Rice’s new Owls learn about campus resources and policies

Throughout O-Week, Rice University’s new Owls had no shortage of activities – from bonding at their respective residential colleges to pep rallies and picnics. However, the students also spent a significant amount of time attending informational sessions to learn about campus policies and the various resources available to them on campus.

Throughout O-Week, Rice University's new Owls had no shortage of activities – from bonding at their respective residential colleges to pep rallies and picnics. However, the students also spent a significant amount of time attending informational sessions to learn about campus policies and the various resources available to them on campus.

“One of the main goals of Orientation Week is to introduce new students to the resources, departments and policies that are most critical to their transition to Rice,” said Chris Landry, assistant director of First-Year Programs. “These are the things that they need to know and experience from the very start of their Rice career.”

Rice University Police Department/Rice Emergency Medical Services

The Rice University Police Department (RUPD) offered a presentation to new students to provide an overview of the different things they can do to protect themselves on campus, including registering their valuable possessions and bicycles and having police escort them across campus at night. The officers took the opportunity to encourage students to keep several basic things in mind to stay safe, including walking in groups, being aware of surroundings and trusting one’s own instincts if something seems out of place. They also provided information on how students can participate in the Rice Citizens Police Academy. More information on RUPD is available at http://rupd.rice.edu.

Following the RUPD presentation, members of Rice Emergency Medical Services (EMS), a branch of RUPD, presented a video about their organization and provided more information about how students can use their services and become part of their team, which made up entirely of volunteers. More information on Rice EMS is available at http://rems.rice.edu/.

“We realize how hard students have worked to make it to Rice,” said Armando Criado, an RUPD police sergeant in charge of the O-Week presentation. “We want them to have a safe and productive experience over the next four years. We also want students to know that RUPD is an integral part of the campus community. We want them to always see us as a resource.”

Rice Honor Code

All incoming students attended sessions on Rice’s Honor Council, which is responsible for handling academic responsibility and integrity on campus. The Honor Council is an organization consisting of both undergraduate and graduate students responsible for hearing and deciding upon all accusations of Honor Code violations.

Established in 1912, Rice’s Honor Code is one of the most distinctive aspects of the academic experience. All students that enroll at Rice agree to abide by the code, which covers such matters as plagiarism and giving or receiving aid on exams. Work completed under the Honor Code carries the pledge cited below followed by the student’s signature.

“On my honor, I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this (exam, quiz, paper).” 

The Honor Code was established to do the following:

• Maintain the academic integrity of Rice, its students, and faculty.
• Ensure the freedom and security of all students at Rice.
• Foster a culture of trust between students and the faculty.

During the presentation, the students learned about the structure of the system, the different types and examples of Honor Code violations and strategies for avoiding violations. For more information on the Honor Code at Rice, visit http://honor.rice.edu[BA1] .

Rice University Court

The Rice University Court, known as the “UCourt,” is a student-led judicial body that adjudicates cases under the Code of Student Conduct and the alcohol policy on campus.

During the presentation, the students were provided with an overview on the Rice Alcohol Policy and Code of Student Conduct. They were reminded that they agreed to abide by both when they entered the university and were encouraged to become very familiar with both documents. The students were also provided with information on social gatherings at Rice and details on the university’s medical amnesty policy.

“We hope that new students left the presentation with a fuller sense of university and community expectations for conduct, including responsible boundaries on behavior, particularly with regard to alcohol and underage drinking,” said Colin Shaw, treasurer of the Rice University Court. “Additionally, UCourt hopes students have an understanding of their rights within the Code of Student Conduct, how students have input into these community standards and where to find additional information.

For more information on the Code of Student Conduct or the Alcohol Policy, visit http://sjp.rice.edu.

Diversity at Rice

O-Week discussions on diversity built on an Aug. 18 presentation by Catherine Clack, associate dean of undergraduates and director of multicultural affairs. In her presentation, she talked about diversity at Rice and “micro-aggressions,” which are defined as verbal, nonverbal and environmental snubs – either intentional or unintentional – that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative messages to target individuals based solely on their marginalized group membership.

Following Clack’s presentation, the diversity facilitators (who conduct workshops discussing the importance and impact of diversity on campus) led discussions within each individual college.

“We discussed what diversity meant to each person, how it was important here at Rice, the benefits of diversity, and the pros and cons of a colorblind society,” said Christine Mai, the head diversity facilitator for O-Week. “Afterward, we presented the new students with three scenarios that covered a variety of aspects (from athletes at Rice to race to sexual orientation to gender) that revolved around micro-aggressions and stereotype threat, which the new students covered within the Common Reading.”

Mai said that ultimately the main focus of these sessions was to begin a dialogue and conversation among the new students regarding diversity at Rice and beyond while highlighting ways in which they might approach micro-aggressions on campus. For more information on diversity at Rice, visit http://www.diversity.rice.edu/.

Project SAFE at Rice

Project SAFE (Sexual Assault-Free Environment) is a collaboration among Rice’s Student Wellbeing Office and Counseling Center and the Houston Area Women’s Center. The project puts into proper context healthy relationships for students, consent to sexual activity and active bystander intervention within the Rice community and offers a framework for building a culture of care and respect.

During the O-Week Project SAFE presentation, the facilitators engaged students in conversations about healthy and unhealthy relationships, explored consent through video clips and offered advice on how to intervene in situations students feel to be potentially harmful. On- and off-campus resources for students who find themselves or others close to them in difficult situations were provided.

“Project SAFE is not only for new students,” said Allison Vogt, director of the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Title IX Support. “Throughout the year we will be hosting presentations, college talks and seminars about healthy sexuality and relationships, being an active bystander and sexual and domestic violence prevention. We have also begun the development of a student arm to the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Title IX, Support, which is for students to collaborate with us to decide what programming is valuable for the community. We look forward to a great new year and to engaging the entire campus in these important conversations.”

For more information on Project SAFE, visit http://safe.rice.edu/.