The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 58, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 14, 1949 Page: 2 of 8
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Two
THE THRESHER
Majority Vote Monday
Will Show Confidence
Students will have an opportunity Monday to indicate what
sort of Student Association they want. If they reject the incomplete
By-Law passed by the Student Council recently, it will be a clear
indication to the Student Council that Rice students demand that
a section be inserted in the Guidance By-Law which will specifically
put this Student Association on record as opposing physical hazing.
Remanding the By-Law to the Council, even by a majority vote,
should be ample proof to anyone that Rice students want their
Student Association to stand only for the highest ideals, and to make
their Student Association something all can view with pride.
I he Student Council Thursday adopted the only possible course
when a discussion of physical hazing reaches the open discussion
phrase—they condemned it and pledged their activities to do all in
their power not to allow it by any group formed as a recognizable
part of this Student Association. At their meeting Tuesday it will
be possible for them to amend their By-Law so as to remove the
possibility that people might think the Rice Student Association
either ignores or approves of physical hazing.
Voting against the By-Law as it was originally passed by the
Student Council would in effect be a vote of confidence for the Stu-
dent Council—it would be taken by the Student Council as meaning
that Rice students approve of the resolution passed by the Council
1 hursday, and wish their representatives to put it into as much effect
as the Student Council has pbwfer. Putting the force of Student
Association opinion, as well as that of the Student Council, would be
the first step necessary before this blot against Rice's character can
be removed completely, and it is a necessary one to pave the way for
constructive action by students to help Rice develop into one of the
finest universities in the country.
Indicate your desire to stand by the best principles, to put
your Student Association on record as opposed to hazing, by voting
against the By-Law as originally passed. Show you, believe that
not only can things be made better, but that you are willing to do
your share. Aroused public opinion, indignant public condemnation^
is the only sure and complete way of putting this Student Association
on record as opposing physical hazing.
0
And Now Oratory - - -
1 he meeting of the Student Council held Thursday was one
of the most significant this year; and indeed, for a good many years
in the past. TTie Williams Jenning Brant oratory and prepared
speech which dominated the business of the day is a far cry from
the helter-skelter discussion which has occupied the Council's business,
and the ratheV asinine "debate" on the corsage' question which was
carried on a few years ago.
Whether or not everyone is in agreement with the context of
the speech, it is important because it brings the Student Council out
of its baby-hood. It points to careful work and thought outside
of Council meeting, and prepares the way for more intelligent dis-
cussions and consideration of Council business.
1 hough the-speech itself and the ensuing discussion were lacking
on some points, the type of preparation and thinking it provoked is
an indication of the level which student discussion is seeking.
SATURDAY EDITION
Managing Editor Emmett McGeever
Assistants Werner Granbaum, Ruey Boone,
mwzQmKssMBR
Acting Editor Robert Mcfflienny
Editor .* '. Brady Tyson
Business Manager Nancy Hood
Assistant Business Manager Tom Smith
Entered as second class mailing fltav
ler, 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
Fork City.
Published every Wednesday and every
Saturday of the regular school ^year
•xcept during holiday and examination
periods by the students of the Rice
institute. Editorial and advertising of-
fices are in the Fondren Library on
the campus.
Rice Student Opinion Measured In Poll;
Rice Thresher Is Severely Criticized
by Peggy Eckols
With the kind cooperation of the Thresher staff in sub-
mitting to such a poll a questionnaire was prepared containing
questions of interest to the student body, the questions being
stated objectively as nearly as possible. The questions were
as follows: (X) Do you read the Thresher? (2) Do you like
the Thresher? (3) If you were editor of the Thresher, would you take
stands that are not the opinion of the majority of students? (4) Do you
think the Thresher now takes stands that are not the opinion of the
majority? (5) Would you as editor of the Thresher present only articles
of campus interest? (6) As editor of the Thresher would you take stands
on political issues? (7) On presentation of opinions should both sides
of the issue be represented? (8) In general do you think the reporting
of news has been slanted? (9) Do you think the news coverage of the
Thresher is adequate? (10) Do the benefits of the selective membership
organizations outweigh the detriments?
Twelve interviewers each contacted from five to ten persons as was
necessary to work out a sufficient and properly proportioned sample.
It is an extremely small sample containing 4.5% of the student body
(sixty-eight people) grouped as nearly as possible to the grouping of
the student body as a whole according to sex, classification, and course
of study. The interviewers were thusly divided to aid in the control of
the sample. Of the sixty-eight interviewed fifteen were women and
forty-three men.
Lower Higher
Division Division
Academics 11 9
Pre Medics 2 8
Architects 6 0
P. E 2 1
Engineer 12 12
Graduate
2
0
0
0
3
Totals
22
10
6
3
27
30
68
Totals 33
It is easy to see that this is not a perfect cross section, but the
sample was actually controlled by the totals. .
Qualified answers are included in the over all percentages of yes,
no, and don't know answers for each question. Qualifications quoted are
merely examples and not to be taken as over all indications.
TABLE OF PERCENTAGES IN OVER ALL TABULATION:
Don't Unan-
Know swered
v>
Yes
1. Read Thresher 100.0
2. Like Thresher 41.2
3. Non-majority opinions 53.0
4. Thresher on non-majority opinions .... 79.4
5. Campus interest 39.7
6. Political issues 39.7
7. Both sides of issue 95.6
8. News slanting 64.7
9. News coverage 26.5
10. Selective membership organizations .. . 38.2
The whole group reads the
Thresher; however, 5.9% read it
only partially. 41.2% like the
Thresher, * 36.8% do not like it,
20.6% don't know, and 1.5% left
the question ananswered. 19.4% of
these answers were qualified, some
examples of the qualifications being
such as, "Some issues of the
Thresher contain some interesting
features, however the general trend
of the Thresher is usually dull. They
need more articles that interest Rj.ce
students, feature articles, cartoons,
and articles on current events. iJlost
Rice students are concerned with
events that take place on the cam-
pus, and, although a few students
have an ardent interest in things
that take place outside the campus,
I don't believe the majority of the
students read the Thresher to find
out what's wrong with the world."
"It is a pretty good paper at
times, but it-seems a little radical
for the greater part."
"The Thresher is what I con-
sider to be a noble effort. Taking
into consideration the fact that Rice
has no journalism department, I
think that the students printing the
Thresher are doing an excellent and
commendable job."
53% do not think that the opinion
of the majority necessarily has to
be taken as the stand of the editor
on an issue. 36.8% think the stands
should be the same as majority
opinion, and 10.3% don't know.
Example qualifications being, "Off
the campus the paper represents
what is going on at Rice and there-
fore should not represent a minor-
ity."
"It is alright to take stands some-
times that are not the opinion of
the majority, but they should make
it clear whether or not they are the
opinions of the majority."
No
36.8
36.8
7.4
53.0
48.6
2.9
20.6
69.1
32.4
20.6
10.3
13.2
7.4
11.8
11.8
2.9
27.9
1.5
1.5
2.9
1.5
1.5
79.4% think the Thresher now
takes stands that are not the opin-
ion of the majority, 7.4% think not,
and 10.3% are undecided. 39.7%
would present only articles of cam-
pus interest, 54% would, also, in-
clude articles of general interest,
and 7.5% don't know. 39.7% believe
stands should be taken on political
issues, 48.6% believe not, and 11.8%
are undecided. These answers were
qualified by such statements as, "It
is not* the duty of the editor to take
stands on political issues. He is only
to reflect the opinions of the stu-
dwent. He can control too much the
opinions of the students." "If in-
formed and qualified."
95.6% feel that both sides of the
issue should be represented on pre-
sentation of opinions, 2.9% do not
feel that it is necessary, and 1.5%
did not answer the question. 64.7%
think that in general the reporting
of news has been slanted, 20.6%
think that it has not, 2.9% don't
know, and 2.0% did not answer.
Some qualifications on this are like,
"The sin of omission often gives the
wrong idea to the reader."
"In general now, in some in-
stances, ves."
"The Thresher should in my lay-
man's opinion detail' out one part
of a news item without detailing it
all."
26.5% think the news coverage
of the Thresher is adequate, 69.1%
think it .is inadequate, 2.9% don't
know, and 1.5% left this unanswer-
ed. Qualifying'statements are such
as, "It does not thoroughly < cover
camrius life. For any other school
in the Southwest Conference we are
able to find out about their sports
in the dailv papers and the same is
true for Rice, but what do we find
in the Thresher?—Alot of bull that
someone thinks up and puts in ft
column with his picture at the top."
"More accuracy—more, much
more sports."
"Reporting is not always accurate.
Why have not technical articles
(articles on technical subjects) writ-
ten by someone who has at least a
'slight knowledge of the subject."
38.2% think that the benefits of
selective membership organizations
outweigh their detriments, 32.4% do
not think so, 27.9% don't know, and
1.5% did not answer. Examples of
qualifications are, "Not necessarily,
the ones who might derive great
benefit from the social set up of an
organization are most often the ones
who are not members. Those who
are invited to be members are so-
cially inclined, usually, and the or-
ganization serves only to enhance
their social development."
"Any good that these organiza-
tions do could be accomplished
equally as well by open membership
clubs, and the broken hearts, hurt
feelings, and inferiority complexes
they cause are useless and cruel."
"The only detriment is* undemo-
cratic selection. The benefits are
enormous—the conviviality of kin-
dred souls, the warm glow that
emanates from the fireside of bro-
therhood; the merging and fusing
of hearts with like desires into a
torch of leadership which lights the
path of progress to a finer world,
and finally the ability to walk in
the sunset of life, a ftner, broader
man, enriched by his contacts with
a benevolent mankind."
40% of the women students in-
terviewed belong to a selective mem-
bership organization and feel that
the benefits outweigh the detri-
ments, 13.'3% belong, but do not feel
that the benefits outweigh the det-
diments, and 6.7% belong, but do*
not know. 13.2% do not belong, but
feel that the benefits outweigh,
13.3% are non members and think
that the benefits do. not outweigh,
and 13.3% are non members, who
do not know. These percentages are
of the fifteen women students in
this sample.
3.8% of the men students inter-
viewed are members, who believe
that the benefits outweigh the det-
riments. No members think the ben-
efits are outweighed. 1.9% are mem-
bers that are undecided. 30.2% are
non members, who think the bene-
fits outweigh the detriuments. 34%
are non members, who think the ben-
efits are outweighed.28.3% are non
members who do not know, and 1.9%
did not answer.
These percentages are based on the
forty-three men students in the
sample.
TABLE OF PERCENTAGES: *
Women
Men
3.8
1.9
30.2
34
1.9
1.9
Members
Yes 40
No ..." 13.3
Don't know .... 6.7
Unanswered
Non members
Yes 13.3
" No 13.3
Don't know .... 13.3
Unanswered ....
Since the validity of this poll can-
not be Checked as the validity of
Galliip's election poll can, the next
best thing is a check of the reliabil-
ity, which is done by checking parts "
of the sample against each other as
a measure of whether the poll would
yield similar results if repeated -
seevral times. The check groups
should be cross sections of the
sample based on arbitrary divisions
of the sample, ft is here based on a *
division according to interviewers.
The first two questionnaires
brought in bv each interviewer were
compared with the second two, but,
(Continued on Page 8)
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The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 58, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 14, 1949, newspaper, May 14, 1949; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth230813/m1/2/: accessed June 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.