The Rice Thresher, Vol. 91, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, October 3, 2003 Page: 1 of 24
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Vol. XCI, Issue No. 7
5/iVCf 7i?76
Friday, October 3, 2003
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Taking one for the team
KATIE STREIT/THRESHER
Rice considers change
to regional conference
Will Rice College junior Eric Jean, head coach of the Will Rice Powderpuff team, gets his
head shaved to celebrate Will Rice's 18-14 upset of Wiess Sunday. (See Brief, Page 20.)
by Mark Berenson and Jonathan Yardley
THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF
Rice has been a member of the Western
Athletic Conference since the Southwest Con-
ference disbanded in 1996, but the Owls are
likely to play in a different conference within a
few years.
Rice has been one of the main subjects of
recent national rumors and reports on the
future of athletic conference alignment.
The reports — which have been covered
by ESPN.com, MSNBC.com, the Associate
Press, the Dallas Morning News, and the
Houston Chronicle, among others — focus on
what will happen to the WAC and Conference
USA if, as expected, four C-USA teams are
invited to join the Big East Conference in
November. In the most likely scenario. Rice
will join Conference USA for the 2005-'06
academic year to form a geographically-based
Western Division.
President Malcolm Gillis said Rice has not
received an invitation to join any other athletic
conference, but he declined to comment on
whether C-USA has contacted Rice to gauge
its interest in moving to the conference.
Athletic Director Bobby May could not be
reached for comment, as WAC athletic direc-
tors and other senior administrators were
meeting in Dallas this week.
Conference realignment became a major
issue in intercollegiate athletics last spring,
when the Atlantic Coast Conference raided
the Big East to improve the ACC's football
reputation and increase revenue.
Boston College and Syracuse University
were expected to be invited to join the ACC
along with the University of Miami. In late
June, however, the ACC chose to invite Miami
and Virginia Tech instead.
University of Houston Athletic Director
Dave Maggert said uncertainty similar to what
the Big East schools felt over the summer
currently surrounds C-USA and WAC schools.
"Boston College and Syracuse — they were
certain they would be in the ACC. and the
invitations didn't come," Maggert said. "There
are a lot of things that are very much open
right now."
With Conference USA expected to raid the
WAC to maintain a competitive number of
member schools, WAC administrators report-
edly considered taking preemptive action.
Early last month, Fox 26KRIV-TVreported
that WAC commissioner Karl Benson had
sent a letter to the presidents of all WAC
schools urging them to consider offering WAC
membership to two C-USA schools. Possible
candidates were the University of Houston,
Texas Christian University and Tulane Uni-
versity. The end result of such expansion would
be a 12-team league with two divisions, with
Rice's division possibly including WAC schools
Louisiana Tech University, Southern Method-
ist University and the University of Tulsa and
former C-USA schools UH. TCU and Tulane.
Benson also allegedly noted that the con-
ference needs stability from its western schools
See WAC, Page 10
REMS concerned by
decline in alcohol calls
by David Brown
THRESHER STAFF
In response to a request from
Rice Emergency Medical Services
leadership, Rice University Police
Chief Bill Taylor decided this week
that RUPD officers will no longer
respond to every REMS call. The
change is one of several responses
to a large decrease in alcohol-re-
lated EMS calls this semester as
compared to last semester and an
increase in the percentage of alco-
hol-related calls ending in hospi-
talization, REMS Director Steve
Reiter said.
RUPD officers will only respond
to EMS calls to aid emergency medi-
cal technicians if their presence is
requested by the REMS supervisor
on the scene or if patients are uncon-
scious or not breathing, Reiter said.
REMS Lieutenant Rachana Patel
said she is concerned that students
who need help with alcohol-related
emergencies may be less inclined to
call EMS this year.
"It's unsettling because the
thought that someone may not be
calling means there could be an un-
conscious person out there that
needs help that could potentially
die," Patel, a Will Rice College jun-
ior, said.
I .ast year, EMTs were often called
early enough so that treatment was
limited to assigning a caregiver
rather than deem it necessary to
transport the patient to the hospital
for further care, Patel said.
"If you call early enough, no one
has to go to the hospital," Patel said.
See EMS, Page 6
Party theme discussed at forum
Masters had overruled cabinet decision on usins college funds
by Terry Kennair
THRESHER STAFF
In the aftermath of controversy
surrounding Friday's "Golf Pros
and Tennis Hoes" private party,
Baker College held a forum
Wednesday to discuss Rice's
sexual harassment policy.
About 30 students attended the
forum, where Associate General
Counsel Carlos Garcia, Director
of Multicultural Affairs Cathi
Clack and Director of Equal Em-
ployment Opportunity and Affir-
mative Action Russell Barnes ex-
plained the policy and answered
questions.
Baker decided at lastTuesday's
cabinet meeting to allocate college
funds to the "Golf Pros and Tennis
Hoes" party, a private party hosted
by Baker Chief Justice Mark Awdeh
in celebration of his 21st birthday.
Junior Class Representative
Harding Brumby said cabinet voted
to give the party $100 of the junior
class' funds to help pay for a band.
Awdeh could not be reached
for comment.
Baker College masters Mickey
Quinones and Karin Dudziak said
they overturned cabinet's decision
after some students expressed con-
cern that the party's theme was offen-
sive and violated Rice's sexual ha-
rassment policy. The masters an-
nounced their decision in an
e-mail sent to the Baker listserv a few
hours after the cabinet meeting.
"One of our duties is to ensure
that the college does not act in a
way that violates the law or uni-
versity policy. We are strong be-
lievers in student self-government
and do not take this action lightly.
However, we would not be per-
forming our duties if we allowed
this appropriation to happen," the
e-mail stated.
The party took place as sched-
uled Friday, but was relocated to a
room at Lovett College. No funds
from any college were used.
At the forum. Barnes said an
offensive party theme can be
sexual harassment if it creates a
hostile environment.
Garcia said a hostile environ-
See PARTY, Page 9
Esperanza venue, theme picked
Families Weekend
INSIDE
by Ruth Samuelson
FOR THE THRESHER
With thisyear's Esperanza location squared
away, the Rice Program Council is hoping a
record number of students will turn out Nov.
8 to get their cube on. The dance will be held
at the Koch building, an angular glass struc-
ture that inspired this year's E3 theme.
The lOth-floor space will offer students a
panoramic, three-sided view of Houston in-
cluding the downtown and Galleria skylines.
The Rice Program Council obtained special
permission to rent the building, located next
to Edwards Cinema on the Southwest Free-
way, because it is not normally used for
events.
Ixist year's Rondelet DJ, David Prince, will
spin on the main dance floor, and two side
rooms will be used for yet-to-be-determined
activities, RPC formal chairs Cara Eng. Inna
Husain and Nancy Luo said.
The F theme, inspired by both the year
2003 and the dance's location, will be reflected
in the event's refreshments, such as cube-
shaped cheese blocks and brownies, and in
the glassware souvenirs, Eng said.
Many students said they were happy with
the dance's midtown location.
"It will be easier for students to drive in on
their own, park their cars and go to one of the
restaurants or bars near the dance," Will Rice
College senior Monica Vela said.
The price of parking has yet to be deter-
mined. Shuttles will run to and from the event.
The hunt for a location began this summer.
Eng said. The committee considered sites
such asTanglewood Terrace and the Medical
Center Marriot. Venue size was a limiting
factor, with expected attendance at 800
partygoers.
"We've already used up most cool places in
Houston." Eng said.
I.ast year's dance was held at Minute Maid
Park, and the previous year's was held at
Johnson Space Center.
RPC has already secured the Rice Hotel's
See ESPERANZA, Page (i
The Thresher would like to welcome
all the families that are visiting Rice this
weekend. To keep you blissfully ignorant
of reality, the parking gates in the sta-
dium lot will be open starting at 6 a.m.
today, and college lot gates will be open at
3 p.m. today. The gates will remain up
until 12 p.m. on Sunday.
Voter registration
Monday is the deadline to register to
vote for the November General Election.
Voter registration cards can be found in
various locations around campus.
Scoreboard
Football
Rice 21, Hawaii 41
Volleyball
Rice 1, Fresno State 3
Soccer
Rice 0, Auburn 2
Hawaii 2, Rice 0
OPINION Page 3
Rigging the new political machine
A&E
Wiess gets its act together
Page 11
SPORTS Page 17
Archer tops Chong in all-Rice final
Quote of the Week
"A couple of guys were saying that it's almost
like being in the Playboy Mansion —
everywhere you look it's a pretty girl."
— Senior linebacker Brandon Boyd, on the
Miss Hawaiian Tropics Beauty Contest held
at the football team's hotel. See Story,
Page 18.
Weekend Weather
Friday
Partly cloudy, 83 62 degrees
Saturday
Mostly sunny. 86-61 degrees
Sunday
Scattered thunderstorms. 80-63 degrees
m
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Berenson, Mark. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 91, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, October 3, 2003, newspaper, October 3, 2003; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398420/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.