The Rice Thresher, Vol. 98, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, September 17, 2010 Page: 2 of 20
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EDITORIAL
the Rice Thresher
Friday, September 17,2010
the Rice (Ihresher
New coordinator has
long road ahead
This week, the campus-wide Beer Bike coordinator was se-
lected after weeks of concern over a dearth of applicants (see
story, page 1). The Thresher wishes Sid Richardson College ju-
nior Matt Sawyer success in his role. It was encouraging to
hear that Sawyer has been so involved in the culture of Beer
Bike for so long.
Sawyer must hit the ground running, as this year's Beer
Bike planning process is already behind schedule, with Beer
Bike occurring two weeks earlier than usual. Jones College
senior Nazish Malik, one of last year's campus-wide coordi-
nators, was correct in suggesting that discussion surround-
ing proposed changes should come earlier in the process this
time around. For example, potential changes to water bal-
loon trucks have been discussed among student leadership
for years with no clear solution, so it is time that the student
body enter the conversation to bring some creativity and a
fresh point of view on the subject.
For too many years, proposals to improve the truck situa-
tion have run directly toward the extremes. These black-and
white-proposals have overlooked a wide range of compromises
and moderate alternatives. Ranging from the use of different
trucks or trailers to altering the parade route, many sugges-
tions have simply not been seriously considered by student
leadership. However, students also should not oppose the
idea of changes to the current structure of the event, no matter
how much they think these changes will ruin Beer Bike. After
all, this would not be the first time the parade or races have
been altered, nor would it be the last time.
Additionally, we at the Thresher are confused as to why ex-
pansion of the Beer Bike track is being pushed back yet again.
With the growth of Duncan and McMurtry Colleges into full-
fledged colleges trying to establish their own traditions, it is
time to allow them to join the other colleges in the races. There
is no reason why the university is lacking the money to fund
the expansion, especially with an additional $9.5 million in
the bank.
Now that students have started speaking up, it will be the
responsibility of this year's coordinator to listen. Go to cabi-
net meetings. Sit down with different colleges at lunch. Listen
to students who participate in all aspects of the event, and
find an approach that satisfies everyone.
The Thresher would like to point out that concerns over
trucks on Beer Bike have existed for many years. Fears that
a college would not have a truck on the morning of Beer Bike
have existed for many years, and these fears are closer than
ever to becoming fact — in the next few years, it seems inevi-
table that a college will not have a truck if the current procure-
ment process is retained. It is time to develop a new course of
action, whether it is a change to the parade format or to the
type of trucks rented.
Personal data theft
surprising
We at the Thresher became nervous after the discovery that
a device containing sensitive information about all students
employed by Rice was stolen (see story, page 1).
The administration has made it clear to the student body
that they take this threat very seriously and have taken mea-
sures to ensure students' information is as safe as possible.
But the fact still stands that mistakes were made. Sensitive
files, such as payroll information, should be encrypted; this
a basic security measure that should have been enacted
long ago.
Furthermore, upon learning that the device was stolen,
the university made the decision to wait two weeks before in-
forming the students of the theft. Students should have been
informed immediately to give them the opportunity to begin
monitoring their accounts, even if the university did not have
all of the information about what exactly was stolen.
The details surrounding this breach of security have still
not been fully divulged to the public. While the Thresher is
alarmed by this, it is understandable that in the interest of
security, some details must be withheld. This means, though,
that we expect a full internal investigation to be made into
this incident. There simply are no excuses, and without the
ability to direct blame, students are understandably angry
about this issue.
The responsibility of keeping our information safe is one
that should be taken very seriously. It is an area where stu-
dents are placing blind faith in the competency of administra-
tors. With our trust compromised, it is up to the administra-
tion to show us that blind faith is warranted.
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Papers
LETTERS TO TH E EDITOR thresher-ops@rice.edu, twitter.com/TheRiceThresher
To the Editor:
In his article (9/11 families need
to stop being coddled, Sept. 10),
Eric Harrison wonders why no
one questions the absurd notion
that the World Trade Center site is
somehow sacred. He also asserts
that Ground Zero is, "in fact, little
more than an unsightly ditch in
the middle of lower Manhattan."
Indeed, how absurd that people
might regard the site where almost
3,000 people died as sacred, or
even as just a tiny bit more special
than your standard New York City
hole in the ground. I'm really
quite shocked. I eagerly anticipate
more probing questions from Eric
in the future issues of the Rice
Thresher.
Claire O'Connor
Hanszen 'n
Last week's online poll results:
Do you think the Brochstein Pavilion
should be open later than 7 p.m.?
97 RESPONSES RECEIVED
Yes. It's a
convenient place
to study or just to grab a
cup of coffee in between
cramming sessions
at Fondren.
No.
Sell it.
Meh. Why do
I need multiple
59%
This issue's poll:
caffeinated and alcoholic What do you think of the new recycling
beverage vendors in the kiosk in the Rice Memorial Center?
Same 200-f00t radius? Cast your vote at mvw.ricethresher.org
Online Comments
of the Week
It is one thing to lose a fam-
ily member to an illness such as
cancer, a sometimes incurable
disease that is out of everybody's
control. It is quite another to lose
a loved one in a premeditated act
of terror in which thousands were
murdered. I think it is incredibly
naive and insensitive to compare
losing a family member in 9/u to
losing a family member to cancer.
Ryan
I am a young alum and remem-
ber when the Brochstein Pavilion
was being built. A lot of students
were all up in arms because it
would be competing with the stu-
dent-run Coffeehouse. They com-
plained that it would run Coffee-
house out of business and that the
administration was terrible, oh so
terrible. Now students (and the
Thresher) are complaining that
the Pavilion's hours aren't long
enough??? I guess no matter what
happens, people will find some-
thing to complain about. Walk to
the RMC, dudes.
Anonymous
Anna Wilde
Editor in Chief
Yan Digilov
Staff Coordinator
news
Art
Josh Rutenberg Editor
David Rosales Creative Director
Jocelyn Wright Editor
Rachel Marcus News Designer
Seth Brown Editor
Ruby Gee News Designer
James Liu Photo Editor
op-ed
Alex Moharam Photo Editor
Ryan Gupta Editor
Kay Fukui Cartoonist
calendar
Helen Shaw Editor
sports
Natalie Clericuzio Editor
web
Jonathan Myers Editor
Stephen Wang Web Editor
Dennis Qian dssf. Web Editor
arts & entertainment
Joe Dwyer Editor
business
Yvette Pan Manager
backpage
Gustavo Herrera Distribution Manager
Connor Hayes Editor
Murtuza Martani Distribution Manager
James Kohli Editor
advertising
copy
Cathleen Chang Ads Manager
Johanna Ohm Editor
Molly Slattery Ads Manager
Gracelyn Tan Editor
Tiffany Kuo Classified Ads Manager
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paper at Rice University since 1916, is pub
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Wilde, Anna. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 98, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, September 17, 2010, newspaper, September 17, 2010; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398431/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.