Tuition for Incoming Students Rises 14 Percent
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Jl 1916 90TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE SEE INSERT INSIDE ~r4 ice Thresher Vol. XCIII, Issue No. 23 SINCE 1916 Friday, March 24, 2006 Tuition for incoming students rises 14 percent by Amber Obermeyer "There are some people who think because we are a high- THRESHER EDrTORIAL STAFF quality institution, we ought to TUITION & FEES New-student tuition and fees will be priced with other high-quality be $26,974 next year, a 13.6 percent institutions," Leebron said. 'That Seniors $21,474 increase from what this year's fresh- is not the present goal — it's just Juniors 23,504 men paid. Returning students will that giving everybody a one-third Sophomores 25,074 pay about 4-6 percent more than discount in today's competitive Entering students 26,974 26,100 what they paid this year. Room and environment didn't quite seem the Graduate students board for all students will be $9,590 right way to go." Professional 23,400 masters students next year, a seven-percent change Leebron said that in the future, Continuing grad 23.950 that is similar to past increases. returning students' tuition will students Tuition, fees and room and board probably increase by about 5 M.B.A. students 32,150 rates were approved at the March percent annually 8-9 Board of Trustees meeting and Rice's financial aid budget will Figures are for 2006 07. announced by President David expand to cover the increased cost Leebron Tuesday. of attending, Vice President for Fi- Freshman tuition will probably nance Kathy Collins said. Student Fi- matriculate will not change sub- increase by a similar amount next nancial Services Director Julia Benz stantially because of recent tuition TAYLOR JOHNSON/THRESHER year before leveling off, Leebron said Rice's method for calculating a increases. Rice received about 12 said. leebron said he expects family's expected contribution will percent more applications this year Hail poetry Rice's tuition to be $5,000-6,000 not change, so students currently despite last year's 12 percent tuition Hanszen College junior Andrew Reich (left), Sid Richardson College less than peer schools' in the long receiving need-based linancial aid increase, Leebron said. senior Lauren Bertanzetti (middle) and Hanszen senior Bob Billing- run. Next year's freshman tuition will not pay more. "What we're learning is that the sley (right) act in the Rice Light Opera Society's Ruddlgore, one of will be about $7,000 less than other I>eebron said he thinks the per- biggest need is to get out there and five shows opening on campus this week. (See review, page 12.) elite private universities'. centage of accepted students who See TUITION, page 9 Faculty Senate approves take-home final exam policy by Risa Gordon Take-home exams — which the policy defines as including final papers and proj- FHRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF ects — will be automatically assigned a Starting in Fall 2006, final papers, final due date by the Registrar's Office based projects and take-home final exams can be on course meeting time. The take-home assigned a due date earlier than the last exam may be due no earlier than the end day of the final-exam period. The Faculty of the specified examination period — for Senate voted unanimously to approve these example. 12 p.m. for a 9 a.m.-12 p.m. exam changes to the General Announcements slot. However, professors may set a due date at its meeting Wednesday. Restrictions on later than the assigned time slot. the number of exams allowed in one- and Under the new policy, students who have two-day periods were also altered. three or more scheduled final examinations In the fall, the senate eliminated self- in two consecutive calendar days can ar- scheduled final exams and abolished the range to reschedule exams, as has been minimum class size required to schedule a the case this year and in the past. But in final exam. The senate did not change rules a new policy, the third exam's instructor IAN WHITE/THRESHER about due dates for Spring 2006 take-home must allow the student to take the exam U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Huchlnson speaks at a memorial service for Nobel Prize exams because members did not want to at a different time if an agreement cannot winner Richard Smalley in the Grand Hall Tuesday. alter the General Announcements in the otherwise be reached. middle of the year. See EXAMS, page 6 Smalley honored at service INSIDE by Sarah Taylor National Science Foundation director, spoke about Smalley's public advocacy for THRESHER STAEF Page 3 nanotechnology. Lane said many policies Free Your Willy Week OPINION A model of a buckyball sat on the resulted from Smalley's efforts. Monday: Owl Fgg Hunt, Academic Activism on the rise Quad, early morning; Tuesday: Beer podium as colleagues, students, friends "Rick was the model of a civic sci- A&E Page 13 and family of Richard Smalley spoke entist," lane said. "He went out to the Debates, Willy's Pub, 9:30 p.m.; Wednes- Paleohipsterdom about his influence on Rice and the day: picnic, Academic Quad, 5:30 p.m.; public in an effort to solve the world's SPORTS Page 16 world at a memorial service Tuesday. problems." Thursday: International Beer Night, Men's tennis pulls two upsets About 150 people attended the service Richard F. Smalley Institute for Willy's Pub, 10 p.m. held in the Grand Hall. Nanoscale Science and Technology Direc- Quote of the Week Smalley, a physics and university tor Wade Adams praised Smalley's effect SA petitions: the sequel "When you work in Career Services, you have professor who died in October 2005, was on the academic environment at Rice, to be able to recognize when a good career awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in which he said Smalley loved. Adams said Petitions are due today at 1 p.m. for the move comes along." 1996 for discovering buckminsterfuller- Smalley cared about other faculty mem- SA Spring Elections. Four Honor Council — Career Services Director Cheryl Matherly enes, now known as buckyballs. Smalley bers at Rice and was determined that his at-large positions, one University Court on leaving Rice. See Story, Page 5. at-large position and RSVP treasurer are came to Rice in 1976and invented fournew dreams be carried out after his death. Scoreboard fields of chemical research while here. "What we're left with from Rick's great available. Women's Basketball President David Leebron opened career is his vision," Adams said. "He was Rice 57. Indiana 67 the service by praising Smalley's a pied piper, and many of us answered Senior interviewer Baseball contributions. his call." Rice 2, Texas 3 "Rick was much more to Rice than a Nobel Prize winner and former chem- applications due Weekend Weather successful scientist and teacher," leebron istry professor Robert Curl ('54) worked Applications for rising seniors inter- Friday said. "He embodied the spirit of our uni- with Smalley for 10 years. During that ested in conducting on-campus inter- time, Smalley, Curl and University of Sus- Sunny, 40 66 degrees versity and the great desire to serve." views with high school seniors in the fall After Leebron's opening, eight speak- sex professor Harold Kroto discovered Saturday are due Friday at 5 p.m. at the Admissions Partly cloudy, 48-69 degrees ers followed with memories, insights and buckyballs. Office. Forms are available at the Admis- Sunday anecdotes. Curl said Smalley was remarkably sions Office and in the colleges. Mostly sunny. 61-74 degrees Physics Professor Neal lane, a former See SMAI.I .KY. page 7 THE RICE THRESHER OPINION FRIDAY, MARCH 24,2006 the Rice Thresher Thition effects should be monitored Most of us visited other top private universities before choosing Rice, and we think Rice's middle-class feel makes it unique among these schools. It would not be to Rice's benefit if it were to become more stratified between high-income and low-income students, like many other top-tier private schools — the university would become less inviting to students of all income levels. Hie tuition increases announced by President David Leebron have the potential to stratify the student body in this way. (See story, page 1.) Tuition hikes do not affect students with substantial financial aid or the very wealthy, so increases can only discourage students in the middle from coming to Rice. We do not think the current or proposed increases are dra- matic enough to have this negative effect, since Rice will still be markedly cheaper than its competitors. But we don't really know for certain — and neither does anybody else. That is why the President's Office should watch student demographics carefully over the next few years and correct any growing socioeconomic stratification with changes in tuition. About 55 percent of students apply for need-based financial aid, so the university knows little about the family finances of the other 45 percent. Since nobody knows the breakdown between the wealthy and the upper-middle-class, nobody can predict exactly what will happen when tuition rises or falls. So the President's Office should monitor the "decline cards" admitted students send when they decide not to come to Rice. If students are choosing lower-cost universities more frequently than in the past, and if there are other signs of a growing income gap among undergraduates, then the tuition increases should be reversed. It is not just the culture of Rice we are trying to preserve — after all, one could argue we only like Rice's culture because we are part of it.