The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 65, No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 2, 1978 Page: 3 of 20
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Freshman numbers to stay small under new policy
by Debbie Gronke
While Rice students are
about a third through the
second semester, across the
country, thousands of high
school seniors watch their
mailboxes every day, waiting
for the college of their choice to
accept them. And in admis-
sions offices across the
country, committees are
deciding which of those
students to accept, and which
to reject.
The Rice admissions office
is in the same position as other
such offices across the
country, as they madly read
applications to fill the
February 10 interim decision
deadline. Admissions Director
Richard Stabell recently
discussed what he and his
committee are looking for in
the future freshman class.
The Admissions committee
is planning to admit
approximately 850 students,
(of the 2500 who apply),
expecting approximately 500
to 550 of those admitted to
matriculate this fall. At
present, there are 2700 Rice
undergraduates. By aiming
for smaller incoming classes,
the administration hopes to
reduce the size of the student
body to under 2500 within 5
years. This is in an attempt to
alleviate overcrowding in the
colleges, provide better use of
classrooms and facilities, and
avoid construction of any new
buildings in the future.
In selecting applicants, the
admissions committee divides
itself into smaller groups, and
each group is given a certain
number of applications to read
and evaluate. On average,
applications are read by each
member of the admissions sub-
group, and by two members of
the admissions staff, for a
total of 7 readings. Each
committee is given certain
quotas it has to meet.
Divisional quotas vary from
year to year, with competition
being the highest in the
engineering curriculum.
According to the Ricafjself-
study of 1972, since the
university was chartered to
serve the citizens of Texas,
there is a quota of 65%
students from in-state, leaving
35% of the openings for out of
state applicants. Stabell
stated he favors Texas
.applicants, and admits as
many qualified applicants
from the state as possible,
usually around 65 percent of
those who apply.
He values the diversity of
the present student body, but
theoretically would admit an
all-Texan student body if
enough qualified students
applied.
From the readings and
quotas, the committee then
makes the difficult decision of
whom it must reject. In the
cases of Music and Archi-
tecture applicants, the
respective school makes a
recommendation based on the
applicant's audition or
portfolio. In these cases, the
Admissions committee merely
decides whether the applicant
could handle the Rice course
load, and whether the student
would be a worthwhile
addition to the Rice com-
munity.
In the past, admissions
policies have been slightly
different. In comparing the
Rice Self-Study completed in
1972 and materials published
since then by the admissions
office, some trends become
apparent.
For instance, the size of the
incoming freshman class has
varied from a low of 450 in
1962, to a high of 630 in 1973.
All classes between 1972 and
'76 were over 600, while, as
stated above, the incoming
class of 1977 numbered 534.
Thus the admissions office's
intent to reduce the size of he
Rice undergraduate popu-
lation has just begun.
Mean SAT scores of Rice
applicants started dipping in
the mid-sixties, as did the
national norms, but the Rice
scores took an upturn in 1972,
and have been increasing
slowly ever since. In 1977, for
instance, the mean verbal
score was 630, while the mean
math score was 686. The
proportion of the class
composed of high school
valedictorians and saluta-
torians has stayed around 25%
for at least the last ten years.
Because of Rice's former no-
tuition policy, the financial
* aid office did not even exist
until 1965. Between 1965 and
1972, Rice was losing a
number of exceptional
candidates to other schools for
financial reasons, according
to Stabell. A more intensive
financial aid program was
instituted, and now approxi-
mately 45 to 50 percent of Rice
undergraduates receive some
aid from Rice during their
Services held for Crlswell
Services were held Monday
for Jim Criswell, director of
information services at Rice's
Institute for Computer
Services and Applications
(ICSA), who died Friday night
after a long fight against
cancer. He was 44.
Criswell came to Rice in
1972, after working for' the
Houston Post as a reporter
and, later, as chief librarian.
While at the Post, Criswell
helped to organize the Election
Central system for relaying
up-to-date election statistics to
local newspapers. One of his
duties after joining the ICSA
staff was to direct Election
Central's operations, which
have expanded to include
services to local radio and
television stations.
ICSA noted Criswell's
passing with a statement on
this week's printouts: "His
enthusiasm and vitality filled
his short career with many
friends and achievment. We
will miss him."
Criswell is survived by his
wife, two sons and two
daughters, and his mother,
sister, and two brothers. The
family has requested that
donations be directed to the
Fondren Library or to the Jim
Criswell Athletic Fund at St.
Anne's School.
freshman year.
Three classes of candidates
are not included in the figures
above: scholarship athletes,
members of certain minority
groups, and children of faculty
and staff. The athletes do not
fall under the usual minimum
quotas and standards. Up
until 1972, Rice encouraged
minority candidates with low
SAT scores (under 500 each) to
consider Rice. However, of
those who eventually
graduated, over 70% had
boards above 550. In the 1972
self-study, admissions
cautioned against lowering
Rice's standards in the case of
minorities without allowing
special provisions to compen-
sate for any educational
deficiencies those students
might have.
As 2400 high school
students await their judgment
from Rice, they can compare
themselves with the averages
and hope. And if rejected, they
can console themselves with
the thought that if it were
1973, they might have been
accepted after all.
i mother news, the
shah of iran has
dispatched his luife,
| the shahbanov farrah,
1 on yet another pub-
, l/c relations tour
of the united
f states.
THE FIRST PINNER IN
HER HONOR WILL BE IN
NEW YORK OTY, WHERE
MAYOR KOCH & EXPECTED
TO EARMARK * I MILLION
TO PAY FOR POLICE PRO-
TECTION FVR THE-
THE DINNERS INVITED
SPEAKER IS DR. HENRY
KISSINGER, BUT KISSIN-
GER'S GEORGETOWN UNI
VERSTTY STUDENTS ARE
SAID TO BE ORGANIZING
A FORMAL PROTEST OF,i
HIS PARTICIPATION
i takett
DONTTRY
TO CHANGE
THE SUBJECT,
DOC!
noneofyou
HAS DONE THE
READING
TODAY..
' BE tt known that u/e,
the students of henry
kissinger, are wearing
masks to symbolize. our
solidarity with the re-
pressed peoples of iran..
and
PROFESSOR KISSINGER, WE
FIND yVUR PARTICIPATION
IN THE DINNER HONORING
THE SHA-NA-NA OF IRAN
ABHORRENT, AND WE WOULD
LIKE TO MAKE THEF0LWUHN6
STATEMENT - /
you all under-
stand, of course, ,,r
that this chs-
i ruption is go- d0nt.
tng to affect car3!
some grapes!
BARNEY!
what are i need
you DOING? a bigger
\ air hole.
"BE IT KNOWN THAT WE,
THE STUDENTS OF HENRY
KISSINGER, ARE WEARING
MASKS TO SYMBOUZE OUR
SOUDARTTY WITH THE RE-
PRESSED PEOPLES OF IRAN..
we find our teach
er's participation in
the dinner honoring
the sha-na-na of
iran to be abhor-
rent, cynical.."
\
professor kissinger,
we haye a statement
\ of protest WEt> like
to make at this
barney!
we already
agreed on
the wording!
\
lES.THATS
JUST A
PRIVATE
VIEW, SIR.
REALLY,
REALLY
DISILLU
SIONING
THE REASON THEY REFER TO
THEMSELVES AS *DOCTOR "
IS BECAUSE THEY FEEL
THE TITLE GIVES THEM
AN AIR OF AlfTHORTTY
AND PROFESSIONALISM.
/
hey, doc, let me ask you
a question. have you ever
heard of dr. rassouu,
dr. rezvan, dr. shadi,
or dr. tehran! ?
i thought not.
those gentlemen
are master tor
turers at komtte
prison in tehran.
WHAT? YOU
mean THEY'RE I KNEW
NOT REAL YOU'D BE
DOCTORS?! SHOCKED.
NO, MR
hJElNBUREER,
I CAN't
SAY I..
I
PROFESSOR KISSINGER*
OL'WEINBURGER HERE'S
BEEN MAKING A PReTTY
STRONG CASE AGAINST
GOING TO THE SHA-NA
NA'S DINNER! WHAT'S YOUR
^ REPLY?
thank you, mr. perkins
i'm grateful to finally
have a chance to put
the dinner and its
sponsor in the pro- sponsor?
per perspective.. /
THE FRIENDS
OF EXXON
SOCIETY WAS
FOUNDED/N..
NO, NO, ITS
UFV
BARNEY-
ONLY FAIR.
NEVER
let him give
HIS SIDE!
I
MOREOVER, WTTH THE KIND
OF PERSONAL DIPLOMACY THAT
THIS DINNER. REPRESENTS, WE
J AVOID THE POSSIBILITY OF
3 PUBLIC GAFFES URE THE ONE
' WHICH MARRED MR. CARTERS
yisnioi
mr, DOC, THAT WASNT
REALLY ANY BIG DEAL
THOUGH, WAS TT? DONT
YOU THINK THE POLES
TOOK THE''CARNAL DE-
SIRE" REMARK ALL IN
.6000FUN?
in good
FUN? can
you be why
serious? not?
MR. PERKINS, THE
LAST PEOPLE TO
CARNALLY DESIRE
POLAND STAYED
FOR FOUR YEARS!
oh, RIGHT,
1 HEARD
ABOUT THAT.
the rice thresher,VebruHry 2, 1978 — page 3
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Parker, Philip. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 65, No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 2, 1978, newspaper, February 2, 1978; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245359/m1/3/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.