The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, February 16, 1996 Page: 3 of 20
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"'""3 *"IS
FRIDAY
THE RICE THRESHER
FEBRUARY
To the editor: *
wmm^' wnwm •
Hie Holior Council is proposing
two constitutional changes during
general elections: adding college rep-
resentatives to the council and cre-
ating the position of an advisor to the
accused.
The first proposal aims to enlarge
the council by a total of nine mem-
bers. Each college and the Graduate
House would elecj one representa-
tive to the council.
Currently, the council consists of
16 members elected by the under-
graduate student body and the
Graduate Student Association Coun-
cil and two appointed freshmen
representatives.
- The idea of Honor Council col-
lege representatives is not a new
one; last year's version of this idea
narrowly failed during the general
election. This idea was first proposed
as far bjick as April 1#?3,
Nine additional members would
greatly benefit the honor sy stem in a
variety of ways.
During the past two years, it has
become increasingly difficult to se-
cure the necessary voting members
for a hearing or trial.
At times, an accused student has
been forced to prolong his or her
case because of a lack of eligible
members available to serve.
These new members would pro-
vide a greater pool of potential serv-
ing members, improving the
council's ability to have a timely trial.
New members would be bound
to the same level of confidentiality
as the rest of the council, and any
member who betrayed this confi-
dentiality would be subject to re-
moval from the council.
With a larger pool of council mem-
bers to draw from, several people
have expressed concern that trials
could theoretically be "stacked" to
ensure a certain decision. In reality.
the secretary who schedules the tri-
als rarely knows what the accusa-
tion is about, thus making it virtually
impossible to predict the consensus
of any given combination of mem-
bers.
The college representatives
would not be eligible to serve on the
trials of students from their college.
This restriction would hopefully
eliminate any conflict of interest or
potential discomfort between the
accused and the council member.
Currently, council members do
not generally serve on a trial if they
.know the accused or if they are from
the same college.
However, due to the small num-
ber o/ members, at times a council
member must serve on a trial of an
accused from the same college.
With a larger pool to draw from,
this uncomfortable situation could
hopefully be eliminated.
The Rice community would ben-
efit from having at least one council
member in each college and the
Graduate House. Having one repre-
the visibility and accessibility of the
council and of the honor system.
This increase in student body
contact with council members would
enable students to be more aware of
council proceedings, notices and
policy. More members would also
help facilitate faculty and new stu-
dent orientation, provide new ideas
during meetings and generate sug-
gestions among the colleges.
In the next issue of the Thresher,
we will fully delineate the second
proposal of creating a pool of advi-
sors to the accused.
Currently, each accused is as-
signed an ombudsman who explains
council procedure and is "present
with the accused through each step
in their case.
However, an'omhuds cannot of-
fer any advice to an accused or inf
ence his or her decisions in any wa
The proposed advisors would I
a member of the administration wl
would be thoroughly oriented to I
honor system and who could offer
advice and support to the accused it
preparing his or her case
An accused could seek the
vice of an advisor from this pool of
trained administrators, but the deci-
sions made about the accused's
case would ultimately be his or her
own.
This Sunday at 7 p.m. iti the Kelley
Lounge in the Student Center, the
council will hold an open forum to
discuss'these proposals and to an-
swer any questions. Please come by
and offer your suggestions. Thank
you,
«
Constitutional Revisions
Committee
Honor Council
France's irresponsible nuclear tests should not be tolerated
Gerald
Faixhook
COLUMNIST
THE TIME was 3:30 p.m.
The day was Sat,, Jan. 27, 1996.
A lot of things happened that af-
ternoon.
You, I and
most people I
know played bas-
ketball, threw
around the Fris-
bee, learned the
Cha-Cha, phflred
bets on the Super-
Bowl, drank beer
or just plain en-
joyed the after-
noon.
Oh, and also,
France conducted a nuclear Jx>mb
test in the South Pacific.
That Saturday's nuclear blast was
France's sixth, last and most power-
ful nuclear test since President
J acques Chirac told the international
community to bug off bafck in Sep-
tember.
A statement by the French De-
fense Ministry claimed that these
tests were being carried out "in or-
der to guarantee the safety and reli-
ability of weapons in the future." 1
don't understand.
Do they dare uSe the word
"safety" in the same sentence as
"nuclear weapons?"The French 1 )e-
lense Ministry certainly doesn't
make me feel very safe.
And now Chirac has the gall (pun
intended) to transform himself over-
night into a leading opponent ol"
nuclear testing.
I wonder if the word "hypocrite"
exists in Mr. Chirac's vocabulary.
Never mind that the Fangatoufa
atoll is already so contaminated with
radiation that spending even a small
amount of time there will greatly
increase your chances of producing
offspring with two heads, five arms
or multiple sexual appendages.
Never mind the fact that these
tests have caused widespread con-
tamination of fish and plankton in
the region and are endangering a
vital food source for the inhabitants
of this region.
Never mind that strong ocean
currents have the potential to bring
radiation contamination to every
shore that touches the Pacific
Ocean.
Nah, nevermind any of that stuff.
You live in the United States. You
don't care.
You are safe. Just don't make any
plans to spend your vacations in New
Zealand or Tahiti or anywhere in-
between
And don't forget to bring along a
full-body, lead-plated, radiation-safe
swirnsuit next time you do a little
swimming off the beaches of Hawaii
or southern California.
Haven't we learned that nuclear
weapons don't prevent conventional
wars or enhance national security?
Or maybe good old-fashioned,
tllick-headed,in ational belligerence
is coming back in style.
But who will stop'the bad guys
from destroying our planet? Our na-
tional leaders? Guess again.
During his recent visit to Wash-
Colleges not detrimental
To the editor:
Hits letter is in response to Amy
McKay's argument that the college
system limits social life at Rice.
Sin* argues that by being placed
into colleges as freshmen, "We are
basically locked, from Orientation
Week on, into the same set of 90 or
so people for four years."
Wait a minute! First of all, 1 hope
that McKay is not actually trying
to say that the college system fos-
ters divisions among classes, be
cause the truth is completely the
opposite.
By having a "college" of random
students instead of "class" or "ma-
jor" dormitories, students get to meet
a greater number and variety of
people.
Another complaint McKay has
about the college system is "our
business is everyone's business."
To this I say: In a school of only
2.<>()() undergraduates, even without
a college system, everyone would
know everyone else's business.
If it's anonymity you want, trans-
fer to a big state school; or better yet.
hide in your room and emerge only
for meals and class like too many
students here do.
Hie college system is not a detri-
ments people's social lives,If any-
thing. it is an asset in that from O-
Week, students have a core of 90
people they know which makes it
easier to try to meet others across
campus.
Ifyou want to know people across
campOs, have more friends and
have a satisfying social life, you
have to put forth some effort.
This does not. mean joining eveiy
club on campus or forsaking class to
constantly party. Start by joining a
student organization or one of the
club teams.
Get a group of friends to eat lunch
at a different college once a week.
And it's fine to come and go to par-
ties and Pub Nights with members
of your college: just don't be afraid
to talk to others while you're there.
Lastly, McKay complains of the
"inconvenience of maintaining a
friendship with someone at another
college."
Who would want a friendship with
anyone who is not even willing to
stroll tlw 200 yards to see them or
pick up a phone?
1 believe the college system is
Kice'sgreatest asset, and it is a shame
to see it blamed for problems caused
by poor social skills and lack of ini-
tiative.
Nate Blair
Jones '98
ington, President Chirac was given
a public snub by many of our elected
officials,
ITiat was all very nice and conve-
nient for them and the media, espe-
cially during an election year, but
what were they doing six months
ago? The fact remains that our gov
eminent silently permitted the
French to use our environment as a
nuclear testing ground.
They will do it again.
ingdirty residues of colonizat ion and
imperialism.
Unlike the Americans, the French
don't have the pride (or the stupid-
ity) to conduct a nuclear test on their
own soil.
So get off your butt and tell some-
one you are angry with the damn
French.Go write your congressman.
Or, if you would like to have some-
one actually listen to you and do
something about it, you can sign
The most shameful thing about/ a worldwide petition and get
France's nuclear activities is that
they were being conducted in a part
of the world to which they have no
historical claim and which they have
no justification to possess. French
Polynesia is one of the few remain-
other information in a variety of
ways.
Send e-mail to stopnuketest®
igc.org or visit the French Nuclear
Testing web site at http://
www. igc. upc.org/NObi-NUKE/ or
call their toll-free number 1 KOO-3-
NO-NUKF. ,
They say the energy from the
blast was the equivalent of 120,000'
tons of dynamite.
If 1 had that much dynamite, I
probably wouldn't put i! on an
uninhabited island in the South Pa-
cific!
Surely, I could find a more
acceptable and perhaps popular,
site. The foyer to the Klysee presi-
dential palace is a good suggestion
Or, if that isn't available, I guessj
the floor of the House of Representa-
tives would be good too.
(U'rald Falchook is a Sid Ru hunison
College senior
Proposed tax will help student activities
To the editor:
Several students have proposed
a bill that was passed by the Student
Association at their Feb. 5 meeting
to place a referendum for the cre-
ation of a new student activities fee
on the general elections ballot on
Tues., Feb. 27.
The referendum is stated as fol-
lows: "Are you in favor of creating a
separate student activity fee called
Student Activity Allocation of $10
per year5 Thefunds,allocated to any-
registered student organization,
would be used exclusively for the
improvement and expansion of
campus-wide activities and pro-
grams.
I APPRO'VE
I DISAPPROVE."
The intention of the fee is to in-
crease and expand campus-wide ac-
tivities as well as to simplify the pro-
cess by which student organizations
request and receive appropriations
for these programs.
A fee would be collected in the
fall of each year and would establish
a pool of funds to be allocated for
campus-wide programs and events,
A committee consisting of ap-
proximately 15 student members
from various student organizations
and all colleges would be respon-
sible for approving these allocations
for organizations submitting budget
•proposals.
The committee would also hold
reserve funds for allocations
ihi'iiughout the academic year. '
In addition to the fundsthat would
be raised by such a fee, th* adminis-
tration nifty supply matching funds
to double the pool it this proposal is
approved by the student body
Such a referendum serves to ben-
efit all organizations on campus —
and virtually every member of the
Rice community by allowing or
ganizations greater freedom arid
opportunity to plan events which
bring the campus together as a
whole.
The colleges and blanket tax or-
ganizations may then dedicate (heir
funds toward improving and increas-
ing their own activities instead of
allocating money to other organiza-
tions.
According to Tara Miller of
Hanszen, "As practically every stu-
dent is a member of some organisa-
tion or club sport, we will all feel
the positive impact of this re fere n-
mmi.
In addition, as Tliea Kacho'ris
notes, "This' referendum will pro-
vide greater opportunities to repre-
sent the diversity of students found
at Rice — especially to chose organi-
zations which have not been ser-
viced before "
An open forum to discuss this
referendum was held on l ues , l-eb.
13, at 8 p.m. in Kelley I ounge. For
more.immediate questions and con-
cerns, please contact Krista Kyle at
kntk0Srice.edu.
Kristo Kyle
SRC '97
ill
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:/
iiBfia
SINCE 1916
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Klein, Charles & Rao, Vivek. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, February 16, 1996, newspaper, February 16, 1996; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246532/m1/3/: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.