The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 21, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 1980 Page: 1 of 20
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Martinez stresses equality
Martinez: "un nuevo destino"
-Bruce Davies
by Anita Gonzalez
Speaking to a disappointingly
small group of less than 120 in the
Grand Hall Monday night, lawyer
and civil rights advocate Vilma
Martinez called on Rice University
"to forge a linkage between Texas
and Mexican-Americans."
Martinez, president of the
Mexican-American Legal Defense
and Educational Fund, and
Presidential Lectures speaker
contrasted past abuses with
present advances in the status of
Mexican-Americans, yet noted
that "the Chicano appeal for
equality has been falling on deaf
ears."
"We believe that a better future
for the Mexican-Americans means
a brighter future for all people in
the United States," said the
distinguished Los Angeles
attorney. She felt that the one
thing needed to create Uun nuevo
destino" for Hispanics can be
capsuled into a single word—
equality.
Martinez first focused on the
high degree of discrimination
Mexican-Americans have faced in
the past, even though "there are
few, few populations that have
done as much for the development
of this nation."
"Testifying before a Congress-
ional committee in the 1920's,"
Martinez declared. "A California
lobbyist characterized the
Mexican-American as one who
iikes the sunshine against an
adobe wall with a few tortillas.'
Others were less charitable."
The 35-year-old MALDEF
president gave many examples of
discrimination against Mexican-
Americans, all of which, she said,
stemmed from a general belief that
Mexican-Americans were
"inferior and a helpless people."
Inferior education has been a
dominant factor in forcing many
Mexican-Americans to accept
lower jobs at lower pay. Martinez
said. Especially in the past, "if
Mexican-Americans were sent to
school, it was thought that a good
amount of cheap labor had been
lost," she said.
In addition, Mexican-
Americans were often denied their
right to vote or hold elected offices
in many parts of the country,
including southwest Texas.
see Martinez, page 15
1HRESHER
Volume 67, number 21
Thursday, January 24, 1980
INSIDE:
• You like James Joyce but wonder
about the job market for afici-
onados of literature? A look at
the liberal arts debate: page 10.
•Our film critic sinks his teeth into
Jaws director Stephen
Spielberg's latest effort: page 7.
SA Senate clears RPC books,
notes publicity problems
Rice's Program Council is
financially sound, Student
Association Finance Committee
members reported to the SA
Majors Day
rescheduled
By request of the University
Council, Majors Day has been
shifted from Tuesday morning,
February 12 to Wednesday
morning, February 13. This
request is made due to the
cancellation of classes for Rice's
Energy Conference February 14,
"The combination of Majors
Day as presently scheduled and the
Energy Conference would wipe
out a week for classes on a
Tuesday-Thursday morning
schedule," Director of Student
Advising H.C. Clark said.
Senate Monday night.
The RPC's books were
investigated at the request of the
Senate, in response to complaints
about the organization's
effectiveness.
"Basically we discussed what the
RPC has been doing during this
school year," Finance Committee
member J.C. Puckett told the
Thresher. She said the committee
concluded that "the RPC does a lot
of things but doesn't advertise the
fact."
RPC President Chris Mont-
gomery will be at next week's SA
meeting to continue the dialogue.
In other SA action, the Rice
Gay/Lesbian Support Group won
approval as an official campus
organization, and most senators
abstained on a straw poll about
whether to use the Campus Store
surplus funds for Fondren Library
or for continued student discounts
at the store. Senators also heard
reports about moving pass/fail
and drop deadlines, and yet
another student directory delay.
Student Directories will be
delayed for an extra week at the
request of Dean of Undergraduate
Affairs Katherine Brown, who
noted that students had been
see S'A, page 15
£
Campo's private car rammed in chase
-Wayne Derrick
Stake-out nets gasoline thieves
by Richard Dees
Campus Police apprehended
two men siphoning gas from a car
in the stadium lot Monday when
the men crashed into an officer's
car while trying to evade arrest.
The men, one a juvenile, had
already stolen about five gallons of
gas when they were observed by
Sergeant Willy Anderson. They
were caught, after a chase through
Rain made Rice Blvd. a canal Tuesday
-Wayne Derrick
the parking lot, when they skidded
into Anderson's personal car.
The juvenile was turned over to
his parents, while the other man
has been charged with burglary of
a vehicle. His case should go to
court within 30 days.
"Quite a bit of damage" was
done to the rear of his car,
Anderson said, but he did not
know who would pay for damages.
"I have to fill out an accident form
first, then I'll find out. I will
probably talk to the parents of the
individual and try to collect
insurance, or I could go through
the civil courts," he said.
Anderson, Sergeant Aliqj
Towery, and Officer B.J. Poole
were participating in the first night
of a stake-out of the stadium lot.
The stake-out, which will continue
indefinitely, began after several
incidences of vandalism were
reported after the chain across
entrance 7(to the stadium lot) was
stolen Thursday night.
The chain had been put across
the entrance between midnight and
6 am every night upon
recommendation of the Security
Committee. There had been
relatively few reports of vandalism
while the chain was up, according
to Assistant Police Chief Mary
Voswinkel. "But students often
took the chain down, despite the
fact that it was there for their
security," she said.
Voswinkel also recommended
that students should not leave
things on the seats of their cars and
that they should use a locking gas
cap.
Candidates to debate
All nine candidates for Lance
Lalor's former seat in the Texas
House of Representatives will
participate in a public debate in the
Baker College Commons next
Tuesday, January 29, at 7 pm.
The debate, organized by
TexPIRG in conjunction with the
Rice Democratic Caucus, and the
Rice Republicans, will be covered
by reporters from the major
Houston news services. Houston
Chronicle's Joe Nolan, The
Houston Post's Jane Ely, and
Thresher editor Matt Muller will
be on the question panel.
Candidates for the District 80
state seat are Morgan Allen, Patti
Bass, Paul Colbert, Dan Downey,
John Douglas, Janet Fisher,
Charles Fuller, Ray Lemmon, and
Willard Vital. The special election
is scheduled for February- 7.
According to former represen-
tative Lalor, now On Houston's
City Council, taxes, consumer
protection, education, crime
control and mass transit will
probably be among issues
discussed.
Erratum
A photograph on the front
page of last week's Thresher
was erroneously credited to
Wayne Derrick. Bruce Davies
took the photograph of Dr.
William Akers.
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Muller, Matthew. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 21, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 1980, newspaper, January 24, 1980; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245427/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.