The Rice Thresher, Vol. 96, No. 24, Ed. 1 Friday, March 27, 2009 Page: 2 of 24
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EDITORIAL
the Rice Thresher
Friday, March 27,2009
e Rice (Thresher
Bikes-for-cars program
almost perfect
Since the Thresher's main mode of communication still takes
place via dead trees, it may seem a touch ironic that we would
espouse the Rice Graduate Apartments' attempt to go green (see
story, page 1). With the installation of the bikes-for-cars pro-
gram, Rice has taken the environmental ball and run with it, all
the way to a sustainable future.
The meat of the program is commendable — trading cars for
bikes will eliminate both congestion and carbon emissions — but
a few details need to be tweaked in order for this program to reach
its fullest potential. First, the cost of the bikes, $750, is an exorbi-
tant amount. As we are all aware, we are in the midst of the Great
Recession, meaning that any inordinate expenditures should be
axed before they reach their final stages. While we understand
that the bikes are LEED certified, there are times when you must
make sacrifices for the health of the pocketbook. If you halve the
price tag of these bikes, you will still receive a quality bicycle and
double your potential consumer base. You could even consider
giving the tenants a voucher for a bicycle instead of selecting one
for them, although that may limit discounts.
Furthermore, giving these bikes away to students who promise
to refrain from registering a motor vehicle is a smart choice, but al-
lowing these students to keep these bikes gratis is foolhardy. There
is nothing to prevent the students from leaving their cars at home
for a year, collecting a high-quality bicycle, and returning the next
year with both bike and car in hand. Were the bikes to be attached to
the room — say, in the same way as a washer and dryer — students
could use these bikes only as long as they were tenants. This way,
the bikes would stay as property of the complex, reusable for years,
and students would not be able to take the system for a ride.
University Council
prompted to improve
The relations between the faculty and the Student Association,
already significantly improved under the previous two adminis-
trations, look to be getting another boost. With the recent ap-
pointment of the SA president to the University Council, the stu-
dents will have yet another conduit of communication between
ourselves and the faculty and administration (see story, page 1).
While the position is not new, it has certainly seemed to be
lacking within the last few years, so much so that the position
has lost almost any credence whatsoever with the student body.
President David Leebron's office hours have seemed to negate
any necessity for the University Council.
Furthermore, because the positions of University Council mem-
bers are virtually uncontested in almost every election — there were
only two student body members who ran for two positions this
year, for instance — it is easy to write this position off as immaterial.
When there is little contest, there is almost always little relevance.
Thus, the standing of the University Council has dropped.
But it does not have to be this way. Patrick McAnaney is an already-
elected official, and while the student body should have known that
this could have been a possible position while SA presidential elec-
tions were still ongoing, this is certainly anything but a power grab.
If nothing more, it is a natural progression — McAnaney has been
elected to lead the student body and act as a liaison between the
students and the faculty, so his presence on the University Council
makes perfect sense. We hope that he will expand the accomplish-
ments of this position, fulfilling all the potential it inhabits.
In the meantime, we would like to commend the Office of the
President for taking the initiative in recommending the idea, as well
as Matt Youn and the SA for heeding this call for open communica-
tion. The more open the Office, the better. Likewise, the more office
hours, the better... but we won't push our luck, as we are fortunate
enough as it is to have office hours in the first place.
Lastly, while it is unfortunate that Michael Rog was not ap-
pointed to the position he was elected to, he was informed that
this was always a possibility, according to multiple sources that
are both on- and off-the-record.
Congratulations deserved
We would like to extend our congratulations to a pair of very
deserving staples of the Rice campus. The first is Wayne Gra-
ham, the unofficial leader of the Rice campus. Where Graham
goes we follow — all the way to 800 wins.
Secondly, we would like to extend our congratulations to Rice's
Emergency Medical Services program for its fourth service excel-
lence award. We cannot begin to express all of our gratitude for the
services REMS perform, from hand-making splints to easing our
bodily qualms to providing pop quizzes about the current president.
They make Rice that much safer, and for that we are indebted.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
thresher-ops@rice. edu
Accurate election
results are critical
To the Editor:
It is the policy of the Student As-
sociation Election Committee to re-
move from the published elections
results only those write-in votes that
attack the character of individual
candidates or which use profanity on
the level of the word "fuck."
In accordance with this policy, the
results of the 2009 SA General Election
include votes for "anyone but [candi-
date]," but not "[candidate] is a [pro-
fanity]." This policy also resulted in
the inclusion of "some Asian girl," as
noted by Courtney Ng in her column
("Stereotyping places unreasonable
expectations on Asians," March 20).
The Election Committee believes
that an accurate reporting of results —
even if some of the results are less than
tasteful — is beneficial to the elections
process and increases the transpar-
ency of our student self-governance.
Christopher Warrington
SA Parliamentarian
Member, SA Election Committee
Beer Bike obstacles
unjustly ignored
To the Editor:
As former Beer Bike coordinators,
we are dismayed by the manner in
which Beer Bike changes were present-
ed in last week's Thresher. The problem
of truck reservations has been a peren-
nial issue for Beer Bike coordinators
that began long before Duncan and
McMurtry Colleges appeared on our
horizons. There simply aren't enough
flatbed trucks in Houston for Beer
Bike, especially during the Rodeo. This
is not just a simple hassle. Truck com-
panies see the event as a liability and
are loath to rent trucks. Thus, coordi-
nators must go to elaborate lengths to
secure trucks, sometimes lying to truck
companies in the name of Rice, often
to find truck reservations cancelled at
the last minute. Trucks will continue to
be an issue until an alternative parade
structure is developed.
What few people consider is that
the parade is a constantly-evolving tra-
dition. Balloons have appeared in the
parade for only the past 15 years, and
the trucks entered the event simply as a
way of transporting them. The spirit of
Beer Bike will continue even with fewer
trucks, and to proclaim otherwise is ir-
responsible, or at least foolish. We have
heard nothing but positive feedback
about this year's Beer Bike, a testament
to all of the campus-wide, college and
area coordinators' hard work. These
people have, after all, been elected by
your colleges to represent student opin-
ion in all Beer Bike proceedings.
Beer Bike is about much more than
the number of balloons filled. College
unity can be preserved with minor pa-
rade changes. Rice students should ap-
proach these changes with flexibility
and perspective.
Megan Hermance
Kate Hildebrandt
2007 Baker Beer Bike Coordinators
Timothy Faust
2008 Campus-Wide Beer
Bike Coordinator
Teddy Bucher
2007 Campus-Wide Beer
Bike Coordinator
FIRE defends
Rice's "red light"
To the Editor:
There are good reasons why Rice
gets a "red light" from the Foundation
for Individual Rights in Education for
plainly prohibiting certain protected
speech ("Rice's free speech ques-
tioned," March 20). Dean of Under-
graduates Robin Forman makes one of
FIRE's points exactly: The speech code
in Rice's Information Technology pol-
icy is enforced selectively, so students
have no way of knowing whether their
speech will be prosecuted. Forman
admits that speech in violation of the
policy is sometimes prosecuted, some-
times not. Apparently, administrators
NEWS
Catherine Bratic Editor
Margeux Clemmons Asst. Editor
Cindy Dinh Asst. Editor
Josh Rutenberg Asst. Editor
Jocelyn Wright Asst. Editor
Jaclyn Youngblood Asst. Editor
Zach Castle Head Designer
Nick Morales Designer
OP-ED
Christine Pao Editor
Kay Fukui Cartoonist
SPORTS
Natalie Clericuzio Editor
Yan Digilov Editor
Jonathan Myers Assistant Editor
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Joe Dwyer Editor
COPY
Nick Schlossman Editor
Ryan Stickney Editor
Anna Wilde Editor
Casey Michel
Editor in Chief
CALENDAR
Brian Reinhart Editor
PHOTOGRAPHY
David Rosales Editor
Lauren Schoeffler Asst. Editor
Ariel Shnitzer Asst. Editor
WEB
Stephen Wang Editor
BUSINESS
Yvette Pan Manager
Jessie Huang Subscriptions Manager
Charlie Ary Distribution Manager
Gustavo Herrera Distribution Manager
Sergio Jaramilln Distribution Manager
ADVERTISING
Joseph Ramirez Ads Manager
Thomas Yeh Ads Manager
Cathleen Chang Classified Ads Manager
BACKPAGE
Eric Doctor Editor
Timothy Faust Editor
only punish "material which explicitly
or implicitly refers to sexual conduct"
and "profane language or pander[ing]
to bigotry, sexism, or other forms of
prohibited discrimination" by whim.
In FIRE's experience, such discre-
tion results in oppression of views
administrators dislike.
Forman also claims that the IT
Common Policy Questions and An-
swers document makes the censor-
ship rules clear, but it makes them
worse. It vaguely calls for "responsible
and courteous behavior" and states,
"[M]isuse of resources includes work-
ing irresponsibly as well as actions that
are intentional, reckless or negligent."
What Rice administrators will find "ir-
responsible" is anybody's guess.
That Rice might permit speech to
flourish most of the time hardly guar-
antees that Rice is fully living up to its
free speech commitments. It is noth-
ing special that a student publication
is allowed to write a noncontroversial
editorial about FIRE stating, "Thanks
for your interest, but everything is OK
here." As the Supreme Court wrote in
1943, "Freedom to differ is not limited
to things that do not matter much. That
would be a mere shadow of freedom."
Adam Kissel
Director, Individual Rights Defense
Program, FIRE
Newspaper cuts
reveal larger issues
To the Editor:
I was deeply moved by Catherine
Bratic's opinion piece decrying the
cancellation of daily newspaper sub-
scriptions in the colleges ("Newspa-
pers indispensable to education,"
March 20). Reading newspapers on-
line fosters quick and shallow think-
ing, as we click from one article to an-
other. Contrast this with the leisurely
contemplative thought that the print
medium nurtures. That kind of think-
ing is sorely lacking in our age.
Yes, our shrinking endowment and
Bsee Letters, page 3
The Rice Thresher, the official student news
paper at Rice University since 1916, is pub
lished each Friday during the school year,
except during examination periods and holi-
days, by the students of Rice University.
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All other opinion pieces represent solely
the opinion of the piece's author.
The Thresher is a member of the Associated
Collegiate Press. i'm on a boat.
© Copyright 2009
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Michel, Casey. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 96, No. 24, Ed. 1 Friday, March 27, 2009, newspaper, March 27, 2009; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443031/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.