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Aug. 30

-- Rice, along many other colleges and universities, felt the effects of the Hopwood vs. State of Texas case in which the United States Supreme Court upheld the fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision of March of 1996, which states that the University of Texas law school could no longer use race as a criterion in its administration process. This attack on giving under-represented minorities any advantages did not have as intense of an effect on Rice as it did on other institutions, since, according to Sociology Professor and Admission Committee Chair Chandler Davis, Rice was still able to "attract under-represented minority applicants."

Sept. 6

--The graduating senior class of 1997, with the assistance of President Malcolm Gillis, succeeded in sealing Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law School as the speaker at the 84th Commencement. Dershowitz will pocket a unannounced sum for speaking, provided by the President's Discretionary Fund, perhaps in the place of an honorary degree from Rice. Gillis asserted that Rice stands firm in its decision to not award honorary degrees to anyone, since "the only way to get a Rice degree is to earn it."

-- The fire starter was sentenced to 78 months in prison. Alberto Youngblood, who was responsible for the arson that destroyed the Pub and damaged parts of the main floor of the Student Center, including the Grand Hall and the campus bookstore, last year, was ordered to pay restitution for the damage in the amount of $2.4 million in addition to his prison sentence. However, the likelihood of him actually paying up is bleak.

-- After the break up of the Southwest Conference following the 1996 athletic seasons, Rice joined the expanded and diverse Western Athletic Conference, the largest conference in the country. The Owls faced such big name competitors as the Air Force Academy and Brigham Young University, with a minimally optimistic future for success. The football, basketball and volleyball teams each faced a total of eight conference opponents in their respective seasons -- seven division foes plus one "crossover" game from the other division.

Sept. 13

-- Rice is in touch with the environmentally friendly revolution. At the beginning of the school year, just as the mounds of paper began to flow, Food and Housing organized the door-to-door pick up of paper to be recycled. All clean, dry paper could be put in the blue recycling bin provided for every student room on campus to be picked up by the custodians weekly.

Sept. 27

-- The freshman class of 2000 marks an increase in minority enrollment to 35 percent. Despite the Hopwood decision that forced the removal of affirmative action policies from the college admissions process, the incoming freshman class is the most diverse group that has ever matriculated at Rice.

Oct. 11

-- Extreme pride shone from every corner of Rice when Chemistry Professors Robert Curl and Richard Small were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for discovering a new form of carbon -- the buckminsterfullerene (affectionately dubbed the "bucky ball" after the geodesic domes built by architect R. Buckminster Fuller in 1967). The award, a result of a collaborative effort which first began in 1985, brought great prestige to Rice and the professors alike. Nov. 1

-- With innovative and colorful architecture, the new Computational Engineering Building, Duncan Hall, named in honor of Charles Duncan who served as chairman of the Board of Governors for 14 years, opened with a rainbow blast. Like Skittles, you can really taste the flavor that the engineers have obviously been hiding all of these years.

-- Riding on the coattails of his Nobel Prize success, Smalley captured yet another honor -- Rice Homecoming Queen. The traditionally offbeat Rice Homecoming election, crowned and honored Smalley and his Homecoming King, Transco Tower.

Nov. 8

-- Happy Birthday, college system! Since the college system reached its 40th anniversary this year, a committee formed by Vice President of Student Affairs Zenaido Camacho reviewed the system to see if the original expectations of those who devised the college system were being met, and also to make suggestions for potential improvements.

Nov. 15

-- Rice hosted some of the brightest minds of this century at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy's annual conference. The conference addressed a range of issues including tax policy, power shifts between levels of government and urban crime and violence and featured several high-profile speakers such as Jack Kemp, the 1996 Republican nominee for vice president of the United States, Attorney General Janet Reno, Michigan Governor John Engler and Paul Peterson, director of the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University.

-- The controversy of the November 8 Backpage spread across Rice campus and offended and angered many students, faculty and staff members. In response to the mixed reaction of the Backpage "Rice Women are Like ..." several forums were held, along with additional means of talking about the issue.

Dec. 6

-- The Rice football team finished their regular season with their best record in 35 years, their most conference victories in 47 years and their highest total ground yardage ever, despite the fact that they had just joined the tough competition of the WAC. With an overall record of 7-4 and a WAC record of 6-2, Rice finished solidly and even wound up as a

respectable candidate for a bowl bid.

Jan. 17-- Proving that brains and hard work do indeed pay, Rice Student Association Maryana Iskander was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in December. She was one of only 32 Americans chosen to receive the scholarship this year, and the eighth Rice student to ever receive the award.

Jan. 31

-- And so begins the gate controversy for the campus police. Several times this year, the benefits and drawbacks of beefing up security and strengthening the gates at Rice has come into question. In an attempts to reduce crime, the campus police decided to maintain gate and security policies.

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Feb. 7

-- The SA decided to allow students to give their teachers a piece of their minds during the semester, rather than merely at the end. The mid-semester evaluations were designed to help professors figure out what works and what does not in the classroom. These evaluations were one free-response question about the course and the professor -- and the answers went directly to the professors. The mid-semester evaluations may be made permanent, in addition to the traditional year-end evaluations, if the student and teacher response is favorable.

Feb. 14

-- Continuing in the tradition of big-name Rice speakers, newly-appointed Secretary of State Madeleine Albright delivered a speech in the Grand Hall of the Student Center, hosted by the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Albright focused much of her speech on President Clinton's proposed budget, which had been submitted to Congress the day before she spoke. She additionally delivered remarks about foreign policy. Admission to the Grand Hall to hear her speak was limited, since the student and community response was overwhelming.

Feb. 21

-- The electronic revolution was apparent at Rice with the introduction of the first fully on-line election for student offices. Daryl Shorter won the SA presidency, replacing Maryana Iskander as the leader of the pack and proving that "Shorter is Better."

Feb. 28

-- In an attempt to keep the customers happy, Central Kitchen and Food and Housing expanded some of its choices and even introduced a vegan menu at Baker College. Enhanced food quality, a water filtration system and a rice steamer were all included in the CK changes. These improvements were introduced as test runs and if they receive positive student feedback, they will be made permanent and expanded to more than one college.

March 14

-- Over spring break while many Rice students were on vacation, a well-known foreign leader paid a visit to Rice. Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat spoke of his commitment to the peace process in the Middle East in front of a large Rice and Houston community crowd in the Grand Hall of the Student Center. In his brief speech, Arafat emphasized the importance of the peace process for the future of both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

-- The women's basketball team recorded their best conference record as well as the longest winning streak in the history of the team. Their 11-5 conference record earned them a second-place finish in the WAC Mountain Division and a first-round bye in the post season tournament, although they fell to Hawaii, 57-54, in the WAC tournament quarterfinals.

-- Losing their last four regular season games, and finishing seventh in the WAC Mountain Division, the men's basketball team backed their way into the WAC post season tournament in Las Vegas. Unfortunately the Owls were never able to catch the University of Nevada at Las Vegas' Running Rebels and the season was brought to a close with the Owls optimistic for next season's success.

March 21

-- In the 40th anniversary of the college system, there was also the 40th anniversary of the essence of college rivalry so common to the college system -- Beer Bike. After 40 years of parades, chugging, cheering and races, the spirit of Beer Bike was still strong despite the cold and damp weather. Beer Bike found Brown College's women in top form as they rode their way into a "Beerheart" victory. Similarly, Will Rice College chorused "Viva, Will Rice!" for their first place finishes in both the men's and alumni races.

April 4

-- The 41st annual Beer Bike will take place on a new track. Maybe it will even help the competitors ride faster. Maintenance planner and coordinator Hannes Hofer is in charge of the project to build a new track, with a budget of approximately $70,000, and the new track is projected to last for at least 10 years. The resurfaced asphalt track that was used in this year's Beer Bike is not of the highest quality --the renovations plan to greatly improve the track.

-- KTRU pulled off its sixth annual outdoor show on the MOB practice field, despite the fact that the field resembled the Florida marsh lands due to excessive rain. The small crowd in attendance, a diverse group of students and others from the Houston community, watched the eclectic mix of bands that played throughout the entire day.

-- Rice and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy created a new undergraduate social science course entitled "Contemporary Palestinian Issues: Transformation Towards Nation-Building." A study tour was created to complement the course, and fifteen students were selected to participate in the tour which took place over midterm break While learning about another culture, the students were also able to meet with high-ranking Palestinian government officials, university professors, intellectuals and other students.

April 11

-- Next year's incoming freshmen will have to open their wallets a little wider, since they will incur a tuition increase that moves the fee up to $13,900, from $12,800, for a full academic year. Tuition for continuing students is traditionally raised yearly to match inflation, but the reaction to the Board's decision to raise tuition has come under attack. Some argue that there is no way for Rice to compete if it no longer has its economical price to offer, while others argue that if Rice does not raise tuition, it will be losing money.

-- The Rice debate team, the smallest team to compete in the annual American Forensics Association National Individual Event Tournament, came in 11th overall and for the first time ever, had a member place among the top 20 individual competitors in the nation. Team captain and Brown College junior Lauren McGarity came in 18th, giving her a national rank and a Rice record.

-- Playing hard and running fast, the Rice men's rugby team was able to advance to the Sweet Sixteen this year. The ruggers hosted the Western Collegiate Championship tournament for the second consecutive year and were able to advance when they finished second overall this season. The team was excited that they were able to go farther than any other rugby team in Rice history, although they ended up losing at the Men's Collegiate Nationals at Penn State University to Dartmouth and to Navy.

April 18

-- The Rice men's baseball team entered the season with high hopes and expectations. Although they have at times faltered, they are winding down their season in a strong position. The lead that they hold in the WAC South Division fluctuates with their wins and losses, but they are striving to hold on to any lead that they can.

April 25

-- The Board of Directors is currently considering the possibility of a ninth college, since many students are forced to live off-campus due to a lack of housing. Additionally, there are plans being made to rebuild the poorly constructed Wiess College. If the necessary funds can be raised, the projects are more likely to become realities. However, students of the current eight colleges are currently wondering: "What about Beer Bike? Do we have to build another lap for the ninth college? That really messes things up."

May 30

The class of 1996 listens to Anita Jones, the Director for Defense Research and Engineering for the U.S. Department of Defense, who urges them to continue their work in the information technology field, "So I submit that looking forward, you graduates should develop an approach to enhance your knowledge base continually, to keep up, to keep ahead, to lead and to sustain that unfair advantage you enjoy as you pursue your future."

June 4

Former Will Rice College junior Alberto Youngblood is sentenced to 78 months in prison and ordered to pay $2.4 million in restitution for the damages caused by a fire in the Student Center last year. Youngblood had been found responsible for that fire, which destroyed the Pub and damaged parts of the main floor of the Student Center, including the Grand Hall and the Campus Store.

August 30

The class of 2000 marks an increase in minority enrollment to 35 percent . Despite the 5th Circuit Court's Hopwood decision, which administrators said was counterproductive to the university's affirmative action efforts, the incoming freshman class has the greatest percentage of underrepresented minorities of any other class.

September 2-6

Food and Housing expands a door-to-door recycling program to all the colleges.

September 7

Rice loses its first football game to Ohio State 70-7. Unfazed, the Owls go on to blaze a trail in the new Western Athletic Conference, which was assembled after the breakup of the Southwest Conference. Following the 1996 athletic season, Rice had joined an expanded WAC, the largest conference in the country, setting the Owls against new competitors as the Air Force Academy and Brigham Young University.

The basketball and volleyball teams also face a total of eight conference opponents in their respective seasons -- seven division foes plus one "crossover" game from another division. The WAC divisions will be reshuffled on a yearly basis.

September 8-13

The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Administration, after review from a comittee of business leaders, considers a 10-year plan to revamp its programs to improve on its standing as "a good, but undistinguished school."

September 12-19

As the plan to improve Rice's ID card access system begins, the CoffeeHouse gets its own cardreader installed, allowing students without cash another place to buy food and drinks.

September 28

Rice's 11th Annual Outreach Day attracts more than 300 volunteers from the student body who participate in 28 projects in the local community.

October 9

Chemistry professors Robert Curl and Richard Smalley are awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for discovering a new form of carbon -- buckminsterfullerene (affectionately dubbed the "buckyball" because of its similarity to geodesic domes built by architect R. Buckminster Fuller in 1967).

The award was the result of collaborative efforts which began in 1985.

October 18

EMT Alisha Young saves the life of a woman at a wedding reception held at Cohen House by administering CPR until Houston Police arrive.

November 1

John Outram's innovative and colorful Computational Engineering Building opens. It is named in honor of Charles Duncan, who served as chairman of the Board of Governors for 14 years.

November 2

Riding on the coattails of his Nobel Prize, Smalley captures yet another honor -- Rice Homecoming Queen. Smalley and his Homecoming King, Transco Tower, are honored at the Homecoming game, where the Owls crushed No. 20 Utah 51-10.

November 11-15

Rice hosts some of the brightest minds of this century at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy's second annual conference, which addresses a range of issues including tax policy, power shifts between levels of government and urban crime and violence.

It features such speakers as Jack Kemp, the 1996 Republican nominee for vice president of the United States; Attorney General Janet Reno; Michigan Governor John Engler; and Paul Peterson, director of the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University.

November 15

Will Rice College senior Benjamin Glassman is robbed at gunpoint while walking to his car in Lot M of the Allen Center. Four men, one with a long-barreled gun, are successful in stealing his wallet but not his CD player. (The wallet has since been recovered.)

November 15

The first "Letters to the Editor" are printed in the Thresher regarding the controversy about the Nov. 8 Thresher "Rice Women are Like ..." backpage. In response to the mixed opinions about the issue, a forum is announced to discuss sexism and Rice's attitudes toward women.

November 23

The Rice football team finishes its first WAC regular season against Tulsa University. With a 42-14 win, the Owls finish with their best record in 35 years, their most conference victories in 47 years and their highest total ground yardage ever. With an overall record of 7-4 and a WAC record of 6-2, Rice finishes second in the Mountain Division, but fails to garner a bowl bid.

December 3-4

Rice Student Association President Maryana Iskander captures the Rhodes Scholarship, one of 32 Americans chosen to receive the award this year. Including Iskander, eight Rice students have received the award. In addition, Baker College senior Coulter George is awarded a Marshall Fellowship, one of only 40 given away each year.

December 6

A Rice football player is charged with "assault and threat of bodily injury" by his freshman ex-girlfriend. The University Court finds him guilty and suspends him for the spring semester. The victim believes that both the Rice University Police Department and athletic department should have made more of an effort to monitor the football player both during and after the investigation.

January 13

The weather dips into the 20s in the Houston area, causing school to be closed except for Food & Housing and Facilities & Engineering.

The Rice Thresher receives the Associated Collegiate Press' "All-American" rating for 1995-96 for the first time ever.

January 27

Two Lovett College students wake up with an intruder in their room. The intruder, a young man, goes through their belongings but apparently takes nothing. When Lovett sophomore Daniel Wolfe questions him, the youth says he is from the University of Houston but leaves after Wolfe asks more questions.

The youth later enters Lovett junior Stephanie Richards' room. Richards confronts him and instructs him to follow her downstairs. On the way, they run into campus police officers who handcuff the youth. They discover that the intruder has been sent to jail on two counts of burglary and is violating parole.

February 3

The SA starts a pilot program which offers students the chance to give their teachers a piece of their minds during the semester with mid-semester evaluations.

These evaluations consist of sending one free-response question about the course and the professor, with the answers, directly to the professors. The mid-semester evaluations may become a permanent addition to the traditional year-end evaluations.

February 7

Like many other high-profile personalities, newly-appointed U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright delivers a speech in the Grand Hall of the RMC, hosted by the Baker Institute. Albright focuses much of her speech on President Clinton's budget proposal, which had just been submitted to Congress. Admission to the Grand Hall is limited, the result of overwhelming student and community interest in the event.

February 14-19

The electronic revolution becomes apparent once again at Rice with the introduction of the first fully online election for student offices. Daryl Shorter wins the SA presidency, replaces Iskander as the leader of the pack and proves that "Shorter is Better."

Feb. 26

In an attempt to keep the customers happy, Central Kitchen and Food and Housing expand their menu choices and introduce vegan meals at Baker College. Enhanced food quality, a water filtration system and a rice steamer are all included in the CK changes. These improvements are introduced as test runs; the changes could become permanent and expand to the other colleges.

March 3-5

Rice plays host to the DeLange Woodlands Conference, designed to assess the current environmental problems and to devise a plan to ensure that there are enough resources available for humans to survive. The conference deaws such notables as Nobel laureate Richard Solow from MIT, Rice alumnus Richard Daly and vice president of the World Resources Institute Robert Repetto.

March 3-7

Sid Richardson College and the Baker Institute create an undergraduate social science course entitled "Contemporary Palestinian Issues: Transformation Towards Nation-Building," complemented by a tour, which is scheduled for midterm break. While learning about another culture in the homes of Palestinian families, the students will have many opportunities to meet with high-ranking government officials, university professors, intellectuals and other students.

March 4

Losing its last four regular season games and finishing seventh in the WAC Mountain Division, the men's basketball team backs its way into the WAC postseason tournament in Las Vegas. Unfortunately the Owls are never able to catch the University of Nevada at Las Vegas' Running Rebels, and the season was brought to a close with the Owls' first losing record in six years.

March 5

Over spring break, while many Rice students are on vacation, a well-known foreign leader pays a visit to Rice. Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat describes his commitment to the peace process in the Middle East to a large Houston community crowd in the Grand Hall of the RMC. In his brief speech, Arafat emphasizes the importance of the peace process for the future of both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

The women's basketball team records its best conference record and longest winning streak in the history of the team. Its 11-5 conference record earns it a second-place finish in the WAC Mountain Division and a first-round bye in the postseason tournament, but the team falls to Hawaii, 57-54, in the WAC tournament quarterfinals.

March 13

Entrance 3, adjacent to Allen Center, opens for those parking at the SRC, Lovett, Will Rice, Hanszen and Wiess College lots. The gate is opened for convenience, and security is enforced by an officer stationed at the entrance.

That night, a car is stolen from the Lovett lot. Over spring recess (March 27-28) another car is stolen, and two more are burglarized in the Hanszen and SRC lot. The vehicle from Hanszen is later recovered on the East side of Houston.

March 15

The year of the 40th anniversary of the college system also marks the 40th anniversary of the focus of college rivalry -- Beer-Bike. After 40 years of parades, chugging, cheering and races, the spirit of Beer-Bike appears strong in spite of the cold and damp weather.

Brown College's women are in top form as they ride their way to a "Beerheart" victory. Similarly, Will Rice College choruses "Viva, Will Rice!" during its first place finishes in both the men's and alumni races.

March 31

Maintenance planner and coordinator Hannes Hofer announces that the 41st annual Beer-Bike will take place on a new track. Hofer is in charge of the project to build an entirely new track, with a budget of approximately $70,000, which is projected to last for at least 10 years. The resurfaced asphalt track that had been used in this year's Beer-Bike has deteriorated to the point where many coordinators worry about the cyclists' safety.

March 31-April 4

Next year's incoming freshmen will have to open their wallets a little wider, since they will incur a tuition increase that moves the fee up to $13,900 from $12,800 for a full academic year, to match rising inflation. The Board's decision to raise tuition immediately came under attack. Some argue that Rice cannot compete with better established universities if it loses its cost advantage, while others say that if Rice does not raise tuition, it will lose money.

April 5-6

The Rice rugby team hosts the Western Collegiate Championship tournament for the second consecutive year and advances to the next level of Sweet Sixteen when they finish second overall in the Westerns this season. At the Men's Collegiate Nationals at Penn State University, they fall short against Dartmouth and Navy.

April 11

The Rice debate team, the smallest team to compete in the annual American Forensics Association National Individual Event Tournament, comes in 11th overall. For the first time ever, a member places among the top 20 individual competitors in the nation as team captain and Brown College junior Lauren McGarity comes in 18th.

April 16

Chains and sawhorse return to Entrance 3 in response to concern over car thefts and burglaries.

May 10

After enduring an up-and-down season, the baseball team captures the first WAC title for Rice, then proceeds to the College World Series for the first time ever, before bowing out with loses to LSU and Auburn. Pitcher Matt Anderson was selected with the first pick overall in the major league draft while outfielder Lance Berkman, named National Player of the Year, was selected 16th by the Astros.

May 30

The class of 1997 invited Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law School as the speaker for the 84th Commencement. Dershowitz pocketed an undisclosed sum for speaking, paid for by the President's Discretionary Fund. Many supposed this compensation took the place of the conventional token of appreciation used by other universities: an honorary degree.

Looking to the future

The Board of Directors debates the timetable for the building of Rice's ninth college. Also being discussed are plans to rebuild decaying and poorly constructed Wiess College. The projects depend on the university's ability to come up with sufficient funding.

This item appeared in the Features section of the May 16, 1997 issue.