Student Caught After Selling Dozens of Fake
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1 %}• Vol. XCI, Issue No. 3 SINCE 1916 Frid? r, September 5, 2003 Student caught after selling dozens of fake IDs RUPD encourages students who bought the fake Texas driver licenses to turn in IDs or possibly face criminal charges by Mark Berenson and Jenny Rees The Thresher is withholding the ter and this semester, Taylor said. identified as having purchased IDs, already destroyed their IDs should THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF student's name because at press time Taylor said the Harris County Dis- Taylor said. He urged students with keep the pieces and turn them over no charges had been filed against him. trict Attorney issued a warrant for the IDs to come forward. to RUPD. He said students who have A Rice student will face criminal The student was taken to the individual's arrest based on evidence "We are encouraging anyone who lost or disposed of their IDs should charges in Harris County after sell- RUPD station, where Taylor said he RUPD gave the DA before interview- has an ID card like that to get it still come forward to avoid criminal ing fake Texas driver licenses to confessed to the crimes. ing the individual, and the individual turned in to us," Taylor said. "We charges. dozens of students. The students "He basically said, 'Yup, I've been turned himself in after the interview. need the card, and we need a state- Assistant Dean for Student Judi- who purchased the IDs also face doing it,' and he rattled off 30- He could face a felony charge for each ment from them on how they ob- cial Programs Don Ostdiek said he disciplinary actions. 35 names that he remembered do- II) he distributed, as well as disciplin- tained it. [The cases] will be sent will follow standard judicial proce- ing it for," Taylor said. ary action through the Office of Stu- over to Student Judicial Programs dure in handling the cases of stu- Taylor said the individual also gave dent Judicial Programs, Taylor said. for whatever decision they want to dents who purchased IDs. Ostdiek Several different Texas state laws RUPD permission to search his off- The individual declined to com- [make], but if [students] do that, we said he can proceed only after he apply to fake IDs. See Box, Page 9. campus residence, where officers re- ment through his lawyer. are not going to criminally receives a police report, and he ex- covered a computer in which he had Vice President for Student Affairs prosecute." pects to receive a report in the next Rice University Police Chief Bill stored the names of every person who Zenaido Camacho said Wednesday Students should not destroy the few days. Taylor said officers noticed a rash of purchased an ID from him. RUPD the student was still enrolled at Rice IDs, Taylor said. "I want to see what's in the re- false driver licenses at Willy's Pub sent the computer to a forensics lab so and the Office of Student Judicial "A lot of people are panicking and port, what people's statements look and at a traffic stop on the Inner the information could be retrieved. Programs is investigating the case. cutting it up or throwing it away," he like to the police," Ostdiek said. I^oop toward the end of last week. Officers also recovered a large sum of said. "The problem is that then we "Confidentiality, fairness, as well as After taking statements from stu- cash from the apartment. RIJPD tracks down buyers can't be sure that the card isn't out consistency are a few things that dents in possession of the IDs, offic- At least 70 students purchased During the weekend RUPD be- there still being used." you look for in every case." ers were able to identify a suspect. IDs from the individual last semes- gan making contact with all students Taylor said students who have See ID, Page 8 Firm to review Athletics by Lindsey Gilbert The Faculty Council Committee THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF on Athletics completed its own re- view of athletics last semester and Beginning this fall, outside con- submitted its report, "Athletics at sultants will work to construct a com- Rice," to the board at the board's prehensive picture of Rice athletics. May meeting. The Board of Trustees will hire The report is about 300 pages. an independent firm to study the Speaker of the Faculty Ed Akin said. current status of athletics at Rice 'Hie report is classified and only avail- and to suggest improvements for able to faculty and administrators the future, Chairman of the Board because President Malcolm Gillis Bill Barnett ('55) said. deemed some of the statistics he The study will aid the board in supplied to the committee confiden- evaluating aspects of athletics such as tial, Akin said. division status and conference mem- Akin, a mechanical engineering bership, he said. The chosen firm will ami material sciences pi ofessor. said compare the athletics department to one of the faculty's major concerns is those of other universities and survey the cost of Rice's athletics program members of the Rice community, in- as compared to the cost of athletics cluding students and faculty. programs at similar universities. "The idea is that when it gets Faculty members are also con- done it's a prei tv definitive picture of cerned about admission standards the pluses and minuses of athletics for athletes, he said. the way it is now. what the alterna- "There has been an increase in tives are as we move forward, the number of students admitted con- whether we ought to stay like we trary to the recommendations of the are, whether we ought to make mi- faculty subcommittee [that reviews nor changes, major changes," athlete admissions]," Akin said. Barnett said although the board KATIE STREIT/THRESHER Barnett said. The study will be the first of its has many resources at its disposal, kind on athletics at Rice, but not the including the Faculty Council's re- Pitchers for six bucks, Pedro for $15.5 million first study the board has commis- port, members unanimously sup- Willy's Pub bartender Chris Sullivan laughs with customers while watching a baseball game on the television sioned. For example, an outside re- ported the decision to commission a now located above the bar. The television was originally located on a pillar in the pub, but was moved to the bar view of the Jones business school more complete and objective study. and hooked up when classes started. two years ago led to significant "What I told the board was that I changes, he said. See BOARD. Page 6 Paperless registration to debut INSIDE community is that the system is accessible on OPINION Page 3 by Jenny Rees Add deadline campus and off campus, in state, out of state Thanking those that make O-Week work. THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF Today is the last day to add classes and out of country," Montag said. "That will without a fee. Students must drop off tremendously help students who are study A&E Page 12 Standing in line to register for classes will their add/drop form at the Registrar by 5 abroad, graduate students and other students Local movie theaters reviewed become a thing of the past after the Office of the p.m. This is the last free chance to add who are just unable to come to campus to do Registrar launches a new online student sys- that class of your dreams, like CHEM 211 the registration process." SPORTS Pages 16-17 tem Nov. 17. For the first time ever, students or ELEC 251. Director of Academic Advising Michele Soccer preview will be able to complete the entire registration Today is also the last day to return Daley said her office is working closely with process online, Registrar Jerry Montag said. books to the bookstore for a full refund. Quote of the Week "The system is basically a paperless sys- the Registrar's Office to devise an academic The bookstore will not issue refunds for "The knowledge that the phone you run to tem where you will be meeting with your advising process that is compatible with the any books returned after today. Sealed could be broken should make all students, Banner system. adviser, your adviser will recommend courses books must still be in the original packag- especially those unfamiliar with the campus, "We are working with the Registrar's Office you should be taking and you will go online ing in order to get the refund. So, stu- a bit uneasy." and the academic advisers to ensure that, from and register for classes," Montag said. "Then dents better hope their Amazon.com pur- — Wiess freshman Windsen Pan. See Story, an advising point of view, the new system will you're registered pending payment of fees chases come in on time, or else they will Page 7. be a significant improvement over the existing and other obligations." have legitimate excuses for not doing system," Daley said. "At this point, things have Scoreboard The system, currently named Banner, their homework. should be operational in time for students to not been finalized with the academic advisers, Football register for Spring 2004 courses, Montag said. divisional and major [advisers], or with exactly Rice 14, Houston 48 Soccer The Banner system will replace SISWeb, how some aspects of the system will work." Sept. 11 observance Students will still need to go to the Rice 0, Oregon 1 which has been in operation since November Rice Chorale will sing Brahms' Re- San Francisco 1, Rice 0 Registrar's Office if registration for a course is of 2001.