The Rice Thresher, Vol. 98, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, January 21, 2011 Page: 2 of 16
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IB
2 EDITORIAL
,
the Rice jQhresher
Booze forum successful
The Jan. 20 "Booze Talk" forum regarding the future of Rice's alcohol
policy was, simply put, the epitome of what makes Rice such an enduring
community (see story, page 1). The discussion provided a comfortable ven-
ue for students to voice concerns and suggestions about the issues at hand.
The outstandingly attended intimate gathering brought together students,
student leaders and administrators in an absolute testament to Rice's cul-
ture of involvement and unity.
Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson led a panel that included rep-
resentatives from REMS, Socials Committees, chief justices and Judicial Af-
fairs. The forum was established to ensure student input in the important
issue of alcohol policy. This commitment to administration-student com-
munication has been advocated by the Thresher in the past, and we would
like to acknowledge the administration's distinct attempt to include the
students and encourage similar discussion in the future.
According to Hutchinson, the philosophy behind the alcohol policy is
one which hinges upon Rice's "culture of care." In 1997, while other uni-
versities were "clamping down" on their alcohol policies. Rice felt comfort-
able liberalizing its own policy because of the confidence placed in student
leadership to fill in the gap and make the system work in an effective and
responsible way. This is a major point which should be considered by all
students. The Thresher implores the student body to respect and appreciate
the system in place or risk the possibility of losing the privileges that have
been granted to us in terms of the alcohol policy.
While some of the alcohol problems might be attributed to population
growth in the student body, the fact that incidences of Rice students being
brought to hospitals has nearly doubled and the discovery of abandoned
unconscious, intoxicated students around campus has increased, it is ob-
vious that there exists a disparity between the current safety of students
and the ideal level of safety that students should enjoy while drinking on
campus. Students need to step up and fill the gap of caring for each other or
else risk administrative interference as well.
The lowest point of the forum, however, was a short discussion on
RUPD's seemingly harsher attitude and more stern philosophy. While Po-
lice Chief Bill Taylor dismissed the issue by stating there is no intentional
shift in RUPD procedure when dealing with alcohol policy and intoxicated
students, it seems that this is an issue that requires further discussion and
was not properly addressed during the forum. This is especially true be-
cause of the outpouring of complaints from students who have disagreed
with RUPD's handling of various incidents over the past semester. RUPD's
recent increased vigor in handing out citations and seemingly lowered em-
pathy is a matter that needs to be addressed under the umbrella of the al-
cohol policy reviews.
Ultimately, Hutchinson forcefully believes that the status quo can no
longer remain because it is simply not in the interest of the students. The
Thresher agrees with this philosophy; however, it is imperative that no sub-
stantial changes are made to the alcohol policy and no aggressive crack-
downs on the current alcohol policy's enforcement ensue. Any occurrences
like these would lead to the unsafe situation of off-campus drinking. In-
stead. the change must be a grassroots one in which the students make
changes to their habits and gain more responsibility for the care of those
around them. Students, we are at a crossroads, and the decisions we make
over the next semester will affect life at Rice for us and generations to come.
Take a line from the comic books: With great privileges, come great re-
sponsibilities. Students should be willing to care for not only themselves,
but for those around them. After all, if students lack the common decency
to care for each other, other entities such as RUPD may have no choice but
to intervene. This only leads to more work for RUPD and REMS and more
angry students confused as to why RUPD is increasing its presence.
CEO's support remarkable
The Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program and the Knowledge Is Power
Program recently wooed Reed Hastings to speak at the university (see story,
page 4). This high-profile speaker is the current CEO of Netflix and ex-president
of the California Board of Education. The Thresher would like to commend the
program on successfully acquiring a speaker of such high caliber.
Hastings spoke from his background on education with fervent support
for the charter school system. Rice, of course is vested in the charter school
system because of its proximity to the first K1PP schools — one of the main
models for the efficiency and success in the charter school system. Further-
more, Rice's selection of Work Hard, Be Nice as the university O-Week novel
further ties Rice to this issue of charter education. Thus the selection of
Hastings to speak on campus was particularly impressive; the topic of his
speech was particularly relevant to students, and it was a privilege for those
interested to hear from an expert in the field.
Hasting believes that the leadership of charter schools makes them
particularly effective. School boards that are headed by elected officials
have no continuity in leadership philosophy and can have the progress of a
predecessor erased by the superintendent that follows. On the other hand,
charter schools follow "self-perpetuating" leadership in which the old
leadership selects the new leadership, allowing for continued fulfillment
of institutional goals. The Rice presidency can also be placed into this cat-
egory; the Rice Board of Trustees is responsible for picking Rice presidents,
and thus certain basic goals can continue to be accomplished from admin-
istration to administration, while new objectives, such as Leebron's "Vision
for the 21st century," can be added by each new president. Hastings' words
echo a recent study by researchers at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School
of Business, who found that companies hiring internal CEOs are more suc-
cessful in the long term.
Judging by the lack of efficiency and bureaucratic absurdities associated
with political entities, the Thresher finds Hastings' thoughts particularly
refreshing. This sort of overhaul seems particularly necessary for an em-
battled establishment such as the state educational system, which seems
to underperform and underwhelm with each year's standardized test-
ing scores. Furthermore, the success of the KIPP school and other charter
schools are difficult to dispute. New Orleans, home to formerly one of the
worst school districts in the country, has been absolutely rejuvenated by its
new emphasis on charter schools.
Granted, there is great risk in placing all of one's eggs in a single basket;
it is also true that that which fails to change, dies. Thus, it is time to address
the mediocrity of the current school system with something fresh. Rice was
truly privileged to hear these intriguing ideas from a leader in the field.
Friday, January 21,2011
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR thresher-ops@rice.edu, twitter.com/TheRiceThresher
To the Editor:
After reading last week's staff edi-
torial on GSA involvement in college
sports ("GSA not a residential col-
lege") the GSA officers have decided
to issue this response. In the online
comments there are already several
corrections and counterarguments to
the poorly researched claim of com-
petitive advantage. Since these points
have already been made, there is not
much reason to repeat them here, but
what does need to be addressed is the
narrow viewpoint displayed in this
editorial. Just like undergraduates,
GSA members are Rice University stu-
dents, part of Ricew's "student body."
This inclusivity has been encouraged
in recent years by the GSA's efforts
alongside the SA to improve gradu-
ate-undergraduate relations. This in-
cludes graduate mentoring for under-
graduates, and the recent and very
successful Research Mixer. Unfortu-
nately, last week's editorial does not
carry the same sentiment. It plainly
takes the opposite viewpoint, stating
that graduate students should not
participate in college sports and other
on-campus recreational activities like
Beer Bike and powderpuff. For grads,
as for undergrads, these activities are
a respite from class and research that
provide a social opportunity with
other students. Close friendships
are made through GSA sports. Also,
engagement in such activities is not
uniquely a "college experience." Em-
ployees at companies of comparable
size to Rice University nearly always
have opportunities for competitive
recreational activities available to
them, even though they are no longer
in college. We strongly oppose re-
moving the GSA from sports and rec-
reational activities. It would not only
go against the inclusive nature of the
campus community, but also take
away recreational opportunities for
graduate students. Nonetheless, we
remain committed to efforts aimed at
improving graduate-undergraduate
relations and increasing interactions
between graduate and undergradu-
ate students, including friendly and
fair competition. Graduate students
are here, after all, for reasons other
than raising Rice's national pro-
file. We are willing to both listen to
and participate in discussions with
sports representatives on ways to im-
prove the fairness and competitive-
ness of the aforementioned sports.
GSA officers
Last week's online poll results:
Should the Graduate Student Association
continue to compete against the residential
colleges in intramurals ana Beer Bike?
■ Yes.
87 RESPONSES
RECEIVED
No.
Extra, extra! Vote all about it!
Was this year's
Rondelet a success?
Voting opens on the Thresher
website after Saturday night.
I don't care.
This issue's poll:
What do you think about Rice's alcohol policy?
Cast your vote online at u w.r:, et
NEWS
Jocelyn Wright Editor
Seth Brown Editor
Hallie Jordan Editor
Brooke Bullock Asst. Editor
Ruby Gee Asst. Editor
Ellen Liu Asst. Editor
OP-ED
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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SPORTS
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CALENDAR
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BACKPAGE
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James Kohli Editor
Anna Wilde
Editor in Chief
Josh Rutenberg
Managing Editor
COPY
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Happy late bday martini weenie arid huggies
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Wilde, Anna & Rutenberg, Josh. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 98, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, January 21, 2011, newspaper, January 21, 2011; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398484/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.