The Rice Thresher, Vol. 94, No. 23, Ed. 1 Friday, March 16, 2007 Page: 2 of 24
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—
THE RICE THRESHER OPINION FRIDAY. MARCH 16,2007
the Rice Thresher
William Rice marsh
could use some draining
Rice University is named after William Marsh Rice, and word-
plays on the carbohydrate are a long tradition at the university.
But these days the wordplay of choice is marsh, as in, with all
this flooding, campus looks like a William Rice marsh.
We knew Rice was planning to build a new swimming pool, but
we thought it was going to be in the Recreation Center — not
spread over the lawns of every residential college. At a time when
Rice is pulling out all the stops to increase recruiting, prospective
students should be the only things flooding our sidewalks.
We do not pretend to be landscape experts and do not know the
specifics of lawn and flood management, but the current situation
is beyond the usual Houston tropic. What should be temporary
puddles are living long beyond their expected lifespan, troubling
students on the way to class and making our beautiful campus look
like the Everglades. However, as students who walk the campus
every day, we do have some observations about what Housing
and Dining can do to help mediate the problem.
The first step may be simply getting up to date topographical
information — according to a November 2004 Building Design
Standards report, we are still working from a 1973 survey. It
seems almost a moot point to discuss plans to prevent flooding
on campus until we have accurate measurements. Up-to-date
statistics will help Rice find ways to prevent those lakes that
hinder students on their way to class and make our beautiful
campus look like a bog.
Secondly, leveling out or raising sidewalks would help prevent
water from accumulating where students walk. While it is under-
standably difficult to keep 8' by 5" slabs of bronze pea gravel from
sinking in the gumbo that is Houston soil, regular breaks in the
Rice calendar seem to provide ample time to correct the most
flagrant violations of sidewalks gone askew without disrupting
the daily travel of those who work and live on campus.
Or perhaps constructing a few more drainage pathways could
help divert floodwater out of sight. Maybe even planting differ-
ent flowers and grasses could help absorb more water than our
current foliage does. In the end, we have to do something.
For the short term, while we cannot control Mother Nature,
we can limit our own contributions to Rice's flooding problem.
We have personally witnessed the Lovett and Hanszen sprinkler
systems fight an aquatic battle with the cumulonimbus above
to see who can best flood the college quads. Not only does this
make the flooding situation worse, but is a horrible waste of water.
And at a time when Rice is supposed be taking a fresh look at
sustainability, turning off the sprinklers during thunderstorms
seems like an easy step.
Over the past several years, H&D has done an excellent job
with flood management on campus, from the overland flood
channel near Wiess to the storm sewer under Campanile Road.
So while Rice may be safe from dangerous and damaging floods,
it is time to take a look at aesthetic effects of storms as well and
come up with some pragmatic solutions. After all, Rice needs a
new swimming pool, but not right along the sidewalk.
QEEEmFII
EVERY MAN MUST. AT
SOME POINTjEXPLOfie
THE DARKEST REGIONS
OF HIS OWN SOUL...
,.£VEN
[UNIVERSITY
/* PRESIDENTS.
PRESIDENT LEE8RON.
THE...THE DELEGATION Of
IS ON ITS
%
PRESIDENT BRON-LJ
WE MEET AGAIN
I MUST
PULPILL MY
PEST I NY
I KNOW.
I'VE BEEN
WAITING.
BUT THIS TIME. I HAVE
THE APVANTA&E?
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Critics ignore
SA's year of work
To the editor:
The Student Association has been
bombarded with criticisms from
multiple sources over the last couple
of weeks. Most recently, the Thresher
criticized the potential threat of reduc-
ing the importance of resolutions or
creating resolutions that are watered
down or ineffective ("SA needs its own
vision," Feb. 23).
However, when participating in
a dialogue with multiple parties, all
involved must understand the vocabu-
lary. The word "resolution" has differ-
ent connotations for different groups
of people. What we were suggesting
is by no means less powerful, "atten-
tion-worthy," or "becoming a rubber
stamp for administrative interests,"
but instead a means of cooperation
and negotiation. If we continue to
burn bridges by maintaining an us
versus them mentality, nothing will
ever be accomplished by students
or the SA.
This year, the Student Association
has been working passionately to rep-
resent student interests to the faculty
and administration in a productive
manner. This by no means suggests
that we are hopping into the lap of
Dean Forman or other administra-
tive members as the Thresher so
poignantly portrayed in its cartoon
(Cartoon, Feb. 23).
We write this editorial with the
best intentions; it is a call to the
student body. We appreciate and
note your concerns regarding...
what? Students seem to follow the
trend of past years and label the SA
as an ineffective organization that
produces limited results. But, if we
are to take action in your best interest,
give us some specifics! Additionally,
Take yourself out to
the ballgame
Want to watch the baseball team play in its last home series
before entering Conference USA play? If you answered no, maybe
you at least want something to eat. The Student Association,
RPC and SAC are sponsoring a tailgate tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.
outside Reckling Park, and since the serveries will be closed
anyway, there is no excuse for not attending the Owls' 2 p.m.
game against California Polytechnic State University and joining
in the pregame activities.
If food and conversation are not your favorite things in
the world, then at least come by to pick up a Rice baseball
T-shirt — white with blue sleeves, the shirts cost $3 for students
and $7 for non-students. And, since the baseball team gives out
shirts like Scrooge hands out cash, the SA's sale might be your
only chance for a while.
So, to recap: baseball tailgate tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. Come for
food, drink, conversation and shirts, and stay to watch the Owls
(hopefully) clinch their 34th straight home series.
Unsigned editorials represen t the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff.
CONTACTING THE
THRESHER
Letters
m Letters to the editor should
be sent to the Thresherby e-mail
to thresher®rice.edu. Letters
must be received by 5 p.m. on
the Monday prior to a Friday
publication date.
■ All letters to the editor
must be signed and include
college and year if the writer
is a Rice student.
■ Letters should be no lon-
ger than 250 words in length.
The Thresher reserves the
right to edit letters for both
content and length.
Subscribing
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Advertising
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vertisements must be received
by 5 p.m. on the Monday prior
to a Friday publication date.
Please contact our advertising
manager at (713)348-3967 or
thresher-ads&rice.edu for more
information.
if the information is not getting to
you, you should be incensed. Kindly
ask your senators why the weekly
information sheets highlighting the
meeting minutes are not getting to
your residential college's lunch table.
Ask the Thresher why it refuses to
grant prior review of information
posted in the SA information box.
By all means, tell us what you want
done — it is only then that we will be
able to effectively do our job.
However, for those of you who
don't hear or see what happens, this
is a friendly reminder. Let us highlight
some of the things the SA has done
for you this year: Sammy's Picnic, the
HedgeHopper Card, 2006 Homecom-
ing Tailgate, 2(X)6 Powderpuff All-Star
game, three never-before-active com-
mittees, continued course evaluations,
our book co-op program, an active
Senior Committee, Families Weekend,
our rideshare and a tailgate still to come
on March 17. This is by no means an
attempt to quiet criticisms—in fact, we
encourage them, but in a productive
manner. Don't bkime student apathy on
an organization that cares, will listen if
you speak, and is working for you.
Ceci Mesta
Sy4 External Vice President
Martel junior
Althea Tupper
SA President
Hanszen senior
Monologues not
anti-feminist
To the editor:
Last issue featured an article criticiz-
ing The Vagina Monobguesforobjectify-
ing women, setting back feminism and
failing to raise awareness about violence
against women (".Monologues speaks
for objectification" Mar. 2). While the
author makes some valid points, there
is another side of the issue that needs to
be recognized.
A central critique of the article was
that The Vagina Monologues does not
focus on the theme of violence against
women — the focus of the V-Day orga-
nization. However, The Vagina Mono-
logues did not spring forth from V-Day.
Rather, it was the other way around.
After performing across the country,
Eve Ensler, the play's creator, was so
moved with compassion by women
coming forward with stories of sexual
violence that it inspired her to create the
V-Day organization to raise money and
awareness. The goal of The Vagina
Monologues was never to specifically
promote awareness of violence against
women, but to decriminalize the word
"vagina" and to celebrate womanhood.
It was incorporated into V-Day as an av-
enue through which to raise money.
As far as being anti-feminist, the
very first problem arises when you
try to define feminism. Feminism as
a movement is so largely encompassr
ing and constantly changing that it
could never be pinned down in such a
simple definition. I do believe however
that most feminists would agree the
definition does incorporate sexual
liberation and freedom. Women are
often made to feel ashamed of their
sexuality or of behaving in ways that
exemplify their sexuality. 77te Vagina
Monologues intends to celebrate the
vagina and help people embrace their
whole womanhood: intellect, talent and
sexuality included.
In my opinion there is nothing
anti-feminist about The Vagina Mono-
logues. If anything, it is taking every-
thing we have been told we should be
ashamed to do and turning it around,
allov.ing us to live freely as women,
whatever that means to us.
Kate Hildebrandt
Baker sophomore
Warming worries
still warranted
To the editor:
Six weeks ago, Carr Taylor wrote
a column that asserted we should
continue to question global warming
and challenge scientists' statements
("(ilobal warming claims should
be challenged," Feb. 9). I staunchly
believe that we should use our
own judgment rather than simply
accept the claims of even highly
qualified authorities.
Where Carr is incorrect is in predi-
cating that there is currently evidence
that discredits the occurrence of
global warming. 'ITiere is not.
In 1975, scientists were still doing
what the column recommended: ques-
tioning the possibility of a changing
climate. Many had very different ideas
about lflW.' humans might be affecting
the very complex global climate; some
even thought it was getting colder.
Considering this, it is all the more strik-
ing that today there is near worldwide
consensus. The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, a group of
2,500 scientists worldwide, states that
there is unequivocal evidence that
greenhouse gases continue to cause
increased temperatures, and over a
90 percent certainty that this is caused
by humans.
One way scientists prove the source
of global warming is showing the
unprecedented spike in temperature
in congruence with the rise in C02
levels compared to patterns in the last
century, and also in last 2,000 years.
Rarely do two variables correspond
so predictably together. Today, the
amount of C02 in the atmosphere is
at levels many times higher than found
in the measurable past. So, too, do the
increased amounts of C02 directly
correlate with the amount produced
by humans.
(ilobal warming aside, there are
still compelling reasons to make
changes to our "whole way of life."
Other environmental ills — pollution
in the water and the air, the dwin-
dling of natural resources, the loss
of natural diversity — are caused by
humans and must be addressed by
the same methods necessary to curb
global warming.
We must change the way we
build, the way we do business, the
way we make policy and the way
we live. Making these changes
would reduce costs, improve health,
save natural diversity and improve
international relations.
Questioning before changing is
good. But there comes a time when
challenging becomes obstinance.
There must come a time when
questioning leads to conclusions
and conclusions to action. So, chal-
lenge scientists and even challenge
A1 Gore. But also listen to evidence
with an open mind, be willing to act
on facts, and accept responsibility for
sustaining an equitable world.
Dana Hoffman
Will Rice sophomore
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Bursten, Julia. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 94, No. 23, Ed. 1 Friday, March 16, 2007, newspaper, March 16, 2007; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth442993/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.