1 v; V*« £ * ••'• v,w£-.,.-. • ''*> -'" T *V./ l v • V -. i ' f fij! | \'j y.fyT , $ Jyfy ' 1 ' - •' ***'•» " V • P3 J- • "7 *" ' V:$0I WmL the Rice Thresher Vol. LXXXIX, Issue No. 6 SINCE 1916 Friday, September 21, 2001 SA Senate proposal fails Response to tragedy will not include letter to government by Elizabeth Decker of the resolution by e-mail late Monday night THRESHER STAFF and were given the chance to propose amend- ments. An amended version was sent out via e- A Student Association resolution to send a mail early Tuesday, and members were given letter urging the government to react to re- until 5 p.m. that day to cast their votes by e- cent terrorist attacks failed to garner the nec- mail. essary two-thirds vote to pass. If the resolution had passed, the SA in- Members of the SA chose to draft a resolu- tended to release the letter to various media tion after discussing many possible responses organizations and to congressmen. to the tragedy at Monday's meeting, including The text of the resolution was drafted by holding a candlelight vigil and setting up do- Baker College senator Joy Green, Baker fresh- nation systems in the colleges. man Alan Pham, Hanszen College President The SA has addressed some tragedies, Erik Vanderlip, Wiess College junior Nicho- such as the 1999 collapse of the Texas A&M las Block, SA President Jamie Lisagor and University bonfire, by sending letters of con- Parks. dolence, 2000-'01 SA President Lindsay Block approached the SA with the id'ea of Botsford said. drafting a resolution before the meeting, The SA has also used formal resolutions to using one passed at both Brown University state its position on issues including last year's and the Rhode Island School of Design as a KTRU shutdown, same-sex domestic partner template. benefits and funding for club and intramural Vanderlip said the goal was to write a sports. statement without taking a strong political When senators debated a resolution in the stance. spring about reform of the Higher Education "We were really trying to avoid coming Act, which states that federal scholarships down on either side of that fence," Vanderlip, KS - * would not be given to students charged with a senior, said. drug violations, they decided to put a referen- "Our goal in writing the resolution last dum on the Homecoming ballot rather than night was to send the message that we as the pass a resolution themselves because of the students of Rice were scared from the back- difficulties of gauging student opinion on such lash of racially motivated hate crimes that a controversial topic. have been going on in our community and our While some senators felt they faced the nation." same problem with Monday's resolution, the Vanderlip said another goal of the resolu- senate decided to go ahead and write the tion was to caution the U.S. government against letter. hasty acts of retribution. KATIE STREIT/THRESHER There were certain members of the sen- "We also wanted to say something speak- ate who felt that this was something we should ing against decisions made in haste or with- Reflecting on our loss move forward on, so we did," SA President out enough information, decisions made in Lovett College junior Joan Shreffler takes a moment during Friday's campus-wide gathering Gavin Parks, a Martel College senior, said retribution for the acts that occurred last to think about last weeks' terrorist attacks. See Story, Page 9. Members of the SA Senate received a copy See RESOLUTION, Page 10 i Two men distribute fliers, interrupt classes by Folly D'Avignon said, "Oh, this is philosophy? We FOR THE THRESHER like philosophy!" They then asked if the students were talking about Two men interrupted a philosophy the attacks. class Monday afternoon, entering a "It was really bizarre and sur- classroom in Keck Hall and refusing real," Hanszen College junior Am- to leave. Students in the class said the ber Castleberg said. "(The inter- men seemed to be promoting some ruption 1 really brought back all the sort of political agenda. things everyone was trying to for- University Police later ap- ge* so we could get through the proached the same men for tres- day." passing as well as distributing mate- Sher asked the men repeatedly rial without permission. to leave the class, but they did not. "I thought they were students at After Sher threatened to call se- first, but then it became clear they curity, the men left. had some kind of disruptive intent." At about 3:15 p.m., University Philosophy Professor George Sher, Police recieved a call from a stu- ROB GADDI/THRESHER who was leading a class discussion dent reporting men passing out fli- when the men entered the room, ers. Officers arrived at the building Talking about 'Nights' said. "They seemed as if they might and stopped the men as they were be drunk or stoned." walking toward Alice Pratt Brown English Professor Marsha Recknagel discusses her new memoir If Nights Could Talk with Baker College senior Students in the class said the Hall. Laurie Scott at a Brazos Bookstore reading Sept. 12. Articles on Recknagel's book and English Professor two men looked like students. En- Lt. Phil Hassell said police told Susan Wood's Asunder will appear in next week's arts and entertainment section. tering the room about 10 minutes the two men to retrieve a number of before the end of class, the two See FLIERS, Page 7 Baker Institute speeches postponed INSIDE by Mark Berenson following the attacks, but I don't know if there Shopping season ends OPINION Page 3 THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF was any link to that," King said. Dallal comments on terrorism President Bouteflika was scheduled to Today at 5 p.m. is the deadline for A half-dozen events sponsored by the J ames speak today and Prime Minister Enkhbayar adding classes, and it is the last day to A&E Page 11 A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy have on Wednesday. drop for free. No matter how long the Rushdie returns with Furv been postponed or canceled in the aftermath King said the main reasons the dignitaries line, it's worth the wait: The University of last week's terrorist attacks, including visits canceled was out of respect for what the United Standing Committee on Examinations and Quote of the Week from King Abdullah II of Jordan, President States is going through, and because they Standing warned students at the begin- "Complaints will be handled in the ring." Abdelaziz Bouteflikft of Algeria, Prime Minis- understand the amount of preparation required ning of the semester that deadlines will — Will Rice College President Jesse Dickerman. ter Nambaryn Enkhbayar of Mongolia and for the visit of a foreign dignitary. be strictly enforced. on the impromptu boxing matches being held President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela. "They are very much aware of how much in the Will Rice quad. See Story, Page 5. The only event that was canceled was Presi- work it takes, and out of respect, they did not Giving a helping hand Weekend Weather dent Chavez's visit, which was scheduled for want to put us and the other people through College presidents decided at Monday's Friday Oct. 30. Baker Institute Administrator W.O. that extra amount of work," King said. Partly sunny. 71-89 degrees King said he did not know if the cancellation King added that heads of state receive Student Association meeting to set up boxes in their college's office to collect Saturday was due to the terrorist attack since the Baker protection from the Secret Service when they Chance of thunderstorms, 68-90 degrees Institute was not the lead organization spon- visit the United States, and that the leaders monetary donations for victims of the ter- Sunday soring Chavez's visit. understand how busy the Secret Service is in rorist attacks and their families. Isolated thunderstorms, 67-88 degrees "It did happen to coincide, pretty much, See SPEECHES, I'age 7 "•if_ THE RICETHRESHER OPINION FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2001 •p hrhpi WM V 3; Leslie Liu, Robert Reichle Sf&.J&i': Editors in Chief Rallying should be up close and personal The Athletics Department should not have made the unilateral decision to keep students out of the first seven rows of seating at Rice's home opener Sept. 8. The decision, announced only two days before the game, was an instance of the administration going over students' heads without even keeping up appearances by collecting our input. If the administration had a problem with the behavior of Rally Club members, who traditionally sit in the first few rows, they should have addressed their concerns to them ZQ> Len\rt\in<rs in a can and started a dialogue. Athletics Director Bobby May might have been pleasantly surprised to find that Rice students can be reasonable and rational. Instead, the administration sur- prised Rally and effectively punished the whole student LETTERS TO THE EDITOR body for the behavior of a few individuals that happened almost a year ago. cise the courage and love of those Muslims pray to one God five Proper response to emergency personnel who, when times a day. In their prayers they Rally Club members aren't the only ones who like to sit in attacks is tolerance duty called, gave no thought to them- recite passages from the Quran, the the front. Students of all backgrounds and demeanors ap- selves and rushed into harm's way holy book of Islam.