The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 36, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 23, 1949 Page: 2 of 4
four pages : ill. ; page 21 x 15 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Two
THE THRESHER
Handbook Will Appear/
Finances Undecided
Dean Cameron has announced definitely that there will be
a Rice Handbook next vfhich will contain "everything but
cooking recipes." It will have copies of the Student Council and
Honor Council constitutions, parking regulations, a calendar of ac-
tivities, and similar information of genera] interest. The issue which,
remains undecided is the problem of financing the undertakng. In
the event that the Rice Institute and the Student Council find them-
selves unable to publish the Handbook, the always sore subject of
raising the Blanket tax price will be considered. If this plan is indeed
contemplated, the question should be put before the students them-
selves in a popular referendum. The merits of the handbook should
be explained and the increase in price of the blanket tax should be
stated. Then the students should be allowed to choose for them-
selves. In the final analysis, they are the ones who will both read
the handbook and pay for it.
o
College Bridge Contest
Deserves Rice Support
In view of the widespread popularity of Bridge as a pastime
at the Rice Institute, it seems strange that the Intercollegiate Bridge
I ournament has been received with such typical apathy. The first
notice of the tournament was printed in the TTiresher last Saturday.
By Monday noon, Mr. Cameron had received only two applications.
I Tie tournament itself is to take place Wednesday night in the Stu-
dent Lounge.
There are perhaps eight hundred bridge players here at Rice.
Surely some of these consider themselves to be good players. It
would be discouraging to think that these good bridge players are
too lazy to go to the Lounge. 1 he rewards offered are certainly
worth the effort.
As the matter stands now, with the paucity of students entered,
the competition cannot be very strong. Eight finalists are.to be chosen
from the Rice Institute. If only eight players enter, they will win
automatically, but if less than eight students sign up, there can be
no contest. In all other'sports. Rice competes with other schools, why
should one of almost universal interest be so neglected?
0
Attendance Suggested
At Council Meeting
1 oday at noon the Student Council is having a special meeting
in order to give the students a last chance to assist in the revision of
the new constitution. 1 he proposed draft of the constituion was pub-
lished in full in last Saturday's I hresher.
It is inevitable that some students will disagree with portions
of the document, since no group, however heterogeneous, can please
everybody. 1 he Student Council and its Constitutional Committee
nt not only willing, bul anxious to hear at this time the objections,
complaints, and suggestions of any or all students. Since this new
constitution will probably control activities at the Institute for a long
nine and affect a great many people, it is certainly an obligaion to
each student to attend the meeting and express his opinions. Student
v government is no better or worse than the students themselves make it.
WEDNESDAY EDITION
Managing Editor
Assistant
Emmett McGeever
Foster, Van Orsdale
7HEK/CE m 7WKESHEX
Editor
Assistant Editor
Business Manager
Assistant Business Manager
Dorm News '. Ted Cornelia
Sports David Miller
Assistant Howard Martin
Intramurals Dewey Gonsoulin
Socifc.,/ Eleanor Sticelber
Assistants—Marty Gibson,
Bev Hawkins
Make-up Carol Wheeler
Fanfare Betty Faye Grosse
Photographer .... Nelson Miller
Salesman Ernest Voss
Regular Reporters—John
Blakemore, Don Eddy,
Etta Colish, Bill Collins,
Camilla Grobe, Charlie
Wolf, David Braden.
Brady Tyson
Robert Mcllhenny
Nancy Hood
Tom Smith
Published every Wednesday and every
Saturday of the regular school year
except during holiday and examination
periods by the students of the Rice
Institute. Kditorial and advertising of-
fices are in the -Fondren Library on
the campus.
Entered as second class mailing mat-
ter, October 17, 1916, at the Post
Office, Houston, under the act of
March 3, 1879.
Represented by National Advertising
Service, Inc., 420 Madison Ave., New
York City.
RI Editor Defends Position on Editorial;
Urges Brotherhood of Faculty, Students
To Editors Tyson, Mcllhenny, and Cowan:
Dear Sirs:
RI was, admittedly, exaggerating in "High School or College?" to
make a point, in the usual journalistic tradition. There are numerous
exceptions to our charges. But the fact remains that we think they are
exceptions. I disagree thoroughly with your statement that the "eager"
professors are the rule—but to prove either your position or mine on this
point would involve personalities, —
which have no place here.
That our faculty and student body
are better than most is no answer:
it is not enough to rest on our self-
righteous laurels. Great ideas have
never been produced by men who
Were content to be simply better
than average. The fact that we have
a tremendous advantage to start
with—a highly selective faculty and
student body—makes us all the more
obligated to avail ourselves fully
of our material. It is understandable
when the students at Podunk Poly-
tech think only in terms of future
salaries; when the supposedly cream
of the nation's intelligentsia do, it
is disastrous—cf. Rome.
You are entirely right when you
say that the students should be in-
tested in these things of general
intellectual quality, without the pro-?
fessors having to stimulate their
interest. But it is all very well to
agree as to what should be; that
does not make it so. Your reasoning
here seems to parallel that of the
Tories who opposed the liberal re-
forms of the 1830's, on the grounds
that the poor should not be poor.
In your article you accused RI of
taking the easy way out by passing
the blame to the professors; whereas
you yourselves are blaming the stu-
dents' failure on high school teach-
ers ("in high school our teachers
told us . . . ") and on society in
general. This is not only an even
more "pat" explanation, but it com-
pletely removes the question from
all possibility of solution. You call
the students book-laden asses pushed
around by "social and moral curses
of intolerance" in one breath, yet
in the next you insist that it is their
own fault that they are "victims of
environment." To be consistent you
would, I presume, also claim that its
was the German people's fault that
they let Hitler take them in. To this
extent I agree: that the exceptional
people can rise above environmental
influences. Therefore I assume that
you look on Rice as a moral testing
ground—only the fittest will survive
their formal hi^h school discourage-
ment and their present "fear o^
revolution against majority domina-
tion." Thus Hitler gave the Jews a
magnificent opportunity to prove
their moral excellence.
We will all agree that "our chief
fault is our failure to realize the
chief purpose and function of a
university." But why do we fail to
pdnlize this ? No one was born with
this knowledge. The student's atti-
tude is not the fault of the faculty
insofar as they did not create it, but
it is their fault in that they do not
correct it, when it is in their power
to do so. The faculty, presumably,
do realize that a true university can
not be simply a glorified trade
school; a large majority of the stu-
dents. by their own admission, come
to college to enable them to get a
better job. It is up to the faculty
to sh w them where they err, as it
has been up to teachers of all kinds
before and since the days of Chrisb.
This is not simply a matter to be
passed off lightlv with statements
like "they're onlv hurting them-
selves" and "their icnorance is their
own fault and their own loss." It
troes far deeper than that. They are
hurting the other students, the pro- •
fessors. the Rice Institute, and the
whole idea of the Universitv. I can
almost see the glee with which Joe
Stalin and Ana Pauker would rub
their hands if they could overhear
some of the Rice students' sophistic
c a t e d conversations proclaiming
their materialistic attitude towards
life. I do not remember Jan Masa-
rky saying, "It is the people's own
fault if they are mere asses and are
ignorant of what they are doing to
themselves." But, of course, he's
dead now.
As Dr. McKillop pointed out, and
no one will deny, there is no magic
formula for solving educational dif-
ficulties. There is no magic formula
for solving any complex problem of
life, but that does not mean we
should not try. As a suggestion for
a definite answer as to what could
be done: why not follow the Forum
pattern on a departmental level. The
members of the departments could
hold informal meetings, say every
Wednesday night, alternating among
themselves, where groups of inter-
ested students could meet and talk
about anything, the professors di-
recting. For example, the science-
engineering instructors could take
up the story of the ideas behind the
formulae the students memorize—
discuss Newton's conception of space
as absolute as opposed to Einstein's
idea that space is relative to time.
Another plan which might produce
positive results would be for the
faculty to divide the incoming fresh-
men among themselves, each taking
about five, and act as their adviser
during the first year. They could
have a "heart-to-heart" talk with
their charges before school opened,
explaining to them that the pur-
pose of a university is to stimulate
concrete progressive thought; that
it is not to take a certain number of
courses and pass a certain number
of quizzes. They could explain why
a student should not cheat—not
merely throw the same old plati-
tudes at him, but show him how the
whole conception of University de-
pends on honesty. These instructors
could carry their five students
through their freshman year, advis-
ing them when necessary, listening
to their complaints, and just being
a general big brother. It would take
a certain amount of time and effort
on the part of the faculty, about
five hours three times a year, but
it might do a lot of good and could
hardly do any harm.
The main point of this whole dis-
cussion is not to "fix the blame" on
anyone, but to realize the situation
as it exists, and do something about
it.
—June Davis.
O
CANDIDATES —
(Continued from Page 1)
curricular organizations. "In order
to function as an effective unit on
the campus, the freshman class must
have officers whosp perspective and
understanding can encompass the
problems of both dorm students and
those who live in town. I feel that I
am qualified to serve as secretary-
treasurer in a capable and efficient
manner because of my experience."
Dick Wilson —
Dick Wilson—graduated from
Lampasas High School, class presi-
dent for two years, received Ameri-
can Legion Citizenship Award. "I
will do my best to keep straight
records and to keep (to the best of
my ability) the class funds away*
from the president and my room-
mates. The purpose of this saving is
to build the backbone of the class
funds that are to carry our class to-
gether—through the big affairs of
this and future vears."
News Monopoly Should Not Be Taken
As Monopoly of Editorial Thought
by Brady Tyson
The Thresher is endowned with
an imposing responsibility—it is a
newspaper monopoly. As such, its
responsibilities to its student read-
ers are very important, and should
bear periodic re-examination by both
its editors and its subscribers.
Besides the obvious function of
reporting campus news in an accu-
rate, complete, and unbiased man-
ner, the Thresher is also the meet-
ing groupd for expression of student
opinion, concerning not only campus
issues, but local, state, * national,
moral, political, educational, scienti-
fic, economic, and cultural issues
that may be of particular interest to
groups of students. As an organ
through which opinions are express-
ed, the freedom of expression al-
lowed by the editors, £fnd exercised
by the students, becomes of para-
mount interest.
Few will claim that the Thresher
can with integrity deny to any stu-
dent its letters to the editor column
for the expression of student opin-
ions. But the responsibilities of the
Thresher are even greater than this.
It is the responsibility of the
Thresher to report fairly all contro-
versies. to stimulate fair and honest
discussions, and to provide its read-
ers with a full and temperate pres-
entation" of all sides of a contro-
versy.
To this end the Thresher offers
not only its Letters to the Editor
column, but the use of space on the
editorial pages of the Thresher for
signed articles. If in the opinion of
the editors of the Thresher submit-
ted articles deal intelligently with
a matter that deserves objective
public consideration the article will
be printed, regardless of its length
and the particular view expressed.
Should the editors decide that the
article suffers too much injection of
the writer's personality, they are-'
justified in asking the writer to
withdraw its application as an
article so that it may be printed as a
letter to the editor.
The Thresher stands ready to
print any article, on any side of any
question (subject to the above quali-
fications), regardless of whether or
not it happens to agree with a par-
ticular Thresher editorial policy
dealing with that subject. It is the
responsibility of the Thresher to
afford all such articles equal privi-
leges with. Thresher editorials by
giving them equal space, "printing
them at a time that is favorable, etc.
This is the responsibility of any
newspaper monopoly, whether it be -
a campus monopoly of a municipal
monopoly.
The Thresher editorial policy rep-
resents the opinions of the editors
of the newspaper as to the correct
opinion in any controversy that they
choose to make subject of their edi-
torials. But should the editors of the
Thresher ever become content with
just presenting their side of issues
then they might well be reminded
of their position as a newspaper
monopoly, and its responsibilities.
Not only willingness to print op-
posing opinions is necessary, but a
positive effort to find out opposing
opinions, and to endeavor to present
them to the students in the best
possible and truest way is necessary.
Though the Thresher is entitled to
have its own opinions, it still has
the responsibility of presenting the
other views, and stimulating such
presentations as may be lacking.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 36, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 23, 1949, newspaper, February 23, 1949; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth230791/m1/2/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.