The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, August 31, 1990 Page: 3 of 20
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THE RICE THRESHER FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 1990 3
Orientation Week improving yearly but still demands work
by Lone list
The transition between high
school and college is a big one and
students at Rice are luckier than
most Orientation week is the intro-
duction Rice offers to its new stu-
dents before sending them headfirst
into the beginning of the new year in
a strange place. 0-Week not only
allows students to get acquainted
with their campus, but also provides
them with ample opportunities to
meet peers, faculty, upperclassmen,
and begin to feel apart of the commu-
nity that is present in each of the
eight colleges. It is not until they are
upperclassmen that students will
fully understand and appreciate all
the work that goes into making O-
Week a success.
Orientation Week is not only an
important week for incoming stu-
dents, but for the future of the univer-
sity as well First impressions are
important; they set standards, creat-
ing atmosphere and attitudes. As it
stands now, 0-Week has evolved in
such a way that it is no longer an
honest introduction to life at Rice.
Instead, a few aspect of student life
are magnified to such an extreme
that they mask the schools true char-
acter. Whatever attitudes and ac-
tions prevail at 0-week will be car-
ried on by the incoming class until
they become the standard for Rice
itself. For this reason 0-Week needs
to present a more comprehensive
view of what life at Rice is truly like.
While academic orientation var-
ies per student according to their
interests, social orientation is more
limited. For the most part, student's
social activities during 0-Week are
week many jacks became destruc-
tive and irresponsible.
The damage, however, goes be-
yond physical or financial measure-
ments because of the tone set for the
incoming class. The sad part of many
of the pranks is that they were insti-
gated by a few advisors, often with
First impressions are important; they set
standards, creating atmosphere and
attitudes.
Jacks mar 1990 0-Week
To the editors:
We feel that the 1990 Orientation
Week was very successful at all the
individual colleges. Hopefully, this
year's O-Week instilled a sense of
college loyalty in all who partici-
pated. However, somewhere along
the way, the idea of the larger Rice
community was distorted.
The concept of college rivalry was
well communicated, but the limits
governing "jacks" to other colleges
were not adequately taught Several
of the jacks performed during 0-
Week violated what we consider
sensible limits. Consequences that
resulted from this misunderstand-
ing include destruction of private
property, permanent damage to irre-
placeable or expensive college prop-
erty, and potential danger or serious
injury to those either initiating or
receiving the jack.
When these boundaries are
crossed they endanger the privi-
leges and freedoms the members of
the Rice community enjoy. We hope
that all who were involved in 0-
Week, advisors and freshmen alike,
have learned what "going too far"
entails. We would like to remind all
upperclassmen of their responsibil-
ity to show new students the differ-
ence between funny and original
jacks and potentially harmful vandal-
ism We also would like all freshmen
to THINK about the ramifications of
any jack before they attempt it
Phil Schwarz
Lovett '91
Kevin Yankowsky
Brown *91
Ozgur Bayazitoglu
Will Rice '91
Lauren Gass
Hanszen '91
et- al
limited to mock beer-bikes, college
dances, student picnics and jack
wars. Social activities during O-
Week are strongly oriented towards
students who are outgoing by nature,
giving a warped impression of the
usually diverse student body.
The activities fair, while benefi-
cial, is not held until the end of the
week and its hard to tell much about
a club over a table. Including intro-
ductory meetings of these activities
as alternative social events during O-
week would give students a chance to
explore different options and meet
people in an environment that may be
more suited to them then a dance or
yell war. O-week must begin to cater
to all new students; a majority is not
enough.
The college system is one of the
greatest assets Rice has; in the past,
yell wars and jack wars between col-
leges worked to promote college
unity and spirit Two years ago, jack
wars were limited to water fights
across campus in which no one was
hurt and no damage was done. This
year however, it seemed as if col-
leges were determined to outdo one
another by carrying their jacks to the
extreme. Towards the end of the
the support of coordinators. New
students were usually not involved. If
the point of jack wars is to promote
college unity and spirit among new
students, as I believe it is, then sev-
eral of the jacks that took place dur-
ing 0-Week served no purpose at all.
It is understandably easy for an advi-
sor to become involved in jacks
again st other advisors becauseofthe
number of acquaintances and rival-
ries spread across campus. How-
ever, Orientation Week is not for
advisors, but for new students. As
leaders of O-week and representa-
tives of Rice, coordinators and advi-
sors set the standard for what is ac-
ceptable behavior on this campus for
those who don't know any better.
Matriculation, the formal enroll-
ment of new students into Rice Uni-
versity, was marred this year with
chants and cheers that were both
negative and offensive. The college
system is one of Rice's most special
and unique qualities and it is appro-
priate for each college to cheer for
itself, but it is disrespectful to use
this time to put down other colleges.
Not only do we owe the individuals
present on the stage that night a
great deal of respect we also owe it to
each other as members of Rice Uni-
versity.
It goes without question that
Rice is one of the top universities in
the country and it is an honor to be
accepted into its student body. Each
individual matriculating into Rice
possesses special gifts and talents
for which they were admitted. To-
gether, we make up a student body
that is diverse in both social and
academic preferences, creating an
atmosphere of wide ranging oppor-
tunity and acceptance. It is important
to keep in mind that students are not
matriculating to Sid Richardson or
Hanszen college, but to Rice Univer-
sity. If the example set during O-
Week is to tear apart and put down
other colleges, then a fundamental
structure of this school will slowly
but surely be torn apart
In the past few years 0-Week
has improved tremendously. Advi-
sors are more prepared, orientations
are more interesting and informative
and there is less emphasis and pres-
sure on alcohoL Perhaps the most
outstanding improvement of the
year was the social issues presenta-
tion, which found an appropriate and
impressive way to deal with an issue
that has been overlooked in the past-
For 0-Week to continue to im-
prove, a great deal of thought needs
to be given to the ways in which O-
Week presents itself to each incom-
ing class, and the way that impres-
sion will eventually affect the univer-
sity. One solution is for future coor-
dinators to meet on a more regular
basis, creating specific guidelines to
follow during the week. Discussion,
cooperation and communication
between the 0-Week coordinators
will help create an 0-Week that is
more welcomed by everyone, and a
better representation of Rice.
Student-owner of Pub answers questions about future policy
To the editors:
Most of you are aware of the li-
censing problems our beloved pub
has suffered over the last year. Yes,
we have a license! The beer and wine
permit under which Willy's will oper-
ate is held by a corporation called V
& W Permits, Inc., which also holds
the license for Valhalla. The five
member board of directors includes
one undergraduate (me), one gradu-
ate student, and three university staff
employees whose "real" jobs are in
the area of student affairs.
The pub opened on Wednesday
instead of Monday not because of
any problem with the license, but
because of inadequate communica-
tions between an excessively-busy
student management team and the
license-holding corporation, and
because of health-code-related im-
provements behind the bar which
had to be completed. I am writing
now, from student to student, to set
the record straight regarding what
has happened.
There have been many questions
regarding the status of the Pub: Will
prices increase? Will pitchers be
served? Where does the Pub Control
Board fit in? Will Socials be able to
use the Pub license for College par-
ties (this is a big one) ? Is it going to
be a little like escaping from a Nazi
death camp to try to get a beer
(Spencer was concerned about
this)? Those I can answer I will;
other matters of policy have yet to be
decided. At this point there are vari-
ables which will affect the Pub which
are impossible to know until it gets
underway. First no one knows what
► the volume of sales will be, as com-
pared to last year. We finished last
year $9,000 in debt for the year,
largely as a result of losing the li-
cense and other problems which are
not anticipated to come into play this
year. The Pub must break even and
build up a small reserve in this first
year, because we are starting with
very little monetary reserve (we are
starting with $15,000 in the bank,
period). Second, we don't know
what the Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Commission (TABC) is going to do.
TABC may well pay the Pub, or any
other location using the Pub's li-
cense, a few visits, as it does many
newly-licensed establishments, and
violations of Texas law could mean
no more Pub license, period.
OK Let's start with the easy
ones. Pub prices and pub policy are
basically unchanged. The Pub is still
a student-run entity, pitchers will still
be sold, prices have not increased,
the Committee on the Pub, which is
about one-half student-composed,
be involved in all further policy deci-
sions not already made by the stu-
dent management The pub should
continue to be run by and for us, the
students, and student input is essen-
tial.
As was noted in last week's article
concerning the Pub, the corporation
has experienced administrative diffi-
"Pub prices and pub policy are basically
unchanged. The Pub is still a student-
run entity, pitchers will still be sold,
prices have not increased, and you do
not have to be 21 to get in (rumors,
rumors!). When you walk into the Pub,
it should be just as you remember it."
and you do not have to be 21 to get in
(rumors, rumors!). When you walk
into the Pub, it should be just as you
remember it
Next, the statements made with
regard to the Pub Control Board in
last week's Thresher were taken out
of context and are in need of clarifica-
tion. Because the financial and legal
matters of the pubs have now been
separated from those of the Univer-
sity, the Pub Board (PCB), as it stood
these past years as a University
Standing Committee, has for legal
purposes now been reorganized into
the "Committee on the Pub", an en-
tity of the corporation, not of the
University. This Committee is com
posed of the same membership as
the PCB, and will exist in essentially
the same capacity as before, voting
on such matters as prices, alcohol
policy, student relations, manage-
ment selection, and capital improve-
ments; however, its decisions will
necessarily be subject to review by
the corporation, as V & W is the body
legally responsible for the license
and the financial accounts. I am
absolutely committed to seeing that
culties. It is not entirely because we
are incompetent idiots. I would like
to try to explain the other reasons
why. When asked by the University
to serve in this capacity, I was led to
believe that Pub business as usual
would continue: a student-run and-
managed pub, with the hard-core
bookkeeping, tax, and insurance
matters handled by the University. I
thought that my role would be to
represent student interests as re-
gard Pub policy matters, much as I
had on the Pub Control Board.
Contrary to my original impres-
sion, the University has since gotten
itself completely out of the business
of running bars. The accounts,
employee paychecks, insurance
policies, and taxes are being sepa-
rated completely from those of the
University. What we are talking
about is setting up all of the legal and
financial matters of a new business,
establishing new relationships with
beer and package vendors, as well as
negotiating a complicated lease
agreement with the University. This
administrative burden, formerly all
stuff which was handled by the Uni-
versity, involves substantial new
accounting costs for the Pub and a
great deal of work on our parts. And
all of this, the University dumped on
our small backs. What I want to see
the corporation do, and I believe the
others will agree with me, is to get
the accounts and the administrative
stuff up and running, then back off
and leave the Pub in the hands of
those who have ably run it in the past,
the Pub Committee and the student
management, with the corporation
interfering only in the unlikely event
that it feels a decision puts the Pu b in
serious legal or financial danger.
Finally, as I said in the Thresher
last week, I expect TABC to be visit-
ing us, and consequentially we must
all take care to see that Texas law be
adhered to. This, however, is not a
change from past policy. Carding
and roving will continue and may be
somewhat more harsh, but the cor-
poration has not asked the manage-
ment to change. The student manag-
ers and bartenders themselves have
taken the initiative in setting up extra
precautions to protect the new li-
cense. With regard to college socials
being able to use the Pub's license in
picnic license form for college par-
ties which charge admission, 1 have
been fighting to keep V & W from
voting to not do it Minds are becom-
ing more open to the idea. Colleges
can ask at any time, on a case by case
basis, to use the license; however, in
the next semester they should look
for alternatives. I did not at first
believe that there were viable alter-
natives to charging at the door for
socials who wanted to have bands or
other expensive stuff at parties, with-
out turning them into fundraisers,
which is not acceptable. However,
creative people have begun to come
up with creative ways to charge for
parties where beer is served without
getting a picnic license. Separating
beer sales from admission cost by
selling drink tickets before the party
is one way, and there are other ideas
coming forth. If you ask me, the real
issue here is the loss of the Cohen
House mixed drink license, which
had to be used for NOD, Casino
Party, and Tower Party, the other big
three. Anyway...
The Pub is open. Life is good. See
you on Thursday.
Samantha Hendren
Lovett College Senior
OPERATION ID
The Rice Campus Police will be visiting the colleges over
the course of the next two weeks to engrave personal
belongings with their owners's ID number.
Date
From
To
College
Sept. 4
11:30a.m.
1:30p.m.
Jones
5:30p.m.
7:30 p.m.
SRC
Sept. 5
11:30a.m.
1:30p.m.
Baker
5:30p.m.
7:30 p.m.
Lovett
Sept. 6
11:30a.m.
1:30p.m.
Lovett
5:30p.m.
7:30 p.m.
Hanszen
Sept. 10
11:30a.m.
1:30p.m.
Jones
5:30p.m.
7:30 p.m.
Brown
Sept. 11
11:30a.m.
1:30p.m.
Wiess
5:30p.m.
7:30 p.m.
WRC
Sept. 12
11:30a.m.
1:30p.m.
Hanszen
5:30p.m.
7:30 p.m.
WRC
Sept. 13
11:30a.m.
1:30p.m.
RMC
5:30p.m.
7:30 p.m.
Grad House
For more
information, contact the Rice Campus Police.
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Moeller, Kurt & Yates, Jay. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, August 31, 1990, newspaper, August 31, 1990; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245758/m1/3/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.