The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 13, Ed. 1 Friday, December 7, 1956 Page: 4 of 10
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THE THRESHER
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, MM
Abuse Of Democracy
Virginia Gildersleeve, former dean of Barnard College,
expressed in a recent article in Saturday Review the dis-
tortions which may arise when the political philosophy
of democracy is imposed on our education system, i
Miss Gildersleeve's first important point was that' a
college is not a political unit with the students acting as
citizens with political rights. It is an educational institu-
tion and the only basic right the student has is to receive
the best possible education that the college can give. The
trustees, administration and faculty are responsible for the
operation of colleges and the amount of student govern-
ment and rights of students are designated by them. How-
ever, the delegation of a considerable measure of self gov-
ernment, said Miss Gildersleeve, may give the students an
experience of real educational value in helping to develop
their minds and characters.
"On the basis of this policy," she said, "the faculty
and the administration of Barnard College, as I knew it,
gave and I imagine still does, very great power and re-
sponsibility to student government. Moreover, we always
encouraged free criticism by the students of the curriculum
and the administration of the college, asking only that com-
ments and suggestions for improvement should be present-
ed in a courteous manner."
The second misapplication of the idea of democracy is
that all people have a right to a college education.
"Now the average American," says the article, "is
simply not qualified and cannot be trained to absorb a
standard college education. We might as well face the fact
frankly. We must sift out from the general mass of pupils
in our schools the minority who show promise of being able
to absorb the education necessary for leadership. We must
sift them out by the wisest and fairest tests we can devise
and the judgment of their teachers; free them from the
hampering mass of the intellectually inferior students and
those unwilling to learn and give to these most promising
candidates the best possible teaching, the best opportuni-
ties for development of mind, knowledge, and character."
In closing she quotes Jacques Barzun of Columbia Uni-
versity: "As regards familiar and especially physical pow-
ers, the public understands that there can be no claims,
no rights, except those of ability. You do not get your turn,
at leading the band if you are deaf tojnusic^. . . The plea
for recognition-of brains must "bg"granted." "v" '
0
A Good Thanksgiving
I
Perhaps the most gratifying event of the Thanksgiv- I
;ng week for several students was the sudden realization I
that the Hungarian Relief drive had soared over the $1000 ■
mark. The actual total was not so important as what it
represented: the fact, that "Rice students are deeply con-1
cerned over world events and eager to show positive action.
We must face the fact that college is a selfish environ-
ment. And yet this very emphasis on the self often brings !
the understanding that all people have the right—and the
need—U> cultivate the self, to realize the potential of free-
dom and individuality. Perhaps this is why it was college
students who began the revolt in Hungary. Perhaps college
students see in education a self-directed nurturing of the
mind which is essential for the full development of the
human personality. No authoritarian government can fully
grant this freedom.
And we as American college students can echo this
understanding. In a symbolic way we can express with the
Hungarians a belief in human dignity and the rights of
all men to the greatest freedom a societal environment
can provide.
And in a material way we can offer our sympathy and
aid to people who are less fortunate than we in obtaining
this freedom. In donating money to Hungary we have done
the least—and unfortunately the most—students in our
position can do.
Rice students must confess to being self-interested.
But in such actions the term has better connotations: we
are interested in the self—of all people.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
by Dick Bibler
f
wY0U 0OY6 WILL PINO IT A LITTLE EA5IER TD DRAW IF Y01)
STEP BACK F^M THE MODEL A LITTLE."
7 hreshing-lt-Out
THE RICE THRESHER
The Rice Thresher, written and edited by students of the Rice Institute,
is published weekly in Houston, Texas, except during the summer. It to not
published during holidays and examination weeks. The views presented are thoee
of the staff and do not necessarily reflect administrative policies of the Rice
Institute.
Editor * Donna Paul Martin
Business Manager QHf Carl
Assistant Editor „...Jim Bernhard
Associate Editor Herbert Simons
News Editor Brace' Montgomery
Make Up Editor Oing.r Purtnrfoii
Sports Editor Jim Bower
To the Editor:
Now that this year's Fresh-
man Guidance has ended, it
time for all of us to weigh its
good and bad points, so that we
may express intelligent view-
points when the discussion of the
future of GuidanA arises.
This year several most unfor-
tunate incidents occurred,
either as a part of Guidance or
..indirectly related to it. When our
thinking becomes clouded with
emotions rented1 ~to -these- occur
rences, we tend to minimize or
even forget the good parts of this
program. Let us firmly realize
that these events were "most un-
fortunate and could have been
averted, but, at the same time',
that they were events which need
never happen again even though
Guidance be continued. And let
us reflect with clear minds the
good which this program does.
an assistant section lead-
er, I had the privilege of working
together with several other Soph-
omores and about twenty Fresh-
men. I saw a group of almost to
tally unacquainted boys, during
two months of Guidance, estab-
lish associations which will carr$
through with them until they
graduate and perhaps afterwards,
ft
I saw this group share exper-
iences from extreme pleasure to
extreme sorrow. But no matter
what the experience happened to
be, it was shared. And it was
this sharing, this living of com-
mon experiences which made each
boy in the section feel closer to
the others—yes, it made him feel
that Rice was more than just a
place where he had come to study
engineering or law or medicine.
It was in this group that each
boy came to realize that Rice
would be the center of his life
for the next few years. It wa's
here that his spirit and love for
Rice began. It was, in reality,
here that he became a part of
Rice.
I have witnessed what went on
this year, probably with as much
alarm as anyone else. Yet, be-
cause I have seen the great bene-
fits that Freshman Guidance pro-
vides the individual, I ffrmly be-
lieve 'that we should neither abol-
ish nor "greatly tone down"
Guidance because of several un-
fortunate accidents.
5 MEYER NATHAN
To the Editor:
A "PE" speaks up . : I The
honor council deserves a kick in
the rear. It speaks very eloquent-
ly about fairness and justice, and
yet acts with prejudice and dis-
honesty. I am referring to the
withholding of important inform-
ation from the Student Body.
Many people will remember
the questionnaire that, the honor
council submitted to the student
body which, under the circum-
stances, was a test of student
opinion whether or not the Physi-
cal Education Majors were vio-
lating the honor system.
Since the honor council repre-
sents the students, and not their
own prejudices and whims, they
have the implied obligation to
make known these results, for the
students voted with this under-
standing.
The results have purposely
been kept from the students be-
cause prejudiced members of the
council do not want the truth
known. Instead of announcing the
results at the forum when such
an action was forthcoming, the
student council used the time to
boast of their righteousness.
The loss of respect that the
honor council has suffered was
deserved, for it is an attempt of
a few to level a blast at a group
that has served unselfishly a*nd
coui'ageously on the athletic
field, a group that has done more
for 'the name and honor of the
school than the honor council ever
has, and a group that deserves
a pat on the back instead of a
knife in the back by the honor
council—the cruelest cut of all.
Sincerely,
GEORGE WRIGHT
Ed. Note: The Honor Coun-
cil has informed the Thresher
that it would follow the prece-
dent set bf the Honor Council
last year with regard to the
Forum and the questionnaires.
The questionnaires were stu-
died before the Forum and will
be compiled for publication at
a later date. Several articles
have been on the publicity
agenda which the Honor Coun-
cil felt toojjt precedence.
— —o
If all the people who go to
sleep in church were laid end to
end, they'd he a lot more com-
fortable. %
us
Rules Reviewed -
Dean McBride's office issued
the following new liquor regula-
tions which have been approved
by1 the Student Activities Com-
mittee.
The laws of the State of Texas
and the policies and regulations
of the Rice Institute regarding
the serving of alcoholic bever-
ages by campus groups and the
use of such beverages by individ-
uals within the group have ap-
parently been misinterpreted oc-
casionally. They are restated here
for your guidance:
The Texas Liquor Control Act —
A Law of the State of Texas
It shall be unlawful for any
person under the age of twenty-
one (21) years to purchase any
alcoholic beverage, and upon con-
viction thereof shall be fined in
a sum of not less than Ten Dol-
lars ($10) or more than One
Hundred Dollars ($100). It shall
further be unlawful for any per-
son under the age of twenty-one
(21) years to possess, unless
such person under the age of
twenty-one (21) years be a bona
fide employee, as permitted else-
where in this Act, on the licensed
premises where such alcoholic
beverage is pdssessed, or con-
sume any alcoholic beverage in
any public place unless at the
time of such possession or con-
sumption such person under the
age of twenty-one (21) years is
accompanied by his or her parent,
guardian, adult husband or adult
wife, or other adult person into
whose custody he or she has been
committed for the time by some
Court, who is actually, visibly
and personally present at the
time such alcoholic beverage is
possessed or consumed by^^such
person under the age of twenty-
one (21) years, and upon convic-
tion thereof, shall be fined in ?
sum of not less than Ten Dollars
($10) or more than One Hun-
dred Dollars ($100).
Policies and Regulations
Of the Rice Institute
It is understood that nothing
in the following is to be con-
strued as either allowing or en-
cdura'ging the violation of the
state law above; or relieving the
individual of his responsibility
to behave at all times in a seem-
ingly manner, and the organiza-
tion of its duty to conduct its so-
cial affairs in a wholesome way.
The serving of or individual
consumption of any alcoholic bev-
erage on the campus is pro-
hibited.
Student .organizations may
serve beer at off-campus func-
tions. Alcoholic beverages other
than beer, shall not be served at
organization functions. The con-
sumption of alcoholic drinks by
an individual and by members of
his immediate party, using bev-
erages" broilght by the individual,
is permissable. The organization
may provide set-ups, but the
drinks must be prepared by the
individual at his table.
These rules apply to all func-
tions of campus organizations
when held or advertised in the
name of the organization or to
which the organization contrib-
utes any part of the cost.
0
HARVEST
November 9, 1931
Jane Cannafax will take the
leading role in the first produc-
tion of the Rice Dramatic Club,
"Camille," which will be present-
ed November 26 and 27 at Autry
House under the direction of Mrs.
Moyne Morrison Gwen, Boh
Clemens, president of the Club,
announced.
■
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The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 13, Ed. 1 Friday, December 7, 1956, newspaper, December 7, 1956; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth231043/m1/4/: accessed June 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.