The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 86, No. 8, Ed. 1 Friday, October 30, 1998 Page: 1 of 24
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the Rice Thresher
Vol. LXXXVI, Issue No. 8
SINCE 1916
Friday, October 30, 1998
fil IKS-
i i;# J
Board approves new
plan for serveries
by Vivian Chum
THKKSHKR STAI i
Underneath the hedges
ALLISON CUYJET/THRESHER
Ever wondered what the steam tunnels were like, but feared the administrative consequences? These lucky
people found out in a university-approved guided tour, sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The Building and Grounds Com-
mittee of the Board of Trustees
unanimously approved a new plan
for the common servery for Hanszen
and Wiess Colleges and the un-
named South College, a? well as the
building plans for South College.
The new plan incorporates a 400-
square foot food-serving area for
each of the three colleges within the
framework of the common servery
and separated commons. These fur-
nish a place to serve separate family
style and associates' night dinners
and might allow colleges to main-
tain separate beverage and salad ser-
vice. The additional serving areas
will each cost an estimated addi-
tional $100,000, according to Vice
President for Finance and Adminis-
tration Dean Currie.
Currie viewed the food-serving
areas as a compromise to the possi
bly opposing goals of maintaining
the strength of the college system
and improving food quality.
"I think it was a new idea that
resolved many problems individu-
als and others had," Currie said. "It
was a way to economically maximize
the value and variety of food, while
at the same time reinforcing and
supporting the college system."
Lovett College senior Michael
Ford, who is on the committee
formed by Currie to investigate'
servery plans, said that he approved
of the revised plan and that it may
See SERVERY. Page 9
Will Rice Theater props
and equipment stolen
by Leslie Liu
THKFSHEK STAFF
The Will Rice College One-
Acts opened without delay last
night despite the theft of over
$1,300 worth of equipment and
props from the Will Rice public
dining ,$?om last weekend.
The theft occurred between
Saturday afternoon and the Sun-
day afternoon rehearsal, when it
was discovered.
Stolen items include sun-
glasses, sweaters, an electric cir-
cular saw borrowed from Sid
Richardson College and a power
drill. Though the Will Rice The-
ater Committee owned some of
the equipment, actors in the One-
Acts owned most of what was
taken.
'The majority of the missing
items have been replaced, and
the One-Acts are going on as
scheduled," actor and Will Rice
sophomore Matt Frost said. 'The
biggest problem that we encoun-
tered was a serious drop in cast
morale."
Frost had several hundred dol-
lars worth of biking equipment
stolen and replaced the items at
his own expense. Cast member
and Sid sophomore Kendall
Moseley also had items worth
over $250 stolen.
"It is hard, as a cast, to pick
yourselves up again after some-
thing like this happens," Moseley
said. "The incident certainly
leaves a bad taste in our mouths,
and we are going to have to work
hard to not let it spoil our previ-
ously positive and enthusiastic-
attitudes towards this great
show."
Will Rice sophomore Steve
Carstensen, co-director of the
One-Acts and co-chair of the The-
ater Committee, said the theft
has lessened only the quality of
the costumes.
"The biggest effect is that
myself and [Theater Committee
Co-chair] Dan Street have to fig-
ure out what to do with replacing
all the things that have been
taken," Carstensen said.
Carsten.sen said the directors
and Will Rice Masters Dale and
Elise Sawyer are discussing us-
ing money from the theater bud-
get to partially compensate ac-
tors whose items were stolen.
"Our college treasurer thinks
that we can reimburse people for
at least some of the things they
lost, but we don't have the money
to reimburse for everything," Co-
director and Will Rice sophomore
Elizabeth Jardina said. "We're left
hoping for donations by the audi-
ences to make up for some of the
loss."
Jardina and Carstensen both
said that depending on how much
the theater budget will be used to
reimburse the actors, the spring
production may have to be
slightly downsized.
"We think that the long-term
effects may be that Will Rice The-
atre will have a significantly im-
paired budget," Carstensen said.
"We were hoping that pro-
ceeds this year could go towards
See THEFT, page 7
Lee Kuan Yew discusses Asian financial crisis
Singapore senior minister speaks on the 'Meltdown in East Asia'
by Sunidh Jani
THKKSIIKK STAFF
Senior Minister for the Republic
.of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew spoke
last Friday in the Grand Hall about
the current financial and economic
crisis in East Asia. Lee, the prime
minister of Singapore from 1959 to
1990, aimed to give a different per-
spective on a crisis he thinks will
affect the entire world in his speech,
"Meltdown in East Asia."
One of the most prominent fig-
ures in recent Singapore history, I^e
helped create the free-market model
■ in Singapore, which, until lately, was
a leading example of economic pros-
perity and expansion. Although
many blame corruption and bribery
in East Asia as the major causes of
•the economic crisis, Lee said the
actual causes go much deeper than
that.
Lee said the problems br-gan
when Japan moved companies and
research centers into East Asia to
reduce costs, creafing jobs and eco-
nomic stability. Once expansion be-
gan, major, economically powerful
countries invested in East Asia as
well. The $40billion invested in 1990
grew to over $200 billion by 1996.
"East Asia's positive experience with
foreign capital inflows whetted its
appetite for more," Lee said.
At this point, East Asian coun-
tries should have worked to slow
down the massive capital inflows and
supplement their savings, he said.
"The economy overheated. It did
not need the pump, but needed to
slow down," Lee explained.
a
'1ST, THRESH
James A. Baker III welcomes Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yfivv to the
Baker Institute. Lee discussed the Asian economic crisis.
a steady exchange rate and were
taken by surprise when the dollar
became stronger. "If these countries
had floating exchange rates, bor-
rowers would have been more aware
of the risk they carried." Lee com-
mented.
And once the major investing
See SINGAPORE. Page 6
But organizations such as the
World Trade Organization and-the
International Monetary Fund en-
couraged East Asia to keep expand-
ing, he said, and they borrowed
short-term for long-term projects,
and could not repay the loans.
He also said countries borrowed
in U.S. dollars at one rate, expecting
Fourth Baker conference addresses tax reform
INSIDE
OPINION Page 3
Christofs view from a train
FEATURES Page 12
Naked men acting
ADS Page 10
Hi, handsome
Weekend Weather
Saturday
Partly cloudy, chance of hango.ver
65-84 degrees
Sunday
Thunderstorms. Stay in your room
and think about what you've done.
69-86 degrees
NOD brings up
issues of safety
As Rice's current reigning
champion of hedonism, Night
of Decadence signifies all that's
supposed to be both forbidden
and fun about college. No other
event better sums up the free-
dom we have, as well as the
consequences of our actions.
So, this weekend, have fun,
go crazy, do what you want, but
respect yourself and others. Be
responsible.
See Story, Page 7
by Jen Frazer
THRFSHFR EDITORIAL STAFF
The fourth annual conference of
the James A. Baker III Institute for
Public Policy, entitled 'Tax Reform
for the Millenium," hits campus
Thursday and Friday with an explo-
ration of U.S. tax policy issues.
The conference addresses tax
policy, both because of its domestic
importance and because Rice eco-
nomics professors have been con-
ducting research in this field.
'The work the Baker Institute
does is both in domestic and foreign
policy, and this is a good domestic
topic," Richard Stoll, Baker Institute
associate director for academic pro-
grams and political science profes-
sor, said. "It seemed natural to
choose a topic actually related to
research going on here at Rice."
The first day of the conference
will include speeches by U.S. Rep.
Bill Archer, chairman of the House
Ways and Means Committee, and
Leonard Burman, deputy assistant
secretary for tax policy with the Trea-
sury Department, and a panel dis-
cussion on congressional tax reform.
Former Secretary of State James
Baker will also speak at a private
dinner.
Friday's schedule will center on
the presentation of academic papers
in the research field of tax reform
and policy.
Economics Department Chair
George Zodrow, Economics Profes-
sor Peter Mieszowski and other eco-
nomic researchers will take this op-
portunity to discuss domestic tax
policy and present their ideas. There
will be morning and afternoon panel
discussions on this day as well.
The main conference is open to
the public and will be held in Baker
Hall. Zodrow said he expects a mod-
erate turnout, unlike last year, when
over 5,000 people filled Autry Court
for the keynote speech by former
Soviet President Mikail Gorbachev.
Last year's conference also fea-
tured a panel debate among Secre-
tary of State Warren Christopher
and former Secretaries of State
Baker and Henry Kissinger. "Atten-
dance will not, by any stretch of the
imagination, be as large as last year,"
he said. "It's more of an academi-
cally oriented conference than pre-
viously."
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Stoler, Brian. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 86, No. 8, Ed. 1 Friday, October 30, 1998, newspaper, October 30, 1998; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246631/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.