The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 49, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, October 27, 1961 Page: 3 of 12
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1961
THE THRESHER
Three
SENATE REPORT
Referendum Soon On Abolishing
Formal Organization Of Classes
By LARRY MOORE
At a special meeting Wednes-
day, the Senate voted to hold a
French Christian
Existentialist
To Speak Here
Gabriel Marcel, one of France's
leading philosophers, will lecture
on "The Philosophy of a French
Existentialist" and "The Religion
of a French Existentialist" at
7:15 p.m. in the Grand Hall of
the RMC November 2 and 3.
M. Marcel, who shares the
French philosophical spotlight
with Jean-Paul Sartre, is prob-
ably the outstanding contempor-
ary Christian existentialist. A
Roman Catholic, he is the only
European existentialist of any
stature whose philosophy has a
Christian orientation.
HE IS ALSO active in the ai'ts,
having been a composer, a play-
wright, and since the war, dra-
matic critic of the "Nouvelles
Litteraires." M. Marcel studied
at the Lycee Carnot and at the
Sorbonne, has taught, written for
publishing firms, and lectured in
almost all the capitals of Western
Etirope. In 1951 he lectured in
Morocco and throughout South
America; and in 1957, in Japan.
His 1949-50 Gifford Lectures
in Aberdeen are the basis of his
book, "The Mystery of Being,"
which is used as a text in a Rice
philosophy course.
HIS OTHER principal works
include "Metaphysical Journal,"
"Being and Having," and "Men
Against Humanity." The gen-
eral work on the thought of Ga-
briel Marcel is "De l'existence a
l'etre," two volumes by Father
Troisfontaines (Vrin, Pari s,
1958).
M. Marcel consciously avoids
systematic philosophy; rather, lie
is concerned with reflecting on
experience. His works are char-
acterized as illuminating al-
though difficult.
referendum oh a proposal to dis-
continue the formal organization
of classes on Rice campus.
This action is a result of an
apparently considerable feeling
on the part of the student body
that the class system no longer
serves any purposes that could
not be better handled through the
colleges.
The abolition of any tradition
as old as the class structure is
perhaps a bold step, yet there is
a wide spread sentiment that
the class organization has be-
come a nominal one without any
meaning.
THE MAJOR question is
whether or not other organiza-
tions can handle the work now
being done by the classes. It
seems clear that there must be a
provision made for some commit-
tee to handle the activities of the
graduating seniors.
If the referendum is passed,
however, the colleges will have
to fill the major portion of the
void left by the abolition of the
class system. This would mean
that the colleges would have to
assume responsibility for such
things as all-school parties and
the handling of Parent Orienta-
tion Day.
GABRIEL MARCEL
Speaks Nov. 2 and 3
Isl;
M H
: .V-;
1
W 5
Don't miss this outstanding series of historical
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Also, colleges would have to
make it possible for people in all
the colleges to get together and
know each other. This latter
point is something that the class
system has to some extent been
able to accomplish.
It was the general feeling
among the Senate members that
not only can the colleges perform
these functions, but also that it
is desirable that they do. It was
pointed out that an artificial
See related story on page eight.
structure such as the class sys-
tem is inconsistent with the idea
of continued growth of the col-
leges.
The proposed referendum will
of course raise many issues and
should generate a considerable
amount of debate and discussion.
'QUIET. EFFICIENT'
Private Eyes Now Spy
On Profs In Classroom
A private investigating agency
claims it has planted its agents
in classrooms of a number of col-
leges to investigate what it calls
"controversial" professors, The
Insider's Newsletter has reported.
The Newsletter is distributed
by the publishers of Look Mag-
azine.
The agency has written to sev-
eral school presidents advising
them that a number of other
schools are already using the
system and find it "very bene-
ficial and informative."
THEIR OPERATIVES enroll
and attend classes like regular
students, then report to the agen-
cy, which in turn analyzes and
reports to the administration of
the client-school.
In its letter of solicitation, the
agency does not specify who the
"controversial" professors ai*e,
but assures the presidents that
BEAT TEXAS
almost every department of a col-
lege has a teacher that meets the
"controversial" description and
could stand watching.
THE TROUBLEMAKERS, ac-
cording to the agency, "invar-
iably" turn up in the Philosophy,
Psychology, English, Literature,
Biology, History, Government,
Journalism, Speech, Drama, and
Religion Departments.
The agency also offers to keep
an eye out for trouble among
kitchen help and janitors by
planting their men in these de-
partments.
University officials are guaran-
teed that the system is quiet and
efficient and are told they merely
need ask and a salesman will call.
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The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 49, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, October 27, 1961, newspaper, October 27, 1961; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth231189/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.