The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 29, 1979 Page: 2 of 16
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The Rice Thresher,March 29,1979, Page 2
Matusow's class
inspires the best
Michelle L. Heard
Last night was the first time
in two years that I came home
from the Reserve Room feeling
like I had learned something. I
wasn't reading dusty old Max
Weber or Proust or Goethe. I
was reading papers written by
my fellow students for
Matusow's America in the
Sixties seminar.
The fact that the papers were
much more interesting than the
books we read for required
assignments was reassuring. In
the midst of all the strange,
selfish people I have known at
Rice, here were some students
that fit the image of the Rice
student that admissions
brochures and Hackerman's
speeches proclaim as so special.
I thought the papers were
good because they explained
the War on Poverty far better
than any texts we had read for
the course. Here was clear
evidence that some Rice
students do think and are
highly capable of expressing
their thoughts to each other.
Reading those papers made
me think of a moment in
Herbert Ross' The Way We
Were, when Streisand looked
out at a crowd of Harvard-type
classmates and said, "You're
the best and the brightest
generation this country has
ever seen." It's not very often
that I think that about Rice
students, but that is a bias
formed throughout a year of
disappointment. Nevertheless,
some of you out there are just
damn good at whatever you do
and it is an honor to be
graduating with you.
To the Editor:
I have been persecuted no
end, and I feel that it is time to
say something. I must be heard
so that everyone out there like
me will know that they are not
alone.
I am fed up with this "disco
sucks" garbage that seems to be
going around. This discrimina-
tion is unfair and it serves no
purpose but to humiliate those
who enjoy disco and the disco
genre that has been evolving.
To be frank, I was lost before
disco. My personality isn't
outstanding, and my bod is
even less attractive. People
were always ignoring me and
refusing to treat me as a human
being. Now it's all different. I
can put on my leisure suit and
patent leather shoes and pour^
on the ol' cologne and presto!
I'm Disco Hell and I can do
anything, because no one
knows who I really am.
The disco beat itself is easy to
follow. There's no intricate
musical riffs and it doesn't
really take any talent. Disco
never fools me or lets me down.
It's as constant and basic as it
can be, and it lifts me to such
wondrous heights while I count
the beats silently to myself. It
Letters to the editor
helps me keep up with the
rhythm.
Despite the obvious
superiority of disco, some
people refuse to accept it.
That's because they haven't
ever tried! Give in, you boring
idiots! Give in to disco. Let it
mean everything to you that it
does to me. Go out and buy the
shiny clothes and shiny shoes.
It's livin'! Then later, after
you're a master of disco, you
can wear the black nylon
panties and black mesh nylons
under the baggy pants. Talk
about livin'!
So go for it, and quit putting
it down. It's the greatest!
Otto "Buddy" Chambliss
Give in to Jesus! Let him
mean everything to you that it
does to me! (Or Krishna, or
Baba Ram Dass, or the
Ayatollah Khoumeni, or Jim
Jones...).
Dear Editor:
At first, I thought that Liz
Heitman's letter in last week's
Thresher was a satire, but after
reading that she had won a
Watson Fellowship, I realized
that she must have been
sincere. So, I gave it some
serious thought, and I feel that
the idea has merit.
Considering the following:
A squad of cheerleaders
costs much less to maintain
than an athletic team. A typical
cheerleader is smaller than the
average linebacker. She
requires fewer feedings, and is
easier to transport.
Also, it has been shown that
cheerleaders attract as much
attention from a largely male
audience as do the players. If
you find the right girl and put
her in the right outfit, nobody
will notice that the Owls are
down by twenjty.
Another thing, athletes are
bigger risks than cheerleaders.
Jocks can get injured or not live
up to expectations, but
cheerleaders are a sure bet.
Of course, the University
would have to make a few
changes, but these will be
redressed by the benefits such a
group can bring to the Rice
community. Some of the
changes might include taking
up extra space in each of the
College Commons to provide
the sis-boom-bah girls with a
steady diet of hamburgers and
milkshakes. There might also
be a need to create new courses
such as:
ENGL 060 MODERN
AMERICAN COMMER-
CIAL WRITING
Nicknamed "Poetry for
Pom-Pom Girls," this
class will focus on the
work of Rod McKuen.
3-0-12.
HIST 009 LITERATURE
IN ANALYZATION
This course, which lasts an
entire year, covers an
entire Gothic novel.
Students will closely
examine one book by
Victoria Holt.
1-1-81/2
I also feel qualified students
such as myself should be
allowed to have a major hand
in exploring for qualified
personnel. After scouring
several hundred lists of
prospects (including The
National All- American
Cheerleading Championship
Winner's List of Cheerleaders
in America Today, Mel's Auto
Parts Catalogue, and The
Princeton Tiger), I have found
one girl who I think exemplifies
exactly what we are looking
for.
Betty Sue Billy Jo Klumpf—
5'3", 106 lbs.; Amarillo High
School. Betty Sue's quick
hands won her the title of State
Champion Baton Twirler.
She's also a member of the
color guard and a majorette.
Despite her diminuitive
stature, she possesses
enormous lung capacity and
refuses the aid of a megaphone.
Betty Sue has attended
cheerleading camp every
summer since she was two years
old. Her mother remarks,
"Betty Sue could cheer before
she could talk." In fact, she still
has not learned how to talk.
Instead, she communicates
through the use of giggles.
We're rooting for you Betty
Sue. I know I speak for all
American males when I say,
"More sex with our violence!"
Thank you very much for
your time.
Your friend and mine,
Martin ("Boogie") Waldron
'82 Baker
QUICK
GOT Me
MISSION _
CONTRPLl
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The Rice Thresher
Letters to the Editor should not exceed250
.words and are subject to being cut to that
length or less if longer. The editorial staff
reserves the right to edit such letters and does
not guarantee to publish any letter. Each
letter must be signed, show the address of the
writer and list a telephone number for
verification.
Address correspondence to Letters to the
Editor, The Rice Thresher, Box 1892,
Houston, Texas 7 7001.
Guest editorials are welcome and are
encouraged.
The Rice Thresher is represented
nationally by Communications and
Advertising Services to Students,
Inc., Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas,
Detroit, New York, San Francisco
and Los Angeles.
Published since 1916 by the
students of Rice University
1978-79 Thresher Staff
Editor Michelle Leigh Heard
Business Manager Jay Oliphant
Editor .... Jamie Strauss
The Rice Thresher is published on
Thursdays during the school year
except during examination periods
and holidays. Mail subscriptions are
$15 each year.
Business and editorial offices are
located on the second floor of the
Rice Memorial Center on the Rice
Campus.
Advertising rates are furnished on
request. Phone 527-4801 or -4802.
Rights of reproduction of all
matter herein are reserved.
Photo Editor Wayne Derrick
Advertising Dale Charletta
Copy Editor A1 Hirshberg
Sports Editor Greg Holloway
Back Page Editor .. John Szalkowski
Photographers Buster Brown,
Steve Home
Humor Michael Cruzcosa
Editor-elect Matt Muller
Staff Writers F. Brotzen, Bert
Baker, Paul Check, David Dow,
Richard Dees, Thom Glidden, Russ
Henderson, Tom Peck, Tom
Samuels, Steve Sailer, Margaret
Schauerte, Wendy Kilpatrick
Typesetters Vikki Kaplan,
Debra Davies Huffman, Wendy
Kilpatrick
Production Matt Dore, Maia Phan,
Richard Dees, Wendy Kilpatrick
Circulation Manager .. Tim Haney
Copyright ® ^79 Ay The Rice Thresher
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Heard, Michelle Leigh. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 29, 1979, newspaper, March 29, 1979; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245401/m1/2/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.