The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 15, Ed. 1 Friday, December 7, 1984 Page: 5 of 20
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TexPIRG Phoenix to promot e protection of consumers
continued from page I
easier to do what I'm doing."
A clerical error on the semester
statement for spring 1984 was a
severe blow to TexPl RG. The box
for students to indicate their
support for the TexPIRG blanket
tax was inadvertantly left off the
bill. Without regular funding the
organization failed to reappear in
January. "There was no
referendum asking if the students
wanted TexPIRG," Pryor
emphasized. "When one was called
[three years ago], TexPIRG won
the vote. Mr. Vint and the others
did not go through the students."
Apparently the main reason for
TexPlRG's elimination was
accusations of partisanship. Vint
accused the group of abusing its
power by using student blanket tax
funds to support political
organizations. Pryor said that, in
an attempt to fight student
disinterest, TexPIRG had decided
to support any organization that
would "get something political
going on campus.'"
This resulted in the two actions
for which TexPIRG was most
criticized. TexPIRG contributed
$360 toward the expenses of a
speaker on the nuclear freeze issue,
and loaned $44.16 to UCAM
(United CAMpuses Against
Nuclear War), an organization
established to support the freeze,
for publicity expenses.
Defending TexPlRG's actions,
Pryor stated that "in a borderline
sense, we were political but not
partisan. We offered the
Republicans the same sum to
present an opposing view, but they
Cypresses replace yews in quad
m i i hu
ii "■"«* -
Z'.
Workmen prepare the academic qua
by Shao-Lee Lin
This past week, the, yew trees in
the Academic Quadrangle
suddenly disappeared and
rematerialized on the east side of
Abercrombie and the north side of
Bonner l ab. The move was part of
the project to replace the scraggly
yews with Italian Cypress trees.
The yews had been damaged by
last year's hurricane and
subsequent freeze.
Dr. William Akers, Vice-
President of Administration and
head of the project, said that the
original trees in the quad, up until
ten or twelve years ago, were
drangle for the arrival of cypresstrees.
Italian Cypresses. After suffering
from poor drainage, bag worms,
and wind damage wrought by
Hurricane Carla, the original
cypresses were replaced by yews,
which proved to be easier to
maintain and closely resembled the
cypresses. When the yews were
also damaged last year, a
committee formed by the Board of
Governers decided to replace them
with Italian Cypress trees, and
install a new drainage system.
They also proposed a plan of
regular spraying to prevent the
earlier parasite problems.
Katherine Brown, a Professor in
— P. Truzin ski
the Department Art and Art
History, was an undergraduate at
Rice when the original cypresses
still stood, and commented "I
think they know more about the
trees themselves now. I'm glad
they're going back to the original
plan for the Quad, which was to be
something of an Italian garden
The thirty new trees have
already arrived on campus from
their nursery in California and will
probably be planted some time
next week, weather permitting.
The total cost of the project is
estimated at twenty-five thousand
dollars.
by Cheryl Smith
Four students from Rice are
currently being considered for the
Rhodes and Marshall Scholar-
ships.
The Marshall Scholarship,
established by the British
government to honor General
Marshall after World War II,
entitles U.S. students to two years
study in a British university. Thirty
Marshall Scholars are selected
nationwide. Representing Rice in
this competition are Dave Park,
who wishes to study modern
history and economics at Oxford,
and Roger Hoskin, who wants to
study molecular biology at
Cambridge. Final decisions will be
announced by Christmas, pending
regional.
The Rhodes Scholarship selects
32 students nationwide from a
pool of approximately 3000
students.-The students chosen are
entitled to two years of study at
Oxford. Kenny Kurtzman and
Duaine Pryor have advanced
about halfway through the
selection process. It has been
approximately 15 years since a
Rice student has been chosen for
this prestigious award.
Kurtzman wants to study
economics, which he also studied
as an undergraduate. He
anticipates studying under
Professor Sen to examine the
relationships between public-
policy, government and
economics. While working toward
a masters in economics Kurtzman
also plans to play basketball.
Pryor plans to study
mathematical physics under Roger
Penrose, who has postulated new
theories regarding gravition and
particle field theory.
The potential Marshall scholars
also have widely varied fields of
interest. If Roger Hoskins is
awarded the scholarship he wants
to go to the Medical Research
Council Lab of Molecular Biology
at Hill's Road, which is associated
with Cambridge University. He
tenatively has a position in the lab
of John Sulston, where he would
work with genes of the nematode
worm. C. elegans. Hoskins says he
is especially excited about working
where "loads of Nobel prize-
winners, including this years', have
worked."
But while Hoskins wants to look
at the minute aspects of the w orld,
Dave Park wants to understand
the broader issues of modern
history and economics. He intends
to examine the "intangible social
costs of economic policy".
338-1407
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OPEN
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weren't interested." He
emphatically stressed that
TexPIRG would not let anything
like this happen again.
Julie Lynn, a member of the
TexPIRG reorganization
committee, said that the PIRG's
main purpose is to provide
community services and education
on consumer and environmental
issues. "A P1RG is an educational
experience," she maintained.
Currently the reorganization effort
is "trying to get people invloved for
the sake of involvement," however,
she realizes that before students
will get involved, they must be
aware of the issues.
Pryor noted that service and
education are two elements
necessary to the university and that
"no organization on campus is
fulfilling that need." He mentioned
the lack of citizenship and social
responsibility in today's students
and worried about the future of the
nation. "A democracy doesn't
work if people are just sitting
around watching MTV."
lexPIRG is investigating
several projects for community
service. They are currently
involved in surveys of the various
long distance phone services, local
banking practices, and Houston
bars' happy hours. The results of
these studies will be published in
January along with other pertinent
information about Texas
government and TexPIRG.
One major problem faced by the
organization is funding. TexPIRG
hopes to have a mandatory
refundable fee which would give
the students control over the
functions of the group. "If
someone feels that TexPIRG
doesn't work for him, he can get his
money back, he can get a refund,"
Pryor explained.
The money gathered will finance
big projects, speakers, and student
aids such as the tenants'
handbook produced a few years
ago. Funds for organizing and
educational benefits will remain
seperate from lobbying funds. The
organization will only get involved
in politics when they concern
student issues, such as the Texas
Equalization Grant. Canvassing
beyond the hedges will give
TexPIRG wider publicity and will
also increase its financial support.
"We will focus on worthwhile
projects people can feel good
about doing and get excited about.
Once we get funding, well be able
to get students." Pryor said. He
and Lynn agreed that TexPIRG
needs students immediately to
work on publicity and projects.
TexPIRG will circulate a petition
to win its re-establishment on the
spring referendum. Pryor
promised. "If the students say they
want education and services we
can offer, we will return."
Child care explored
Students vie for Rhodes, Marshall
continued from ficige /
the number of children they have
or the children's ages, because it
must avoid the appearance of sex
discrimination.
If any statistics were to be kept
on reasons for leaving, missing
work, or not taking a job that
might actually be due to Rice's lack
of a day-care facility, Dawson said,
they would simply be noted as a
"personal reason." The Personnel
Office, he said, "carefully avoids
getting this type of information."
There is also no realistic site for
the center, either. Director of Food
and Housing Marion Hicks said
that the only existing space that
could possilby be spared for a
center would be the old training
table room in Baker. "But that
belongs to the athletic
department." explained Hicks. "I
simply don't think the use of any
space for the center would be self-
supportive."
"There would have to be a
considerable amount of interest
shown," Bourland said, in order
,for the administration to take any
action.
So far it as been a largely one-
woman campaign. A few graduate
students raised the idea last year,
and Healey appealed to the GSA
for support this year. However, the
GSA did not endorse the idea of a
day-care center last year and, other
than posting Healy's petition to the
standing committee, it has not
pushed to get the project approved
this year, either.
Bourland said that there would
have to be more support for the
idea before the administration
could consider implementing it.
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The Rice Thresher, December 7, 1984, page 5
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Havlak, Paul. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 15, Ed. 1 Friday, December 7, 1984, newspaper, December 7, 1984; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245577/m1/5/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.