The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 6, 1973 Page: 3 of 12
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Election Central and Rice's HAL Jr. put it all together
by TRICIA REGAN
Many of the processes which
go on in the average election
are known and understood by
only a few elite people. Elect-
ion Central is a good example.
Started in 1962, it was run for
several years by the Houston
Post, until the Chronicle and
three local stations, KTRH,
KHOU, and KENR, decided
that they too, would like
to give up - to - the - minute
reports on elections. Thus, last
year, the running of Election
Central was given to Rice Uni-
versity as an unbiased inde-
pendent organization.
Election Central's main func-
tion is to tally results as soon
as they come in so that the
TV stations can get these out
to the public as soon as pos-
sible. It has been found, how-
ever, that Election Central also
provides a good check on of-
ficial tallies, which are often
found to be in error. This is
something which City Hall is
unable to do because, when a
ballot from a precinct judge is
accepted, no one at City Hall
can make any changes in it
even if only a simple mathema-
tical error is involved.
Workers are hired from
Rice, the League of Women
Voters, two Houston area high
schools, and one of the Catholic
churches in Houston. All ex-
cept the Rice student workers
are sent to phone in results
from each precinct as soon as
the precinct judge arrives to
read the machines. In case the
judge makes a mistake in read-
ing the machines, the precinct
worker is there to provide a
Women's Studies course set for next spring
by CATHE KRAUSE
Next semester Rice will join
a growing number of colleges
and universities across the na-
tion in offering its first credit
course ever in the field of worn-
ens' studies.
"Perspectives on Women in
American Society" will be given
as Soci 305b, a special topics
course in sociology for the first
time this spring at D Hour,
Monday, Wednesday, and Fri-
day at 11 a.m.
Barbara Williams, a graduate
student working toward a PhD
in behavioral science will teach
the course, and calls it a shoi-t
term, "one time only" project.
After next semester it will pro-
bably not be offered again in
the immediate future.
Ms. Williams described the
new course as "an interdisciplin-
ary exploration of recent
changes in sex roles and in re-
lationships between men and
women in American society."
It will also analyze biological
and physiological differences
between males and females, and
will explore 'psychological,
sociological, and cross-cultural
perspective on the status ©f
women in selected societies.'
She added that she plans a
lecture/discussion format and
that the course will also include
panel discussions and field ob-
servations during the last part
of the semester. Concluding
sessions will "examine the his-
tory and perspectives of the
Women's Movement in the U.
S. and abroad to point to the
unanswered questions awaiting
further research and conceptual
development."
The field work T$ill probably
consist of attending several
meetings of Houston area wo-
men's groups and preparing
brief reports on observations
made there.
Jung Center offers sex lecture
"There are so few times and
places one can hear an author-
itative lecture on the subject
of sex." Thus ran the letter
accompanying a news release
from the C. J. Jung Educational
Center.
Tomorrow, at 8pm, Dr. James
A. Hall, Psychiatrist and Jung-
ian Analyst of Dallas, will
give a lecture, Sex and Sym-
bols, at the center, located at
4803 Montrose Blvd. Dr. Hall
will present material from a
course given at the Obstetrics
and Gynecology Dept. of the
Southwestern Medical School
in Dallas, which will explore
sexual problems from a clinical
viewpoint. The problem of non-
sexual problems presenting
themselves in sexual form will
also be taken up.
For those who can stand the
excitement, Dr. Hall will con-
duct a seminar at the ^ame lo-
cation between 10am and 3pm
on Saturday entitled Sex, Mar-
riage, and Dreams. It will con-
centrate on sexual symbolism
in the psychological area of
marriage and the inner world
of dreams. There will be a
tuition charge.
Ms. Williams commented that
Soci 305b is open to all Rice
students, aind that she hopes
for "a balance between men and
women" in the class. She added
that she envisions places for
about 30-35 students, including
auditors from the Houston com-
munity.
Speaking about the develop-
ment of her course, Ms. Wil-
liams, who taught a similar
class in Boston several years
ago, explained that an under-
graduate course is "essential"
for Rice. "Several PhD disserta-
tions are being done in the field
of women's studies at Rice right
now, but that's not getting
down to the undergraduate
level," she said.
"The fairly high percentage
of Rice undergraduate women
who train for careers and Rice's
high academic quality" make it
an especially appropriate school
for a course in women's studies,
she remarked, adding that stu-
dies of college populations have
shown that college men have
surprisingly conservative opi-
nions .of the women's movement.
"So it's essential that both
metn and women be exposed to
womenls studies," Ms. Williams
went on, noting- that failure to
take these studies seriously "can
result in a real 'reality crunch'
for men who marry women
with less traditional views."
She also said that the Rice
course arose out of two socio-
logical trends. The first is an
increasing awareness of women
as a minority group "singled
out for differential and unequal
treatment because of their phy-
sical chai'acteristics," and a
growing realization that in
some aspects of American so-
ciety the status of women has
actually diminished since the
1920\s.
Rice itself is an example of
this, Ms. Williams noted. In the
university's entering class in
1912, women were 39% of the
student body, but in the post-
war 1950's the number of wom-
en dropped drastically to 17%.
It has since risen to the present
24 rr.
check.
The worker, having gathered
the necessary information, such
as the total number of votes
cast for each candidate, then
calls this information in to
either Brown or Jones where
girls are standing by to take
phone calls. This data is then
transported to the computer in
the basement of Her m a n
Brown where it is matched
with cards, key punched and
checked against the official bal-
lots as soon as they come in.
This information is then re-
layed to the TV stations, which
communicate with the computer
by means of a terminal link-up.
The radio stations are sold the
information and KTRU gets it
gratis.
Dr. Stuart Lynn directs the
whole operation; he is assisted
by Mr. James Criswell and Ms.
Mary Burnside. Approximately
150 students were employed.
Ms. Burnside says, ''One of the
reasons why Rice decided to do
it was because it can make any
election results, past or pre-
sent, available to anyone."
Mistaken arrest costs $2250
Melvin Reid, a Sid Richardson
senior, was enjoying some apple
pie at a local restaurant one
Saturday this fall. "During the
course of our meal two police-
men came in with shotguns . . .
One went to the office to see
the manager while the other
guarded the door. My friend and
I continued to eat."
The officers asked them to
come outside. They went. Four
more squad cars pulled up. They
were told that the Kirby House,
of Pies, where they had been
arrested, had been robbed three
days before. They looked like
the robbers.
The two were taken to the
station.
Mel's friend had an alibi and
forty, witnesses that he was
somewhere else at the time of
the robbery. He was released.
Melvin had no alibi. He was
identified in a line-up by two
witnesses. "They were 100%
positive om their identification,"
said the manager.
Fie spent the night in jail and
was released the next day on
$20,000 bail of which a $2,000
deposit was unrefundable.
Everyone—family, friends,
professors, Melvin—was con-
vinced he was innocent.
He was.
After a closer look, the wit-
nesses decided they were mis-
taken.
The manager (who has since
been robbed twice more, apolo-
gized.
The judge said these things
can happen. ". . . it's a terrible
mistake. Thank God all it cost
them was $2,000. It could have
been 20 years."
Melvin paid his lawyer $250
and went home.
The Student Association is
working on a $2000 student
legal defense fund, as insurance
against similar mishaps. They
woulld appreciate any informa-
tion or suggestions.
Only nineteen days left: don't depend on Santa
by MARTHA MAYBERRY
and RANDY WOOLFEL
Christmas is practically here.
Only nineteen days, shopping
and otherwise, left for the
gracious giver. And the final-
plagued weanie has even less.
Here, then, is an incomplete list
of places for your Christmas
shopping, composed especially
for Rice types and the others
who only live here.
Leaving campus you may
find yourself in the Village. It
sure isn't Wonderland, but it's
close. J. Rich, for the sports
minded, features a particularly
outstanding array of tennis,
skiing, and diving equipment.
You can also find sporting
clothes, ski goggles, and a
fanciful collection of small
items such as ping pong equip-
ment and hunting knives.
Across the street there's Al-
fred's for the exotic food
fiends. Typical stocking-lstuf-
fers include meats, cheeses,
wines, and imported delicacies.
Palais Royal and Craig's are
located nearby, with stylish
clothes for women, shoes, jewel-
ry.^ and selection of colognes.
For inexpensive but high-
quality men's clothes try Men's
Wear Unlimited, which is hold-
ing one of its perpetual going-
out-of-business sales. Also
nearby is a hobby shop supply-
ing almost every arts and
crafts supply. Rounding out the
Village area is Bayou Liquor.
A little farther - out, in
distance and price, is the famed
Galleria. Our advice here is
look, don't touch, and by all
means DON'T BUY! If you've
come here, enjoy the Winter
Wonderland and visit Neiman-
Marcus (known in the trade as
Needless Mark-up) — at least
you can say you've been there.
Visit Joske's for an attempt-
ed duplication of N-M's snob
appeal. Close by are Oshman's
(sporting goods again) and
Sakowitz (clothing, crystal, and
other expensive gifts), both of
which are elitist, although Osh-
man's isn't expensive and ha3
many items not found anywhere
else.
For the hustle and bustle of
Christmas shopping, minus the
gort
WOLD, P&ndoral
Don't open
that box!
Stand back,
Oortf
A woman's
curiosity
must be
satisfied*
eft86
duAb
mm
IWfM
lights, go downtown. Foley's,
an excellent place to feel
crowded, is one of the few
stores which can actually claim
to have almost everything:
clothes, stereos, records, ap-
pliances, jewelry, cosmetics,
shoes, etc. Tn the same general
area are Battlestein's, Palais
Royal, and Sakowitz.
Houston's two big music
stores, both downtown, are
H&H and Parker's.
But the best Christmas buys
in town can be found at Hous-
ton Jewelry and Distributing
Company and United Jewelers
and Distributing Company, Both
stores offer discount prices on
jewelry, hunting and sporting'
goods, small appliances, game
equipment, cameras and more.
Less well - known discount
houses are W. Bell and Wil-
son's.
For those who have reached
the ultimate depths of des-
pair, there is the last resort —
the Rice Campus Store. Preva-
lent here are T-shirts, T-shirts,
and T-shirts, plus owls in al-
most every conceivable form.
Also lots of books. Very con-
venient.
Odzookens?
Did I
manage to
entrap
anything?
Just
"Mope*.
Oh...
the hell
With it f
¥
the rice thresher, december 6, 1973—page 3
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Jackson, Steve. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 6, 1973, newspaper, December 6, 1973; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245180/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.