News Briefs

Note change in date for final
president’s open-office hours

The president’s next open-office hours will be
April 6. President David Leebron will be available to meet with students from 3 to 4 p.m. in the President’s Office on the fourth floor of Allen Center. Note this is a change from the original date (March 29).

The office hours are a way for students to convey concerns, ask questions or just talk with the president. No appointments are necessary.

The office hours will be conducted with an “open door” approach, allowing as many students to come as will fit in the president’s office. Thus private individual problems will continue to best be raised in private with the appropriate university officials.

Rice takes second place in MBA minority competition

The MBA team from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management won second place and $4,000 at the first annual KeyBank Minority Case Competition March 5.

Graduate students Ramy Ibrahim, Alicia Yancy and Lavon Washington finished behind Ohio State University.

The case was written by KeyBank for strategic and implementation recommendations for the bank’s small business and retail banking units. Eight schools from around the country competed, including Northwestern, Case Western Reserve, Howard, University of Notre Dame, Ohio Dominican University and the University of Maryland.

Rice Light Opera Society to continue performances

The Rice Light Opera Society will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic light opera “Patience”
March 24-26.

The operetta tells the story of a superficial and flamboyant poet who has won the hearts of all the young ladies with his madly romantic behavior. But the girl he wants to attract is a modest milkmaid who will have nothing to do with him. A rival poet and the ladies’ former suitors further complicate his attempts at courtship.

“Patience” premiered in 1881 at London’s Opera Comique before moving to the newly built Savoy Theatre. This sixth collaboration of Gilbert and Sullivan was immensely popular and ran for 578 performances.

“Patience” will be performed in the Will Rice College Commons. All shows are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for the general public and $5 for the Rice community.

For directions and ticket reservations, please visit <www.hailpoetry.com>.

Ros finishes among top
swimmers in nation

Rice senior Uska Ros wrapped up her Rice swimming career at the NCAA championships last weekend.

She finished 30th in the 200-meter butterfly. Ros is the Rice record holder in this event with a time of 2:00.11.

She also recorded a 32nd-place finish in the 100-meter butterfly, with a time of 55.07 seconds. Her season-best time was 54.97, which she set at the Western Athletic Conference championships last month in San Antonio.

Blood drives on campus next week

The Association of Rice Alumni (ARA), several residential colleges and the Rice Student Volunteer Program are sponsoring the spring 2005 Gift of Life Blood Drive next week.

The campus-wide blood drive will be held March 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Farnsworth Pavilion, Rice Memorial Center.

College drives will be held Monday, March 28, through Thursday, March 31.

The ARA is offering cash prizes and plaques for the colleges that provide the most donations.

With a photo I.D., anyone in good health and at least 17 years old can donate at any of the campus locations or any Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center facility (713-791-1200 or www.giveblood.org).

Rec Center now
offers fitness testing

The Rice Recreation Center is now offering fitness assessment testing for faculty, staff and students.

This information is helpful in developing an exercise program to address all fitness components.

The fitness assessment measures body-fat composition, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance and flexibility.

The cost is $5 for students and $15 for faculty and staff. For more information or to make an appointment, call 713-348-4058.

Airport parking facility offers Rice discount

FastPark, a new parking facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is now offering special rates for Rice employees.

Through April 30, parking is free. After that time period, the facility will offer Rice employees a corporate parking rate and an opportunity to earn free parking.

For more information, visit <www.fastparkandrelax.com>.