On the Rice Campus 1995-96

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The Year in Review

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by Vikki Otero

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August

3 Vice Provost and University Librarian Beth Janet Shapiro dies of cancer at age 49.

20 Orientation Week '96 kicks off, leading to the usual barrage of jacks. Highlights included Teran Smith's (Jones '97) nude horseback ride during matriculation and Jones College re-wiring Brown College's elevator. Many colleges were fined and Jones implemented a "self-imposed moratorium" on jacks after being reprimanded for breaking a number of O-Week jack rules.

28 Willy's Pub celebrates its grand re-opening after its April 6, 1995, fire. Over 800 students attend the event.

September

15 A 25-year-old female not affiliated with Rice is sexually assaulted in Parking Lot J at 1:30 a.m., prompting safety concerns from the Campus Police and Students Organized Against Rape.

18 Rice President Malcolm Gillis announces that Newsweek columnist Meg Greenfield will speak at the 83rd Commencement.

27 Alberto Youngblood (WRC '97) is arrested for arson in connection with the April 6 fire at the Student Center following an anonymous tip received by the Campus Police.

28 Alberto Youngblood is released from jail on a $50,000 unsecured bond.

29 The Thresher reports that students will receive a partial refund of their annual cable fee due to delays in completion of the cable connections by Phonoscope Cable.

October

11 Rice hosts a symposium on the Charles Murray and Richard J. Herrnstein book The Bell Curve at Stude Concert Hall amidst controversy and debate. Guests include Murray, Northeastern University Psychology Professor Leon Kamin, University of California at Berkeley Sociology Professor Troy Duster and eduational consultant and author L. Scott Miller.

13 Pride holds a rally to celebrate the Oct. 11 National Coming Out Day. Jose Zuniga, a former Soldier of the Year who was dismissed from the Army after revealing his homosexuality, speaks.

13 A man not affiliated with Rice is assaulted and robbed by four men on Travis Avenue near the Graduate House, furthering safety concerns about the Rice area.

30 Peter Marketos vs. Rice University and Kenneth Nipe begins. Marketos (Brown '96) sued Rice following Will Rice College's Tower Party on Feb. 19, 1993, in which a confrontation between Marketos and then-Campus Police Sergeant Nipe led to the dislocation of Marketos' shoulder.

November

8 A jury unanimously decides in favor of the university in the Peter Marketos case. Marketos is ordered to pay $40,000 in attorney's fees to Rice.

9 Stephe Gallagher (SRC '97) is removed from the Rice-Texas A&M University football game while portraying Sammy the Owl. He was escorted out of the stadium for leaving the zone in which the cheerleaders and Sammy are supposed to stay.

12 Campus Police Officer Steve Acker is assaulted near Jones College.

13 The first annual conference of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy begins. Guests include former President George Bush, former Secretary of State James Baker, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell, former Japanese Prime Minister Noburu Takeshita and former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Roland Dumas. The conference goes smoothly despite confusion in ticket distributing and interruptions from members of a group campaigning to elect Lyndon H. Larouche president.

December

2 Rice falls to the University of Houston 17-18 in the final Southwest Conference football game. Rice drops to 2-8-1 for the season and 1-6 in the last-ever SWC standings after a strong season start.

4 Faculty members vote 34-33 to increase the number of students who receive graduation honors from 20 percent to 30 percent of the senior class in order to match the percentage of graduation honors recipients to the percentage of students on the President's Honor Roll.

19 Alberto Youngblood's trial for his role in the Student Center fire begins.

19 A female student is assaulted in her car in Parking Lot M.

January

12 A female student is assaulted at 1:30 p.m. near the baseball field and Track Stadium.

16 A female student is assaulted in her car in Parking Lot M.

19 The Thresher reports that Alberto Youngblood was convicted on federal arson charges. Several jurors write notes for the record expressing concern at how the police handled the arrest and the confession.

22 Campus Police officers apprehend a suspect in the three December-January campus assaults after Officer Alvin Jones Jr. views him from a tree "exhibiting suspicious behavior," including following people to their cars. The suspect is arrested the following day after victims positively identify him.

26 The O-Week Review Committee's recommendation that O-Week jacks be eliminated is considered by Vice President for Student Affairs Zenaido Camacho. No final decision is made.

27 Mohit Bawa (WRC '97) and Lang Fuqua (WRC '98) are injured after falling from the back of a Ford Bronco during halftime of the Rice-Texas Tech University basketball game. Both students are taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, where Fuqua is treated for a dislocated shoulder and released that night. Bawa undergoes neural surgery and is released later in the week.

28 The Student Association Senate votes to extend the deadline to designate classes pass/fail until the 10th week of the semester, to delay the implementation of Internet voting for campus-wide elections and to put the office of Sammy the Owl under the jurisdiction of the Athletic Department.

31 At 3:30 p.m., a power failure cuts off electricity to 11 buildings on campus. The outage is attributed to a missed connection which led to failure in the distribution system, forcing power to be shut off to correct the problem.

February

8 Rice changes the annual Walter and Helen Hall Lecture into a memorial to former Houston Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who had been scheduled to speak at this year's lecture before she died on Jan. 17.

10 The 1996 Rice Women's Conference takes place in conjunction with the opening of the Rice Women's Resource Center.

12 Faculty members decide to alter the foundation requirements, eliminating NSCI 101, NCSI 102 and SOSC 102. Several classes are declared replacement courses, including ELEC 201, GEOL 201, SPAC 201, BIOS 201, ECON 211, POLI 209 and POLI 210.

17 An intruder into the Will Rice College third-floor bathroom reaches a hand into a shower while a female student is showering. The incident leads to changes in the combinations of all WRC bathrooms.

17 Mike Shannon (WRC '97) and Arpit Shah (WRC '96) are cited by members of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission at Spec's Liquor Store while purchasing alcohol for the Rice Program Council's Rodeo Party. Shannon, 20, is cited for underage possession of alcohol, and Shah, 21, is cited for making alcohol available to a minor.

21 Campus Police officers apprehend a man who entered a female student's room while allegedly selling magazines.

23 The Thresher reports that several Rice women have been contacted via telephone by a man claiming to be a representative of Cosmopolitan magazine and asked sexually explicit questions. Investigation reveals that the man is an imposter.

27 Maryana Iskander (Wiess '97) is re-elected SA president in a landslide victory.

March

2 The Rice College Bowl team of Harry White (WRC '96), Joseph Abraham (Wiess '99), Mikael Thompson (Jones '96) and Randy Thomson (Wiess '98) wins the American College Bowl Federation Regional Tournament, qualifying for the national competition in April.

15 The Thresher reports that, effective in the spring of 1997, money left on the meal plan of a student will roll over to the following fall semester.

15 Mike Shannon is arraigned on charges of underage possession of alcohol in connection with the RPC Rodeo Party. Shannon enters a plea of not guilty and his trial is set for February 1997.

18 The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decides to prohibit the use of race as a factor in admission decisions. Rice is forced to suspend its use of race-based affirmative action, leading to the reconsideration of the decisions made for the Class of 2000.

19 Texas Instruments donates $7 million to Rice, providing for a permanent visiting professor in information technology and support of graduate fellowships and research projects. The money will also be used to expand the Computational and Electrical Engineering Department and to fund a wing of the Computational Engineering Building currently under construction.

25 Scott Ruthfield (Lovett '97) and Ryan Levy (WRC '97) become the first pair of juniors and the first Rice team to win first place in the National Parliamentary Debate Association Championship Tournament. Levy is ranked first as an individual speaker and Ruthfield is ranked second.

30 Beer-Bike '96 takes place. Jones College wins the men's race, Brown College wins the women's race, and Will Rice College wins the alumni race.

30 Rondelet is held at the Museum of Natural Science, and the RPC makes a profit on the dance for the first time in history.

April

2 The largest student demonstration in years takes place in the academic quadrangle as the Black Student Association and the Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice organize a protest to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals' affirmative action decision. More than 250 attend.

12 The Thresher reports that Meg Greenfield has canceled her graduation speech due to a health problem. Anita K. Jones of the U.S. Department of Defense is named the new commencement speaker.

15 Following strong disapproval from all eight colleges, the SA Senate votes to reject a proposal to increase the percentage of students on the President's Honor Roll.

19 The Thresher reports that the 1995 issue of the Campanile, which was delayed by several setbacks, including, most recently, a communication error with the printer that was to produce the yearbook, will be distributed in the fall of 1996. It will be mailed to graduating seniors.

22 Arpit Shah is arraigned on charges of making alcohol available to a minor in connection with the RPC rodeo party. He receives a court date of April 2, 1997.

23 The student body votes to expand the Honor Council by nine members, adding a representative from each college and a graduate student representative.

May

11 Commencement 1996 takes place at 8:30 a.m. in the academic quadrangle. Anita Jones speaks, and the seniors make their ceremonial exit from the Sallyport, symbolizing their exit from Rice. Good luck, Class of 1996!

This item appeared in the Features section of the May 17, 1996 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
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