<p>I wonder if any current Rice students or alumni have comments on this open letter printed in the RICE THRASHER (the student newspaper.) There were 20 comments in the newspaper but I wondered if CC readers might also respond. --</p>
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<p>MODERATOR NOTE: Letter was deleted. The Terms of Service ask that users "do not post massive excerpts from any source." Please note that you can paraphrase info or quote one or two sentences with a link to the source.</p>
<p>It’s actually the Rice Thresher, but close enough haha. As far as this op-ed goes, this is nothing landmark, so I’m not sure why the author felt the need to insert his banal commentary into the paper. Here’s a few of my critiques:</p>
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<li>“I dont recognize some of the great college experience at Rice anymore.” </li>
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<p>The only gripes he talks about are 1) student/faculty ratio (which, to his credit, has increased) 2) oversized freshman intro classes (mollified by the creation of additional sections of each class, David. Why don’t you gather more information before making sweeping generalizations). 3) Bed space for colleges: There is slightly less room for on-campus housing for students, but is this really a problem? When I lived off campus for one year, I didn’t whine and moan; I lived off campus, but still stayed very involved with my residential college. Living off campus for a year is a great deal; too many Rice students are afraid to do it because they’re so fearful of leaving the nourishing cocoon of their residential college walls. The real problem with Rice is that it coddles its students too much; those that were already poorly adjusted socially stay that way because they never have to rely solely on themselves. Instead, they can go cry to the masters or RAs every time they get a B on a test or when they get “kicked off campus” and are forced to actually live in the real world for a year…GASP!!</p>
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<li>“Though we are still ranked as having one of the best values in the country, the cost to attend Rice is now much more in line with the Ivies than with low-cost state colleges.”</li>
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<p>Oh really, David? The last time Rice was in line with low-cost state colleges was around 25 years ago, so I think it’s pretty unfair to act like Rice was insanely cheap when he was attending, which was less than a decade ago. Sure, Rice used to be free, and tuition has gone up, but don’t act like the sticker price of Rice and [insert good public university here] were the same when you went there. Not denying that the tuition increases are troublesome, but this is a totally inaccurate comparison. </p>
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<li>“Has anyone considered what kind of students were attracting these days?”</li>
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<p>Yeah David, we’re attracting more well-rounded individuals than before. I know people that can do shots and drink on Friday night, then kick my butt on a test on Monday. I know people that do not drink at all, but party their butts off, and kick my butt on a test on Monday. If David thinks the drinking culture at Rice is bad, he clearly never visited a fraternity house at a public university or even elite private universities (see Dartmouth). College students drink, get over it. A professor of mine got kicked out of Rice in the 1960s because he drank too much and subsequently failed his classes. He came back, got his degree, and is obviously teaching now. The drinking “problem” is simply an overexaggeration of the P.C. culture today; Rice still had hard liquor and plenty of beer 50 years ago. Axelrod acts like our campus is currently infested with drunks, when the drinking “issue” was largely associated with freshmen that had never drank in their lives before; not upperclassmen that know their limits.</p>
<p>Also, I find it hilarious that his father associates the “shots culture” with wealthy students. Exactly, David, poor kids that go to Rice obviously can’t afford to drink, therefore the problem is solely associated with rich kids that can afford to buy hard liquor! If we accept only poor students, there will be less disposable money available for purchasing alcohol, therefore drinking will go down! Brilliant deduction!</p>
<p>I chose to go to Rice because it was a school, while expensive, that prides itself on economic diversity amongst its students. NEVER ONCE, did any of my friends ask what my parents did for a living, and I did not ask the same question. It did not matter to me if my friend was paying full sticker price or getting an insane amount of financial aid; they were my friend regardless. Rice is an incredible experience if you want to get to know people from all walks of life; from people whose dad was a day laborer, to those whose parents ran a Fortune 500 company. No one at Rice judges you on any material possessions that you can afford/not afford. You want to go to a similar caliber private school with a bunch of rich kids bragging about their situation? Go to Duke or Vanderbilt and join a frat/sorority.</p>
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<li>"(How many current students know Rice used to be free?) "</li>
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<p>The vast majority, David.</p>
<p>Ultimately, this is a letter from an alum that clearly has not stayed in extremely close contact with his university, because he apparently thinks the university that he happily donated to a few years ago has suddenly morphed into some Ivy-mongering monstrosity. What he writes about is simply an opinion from afar, not from someone that seems to have a pulse of what our university is currently about.</p>
<p>I also was kind of annoyed by his assertion that Rice has switched it’s main focus away from excellent undergraduate education. I just graduated and felt as though a vast majority of the faculty members I interacted with loved teaching undergrads, were always giving undergrads opportunities to do research, and were dedicated to giving all of us a great educational experience in and outside of their classes. Also, although enrollment did increase, at least in my department, there were several additional great hires, so I didn’t notice a great increase in class size over the last 4 years which was when the greatest jump happened. In fact, I had a good number of high-level classes that were less than 10 people. I just don’t see how this author can say that the undergraduate experience has declined since he left, since he’s not there to see it (although I admit I don’t know how wonderful it was when he was here, it’s still pretty darn good in my opinion).</p>
<p>Westsidewolf summed up about everything I have to say about this article.</p>
<p>I’ll just add that I was rather offended by the sweeping (and utterly false) generalizations about the “kind of students” Rice is recruiting. I’d describe the typical Rice student not as rich, but as smart, motivated, and fun to be around. I don’t know anything about most people’s finances at Rice. It’s just not important or relevant to the social scene or anything else in everyday life.</p>
<p>Can someone touch on the purpose of the alcohol probation in 2011 and whether it had any effect on how the campus handles alcohol? I think that is what may have prompted Axel’s comment about “shots shots shots.”</p>
<p>In fairness, the author is right about the tuition increases. When my s started in 2004, we just missed the last year where the tuition was fixed for the 4 years of attendance, which ended with the previous class 
That said, tuition then (tuition alone) was $20,350/ yr. When he graduated, tuition his senior year was $24,270 (per the website, I dont have the bills anymore), with the incoming freshman that year paying $28,400. This year’s tuition (2011-12) was, for every class (it appears) $34,900. That is a big jump. <a href=“Undergraduate Resources | Rice University”>Undergraduate Resources | Rice University;
<p>Here is the letter referenced in the OP [An</a> open letter to President Leebron and the Board of Trustees on the future of Rice - Opinion - The Rice Thresher - Rice University](<a href=“http://www.ricethresher.org/opinion/an-open-letter-to-president-leebron-and-the-board-of-trustees-on-the-future-of-rice-1.2874009]An”>http://www.ricethresher.org/opinion/an-open-letter-to-president-leebron-and-the-board-of-trustees-on-the-future-of-rice-1.2874009)</p>
<p>I do agree that something needs to be done about the tuition increases. It’s a problem everywhere, and Rice needs to do more to combat it.</p>
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<p>The alcohol probation has since been lifted, and I’m of the opinion that a more responsible drinking culture has emerged on the other end of it. The university’s judicial system (especially at the college level) is now better equipped to handle alcohol-related issues, and the caregiver program and other such initiatives seem to be making a positive impact.</p>
<p>High tuition is good, just couple it with more genrous scholarships for the needy</p>
<p>Rice was generous with scholarship money even before the tuition increases.</p>