News Briefs

Jan. 15 forum
to recap Houston mayoral race

Two of Houston’s
most prominent political analysts for the local news media
will recap last year’s mayoral race during a forum
tonight, Jan. 15, at James A. Baker III Hall.

Robert Stein,
dean of social sciences and the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor
of Political Science at Rice, and Richard Murray, director
of the Center for Public Policy and professor of political
science at University of Houston, will present “2003
Mayoral Race: What It Means for the Future of Houston”
at 6:30 p.m. Their lectures will be preceded by a
reception at 5:30 p.m.

Businessman Bill
White, a Democrat, won nearly 63 percent of the vote in
a runoff election against Orlando Sanchez Dec. 6 to succeed
term-limited Lee Brown as mayor of the nation’s fourth-largest
city.

Rice students,
faculty and staff are welcome to attend the free program,
which the School of Social Sciences is hosting in Doré
Commons and the International Conference Facility.

Rice Aquatics
offers Masters Swim Program

This spring,
the Rice Aquatics Program continues to offer something for
swimmers of all ages.

The Masters Swim
Program, which began in August, is designed to meet the
needs of all levels of swimmers ages 19 and older —
from recreational swimmers, former competitive swimmers,
individuals training for triathlons or beginners just looking
to work out with motivated peers in a fun environment.

Coaches provide
stroke instruction, encouragement, motivation, challenges
and lots of fun. The team atmosphere and sense of community
provides a stimulating environment to improve fitness and
endurance.

Workouts are
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5-6:30 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays,
6-7:30 a.m. Workouts will run the duration of each semester,
excluding breaks.

For more information,
contact Seth Huston, head coach of Rice swimming, at 713-348-4710
or <shuston@rice.edu>.

Schedules, fees
and more are available at <http://www.ruf.rice.edu/%7Ericerec/pages/aquatics.html>.

Annual candlelight
MLK vigil to be held Jan. 19

With the theme
“A Universal Message for All People; Let Us Celebrate
His Life, Legacy and Dream,” the ninth annual Martin
Luther King Jr. vigil is set for Jan. 19.

Sponsored by
the Black Students Association, the candlelight vigil will
be at 6 p.m. in the academic quad, with the reciting of
King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The program
will conclude at the Rice Memorial Chapel, with a speaker
and performances by Rice’s Melodious Voices of Praise
and recording artist Charlene Berry.