MCPLUNKETT: the College That Never Was
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VOLUME 104, ISSUE NO. 2 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 FEATURES MCPLUNKETT: the college that never was IVANKA PEREZ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FEATURES EDITOR For the last 10 years, Rice University Rice approves gets call sign back has had 11 residential colleges. Enter McPlunkett College, Rice’s imaginary JAMES KARROUM 12th college, founded in 2019 by the new VADA THRESHER STAFF matriculating class. What started as an inside joke blew up to massive building Rice University’s student-run radio proportions, receiving shoutouts from station, KTRU, has reacquired its Rice Housing and Dining, the Marching CHRISTINA TAN former call sign of KTRU after campus Owl Band and an official Rice University EDITOR-IN-CHIEF administration sold the letters in 2011. Instagram story. But the otherwise The change is the result of months wholesome idea that brought new A building dedicated to visual and of discussion between the most recent students together actually came to one dramatic arts at Rice has been approved owners of the call sign and KTRU of them in the form of a nightmare. by the university administration, operations director Harrison Lorenzen, In the weeks before receiving her according to an email sent by Dean of the who spearheaded the recent buyback. college assignment, Jones College School of Humanities Kathleen Canning. Lorenzen said the letters cost $10,000 freshman Sarah Preston said she “I am thrilled to announce that to acquire, a sum covered in full by an was worried — especially about the we have successfully made the case anonymous donor. possibility of having communal that the student arts at Rice need From 2011 until Aug. 21, KTRU had bathrooms. When she fell asleep one and deserve a new modern facility,” been referred to as “ktru” because its night, her brain turned her worst fears Canning said. “We are excited that iconic name didn’t match the letters used into a nightmare, she said. a new building has been approved to identify the station on the air. “I had a dream that we got our which will bring together the visual “The differing call letters did confuse residential college assignments and dramatic arts in the near future.” many listeners when we would announce and I was placed in a college called In her email, Canning said that our legal ID every hour by saying ‘This McPlunkett,” Preston said. “[It was] details about the location and layout is ktru on 96.1 KBLT-LP Houston,’” really, really old, had no traditions of the new building would be available Lorenzen said. “Many people that were [and] no culture.” after the predesign process for the unfamiliar with the sale of the station by building is complete. Canning also President [David] Leebron and the Rice said that fundraising for the building administration did not know that KTRU is critical, which Kirby confirmed. was not legally KTRU on air.” “We hope to go into design later The KTRU call sign had been used I had a dream that we got this year,” Kirby said. “However, since 2011 by Grace Public Radio, a our residential college substantial funds need to be raised Christian radio station in Iola, Kansas. assignments and I was before construction can begin. We do According to Lorenzen, they were not have a detailed timeline yet.” unwilling to negotiate with Rice radio placed in a college called Canning said that the new building on a sale of the letters, but sold them to McPlunkett. will increase visibility of the humanities another entity last year. Sarah Preston both within Rice and throughout the “The new owners of KTRU were broader Houston community. willing to accept an offer to buy the low JONES COLLEGE FRESHMAN “This investment in the arts will power designation of KTRU,” Lorenzen help us implement the vision and said. “I spent about four months talking recommendations made by the VADA with various members of the board When Preston woke up, she said she external review last fall and will bring of KTRU in Kansas before they agreed did the first thing she could think of us in line with our peer schools,” with our purchase price. The Rice — texting the Rice class of 2023 meme Canning said. “The building will General Council assisted with the legal GroupMe chat. Martel College freshman significantly resituate the arts within negotiations to finalize the deal.” Stephanie Pecaut said that she and the the humanities at Rice.” When KTRU first upgraded from other active members of the group chat The announcement follows news an AM to FM transmission in 1969, the instantly jumped on the idea, and it that the Rice Media Center will be station was required to change its call became a running joke within the chat, removed by the end of 2020, according sign from KOWL to KTRU due to Federal much to Preston’s surprise. to Vice President for Administration Communications Commission guidelines, “I didn’t think it was going to blow Kevin Kirby. In April, VADA professors according to a timeline provided by radio up,” Preston said. “I thought it would in the Media Center were told to move station manager Kaarthika Thakker. be dead by 6 the same morning.” out of the building by the end of the SEE KTRU PAGE 8 Then, one week before the new spring 2019 semester, according students were slated to receive their to photography professor Geoff college assignments, the news was Winningham. leaked on Esther. Preston said she and Despite this announcement, the other students rushed to check the faculty and staff offices have where they had been placed before remained for fall 2019 with three eagerly posting the results in the courses — History & Aesthetics of GroupMe. Film, Documentary Production and After being placed in Jones, Preston Handmade Film — currently held in the said she waited to see if any of her center. Kirby said in an update that the friends from the GroupMe were also in Media Center will remain at least until Jones — but no one was. the end of the current academic year. “I was also a little bit worried Canning, who arrived at Rice in about all these friendships I’d made,” January 2018, worked with VADA chair Preston said. “[I thought I was] going John Sparagana and the Humanities to be separated from them because Advisory Board to propose the building. we’re in different colleges.” In the April 2019 Thresher article about SEE MCPLUNKETT PAGE 6 the Media Center’s removal, Sparagana said he hoped the administration would consider constructing a dedicated VADA building on the Media Center’s land that would accommodate film, photography, studio and theater. “We have great leadership in Dean Canning, terrific momentum in the arts at Rice, recognition of the consistent vitality and productivity of VADA and cognizance of student desire for a student arts building,” Sparagana said in April. “I am optimistic about the possibility of a VADA student arts building as never before.” PHOTO ILLUSTRATION bY TINA liu illustration COURTEsY oF abbY hollmann 2 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 THE RICE THRESHER NEWS Some Types of Qualifying Leaders: Deadlines this year: September CLUB/ORGANIZATION LEADERS Up to November $5000 February COLLEGE GOVERNMENT LEADERS in stipends for unpaid Future deadlines: student leaders on campus SA LEADERS November February inFOgRaPhiC BY Tina LiU Doerr Institute to offer stipends for unpaid student leaders SAMMI JOHNSON earn money, and so taking an unpaid Institute also collaborated with the Office “We’re in the trial phase right now,” SENIOR WRITER leadership position just isn’t as accessible of Financial Aid to make sure the stipend Chambers said. “I want the program to to them.” would not interfere with any students’ expand as much as possible and capture The Doerr Institute for New Leaders While the idea for the stipend came financial aid packages and to verify the as many people as possible, so we’re all is now granting stipends of up to from college presidents, Sullivan said financial aid information students provide working together from different angles. $5,000 every semester to financially the stipend is available to any student on their application. Students whose I think when we see the results of this, support undergraduate and graduate that holds a position at a residential family income is less than $60,000 are hopefully we’ll see more people running.” students in leadership positions. Sarah college, the Student Association, the prioritized, but the stipend is available to In upcoming years, the Doerr Institute Sullivan, department coordinator at the Graduate Student Association or any club anyone from any income bracket. will offer two application deadlines: Doerr Institute, said the first round of or activity on campus that is officially “We certainly hope that it’s going one in November and one in February. applications are due on Sept. 15, and they registered through the university. The to remove some of the emotional and Sullivan said this is intended to cover hope to announce recipients of stipends application requests information on the psychological burden of always having to positions that hold elections or appoint this semester by the end of September. student, their financial situation and worry about whether taking a leadership leaders at different times, but since they According to McKinzie Chambers, Sid the complexity of their leadership role, position is going to keep you from earning missed out on last spring, they added a Richardson College president, the idea and requires a completed leadership money you need to pay for books, supplies September deadline this year to make for the stipend originated from then- development plan. or the other expenses you have as a student sure they captured this semester’s worth college presidents Akin Bruce (Lovett ’19) “We want to assess how much that aren’t covered either by scholarships of students.