The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, November 5, 1993 Page: 3 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Rice University Woodson Research Center.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
OPINION
THE RICE THRESHER FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1993 3
Student support for United Way vital for the agency
To the editor
Every year around this busy time
of football games and midterms, cer-
tain Rice administrators and faculty
come together in the form of a com-
mittee created to mobilize the campus
for the annual United Way fund drive.
As the undergraduate student on the
United Way Steering Committee, it is
my responsibility both to determine
the best way to approach undergradu-
ates regarding giving to this year's
campaign and to inform the student
body about the United Way, how it
works and why one might consider it
a worthy cause.
The United Way works as a parent
agency divided by regions. These re-
gional offices provide monetary aid to
organizations within the region that
provide health and human services.
Over 79 local agendes are beneficia-
ries of the Texas Gulf Coast United
Way fund allocation. These agencies
cover a wide range of causes—keep-
ing disadvantaged children drug-free
and off the streets, feeding the hun-
gry, providing care and education to
autistic children, offering job training
and many more.
It is estimated that the Gulf Coast
United Way touches the lives of three
outof every four people in the Greater
Houston area through the programs
and services it supports.
The United Way carefully consid-
ers all agencies applying for aid before
determining their need valid and wor-
thy. Volunteers are recruited to study
budget proposals of local charitable
organizations and to visit those orga-
nizationsto assess their efficiency and
effectiveness. All operational and fi-
nancial details are scrutinized in de-
tail
These volunteers then decide how
to allocate the year's funds based on
the quality of the services provided by
each agency reviewed and how im-
portant those services are to the people
of the Houston area Because the
United Way checks its own efficiency
and relies heavily on the efforts and
time donated by volunteers, it keeps
only 10 centsof every dollar it receives
to defray administrative costs.
Those of us who sit on the
university's United Way Steering Com-
mittee do so because we recognize
the great value of charitable contribu-
tions to the community.
Life on the Rice campus seems
very isolated from life in the big city.
However, the needs and disadvan-
tages of urban society are unfortu-
nately too well represented here in
Houston; Rice, as a part of the Hous-
ton community, should be aware of
and responsive to those problems.
Building blocks are key to reducing stress
Jym
Schwartz
It's been a quiet week around the
ol' G & G department, and aside from
getting pulled over while wearing a
dress (fortunately it was Halloween,
so I had an excuse... this time), my life
has been pretty devoid of excitement
In fact, there was even a slack in the
fan mail, a sure sign the world is slow-
ing down. Too much friction, I sus-
pect
However, I have something for
everyone which will put a spring in
your step, a twinkle in your eye and
several hundred dollars up your nose:
it's called cocaine. Ah, I'm just kid-
ding. I'm a graduate student; where
the hell am I going to get the money
for cocaine? I'm lucky if I can find a
hallucinogenic toad to lick. (Puts a
new twist on the princess-kissing-the-
frog story, doesn't it?)
Such bad advice aside, I do have
something to recommend which will
make you feel better, no matter how
you feel right now. They're small,
they're wood and they come in vari-
ous shapes. That's right, I'm talking
about your very own baseball bat for
beating people and things which cause
you stress.
Okay, on to the real topic of this
column: building blocks. Sure it
sounds stupid, but if you came over
and saw me sitting on the floor playing
with them, you'd say, "Wow, Jym, that
notonly sounds stupid, it looks stupid,
too." And it is stupid, but despite that
fact i'd be having more fun than you.
Within five minutes you'd either be
with me on the floor (learning how to
share) or sulking 'cause you didn't
have a set of your own.
In our prepubescent rush to rid
ourselves of all things juvenile, the set
of blocks went into the dust bin with
the Weebles, the Lite Brite and the
Big WheeL We wanted a stereo, a
bike, make-up and model rockets. We
wanted to move into the world of adults
as quickly as we could. We wanted
power and material possessions.
Too late, we realize that with the
power of adulthood comes the respon-
sibility of feeding yourself, dressing
yourself, motivating yourself. Rewards
become complex and harder to
achieve. The same sense of accom-
plishmentwhich once came after min-
utes or hours of labor now takes days,
then weeks and, finally, years.
This is what frustrates so many
people: they have no sense of accom-
plishment at the end of the day. I see
people who spend their whole day
running amok and at the end they
really havent gotten much done. Some
people get so caught up in the day-to-
day machinations it takes years for
them to realize they're on the
Stairmaster of Life.
Consider, for a moment how the
world of adults must look to children:
big people doing big-people things
with big-people toys. It all looks terri-
bly important from down there, what
with all the shouting and running
around. They sense that, somehow,
it's all about accomplishment The
world of adults revolves around get-
ting things done.
So children begin to experiment
with this idea on their own scale. In-
stead of writing a report, sitting on a
committee or trying to graduate from
college, they draw a picture or dig a
hole in the sandbox. Maybe they build
something with their blocks. They
achieve some feat — a picture of the
cat a hole deep enough to stick their
arm in up to the elbow, a tower taller
than the coffee table.
I don't know if anyone really re-
members how that first success felt,
but it must have been great because
you collared the nearest adult and
showed him or her just what you'd
' Consider, for a moment,
how the world of adults
must look to children: big
people doing big people
things with big people toys.
done. Naturally, they pretended to be
impressed, but you weren't fooled. Oh
well, you thought when I'm bigger III
do really big stuff.
And here you are, doing big adult
things and still few people are im-
pressed even when you manage to get
something done. What you need is
something with a short-term reward
which you can work with onyourown
terms. Something you can make and
unmake as many times as you want
without any repercussions. Something
simple to make you happy.
Sinite Vona Tem pores Volvere. You
bring the beer and 111 bring the blocks.
Jym Schwartz is a second-year graduate
student in the department of Geology
and Geophysics.
UMKflUt TEXAS, 1952
A, V IS K*P; YOUNG LNW-
W DOES W EBN&K
KMoawrw'NETOK)
WTHIT?
The Meal-a-month program spon-
sored by the Student Association is an
easy and rather inexpensive way to
give to the United Way and other
worthy causes. Meal-a-month allows
students to donate $2.50 (approxi-
mately the cost of one pre-paid din-
6 The United Way
Steering Committee has set
its 1993 campaign goal
for the university at
$85,000. 9
ner) a month off of their meal plan to
that month's designated charity —
United Way was the October charity
of the month. Senators have already
approached the members of their re-
spective colleges with the Meal-a-
month donor cards.
Due to the rather disappointing
student participation, the opportunity
to support Meal-a-month charities (in-
cluding United Way) is once again
going to be offered in each college the
week of Nov. 7. The college with the
greatest number of persons donating
to the United Way will win $100 to-
wards the non-alcoholic purchases for
their next pub night Each person do-
nating to the United Way will also be
eligible for a drawing in their college
to win a thermal Rice mug and a free
lunch at Sammy's. These prizes are
courtesy of Food and Housing.
Despite the fact that Rice students
live from day to day on the proverbial
"student budget" Meal-a-month is a
very small sacrifice, both monetarily
and time-wise, to make for organiza-
tions that deserve adequate resources
to continue their services.
Furthermore, the contribution the
Rice community can potentially make
when it pools its resources would, in
fact be a great contribution to the
United Way and its subsidiaries. The
United Way Steering Committee has
set its 1993 campaign goal for the
university at $85,000. Help us meet
that goaL Find your senator and give
to Meal-a-month.
For those who cannot contribute
to United Way through a meal plan
but are still interested in giving, con-
tact Greg Marshall, Director of Uni-
versity Relations, at extension 4648.
Lauren Rosenblatt
Executive Vice-President, SA
Lovett '95
Ever thought about a
career in publishing?
The Rice University Publishing Program
July 10-August 5, 1994
Develop skills and career opportunities in book and magazine
publishing from insiders at Rolling Stone, Texas \hmthly.
The New Yorker. Simon & Schuster, Random House and others.
For a free brochure contact:
School of Continuing Studies
Rice University
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, Texas 77251-1892
or call (71.3) 527-480.5
William Mar*l. Kir,- University i.« an KO/AA in*t
*dl
m
Now Open in the Village Arcade..
TAaste The Passion
The finest ice
cream (and Yogurt)
in the World™
Extra Scoop ~!
I FREE! i
I with any purchase of i
2517 Amherst ice cream or yogurt ,
in the Village Arcade I Umlt one coupon per purchase.
524-8857 | Expires IV19/93 |
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Howley, Peter & Epperson, Kraettli. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, November 5, 1993, newspaper, November 5, 1993; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245853/m1/3/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.