Rice students should relax, reject preppy Ivy style

I am a Facebook junkie. I like the profiles, but the groups are my favorite part. One group that has caught my attention is Students for a Mellower Rice.

The group itself was formed to get Ian MacCormack elected as Student Association president, but I was more stuck on the title. I wondered to myself: Is Rice losing its reputation as a mellow, laid-back alternative to high-strung Ivy League institutions?

We should not have to protest and argue. We should embrace our beautiful campus, a great city and Frisbee. At least we are not a dry campus. At least we are not stuck in the middle of nowhere. At least we are not Texas A&M.

Rice should be the cool and laid-back campus where smart people come to learn and chill for a few years before going off to a fast-paced world. Sure, we are busy at times and have a lot to do, but when we do have time, we should have long meals and play catch outside. Remember how fun recess was in elementary school? That’s what Rice should aspire to be like.

But in reality, we are starting to be more high-strung. Since when should people dress up to go to Willy’s Pub and classes? We should not be trying to impress anyone here. We are the nerdy but cool kids. We are not posers from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. I have met many students who came here to get away from that kind of environment.

We should have a dress code inside the hedges. As long as you are on campus, no one piece of clothing should be worth more than $20. That should limit us to T-shirts, jeans, flip-flops, and perhaps a light jacket if it’s a little chilly. If anything you are about to wear on campus could be seen in a designer’s catalog, go back to your closet and put on a shirt that shows you are proud to go to Rice.

We must find a remedy for all our tension. Maybe people just need some more sleep. Too many grumpy insomniacs roam around campus, whining and arguing about this and that. We are at the age where we can actually sleep a lot. So if you feel a sudden burst of anger, worry or tiredness, just go to your bed and get some shut-eye.

The rest of the world is worrying about a ‘culture of life,’ the new pope and terrorism, and look how unhappy they are. Everyone is scared and upset all the time. At Rice, we should not be creating any more controversy and concern than already exists in the world.

Instead, let’s have a beer with our friends and be happy. Let’s not have 20 beers and fight and get trashed. Let’s be more inclined toward the TC and not the OC. We can be an example to our city and our country.

Remember to stop all work after your last class Friday — just do not forget to start it again Sunday afternoon.

Apoorva Shah is a Sid Richardson College freshman.

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