South Texas College of Law, Annotations (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 2, November, 1981 Page: 1 of 4
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Annotations
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Houston, Texas
Permit 8451
Volume IX, Number 2
1303 San Jacinto, Houston, Texas 77002
November 1981
Controversy swells over machines
Some STCL students are upset over
the presence of electronic games in the
lounge area. Their most vocal claim is
that the machines detract from the
school's professional character.
Obviously though, many students
seem to enjoy the games, for there is a
constant cluster of players and specta-
tors surrounding the machines.
Nevertheless, a controversy is
evidenced by the fact that a petition has
circulated the school and may soon be
presented to the dean.
So that both sides might surface in
the same forum, the SBA held an open
meeting on October 21 to discuss the
subject. Elio Muller, an STCL student,
presented his petition to the SBA and
asked the body to present it to the dean
in an official capacity. Dean Jones
appeared and spoke in defense of the
Muller's petition was inked by 175
students during the two-week period in
which it was circulated. He called the
instrument a "mandate" from the
students to the administration, and
adamantly advocated removal of the
machines.
Muller's contention was met with
SBA inquiry: "If you had two weeks to
circulate the petition, why are there
only 175 Jiames?"
Muller noted that the petition was
not actively circulated for the full
two-week time. "In one 30-minute
period I got at least 50 student
signatures," he said.
"How can you call 175 students a
mandate?" quipped an SBA represent-
ative.
The question went unanswered.
However, Muller claimed that "eight
out of ten students approached willingly
signed the petition."
He went on to say that the
machines are an "eyesore" and an
embarrassment to the school's reputa-
tion in the legal community.
"It's no secret that there's a bias
against this school," he said. "Some
say it's a Mickey Mouse law school. . .
m
,jr
The National Moot Court Competition varsity team representing South Texas College of
Law November 18-21 in Austin are/from left, Devon Decker, Richard Graham, Neil Mc-
Cabe, Assistant Dean Treece (coach). David O'Neil, the fourth member is not pictured.
m
Coming in that door and seeing those
machines doesn't help any," he said.
Muller claimed that as many as 500
attorneys and judges come through the
building each semester for various legal
functions.
"A lot of programs are being
Those machines enable us to give
two scholarships per month to needy
students — students who don't have
enough money to pay the rent, buy
groceries, or get their car out of the
shop."
implemented to eradicate this bias," he
said. "But those machines aren't a step
in the right direction."
Muller's primary objective at the
meeting was to have the machines
removed. But in the alternative, he
suggested moving the games to a
different location — a low-visibility
section where the machines won't be as
offensive to the professional atmos-
phere of the school.
Muller was allowed 15 minutes to
present his pitch, at which time Dean
Jones was given a like measure.
Jones took exception to Muller's
claim that the school has a Mickey
Mouse reputation to some in the legal
community. He said he hadn't heard
any rumors to that effect.
Jones said the whole purpose of the
games is to raise funds for needy
students in emergency situations.
"Last fiscal year we gave $16,500
to students in desperate circumstances.
That kind of money is difficult to raise,"
he said. "You can raise millions for a
new building, but this kind of money is
hard to come by."
With the difficulty of raising money
in mind, Jones said he explored the
electronic games possibility. He noted
that similar machines have been
installed at the Texas Medical Center,
Rice, TSU and the University of
Houston.
"I approached Dean Walker with
the proposal and he agreed to it. So did
the SBA president," Jones said.
He pointed out that the petition
noted nothing about the purpose of the
machines and the use of the funds.
"Most of those who signed the
petition didn't know where the money
was going," he claimed.
Jones said that the school has
absolutely no interest in the machines.
' 'Half of the money from them goes
to the student fund; the other half goes
to the company that owns and services
them," he said.
"We (the administration) have no
problem with the machines," he
emphasized. "But if the students don't
want them, we'll get rid of them. It
might be incumbent on those who object
to the games to submit some alternative
funding methods," he said.
Speaking to Muller's alternative to
complete removal (relocating the
machines), Jones said it is important to
keep them in a "high-traffic" area.
"We would consider moving them
of course, but only to another high-
traffic area," he said. "If we move them
to some room, we might as well get rid
of them."
The SBA voted not to act as liaison
in submitting the petition to the dean
until a more sound study of student
sentiment is done.
Form seeks
student input
On the back page of this issue is a
form you can fill out to express your
feelings about the electronic games in
the lounge.
Please complete the form in ink, sign
your name and include your student
number in the appropriate place.
You may deposit your completed form
in the box on the third floor in front of
the ANNOTATIONS office.
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Johnson, Robert. South Texas College of Law, Annotations (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 2, November, 1981, newspaper, November 1981; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth144402/m1/1/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting South Texas College of Law.