e ice Thresher Vol. XCI, Issue No. 15 SINCE 1916 Friday, January 16, 2004 Columbia Law Dean named seventh president David Leebron selected by Board to succeed Gillis after year-long search by Mark Berenson "Would you be willing to read some- sity President Jeffrey Lehman, who THRESHER LDH ORIAL STAFF thing,' and being an academic, there served as the dean of the University is only one answer to that question of Michigan Law School prior to as- Columbia University Law School ... and I read the paper, and it is suming the Cornell presidency last Dean David Leebron was named the really magnificent." July, suggested the committee con- future seventh president of Rice Members of the search commit- sider Leebron. University by the Board ofTrustees tee also said Leebron was chosen, in "[Lehman] gave us one name, Dec. 17. part, because he best embodied the David Leebron," Crownover said. Leebron's selection concluded a future goals outlined in the White "He said the problem was you could year-long search process that began Paper. never get him, because Columbia in December 2002 when President "He truly exemplified what we would never let him go." Malcolm Gillis announced he was were looking for in our White Paper Crownover said that, by coinci- stepping down as president effec- when we set out," Andy Weber, the dence, he was in New York City tive July 1. undergraduate student representa- three days later and called Leebron. Leebron said his interest in Rice tive to the committee, said. The two met for several hours, and came from reading the search Presidential Search Committee this meeting began the recruitment committee's "While Paper." The Chair Jim Crownover (Hanszen '65), process. White Paper included factual infor- a member of the Board, said the In late September, Leebron came mation about Rice and the committee was not initially looking down to Houston for his first inter- committee's perspective on its fu- at law school deans, and as a result view, and members of the search ture. Leebron was not considered until committee said he left a powerful "When the search firm first called late summer. He was the last of the impression. and said, Would you be interested,' candidates that the committee seri- "We were obviously very im- for a number of reasons, I said, 'I ously contemplated. pressed, and one thing that very ALEX SIGEDA/THRESHER doubt it,'" Leebron said. "They said, Crownover said Cornell Univer- See LEEBRON, Page 11 David Leebron addresses the faculty at the Dec. 19 press conference. 400 textbooks late to Campus Store by Jenny Rees Vanderwater said. Vanderwater said of the books] that isn't in," Blumberg THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF the majority of the missing books said. "With over 200 people in the are for courses in the humanities, class, that's a lot of copying to be Rather than standing in typical but other departments are also af- done." beginning-of-the-semester lines in fected. Vanderwater said the bookstore the Rice Campus Store, some stu- Hanszen College freshman Todd staff is working to get all the titles in dents trying to purchase books en- Blumberg said only one of the six as soon as possible. countered no lines — and no books. books required for his RELI 101: 'They are all on order and on the A third of the books requested by Introduction to the Study of Religion way," Vanderwater said. "We re- instructors, about 400 titles, had not course had arrived in the bookstore ceived 87 cartons [Wednesday]. arrived yet in the bookstore by by Wednesday. Some are being shipped overnight" Wednesday afternoon, Campus "The teachers are going to have History Department Chair Peter Store Manager Michelle to make copies from chapters of [one Caldwell said about half of the his- tory professors have complained to him about missing books for their classes. 'The situation differs from class ESTHER unreliable to class," Caldwell said. "Sometimes KARLA HELD/THRESHER half the books are missing, some- by Audrey Walstrom Brown College senior Eliza- times more. For some classes [this beth Good said she could not log is] truly catastrophic." A new home for Health Services FOR THE THRESHER in to the ESTHER page when she Humanities Lecturer Jill Carroll The Student Health and Wellness Center opened Monday in the old Students attempting to view tried to access the system to add said the lack of books has caused Brown College commons. See Story, Page 8. or change their course sched- and drop classes. problems in her RELI 101 and ules throughout the week have "It tried to load for hours," HUMA 102: Introduction to Humani- experienced difficulty connecting Good said. ties: Constructing Western Tradi- to the ESTHER system and slow Baker sophomore Ben Walker tions courses. or intermittent connections once also experienced problems. "You have to figure out some way Sexual assault reported logged in. Hie problems stem "I couldn't log on, I guess be- to stall," Carroll said. from internal flaws and increased cause of traffic," Walker said. Hanszen freshman Sam Feng said by Jenny Rees the case at the end of the semester. traffic during the first week of Castiglioni said the delays are the books for his CAAM 415: Theo- Rice University Police Chief Bill THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF classes. Associate Vice President getting shorter as the staff works retical Neuroscience course had not Taylor said he sent the police report for Administrative Systems to correct the problems, and he arrived by Wednesday. An alleged sexual assault was re- on t he case to Harris County Assistant Randy Castiglioni said. expects significant improvement "We have a reading assignment ported at Wiess College in the early District Attorney Roberto Gutierrez "We're looking at the Oracle by the middle of next week. already," Feng said. "The professor morning of Dec. 6. Charges have not late Wednesday afternoon. Taylor said software that supports ESTHER "We're working almost knows the books aren't in but has yel been filed in the case, nor has RlJPI) had been waitingat the request and how it interfaces with the 24 hours a day to resolve this," not really changed schedule. He said disciplinary action been taken by the of the I )A's office for an outside lab to network, and that seems to be Castiglioni said. we need to have [the book) within a Office of Student Judicial Programs. return a toxicology report before send- where most of the problems are Registrar Jerry Montag said week. I'm waiting a few days, and Assistant Dean for Student Judi- ing the police report to the DA's office. at this point," Castiglioni said. that in addition to the explana- them I'm going to buy it online and cial Programs Don Ostdiek said the Although the toxicology report still He said the increased load on tory e-mail sent to all students do two-day shipping." case has been referred to his office. had not been returned from the lab, the system during the first week Jan. 14, the Registrar's Office will Vanderwater said the Campus Ostdiek said he will handle the mat- Gutierrez decided Wednesday to re- of classes is exacerbating pre- send future announcements by Store has had difficulty purchas- ter himself, possibly with the assis- quest the police report. existing problems with ESTHER. e-mail to students as necessary. ing some "obscure" books. She tance of the Judicial Affairs Commit- Taylor said RUPD will send the See BOOKS. Page 14 tee, and will publish an abstract of See ASSAULT, Page 9 INSIDE Two RUPD officers terminated No class Monday OPINION Page 2 Taylor declined to comment on the circum- User's guide to drinking with your family by Mark Berenson Don't worry that you can't find your stances that led to the firings. Heiden said she THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF classrooms because ESTHER'S down; is unsure what led to her firing. FEATURES Page 12-13 there's no class on Monday anyway be- Heiden said Sergeant Gary Spears called Light rail conies to Houston Two Rice University Police officers, Lisa cause of the observance Martin Luther Heiden and Kaila Sullivan, were fired Dec. 5. her and Sullivan to a 6 a.m. meeting at the end King Jr.'s birthday. SPORTS Page 18 Heiden, who has been a resident associate at of her Dec. 5 night shift. The meeting initially Men's basketball has best start in 15years Will Rice College since fall 2002, will remain at included other RUPD employees, Heiden said, but the others were quickly dismissed, leav- the college until the beginning of March. MLK vigil Weekend Weather ing only Heiden and Sullivan. The firings of Heiden and Sullivan bring The Black Student Association is spon- "It was just Kaila and I, and we were like, Friday the number of current vacancies at RUPD to soring a candlelight vigil in honor of the Showers, 73-63 degrees 'What did we do that we're in trouble?'" Heiden three; Sergeant Pete Martinez resigned in late King holiday at 6 p.m. Monday in the Saturday said. "We were sitting there thinking what we November. However. RUPD Chief Bill Taylor academic quad. The vigil will feature a Showers, 72-47 degrees had done." said that number is below average. reading of the famous" I Have a Dream" Sunday Heiden said Sullivan was called into an "We have less turnover this year than we speech, as well as a speech by President Partly cloudy, 55-33 degrees office first, and a few minutes later as she have had in past years," Taylor said.