The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 49, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, February 23, 1962 Page: 2 of 10
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■THE THRESHER EDITORIAL PAGE
Tf&tt TdeutC €ut &eUfon?
The student body at the University of Texas
no longer votes for the editor of The Daily
Texan. Beginning this spring, a nine-member
student-faculty publications board will select
the editor of that newspaper.
That position is somewhat extreme, but we
are in accord with the spirit in which it was
taken. It emphasizes to us that some other
method than the present one is needed as regards
the election of the editor of The Thresher.
At present, the editor of the newspaper is
selected in the general elections in the spring
of each year. Qualifications "are set up, among
these, that he must have been a staff member
for the year previous to the election.
But we have seen these "qualifications" inter-
preted so as to mean that the semester of the
election would suffice as the period of staff
membership, no matter if the candidate were
on the editorial board or chief coffee cup carrier.
Which would you prefer? An editor who knows
his job well, one who can efficiently and effect-
ively carry out the duties of his position—or one
who sounds like a ball of fire but quickly burns
out once the grind sets in?
Obviously, the man who knows his stuff—
not just how to write editorials, not just how
to make up a page, not just how to crop a
picture, not just how to write a hot news story,
but the man (or woman!) who can organize all
these functions into a well-integrated whole.
Tht student body at Southern Methodist Uni-
versity is asking for a recall of its editor; we
have faith that Rice students can select their
editor with more care.
But in a heated election campaign, people do
funny things—both the candidates and the
voters. And why make the editor's job a political
issue ?
Instead, we recommend that the Senate re-
examine the present method of selecting the
editor of The Thresher. We realize that con-
stitutional changes will be necessary if any
action is taken, and therefore that the elections
will proceed as usual this spring.
Here, however, we lay out our proposals for
next year:
1) Elect an associate editor in the spring
election; he would serve a year's apprenticeship
and automatically step up to the position of
editor the following year unless he resigned or
was requested by the Senate not to assume the
editor's duties. Or:
2) We feel that the better course would be
to allow the Senate's publications board to inter-
view prospective editors, and upon the recom-
mendation of the present editor, select an editor.
The board's choice would then be ratified by
a student referendum.
You, the student body, should make the final
decision.
Once upon a time there was an effective—•
although rather slow—little elevator which fer-
ried people up and down in the RMC. Even
modern technology occasionally fails, however,
and there came the day when the little elevator
stopped running.
That day was months ago.
The Thresher staff doesn't really mind
trudging up the forty-two steps time after time
—but the second floor also houses the offices
of some less hardy organizations. We certainly
hate to see this arduous climb added to the al-
ready ultra-weighty burdens of the Student
Senate officers, and fatigue is a very real danger
to the industrious Campanileites who scurry up
and down. Moreover, the personnel of the Alumni
and Sallyport Offices are also subject to the
hardship. (We would intercede on behalf of the
staff of The Rice Engineer, too, but frankly,
we've never seen them around.)
If luck is with us, this plea may avoid being
lost in the gloomy Ichambers of Lovett Hall. We
must, however, confess apprehension at the report
that a prominent member of the Board of Gov-
ernors, when apprised of the situation, shrugged
and said,'"Let 'em walk . . ."
We are trying hard not to let the little elevator
become a symbol of all the neglected tasks on
the Rice campus.
L
"THAT'S JUST THE POINT THIS IS NOTOUR
BEDROOM WILL NOT GET CUT!"
Paradox Of Redemption
Whale's Topic In Chapel
By PATRICK HEATH
The Biblical narrative of
God's redemptive activity among
men begins in the Old Testa-
ment. Modern theology is mak-
ing us realize that in the Old
Testament, we see the New
Testament latent.
FACULTY SOUND-OFF
Concern For University Community
Dr. Paul E. Pfeiffer, Professor of
Electrical Engineering, received his
B.D. from Southern Methodist Univer-
sity and his Ph.D. from Rice. He is
co-Head of the Department of Electric-
al Engineering.—Ed.
By PAUL E. PFEIFFER
Electrical Engineering
Department
As Rice moves into a new and
exciting period in which she may"
"come of age,' I find myself
with a mixture of high hopes
and genuine concerns. The
phrase "a community of schol-
ars" is a classic characteriza-
tion of the university. Most dis*<*
cussions center about the as-
pect of scholars and scholar-
ship. My concers for Rice are
largely concerns for community.
Now the word community, as
I understand it, stems from the
same roots as do the words
communication, common, and
communion. The idea of com-
munity points to something
shared in life, to reUl meeting.
TOO OFTEN as I observe the
Rice scene, I gain the impres-
sion of a collection of individ-
uals involved in one way or an-
other in academic pursuits.
Wherein have we missed com-
munity? The topic is too great
for a brief analysis. I must rest
content to point to a few matters
which I believe deserve serious
thought on this campus.
For one thing, one wonders if
we have paid too dearly for the
competition we have engendered
and fostered. Competition for
entrance in the first place. Com-
petition for the few good grades
that are allowed even an excep-
tional student body. Competition
The
Thresher
The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper of Rice University,
is published weekly from September to June, except during holiday recesses
and examination periods, and when unusual circumstances warrant a special
issue. The opinions expressed are those of the student staff and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Rice University administration.
Entered as second class matter, October 17, 1917, at the post office
in Houston, Texas, under the act of March 3, 1870.
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR MARJORIES TRULAN
ASSOCIATE EDITOR I.i GRIFFlJf SMITH
Managing Editor Eugene Keilin Engineering and Science
News Editor Fryar Calhoun
Feature Editor Harvey Pellar >
Sports Editors Dick Park,
Milton Nirken, Ronnie Kline
Senate Larry Moore
Colleges Charles Kipple
Politics Kenn Carr,
Syd Nathans, Pat McGowan
Steve McCleary
Religion Phil Strange
Fine Arts Robert Zelenka,
Stefan Offenbach
Photography Scott Morris,
Bob Warren, John Reavis
Cartoons Charles Dent
Faculty Advisor Dr. Donald Mackenzie
BUSINESS STAFF
BUSINESS MANAGER CHARLES WILLIAMS
Assistant Business Manager Danny Tompkins
Local Advertising and Circulation Manager Burton Silverman
National Advertising Manage* Dick Viebig
for the favor and acclaim that
must be reserved for the few.
THE PRESSURE OF com-
petition exacts its, price. Too
often I have found my classes
tense and anxious about tests
and grades rather than eager to
come to grips with challenging
and fascinating topics in the
very field in which they have
chosen to make their own.
More often than I like to.
think, I have discovered that a
student has been on the rocks
emotionally—perhaps to the ex-
tent of needing medical or psy-
chiatric care. -
The real pressures are com-
pounded by anxieties that are
self perpetuating. I have often
noted how many Rice students
develop a morbid sense of guilt
with regard to their studies.
Even when they are participat-
ing in some recreation for which
they have planned and which
they surely need, they find
themselves expressing their feel-
ing that they "ought to be
studying."
HERE IS NO community of
scholars; here, at best, is a com-
munity of slaves to the academic
routines.
And this slavery seldom pro-
duces genuine scholarship that
delights in the discovery or re-
discovery of the truth and de-
sires to share its fruits in a
community devoted to a com-
mon cause.
The solution? I have no easy
answer. One hopes that a word
to the wise may be helpful if not
sufficient.
There can be no community
without genuine communication
that involves real meeting of
person with person at a level
of primary concern and inter-
est. Perhaps the most serious
breach of community on this
campus takes place in the class-
room. All too often the com-
munity is betrayed by poor
teaching — unnecessarily poor
teaching.
Many factors contribute to
this.
SOME MEN ARE less gifted
in the art of communication
than others. These, in my view,
must work the harder to justify
the trust placed in them as
classroom teachers. Genuine ef-
fort will be sensed and appre-
ciated, and may well overcome
serious deficiencies of technique
and personal ability.
More seriously, poor perform-
ance in the classroom is often
based on what seems to me a
most pernicious and distorted
view of the task. With much
practical justification in terms
of the pressures of demands
placed upon them, many con-
scientious and hard working fac-
ulty members feel that they
must pay primary attention to
certain activities associated with
that golden word "research"—
with a consequent neglect of
their classroom responsibilities.
In other cases, even less de-
fensible matters take first place.
A MAN'S "WORTH" to the
university often seems to be
measured preeminently-rntferms
of his research production. This
tends to degenerate into count-
ing papers and perhaps totaling
the amount of sponsoring funds
he has garnered.
The academic status symbol
(Continued on Page 8)
DR. J. S. WHALE, speaking
in the Chapel last Friday even-
ing, illustrated this fact by cit-
ing the Genesis story of Jacob's
wrestling with God. Jacob be-
lieved he had seen God "face
to face."
This personal encounter with
God was a foreshadowing of the
mystery of the Incarnation to
come. Charles Wesley could see
the story of the cross even in
this ancient passage of Scrip-
ture.
The account of Jacob's en-
counter with God reminds us of
two things about redemption,
First, faith is always encoun-
ter. God's revelation in this en-
counter is dynamic self-disclo-
sure. The face-to-face relation-
ship is the living form of living
religion.
Jacob had to wrestle with God
entirely alone. The individual
must meet God in the redemp-
tive relationship with this same
aloneness.
SECOND, redemption may be
described only in terms of con-
trasts. The Biblical doctrine of
redemption is tense with the
antimony of no and yes. God is
not "the man upstairs' who be-
nignly overlooks our sin. God
still brings his judgment upon
men.
In the cross, however, man
sees what separates him from
God and at the same time sees
that separation bridged.
Even though the "no" re-
mains, the "yes" appears in
Christ. God wrestles for us and
with us on the cross. The word
in Christ is not "yes" and "no";
all the promises in Christ say
"yes."
WojeckL Speaks On
Physical Fitness
Eddie Wojecki, Rice trainer,
.will give a demonstration on
the methods of isiometric con-
traction this afternoon, Friday,
at 4:30 p.m. It will be on the
second floor of the gym. "
Isometric contraction is rec-
ommended for those who want
to kep fit using only 83 sec-
onds per day.
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The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 49, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, February 23, 1962, newspaper, February 23, 1962; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth231200/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.