Dear President Leebron,

My name is Jeff Baxter.  I graduated from Rice in 1995 with a BA in philosophy and a BS in electrical engineering, graduated from Harvard Law School in 1998, and, since then, have been practicing as a patent attorney at Baker Botts.

I am shocked and deeply disappointed by your decision to sell KTRU.  No, you are not simply selling the frequency and broadcast tower.  You are selling Rice’s college radio station.  Please do not pretend that a web-based alternative can somehow server as adequate compensation.

During my time at Rice, I was a DJ and music director at KTRU, and I also worked on a committee to organize the annual spring concert.  Outside of my studies, KTRU was the thing into which I poured my heart and soul.  It was the thing that I loved most about Rice.  Certainly, not everyone shared my same enthusiasm for the radio station.  But that was part of what made Rice great.  At that time, Rice encouraged and fostered individuality.  Everyone could find their niche.  That culture made Rice special.  By selling KTRU, you are forever destroying that.  And for what?  Better food service?  More buildings?

When I think back on my years at Rice, I fondly recall my experiences at KTRU.  It was those experiences — not the food that I ate or the buildings in which I attended class — that shaped me into the person I am today.  Without KTRU, I would have never been accepted to Harvard Law School.  KTRU was the subject of my application essay.  It was the unique experience that separated me from the flood of other applicants. Now, the experience that I so cherished has been taken away from future students.

Please reconsider what makes a university like Rice great.  Is it the university’s culture and the experiences it affords it students?  Or is it the food and buildings?

If this sell is completed, Rice is no longer the university that I loved.  I do not think I will be able to return to campus.  That saddens me.

Regards,
Jeff

Jeff Baxter

Baker Botts, L.L.P.
2001 Ross Avenue
Dallas, TX 75201-2980