|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Rice Thresher
Phone:
|
by Matt Cuddihy thresher staff The revised intramural sports referendum passed in the Spring Elections, increasing the fee students pay from $10 to $15. The referendum passed with 84 percent of the 683 votes cast, representing 24 percent of the undergraduate population. The original referendum was defeated in the General Elections two weeks ago by 15 votes. Paul Emig, intramural sports coordinator, said he was relieved to see the initiative pass because he was not sure enough people would vote in the election. In order for the referendum to pass, 20 percent of undergraduates had to vote in the election, and two-thirds of the votes had to be in favor of the referendum. "We're very excited about it," he said. "We've stressed about it the last couple of days. We thought we were almost 200 votes shy of making the election valid." Emig said that the additional $5 paid by each student will make a large contribution to upgrading the quality and safety of the intramural sports program. The budget will increase by about $10,000. Emig said the additional money will also help to better train officials, provide supervisors trained in CPR and purchase better safety equipment. Overall, Emig said, better training and equipment will visibly increase the safety of the program. Director of Student Activities Mona Hicks agreed that the additional funding for the intramural program would benefit it greatly. "The extra $5 will be set aside for training and resources, instead of just taking from the salaries," Hicks said. "There will be a better system in place for handling injuries. "I'm glad we had a chance to educate people about the intramural department. We have great participation but I think it's great that people made an active statement," she said. Hicks attributes the referendum's passing on its second try to a greater understanding of it by students. "Tina [Villard] and Paul talked to as many people as they could," Hicks said. Villard, intramural sports director, and Emig encouraged all the students in intramurals as well as college sports representatives to realize the bill's importance and to at least cast their vote, Hicks said. Other items appearing on the ballot of this year's Spring Elections included the positions of Honor Council at-large representative, University Council undergraduate representative, Sammy the Owl and Campanile editor. Wiess College freshman Amada Armenta won the position of University Council undergraduate representative in the only contested race, receiving 58 percent of 461 votes split between her and Will Rice College junior Jonathan Behr. Armenta said her position will mainly include listening to students' ideas and bringing them to the attention of the administration. She said she decided to run when she saw that the council needed people. "I just decided to give it a shot, although I thought my chances of winning were slim to none," Armenta said. Armenta said she will treat the job seriously but will seek out issues in an informal manner. She added that she would pay special attention to student issues that arise repeatedly. Hanszen College freshman Evan Van Ness, Hanszen freshman Joshua Barron and Lovett College sophomore Randy Meissen each won one of the five available positions for Honor Council at-large representative. Evans said he wanted to become a Honor Council representative to "uphold the privileges of the Honor Code." Evans, who transferred from the University of Delaware, said the honor system wasn't taken as seriously at his previous school. Barron said he's wanted to be a part of the Honor Council since he first came to Rice. "Enforcing the Honor Code's one of the most important things," he said. Brown College junior Jo Rees, Sid Richardson College sophomore Julia Buergler and Sid sophomore Tiffany Bludau all were elected to the position of Sammy the Owl. The trio ran uncontested. Buergler said the job of Sammy the Owl is quite demanding, both physically and in terms of time commitment. It is for this reason, she said, that three people hold the position. Each person can then work at a time convenient to her, and with three people available, there's a greater opportunity for Sammy to be at more sporting events. "Rice doesn't have a lot of sports spirit, and I'd like to add to it," Buergler said. She hinted that she and her two partners are planning a "surprise" for the future. "It'll be different," she said. In the final race on the ballot, Sid freshman Jeff Bishop and Sid junior Melissa Langfield together won the position of Campanile editor. They also ran uncontested.
- back - |
|
|
Search the Thresher pages:
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu |
