficulty registering when a bottleneck in one of the system processes caused requests to cluster and impede the flow of oncoming requests. For students, this manifested as dropped connections and time-out errors.

Book costs skyrocketing

Make no mistake - we are glad that the printed word lives. But with the way that textbook prices have skyrocketed in recent years, something must be done to make these books available to all those who both need and want them. Because if the prices stay the way they are, we will soon all be outpriced.Rice, unfortunately, is no exception to the trend (see story, page 4). Classes across the board have seen prices go through the roof for books and course packets alike. And because a public option is available only in health care - or so we hope - we are forced to settle on private-sector options for our literature.

Men's Cross Country 2009: Largest freshmen class in recent history promises to augment squad, but untried legs make season's outcome unsure

With a heady influx of young legs, no one really knows what to expect from this year's men's cross country squad. The Owls enter the 2009 season without three of the five runners that paced them to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA South Central Regional last November. However, the roster boasts eight true freshmen, all of whom are capable of cracking the top seven runners but whose talent, for the time being, remain unknown. Leading the Owls this year are seniors Scott Zivick and Simon Bucknell and sophomore Michael Trejo, all of whom were among the top six runners last year, and the first two of whom now have three years' experience under their belts.

Rice Football 2009: James Casey takes time to speak with the Thresher about blocking, bonding and his long-awaited television debut

Ex-Rice football superhero James Casey was drafted in this past year's NFL draft and is currently competing for a spot on the Houston Texans. Sports Editor Yan Digilov spoke with Casey about his NFL experiences. The Rice Thresher: James, now that you have been through OTAs (organized team activities), minicamp and a few preseason matchups, what are some of the biggest adjustments you have noticed that you will have to make in order to be successful in the NFL?

Shanty towns laudable

At some point next Friday, around dinner time, a truck full of deodorant will stop by Rice, unload and make a heavy profit. Why? Because that is when Rice's shanty town will shutter its doors and leave its inhabitants, as it were, homeless, letting loose a week's worth of un-showered masses to roam the campus (see story, page 1).Ok, the part of the truck may be wishful thinking. But the shanty town is real. If all goes according to plan, those in the shanty town will be able to relax after spending a week admirably raising both awareness and funds in the hopes of ameliorating the lives of those who have to actually live under such conditions. They will have gone four days without showering, eating nothing more than rice and beans and forgoing all the modern comforts we take for granted.

New recreation center fees add financial constraints

In recent conversations with fellow gym enthusiasts about our excitement surrounding the Sept. 25 opening of the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center, the topic of the proposed membership fees inevitably arises. I almost always receive two reactions from students, the first being, "Huh? What fees?" and the second usually being a mixture of outrage and despair. I find these reactions to be somewhat ironic given that Rice just received Princeton Review's No. 1 ranking for "best quality of life." Although this membership fee will affect all members of the Rice community, I feel it is one that is not resonating well with students, returning students especially.

Parking survey finds Rice students in local residential area

Some West University residents may be complaining that their streets are overflowing with Rice-affiliated cars, but a recent survey concluded that Rice vehicles only account for 4 percent of the parking traffic on residential streets surrounding campus.The survey, which was conducted by the Office of Public Affairs with Facilities, Engineering and Planning, the Texas Medical Center, the Rice Village and Desman Associates, a consulting firm, monitored approximately 1,700 vehicles from April 15 to May 5 in 2008, and again Feb. 19 to March 2 this year, by logging license plates.

Online only: Denver advises on infuriating music and college incest

Dear Denver,

Behind the green fences

McMurtry College and Duncan College may be completed, but that doesn't mean that construction on campus is over. From Olympic-sized swimming pools at the new Rec Center, to hummingbird gardens at the newly-named Huff House, to reconstructing the torn-down wings at Will Rice College and Baker College, the projects run far and wide. To get your bearings, here is a map to find your way through the cranes and sawdust and all the way to the new badminton courts.See the full spread here.