The Rice Thresher, Vol. 90, No. 26, Ed. 1 Friday, April 11, 2003 Page: 2 of 20
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THE RICE THRESHER OPINION FRIDAY, APRIL 11,2003
the Rice Thresher
Forum's immaturity
stifled true debate
We are ashamed of the way the administration and Honor Council
members behaved at Monday's forum on proposed changes to the
Honor Council appeals process. (See Story, Page 1.) Both sides
acted so childishly that students need to take matters into their own
hands and research the issue independently to be properly informed
for next week's election.
The representatives of the administration — Assistant to the
President Mark Scheid and Assistant Dean of Student Judicial
Programs Patty Bass — conducted themselves in a highly unprofes-
sional manner. Bass made faces, rolled her eyes and made conde-
scending personal attacks against council members during the
meeting, while Scheid refused to focus on any cases besides the
Physics 203 case and revealed potentially confidential information.
While Bass and Scheid did not act like the adults that they are, the
members of the council were not mature either. They tended to drive
points into the ground, insisting on having the last word in every dispute.
Given that the administration and the council acted so inappropri-
ately on Monday night, it will probably be difficult for the student
body to see the true advantages and disadvantages of either side of
the issue. So not only do we encourage students to vote Tuesday and
Wednesday on the Student Association's Web site, but we recom-
mend that they become better informed.
The ballot will include copies of the relevant sections of both the
old Honor Council constitution and the proposed new constitution;
students should read both versions carefully. In addition, the point-
counterpoint on Page 3 of today's Thresher summarizes some of the
main arguments for and against the proposed changes.
As things stand, it is likely that many of the students who attended the
forum will vote one way or the other simply because they were so
unimpressed by the behavior of the students and administrators defend-
ing their positions. Please don't stoop to the level of maturity that was
exhibited. Get informed and make what seems to be the best decision.
Keep your street smarts
inside the hedges
The Rice campus may not be a large city, but the recent armed
robberies serve as a frightening reminder that we live and work in
the middle of Houston. (See Story, Page 1.) Students don't need to
panic, but they need to use common sense.
Students should avoid walking alone late at night, especially on
the outer edges of campus or in areas that are not well-lit. Whether
alone or in a group, students should have a cell phone available or a
blue-light phone in sight as often as possible. They should call
escorts when they feel uncomfortable in an area — not just to get a
ride. (So it should not be a problem if that escort is on foot or bicycle.)
Finally, they need to report suspicious behavior.
Rice University Police Department does a good job off protecting
us from off-campus criminals. There's no reason to be careless or to
assume we live in Pleasantville.
Administration must
practice better planning
Instead of repeatedly overcharging and inconveniencing stu-
dents whenever money gets tight, the Rice administration should
strive to create a more efficient system when it comes to transporta-
tion and parking. (See Story, Page 1.)
Parking fees are going to be increased well above the 10 percent
hike that the administration previously promised. Meanwhile, Rice
just built a new, massive and barely student-used parking lot under-
neath the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management, which
adds a significant debt-service cost to the parking budget.
Shuttles service is set to be reduced, especially along the
Greenbriar route, yet the administration recently purchased two
brand-new shuttles.
Both these instances show that Rice needs to be more careful
when laying out capital. The administration should concentrate on
improving systems instead of sinking money into new projects.
For example, old shuttle buses could have been repaired instead
of replaced, and the administration could have focused on adding
parking that would have actually been beneficial to students.
This focus on efficiency would keep the administration from
having to either charge students more or cut conveniences when, as
if by surprise, the money is no longer around.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher
editorial staff.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Athletics works hard to
accomodate Beer-Bike
To the editor:
It was with some interest that I
read in the March 21 Thresher that
some thought there was poor plan-
ning on the part of coaches and ad-
ministrators in the Athletics Depart-
ment which kept athletes from par-
ticipating in this year's — or any
year's — Beer-Bike ("Keeping Ath-
letes from Beer-Bike," March 21).
Of the sports that were men-
tioned in the editorial, it is true that
men's and women's track athletes
could not attend because they were
taking part in the Texas Southern
Relays here on the Rice campus.
However, because the meet was on
campus, many members of the track
teams were at Beer-Bike.
Yet men's tennis changed the
time of their scheduled afternoon
match to the morning to allow for
their athletes to participate in Beer-
Bike. Women's tennis was not able
to reschedule.
Hie home baseball game sched-
uled to begin at 2 p.m. was resched-
uled to a night contest so as not to
conflict with Beer-Bike. Soccer did
not schedule a Saturday match on
that weekend to allow their athletes
to indulge in the festivities.
As you can see, much thought
was given to trying to avoid schedul-
ing against Beer-Bike and allowing
athletes to participate.
It was interesting to note that the
editorial mentioned the issue of the
relationship between student-
athletes and non-athletes and cited
this as an area that needed improve-
ment, when in fact had someone
from the Thresher staff called to ask
about this "issue" before printing
the editorial in the newspaper, they
might have found, in this instance,
the opposite to be true.
Steve Moniaci
Senior associate athletic director
War debate must not
be 'militantly' silenced
To the editor:
Last week I put up a large sign
announcing a political rally on the
Rice campus. It was torn down within
a couple of hours.
It appalls me that in a place where
everyone claims to be on a quest for
knowledge such an act of militant
ignorance would be perpetrated.
The justifiability of this war is
debatable, but what is important is
that it should be debated. The pub-
lic should be allowed to see all pos-
sibilities. Free choice is only effec-
tive when all the options are known.
If one was absolutely right, why
would one have a problem with an
open examination of the facts and a
free exchange of ideas? Would not
such an exchange prove that one's
assertions are correct instead of
leaving them floating in a sea of
uncertainty?
Our country is born out of ideals
that are noble and just. 1 cringe to
see the country 1 love — the great-
est country in the world — willingly
giving up those things which are so
integral to the foundation on which
it was built.
If you do not have the interest,
intellect or information to follow a
debate of the current issues of the
day, then at least allow others to
freely carry it out without hindrance.
Do not silence others because you
do not have the gumption to openly
disagree.
Forrest Shealy
Sid Richardson junior
Vice president, Rice for Peace
Parking plans were
poorly thought out
To the editor:
As a freshman arriving in the
middle of the controversy over in-
stalling parking gates, I thought the
issue did not really affect me. How-
ever, as parking gates were installed
in the West Lot, I realized why the
gates have been dreaded by so many.
It seems the administration did
not place the gated entrances in con-
venient locations. Coming toward
the north section of the West Lot
from the entrance by the police sta-
tion, you would think that there
should be an entrance by bus stop 2.
Instead, it appears that that parking
gate into the lot was blocked off.
Now one must drive to the far end of
the West Lot, enter through the park-
ing gates there, and then return back
toward bus stop 2.
While this setup is slightly con-
fusing and something of a hassle, I
would not mind it if there were clear-
cut benefits to having the gates in
place, but they seem to have mini-
mal advantages.
Do they cut down on car theft?
Not really. Although you need a prox
card to get into the lot, once you get
in the lot and get in a car, you can
drive right out unimpeded.
Do they cut down on car robber-
ies because a getaway car cannot be
positioned well? Not particularly. A
getaway car can easily be parked
just outside of the barriers, within
10 to 20 feet of most cars in the lot.
Overall, it seems to me that the
plan for the gates was not thought
out. They seem not to be worth the
vast amount of money that was spent
on them.
Matt Rigney
Hanszen freshman
CONTACTING THE
THRESHER
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both content and length.
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Berenson, Mark. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 90, No. 26, Ed. 1 Friday, April 11, 2003, newspaper, April 11, 2003; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398527/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.