The Rice Thresher, Vol. 92, No. 23, Ed. 1 Friday, March 25, 2005 Page: 2 of 20
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THE RICE THRESHER OPINION FRIDAY, MARCH 25.2005
the Rice Thresher
Students need clear
definition of hazing
We saw a pattern emerge at Tuesday's forum on hazing
(see story, page 1). More than once, students requested a
clear definition of hazing. More than once, Dean of Under-
graduates Robin Forman and three other administrators
advised students to use good judgment, but said it would
be impossible to provide a comprehensive definition.
After the suspensions of the men's and women's club
lacrosse teams for hazing at a Dec. 3 party, students want
and need guidelines to follow. Although some of those
who attended the forum might have come away with the
answers they were looking for, we think administrators
should further address campus-wide concerns about what
constitutes hazing.
The hazing entry in the Code of Student Conduct is only
45 words long. It would make sense to supplement that
entry with an unofficial written document. The document
might include examples of hazing cases at other private
universities and use Texas state hazing laws, which cur-
rently do not apply to Rice, as a reference point. The Student
Activities Office could distribute the document to student
leaders, such as club and college presidents, when they
take office, as it does with the clubs manual. This would
be especially appropriate since student leaders can be held
responsible as individuals for hazing.
We're glad the forum took the form of a question-and-
answer session rather than a panel discussion although
there were, predictably, more questions than answers.
We wish the General Counsel or another legal expert
had attended. A lawyer could have better informed
students of their specific responsibilities under the
Code of Student Conduct.
Spring for holding
class outdoors
Monday marked the beginning of spring. Birds. Bees.
Beautiful weather.
Wliile the mild temperatures last, we'd like to encourage
professors to hold class sessions outside. There are plenty
of locations — outside Sewall, Dell Butcher and HerHnp
Halls, to name a few — that lend themselves perfectly to
open-air colloquia. In one month, Houston will be scorching
and unpleasant. Why waste this short-lived reprieve?
So let's revel in green space. We all applied to Rice
because of those picture-perfect brochure shots of classes
held outside, right?
Erratum
So is it creepier for me to search for a
roommate via the facebook, or to sell my
eggs to be able to afford an apartment?
_
m
■■ „ ■ < -
' ;
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
In the article "Leebron reduces lacrosse penalties" in the
March 18 issue, the number of men's and women's club
lacrosse captains and the results of the captains' disciplinary
appeals were incorrect. Of the five lacrosse captains, four
had their suspensions reduced from three to two semesters.
The other captain's suspension was reduced from three
semesters to one semester.
The Thresher regrets the errors.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher
editorial staff.
Post-break Sunday
weal not 'paid for'
To the editor:
In response to the staff editorial
pertaining to meal service on the
Sunday evening after spring break
("Spring break returnees deserve
Sunday dinner," March 18), I would
like to provide an explanation. Sev-
eral meals that fall around the break
are not included in the meal contract.
Records indicate that less than half of
the students on campus participate
in meal service prior to and following
the breaks. The meal provided on
Sunday after spring break was ad-
vertised as a "complimentary snack
box," and that is all we intended for
it to be. Sunday dinner, March 13,
was not in the meal plan contract;
therefore, it is inaccurate to say you
"paid for it."
1 Ic using and Dining has an exten-
sive emergency preparedness plan
that includes a substantial inventory
of nonperishable, ready-to-eat meals,
which can be easily distributed in
an emergency situation. In order
to maintain the freshness of these
meals, it is necessary to rotate our
inventory and distribute them as
snack packs after a recess or at a study
break. We feel that it is in your best
interest that we continue to purchase
and rotate our emergency food supply
on a regular basis.
Housing and Dining is committed
to providing full meal service for all
meals outlined in the Campus Hous-
ing Agreement.
Julie Bogar
Residential college diving manager
Housing and Dining
Lacrosse penalties
teach wrong lesson
To the editor:
While most of us agree that the
Dec. 3 lacrosse party reflects a lapse
in judgment, I believe last week's
letter ("Leebron's lacrosse decision
pro-student," March 18^ misses the
point of why the administration's
decision was out of line.
I personally do not believe that the
lacrosse party in question involved
the actual forcing of students to drink
dangerous amounts of alcohol, but
let's say for argument's sake that
it did. The last time I checked, we
are all college students who make
important decisions every day on
our own that can have beneficial or
detrimental consequences.
Many of us have been pressured
many times to drink by various
people. And yes, sometimes by lead-
ers of campu s groups of which we are
members. The point is, we should
all be ultimately responsible for the
consequences of our own actions.
Rice is an educational institution
(and a damn good one at that), yet
we are failing to teach our students
the fundamentals of b( ing a human
being. While we might graduate from
here having mastered problem sets
and sonnets, under this current ad-
ministrative atmosphere, it is unlikely
that we will be prepared for the reality
that lies beyond the hedges. In the
real world, it is not the person who
asks you to drink that gets in trouble
when you choose to do so. To punish
the lacrosse captains so severely for
the actions of intelligent adults who
are capable of independent thought
seems at the least unfair, if not abso-
lutely ludicrous.
Jennifer Wessel
Brown junior
Christianity presented
incorrectly by writer
To the editor:
1 agree with Apoor va Shah: A true
spiritual understanding transcends a
blind practice of "old-time religion"
("Students need spirituality, not just
old-time religion," March 18).
Shah's column, however, raised
many key points that I would not
leave unaddressed. Shah rebukes
the conception of a "world of right
versus wrong," an ontological out-
look shared by many. But for many
other believers on campus (we're all
believers in something). life is a mat-
ter of the absolute, of righteousness
and sin, and it's a valid and personal
belief, rather than a traditionalistic
religious obligation.
Reading his association of religion
with war and belligerence and his
suggestion of spiritual "insecurities,"
it saddens me to think that the Chris-
tian faith has been so misrepresented
to Shah and others by the Christian
religiosity As it should be, Christian
outreach is meant as a reflection of
God's love and compassion; it'd be
much easier for us to validate our
beliefs and battle insecurities by
containing our practice in our dorms
and conceding a relativistic biblical
interpretation than to challenge our
personal faith by sharing a truth we
believe to be absolute and universally
needed. While Shah asserts that "we
cannot homogenize spirituality," 1
sincerely hope he won't homogenize
my faith into a "self-righteous creed,"
and I encourage everyone to consider
the Christian faith on its own terms,
rather than as a right-wing faction.
I realize my letter cannot repre-
sent all Christians on campus. Rather
than retaliating with indignation, I
invite anyone to find me: I'd be happy
to further discuss with you and to
listen with the open mind that I assure
you some Christians have.
Matt Dunn
Mart el freshman
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Gilbert, Lindsey & Yardley, Jonathan. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 92, No. 23, Ed. 1 Friday, March 25, 2005, newspaper, March 25, 2005; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443036/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.