The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 5, 1966 Page: 13 of 18
eighteen pages : ill. ; page 22 x 14 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
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THE CLASSES IN CRISIS
STUDENTS WHO NEED
CASH
MUST BE 18 YEARS OLD
NOW OR OVER
WORK NIGHTS OR DAYS
EVERY DAY
APPLY
Peakload Male
Help Contractors
911 CALHOUN
WE PAY YOU EVERY DAY
$1.25 PER. HOUR
1. Furniture Movers
2. Warehouse Work
3. Factory Workers
4. Pipe Handlers
WE CAN USE YOU
ANY DAY OR NIGHT
By CLARK CHAMBERLAIN
Thresher Reporter
Do cImmi it Rice serve a purpose?
The Thresher, in view of the yearly
drive to abolish classes, asked the"""
present class presidents to analyze the
class system and attempt, if they
wished, to defend it.
Jiim Campbell is president of
the senior class. Charlie Myers
is president of the freshman
class.
Jim Campbell: "Election to
class office at Rice is somewhat
akin to being chosen for mem-
bership in an honorary frater-
nity. I think that there are
few class officers, past or pres-
ent, who would deny that the
office per se is an important ■
part of their record here. In
most cases (the senior class be-
ing the notable exception) the
duties are light, and itheir per-
formance requires attention on
only one or two occasions during
the year.
"The services which class gov-
ernment performs (Freshman
Handbook, Parent Orientation
Day, etc.) could be handled by,
say, committees of the SA. But
why should they be ? The classes
carry out these functions fairly
efficiently, and offer a certain
amount of honor besides. For
these two reasons I see no cur-
rent need to abolish class gov-
ernment."
Charlie Myers: "When a
Freshman arrives at Rice he is
introduced to a college, not a
class. After an initial period of
freshman guidance the colleges
try to make the new student
feel completely a part of his
college and stress his position
within the college rather than
his class. Few Freshmen put
their class over their college.
"Motet universities have a
class division dn order to carry
out social functions and imple-
ment representation in their
Student Congress. Under a col-
lege system this division is not
necessary since student govern-
ment and activities are carried
. out on an "individual college ba-
sis. Some things are done in an
all-school senate, whifch is or-
ganized on a 'union of colleges'
basis.
"The purpose of this senate is
to carry out functions which
benefit all of the colleges, giv-
ing them a united voice in is-
sues with the administration or
other universities. When the
new Student Senate was formed,
it was decided that it should
consist of representatives from
each college, rather than each
class. The class organizations
are mere holdovers of tradition
ttom the 'old Rice' before 1957.
"Pragmatically speaking,
there is not even an excuse of
tradition to maintain the classes.
Their only common major re-
sponsibility is to plan and ex-
ecute one party per year, a re-
sponsibility which could be more
easily incorporated into (the So-
cial Committee of the S.A.
"If the classes are abolished,
as I'm sure will be attempted
next year, provisions should be
made for the election of a Fresh-
man Representative to the Stu-
dent Senate and the creation of
aHfenior Committee,,to plan*ac-
tivities connected with gradua-
tion. By adopting these changes
not only will a financial dead-
weight be removed from the SA
but another step will be taken
towards creating a full-time col-
lege system at Rice."
Both letters have touched on
the main argument both for and
against classes: their functional
value. Rice lacks no multitude of
agencies to give parties, print
handbooks, or orient bewildered
parents. In fact, these functions
are of such a nature as would
fit them more to the SA and
the colleges than to a collection
of people who merely share a
year of birthdays.
Another main difference be-
tween the approaches taken is
that of sentimentality vs. prag-
matism. We can forgive Mr.
Campbell his nostalgia; but Mr.
Myers' proposals smack of a
realistic approach to the clash
between classes and practically
every other organization on
campus, especially the colleges.
Let us hope that the Consti-
tutional Referendum on classes
promised by Myers vindicates
the colleges and does away with
the greatest throwbacks to the
Dark Ages that exist on campus.
FREE SUMMER STORAGE
Winter Clothes Cleaned and Placed in Insured
Storage for the Summer.
You Pay Only For Cleaning At
SPARKLE CLEANERS
2513 University
JA 4-6941
elect DEMOCRAT
Carl P.
BURNEY
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
ft Instructor of Political Science
San Jacinto College
ft Veteran W.W. II
ft Interested and Informed
"A Sensible Approach to Auto Insurance"
"Lets unplug the computer, boys!
Start thinking!"
=$oo=a>
a a a o
oo O D
'CO O
[rrrn^gi
©©©(Tit:
A lot of people believe that someday
computers will do all their thinking
for them.
Well, a funny thing is going to
happen on the way to the future:
You're going to have to think
harder and longer than ever.
Computers can't dream up things
like Picturephone service, Telstar®
satellite, and some of the other
advances in communications we
have made. Of course, we depended
on computers to solve some of the
problems connected with their
development. But computers need
absolutely clear and thorough
instructions, which means a new and
tougher discipline on the
human intelligence.
And it will take more than a computer
to create a pocket phone the size
of a matcjibook, let's say... or find
a practical way to lock a door or turn
off an oven by remote telephone
control, or to make possible some of
the other things we'll have someday.
It takes individuals... perhaps you
could be one ... launching new
ideas, proposing innovations
and dreaming dreams.
And someday, we're going to have to
find a way to dial locations in space.
Makes you think.
Bell System
American Telephone & Telegraph
and Associated Companies
THE RICE THRESHER MAY 5, 196 6—P A G E 13
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Coyner, Sandy. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 5, 1966, newspaper, May 5, 1966; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth244975/m1/13/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.