Special Projects

IT makes IPs private to prevent phishing, hacking

After navigating through a storm of phishing e-mail scams, network viruses and potential hackers throughout the past year, Information Technology is taking defensive measures to increase the security level on campus networks. IT is making the Rice student network more secure by keeping each individual computer's IP address private on the Internet. Every week Rice's network processes hundreds of thousands of threats, scams, and hacking attempts which makes the system unstable, William Deigaard, director of Networking, Telecommunications and Data Center. He compared the amount of incoming traffic from the Internet to the magnitude of a natural disaster.

More money, more problems

Colleges and clubs at Rice will soon find their finances extensively restructured under a new proposal that will move all external accounts on-campus and impose new restrictions on check-writing and tax records, according to Vice President for Finance Kathy Collins. While the details of the plan, from specific proposals to the date when transitions will begin, are not yet finalized beyond the closure of the accounts, many organizations are already dreading its potential consequences.

Pie with the Popo: a rock in stormy times

On Saturday, Sept. 13, disaster struck our formidable city. Despite living in what many have called the energy capital of the world, Houstonians found themselves plunged into darkness. Suffering through round after round of Boggle by candlelight, undergraduates at Rice gave thanks for crowded hallways and lenient dry campus enforcement, dreaming of brighter nights.Another calamity, however, soon overshadowed the direct effects of Hurricane Ike's destruction in our lives, hemming us behind the hedges more effectively than an orgo study session and Pub combined, in addition to removing our most basic comforts. That catastrophe was the citywide curfew.

Owls tied for second after first C-USA matches

A weekend split left the Owls' position in the Conference USA standings up in the air. They find themselves in a 10-way tie for second place, behind East Carolina University, who beat the Owls 2-0 on Friday at the Rice Track and Soccer Stadium."The thing about conference is that on any given day, anything can happen," senior captain Christine Petric said. "This weekend proved it. This was a game we could have won if we had played our best."

Freshmen's past translates to success on field

It was a first for Owls Soccer, but it's happened elsewhere countless times in the past. In the 13th minute of the Owls' match against Marshall University on Sunday, freshman Chealsey Russell spotted freshman teammate Amy Beger making a run off the right wing. After finding its way directly to the feet of Beger, the ball hit the back of the net to give the Owls a 1-0 advantage. Sunday's game marked Russell's first start after she made her Owl debut only two days prior.

Volleyball takes one of two to open conference play

Last weekend the volleyball team began conference play against some familiar opponents: the University of Texas-El Paso, the team Rice eliminated from last season's Conference USA tournament, and Tulane University, the team that subsequently defeated the Owls in the next round. This time around, the results were the same, with Rice defeating UTEP before losing in four games to Tulane. This week Rice finally returns home from a month-long road trip with three matches in Fox Gym. On Friday, the Owls play Southern Methodist University at 7 p.m. Last season, SMU swept the first meeting of the two teams, and Rice responded by sweeping the second match. The Owls will face off Sunday at 1 p.m. with the University of Tulsa, last season's C-USA tournament champion. The Golden Hurricane defeated Rice twice last season. The Owls play again Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. against McNeese State University, a non-conference opponent known for scrappy play.

This week's Editorial Cartoon

Burn After Reading, but not before watching

A womanizer. Two idiotic gym employees. An ex-spy. A frigid pediatrician. A misplaced disc with government secrets. Anyone can spin a political satire out of these plot elements, but it is the super-talented Coen brothers who have have spinned them into a smart and entertaining statement. Fresh from their award-winning epic No Country for Old Men, the duo decided to switch it up with a dark comedy featuring an all-star cast.What many casual watchers don't realize is that the Coen brothers have released a couple of other successful comedies, such as O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the cult classic The Big Lebowski. Both of these movies had a layer of profundity under their vividly unique cinematography and plot concept of an absurd, poorly-hatched plan that goes horribly wrong. Burn After Reading will join their ranks as another worthwhile comedy released by Ethan and Joel Coen.

Financial changes require student input

At Monday's Student Association meeting in Farnsworth Pavilion, Vice President for Finance Kathy Collins will speak to those in attendance about a goal that has been set forth to change the way Rice undergraduate organization finances work (see story, page 1). Instead of being able to use external, public banks to house funds, clubs and colleges would be required to transfer their money to internal Rice accounts, for which the university would act as banker.Any plan leading to this goal has the possibility of drastically changing how colleges and undergraduate clubs function. The role of the treasurer, methods of withdrawing funds and writing checks and the ability for any student to be reimbursed would all be altered. The greatest issue at hand is that with this proposed financial plan, clubs could lose a great deal of autonomy and freedom.

Commentary: NFL season without Tom Brady has no meaning

When Tom Brady went down in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs, prematurely ending his 2008-'09 season, I felt his pain because my season ended as well. Not only did the event ruin my fantasy football hopes, as Brady was my first overall pick, but it also destroyed my appetite to watch another NFL game this year. Brady's absence has done more than deprive the league of its reigning MVP.What is the point of watching professional football when the quarterback who was featured in nearly every "SportsCenter" highlight reel last year is sitting on the sideline?

News in Brief: Valhalla announces reopening

After being shut down by Student Judicial Programs for violating a temporary dry campus policy in effect during Hurricane Ike, Valhalla has announced it will reopen following the completion of renovations. Valhalla manager John Stanley said that he expects the pub to be able to reopen next Friday.These renovations include the installation of a new refrigeration system and the repair of a broken pipe, Valhalla Bartender Tim Friedman said. These projects were interrupted when Rice University Police discovered the pub serving alcohol during the period of Hurricane Ike, and subsequently changed the locks to Valhalla.

Faculty Senate to assist overwhelmed Honor Council

Feeling that the Honor Council may be overwhelmed with student judicial matters, the Faculty Senate plans to form a working group to assess whether the system is functioning optimally. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Professor Evan Siemann said the Faculty Senate wants to assess the reasons for an increased number of Honor Council cases, since at its busiest times the council can expect a case per day. The working group, which is not yet fully formed, will be headed by Siemann and History Professor Edward Cox and will include Mathematics Professor John Hempel, Management Professor Duane Windsor, Physics and Astronomy Professor Thomas Killian and some students from the Honor Council. Honor Council President Jackie Ammons said the Honor Council had sent a suggested list of people to the task force but that, currently, no meetings had been set up. Siemann said the final group would probably have one or two additional faculty members so that all the disciplines would be more equally represented. This group plans to observe whether the Honor Council system is functioning optimally, Siemann said.

Congratulations to Clement and Dillard

To quarterback Chase Clement and receiver Jarett Dillard, we would like to offer our congratulations. They scored their 40th and 41st career touchdowns as a pair last Saturday, the most ever between a NCAA quarterback and receiver (see story, page 1).For the past three years, both as fans and fellow students, we have enjoyed watching them play, and they have approached their game and their records with commendable class. We are looking forward to the rest of the season, and we hope that their last season at Rice culminates with a bowl victory.

Graduate student concerns omitted from hurricane plan

While I am grateful that all faculty, staff and students pulled through the recent storm without injury, I must comment on the disquieting attitude of the administration both before and just after what remains one of the worst natural disasters in Texas history - an attitude that has severely injured the relationship between the administration and graduate students.As I have spent four years as an undergraduate at Rice, followed by several more as a graduate student, I can personally attest to a different standard of treatment of undergraduate versus graduate students. Most recently, even as undergraduates and parents were being soothed and reassured in the face of the hurricane, faculty and graduate students were told they were "nonessential" personnel, and were banned from campus unless they were in Rice housing.

Newman's life a unifying model for Americans

On Friday night, the presidential candidates fought a rhetorical battle of words for their respective visions of America. Sadly, that same night, a quintessential American lost his fight with cancer. Surrounded by loved ones, Paul Newman, the film legend, philanthropist, war hero and family man died Friday at age 83.The news was somewhat overshadowed this weekend by grave financial and political matters, but Newman was a man whom we should all take pause and remember as we move forward into what looks to be an uncertain and ominous era. While times are hard, politics are divisive and we struggle with the banalities of every day, our memory of Paul Newman can instill in all of us a renewed faith in humanity. Whoever you were cheering for in Friday's debate or however you feel about the current financial bailout, we can unite in a shared admiration of this impressive man who truly did make a difference.

Letters to the Editor

Valhalla closing unfair measure

Palin's religious fervor reveals cracks in political morality

To the Honorable Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska:Earlier this month, just days after your nomination for the vice presidency, we learned that your teenage daughter, 17-year-old Bristol Palin, is pregnant. Already the talk about the miniature scandal is dying down, but you must still be distressed that this calamity occurred in your own family and that it was thrust into the national spotlight. The purpose of this letter is to demonstrate that you have greater reasons to be alarmed. You must accept that you and your misguided political and religious beliefs are the primary causes of poor Bristol's troubles.

Venue change first step in reviving Esperanza

Last week, the Thresher wrote a staff editorial encouraging Rice Program Council to increase its visibility and relevance in light of its massive budget increase for the 2008-'09 school year ("With great budget comes great responsibility," Sept. 19). This week, we are reporting on Esperanza, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 8, at the end of homecoming week (see story, page 1).RPC revealed this week that Esperanza will be held on campus in an outdoor tent between the Shepherd School of Music, Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, but more than just an average tent, this particular locale will boast walls, a hardwood floor, bathrooms and ice sculptures.

Rice fumbles graduate student issues during Ike

When Hurricane Ike headed towards Houston last weekend, Rice did a great job communicating with undergraduates about shelter and food. However, graduate students seemed to be left out of the loop (See story, page 1). It wasn't until Thursday evening that graduate students received any definitive word about plans for Hurricane Ike from Dean of Graduate Students Paula Sanders, who e-mailed graduate students notifying them that they could not seek shelter at Rice because the school would be closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Students housed in the Rice Graduate Apartments were told they may be able to find shelter at Rice. Unsurprisingly, this e-mail threw a wrench into the plans of everyone who had made an evacuation to Rice part of their safety plans. Then, the Crisis Management Team e-mailed graduate students Friday morning to inform them that Rice would provide shelter in the Janice and Robert McNair Hall and the Rice Memorial Center until Monday, but it would only be provided for students living in the Graduate Apartments, who were under mandatory evacuation.

Rice endowment decreases $60 million

As the Wall Street collapse earlier this month indicated, times are tough for investments. Reflecting this trend, Rice's endowment this year has decreased $60 million from $4.67 billion to $4.61 billion. Nationally, Rice ranks 19th for the size of its endowment, and ranks sixth in amount per student according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers Endowment Study. The endowment is a permanent investment that the university uses to support the general operation of the school, faculty chairs, scholarships, fellowships and departmental programs. The endowment is invested in U.S. stocks, international stocks, fixed income, hedge funds, private equity and real assents - which include real estate, oil and timber. It is invested with over 100 different investment managers and partnerships around the world.