The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, February 10, 1984 Page: 8 of 24
twenty four pages : ill. ; page 20 x 14 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
BSU celebrates Black History Month with essay series
For the benefit of those still
unaware, the Thresher would lik„
to remind all its readers that
February is Black History Month.
The Black Student Union at Rice
has undertaken an ambitious
project in an area the university
tends to neglect: community
relations. The Union has
scheduled a number of projects
and presentations in commemora-
tion of a segment of history which
no American should be allowed to
forget: namely, the role of this
country's black population.
This essay is the first of a three-
part series to appear in the
Thresher in February. It deals with
the positive effects of the
movement for civil rights. The
subsequent parts will deal with
blacks at Rice. Again, for those
unaware, the appearance of black
students at Rice is a relatively
recent phenomenon.
—dbc
Historians of the future will
undoubtedly record the 20th
century as one of the most dynamic
periods in human social history. In
less than a century, great strides
have been made in the journey
toward human equality. Much
remains to be done, but much has
been accomplished. During the
last 30 to 40 years dramatic
changes have occurred within our
own country, achieved through the
struggle, sacrifice and leadership
of men such as Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. King, more than any other
figure, represented the quintessen-
tial civil rights warrior. No other
civil rights activist so captured the
hearts of people the world over and
aligned them so solidly behind the
black Americans' struggle for
equality and freedom. The March
on Washington in 1963 signaled a
turning point in the way America
perceived its brothers and sisters of
African origin. One had to admire
the quiet dignity and steadfast
determination in the non-violent
efforts of black Americans to right
the wrongs of America.
Blacks today face just as many
difficult situations of racism as did
runaway slaves, but they must
keep their determination to move
ahead despite confusion and
apprehension. The whole black
world — black males and females,
youths and adults, black scholars,
athletes, entertainers, ministers,
and business leaders — is an
BSU Activities Calendar
Feb. 11 — Black Alumni
Social: good company and
good food at Lyle's (basement
of Lovett College), 5 p.m. Exit
to Owls basketball game, 7 p.m.
Feb. 12 — A Soldier's Play:
Ensemble Theatre, 1010 Tuam,
5 p.m.
Feb. 13 — Voter registration
drive. The Reverend Kirby-
John Caldwell, pastor,
Windsor Village United
Methodist Church, and A1
Edwards, Houston campaign
representative: "The Pros and
Cons of Jesse Jackson's
Candidacy," Sewall 309, 7 p.m.
Feb. 14 — Voter registration
drive. Judge Gabrielle
McDonald: "Women in Law,"
Geology 106.
Feb. 18 — Ntozake Shange: a
presentation of her works, The
Firehouse, 1314 Westheimer.
Feb. 19 — Fashion Show:
designers Toni Whitaker and
Elizabeth Lowery. Models —
Rice students, Rice Memorial
Center, 5 p.m.
Feb. 21 — Black Tuesday: BSU
Night at the Pub, Willy's, 10
p.m. until 2 a.m.
Feb. 25 — All-school party:
THRILLER, Hanszen Com-
mons, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Feb. 26 — BSU Reception in
honor of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., Rice Memorial
Center, 5 p.m.
MICHELOi
SOUTHWEST DISTRIBUTING CO.
1301 WHITS STREET
HOUSTON, TEXAS
77007
BRIAN HARMONS
RICE CAMPUS REP.
6JMMI
-
Somethings
speak for themselves
MtCHELOB BEEH BY ANHEUSER-BUSCH. INC • ST LOUIS. MO • SINCE 1iM.
important part of the mainstream
of America.
There are alarming statistics on
the mortality, unemployment, and
homicide rates of black males, but
the statistics on black males who
meet the challenges and make the
most of their opportunities are
seldom stressed: the endurance
and excellence and service of men
like Reverend Jesse Jackson,
Harold Washington, Stevie
Wonder, and Julius Erving.
This is the challenge. Blacks
today are confronted with new and
unpredicted opportunities in the
military, in politics, sports, films
and the corporate world. The
power and creativity to beat the
odds socially, politically,
economically and psychologically
are not just dreams of yesterday.
A salute, then, to the men and
women who fought for King's
dream — but one must remember
to keep fighting to prevent the
flame of equality from being
extinguished. With preparation,
determination and confidence one
cannot hope too much or dare too
much. "The fight for freedom
cannot be won once and for all in a
single decisive battle. The struggle
is a never-ending one, swinging
pendulum-like in favor of one or
the other of the opposing forces."
—Gina Vincent
Panel meets at Wiess
continued Jrom page 1
general agreement.
Lovett senior Jeanne Cooper, a
student on the panel, pointed out
that the colleges already hold
classes, namely for college courses,
but that incentive for conducting
college courses comes entirely
from the students, and there is not
enough financial ,incentive for
faculty members to teach them.
Dr. Linda Driskill of English
brought up the problem of
students graduating without
having learned basic writing skills.
The panel agreed almost
unanimously that there should be
some kind of writing requirement.
Dr. Kathleen Matthews of
biochemistry, the committee's
chairperson, remarked that it was
a political problem to tell students
"They must write . . . but the
university will have to work out the
writing problem."
Wiess sophomore Bob Casey, a
spectator, asked about computer
competency. He pointed out that
ICSA had some excellent mini-
computer courses related to the
Night Owl Time Sharing program,
which should be better advertised.
Matthews responded that
students will, in time, gain
computer competency in high
school. Otherwise, entering
students could begin a NOTS
course during Orientation Week.
Turning to the question of
proficiency in languages, Wiess
junior John Simonson, another
non-panel member, asserted that
not every student should have to
take three courses of foreign
language at Rice, as the panel
recommended. Dr. John Ambler
of political science disagreed,
saying, "Languages have been
ignored almost totally. This is not
the time, historically, to drop
language requirements."
Matthews remarked, "We have
to convince Texans — Americans
— that there's a whole world out
there they [the students] are going
to have to work in." After some
discussion, Matthews said that
students making up foreign
language deficiencies from high
school should get credit, but not
distribution credit, at Rice.
Currently, they get no credit for
making up the deficiencies.
Baker felt that Rice should also
have some math literacy
requirements, "equal to about
three years of high school math."
Simonson suggested that Rice
bring in famous professors from
other schools, as this would attract
both more students and the best
and brightest people for graduate
school. Matthews felt that it would
be a good idea to bring visiting
professors here for a year or
longer, but was concerned about
the higher cost.
The Self-study Undergraduate
Education Panel will submit a
report in two weeks, which the
Steering Committee will evaluate
and summarize with all the other
reports.
Contest for collectors
by Melissa Durbin
The friends of Fondren Library
will sponsor a book collector's
contest open to all full-time Rice
students enrolled for the 1984
spring semester.
Each contestant must submit 25
titles with a unifying theme, along
with a statement of 500 words or
less describing the collection with
an annotated bibliography of each
PREGNANT...
NEED HELP?
FREE Testing & Abortion
Counseling. No appointment.
10 a.m. til 2 p.m. Mon.-Sat.
552-1512
Crisis Pregnancy
Center
4848 Guiton, Ste. 201
(inside Loop 610 @ Richmond)
title.
Elizabeth Dabney, executive
director of Friends of Fondren,
explained that the main goal of the
contest is to "interest students in
building up their own libraries."
Similar contests have taken place
at Texas A&M University for the
past several years. One student
won in 1980 with a collection of
matching Sherlock Holmes books.
A maximum of four under-
graduate prizes of $150 each and
two graduate student prizes of
$200 each will be awarded to the
best entries.
Entry blanks for the
competition are available at the
Library. The university librarian's
office will accept entries until
Friday, March 16, 1984. Winners
will be announced on April 20. The
winning collections will then be on
display in the library for two
weeks.
The Rice Thresher, February 10, 1984, page 8
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Mitchell, Mark M. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, February 10, 1984, newspaper, February 10, 1984; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245551/m1/8/: accessed July 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.