The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 8, Ed. 1 Friday, October 8, 1993 Page: 2 of 20
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2 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8,1993 THE RICE THRESHER
OPINION
O-Week
For all its faults, Orientation Week is
best left to the colleges to run
As the Office of Student Affairs reviews the management of Orienta-
tion Week, it must be wary of heading down the "slippery slope" that
leads to centralized university control of this traditionally student-run
program.
Orientation Week is not without its flaws: some complain that it
presents an unrealistic view of Rice, while others point out that academic
life is almost entirely overlooked. Still others raise concerns about
destructive jacks and violations of the alcohol policy.
Indeed, more attention must be paid to preparing students for their
academic life by carefully investigating possible majors through more
individual time with academic advisors. These are definitely not, how-
ever, problems that can be addressed from the top down. Each college
must individually schedule its divisional advisors with more time and
encourage students to pay attention to their overall college plans.
Another chaotic and short university-sponsored seminar during 0-
Week is not going to solve this problem. An additional 0-Week coordi-
nator meeting on academics, before 0-Week, might.
As Rice's experience a year ago with Playfair showed, attempts by the
university to shape the activities of this particularly college-oriented
week can lead to disaster.
Students sometimes complain that administrators underestimate or
patronize their needs, and Playfair confirmed this suspicion. A childish,
feel-good activity almost universally derided, it cost the university
money (until a refund was demanded) and cost the students valuable 0-
VVeek time.
Instead, the administration should spend its time tackling problems
it can solve, like the haphazard fining imposed by Food and Housing
during 0-week without regard to university judicial procedure. The
failure of Food and Housing to consult with the University Court or the
Dean of Students to ensure a consistent fining scheme must be cor-
rected.
Let's hope that this review of the 0-Week schedule leads to some
useful cooperation between colleges and the university without bring-
ing with it administration-imposed tours or programs. Students are still
best at deciding what their newest classmates need to know in their first
week at Rice.
piniong:
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"T^\ m The A I \l «nce i i«
Rice Thresher
Peter Howley, Kraettli Epperson
Editors-in-Chief
Shane A. Speciale
Business Manager
Melissa Williams
Sei Chong
David Hale
Vrvek Rao
MaiyAnn McKibben
Marc Hirsh
Torrey Folk
Amy Jeter
Erica Levine
Terzah Ewing
Eric Stotts
Kevin Mistry
Monica Weinheimer
Haley S. Robertson
Kathy 0*Steen
News Editor
Asst. News Editor
Opinion Editor
Asst Opinion Editor
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor
Sports Editor
Sports Editor
Asst Sports Editor
Assistant Features Editor
Backpage Editor
Production Manager
Photography Editor
Ads Manager
Asst Business Manager
The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper at Rice University
since 1916, is published each Friday during the school yeai^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
Student Center, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas, 77251. Phone 527-4801.
Advertising information available on request Mail subscription rate per
semester $20.00 domestic, $40.00 international via first class mail. Non-
subscription rate; first copy free, second copy $1.00.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher
Editorial Staff All other pieces represent the opinion of the author.
Obviously. © COPYRIGHT 1993
r
AUWH06A- mmk
WUMHttlA- MFMKBM-
FENfcOFWEWGKr- TEAR OF THE
Criticism of Jones College unfounded
To the editor:
Reading the article "Degradation
of women is disappointing" was itself
disappointing. All gender issues aside,
we found the unsubstantiated criti-
cism of our college and masters to be
very hurtful and upsetting. It is impor-
tant to take the responsibility of find-
ing out the facts about how a situation
was handled before criticizing it
Several actions occurred follow-
ing "Midnight Madness" at Jones.
After the subject was brought up at a
cabinet meeting, a series of discus-
sions took place. Serious talk about
the incident itself was held among the
masters, residential advisors, partici-
pants and other students.
Larger issues about gender and
empowerment became the focus of
many discussions, and small groups
met to discuss the implications of other
Jones traditions. Acoliege forum was,
and still is, planned to discuss the
issue of consent and tradition at Jones.
By the next cabinet meeting, a com-
mittee had been formed to write an
amendment to the constitution explic-
itly stating the college's stance on such
issues, including repercussionsforvio-
lations.
Jones College does not condone
the incident or regard it as a benign
THE EDITOR
Letters
tradition. "Midnight Madness" in its
present form will not continue.
It is important to realize, however,
that all these actions were in place
before any letters were published in
the Thresher.
It is truly unfortunate that an attack
was made on the college and its lead-
ers without knowledge of what ac-
tions had been taken. A simple phone
call could have answered a lot of ques-
tions. Many people at Jones itself are
unaware of the so-called tradition.
Careful reading ofMs. Meyer's article
reveals that it did not even occur last
year, the first year our masters were at
Jones. After it occurred this year, they
acted promptly and sensitively. To
ask what planet our masters are from
is not only uncalled for, but disre-
spectful and rude.
We do, however, share Ms.
Dunten's concerns and applaud her
desire for gender issue awareness.
Consensual issues should be issues
foreveryresidentialcollege. All people
should feel safe and tolerated in their
own home. We feel that we are mak-
ing a sincere effort to make Jones
such a place.
Audrey K. Chun
President, Jones College
Jones '94
Allison H. Baker
Jones '94
Removing NROTC would punish students
To the editor
While I do not desire to get in-
volved in the complicated debate over
homosexuals in the military, I would
like to address one aspect of the con-
troversy —the desire of some to have
the Navy ROTC removed from cam
pus. Such a move would not only hurt
real students who have no control
over the decision-making process, but
would also run contrary to the very
principles by which the proponents of
such a move profess to be motivated.
The members of the Navy ROTC
unitat Ricedid not join the military out
of a desire to work in a homosexual-
free environment, and they most likely
did not even consider the policy in
their decision. Instead, they accepted
NROTC scholarships to serve their
country and to help pay their way
through college. In many cases,
NROTC provides the only way for
students to attend private universi-
ties.
Since its inception in 1943, hun-
dreds of Navy ROTC midshipmen at
Rice have taken advantage of this op-
portunity and used it as a stepping
stone to successful careers in both the
military and civilian sectors. There
are also a number of professors who
are products of NROTC programs at
this and other schools.
To shut down the unit here would
not only deny future students the op-
portunity to participate (or even at-
tend Wee) but also further the resent-
ment and distrust between both sides
of the debate; the military's policy
most likely would not be affected at all
by such a closure.
Homosexuals who desire to join or
remain in the military ostensibly do so
out of the same motivation as hetero-
sexuals — to serve their country. In
this respect it would seem fruitless to
protest military policy by destroying a
valuable arm of the organization that
they desire to join (about 40 percent of
the Navy'sofficers come from NROTC
units around the country) — an arm
that has had no input in determining
the policy on homosexuality.
NROTC may provide a convenient
avenue of protest since it is the closest
contact most Rice students have to
the military, but such reaction misses
the fact that NROTC midshipmen are
real students who have the most to
lose if the unit is closed.
Moreover, its closure would elimi-
nate a source of capable personnel
who would only serve to widen the
diversity and background of the
Navy's officer corps through their ex-
periences at Rice.
Whatever one's personal opinions
on homosexuals in the militaiy, one
thing is certain; it is an issue that
defies simple analogy or a simple solu-
tion, one that brings up problems and
questions our country has never had
to face squarely before. While some
hurt is inevitable in resolving those
questions, it does not need to extend
to members of the Rice Navy ROTC
who neither desire, nor are at liberty,
to become embroiled in the debate
over policy that has been set by the
president and Congress.
David Diamond
Brown '93
Giving out drop slips with test is sick humor
To the editor
At Rice, relations between students
and faculty are for the most part colle-
gial rather than antagonistic. We con-
sider our professors to be more like
mentors in our education than sadis-
tic ogres out to frustrate and discour-
age us.
Your report lastFridayofthewholly
tactiessstuntthatoneofthe BigThree
professors pulled on his first midterm
exam of the semester ("Hell 101")
should be of concern to the entire
academic community, students and
faculty both. Was some kind of sick
humor intended? If so, the gesture
was not appreciated.
While applauding the Thresher's
attention to this abuse of the professo-
rial lectern, I am nonetheless puzzled
as to why the editors have chosen to
withhold the offender's name. Who-
ever he was, the man (as far as I know,
only one Big Three section is taught
by a woman, and Dr. Radunskaya,
who personally helps students at the
Math 101 help sessions in the coffee-
house, doesn't seem like she'd be the
one to do this) had no qualms or
shame in publishing his incivility to a
large lecture-style class. Why not take
the next logical step and let the whole
campus in on it7
Finishing my Big Three only last
semester, I can sympathize with the
freshman in Hell 101. In a university
that generously offers free tutoring
and stres$- and time-management
workshops for its students, such su-
perciliousness is clearly out of place.
It is an offense against the spirit of
respect and trust that pervades Rice.
Such an act blurs the grace and blush
of modesty, calls virtue hypocrite,
takes off the rose of an innocent love
and sets a blister there.
The professor owes his students
an apology.
Michael Grinshtein
Baker *96
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Howley, Peter & Epperson, Kraettli. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 8, Ed. 1 Friday, October 8, 1993, newspaper, October 8, 1993; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245850/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.