The Rice Thresher, Vol. 98, No. 15, Ed. 1 Friday, January 14, 2011 Page: 4 of 16
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4 NEWS
the Rice Thresher
Friday, January 14,2011
STUDENT ASSOCIATION MINUTES
The following were noted at the most recent meeting of
the Student Association Jan. 10.
■ President Selim Sheikh said the deadline for the applica-
tion to membership on the Asset Liquidation Funds Appro-
priations Committee would be today at 5 p.m. Applicants
should e-mail sapres@rice.edu with their resumes and
questionnaires.
■ Director of Technology Kern Vijayvargiya announced that
the website http://www.textbookmadness.com is up and
running for students to buy and sell textbooks, in place of
the SA marketplace.
■ Provost George McLendon, Vice Provost for Research James
Coleman and Vice President for International and Interdis-
ciplinary Initiatives Carol Quillen updated the SA on the
current stage of the Rice Initiatives. McLendon initially
spoke with Rice faculty last summer to find out what two
or three things could cut across the departments of all the
schools that Rice could be really great at. The topics that
resulted were Biosciences and Human Health, Energy and
the Environment and International Strategies. Now the Of-
fice is seeking student input to understand how best to de-
termine the agenda and student curricula of these topics.
McLendon, assisted by Coleman and Quillen, opened the
floor for dialogue.
■ The following responses to student questions were noted:
As there is not a lot of natural incentive for faculty to do in-
terdisciplinary research, the task forces, per initiative, will
work to create new incentives. Examples are creating inter-
disciplinary undergraduate programs, hiring new faculty in
interdisciplinary positions and investing in new facilities.
Current curricula will not be affected by these potential
changes; the initiatives will be supported by hypotheti-
cal new resources. If those resources are not forthcoming,
something different will be done (unspecified; initiatives
possibly altered or abandoned). Student opinion will be
important for curricula development, as only students can
determine which subjects will be engaging to them.
■ Further queries can be addressed by contacting the Office
of the Provost at mclendon@rice.edu.
■ Director of Elections Ronnie Ren said elections have been
moved up a week, and election packets will be distributed
next week.
,-y
■ Will Rice College Senator Renee Dudley announced the Al-
cohol Policy Forum next Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Farnsworth
Pavilion, where ideas on how to improve Rice's "culture of
care" and alcohol policy will be discussed. Food wilt be
provided. Questions about the event should be sent to
drd2@rice.edu.
■ The SA observed a moment of silence for the passings of
Hanszen College junior Dexter Gannon and Baker College
sophomore Brandon Cook during winter recess.
The SA will next meet at 9 p.m. in the Farnsworth Pavilion on
jan.17.
OH&D
www.chickenkitchenhouston.com
any purchase of
Every day after 4pm
$6 or more
when you show your Rice University ID
>rWhay ftthoi rwttr
CK RICE VILLAGE
2516 Rice Blvd
Tel 713 523-2323
CK DOWNTOWN
McKinney Place Tunnel
9030 Main ST Suite T-240A
Tel: 71 3 752-2323
FROM PAGE 1
that there would be no such hous-
ing provided.
Chou, a Martel College sopho-
more, met with both Chaszar and
Claverie to talk about the residen-
tial college closings and stayed
connected with them while gather-
ing student opinions.
Chou said that H&D had ap-
peared strongly against subsidizing
the hotel stay for those who needed
alternative housing. According to a
presentation about alternative win-
ter housing Chou made at a senate
meeting, H&D estimated total sav-
ings of $81,136.95 this year, includ-
ing the $46,136.95 spent on subsi-
dizing housing and the $35,000 of
energy savings from last year.
Claverie said H&D had origi-
nally closed the colleges during
winter break last year for three pri-
mary reasons: student safety, since
fewer staff members would be on
campus for support in case of an
emergency, better allocation and
use of funds and resources, and fa-
cilitation of maintenance without
disturbing others.
Claverie mentioned several ex-
amples of improvements which were
made to the colleges over the break
and said that H&D will apply the sav-
ings from closing the colleges toward
increasing the quality of student life
through matching funds made avail-
able for student events, providing up
to $5,000 of funding for ambiance
projects, and supporting initiatives
like campus recycling bins and the
Community Gardens.
Martel freshman Meagan John,
who went home for winter break,
said she agreed with H&D's deci-
sion to close the colleges down to
save money because the closing
gave students who didn't want to go
home an opportunity to explore the
world during the vacation rather
than just remaining at Rice. In ad-
dition, John said she approved of
the winter closing because it pro-
vided more safety for any belong-
ings left behind.
"I wouldn't have to worry that
anyone who was just walking around
could get into my room," John said.
After learning H&D's stance on
winter housing, Chou said he inves-
tigated various other options for stu-
dents staying in town over the holi-
days. According to Chou's research,
anyone in this situation would have
to pay at least $129 per night to live in
a double occupancy hotel room.
"Our end result is
a safety net for those
who were not able
to find a better and
cheaper place to live.
If we didn't get in-
volved, then those
students who could
not get a place in time
would have been left
in the cold and paying
thousands of dollars
for a three-week stay."
Benjamin Chou
Martel '13
W
The committee debated the hous-
ing issue multiple times and then
formally asked H&D to negotiate
with hotels to secure the cheapest
price possible. H&D acted according-
ly and was able to finalize a price of
$49 per person per night for 23 nights
or a flat rate of $626 per person for
two people in a double-occupancy
room. This room included two full- or
queen-size beds, two televisions and
a fully furnished kitchenette.
According to Chou, that price
amounted to a savings of $80 per
night, not including taxes.
"Our end result is a safety net
for those who were not able to
find a better and cheaper place to
live," Chou said. "If we didn't get
involved, then those students who
could not get a place in time would
have been left in the cold and pay-
ing thousands of dollars for a three-
week stay."
Exchange student Matti Gralka
stayed in the alternative housing at
the Holiday Inn for a period of time
because his parents had come to
Houston for the holidays.
However, Gralka didn't live in the
hotel for the entire break and thus
did not qualify for the room-pricing
plan H&D had initially instituted.
However, Gralka said H&D still
helped him get a double room at $45
per night, albeit without a kitchen.
Overall, Gralka said that he was
appreciative of the hotel's ameni
ties and the shuttle services and
cultural activities Rice organized
for those in alternative housing.
However, he said that, had his
parents not come to visit, he would
still have chosen to go home for the
break because the cost of a flight back
would have been less than the $626
spent on winter housing.
"I believe we all would have
liked it more to just stay on cam
pus and enjoy glorious servery food
everyday like we are used to, but I
guess that is not to be, understand
ably," Gralka said. "So I think that
it is really nice of H&D to care about
students staying in Houston for the
break at all, and even striking a
bargain for us."
Engagement! COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT CENTER
INTERNATIONAL SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES
Loewenstern Fellowships
Earn a stipend of up to $7,500 for a summer of international service
in Latin America or Asia! As a Loewenstern Fellow you will have the
opportunity to serve in a 6-12 week placement, receiving a stipend to
pay for travel to/from host country, living expenses, program fees,
and other expenses. In this fourth year, up to 20 Fellows will
participate in direct service work and community-based research
through a variety of approved third-party providers.
International Service Project to Guatemala
The Community Involvement Center's fifteenth annual International
Service Project (ISP) will once again be returning to San Lucas
Toliman, Guatemala from approximately May 15-29, 2011. Join the
Community Involvement Center as a participant on this amazing two-
week service immersion experience.
Application Deadline (for both programs):
5:00 pm - Wednesday, Ianuary 26, 2011
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT THE COMMUNITY I NVOl VEMENT
Centers web she at mimv/cicrice.i nu ie you have any
questions. call (713-348-4970) or e-mail (service^rice.edu) the
Community Invoi vement Center.
Discover, volunteer. lead.
Center for Civic: isciAtiiMtNi
SSSrice
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Wilde, Anna & Rutenberg, Josh. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 98, No. 15, Ed. 1 Friday, January 14, 2011, newspaper, January 14, 2011; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398489/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.