The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 68, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 18, 1980 Page: 1 of 24
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Guertin discrimination trial ends; decision in six weeks
by Richard Dees and Sumit Nanda
Testimony concluded yesterday
in the discrimination trial of
former Rice professor Ralph
Guertin against Rice University.
U.S. District Court Judge
Gabrielle K. McDonald will not
rule on the case, however, for
another six weeks, after lawyers
from both parties submit briefs to
the court.
Guertin, who was an assistant
professor of physics from 1970-76,
claims Rice did not promote him
or give him tenure because his
deafness prohibited him from
effectively participating in
research. Guertin was passed over
for promotion in 1975 and was
terminated in June, 1976.
David Lopez, Guertin's attorney
argued that Rice discriminated
against his client in vio-
lation of Section 504 of the
Rice e*torney Chapman Smith, plaintiff Ralph Guertin, attorney David Lopez
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which
specifies that affirmative action
and accomodation must be
provided for handicapped persons
working under government
contracts. Dr. Gerald Phillips,
director of Rice's Bonner Nuclear
Laboratory, gave Guertin summer
support from his grant from the
Atomic Energy Commission.
Rice's attorney, Chapman
Smith, countered that it is Section
503 of that law, not 504, that is
specifically applicable to this case,
—Richard Dees
since it is that section that
addresses educational (and other)
institutions. Section 503 does not
specifically require affirmative
action for the handicapped. In
addition, Smith said that Guertin
would have to prove that he was
"otherwise qualified" for his
position and, thus, that the sole
reason for his termination was his
deafness.
In two-and-a-half days of
testimony, Guertin described the
discrimination he felt he had
received. He explained that he had
been hired in 1970 as a high-energy
theoretician. He was unable to
work with Phillips in the Bonner
Lab, as had been suggested to him
by then-chairman Harold
Rorschach, because, he claimed,
Philips was impatient with him
and would not take time to repeat
things Guertin did not understand.
Guertin relies completely on lip-
reading to understand the spoken
word and, he said, Phillips' Texas
drawl was difficult for him to
comprehend. He was able to
collaborate with 1971-72 visiting
see Walters, page 6
! I
EE
HRESHER
Volume 68, number 7
Thursday, September 18, 1980
INSIDE:
• Jones-Lovett'coed conversion: Is
it working? p. 12-13.
• Rice football suffers first loss to
Tigers, p. 14.
• Unknown art forms: Reviewer
looks at clichd-verre, p. 8
Police rule suicide
English professor Parish dies
/
HHHHw
Jyrjl
mi
mm
John Parish
—family photo
Election slated Oct. 14
by Michael Trachtenberg
The'Student Association Senate
approved October 14 as the date
for elections for a treasurer, one
off-campus senator, a fifth year
Honor Council representative, and
a junior Honor Council
representative. Filing deadline is 3
p.m. Tuesday, September 30, in
the SA office. A petition of
twenty five signatures of students
Campaniles here
The 1980 Campanile will be
distributed September 22
through October 3 to all
students who paid blanket tax
money last year.
The books may be picked up
at the Campanile office in the
Rice Memorial Center with a
Rice identification card for
each book that is to be picked
up. Distribution times will be
Monday — Wednesday, 2-5
p.m. and Tuesday — Thursday
1-4 p.m.
Professors, departments and
other persons may purchase a
Campanile for $18. 1980
seniors who did not fill out a
mailing form must pay $2. The
books are free, however, to
1979-1980 underclassmen.
After October 3, books may
still be procured, but no regular
office hours will be available for
that purpose.
who will vote in a specific election
and a written pledge of the
candidate's understanding the SA
Constitution are necessary for a
candidate to file for a position.
The Senate also approved
changes in election rules for the
1980-81 school year. The changes
delegate the location of campaign
posters to the college governments,
specify that all seniors will vote
in the election for fifth-year Honor
Council representatives, require
contested elections to be brought
before the Election Committee,
with an appeal option to the
University Court, but with the
final decision resting with the
Senate, and require a copy of the
official ballot to be posted in the
SA office two days before the
election (at which time candidates
must check the ballot for any
corrections that need to be made).
Election Committee Co-chairmen
are Jane Duffield of Jones and
Dan McCormack of Hanszen.
The directory should go to the
printer in the next two weeks,
according to SA External
Vice-President Bernie Allard.
Print-outs were in the colleges
Tuesday and Wednesday for
corrections. Ad layout will begin
on Thursday and production will
continue over the weekend.
D. Armstrong Printing Co. is
going to print the directory for
$4,200, under the $4,300-$4,500
budget. The printer will then take
three to four weeks to put out the
see SA, page 19
by Bruce Davies
The death of Dr. John E. Parish
has been officially ruled a suicide
bv the Harris County Medical
Examiner. After an investigation
by the Homicide Division of the
Houston Police Department and
an autopsy, the case is now to be
considered closed, according to
Detective H.E. Sharpe.
"It's definitely not a murder,"
said Sharpe, who has been the chief
investigator of the case. "So far
there have been no witnesses to tell
how he got into the bayou. The
medical examiner found no marks
or bruises other than the one on his
upper forehead, probably
attributable to the fall or from
hitting the bottom of the bayou."
County Examiner Dr. Eduardo
Bellas has officially declared the
cause of death as a drowning.
Parish's body, spotted by a passer-
by at the 1100 block of Commerce
at about 1:20 p.m. Sunday, was
recovered by Houston Police
Department divers. His car was
found about 6:30 p.m. Monday
parked near Louisiana at
Congress, three blocks from the
bridge upstream where he was
found.
The car was locked with the keys
on the dashboard, a watch on the
front seat, along with his wallet,
which contained money, and a
spare key under the seat. Another
watch and his ring were found in
his apartment, along with his
hearing aid. No note was found.
"The case is closed and will not be
reopened until new evidence
becomes known," said Sharpe.
The police believe it to be suicide
because of the property left in the
car and in the apartment and also
because of the account given by a
person who spoke with Parish
Sunday morning. That person's
name is being withheld by the
police.
Parish, 66, had been a Rice
professor since 1946. He held a
bachelor's degree in English from
Sam Houston State University, a
master's in English from the
University of Texas and a
doctorate in English from
Columbia University.
A lifelong bachelor, Parish had
been interested in the Rice Players
and occasionally performed in
plays at Hamman Hall. After
living on-campus for more than
twenty years as an associate of
Wiess College, Parish moved off-
campus this year. This was to be
his last year to teach.
Dr. David Minter, English
department chairman, said Parish,
the department's senior faculty
member, had won three George R
Brown teaching awards voted by
the student body. Parish had also
served as foreign student advisor
for several years.
Profs acclaim Parish
by Michael Tinkler
J. Dennis Huston told his
Monday morning English class,
"I felt like not teaching this
morning. But I know it would
have been important to John, so I
will." Students and teachers in all
disciplines reacted in the same
way after learning of the death
Sunday of Professor John E.
Parish. Parish had become 'an
important part of the Rice
community since joining the
faculty in 1946. He taught
freshman English to a generation
of Rice students, and was equally
known for his courses in Milton
and Renaissance Poetry.
"Rice — and small schools in
general — has a way of evoking
from faculty members unusual
devotion outside the narrow
definition of teaching," said Dr.
David Minter, chairman of
the, English department. "But
even more than most devoted
faculty members, Rice was
central to him."
Geoffrey Winningham,
Master of Wiess College where
Parish was resident associate of
23 years, said "More than
anything, he college system was
founded to foster out-of~
classroom relationships between
see Teachers, page 19
Pass/fall
deadline
Tomorrow is the last day to
submit pass-fail and add slips
for fall courses. All requests
should be turned into the
registrar's office in Lovett Hall
by 5 p.m.
Campos' composite of Jones-Brown
intruder. Police request any
information leading to arrest.
Student admits
to 'koke killing'
A Will Rice student confessed
late last week to Master Robert
Jump and the University Campus
Police to being the "koke killer."
The student told Jump that he shot
numerous holes into the college's
coke machines with a 22-caliber
gun. The student, whose name is
being withheld by police, has
since voluntarily withdrawn from
the university. Although formal
charges have not been made, the
possibility still exists that some
see Koke. page 19
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Dees, Richard. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 68, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 18, 1980, newspaper, September 18, 1980; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245447/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.