The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 86, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, September 25, 1998 Page: 1 of 24
twenty four pages : ill. ; page 19 x 15 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
the Rice Thresher
Vol. LXXXVI, Issue No. 4
SINCE 1916
Friday, September 25, 1998
Rice, Southwestern Bell
get their lines crossed
630 numbers to leave for good in fall
by Susan Egeland and Kay Chang
THRESHKRSTA1T
For many students arriving on campus
this fall, the routine task of calling South-
western Bell to sign up for phone service
came with an unexpected shock.
Instead of getting phone numbers start-
ing with 630-8, they were assigned numbers
v/ith completely different prefixes, such as
7>29. And while Southwestern Bell switched
most of the numbers back, next year the 630
numbers may be gone for good.
Not only that, but Houston's adoption of
a I bird area code, 832, in January means that
students in the same college may not only
have completely different phone numbers,
but different area codes as well.
Behind the changes is a federal law
passed in 1996 as part of local phone com-
pany regulation. The Federal Communica-
tions Commission now views Southwestern
Bell's ownership of the block of 630 num-
bers as anticompetitive, so when this year's
crop of students move out in May, the phone
company will release the numbers into the
general pool.
Residential colleges Manager Robert
Truscott said the administration didn't know
anything was awry until students" began
moving back on campus in August.
"People would go to sign up their phone
service and they'd receive a number in the
resident pool and not one of the 630 num-
bers designated to Rice," he said.
After Truscott cried foul, Southwestern
iiell agreed to provide residential service
with the 630 telephone
numbers for the 1998-
'99 academic year.
Southwestern Bell also
returned most of the
college rooms to their
traditional phone num-
bers — 630-80xx for
Baker College, 630-
81xx for Brown, 630-
82xx for Hanszen, and
so on.
Rice and South-
western Bell began
using the 630 num-
bers over a decade
ago.
The arrangement
meant Southwest-
ern Bell did not have
to set up new num-
bers every year for
on-campus stu-
dents, while the
Registrar's Office
and college coor-
dinators could
maintain records
with settelephone
numbers for campus rooms.
Phone numbers in the academic and ad-
ministrative buildings — which begin with
the prefixes 285, 527 and 737 — are not
affected, since they are part of Rice's inter-
nal phone system.
Residential phone service in the colleges
is different because students car.ccl their
f
Now it's final:
Mattel College
by Laura Derr
FUR THE THRESHER
. PH0T0 by a7Sh!7
service in the spring
and then reorder it in the fall.
According to FCC rules adopted to com-
ply with ^Telecommunications Act of 1996,
telephone customers must be able to switch
local phone companies without having to
Set- NUMBERS. Page 6
Rice formally announced Tuesday that the
10th residential college, to be located next tu
Jones College, will be called Martel College,
after university donors Marian and Speros P.
Martel.
President Malcolm Gillis said the Board of
Governors will decide on the college's exact
name at its Oct. 7 meeting.
Rice's decision to name the new college
after the Martels followed a $15 million dona-
tion to Rice by the Martel Foundation, whose
previous gifts helped pay for the construction
of Duncan Hall, George R. Brown Hall, Alice
Pratt Brown Hall, and the Henry and Lena Fox
Gymnasium.
So now Martel College has a name, but not
much more.
Facilities and Engineering Director Bill
Mack said plans for the college, which is
scheduled to be completed late in 2001, are
"very preliminary." The board has not yet
chosen an architect for the college, although
the construction team is mostly in place,
headed up by project manager Brown & Root.
Mack also said no exact site has been
chosen yet for the college. Rice last week
released sketches showing Martel in three
possible configurations, either next to Jones
or along the path from the Inner Loop to
Brown College.
Vice President for Student Affairs Zenaido
Camacho said he will likely appoint the mas-
ters of the two new colleges.
Camacho will also name a committee of
masters and students to decide how to relo-
cate students to the new colleges.
Camacho said decisions regarding the new
See MARTEL Page 7
Thresher poll shows mixed
reaction to servory idea
Thirty-four percent of students
surveyed in a Thresher telephone
poll this week said they approve
or strongly approve of the gen-
era! idea of two or three colleges
sharing one kitchen and serving
area while retaining separate
commons.
That proposal was recom-
mended earlier this year by the,
food service committee, and is '
being considered by the univer-
sity as a possibility for the new
South College, a rebuilt Wiess
College and Hanszen College.
Forty-six percent said they dis-
approve or strongly disapprove,
while 14 percent responded that
they didn't care, and 6 percent
said they didn't knew
Jones College was most in fa;
vor, with 49 percent of members
saying they approve or strongly
approve of the proposal, while
Will Rice College had the highest
percentage of students who
strongly approved, at 19 percent.
Wiess College came in as most
opposed to the proposal.
Zero percent of Wiess stu-
dents surveyed said they strongly
approve of the idea in general,
while 22 percent approved. Sev-
enty-one percent disapproved or
strongly disapproved of the gen-
eral shared servery idea, includ-
ing 42 percerft who disapproved
strongly.
Similarly, when asked their
opinions about the food service
committee's specific proposal for
Hanszen, Wiess and South Col-
lege, 73 percent of Wiess stu-
dents disapproved or strongly dis-
approved, with 40 percent
strongly disapproving.
Of Hanszen students asked
See SERVERY, Page 6
Qjostion 3: How do you feel about the idea, in general, of two or three
colleges sharing one kitchen and serving area while retaining separate
conmons?
Strongly Approve Don't care Disapprove Strongly
approve disapprove
Schwarzkopf offers lesson on leadership
by Leslie Liu
FOR THE THRESHER
Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, best
known as the commander of U.S. forces during
the Persian Gulf War, spoke Friday to students,
faculty and staff as part of a lecture series spon-
sored by the James A. Baker III Institute for
Public Policy.
In the first hour, which consisted of a dialogue
moderated by Baker Institute Director Edward
Djerejian, Schwarzkopf spoke about the United
States' actions in Operation Desert Storm, the
coalition of focces involved and the redefinition of
the U.S. defense policy in the new international
environment.
Schwarzkopf focused on leadership and what
it entails. "Leadership has two components, one
of which is competence and the other of which is
character," he said. "This thing called character
is excruciatingly important at any level of organi-
zation."
Schwarzkopf said he believes the leaders of an
organization determine the ethical qualities of
the entire group. There is no such thing as a born
leader, he said.
"It's not the circumstances of your birth, it's
what's up here, it's what you fundamentally be-
lieve," Schwarzkopf said. "That's what's going to
make the difference of whether you are a leader
or not."
Schwarzkopf, who is currently working with
NBC to produce programs about values in
America, said he is not worried about the charac-
ter of American youths.
"I've traveled back and forth across this coun-
See SCHWARZKOPF, Page 7
ftSSICA VLi THRESHER
Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf speaks In Alice Pratt
Brown Hall Friday.
NEWS ■> 1 I -
Hit the skies with l^styear's 'Inside' box king
Page 5
Saturday
Partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. 75-89 degrees.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy, 70-89 degrees.
Page 14
A^E
Don't look now, They Might Be Giants
Page 20
Football heads for Austin and the 1-2 Longhorns
SPORTS
Football
Rice 23, Northwestern 14
Weekend Weather
Scoreboard
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.
Stoler, Brian. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 86, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, September 25, 1998, newspaper, September 25, 1998; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246627/m1/1/: accessed June 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.