The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, March 6, 1992 Page: 2 of 20
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2 FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 1992 THE RICE THRESHER
OPINION
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Faculty should approve
curriculum revisions
Converting pass/fail designation to a grade
after finals would motivate students
Allowing students to convert their "Pass" back to a letter grade
up to three weeks after the semester ends would provide an
additional incentive for students to put forth full effort in a class for
more than the first ten weeks, the current deadline for converting
the pass/fail designation to a grade.
Students who diligently work through finals in pass/fail classes
(when a "D" receives the same merit as an "A") deserve the
recognition for their work. The option to revert to a grade provides
that venue. The students earn those grades, regardless of the
original designation at registration. Otherwise, the students have
no motivation to continue working in a class they are sure to pass.
In a difficult class, students could still take classes pass/fail and
work at full-effort but wait through finals to redesignate their grade
without penalizing themselves. If the students do well, they re-
ceive the high grade. If they do poorly on the final or are caught in
a time crunch during finals week, they are not penalized but keep
the "P" on their transcript.
The limit of one pass/fail class per semester (four over the
course of a student's education) prevents students from washing
their transcripts free of any "unacceptable" grades.
Approving the pass/fail conversion option could only further
motivate students to study all semester.
Managerial studies valuable as a second major
The managerial studies major should be retained as an aspect
of the curriculum, but only as a second major. A double major in
another area would supplement the managerial studies program's
requirements while retaining the current benefits of the second
largest major at Rice.
Currently, the major only requires ten courses (five of which are
below the 300 level) and five additional distribution classes.
Managerial studies provides a general business background
for students who want to broaden their humanities or science
major. The major requires classes that businesses often value and
reassures students who major in less marketable areas that they
can and will find a job.
However, managerial studies alone does not adequately chal-
lenge any Rice student. Already, 80% of all students who major in
managerial studies are double majors. Mandating the additional
work from the remaining 20% would both increase their academic
requirements and create a well-rounded graduate.
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Area majors promote open-mindedness
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Ann Zitterkopf, Harlan Howe
Editors-in-chief
Chad Carson
Managing Editor
NEWS
Leezie Kim Editor
Eric Carmichael, Kraettli
Epperson Assistant Editors
Jean Kosela, John McCoy, Brad
Monton, Tony Chen, Mark
Schoenhals, Shala Phillips
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Shala Phillips Editor
Ross Grady Columnist
Eric Hahn, Dorry Segev, Tony
Chen, Stan Hsue, Jill Salomon,
liooth Babcock
BACKPAGE
Heidi Huettner Editor
M. Wasz Cartoonist
SPORTS
Peter Howley Editor
Tim I .am Scoreboard
Paul Abosh, Randy Block, Erica
Levine, John Garrett, Marilyn
Moore, Terzah Ewing, I>aura
Boms, Riva Raul, Theo
Mallinson
© COPYRIGHT 1992
David Mansfield
Business Manager
OPINION
Mark Schoenhals Editor
Jason Olsen, James Castaneda
PHOTOGRAPHY
Chris Sonneborn Editor
Eric Hahn Assistant Editor
Barbara Solon, James Yao
FEATURES
Shaila Dewan Editor
PRODUCTION
Josh Denk Production Manager
Thomas Anderson, John
McCoy, Kevin Mistry, Steve
Rodrigues, Joanna Tse, Kei
Furukana, David Hale, I .aura
Atkinson
BUSINESS
Shane Speciale Ads Manager
Chris Cowles Asst. Bus. Man-
ager
George Nickas Ads Production
Keith LaFoe, Adrian C. Liserio,
John Schwartz, Circulation
Phone: 527-4801
Perhaps for different reasons, the fac-
ulty decided to continue the area ma-
jors program. See news article on the
front page.
—MDS
To the editors,
In the February 21 issue of the
Thresher, I found buried in the depths
of the paper a small article stating
that the University Council had voted
to terminate the area majors program.
I feel that this action is totally un-
warranted and will only further es-
calate the feelings of closed-
mindedness that already inhabit the
various departments of this univer-
sity. The distinction between SEs and
academs and musicians and archi-
tects already promotes a feeling of
exclusion among students, and the
inability of students to combine these
areas will be lost, as well as any pos-
sible bridge between these separate
disciplines.
The argument that there is no
incentive to the faculty only shows
the lack of dedication on the part of
the faculty to the students. The in-
centives should include fostering new
ideas and creativity, along with a feel-
ing of open-mindedness among stu-
dents. If this major does not fit into an
already established category, which
the university so cherishes, so much
the better for the student who has
bridged the gap between the various
disciplines.
I would like to see the students
take a stand against this stifling of
the creative mind. Without the area
major, students have no choice ex-
cept to study what the university de-
cides is acceptable, which may or
may not be advantageous to the stu-
dent With strongerfaculty guidance,
this program could eliminate any
"academically unsound" area majors
and help develop a curriculum that
will benefit the student in his or her
area of interest Without the area
major, Rice will be losing a major part
of its identity, the openness and dedi-
cation to the student that we all value
so much as students and faculty.
Thomas Fowlkes
SRC '95
Faculty recommends starting standing
committee to bolster Honor Council
The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper at Rice University since 1916, Is
published each Friday during the school year, except during examination periods and
holidays, by the students of Rice University. Editorial and business offices are located on
the second floor of the Ley Student Center, P.O. Box 1892, Houston. Texas, 77251.
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Monday prior to publication. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the
Thresher Editorial Staff. All other pieces represent the opinion of the author. Obviously.
To the editors,
On 21 January 1992, Faculty
Council held a meeting open to all
faculty for the express purpose of
discussing the Honor System at Rice
in light of recent well-publicized
cases. The approximately forty at-
tending faculty freely expressed their
views and concluded with a recom-
mendation for Faculty Council action,
which has since been enacted. Before
detailing the faculty's thoughts, let
me say at the outset that the faculty
want the Honor Code to work at Rice
and do not feel it is fatally flawed.
Schools that do not have tin Honor
Code are much the worse for their
lack. However, the faculty do feel
that the operation of Honor System
at Rice could be improved by both
faculty and students. Toward thisend,
their recommendation has the effect
of strengthening faculty-student ties
in an effort to enhance the Honor
Code traditional to the academic en-
vironment here at Rice.
The Faculty's recommendation,
unanimously passed by the faculty's
elected representativesthat comprise
Faculty Council, repeats a recom-
mendation made in the 1984 Self-
Study. 11
A University Standing Committee
on the Honor System should be es-
tablished to advise and assist the
Honor Council. 1
This recommendation has been
forwarded to President Rupp, who is
considering it. The Faculty feels that
establishing a liaison committee con-
sisting of faculty (appointed by the
President) and of the Chair and Vice-
Chair of the Honor Council would
greatly facilitate faculty understand-
ing of consensus penalties, student
awareness of faculty concerns on the
severity of penalties, and faculty/
student training in how to best effect
Rice's Honor System
The sharp upturn in Honor Code
violations does concern the faculty
deeply, forcing those who have been
here several years to wonder why
the frequency of cheating has ap-
parently increased so dramatically.
Do more students now feel that
cheating offers the only way to suc-
ceed academically? Has the imple-
mentation of the Honor System
evolved to the point where cheating
is an overwhelming temptation? As I
listened to the exchange of ideas dur-
ing the Honor Council's Open Forum,
1 understood the rationale for the
current system when the violation
involved individual choice. However,
the apparent conspiratorial nature of
Case #6 troubled most faculty, in-
cluding myself, deeply. Abolishing
the Honor System will not reduce the
frequency of cheating. Increasing
faculty awareness of proper seating
during exams, designing guidelines
for formulating quizzes in
multisection courses, and developing
faculty awareness of the kind of of-
fenses that do occur can all be posi-
tive outcomes of the proposed Stand-
ing Committee on the Honor System.
However, it is ultimately the student
who cheats o n an exam or plagiarizes
a paper. Structural improvements in
the Honor System can only go so far;
what might be termed cultural
changes need to occur in the student
body to return the Honor System to a
treasured status at Rice.
Don H. Johnson
Speaker, Faculty Council
Professor, Electrical & Com-
puter Engineering
Unity Through Diversity Week
March 9 to March 14
If you hear something that provokes you
to think something provocative, write it
down and submit it as an editorial.
Lectures, brown bag lunches, study breaks, movies, and food.
Watch for signs.
This ad courtesy of the Rice Thresher.
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Zitterkopf, Ann & Howe, Harlan. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, March 6, 1992, newspaper, March 6, 1992; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245807/m1/2/: accessed May 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.