The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, October 4, 1991 Page: 5 of 16
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THE RICE THRESHER FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1991 5
New plan provides students with choice seats at President's lectures
by Robin Hazard
The Student Activities office an-
nounced a new plan to distribute
advanced student tickets at the
President's Lectures Series in re-
sponse to complaints of inadequate
student seating. The trial system sets
aside a substantial proportion of
tickets for students.
"We know that this is just a trial
run. Although we dont foresee any,
there may be some problems," said
Sarah Nelson Crawford, director of
student activities.
Journalist Roger Rosenblatt is
scheduled to speak October 16 for
the first lecture of the series.
Rosenblatt is a regular columnist
and editor-at-large for Life.
Rosenblatt has also worked with The
New Republic, The Washington Post,
and U.S. News and World Report,
where he was the editor. He has
written three published books and
has one in production. His lecture
will deal with the topic of free speech.
Each college will receive at least
25 tickets for distribution by repre-
sentatives of the Rice Program Coun-
cil. The ratio of tickets going to the
undergraduate and graduate students
has not been set A total of hree hun-
dred tickets will be held for Rice stu-
dents.
The issue of saving tickets for stu-
dents arose last year as a result of
student letters published in the
Thresher and of a Student Association
memorandum distributed to univer-
sity officials.
"At President Rupp's request, Ron
Sass [head of the President's leture
series committee], Marty Vest, Erik
Dr. Seuss vigil...
by Eric Hdhn
Students gathered
around Willy's
statue, dad in a Dr.
Seuss-stgle hat,
Sunday night
holding candles
and reading from
The Cat in the Hat
in honor of the late
Theodore Oeiset,
a.h.a.
Dr. Seuss.
Approximately thirty students
gathered Sunday at 11:00 p.m. for
a candlelight vigil honoring the
late Theodore Geisel, known to
millions around the wprld as Dr.
Seuss. Geisel died in his home
last week at the age of 87.
The crowd amassed around
Willy's statue, which was adorned
with a red-and-white-striped top
hat reminiscent of The Cat in the
Hat. The vigil began with the
lighting of the candles and agroup
reading of excerpts from A Fox in
Socks. From there, students went
on to read and act out several of
Dr. Seuss' classics such as
Sneetches, led by Brown fifth year
Bowie Hinger, and The Cat in the
Hat, led by Will Rice junior Peter
Sharoff.
Sharoff was the main organiza-
tional force behind the gathering.
"Dr. Seuss really influenced ev-
eryone," said Sharoff. "Also, we
haven't read Dr. Seuss in awhile,
and it was kinda fun," Sharoff felt
that Geisel's death was a significant
event for everyone.
"No one wants to grow up, but
when the symbols of your childhood
die, it makes you feel like you are
growing up. That's something no
one wants to admit," Sharoff said.
"YouVegotto wonder, though. With
Jim Henson dead and Dr. Seuss
gone, what will the kids of the future
have? I mean, the books will still be
around, but I dont think G.I.Joe can
even come close," Sharoff said.
Hinger agreed with Sharoffs
views, and also held fond memories
of Dr. Seuss.
"The Lorax was one of my first
books. It really appealed to me.
Now, with Seuss and Jim Henson
gone, all the symbols of my child-
hood are gone. It's really cool to
see Rice students doing this,
though, something that's not alco-
hol or Beer Bike related. I don't
believe in Rice apathy anymore,"
Hinger said.
"There's one quote that kind of
sums it all up for"me," said Sharoff,
"It's from One Fish, Two Fish, Red
Fish, Blue Fish. Today is gone,
Today was fun. Tomorrow is an-
other one. Every day, From here
to there, Funny things are every-
where.'"
Erik Leidal did not attend the
vigil.
W
hard to believe,"
Said-the Cat in the Hat,
'Dr. Seuss would just leave,
Vfoukl just leave us like that
"V&l, maybe he left,"
I said to the cat,
'But hell never be gjxie,
I'm certain of that/"
tolonjl&oneWd
Has a book and a heart,
like the Cat in the Hat,
He'll /aw depart.r
u
Leidal and I got together to talk over
this problem and to try to propose a
solution. This is just a committee to
get something going...to work out
the details," Crawford said.
"Leidal was involved in writing
the proposal from the SA last year,"
explained Crawford.
According to Crawford, the three
hundred reserved student tickets
represent a "substantial number" of
total seating capacity. The hall will
seat up to 1185 if Sammy's is also
opened for seating The Grand Hall
itself seats 625 people.
Tickets will be distributed to the
colleges next week for students to
pick up from the RPC representa-
tives. The Graduate Student Asso-
ciation will handle tickets for grad
students and will distribute tickets at
Valhalla.
Leftover tickets for reserved seats
will remain available at the office
outside the Grand Hall. Students may
pick up tickets prior to the lecture
even if their individual college has
distributed its share of tickets. If all
of the student reserved tickets are
claimed, students may use general
public ticketing.
Additionally,the proposed system
provides for a separate entrance for
students to the Grand Hall through
the east door (from the Cloisters and
student courtyard) as opposed to the
west entrance, which will be used by
the general public.
Students will be asked to provide
both the student tickets, which are a
different color from general admis-
sion tickets, and Rice I.D.s.The doors
We know that this is
just a trial run. Although
we don't foresee any,
there may be some
problems.
— Sarah Nelson
Crawford
will open at seven o'clock for the
eight o'clock lecture, and seating will
be first come, first served. Further-
more , the seats will not be guaranteed
after 7:45 p.m.
Students with suggestions for fu-
ture speakers are encouraged to
contact college senators.
Four professor candidates
vie for Reli Rayzor chair
by Beth Bromley
Two candidates for the Rayzor
Chair of Religious Studies delivered
speeches this week in the final phase
of a selection process to fill the seat
vacated last year by Professor
Emeritus Niels Nielsen. A total of
four final candidates will present
lectures.
Drawing from the responses re-
ceived to the job description written
early last spring, the Selection Com
mittee has narrowed the field to four
candidates. At this point in the selec-
tion process, "it is customary [for the
candidates] to deliver speeches on a
topic which the candidate has found
Drawing from the
responses received to
the job description
written early last
spring, the Selection
Committee has
narrowed the field to
four candidates.
interesting," according to Ann Klein,
associate professor of religious
studies and chairman of the selec-
tion committee.
Following the speeches, the reli-
gious studu ies department as a who le
will make the final decision. Werner
Kelber, professor of religious studies
and chairman of the department, feels
that the speeches are necessary to
give the Department further experi-
ence with the candidates. "We had
four good people and we didn't want
to make a decision on paper," he
says. "We wanted to see all of them."
The topic of the speech is chosen
by the candidate, though it is typical
that he speak on his area of specialty;
according to Kelber, "We encourage
them to do that" Klein adds that this
does not always mean that the speech
will cover previously published
works: "Some ofthem talk about work
they have already done; some might
talk about work that they're in the
middle of now."
The candidate may speak with
Klein about the topic, though she
emphasizes that there is no negotia-
tion between the committee and the
candidate in the selection of speech
content "They may mention it to me
and ask me what I think and if I think
something of it 1 may tell them. But
that's it." Normally, They just give
me the title so that I can advertise."
The first two lectures were held
last Monday September 30 and
Thursday October 3. The first, by
candidate William C. Placher, was
titled "Christian Theology and
Genuine Pluralism." Placher is Pro-
fessor of Philosophy and Religion at
Wabash College. Dr. John C.
Maraldo, Professor of Philosophy
and Religion at the University of
North Florida, delivered the second
lecture. Maraldo's topic was "Reli-
gion and Relativism: A Repraisal."
The third candidate, Dr. Nancy
K. Frankeberry from Dartmouth
College, is scheduled to speak on
Thursday, October 10 at 4:00 p.m.
The final candidate Dr. Edith
Wysehogrod, professor of Philoso-
phy at Queens College of the Univer-
sity of New York will speak on
Thursday October 31 at 4:00 p.m. All
lectures are held in Sewall Hall, room
307.
Klein, selection committee chair-
man, stressed that "all four are really
quite well respected in their fields
around the country, and that's why
we've invited them"
Kelber expects the Department
to make the final decision by
Thanksgiving.
Drafting the job description last
year to fill the vacancy stirred up
controversy within regarding the di-
rection of the department
Until now, the selection
committe has been non-committal
in its criteria for the chair. In the
January 25 issue of the Thresher,
Klein reported, "We wrote the job
description as broadly as possible.
We would welcome a person with
expertise in comparative studies."
Whether or not this excludes schol-
ars with expertise in traditional
western thought is a matter of con-
troversy within the department Rice
religious studies professor James
Sellers expressed an opposing view
in an editorial which appeared in The
Wall Street Journal: "it now appears
to be viewed as undesirable to teach
theology in a religious studies de-
partment"
Klein clarified that the broad job
description is not exclusionary in
this manner This [broad job dt>
scription ] does not mean that we are
not interested in western religious
thought I want to stress that"
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Zitterkopf, Ann & Howe, Harlan. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, October 4, 1991, newspaper, October 4, 1991; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245792/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.