The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 10, 1974 Page: 1 of 8
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Super Bowl contest focuses national attention on Rice
BY DANA BLANKENHORN
"The Game" comes to Rice
this Sunday at the Stadium.
The Super Bowl has become, in
its eight years, as much a tra-
dition as the World Series or
the Beer-Bike race.
Rice's attempts to get the
Super Bowl began three years
ago. Bill Peterson, then the
football coach, and A. M. (Red)
Bale, the athletic director, pre-
pared a proposal to talk to the
NFL for a Super Bowl at Rice.
Peterson left for the Oilers, the
Astrodome made its own pro-
posal, the city of Houston re-
mained nearly unaware of the
maneuvering, and the net result
was a blank stare from the
NFL Owners.
Then, under the leadership of
President Hackerman and Dr.
Alan Chapman, a real proposal
was organized. First, the As-
trodome was eliminated as a
rival because it only seats
54,000 fans (Rice's holds 72,-
000). Secondly, the full coopera-
tion of Bud Adams, owner of
the potential-host Oilers, was
obtained. Thirdly, the Greater
Houston Convention and Tour-
ist's Council helped to draw up
a plan detailing- city participa-
tion, and guaranteeing a legi-
timate amount of hotel space
for the game weekend. When
it was brought before the NFL's
ownership meeting in Honolulu,
it drew great support, but not
enough to lock up the '73 game.
So Adams made a deal where-
by Los Angeles ,the runner-up
city, would get the '73 game
while Rice would get the '74
game. It was agreed to quick-
ly, and Rice was in the Bowl
business.
The Agreement
The final agreement gives the
NFL the exclusive use of the
Sttadium facilities for Game
Week, in a reported seven-fig-
ure lease agreement. Rice was
given the food concession and
the right to sell parking space
in the stadium lot and the area
between the lot and the RMC,
said to be worth upwards of
$250,000.
Tickets? None
If you've been looking for
tickets, you never had a
chance. They were given out
first on a one for two basis
to the 36,000 Oiler season tick-
et holders, secondly on a 12,-
000 per team basis to the par-
ticipants, and thirdly on the
whim of the Commissioner,
whose office sent out form let-
ters to lucky people informing
them that they had an option
to purchase numbers of tickets
at $15 per. The remaining tick-
ets were re-distributed, again
by the Commissioner's office.
Tulane University has the
game in its Sugar Bowl in
1970. Early this year, Tu-
lane's SA sent ours a let-
ter, telling what students there
did to earn money off the game.
Naturally, Rice students are
also continuing a variety of
methods, legal and otherwise,
to turn a profit.
Some students have been
hired to work for the conces-
sion during the game, serving
up hot dogs and drinks, and
even beer, in the Stadium.
Brown College is said to be
renting out its parking lot at
$2.00 per space on the day of
the game.
Many fans, particularly Vik-
ing fans, habitually arrive at
the game site early for a pre-
game picnic, and the selling of
food or "souvenirs" of Super
Bowl VIII and Rice University
might be possible. The idea also
occurs of renting out living
apace on campus to those fans
who are without hotel reserva-
tions.
You also migh try your own
betting line on the game, if
(Continued on Page 3)
no editor
the rice thresher
volume 61, number 16
thursday january 10, 1974
this week
Campus 'no sanctuary' for drugs
by BILL FULTON
Dean of Students F. A.
Wierum issued a warning Tues-
day on the subject of mari-
juana and dangerous drugs.
Warning that "the campus is
not a sanctuary," he outlined
University policies on drugs on
%
m
bill fulfon
Sell your parking spaces early . .
NSL lobbies for youth air fare
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by NANCY TAUBENSLAG
The National Student Lobby
and the Coalition to Retain Air
Discount Fares announced a
step-up in their letter writing
campaigns to members of the
U. S. House of Representatives
to pass a bill reinstating re-
duced airfares for youths.
. Bill 2651 would invalidate
the Civil Aeronautics Board's
decision to gradually eliminate
special air fares for persons
under 22, and would accord low-
er fares to senior citizens and
the handicapped. The Bill has
been passed in the Senate and
is pending in the House of Rep-
resentatives.
The National Student Lobby
stated, "The youth fare phase-
out will result in a loss over
50 million dollars to students
and their families, and many
millions more to airlines."
The Civil Aeronautics Board
pronounced the special flight
rates as unacceptable due to
their discriminatory nature. The
CAB also cited abuses of the
fares, including the illegal
utilization of youth fare cards
by persons over 21, and the
booking of fictitious passengers
whose later cancellations left
empty seats for persons hold-
ing youth standby tickets.
Elimination of special air
fares started in June and by
December 1, rates were raised
began their campaign May 4, to 89 percent of full fare. Ac-
two days after the CAB deci-
sion, stating that the flights in
question are usually filled to
only 40-50 percent of capacity.
The unused seats could be
filled with students who could
not otherwise afford to fly.
'NSL staffer Laurie Naismith
cording to the CAB schedule,
by June 1974, youth fares will
be totally eliminated.
Students wishing to comment
on Bill S 2651 are urged to
write to their Congressional
Representative or to the House
Subcommitte on Transportation
campus. Wierum's comments
were in response to a Thresher
inquiry into the rumor that
police narcotics agents were
currently active on campus.
The' rumor originated after
Wierum sent a message to cer-
tain college masters, detailing
allegations made by a burglary
suspect during the course of his
interrogation bv city police. The
suspect, who was not identified
as a Rice student, gave police
the room numbers and areas o£
the colleges where drugs
"ranging from marijuana to
cocaine" were purportedly be-
ing sold, according to Wierum.
Thus it is not inconceivable
that police will be looking into
the matter.
Wierum emphasized that the
widely-held belief that city
police ' will not investigate or
make arrests on campus is
.false. The Houston Police De-
partment does not handle rou-
tine police matters on the cam-
pus except when so requested
)>y Security. However, there is
nothing to prevent them from
conducting an investigation
should sufficient cause be
shown. Infrequently the police
will serve an arrest warrant
on campus, and, in the case of
a drug charge, no warning is
given either to campus author-
ities or the suspect.
Wei rum pointed out that
Texas' liberalized marijuana
laws made it unlikely that police
would act against those pos-
sessing1 less than four ounces;
however, those dealing in the
drug most certainly run the
risk of arrest, as do those in
illegal possession of hard,drugs.
Asked whether any under-
cover narcotics agents onerate
at Rice, Weiium" said "As far
as I, or the University, know,
there are none. We have no
reason to think ^otherwise."
Campus firetraps improved
and Aeronautics. Members of
the Subcommittee include:
Chairman John Jarman (D-
Okla.), James Harvey (R-
Mich.), John Dingell (D-Mich.),
Bertram Podell (D-N. Y.),
Ralph Metcalfe (D-Ill.), Dan
Kuykendall (R-Tenn.), Joe
Skubitz (R-Kans.), and Richard
Shoup (R-Mont.).
HEW praises
quick response
HEWs Office for Civil Rights
has confirmed Rice's compliance
with Federal discrimination
regulations. A recent letter to
President Hackerman said, "We
appreciate your forthright re-
sponse," and promised that no
more Federal funds would be
held up.
Rita Paddock, Rice's equal
employment officer, is complet-
ing a plan for compliance, to
be finished next week.
by LEE SOWERS
The linker fire last October
25th seems to have sparked the
campus Safety Committee into
action. A Thresher report made
earlier this year on various fire
hazards around the campus
cited a faulty alarm in Richard-
son, the inoperative general
alarm for the men's and coed
colleges, and the lack of any
alarm system in Brown and
Jones. *
These problems have report-
edly been corrected; however,
abuse of the fire alarms by
Rice students continues. The
Richardson alarm works only
when it hasn't been tampered
with by the residents. The
alarms in the women's colleges
have reportedly been modified
by electrical engineering stu-
dents; the alarms can now be
triggered from anywhere by
calling a certain telephone
number from a private phone.
Fire hoses and extinguishers
were found to be in even worse
shape. Baker Security Officer
William Fulton reported to the
Baker cabinet that Only seven
of the college's sixteen fire
hoses were operational; these
hoses served only a fraction
of the rooms in Baker. The
cabinet brought the matter to
the attention of B&G, the
hoses were promptly repaired,
and new equipment was instal-
led. However, at least one hose
and one of the new extinguish-
er cabinets have been tampered
with since the resumption of
classes four days ago.
The report that Rice Security
had only one emergency breath-
ing device was false. They had
none. The officers used a
resuscitator, intended for vic-
tims of heart attacks and the
like. A resuscitator is filled with
oxygen; these officers risked
their lives in using one around
a fire. Security Director Har-
old Rhodes has authorized im-
mediate purchase of a proper
emergency breathing unit.
Also discussed by the Com-
mittee was the fact that one
must exit through rooms to
reach safety in the event of
a fire in some areas of Baker.
All but one of the exit signs
have been removed, and prudent
Baker members lock their doors
anyway when leaving their
rooms unattended.
The situation led one Safety
Committee member to ask cam-
pus Safety Officer Larry Black-
well, "Larry, you make it
sound as if it's not safe to sleep
in Baker tonight." To which
Blackwell replied, "Put it this
way: would I want my son to
sleep in this college. . . . no. I
wouldn't."
As a result of the Safety
Committee meeting, a special
investigating subcommittee has
been formed. The" group is
chaired by Dr. William L. Wil-
son of the Electrical Engineer-
ing department. This committee
was to examine all areas of
the situation and make specific
recommendations for the cor-
rection of ..hazards as they are
found. Some of the recommen-
dations have resulted in action,
such as the*new fire protection
equipment in Baker. As other
problems are uncovered, similar
moves will be made to correct
them.
H
I!
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Jackson, Steve. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 10, 1974, newspaper, January 10, 1974; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245181/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.