OP-ED P. 3 A&E P. 11 SPORTS P. 15 Tiger is a player, not a role model Office party on Ghost Mountain A sweep and a miss Ryan Gupta clarifies the difference between celebrity and Find out who is playing at KTRU's annual Outdoor Rice basehnll defeated Houston thi ice over the weekend, model behavior in light of the Tiger Woods scandal. Show tomorrow. but their luck failed Tuesday against Dallas Baptist. thVOLUME XCVIIe, ISSUE NO. Ric25 STUDENT-RUe N SINCE 1916 FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2010 Budget cut Econ department restructures major committee Course names, grad *not a complete list formed requirements change OLD NEW BY SETH BROWN BY KEVIN LIN THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF THRESHER STAFF ECON 211 ECON 201 Economics dictates that as market The Student Association is form- forces change, players must constantly ing a Budget Planning Committee readapt. Taking this lesson to heart, the ECON 205 to make sure students have a voice Economics Department has reevaluated in the fiscal process and to ensure its course offerings and major require- highly valued programs stay de- ments. A sixth required elective has ECON 370 ECON 301. spite budget cuts. been added to the economics major, the According to its charter, passed numbering of several courses has been at the March 22 SA meeting, the changed to clarify difficulty level, re- ECON M ECON 2431 Budget Planning Committee is search methods have changed the mini- charged with "representing the in- mum required grade point average has terests of the student body to the risen for honors candidates. ECON 452 ECON 2521 Dean of Undergraduates and the Economics Department Chair 1 Office of Finances on matters hav- Mahmoud El-Gamal said the chang- ing to do with departmental budget es were deemed necessary after a ECON ECON MIM ECON 399 planning." departmental review. The Budget Planning Commit- "Every department has to do pe- With the addition of a sixth re- tion was made in consideration of the have higher total course requirements tee will be a six-member group riodic curriculum reform — every few quired elective to the economics ma- relatively low number — 11 before, for their economics majors — MIT re- composed of the SA Treasurer, cur- years we have to see if the portfolio of jor, both economics and mathemati- now 12 — of courses required at Rice quires 14 — as do a number of other rently Brown College freshman Le- courses makes a coherent curriculum cal economic analysis majors now for an economics major. El-Gamal majors within Rice. Physics majors muel Soh, and five other members for students," El-Gamal said. "We de- must have six elective courses from said Princeton University, Massa- have to take upward of 20 courses, selected from the student body who cided we had reached the point where a pre-approved list, three of which chusetts Institute of Technology and and political science majors have to will be responsible for finding out reform was necessary." must be 400-level courses. The addi- Columbia University, among others, O see ECON, page 9 what programs are most important to the students of each department. The first members of the committee will be announced next week, and Green dorm initiative launches campuswide a chair will be picked at a later date within the committee. The commit- BY JOCELYN WRIGHT ing their living habits. They then kept dividual actions can add up to make a fied as bronze, silver or gold and par- tee will dissolve on March 24, 2014. THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF a two-week log of their behavior, Becca difference," Sagestegui said. ticipants will receive prizes. Bronze- Student Association President Sagestegui, president of the Rice Envi- Students must enter as a room. winning students receive a reusable Selim Sheikh, a Martel College ju- The Green Dorm Initiative, a pro- ronmental Club, said. When they sign up, they complete shopping bag, silver winners get both nior who helped found the group gram which encourages students to "The pilot was basically to test a questionnaire about their laundry the bag and a steel water bottle and with other SA executive members, reevaluate their living habits by rating out the system and the response we'll habits, appliance and lighting usage, gold winners get those two items and said the committee was estab the environmental friendliness of their get from students," Sagestegui, a Sid water consumption and recycling 15 Tetra points, Baker College junior lished to represent undergraduate dorms, began April 8. Richardson College junior, said. practices. For the next two weeks, par- Nicole Kwan said. interests. The program, which was tested last Sagestegui said the project aims ticipants complete a daily log about Sagestegui said the club got the semester at Brown College, required to increase student environmental their energy and water usage, Sag- idea for the program from St. Lau- U approximately 20 participants from awareness. estegui said. After the program finishes rence University, which has a similar the college to fill out a survey assess- "The idea is to emphasize how in- April 22, students' rooms will be certi- Osee GREEN, page 4 We felt that it's important to get the student voice in the decision-making French studies cuts masters, process... and being proactive instead of doctoral degree programs reactive. BY JOEY CAPPARELLA Humanities Deborah Nelson-Campbell THRESHER STAFF said. "Everyone is cutting back. There Selim Sheikh are fewer jobs for Ph.D.'s in French, SA President As a result of university-wide and, thus, fewer people who want to budget cuts, masters and doctoral get Ph.D.'s in French." 99 degrees in French studies will no Those who complete the doctoral longer be offered for incoming grad- program often go on to work at univer- uate students, effective next semes- sities, but with staff hiring freezes in "We felt that it's important to ter. The decision was made last se- many universities because of the eco- get the student voice in the deci- mester by Howard R. Hughes Provost nomic recession, it has been especial- sion making process," Sheikh said. Eugene Levy. ly difficult for program participants to "So basically, getting involved in With this decision, the University find a job. the process and being proactive in- of Texas-Austin will become the only Nelson-Campbell said this deci- stead of reactive." university in Texas with a doctoral pro- sion would affect neither the under Dean of Undergraduates Robin gram in French studies. Additionally, graduate program at Rice nor current Forman said the administration is the French studies masters and doc- graduate students. supportive of the new committee toral programs are the only remaining "We continue to have a thriving un- and that it has always strived to graduate foreign language programs at dergraduate program with lots of French work with students when making Rice. Graduate students in all depart- majors, and we will also allow the current DAVH RO£AUS/THRESH£R decisions about the budget. ments are free to take undergraduate graduate students to finish their degree "Student opinion has always language classes. at Rice," Nelson-Campbell said. Will Rice College sophomore Kevin Lin played a central role in that pro- " The decision to cut the program The 11 current French studies Color me cess," Forman said. "What this pro- was incredibly complex, but one impor- graduate students will be provided brightens up a recycled bicycle as part of vides is a more systematic way that tant contributing factor was the current with the necessary resources to com- wonderful the Color Cycle event. See story, page 10. Osee BUDGET, page 9 state of the job market," Professor of Osee FRENCH, page 9 Play that French music, white boy I dream of 12-hour minimums Close encounters of the high school kind INDEX Opinion 3 The Shepherd Music School's Spotlight on Course registration for Fall 2010 starts Sunday, At- That's right — Owl Days are next Thursday and Friday, News 4 Paris Chamber Music Festival tomorrow will tend academic planning sessions; seek the advice and at least 600 high school seniors are expected to Arts & Entertainment 11 feature a full day of chamber music, with a of your elders; do whatever you must to get your show. If you want to have your own prospies to shape Sports 15 focus on French composers. The music starts classes sorted out beforehand. Then hold your in your image, it's not too late to volunteer. Otherwise, Calendar 19 at 9:so a.m. and goes until to p.m., so be sure breath and pray ESTHER doesn't die when you be ready — some of them might be feral. Backpage 20 to stop by sometime during the day! need her most. 2 EDITORIAL THE RICE THRESHER FRIDAY, APRIL 9,2010 PuKB the Rice i^hresher HERERE'SE Youfc OH, SUTLER A err r* Je ne sais pas pourquoi e.HAMP/OfJSHJP Although Rice lauds its international emphasis, in both its stu- dents and fields of study, the university just got a little less worldly with the decision to cut the doctoral track in the French Studies De- 0 partment (see story, page 5). The death of this program, the result of university budget cuts, marks the end of the line for graduate pro- grams in language study. Although we understand that the small size of the French gradu- ate program makes it a predictable target for required budget cuts, m this decision is the latest in a longterm university pattern that is disap- pointing and unworthy of the status the university seeks to maintain. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected], twitter.