I’ve donated to Rice regularly since I graduated in 2002, and I’m currently a RAVA admissions interviewer.  I loved my time at Rice and am quick to tell people what a great school it is.

It is because I love Rice that I am extremely disappointed by the sale of KTRU’s broadcast capabilities.  As a student at Rice and a Houston resident for two years after I graduated, I was a regular KTRU listener.  Although some of the music played on KTRU isn’t to my taste, much of what is played is really fantastic and completely inaccessible through other media outlets. I was always heartened that there was a radio station that had the freedom to play things that I (and others in Houston) would never have had access to otherwise. I was especially proud that KTRU was a Rice institution, and that students I knew in college and funded through my scholarship donations had the opportunity to be involved in such an amazing endeavor.

Rice attracts talented and energetic students and provides them with tools and experiences that shape the course of their lives.  I do not want it to become an institution focused only on producing graduates with sound job prospects, but also graduates with an interest and enthusiasm for community involvement, service, and the arts.  KTRU provided a rare opportunity to engage with the larger Houston community, and its relegation to the internet (which is only accessed by a select group of music listeners) will be a great loss to Rice students and Houstonians.

Thank you for your time,
Dana Rowan
Baker ’02