The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, January 22, 1988 Page: 3 of 20
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THRESHER Opinion Friday, January 22,1988 3
Older professors more common, researchers find
Two recent studies have concluded that the
number of older professors, especially in liberal
arts disciplines, will increase in the next 15
years. The results, obtained by researchers at
Pennsylvania State University and the Consor-
tium on Financing Higher Education, suggest
that universities must take steps to deal with
problems of possible mass retirements and pro-
fessors who continue to work after they can no
longer be productive.
In 1994, the problem may be aggravated, as
the end of mandatory requirement goes into
effect. Since the mandatory retirement age was
raised in 1982, the average retirement age has
gone up slightly. The Penn State study, how-
ever, concluded that the 1994 change will not
significantly affect faculty retirement decisions.
The consortium found that many universities
have not yet begun structured planning to deal
with the problem of aging faculty, The Chron-
icle of Higher Education reported.
Consortium researchers found that many of
the colleges surveyed could not provide data on
future and current retirees. In addition, many of
them had not investigated the costs and benefits
of many retirement program opportunities.
To best deal with retiring faculty, institutions
may do best by pinpointing which departments
have the highest proportion of older professors.
They would also fare well to consider faculty
motives for retiring, so they can try to keep the
most productive professors on as long as pos-
sible, while encouraging less productive faculty
to retire.
-V 2:
Editorial Staff
Editor-in-Chief Michele Wucker
Managing Editor Michael Raphael
News Editors Anu Bajaj, Mary Elliott
Fine Arts Editor Jen Cooper
Sports Editors Keith Couch, Joel Sendek
Production Manager Wynn Martin
Feature Editors ...Michael Raphael, Sue Yom
Backpage Eds Paul Angles, Jenny Berry
Photo Editor Dennis Kelley
Senior Eds Lisa Gray, Spencer Greene
Typesetters Linda Bums, Allison Krauth
Assistant Production Manager Bob Rhode
Assistant Fine Arts Editor John Montag
Graphic Artists Eva Belik, Steve Lait
News Staff Claire Closmann, Steven Eichner,
Jennifer Hawkins, Andy Li, Jim Low,
Kuit Moeller, Doug Park, Elise Perachio,
Jeff Solochek, David Stivers, Judd Volino
Fine Arts Staff Paul Angles, Robert Bartsch,
Stephen Hanson, Spencer Greene,
David Nathan, Karen Nickel, Russell Ross,
Eric Salituro, Louis Spiegler
Sports Staff Wade Chow, David Cumberland,
Wes Gere, Brian Holmes, Jim Humes,
Philip Miller, Steve Nations,
Anthony Wills
Assistant Phoo Editor James Yao
Photography Staff R. Claussen, Lawrence Cowsar,
Michael Gladu, Ajay Kwatra,
Lisa Opper, Harold Turner
Production Staff Anne Bullen, A-ron Danburg,
Wendy Erisman, Paul Phillips
Amy Sayle, Ed Stewart
News Hound George
Business Staff
Business Manager Carlos E. Soltero
Advertising Manager Lee Finch
Asst. Business Manager Mike Alexander
Ads Production Ray Letulle
Staff Assistant Stuart Morestead
Circulation ..Carlos Soltero, Mike Alexander
The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper at Rice Uni-
versity since 1916, is published each Friday during the school
year, except during examination periods and holidays, by the
students of Rice University. Editorial and business offices are
located on the second floor of the Ley addition to the Rice
Memorial Center, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251.
Telephone (713) 527-4801 or 527-4802. Advertising infor-
mation available upon request. Mail subscription rate pa-
semester: $15.00 domestic, $30.00 international (via first
class mail). The opinions ex pressed herein are not necessarily
those of anyone except the writer. Obviously.
©1988, The Rice Thresher. All rights reserved.
All wrongs revenged.
BEYOND THE HEDGES
campus news
Birds drop in on UT
Rice may no longer have a problem with
grackles, but the University of Texas does. The
unwelcome birds shower innocent victims with
their droppings and can cover the average car in
less than ten minutes, according to the Daily
Texan.
School maintenance crews have increased
their efforts to protect the campus from grack-
les, pruning trees around campus to limit the
birds' roosting space. Workers have even used
gadgets such as exploding rockets in unsucess-
ful attempts to roust the troublesome fowl.
A UT wildlife professor claims that the big-
gest danger from grackles is injury caused by
slipping on their fecal matter. But the professor
also warns that grackles can cause death to
people exposed to the bacteria released when the
droppings dry, though the fungus usually
prompts a reaction similar to a serious cold.
The great-tailed grackle is protected under
federal law unless it is a threat to crops or
livestock.
KGB-ball, Soviet style
For yet another first in this era of Russian
glasnost, the basketball team from the tiny
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indi-
ana played in Moscow last month, becoming the
first U.S. college squad to play in the Soviet
Union. Their experience in playing the Bauman
Daonesbury
Institute of Moscow will be one to remember for
other reasons, however.
Upon landing in Moscow, the team found
their luggage had been left behind in Brussels,
Belgium, stranding the players with only their
carry-on bags and the clothes they were wear-
ing. Worse: most of the players had left their
uniforms in their suitcases.
The Russian team helped out, scrounging up
some shirts and shorts for the foreigners. Be-
cause they had one pair too few of shorts, one
Rose-Hulman eager played the game in boxer
shorts. Printed on the underwear were pictures
of Snoopy, and the fly was secured by a label pin
provided by the Russians—proudly featuring a
picture of Lenin.
But that's not all. Only five of the fifteen
Rose-Hulman players had packed their basket-
ball shoes in their carry-on bags, so whenever a
substitute entered the game, the players had to
change shoes. Coach John Mutchner explained,
"I had to substitute by shoe size."
Rose Hulman lost 96-79, but upon returning
to Brussels, having spent three days in the same
clothes, they suffered even greater aggravation.
Their luggage had not been lost, as they thought.
Soviet officials had detained the suitcases for
"security reasons."
ID locks unwelcome
At Rice, many students are wondering if the
electronic locks on several buildings will ever
start working. At Williams College, however,
most students oppose a proposal that would
provide the same' land of lock on all residential
buildings and some academic buildings.
Although Stephen Fix, Dean of the College,
told students that the locks would reduce prop-
erty theft, personal harassment, and make stu-
dents feel more secure, students still objected.
Some of their reasons included fears that the
system would not be effective in reducing theft
or excluding outsiders, who could convince
students to open the doors. Students also feared
being locked out at night.
Some students suggested instead that more
students lock their room doors.
Non-research aid slim
Under the budget for fiscal 1988, most col-
leges and their students will receive between 1
pcrcent and 5 percent less money from most
federal education programs, the Chronicle of
Higher Education reports.
Some campus research programs, however,
will receive modest increases. When the Na-
tional Science Foundation received a 6 percent
increase, however, researchers were disap-
pointed that it had not received the 17 percent
increase favored by President Reagan.
As a result of cuts overall, thousands of stu-
dents will lose aid. Because of discrepancies in
calculating awards, Pell Grants may not receive
increased funds. Pell Grants generally help the
neediest students.
Graduate students as well as undergraduates
will suffer under the new budget. Because
Congress has failed to renew an exemption for
many stipends, students may have to pay new
taxes this year. Universities are no longer al-
lowed to provide tuition benefits tax-free.
Congress made another move, intended to
trim the federal deficit without a direct effect on
students. As a result^ states will have to begin
funding Guaranteed Student Loan programs
from approximately $234 million in reserve
funds.
BY GARRY TRUDEAU
AS THE DR. WHOOPEE DISTRICT
SALES MANAGER BOARP6D THE.
830AMTRAK TO NSW YORK... I
SAL, LET MB EXPLAIN WHYI
ASKED YOU IN. THE COMPANY
13 ABOUT TO EMBARK ON A
J NEW VENTURE-DR.WHOOPEE
BOUTIQUES!
...HE THOUGHT OFTHE COMPANY
FOUNDER'S RECENT INSTITUTION
AUIATION, ANDTH£ QUES-
TION tT POSBP...
WHO'S THE NEW TOP POO,
AND WHAT ARB HIS PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?
DR. WHOOPEE BY INBOARD
BOUTIQUES I \
(331^o&z^ .
AS ACTING C.E.O., TMASKING
YOU TO HEAD UP THIS NEW
UNDERTAKING. I GUARANTEE
YOU THE FULL SUPPORT OF
THEBOARP!
WHAT DO
YOU SAY1?
UM... WITH ALL DUE RESPECT,
MA 'AM, I'M NOT SURE BOU-
TIQUES ARE THE WAY TO GO
10 EXPAND RETAIL SALES.
/
TOO DOWN-
WALL SCALE. I'M
MACHINES. SHOOTING FOR
/ CELEBRITY
^ APPEARANCES.
PEOPLE WANT PERSONALIZED
SERVICE THESE DAYS, SAL.
WITH DR. WHOOPEE BOUTIQUES,
WE CAN SPARE OUR CUSTOMERS
THE EMBARRASSMENT OF BUY-
IN6 AT THE CORNER
if ^? r DRUGSTORE. /
•I
SAL, WITH YOUR PROVEN
PEOPLE SKILLS, I BELIEVE
YOU'RE THE MAN FOR THE
JOB. I WANT YOU TO GET
GOING ON THE
BOUTIQUES AS
SOON AS
POSSIBLE
HERE ? THE PEACH
RIGHT HERE MARBLE SHOULD
IN TRUMP SHOW OFF THE
TOWER ? PRODUCT LINE
^ ' BEAUTIFULLY'
... AND I WANT
YOU TO OPEN
THE FIRST
ONE HERE I
/X
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Wucker, Michele. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, January 22, 1988, newspaper, January 22, 1988; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245682/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.