I’m Chloe, a junior at Martel College (the best college ever - google it) studying Political Science, Social Policy Analysis and Classical Studies. Beyond the classroom, I’ve found a great community in my residential college. I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in our college’s student government team the past two years and am currently serving as Martel’s Prime Minister. 

Essentially, this means that I manage our extensive committee system. While the committees mostly run themselves, I’m in charge of facilitating committee head applications, choosing heads, overseeing their plans and monitoring their finances (each committee has a budget). Every residential college has a committee system of some sort, but they all look a little different to fit the needs and desires of the college. 

Our committee system allows us to host tons of events! Here’s a list of our committees and some examples of what they do/events they organize:

• Community: birthday posters for commons and Martel trick-or-treating
• Merch: designs, orders, and sells our Martel merch
• Senior: various senior events (e.g. Senior Friendsgiving or Senior Sunrise)
• Spirits: FITQs (Fridays in the quad) and Holiday Party
• Traditions: Oktoberfest and Greek Week
• Socials: Texas Party and College Night
• Trivia: trivia nights
• Martel Mentors: weekly tutoring session in commons on Sunday nights
• Music Recital: Martel Music Recital
• Alumni/Associates: Alumni Weekend and Associates Night
• Service: community service events (both within and beyond the hedges)
• Historians: manage Martel Instagram and take pictures at all of our events
• Improvements: ambiance fund
• Kitchen: kitchen training, maintenance and cooking events
• Sports: Intramural sports and casual games/tournaments at Martel
• Games: Casino Night and manages TV/game room

These are just a few examples of the many things that our committee does. We also have Parliament every other week where individuals at Martel can request funds from the “Maptek” to put together an event or supplement committee budgets for the event. All of our events are open to all Martelians and are a great way to meet new people and get involved in the community.

Joining a committee as either a member or as a committee head is an amazing way to get involved in residential college life. One of my favorite things about Rice is our residential college system and how unique and student facilitated it is. Our committee heads put together crazy events and since we have so many, we’re able to have something going on every week. Our committee system allows us to maintain our traditions, create new ones and develop the culture at Martel. Being involved in Martel government, specifically with the committees, has been incredibly rewarding as I have been able to see all the care, love, and dedication that goes into each of our events. 

-Chloe, Martel ‘26 (Published on 1/14/2025)