TGIF Happy Funpage

1. CSS Talent Show Delayed
2. Rice ACLU
3. R2 LAUNCH PARTY FRIDAY 28th
4. Rupp to be Commencement Speaker
5. Hanszen Blood Drive
6. Year-End Awards
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1. CSS Talent Show Delayed
Hello again,
The CSS Talent Challenge Coordinator has decided to post-pone the CSS Talent Challenge 2008 which was scheduled for this Saturday 22nd March. If you had forwarded the message below to you membership already, please let them know.
The reason is that there are many other events happening on Saturday night, and several persons who expressed interest in performing are already committed to the other events.
Persons interested in performing should still e-mail djl1@rice.edu ASAP, as we may reschedule it for as early as next weekend if the coordinator of the event is able to work out the details by then.
Thank you.
Regards,
CSS Executive and Talent Challenge Coordinator.
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2. Rice ACLU
The Rice ACLU is having our first general/informational meeting of the year this Tuesday, March 25. If you're interested in civil liberties, come check us out! In the past, we've held events dealing with issues such as torture, drug prohibition, GLBT rights, freedom of speech, privacy in the Internet age, and sex education. We're already looking ahead to the next year, so there are lots of opportunities for new members to get involved, including positions like president and treasurer. At this meeting we'll give an overview of the organization, plan possible events for the rest of the semester, and perhaps have some discussion on a topical issue. There'll be food. So come, especially if you're new! HUMA 117 at 9 pm. email jml4394@ for questions/information.
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3. R2 LAUNCH PARTY FRIDAY 28th
R2 MAGAZINE LAUNCH PARTY
Friday, March 28th
530PM-700PM
Herring Hall Courtyard
Free literary magazines featuring the work of talented Rice undergraduate
writers
Free Food
Free Beer
Bring a friend
Best,
R2 staff
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4. Rupp to be Commencement Speaker
International Rescue Committee President George Rupp chosen as Rice University's 2008 commencement speaker
BY B.J. ALMOND
Rice News Staff
For 75 years the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has brought refugees from harm to home, and the organization's leader, George Rupp, will share some of those incredible journeys when he presents Rice's 2008 commencement address.
Touted as "one of the first to respond, one of the last to leave," the IRC has established a global network of first responders, humanitarian relief workers, health-care specialists, educators, community leaders and volunteers to provide shelter, clean water, health care and education to millions of people whose lives have been disrupted by violence and oppression. Rupp has been president and CEO of the IRC since 2002.
"The name George Rupp is probably most familiar to the Rice community as the university's fifth president, but it was his current role with the International Rescue Committee that piqued the interest of the commencement speaker selection committee," said committee chair Michael Gustin, professor of biochemistry and cell biology.
"The committee wanted someone who could speak to the Rice students about leadership and the big picture of their role in the world," Gustin said. This is particularly relevant as a number of Rice students focus their volunteer service and research efforts on global health and poverty, he added.
Martel College senior Sanna Ronkainen, who served on the selection committee, said, "George Rupp's commitment to serving those in need around the world as the president of the International Rescue Committee is truly admirable and inspiring for those of us going out into the real world."
Since its founding in 1933 at the suggestion of Albert Einstein, the IRC has become one of the largest and leading charities in the world. IRC personnel are in 25 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster.
In 2006 alone, the IRC aided more than 15 million people in countries inhabited by the most vulnerable populations. Recently the IRC:
* Gave more than 3 million people access to clean water and sanitation
* Trained more than 10,800 educators and supported schools attended by 316,000 children
* Counseled and cared for nearly 140,000 survivors of sexual violence
* Reunited more than 2,400 children and former child soldiers with their families and cared for another 9,300 young people
* Helped resettle 5,000 newly arrived refugees in the U.S. and provided services to 18,000 other refugees
* Helped more than 6,400 refugees settle into new homes, schools and communities in the U.S.
First-person accounts of the IRC's emergency relief, rehabilitation and protection of human rights are readily available on YouTube.
Named one of 10 Gold Star Charities by the Forbes Investment Guide, the IRC is consistently commended by charity watchdog groups for the efficient use of its financial support and the effectiveness of its work. Of every dollar the IRC spends, 90 cents goes to programs and services that directly benefit refugees and war-affected populations.
As the IRC's CEO, Rupp oversees the agency's relief and rehabilitation operations and its refugee resettlement and assistance programs. He also leads the IRC's advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C.; Geneva; Brussels, Belgium; and other capitals around the globe.
Rupp's responsibilities often take him to IRC program sites in Europe and Asia, where earlier this month emergency aid was given to some 7,000 Bhutanese refugees who were left without homes, clothing and food after an accidental fire roared through their camp in eastern Nepal. He has also traveled to Africa, where the IRC provided critical assistance to more than 700,000 people uprooted by the brutal ethnic and political violence in Darfur, Sudan.
While a trip to Houston can't compare to such challenging international destinations, Rupp is very much looking forward to his return to the campus. "I have very fond memories of Rice and am delighted at the prospect of returning for commencement, which I always considered a highlight of the year," he said. "Just to be back in that fabulous Academic Quad will be a thrill. I feel exhilarated that another thousand Rice alums will be shaking President Leebron's hand and then processing together from the Sallyport."
President David Leebron praised the selection of Rupp. "I am really delighted that the graduation committee sought a speaker who exemplifies the contributions we can make to improve our world, and especially the lives of the least fortunate among us," Leebron said. "No one represents this better than George Rupp and his work over the last six years as president of the International Rescue Committee. It's an added bonus that this provides an opportunity to bring back to Rice someone who understands what we stand for and who contributed so much to our success."
Before joining the IRC, Rupp was president of Columbia University -- the position that succeeded his 1985-93 presidency at Rice. He was the Lord O'Brian Professor of Divinity and dean of the Divinity School at Harvard before coming to Rice.
Rupp received an A.B. from Princeton University in 1964, a B.D. from Yale Divinity School in 1967 and a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1972. He is the author of numerous articles and five books, including "Globalization Challenged: Conviction, Conflict, Community" (2006).
Rice's 95th commencement will be held May 10.
For more information on the IRC, visit www.theirc.org.
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5. Hanszen Blood Drive
The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center will be coming to Hanszen Monday,
March 25th and will be collecting donations from noon until 4:30. If you wish to give blood, here's how to make an appointment:
-Go to www.eblooddrive.org
-Scroll down and click on 'Not Yet a Donor? Make an appointment now'
-Fill in the required information; click 'Submit'
-In the search box, enter 'rice'.
-Scroll down and click on 'Rice: Hanszen Upper Commons'
-Click on a time to make the appointment!
Email Lindsay (lzwiener@rice.edu) if you have any questions!
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6. Year-End Awards
2008 Year-End Awards -- Call for Nominations
The Office of Student Activities, the SA Awards Committee, the Association of Rice Alumni, and the Community Involvement Center are coordinating their respective year-end awards that recognize service by students to the Rice community. Any member of the Rice community may submit a nomination. Qualified candidates may be considered for any of the five awards listed below. If you have any questions please contact the Office of Student Activities (x4097).
THE RICE UNIVERSITY SERVICE AWARD, given in memory of Dean of Students Hugh Scott Cameron, is awarded to as many as four individuals of the Rice student population, past and present, who have been most exemplary in rendering service to the student body. Preferably recipients should not be receiving remuneration for their services unless their work has been of a quality above and beyond that ordinarily rendered.
THE SALLYPORT AWARD is presented by the Association of Rice Alumni to recognize a deserving:
(i) undergraduate degree candidate who has made contributions to the Rice community above his or her individual college and who may not otherwise be recognized; and
(ii) graduate degree candidate who has made contributions to the Rice community above his or her individual department and who may not otherwise be recognized. A faculty letter of recommendation and resume are required for the Sallyport Award.
THE OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARDS are given to graduating seniors who have contributed the most to excellence at Rice University. This award recognizes excellence not only in service but also performance, dedication, and character. The contribution of excellence of these students should reflect a commitment over time.
THE MORTY RICH SCHOLARSHIP is awarded to a continuing student who has distinguished himself/herself through commitment and service to Rice and/or to the greater community. The successful candidate(s) will have recognized a need in the community, developed objectives, and implemented or established program(s) that would benefit the community and will realize no personal gain for these efforts.
THE ALAN GROB PRIZE is awarded annually to the Rice undergraduate who, through service to the larger community, has demonstrated the most devotion to the needs and interests of the economically and culturally disadvantaged. The recipient must be a current Rice University undergraduate, but does not have to be continuing (can be a graduating senior).
You may nominate a student for one or more of the above awards at:
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~stact/awards.html
The deadline for nominations is 5 pm, Friday, March 28, 2008.