The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 85, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, August 29, 1997 Page: 2 of 16
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2 FRIDAY. AUGUST 29. 1997
.V' I
Life at Rice will be whatever
make of it. Keeping your goals in
mind remains die key.
I hts staff editorial is reprinted from the August 25,1972 issue of
the Thresher. The 1997-'9S editorial boardfeels that its message still
applies, to this year's incoming students', a well as those of us
returning to Rice for another year.
"The true function of the University" is a phrase that gets
kicked around a lot, mostly in editorials. Speakers looking for a
topic can always fall back on "re-examination of the fundamental
principles of education." But any questions about the purpose, if
"any, of Rice are more meaningful when phrased simply:
What are you doing here, anyway
• Everyone at Rice is here because he expects to benefit from it.
The anticipated advantages are of three types, and an honest
recognit ion of which advantage you seek is vital if this situat ion is
to be worth SIMOO/year. The question is not philosophical; it is
practical.
First is the academic viewpoint; that there is information and
experience to be gained here which will be necessary for success
in your chosen career. If you believe this, you must take the most
challenging courses you can find and work at them very hard,
accepting low grades and trusting that, when you graduate, your
competence in the field will be obvious enough to get you the post
you want.
Second is the cynical viewpoint, coupling a questionable opin-
ion — that a college diploma is necessary before you can even be
considered for most prestigious professional or academic jobs.
For the student wiih this philosophy, strategy is obvious. The
easy course leading to a good grade is to be preferred to the
difficult and chancy one. The end result will be an impressive-
looking record, and a student with excellent "qualifications". This
student trusts in these "qualifications" to get a job, and relies on
native ability to learn what he really needs while he works.
The third viewpoint, and the one most fashionable to profess,
is the humanistic one; the idea that f6i.tr years of living in a college
community is an end in itself. A humanist believes that the
experiences of college life are more valuable than either the
education ok the diploma. He will spend his time talking to people,
doing things, taking interesting courses, and looking for experi-
ence. Hopefully, he will avoid the experience of flunking out.
While this does not matter to the true humanists, there are no
pure types on any campus. Everyone is motivated by a combina-
tion of purposes, but one is usually predominant. To get your
money's worth from Rice, you will have to honestly examine your
motives for coming here. You must determine what you need
from the next four years, and then go after it. No one who truly
knows what he wants is part of a faceless mass; this is a time for
introspection and self-direction. And that is the purpose of the
I 'diversity.
Routine media focus on trivial detail
keeps real news out of public view
As AN amateur journalist, I
feel like I should support "the profes-
sional media, but sooner or later a
line must be drawn. This week, I
have finally given up. The
Clirtton family will be on
vacation a total of three
weeks. By the time they
return to Washington, we
will all know the daily
weather patterns of
Martha's Vineyard, as well
as the result of every golf
shot the President takes.
Do we need this? Does
anyone care? I truly hope
not.
Last week, I was in New York. A
group of us were talking about the
breaking story about the Haitian man
who accuses several New York po-
lice officers of doing unthinkable
things to him with a toilet plunger.
Apparently, the story came very
close to never being heard. Hie news
stations in New York had too many
stories and not enough reason to
' believe the man's story and almost
ignored it. Not only would this have
helped hide an awful breach of jus-
tice, but it would have added to
people's ignorance about the prob-
lems some people must face on a
Anne
Kimbol
AOS MANAGER
daily basis.
With this in mind, the fluffy sto-
ries which often cover the front
pages of newspapers and the open-
ing minutes of television
trews broadcasts seem
even worse to me. N©t only
are they often boring and
not news-worthy, they can
also keep more important
stories from reaching the
public. Princess Di's love
life or lack thereof is front
page news. War in Albania
receives page ten coverage
on a good day. I do not see
* the priorities here. If I
wanted to know gossip, I would
read People or watch "Entertainment
Tonight," not pick up the New York
Times or tune into "NBC Nightly
News."
The media is at least partly re-
sponsible for how we Americans
view ourselves and how others view
us. Increasingly, it has become ap-
parent that the American sense of
identity both here and abroad fo-
cuseson McDonald's golden arches
and fast pizza delivery. This is not
only embarrassing but leads people
to believe that Americans are too
superficial to have real problems or
to offer real solutions to the prob-
lems of the world.
As our window to the world and
the world's window to us, the media
owes Americans something more
than fluff. It needs to respect us as
intellectuals so we can do the same
for ourselves and inspire respect in
others.
If stories on the anniversary of
Elvis's death and the latest celebrity
break-up are needed to sell the news,
the American public is in trouble
and the media should encourage
more depth in our thinking. If, on
the other hand, the media publishes
these stories because it likes the
fluff and it is easy to find, then maybe
the profession needs to rethink its
purpose. Either way, let's get back
to some real news, something which
mighl some day impact on people
outside of Hollywood. The world
cannot really be that short of news
these days. It is time for the media to
find it and report it as well as tynefor
the public to demand such cover-
age. X'linton's golf game can remain
an unknown. I really doubt we'd be
missing anything.
Anne Kimbol is the advertising man-''
ager and a Baker College senior.
American culture develops, expresses
identity through topics in mass media
Letter Policy
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e-mail: thresher<(f>owlnei.rice.edit
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in person: Thresher Office, Second 'Floor, Student Center
DEADLINE — I Headline for all letters is 5 p.m. on Monday. Letters
received after the deadline are generally not considered tbr
publication until the following week.
RULES —
1 All letters must include your name, college, year of
graduation and phone number.
2 Short letters (200-500 words is a good guideline) have a better
chance of being published than long ones.
:i Letters received via campus or U.S. mail must be signejl, lfyqu
are not submitting via e-mail, we strongly recommend that you
submit lettews on a Macintosh or IBM-formatted disk. ,
4. We do not accept anonymous letters, but names may be with-
held by request in special circumstances.
!"> We "reserve the right To edit for length, spelling. grammar
and style
S()ME CRITICS have attacked
the media's frivolity of late. They
claim that by loading the front pages
and cover stories with "fluff pieces
the nation's media are do-
ing Americans a disser-
vice.
As a student of the me-
dia. I believe that its role
eticompasses covering
what some critics consider
insignificant. Covering h u
man interest stories, such
as the anniversary of Elvis'
death, carries as much rel-
evance to the American au-
dience as an article about
police brutality. I do not argue that
these events can be compared by
content, but merely that both sub-
jects impact upon our national sense
of identity.
Thrower of the media lies in its
ability to set the nation's agenda,
that is, the media's power to direct
the nation's attention to particular
events and issues, to the exclusion,
of others. The media serves as the
nation's sense of perception. In indi-
viduals, the process of selecting arid
interpreting stirfftfli, known as per-
ception, is influenced by ohe's per
Rose
WILDE
COPY EDITOR
sonality and culture — the set of
beliefs, values and norms which we
learn to expect. Just as individual
perception is shaped by culture, so
is collective perception —
the media — influenced by
culture.
Our sense of personal
identity comes partially
from what and how we per-
ceive. The same could be
said for our sense of na-
tional identity. Therefore,
the media both reflects and
shapes our national identity.
When someone asks
what it means to be an
American, though the answers will
vary, man^ people will not first think
of acts of Congress or the latest
treaty with the European Union. For
^better or worse, our concept of who
"We" are, as Americans, derives
from what we see and read in the
national media. I, for one, am very
glad that my sense of self as an
American does not solely depend
upon what some critics consider the
only important subject matter.
Although 1 ahi frequently embar-
rassed by our "TV culture," I must
admit that the subject matter of the
media says something about who I
am, and who "We" are.
For better or worse,
our concept of who
"We" are, as
Americans, derives
from what we see
and read in the
national media.
I contend that the media is not
merely a source of "news" in the
strict sense of the word, but a ve-
hicle for expressing cultural sym-
bols and values. Elvis may be dead,
but hfc influence reigns on 2!> years
later. The contetft of the media
should reflect the impact of cultural
icons in our society, not just report
"straight news." Fluff pieces are not
merely crowd-pleasers, but a legit?-
mate form of "news."
Rose Wilde is the copy editor and a
hwett College senior. 1
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Hardi, Joel & Siy, Angelique. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 85, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, August 29, 1997, newspaper, August 29, 1997; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246570/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.