G!"##$%&$'( S!"#OWL$%& )"*+,- A !"#$%& %' %(& !&)*'+! INSIDE Houston artist Daniel Anguilu’ mural Rice students should come together Fourth- and fifth-year football Student Association on the Baker College arcade all and help more women achieve the players will go out as some of the to propose final started with a window elusive female orgasm most successful in Rice history allotment of !"k at Senate !"" A#E $. % !"" O#! #. $ S!! S"#$%& ". ' S!! P. " !"#$%& '(, '))$& *". +, )-$.&*--/$* )'*(& +0+1 2&.*&).34,*"!&%5&/ +0, ,6+7 City health GRADING THE GRADERS code bans Course, instructor evaluations show engineering lags reusable D/&2 K&##&/ difference still exists between the S-399 W/'-&/ evaluations for the STEM and non- containers STEM subjects. Course evaluations have im- Since 2007, the School of En- H3**38 C8& proved on average for all academ- gineering has consistently had 9"/ -8& T8/&)8&/ ic schools at Rice University since the worst or second-worst aver- they were first published in 2004, age course and instructor evalua- A proposal to set up reusable but the engineering and natural tions, around 2.15 and 2.1 respec- take-out containers at the serveries sciences departments still lag be- tively for the fall 2013 semester. has been prevented by the city of hind social sciences and humani- This is between 0.3 and 0.4 points Houston health code, according to ties in both course and instructor worse than the School of Social Housing and Dining Senior Business evaluations. Sciences, the School of Humani- Director David McDonald. The objec- President David Leebron men- ties and the School of Archi- tion rose from a concern about cross- tioned the rise in evaluations tecture, which are all in the 1.7 contamination hazards. during his speech to the Student to 1.9 range. “The logic was, let’s say you have Association on Oct. 1, and the The School of Natural Scienc- a cold, and you bring back a contain- evaluation process is currently be- es has received evaluations only er that is contaminated,” McDonald ing investigated by an SA Senate slightly better than the School of said. “When you take food, the serv- subcommittee that includes stu- Engineering, standing at 2.05 for ing spoon touches the container, dents, faculty and Registrar David course quality and 1.9 for instruc- and when it is placed back into the Tenney (Sid Richardson ’87). tor effectiveness for the fall 2013 food, it contaminates everybody Course evaluations have been semester. else who’s going to get food that day. made publicly available since The School of Music, on the oth- That’s what we call cross-contami- 2004, a development Tenney said er hand, has the best evaluations nation.” is valuable to Rice’s student body. of any division at 1.5 for both met- McDonald argued the sanitary “There’s a recognition that rics, though it has shown the least concern is unfounded because evaluations serve an important improvement, about 0.05 points, the reusable containers would be role for Rice students,” Ten- since 2007. washed by H&D. ney said. “They’re not just for However, not all engineering “We’re professionals, and we’re teachers; they’re critical for classes or even majors have lower certified,” McDonald said. “Since students.” evaluations than other subjects. we’re washing the containers, the Since 2007, all six of Rice’s For example, mechanical engi- risk of contamination would be no academic schools have shown neering and chemical and biomo- different from the risk associated improvement in two important lecular engineering courses tend with using paper plates. We feel measures included in evaluations: to have worse reviews than com- like we’ve taken the risk out of it, average course quality and aver- puter science and electrical engi- but [the health officials] didn’t see age instructor effectiveness. Both neering, which are actually com- it that way.” of these metrics are measured on parable to average courses in the The reusable containers would a five-point scale where one is the humanities. replace the current paper plates and best possible response and five is In addition to this trend, greatly minimize both paper waste the worst. which holds true across de- and cost, according to McDonald. The departmental averages partments, upper-level courses The system was tested at the Faculty have fallen by between 0.1 and generally have better evalu- Club last year and seemed to work, 0.2 points since 2007, with the ations than introductory but McDonald said logistical issues School of Architecture and School classes. would arise from the greater de- of Social Sciences showing the Dimitri Nikolaou, a chemi- mand at the serveries. greatest improvement. cal and biomolecular engineer- “There were concerns that the Despite the advances, a clear 7890see EVAL, page 4 system would slow down lines,” McDonald said. “Also, that students wouldn’t like the idea of us charg- ing five dollars at the counter to get the container, or the fact that they wouldn’t have paper plates.” Rice follows federal sexual assault rules The University of Houston has a similar container system already in Rice University currently has According to Student Wellbeing cluding masters, RAs and over 15 place, according to McDonald, but it most of these new rules already Director Kate Noonan, many staff departments who work closely with follows a different health code. in place as part of recent efforts and faculty members have under- students, and to student advisors “They’re governed by the state to provide training and resources gone Title IX training in order to for O-Week,” Noonan said. “This of Texas, because they’re a state Y3)*3 H3<8."")- as well as the introduction of the better assist students. training covers Title IX responsibili- school,” McDonald said. “As a pri- N&2) E.'-"/ Sexual Misconduct Policy earlier ties and our sexual misconduct pol- vate institution, Rice is governed by this year. icy at Rice as well as how to connect 7890see SERVERY, page 3 The U.S. Department of Educa- students with the resources avail- tion released a new set of rules for Sexual Assault Training able to them on and off campus.” college campuses that make provi- According to Dean of Under- Our standard ... is to Student Wellbeing Specialist Proposed system: sions for changes to the Violence graduates John Hutchinson, Rice Kate Hildebrandt said. in addition Against Women Act and the Clery provides sexual harassment train- make sure we create to Title IX training, Rice uses the - Ask servery for reusable Act. ing that is mandatory for faculty, an environment where Project SAFE initiative to promote to-go container These rules include providing staff and graduate students. students can study or discussion and to address issues - Pay H&D $! deposit in Tetra mandatory sexual assault train- As of now, the online sexual ha- surrounding assault on campuses. - Return container to servery ings, disclosing “unfounded” re- rassment training emailed out to live without fear. “All incoming students and - Upon return, $! is credited ports of sexual assault, using the undergraduate students is consid- advisers receive training through back or you receive a new preponderance of evidence stan- ered mandatory, but participation John Hutchinson Project SAFE, and we offer ongo- to-go container dard in sexual assault cases and is not regulated. Dean of Undergraduates ing sessions throughout the year,’ allowing for students to have inde- “Technically, that’s manda- Hildebrandt said. “We’re also really Of the "#$ respondents to a pendent advisors during proceed- tory, but right now we haven’t put excited to expand our trainings in survey by the SA new student ings. any consequences in place for the coming semesters to talk about representatives, %$% said Colleges are required to comply people who haven’t participated,” topics like healthy relationships, they would use the reusable to these rules by July 2015 and to Hutchinson said. “We will soon be “This semester alone, Student healthy sexuality and shifting the containers make a good-faith attempt in the adding consequences for not par- Wellbeing has provided training norms of rape culture.” meantime. ticipating.” to many key faculty and staff, in- 7890see FEDERAL, page 2 ! NEWS !"# R$%# T"&#'"#& W#()#'(*+, N,-#./#& 01, 2304 0 “I was surprised when I saw it, because I where discrimination has occurred, and in ing, and. in my experience, students in those FEDERAL recognized it as a change, but it’s a change some cases the discrimination may go all the situations oftentimes don’t necessarily have FROM PAGE 1 we can easily adapt to,” Hutchinson said. way to the point of sexual assault, then we clarity on what’s being said to them or even need to act on that. We’re trying to preserve on what they’re saying,” Taylor said. “These Preponderance of Evidence the safe environment for all of our students.” are very intense meetings because they are Another nationwide change on campuses addressing very serious questions. Having “Unfounded” Reports of Sexual As- outlined by the federal rules is a shift to us- Independent Advisors someone familiar nearby as a support can saults ing the “preponderance of evidence” stan- The federal rules also require that alleged help.” The new federal rules also require that dard in sexual assault cases instead of the victims and perpetrators be allowed to have colleges provide campus crime statistics that more rigorous “beyond a reasonable doubt” an independent advisor, such as a parent or Affirmative Consent include “unfounded” reports of sexual as- standard. lawyer, to support them throughout the pro- The federal rules, however, do not include sault. Rice currently does not follow this pol- Rice already uses the “preponderance of cess.