The Rice Thresher, Vol. 96, No. 20, Ed. 1 Friday, February 20, 2009 Page: 12 of 28
twenty eight pages : ill. ; page 19 x 15 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
12 NEWS
the Rice Thresher
Friday, February 20,2009
iiflDHirASSqaMlOlilgNEMtWKTlPH
n
ft
RSVP
«
Chair
Alice Tsao
As someone who has been involved
with RSVP for the past three years, I
feel that 1 am well-equipped to step up
for the challenges of being Chair. As the
Children's Committee Chair my sopho-
more year, 1 am more than familiar
with working with community organi-
zations and creating positive volunteer
experiences for my peers. This past
year, as the External Vice President,
I have learned the ins-and-outs of the
administraative aspects of keeping
RSVP well-run. I know that I will learn
a lot from the experience and also be
able to make some great contributions
to RSVP.
External Vice Chair
Grace Chang
As RSVP Secretary this past year,
Outreach Day Coordinator this se-
mester, and Hanszen college rep my
freshman year, I have been constantly
amazed at RSVP's vision and heart for
service here at Rice, in the Houston
community, and beyond. As External
VP, I will put in my all to incorporate
my previous experiences working with
RSVP as well as my experience as a
National Honor Society activities coor-
dinator into my new position. 1 hope
to increase student body awareness
of RSVP, work together with the com-
mittees to have continuous volunteer
involvement, and most importantly,
expand our connections with the vari-
ous agencies outside Rice. Thanks so
much! I'd appreciate your vote!
Internal Vice Chair
Dannielle Axelson
Don't let the economy get you down!
1 can take away that frown! When the
going gets tough, bid for an Illinois
Senate seat! Then tap your foot to the
brand new beat! Danielle Axelson for
RSVP, the internal VP, the one to vote
for, that would be me! Obama has
promised a brand new day! Getting in-
volved in community service is the way!
I promise to involve everyone, to spread
the word and get the job done. My ser-
vice motto is "Do whatever it takes!" I
know no speed limit, my bike has no
brakes! I will be the hard worker that
you all deserve. Everyone will know
how they can serve, their college, their
community, and their world. The list of
endless possibilities will be unfurled.
Now the time has come to get down
to the facts, no time for foolishness or
wisecracks. I have a proven track-re-
cord of going the extra mile; and as the
Wiess RSVP College Rep. I stayed mo-
bile. I coordinated college blood drives,
and this spring, organizing Outreach
Day has been my big thing. So why do
I want to be elected as VP? To help stu-
dents transform our community. With
the commitment and intelligence that
we possess, we surely can relieve the
world's fear and distress. So join me
during this next school year As we face
challenges and unite with our fellow
peer to make a difference and cause the
world to change. Through service, the
hindering borders we will rearrange. I
am devoted to service and will spread
my passion, But I need your vote in a
speedy fashion! Please consider voting
for me, that's Danielle for Rice service,
the Internal VP!
Treasurer
Tina Cai
You might never have attended a
single RSVP meeting or even know
what RSVP stands for, but as a student
of Rice University, you are, by default,
a member. Every year, out of your
$40,000 tuition, a whole $2 goes to
RSVP as dues. With such high stakes,
it is very important that you elect a
treasurer that will take good care of
this money. You need a treasurer that
is responsible as well as experienced.
As a current sophomore majoring in
math econ, policy studies, manage-
rial studies, and minoring in business,
you can count on me to have the book
knowledge necessary to handle your
money. Of course book knowledge is
not enough, I am also very familiarized
with the structure of RSVP. As the Chil-
dren's Committee Chair this year, I've
had the privilege of working closely
with the executive board as well as the
Community Involvement Center at Rice.
I've been able to have an inside look at
where money is spent in this organiza-
tion as well as how the budget is allo-
cated. Having had the experience of be-
ing a committee chair, I will be able to
work closely with next year's chairs in
order to work out a budget that is rea-
sonable and meets their needs so that
your does are neither wasted nor un-
used. As the treasurer of RSVP for the
2009-2010 school year, you can count
on me to responsibly manage the RSVP
treasury as Rice organizations transi-
tion to the new accounts."
John Sanders
My name is John Sasscer Sanders Jr,
and I'm running to be the RSVP Trea-
surer next year. I love being a part of
RSVP, and as Co-Chairman of the Hun-
ger & Homeless Committee this past
year, I have really enjoyed organizing
service projects and volunteering. Be-
sides having a passion for service, I am
running for the treasurer position for a
few reasons. For one, 1 am organized
and love accounting. Paying attention
to numbers and balances excites me for
some strange reason. I also realize that
next year will pose some unique chal-
lenges as club treasurers throughout
campus become familiar with the new
university-run Banner system. I see
this as an exciting opportunity to mas-
ter a new system and smooth RSVP's
transition from Chase banking. So if
you want an accounting master, vote
for Sasscer!
Secretary
Sarah James
Ever since my Outreach-Day experi-
ence during 0-Week, I have come to ap-
preciate the experience of participating
in RSVP-sponsored volunteer activities
both on and off campus. I am impressed
by the wide variety of volunteer activi-
ties sponsored by the club and the pas-
sion of the students involved. I would
love to serve RSVP in the upcoming
year as its Secretary.
In the past, I have served in lead-
ership positions within many service
organizations. As the Sophomore Rep-
resentative, Vice President of Service
Projects, and President of the Sterling
Red Cross Club, I developed programs
to assemble Service Bags for Children
and implemented the Wally Wise
Emergency Alert System Program and
Longfellow's Whale Tales Water Safety
Program in area elementary schools.
For four years, I acted as president of
the Sterling Municipal Library Teen
Leaders of the Library, a teen advisory
board that provided community ser-
vice via my local public library.
In addition, I completed my Girl
Scout Gold Award Project in August
2008, as a member of the organization
for thirteen years. My seventy-hour
project entailed planning and leading
a series of craft workshops and movie
nights for eight to eleven year olds at
Sterling Municipal Library. I was also a
member of Key Club and the Bay Area
Relay for Life for many years.
I look forward to serving as your
RSVP Secretary for 2009-2010!
•)
f
I
# It
• «
Amendments and Taxes
Honor Code Amendment R2 Blanket Tax
Currently, under the "loophole"
clause of the Honor Code's Constitu-
tion Article XII, a student can choose to
withdraw for about 1.5 semesters within
3 days of being notified of an accusa-
tion and no further action will be taken
against them. The student must forfeit
credit for the course, but the accusation
is not noted on the student's record or
transcript in any way
The Honor Council feels that because
this option allows students to escape
the process the Rice community has
agreed upon for handling accusations,
it is damaging to academic integrity at
Rice and should be restricted such that
everyone is treated equally. Other uni-
versities with similar systems in place
do not allow for such an escape option.
Furthermore, the Honor Council feels
that this system harms students with
relatively minor violations while letting
other students with severe violations of
the Honor Code to simply avoid the con-
sequences of their actions.
Under the proposed text, there is
essentially no benefit to withdrawing
should a student be accused of violating
the Honor Code because they will have
to go through the normal process prior
to being readmitted to Rice. Addition-
ally, there will be a note added to their
internal record stating only that they
have a pending accusation and they will
temporarily lose credit for the course
until the matter is resolved.
R2: The Rice Review, Rice's premier
(and only) undergrad literary magazine
is asking you for a teeny tiny blanket tax
of $1 per student.
It will be on the general election bal-
lot. Please vote YES! Here's why:
We know you hate blanket taxes. But
you probably realize that most of them
go toward making Rice more vibrant
and enriching campus activities.
UBlue, Rice's older literary maga-
zine, has been defunct for a couple of
years now. They have been until now
receiving a blanket tax of $1 per student.
Vote to remove that tax and apply it to
R2. It's ONE DOLLAR!
R2 S been in operation for 5 years
now, and our content gets better and
better every year (grab a copy from the
English dept if you don't believe us!) We
work very hard on the magazine and
distribute it to the student body for free.
$i/student would make a big differ-
ence for R2. As of now, we can't print
visual art because our grants are for
literary purposes only. The money gen-
erated from the blanket tax would al-
low us to feature art, print more copies,
expand our content, and increase our
reach on campus.
So, if you like to read or write, and
especially if you love R2 (which you
should),
VOTE YES to GIVE R2 $1 in BLANKET
TAXES.
RPC Blanket Taxes
We propose two separate blanket tax
increase proposals:
General RPC Fund: The proposed
blanket tax fee will be increased from
its current level of $8 to a moderate $16.
The RPC blanket tax has remained the
same since at least 1985. This year RPC
has significantly increased its presence
on campus as the main undergraduate
programming body. Although RPC ap-
pears to have acquired many new funds,
those funds were either for programs al-
ready in place but under different con-
trol (Passport to Houston & President's
Study Breaks), one-time funds (RMC's
50th Anniversary) or new funds but
with restrictions on use (Central Ouad
Fund). RPC has not received any addi-
tional funds for their traditional events
i.e. Esperanza, Screw Yer Roommate,
Crush Party, and Willy Week in over 24
years! In addition, RPC's non-blanket
tax funding may decrease by $15,000 or
more next year due to the 5% decrease
in President's and Dean's Office Fund-
ing and the loss of RMC 50th Anniver
sary funds. The newly acquired blanket
tax fees would allow RPC to continue
the level of quality events they have of-
fered this past year. Specifically, these
funds would help meet the costs of in-
creased pub rentals, cheaper tickets for
formals as well as continue the tradition
of events during Homecoming week
that was started this year (Norman the
Magician)
"Major Events- Concert" Fund: RPC
proposes a new blanket tax of $15 to go
entirely to a major concert either during
Homecoming or Willy Week. This will
bring in a rough total of $47,000, which
can ensure a recognizable band to play
as well as several smaller bands as part
of the "RPC & Willy's Pub Performance
Series".
Open Magazine
Open Magazine is Rice's student run
literary arts magazine about sexuality
and society. Each year, we provide stu-
dents, free of charge, a copy of our pub-
lication featuring essays, informational
articles, poetry, prose and art exploring
sexuality from a personal and societal
perspective. In addition, we run and
publish the largest annual campus wide
survey on Rice student's sexual behav-
iors. We are applying for blanket tax sta-
tus to cover printing costs and because
we believe the publication benefits the
student body by fostering an aware-
ness and tolerance of individual's dif-
fering sexual beliefs and by promoting
the viewpoint that sex is a healthy and
natural part of our lives. Open serves
as a forum for our current and evolving
perspectives on sexuality and hopes to
encourage open minded discussion;
download a copy of last year's issue
from www.openmagazine.rice.edu.
KTRU Blanket Tax
The campus radio station KTRU
91.FM has not received a blanket tax in-
crease in over 20 years and its budget is
stretched due to inflation and other fac-
tors. It is now difficult to afford annual,
recurring costs of equipment, licensing
and webcasting fees, and costs of oper-
ating a radio studio. KTRU has fulfilled
all SA constitutional requirements to
seek alternative forms of funding before
resorting to a blanket tax increase, in-
cluding business sponsorships, grants,
and donations. KTRU's annual expens-
es total to over double the blanket tax.
KTRU is uniquely student run radio.
With 63 undergrads, 12 grad students, 5
faculty and staff, and 14 alumni, KTRU
91.7 FM is one of the largest student or-
ganizations on campus, and among the
top 5 most powerful college radio sta-
tions in the US.
KTRU has taken steps to engage
with campus in recent years, including
the addition of a 91.5 FM transmitter to
reach Rice, the Rice Radio Folio, weekly
charts and album reviews in the Thresh-
er. small concerts, the Rice Battle of
the Bands, the Outdoor Show (Ratatat.
Parts & Labor, Ted Leo), 'Roller' Prom
at the Galleria, DJing at the Rice Art Cil-
lery, and numerous other events.
All KTRU events are free to Rice stu-
dents. Becoming a I)) is free.
Please help keep KTRIJ free.
|
M
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Chun, Lily & Farmer, Dylan. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 96, No. 20, Ed. 1 Friday, February 20, 2009, newspaper, February 20, 2009; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443169/m1/12/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.