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Hess Stadium. thVOLUME XCVIIe, ISSUE NO. 2Ric7 STUDENT-RUe N SINCE 1916 FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2010 Provost On-campus housing numbers drop selected Martel finds itself Stacking with empty beds Current Duke dean freshman bed to take over in July BY HALLIE JORDAN THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF 89 at the colle BY JOCELYN WRIGHT Extra space — previously a rare THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF phenomenon in terms of on cam- pus housing — is apparently abun- 80 Only July l, George McLendon, cur- dant for the fall of 2010. -i: rent dean of Trinity College of Arts and McMurtry College and Duncan 79 76 Sciences at Duke University, will replace College are still not filled to ca- s Provost Eugene Levy, who announced pacity, even with a high number he was stepping down from his position of freshmen assigned to them for last September. next year, Associate Dean of Un- dergraduates Matt Taylor said. The colleges should be fully occu- pied for the fall of 2012, he said. Baker Will Rice Hanszen Wiess Jones Brown Lovett Sid Rich Martel McMurtry Duncan GRAPHIC BY DAVE ROSALES "There is some benefit to mov- ing McMurtry and Duncan toward be waning. invitation but turned it down and they transfer their college member- capacity," Taylor said. "From a fi- Taylor estimates he receives one reconsidered, students who were ship," Taylor said. "This is not a nancial point of view, we want to transfer request per day since the bumped off campus at other col- hotel opportunity. There is strong fill as many beds as possible while round of invites to freshmen went leges and those who would like to opinion at both colleges that this relieving the sense around campus out last fall, he said. There have transfer because their friends are next year is really important for that beds are not available. As a now been 28 approved transfers, transferring, Taylor said. them to have those buildings as university community we want to representing almost every college, However, off-campus students their own." give students on-campus housing." Taylor said. hoping to gain housing at the new Taylor described the first round Interest in transferring to the Students requesting transfers colleges will not just be stopping by. of invitations to the new colleges to George McLendon two new colleges does not seem to include those who got an original "So far, we are requiring that D see HOUSING, page 4 The provost is essentially the vice president for academic affairs, Chair of the Provost Search Committee Kathleen Common reading brings focus to Houston Matthews said. All of the deans from each school, as well as the vice provosts BY JACLYN YOUNGBLOOD summer. The book follows the story of Months in Sudan: A Young Doctor in a them there are very interesting things for research, information technology THRESHER EDITORIAL STAFF two college graduates as they partici- War-torn Village by Dr. James Maska- about this city," he said. and university librarian report to the pate in the Teach for America program lyk. Taylor said Work Hard. Be Nice. Alayne Potter, one of three un- provost. Additionally, the provost is For next year's incoming class, and ultimately create the Knowledge fit the general criteria the committee dergraduate members on the com- responsible for overseeing the assess- summer nights might be less about is Power Program in Houston. aims to meet — it is under 400 pages, mittee, said the book told a unique ment process the Southern Association strolling through an arcade and more On March 4, Dean of Undergradu- has paperback availability and rel- story about taking initiative for a of Colleges and Schools. about turning the pages of a book. ates Robin Forman and Associate evant subject matter — but had the cause one is passionate about, some- "The provost is the chief academic This year's common reading, Work Dean of Undergraduates Matt Taylor added benefit of featuring the city thing first-year students might find officer, sort of like the chief operating Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired selected Work Hard. Be Nice, from two of Houston. inspirational. officer for an academic institution," Teachers Created the Most Promising suggestions made by the Common "[It is a way] to welcome students "Even though they're coming in McLendon said. Schools in America, by Jay Mathews, Reading Program Selection Com- who come from around the world and as freshmen, it's always good to ask, will be sent to new students over the mittee. The other suggestion was Six across the country to Rice, to show O see READING, page 5 a I want to invest in Buckyball discovery room named national chemical landmark things where we won't just be good, we will BY HALLIE JORDAN to install two plaques in the Space exist in this form. It was so elegant, be the best. We will THRESHER STAFF Science building: one in room 337, a simply, it had to be true, but it was be one of the places lab-turned-classroom, and another such a radical thing." The success of the buckyball at outside the building. The buckyball and the nano- where you have to go if Rice 25 years ago has earned its place Every year, the American Chemi- tube, an elongated version of the this is what you want of discovery, room 337 in the Space cal Society bestows the national his- buckyball, have potential uses in to learn. Science Building, renown as a na- toric chemical landmark award on fields such as medicine, aerospace, tional historic chemical landmark. two chemical discoveries through- architecture, energy, computing The buckyball, a 6o-carbon out the world. and electronics, Adams said. George McLendon structure in the shape of a soccer The American Chemical Society "The buckyball really helped newly selected provost ball which was initially observed in requires that chemical applicants spearhead the nanotechnology rev- outer space, was recreated at Rice for yearly landmark awards have olution as a field of study," Adams W in 1985 by Nobel Laureate and late been distinguished for at least 25 said. "It is kind of a building-block physics professor Richard Smalley years, have been continuously de- molecule; you can make them act Matthews, Stewart Memorial Profes- and colleagues Professors Robert veloping and have great scientific like anything because you can func- sor of biochemistry and cell biology and Curl (Rice University) and Harold significance, Adams said.The land- tionalize it so easily. So it had al- fornier dean of natural sciences, said the Kroto (University of Sussex), who mark designation is always given to most magical powers in chemistry." committee was looking for a candidate won the 1996 Nobel Prize in chem- the place where the chemical was The buckyball's multiple appli- with a deep knowledge of the university istry for their work. Buckyballs discovered or developed. cations stem from its unique struc- enterprise. With his background at Duke were named after the famous archi- "This award is extremely impor- ture. Each carbon is bonded with and Princeton University, McLendon fit tect Richard Buckminster Fuller, tant to the chemistry community," exactly three other carbon atoms, these criteria well, Matthews said. who helped popularize the geode- Wade Adams, director of Rice's a structure not found in any other McLendon said he was drawn to sic dome to which buckyballs bear Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Sci- carbon molecules, Adams said. Rice for three reasons: the high quality a resemblance. ence and Technology, said. "The "It took a while to extrapolate more and talent of students, the leadership at Rice will officially receive the buckyball was revolutionary, it was broadly that at this scale, matter acts Rice and the opportunity to return to his Wade Adams Director of R.E. designation on Oct. ti, the 25th an- contentious; there were a lot of peo- differently than it does at a human-sized Osee PROVOST, page 6 Smalley Instititute niversary of the discovery, and plans ple that thought carbon could not Osee BUCKY, page 5 Big beach balls The calm before the storm Last Thresher until after Commencement INDEX Opinion Head over to Martel tonight from 10 p.m. to Today is the last day of class, so you can use the Sony, but this penultimate issue will not be succeeded 3 News 2 a.m. for Martel Beach, the year's last public long weekend to prep for finals... Or get wasted until May 18. We're sure you'll be watching your mail- 4 Arts & Entertainment 11 party. Don't forget your swimsuit, but we every night and start panicking as Wednesday box like a hawk awaiting its arrival. Just dont scare the Sports 15 suspect you'll be all right if you forgo the sun fast approaches. Seniors, we know you don't care mailman too much - we've heard some of them are a Calendar 19 screen this once. anymore, anyway. bit on edge. Backpage 20 THE RICE THRESHER FRIDAY, APRIL 23,2010 2 MEDITORIA L CANW&uRL*U Should. the Rice (Ihresher ++lu UHgA, New provost excellent XT$ LIKE A\ LoU SKfflE, $trr fit for Rice On Wednesday, President David Leebron announced that George McLendon, currently the dean of the Trinity College of SA£$ OP Arts and Sciences at Duke University, will become Rice's new rr, ST provost on July l (see story, page l).