The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, August 25, 1989 Page: 2 of 20
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New 0-Week alcohol
policy clears up ambiguity
This week has seen the culmination of months, perhaps
years, of having to deal with an alcohol policy riddled with
ambiguity and a general confusion about responsibility and
liability in virtually every sector of the university. With the
onset of each Orienation Week, this ambiguity and confu-
sion achieves a greater impact particularly among the
student body for the following reasons: (1) since the legal
drinking age changed from 18 to 19 and then to 21 years of
age, the university had yet to mandate a clear policy to en-
force compliance with Texas State Law; (2) the practical
enforcement of this ambiguous policy was further muddled
oftentimes by law enforcement ^officials who seemed to
have their own agendas in mind; and (3) beyond these
difficulties, the alcohol policy became even more opaque
among the extremely unusual circumstances present during
Orientation Week. Consequently, it only makes sense that,
with the pressure to do so most acute from all sectors of the
university, a much clearer alcohol policy would be codified
and enforced at this time.
However, the manner in which the university would
achieve its reformulation of the alcohol policy could not
have been as easily conceived and in this regard, all sides
deserve praise. The administration should be applauded for
maintaining the extremely liberal freedoms the average
Rice student enjoys; the faculty and college masters should
be applauded for their willingness to adopt an alcohol
policy defined and enforced by the students who would be
governed by it; and, finally, the Orientation Week coordi-
nators deserve applause for their willingness to enforce the
alcohol policy and place themselves dirctly at risk for any
failure in that enforcement. Congratulations everyone.
For all You do...
The first issue of every school year is a rough time for
the Thresher staff. If a staffer isn't totally green, chances
are he or she is in a new post, with unfamilar duties and
problems. Even when the staff is experienced, the paper re-
quires most of Wednesday night to produce.
This edition of the Thresher was produced by many
hearty souls who braved not only the ire of their Orienta-
tion Week Coordinators or regular employers but also the
tantrums of the editor-in-chief. I was, rest assured, con-
vinced that this issue would never make it to press on time.
The fact that I was so badly mistaken is due to the efforts
of several people. First of all, Sarah flew in from Korea,
convinced me over the phone on Tuesday night that the
paper would indeed come out on time, and then proved that
her optimism was placed in good hands when she took over
the production duties in our Production Manager's absense.
Of course, there are all the others who helped to create this
paper, among them Jen, Jay (who pulled two straight all-
nighters while advising at Will Rice during the daylight
hours), Gilbert, Margaret, Kurt, Tim, Myra, Wes, and
Mike. I'd also like to give very special thanks to Jeffrey,
our wunderkind freshman, who walked in off the street to
solve a nasty computer glitch.
Again, if you're at all interested in writing, editing,
production, eating pizza, please stop by and see us at the
Activities Fair today in the RMC Courtyard.
- Greg Kahn
Editorials in this space represent the opinion of the editorial board of the
Thresher. If a consensus on the editorial board can not be reached, or if the writer(s) of
the editorial represent a unique viewpoint, than those editorials will be signed.
The Thresher provides an open forum for expression of ideas on all issues for its
readers—students, faculty, administration, alumni, and others—and we invite our read-
ers to participate in this discussion by writing letters to the editor. Requirements for
letters to the editor are:
•The letter must be signed and dated and it must include the writer's phone
number, address, and class. The Thresher will grant anonymity to an author if he/she
presents valid reasons for the name to be withheld.
•The Thresher reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity.
•Longer letters which are particularly cogent or insightful may be printed as guest
editorials or guest opinion columns
Please address letters to:
The Rice Thresher
Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251
Letters may also be be delivered directly to the Thresher office on the second
flcx>r of the Ley Memorial Center.
Qto
Grad student says housing isn't bad
To the editors:
Regarding the July 14th article,
"GSA report finds housing lacking,"
the graduate house has been getting
a bad reputation lately.
This seems to be coming from the
Graduate Student Association. I am a
resident of the Grad House and have
been so for two years. Guess what,
people? It's not so bad. In fact, it's
pretty damn good.
Many of us who live here think
that the safety and convenience does
justify the rent Especially if you
Penalty system at
Fondren changed
To the editors:
There have been some changes
in the way the library will-collect
fines now that the fine and billing
program is online at the circulation
desk. In the past, the paperwork for
uncollected fines has been for-
warded to the university cashier two
to three weeks after the fine notice
was mailed to the patron.
Now, the fine records are online
in each patron's record. Check-out
privileges will be blocked when
Beyond
the Hedges
Glasnost, it seems, has spread to
universities.
On top of the Soviet students
studying at universities such as Rice,
a group of students from Pepper-
dine, Stanford, and Moscow State
Universities is planning to begin a
jointly published campus magazine.
The first editorial meeting for the
quarterly magazine, which is the first
such publication from both sides of
the Iron Curtain, is taking place this
month in Moscow with students
from the three schools.
• At the University of Texas
Medical Branch at Galveston, two
twins who were suspended for cheat-
ing are being allowed to enroll for
classes this year, the Chronicle of
Higher Education reported.
The school suspended the 23-
year-olds, Forrest and Wendell Wall,
after they confessed to collaborating
on a paper for a medical ethics
course. A faculty committee rule that
the pair should be failed in the
course, which would prevent their
enrolling this year.
But the brothers took their case
to court, where a district judge said
they had been punished enough in
other ways—by having to repeat the
course, write theses on plagiarism,
and perform 225 hours of commu-
nity service.
campus borrowers have atotalof$20
in unpaid fines on their records. Non-
campus borrowers will be blocked
from borrowing when fines reach $5.
Privileges can be restored when
payment is made at the circulation
desk. Uncollected amounts will be
forwarded to the cashier eventually.
Also, the maximum fines have
been raised for all types of overdue
materials, to $30 for any overdue
book, recalled item, or reserve room
check-out If library materials are
remember that utilities are included.
The atmosphere at the Grad
House is quiet and friendly. There is
a social life for those of us who wish
one. There is no noise and confusion
like the undergraduate dorms.
I think it would be a big mistake
for grad students to live on campus.
The lifestyle of grad students is
slightly different than that of under-
grads. The distance is nice. Let's
keep it that way.
Anastasia Efthimion
Shepherd School
lost, the borrower must pay the re-
placement charges plus processing
fee plus fines.
The reserve room check-out pro-
cedure is also online now and fines
will be computed for overdue re-
serve materials by the minute. The
minimum fine will be $1 and will
increase at two cents per minute
until the $30 maximum fine is
reached.
Ginny Martin
Fondren library
Greg Kahn
Sarah Leedy
Editors-in-Chief
Felix Dawson
Business Manager
NEWS
Kurt Moeller Editor
Margaret Jelinek Assistant Editor
Mary Elliott, Greg Kahn,
Elise Perachio, Myra K Rucker,
Gilbert Saldivar
OPINION
Michael Raphael Editor
Steve Lait Cartoonist
FINE ARTS
Jen Cooper Editor
Tim Carroll Assistant Editor
Bill Tucker, Eric Salituro, Margaret
Jelinck, Elise Perachio
ITvYTURES
Ijorie list
SPORTS
Wes Gere, Myra K. Rucker Editors
Alastair MacPhail
BACKPAGE
Jay Yates Editor
PRODUCTION
Jen Cooper, Myra K. Rucker,
Leslie Raneri
PHOTOGRAPHY
James Yao Editor
BUSINESS
Michael Flanigan Ads Manager
Felix Dawson Ads Production
Ray Lctulle Assistant Business Manager
Myra K Rucker Staff Assistant
PHONE: 527-4801
© COPYRIGHT 1989
The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper at Rice University since 1916, is
published each Friday during the school year, except during examination periods and holi-
days, by the students of Rice University. Editorial and business offices are located on the
second floor of the Ley Student Center, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas, 77251.
Advertising information available upon request Mail subscription rate per semester:
$15.00 domestic, $30 international via first class mail. Unsigned editorials represent the
majority opinion of the Thresher Editorial Board. All other pieces represent the opinion of
the author. Obviously.
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Kahn, Greg & Leedy, Sarah. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, August 25, 1989, newspaper, August 25, 1989; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245725/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1&rotate=270: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.