The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 60, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 1, 1973 Page: 1 of 12
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SA committee proposes adding two students to Board
_ . _ ■ ■ ~ m i __ 1 1Q fn 91 TVirr*
After working for more than
two months, the Student Asso-
ciation ad hoc Committee on
Governance presented to the
Senate last Monday night a pro-
posal and an accompanying sta-
tement recommending that the
Board of Governors act to
provide student membership to
the Board. By a vote of 10 to
7, the Senate passed the pro-
posal and endorsed the state-
ment.
Currently, the Board of Gov-
ernors consists of seven Trus-
tees, eight Term Members ap-
pointed by the Trustees, and
four Alumni Governors elected
by the Alumni. The proposal
asks the Board to expand its
marsh
gas
the rice thresher
and
mirrors
volume 60, number 19
TexPIRG
by PAUL SANNER
and STEVE JACKSON
Last Monday, the Texas
Public Interest Research Group
released a report of a prescrip-
tion drug price survey conduct-
ed in Houston. This study was
done last November 2-4 by 24
TexPIRG volunteers from Rice
and the University of Houston.
The TexPIRG survey reveal-
ed tremendous variation in the
prices for each of eight pres-
criptions. A Penicillin G pres-
cription priced in 24 pharmacies
showed the largest price range:
$0.88 to $8.00. In fact, most
drugs showed a cost range of
at least 300%.
Project coordinator Paul San-
ner stated that the secrecy sur-
rounding prescription prices is
responsible for the \vide cost
range. "Pharmacists are pro-
hibited by state regulations
from advertising prescription
drugs, and prices are never
posted. In fact, the refusal of 6
out otf 10 pharmacists to price
prescriptions over the telephone
forced TexPIRG to find sym-
pathetic physicians willing to
write prescriptions for the vol-
unteer. The issue here is simply
the consumer's right to know."
No faculty cuts
thursday, february 1, 1973
exposes
Prices Unpredictable
The TexPIRG report, "The
Real Cost of Prescription
Drugs," seriously questions
some of the factors which are
supposed to influence drug
prices. No consistent or signifi-
cant price differences were ob-
served between pharmacies in
low-income anil minority areas
and those in middle and upper
income areas. There was also
little difference in pricing be-
tween chain and independent
pharmacies. Finally, and con-
trary to the standard argu-
ments of pharmacists, no cor-
relation was found between
Ulg services a stord offers and
the prices 'it charges for pre-
scription drugs.
Brand names cost
A second part of the report
consists of comparing prices of
brand-name drugs to those of
therapeutically identical drugs
manufactured without brand
names. (These last are the so-
called generic drugs.) Brand-
name drugs are manufactured
by the larger drug manufactur-
ers and heavily advertised in
medical journals, and are con-
sequently more expensive
wholesale. Anti-substitution
drug price '
laws in Texas and in most other
states prohibit the pharmacist
from substituting a cheaper
generic drug iri filling a pre-
scription for a brand-name
drug. It has been generally as-
sumed that repeal of the law
would significantly lower drug
costs for the consumer. Pharma-
cists support repeal because it
decreases their inventory costs
and increases their professional
decision-making role.
Pharmacy rip-ofl's
TexPIRG, however, lias seri-
ous reservations about these ar-
guments. The survey revealed
that one-third of the pharma-
cies, when presented with a
generic tetracyclin prescription,
quoted a price for one of the
most expensive brands of tetra-
cycline even when a cheaper
drug was known to lie available.
"This indicates that we can-
not expect pharaiacists to al-
ways fill generic prescriptions
with low-cost generic drugs."
Again, the problem is the lack
of information. TexPIRG be-
lieves that a repeal of anti-
substitution laws is desirable
only if preceded by a law re-
quiring the posting of prices
it the consumer is to be assured
' rip-off s"
Hackerman promises stability
by GARY BREWTON
Dr. Norman Hackerman an-
nounced, in his state of the
university" address Tuesday
night, that Rice has now
achieved "stable financial sol-
vency" and expressed his long-
range desire to hold tuition
steady, if not to reduce it.
Moreover, Hackerman sug-
gested that if the school could
increase its endowment by $100
million over the next several
decades it might be possible to
eliminate tuition entirely.
Money problems, having grip-
ped the university the past few
years, dominated the talk,
which lasted an hour.
Through the efforts of the
administration a $2 million
"soft spot" in the $14 million
budget, due to appropriating
money for which Rice had no
firm commitment, has been re-
duced to about $100,000. As a
result of these efforts, Rice now
operates on a balanced budget.
The overall tone of Hacker-
man's speech was guardedly op-
timistic, counteracting to some
extent widely rumored doubts
about educational quality in
Rice's future. He emphasized
that although the budget ia
austere, there will be no more
cutbacks in existing programs.
Hackerman also stressed the
importance of several goals for
the university, including the
maintenance of high academic
standards and Rice's continuing
role of offering a high qi#lity
education to a select number of
individuals.
In addition, he stressed the
Mr*—"IT m •
Hermann Hesse as "the Rainmaker"
Story on Page 3
need to remain self-sufficient.
"We are not our own masters,"
due to our acceptance of public
funds, he said, but we should
make every effort to remain
free from external constraint.
The increase in room and
board costs, which have been
constant for the past three
years, will be held "as low as
possible" to meet rising ex-
penses for these university ser-
vices. Hackerman assured stu-
dents that there will be no de-
crease in total financial aid
available.
In a question and answer
period which followed his
speech, Hackerman responded
sharply to one student who
seemed to be upset about ru-
mored faculty cuts. Hackerman
asserted that there has been
only a small change in the size
of the faculty and no change
in faculty hiring practices.
Hackerman announced that
he is looking for a replacement
for Dean Michael V. McEnany,
who will be retiring this sum-
mer, and that he is asking
faculty and students for nomi-
nations.
He also announced that locat-
ing a director is the only ob-
stacle to opening of the Shep-
herd School of Music, which has
already b, e e n endowed. The
project date for beginning of
classes in the music school is
the fall of 1974.
of lower costs.
Lobbying planned
TexPIRG plans to lobby ex-
tensively for a posting require-
ment. Vermont already has
such a law. Sevei'al legislators
have shown interest in this
legislation. Within 10 days, Re-
presentative Mickey Leland of
Houston plans to introduce a
bill requiring posting of prices.
Leland, a pharmacy professor
at Texas Southern University,
(Continued on Page 11)
membership from 19 to 21. Two
students, to be selected from
among juniors and returning
seniors, would serve overlap-
ping two year terms on the
Board of Governors.
Over the next several weeks
the Committee members, Leigh-
ton Read, John Allen, Alan
Brooks, Bonnie Hoskins, and
Doug Appling, will speak to
each of the Trustees and Gov-
ernors about the proposal. At
the February meeting of the
Board's Committee on Academ-
ic Affairs, the proposal will be
introduced; it will be presented
to the Board for a vote in
March. Although each Governor
will vote on the proposal, ac-
ceptance of the proposal will
come only if a majority of the
Trustees concur in the deci-
sion, because the Trustees re-
tain legal responsibility for
the University.
Student representation at the
level of policy making is a rel-
atively new concept in univer-
sity governance, but by in-
volving students on the high-
est level of decision making,
the Committee felt that Rice
University could emphasize its
commitment to reflect the edu-
cational needs of the student
within the restraints of man-
aging and maintaining the Uni-
versity.
%
1
Jim Lawler
Dr. Hackerman addresses the S.A.
National women's caucus to meet
'The National Women's Poli-
tical Caucus will hold its first
national convention Feb. 9-11 at
the Rice Hotel in Houston,
Texas. Congresswomen Shirley
Chisholm (D.,N.Y.), Bella
Abzug (D.,N.Y.), and Pat
Schroeder (D., Colo.) will par-
ticipate in the program entitled
"See How We've Run," begin-
ning Feb. 9 at 9:30 a.m.
Frances "Sissy" Farenthold
of Houston will deliver ^.the wel-
coming address at the first
plenary session, Feb. 10 at 1:30
p.m.
The three-day conference is
the first national convention of
the NWPC. Priority items on
the agenda will be adoption of
a permanent structure, estab-
lishment of goals and priorities
for 1972 and 1974, and elec-
tion of a national governing
body.
"Prominent on the agenda
are a variety of action-oriented
woi'kshops which will provide
information and ideas for poli-
tical strategy for women who
will be attending the conven-
tion as delegates from more
than 500 state and local cau-
cuses from around the country-,"
according to Representa-
tive Gwen Cherry, the first
black woman elected to th^
Florida legislature and chair-
person of the NWPC.
Workshop subjects scheduled
for the convention include top-
ics ranging from lobbying,
credit discriminatioiv and child
(Continued on Page 4)
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Jackson, Steve. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 60, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 1, 1973, newspaper, February 1, 1973; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245153/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.