The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 26, Ed. 1 Friday, April 3, 1992 Page: 14 of 24
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14 FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1992 THE RICE THRESHER
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Architecture professors Albert
Pope and Bill Sherman won one of
three Honor Awards In the
American Institute of Architects
Houston recognition program.
They were given the award, the
Institute's highest, for their Row
Houses project In southwest Hous-
ton, a group of three houses where
the two of them live. There were 80
contest entries total. Their design
was described as "a prototype for
self-inflicted zoning.
Rice Radio has a new general man-
ager, Hanszen junior Hemm Buujnoa. The
station holds straw poll elections,
but the position Is technically ap-
pointed because the FCC prohibits
elections for station managers. Will
Rice junior Kyle Bruckmann and Brown
sophomore Keith Rozenoaw. will be
music directors. Bulllnga says we
can expect to hear "a lot more vari-
ety" on the soon-to-be expanded
general playllst.
DO THE
WHITE
End of an era
HONEST REPUBLICANS
FOR A CHANGE
You may have seen stickers on cam-
pus recently which read "Do the White
Thing. Honest Republicans for a
Change." The stickers feature head
shots of Pat Buchanan and David Duke.
Who's responsible? Anti-Trust, a
guerilla art group headquartered In
the warehouse district
The Shepherd School Student Coun-
cil, which publishes a monthly news-
letter called "The Lost Sheep"
(awww), also has a new set of
elected officials. Sid Richardson
Junior Erik Lbdal will take over
as president, and Kate
O'Connell, his SRC
classmate, will be
v.p. The council
arranges
fundralsing
activities such as the PDQ Bach con-
certs and sponsors Informal lunch-
time recitals.
Last month, art professor John
Sparaoana received a $4,000 unre-
stricted grant from the Cultural Arts
Council of Houston. Four visual arts
grant recipients were chosen from
131 applicants.
English professor Susan Wood will be
reading from her award-winning new
volume of poems, Campo Santo, on
Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. The free
reading is at Diverse works, 1117 E.
Freeway, 2284)914. Also appearing:
Alan Chouse (The Grandmother's
Club, Fall Out of Heaven: An Autobto
see page 16
A protest march and other rumblings signal Archi woes
by heidi
h U E T T N E R
What do you call it when
people in the School of Architec-
ture have gone through five deans
during their stay at Rice and
they're still students? What about
when a 225-square-foot painting
of a retiring professor appears on
the school's gallery wall ?
Students are concerned about
the future of the school, and the
future of their faculty, due to the
swift changes which have
recently buffeted the school.
More importantly, they're
worried that student voice and
student opinion aren't being
heard over the stonm.
For one thing, acting dean 0.
Jack Mitchell's death has
disrupted the school and given
the dean search committee,
formed after Alan Balfour left
Rice for England, a new sense of
urgency. As candidates continue
to visit the school, usually to
mixed reactions, students have
begun suggesting "Doris for
Dean." Doris Anderson is the
assistant to the dean.
Impressively enough, the Rice School of
Architecture is ranked ninth in the nation for both
graduate and undergraduate education by the
latest Gourman Report.
Accordingly, finding the "right" dean for Ricc
has been a challenge for the Dean Search
Committee, which includes two students, two
faculty, Provost Neal Lane, and an alumnus.
"Our program Is steeped in excellence, and
the expectations [for the new dean] are extraordi-
narily high across the community," said Bill
Cannady who is temporarily running the school
along with Lane and professor John Casbarian.
"A lot of people see the new dean as some
sort of savior who's going to get here and turn
things around," said student committee represen-
tative Diane Gormely. "We won't find someone
who's just ideal in every way. The important
thing for the school is to find someone who has
strong ideas for the school and...who will be a
catalyst for getting things done."
And the loss of Mitchell has been a blow to
the search. "He knew a lot of people and he also
had been at the school for over two decades and
could always provide a larger perspective on the
situation," said architecture professor Spencer
Parsons, a search committee member.
Parsons said, "We're not noticeably lacking
in wisdom and judgement [without Mitchell],
but Jack's absence is
noticeable not only in the
committee but in the
school."
Students have been
especially active in this
year's dean search. "Part
of it is because it is
perceived as being a very
important decision at this
point in the school,"
Gormely said. "People
perceive the person who is going to be dean as
playing a very big part in the direction the school
will take in the next dccadc or so."
Jones senior Gina Yu said, 'There's definitely
been a lack of spirit and energy. Everyone's
looking for someone to lead us, and right now it's
An unknown student(s?) port raited professor Andy Todd on the wall of the Farlsh Gallery.
just temporary and acting deans."
"1 see the opportunity," said Casbarian. 1
think while there is a tremendous loss, the school
is bigger than any of the individual parts."
Graduate student committee member Mark
Francis said, "I think that [students are] under-
standably very nervous about iL They feel that
there's been a need for a visible leader. There
have been five candidates visiting the campus so
far, and the students have had mixed reactions to
each of those. They are very concerned that their
wishes arc heard and valued."
The shortest list available includes the five
candidates who have made visits to Rice already,
although the committee says a couple more
candidates could be added. The list included
Ralph Bennett of the University of Maryland;
Larry Speck, University of Texas; Essey
Baniassad, dean of architecture at the University
of Nova Scotia; Alan Plattus, associate dean at
Yale; and Robert Mangurian, director of graduate
programs at the Southern California Institute of
Architecture. Visiting candidates usually deliver
a lecture.and answer student questions.
This year's search has had good and bad
points. Gormely noted that many other architec-
ture schools with clout have been seeking deans,
among them Harvard, Yale, the Pratt Institute of
Technology, and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (all in the top 20).
On the other hand, "It's turned out to be a
pretty good time to be doing a search," said
Francis. "Because the economy is the way it is, a
lot of people are in positions where they can
uproot their practice this year. We're in good
financial condition, no cutbacks and administra-
tive nightmare."
Parsons said there are candidates being
considered from the present faculty as well as
those who are outside the university, although he
wasn't at liberty to identify them.
Francis noted, "If a faculty member appears
to be an outstanding candidate, it seems to be
appropriate that the student body have the
opportunity to respond to that candidacy."
Changing of the Guard
Senior Gina Yu explains her studio project.
Besides Mitchell and
Balfour, Rice is losing
professor Peter Waldman.
Also, Andy Todd, a
faculty member since
1949, has announced his
imminent retirement,
though he may continue to
teach next semester. The
only other tenured
professors are Casbarian,
Cannady and associate
professors Gordon
Wittenberg and Parsons.
Two popular profes-
sors, Albert Pope and Bill
Sherman, who share a
local private practice,
were passed over for
tenure a few weeks ago.
Over 100 students signed a petition protesting
the decision, then marched to President Rupp's
office to deliver it. Lovett fifth year Jennifer
Watson said, 'They're the most valued,
energetic, sincere of the studio critics. I think the
demonstration in the petitions and meetings was
mostly for the students to express our interest in
keeping them."
Casbarian said the architecture faculty
recommended Pope for tenure and Sherman for a
promotion with tenure (Pope was promoted to
'There's a definite old
guard at this school.
They've been there for
a long time—they have
a lot of power in the
school, and a lot of
people are just
hoping...for a change
of leadership and
opinions."
associate professor last year). The University
Council recommended Sherman for promotion to
associate professor, but held off on a tenure
recommendation for both. Both can reapply for
tenure for each of the next three years.
Casbarian was optimistic about the results:
"In both cases they promoted them....Being
promoted from assistant professor to associate
professor is a remarkable accomplishment. It
sends a message of confidence to them from the
university."
Sherman said the promotion is "an encourag-
ing signal," and added that he would like to
eventually get tenure: "That is my goal, but if
other offers came from somewhere else I'd have
to consider them."
Pope teaches part time at Yale and could not
be reached for comment.
There may be another reason for withholding
tenure. Parsons said, "Because we have several
tenure track faculty positions open, it's a good
opportunity for a dean to come in and mold a
school the way he'd like to."
Shisha van Horn, president of the school's
Student Council, said, "Pope and Sherman arc
two of the most well-regarded faculty members,
and we certainly hope that they will stay and then
go up for tenure again." The two have recently
won an American Institute of Architects local
award, as well as two Honor Awards for interior
architecture for projects at the Museum of Fine
Arts.
"There's a definite old guard at this school,"
Yu said. "They've been there for a long time and
see End of an Era, page 19
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Kim, Leezie & Carson, Chad. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 26, Ed. 1 Friday, April 3, 1992, newspaper, April 3, 1992; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245811/m1/14/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.