The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 10, 1966 Page: 3 of 8
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ETS: the silent ogre in American education
By JOHN DURHAM
Such noted commentators and
critics as Jacques Barzun, Clark
Kerr, and Paul Goodman have
made frequent attempts to
isolate and analyze various con-
ditions and trends in American
higher education. They speak
of publish or perish, academic
freedom, teaching machines,
"free universities," and "multi-
versities." But they, and hosts
Editorial Petulant, Says Lanford; Urges Humaneness
Sir:
The editorial, "The State of
the University", lhas manifested
"symptoms of a spiritual and
intellectual disease which be-
comes all the more distressing"
as I read. I question whether
the issues in the editorial were
so momentous or the treatment
of them so scholarly and objec-
tive as to aid in creating an
atmosphere in which they be
solved salutarily.
I believe this editorial con-
tains characteristics that plague
some Rice students, adminis-
trators, and professors alike—
the characteristics of a petulant
child, so obsessed by his own
abilities that he is unable to
acknowledge his own imperfec-
tion, and the mental character-
istics of the computer which
must have everything it con-
tacts conform to a certain pre-
scribed model.
Let me illustrate what I
mean. Who has ever heard a
Rice student say: "I failed that
examination—I guess I just did-
n't prepare myself adequately;?"
Instead, the professor, whose
legitimacy is questionable, has
sadistic tendencies.
Consider the student who
blames the athletes for the poor
performance in football and
basketball, but has made no ef-
fort to support or encourage
the team, not even attending a
game. Has the athlete who
blames the lack of school spirit
for his poor performance, when
he consumes his own weight in
beer each Saturday, a valid
complaint? Surely this ritual
has minor effects on his per-
formance.
Who can refrain from snick-
ering at the administrator who
complains of high prices but
does not use competitive buy-
ing techniques, such as public
bids?
Who can listen seriously to
a professor who complains of
low grades on an examination,
but has not prepared afresh for
a single lecture the whole year.
Have not these individuals
shown an inability to shoulder
responsibility for their own ac-
tions? Were the members of
the Rice community as flawless
as we deceive ourselves into be-
lieving, then this campus would
be heaven, not Rice.
The second characteristic is
the more distressing to me. I
have never met a TRG, TRB,
Jock, Weenie, etc. Most of
the women I have met at Rice
are interesting and intelligent.
I confess, I have seen Rice co-
eds who place too much faith
in the power of nature and not
enough in the power of positive
cosmetics and grooming. But
to typify all Rice coeds on the
basis of these fq/gp individuals is «■
logic unbecoming a Rice intel-
lect.
I do not mean to say that the
mythology of the TRG, Jock,
Weenie, etc. is vile, immoral, or
deserving of other such dis-
Hawkins Deplores Auto Vandalism
Sir:
One should never begin to
criticize without having first
made an objective study of the
issue. However, on the subject
which ensues I find it difficult
to be objective because of per-
sonal interests, and no facts to
facilitate a study have been
forthcoming.
Therefore, the following are
slanted observations on the sit-
uation concerning cars parked
in the stadium lot.
Two weeks ago my car wind-
shield was peppered with B-B
shots fired from close range;
the replacement of this little
item ran around $90. Last year
my radio antena was broken
off; of course, that is only $9
and probably should not even be
mentioned.
Extension of the list to in-
clude damage done to my room-
mates' cars range from minor
things like gas caps and bent
license plates to the stealing
last week of an entire convert-
ible top which cost $132 to re.-
place.
Duly filed complaints seem to
get no more than a few sym-«
pathetic words. I have several
unconfirmed reports of theft
and vandalism every bit as bad
as these.
The present arrangement for
the large number cars in the
stadium lot seems almost to
have been designed to promote
such occurences. All the cars
are conveniently parked closely
together in the most desolate
part of the campus. About the
only intruder during the later
hours is a "Pinkie" making his
punctual hourly rounds.
Certainly the property as well
as the person of any Rice stu-
dent should be safe at any time,
any place on the Rice Campus.
Recent events indicate that this
is definitely not the case.
Perhaps if the same enthusi-
asm were applied toward pro-
tecting property as is applied
toward enforcing- parking regu-
lations the situation could be
improved. To be sure, it is most
comforting to have two Pink-
on men check my books on
eaving the library at night,
but somehow it would be even
more comforting if one of them
were patrolling the parking lot.
Better lighting of the park-
ing area or even the use of stu-
dent patrolmen are possibilities.
One thing, though, is clear;
Something Should Be Done.
JOHN HAWKINS
Will Rice '68
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ERDON
GALLERY
Invites
The Rice Student Body
to an exhibition of
Recent Paintings
by
Ruth Grover
Martha Renfroe
Albert Patecky
1409 Palm JA 2-8861
Daily (Except Monday)
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
tasteful adjectives. However, to
hurl charges at real persons on
the basis of these exaggerated
prototypes is indeed a debat-
able act.
Perhaps what I wish to say
may be stated thus: Rice stu-
dents, professors, and adminis-
trators seem to yearn to be
treated as human beings, yet
each group can feel itself pres-
ured by another. Administrat-
ors are presured by their su-
periors, by student, faculty and
community demands. Students
feel pressure from parents,
draft boards, graduate schools,
and above all, examinations and
grading systems. Similarly, pro-
fessors are pressured by re-
search demands, the publish-or-
perish syndrome, and the de-
mands of family life.
I believe these pressures are
the source of inhumanity at
Rice. The Rice community
seems to live at fixed bayonets.
Recently I have seen a promi-
nent administrator mature from
his petulance and become a hu-
man being. The effects on his
organization have been astound-
ing; at least, an atmosphere
has been created in which prob-
lems within the organization
may be scholarly and dispas-
sionately considered and some
"much needed improvements"
made.
When the entire Rice com-
munity matures to the point
that it may realize that it is
composed of human beings of
diverse abilities, desires, and in-
terests and not blocs of artifi-
cal inhuman categories, then a
cure may be forthcoming for
the distressing illness.
I can truthfully say that I
have never met another human,
being — Weenie, Jock, Gnome,
TRG, or whatever who could
not teach me something. At
Rice this person-to-person
learning potential is especially
high.
Were a spii'it of good will,
co-operation and academic curi-
osity to|(lescend on this campus,
instead of the spirit of faction-
alism and vindictiveness so of-
ten seen, Rice would be on the
road to becoming a land of
scholars. If this day is to come,
it will come through conscious,
courageous acts of humaneness,
in the face of pressures, from
individuals within the Rice com-
munity.
CHARLES E. LANFORD, JR.
Baker, '66
of others, have virtually ignored
a force which is subtly, yet
radically, altering the course
of American Colleges, high
schools, and students. This is
the Educational Testing Service.
Headquartered in Princeton,
New Jersey, the ETS silently
molds opinions and futures, de-
termines policies and programs
to a frightening degree.
Promulgator of such multi-
farious products as SAT's,
GRE's, Law Boards, Medical
School Admission Tests, Na-
tional Teacher's Exams, and
IBM-knows what else, ETS
holds in its multiple-choiced
hands an incredible and awe-
some ability to determine the
educational future of millions
of high school and college grad-
uates.
California Rebels
From the Ivy League to
Stanford, from Chicago to UT
to Rice, university catalogues
inform prospective undergrad-
uate and graduate students that
the criteria for admission will
be some combination of acade-
mic record, letters of recom-
mendation, and scores on some
set of nation-wide, ETS-admin-
istered tests (please have two
copies of your test scores sent
to the Admission Office im-
mediately). ,The only major
educational institution to de-
cide that they are more com-
petent than a computer to de-
cide on the qualifications of ad-
mission candidates is, strangely
enough, the gargantaun Uni-
versity of California system.
ETS claims that its results
provide a standard method of
evaluation for students from
different schools and different
parts of the country. They go
further to say that students
who do best on their exams will
wind up with the best academic
records — implying that to
ignore College Boards or Grad-
uate Records is to invite dis-
aster in the form of admitting
students whose qualifications
are somehow incomplete and
who are very likely to perform
poorly once admitted.
Measuring Aptitude
Well and good. Certainly
some method of comparing
applicants from different areas
is needed. And certainly no uni-
versity wants to admit students
who will not do well. But we
seriously question the ability of
ETS products to accomplish
these tasks successfully. And
the side effects of the heavy
weight given the test scores by
admission directors are both
unfortunate and undesirable.
The aptitude sections of both
the College Boards and Grad-
uate Records are blantantly
misconceived and mis-named.
The concept that any kind of
a multiple-choice test could pro-
vide an accurate indication of
an individual's aptitude in any
area strains the imagination.
Several college seniors major-
ing in either mathematics or
engineering have told us that
the GRE math aptitude test
covers not so much aptitude as
it does trickery.
"Guessing Record Exams"
Likewise, a college senior who
is undecided between graduate
school and law school faces
two days of what one student
aptly termed "Guessing Rec-
ord Exams."
Curbing the power and in-
fluence of ETS is vitally nec-
essary if the individual is to
retain any semblance <>f im-
portance in American higher
education. At best the tests
provide a convenience for ad-
missions directors. At worst
they assume a mystical, god-
like authority over the aspira-
tions of American students —•
capable in one three-hour ses-
sion of enhancing or destroying
the future of an individual at
his chosen institution.
The University of California
has rebelled against the dicta-
tors of the Educational Testing
Service. Their example deserves
emulation.
The Rice Thresher
JOHN DURHAM
Editor
Contributing Editor Sandy Coyncr
Hews Editor Terry O'Rourke
Managing Editor Phil Garon
Sports Editor John Alexander
ill
STUART GLASS
Business Manager
Ass't Business Mgr Bob Easton
Copy Editor Mora;?: FullIIove
Religion Editor Jim Denney
Faculty Advisor Walter Islo
Reporters Sandy Coyner, Richard Best, James Doyle,
Anna Nardo, Donna Wilson, Folly Hinds, Charles Demitz, Darrell
Hancock, Jeff Barfbn, Susan Metealf, Drexel Turner, Adele Mouton,
Karen Herrmann, Mike Karchmer, Robert Watson, Randy Ehlers, Daniel
■Albright, Clint Goodson, Steve Jackson
General Staff . Chris Keller, Emmy MeGrai.h
Bureau Chiefs: Hugh Rice Kelly, Paul Burka, Austin
Griffith Smith, Oxford Bill Delaney.^ Charlotte, N. C.
Ron Green, Cambridge « Jan Lodal, Fryar Calhoun, Princeton
Eugene Keilin, Boston Tom Schunior, Ann Arbor
The Rice Thresher, official student newspaper at Rice University, is
published weekly, except during holidays and exam periods,* by the students
of Rice University, Houston, Texas 77001. Phone JA 8-4141, ext. 645. Sub-
scriptions: $5 per year in continental United States. $10 per year overseas.
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THE RICE THRESHER, FEBRUARY 1 0, 196 6—P AGE 3
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Durham, John. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 10, 1966, newspaper, February 10, 1966; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth244963/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.