The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 60, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 2, 1972 Page: 3 of 12
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Republican hopeful Grover wants two parties in Texas
by RICK BROWN
The Republican Party of
Texas has been unable to cap-
ture the Texas governor's chair
since the Civil War reconstruc-
tion days. Most political experts
therefore consider winnings the
Democratic primary paramount
to being elected. Henry (Hank)
Grover, Republican candidate
for governor, is out to change
all that, and spoke at KTRU,
Rice radio last week explaining
his stand and why this year
may be different.
For you loyal Democrats who
pay no attention to Republican
Party politics, the Republican
hierarchy of Texas has been
against Grover from the start.
When asked why the top party
brass has been less than en-
thusiastic about his nomination,
he said, "They can't control me.
They want someone they can
control and I'm too independent
for them." He maintains that
he would have real power if
elected even though the state
government is controlled by
Democrats. "I have been in our
state government twelve years;
I know our state legislature."
Senator Grover is in favor of
"broad constitutional reform"
through a constitutional conven-
tion. Although much would be
changed, he favors retaining
clauses prohibiting state deficit
spending, keeping judges elected
rather than appointed, and keep-
ing the item veto power by the
governor. He favors reform of
the present Insurance system
also and voted for competitive
insurance rates in the last ses-
sion but favors no-fault insur-
ance. He maintains the exper-
iences of Maryland and Massa-
chusetts warrant our at least
trying the no-fault plan.
He does not favor the legal-
ization of marijuana, nor does
he favor reducing the penalty
for use to a misdemeanor, and
in that respect he agrees with
his major opponent, Democrat
Dolph Briscoe. However, he
says, "I would be open to the
suggestion that perhaps when
there is a first offense for
which a felony conviction is
given, we should put the person
on probation and at the end of
the probationary period, upon
good conduct, wipe out the felo-
ny record." While on the topic
of crime Sen. Grover mentioned
several other reforms he would
initiate. "I fell we should deny
bail to those charged with a
felony committed while out on
bail for a previous offense."
. . . We should initiate a pro-
gram having sheriffs weekly
make public a list of all prison-
ers, how long they have been
there and, if they are awaiting
trial, how long before their trial
come up. "People get in these
(county) jails and are just for-
gotten about."
Report shows loss of interest in apathy
by NIXXTAR
The Southwestern regional
committee of the National Col-
legiate Apathetic Association
has released its 1972 report on
the future of intercollegiate
apathetics, and Rice receives
considerable mention in it. Part
of the NCAA report consists
of interviews with various apa-
thetic officials in this part of
the country. One of them is A1
"Big Train" Landrover, Apa-
thetic Director and head foot-
ball coach at -Rice. Here are
some of his comments.
"I know that Rice .is more
apathetically oriented than some
campuses across the country,
but there are pockets of dis-
content even now. Rice has lost
the rosy glow that a winning
tradition gives you. At the same
time, there are students who
don't feel that Rice belongs in
big time apathetics. One of
them recently told me to 'fish
or cut bait'; I explained that
'a bird in the hand is worth
two bush leagues', or some-
thing like that. If we can't
avoid fielding a team for the
next 3 or 4 years, Rice will be
on its way up apathetically.
The Math Department has
given a big boost in this direc-
tion by helping us install our
new Zeno's Paradox defense for
this fall."
The report also dealt with
the topic of financing for var-
Comedy reaches new peak in WR
by IRA BECKERMAN
WR: Mystries of the Organ-
ism is very new, only a year
old. I should hope it represents
the start o| the renaissance of
comedy. Unequivocally, it is the
i finest film I've seen in 1972 —
not the funniest, but the best.
It is a bizarre mixture of come-
dy, drama, reality, and docu-
mentary molded into a film. It
is also a truly "X" rated film.
The mental maturity required
to get the most out of WR
would tax a free thinker, let
alone a Rice student.
Comedy has always been a
thorn in the side of critics and
filmmakers alike since the first
tossed pie. Such a strange ani-
mal comedy is: bastard son of
tragedy, mother of melodrama,
Parking ticket, sticker advice
from Dean of Students' office
At the beginning of the year
all of you who possess auto-
mobiles or motorcycles received
those rather obnoxious-shaped
parking stickers. Hopefully by
now you have them attached
correctly to your vehicle, for if
you do not, you have gotten a
ticket for not having them at-
tached. If you have parked on
the grass, in the street, or any
of the forbidden zones you-have
received a calling card from our
security police (or are darn
lucky).
The purpose of this epistle
is to follow the life cycle of a
parking ticket. After it
has been issued, a carbon copy
is sent to the Dean's Office.
If the ticket is not paid within
one week, three days later a list
of the tickets is sent to the
Cashier's Office and the fine of
the ticket is increased by $3.
NOTE #1: A regular park-
ing violation is $'2 which then
increases to $5 after one week.
Parking on the grass is a .$'5 fine
which then increases to $8 if not
paid within the week. There is
an additional charge of $3 if
the car is not registered with
the Dean of Students Office.
NOTE #2: "Tain't necessari-
ly so that if you don't register
your car, you can park any-
where on campus and get away
with it. With enough incentive,
like three or more tickets on a
car without a registration num-
ber, which would total $18.00
up, the license nuimber will be
tracked down and you just
might get a parking fine bill
that you wouldn't believe. • Not
always, but the track record is
pretty good.
If you feel you have been
grossly wronged by being
presented with a citation, then
take heart, there is a possible
out. There is a Student Traffic
Review Board that will assess
your excuse for your alleged
illegal actions. In order to make
an appeal to the Student Traf-
fic Review Board you must act
within ten days after receiving
the ticket. The form for the ap-
peal may be picked up from
Mrs. Atkinson in the Dean of
Students Office in the RMC. If
they deem it a reasonable ex-
cuse they will void the ticket.
It is not a good idea to ignore
these tickets because the Cash-
ier's Office will not allow you
to register the following se-
mester if you have not taken
care of your indebtedness, to
them.
In case you wondered where
it goes, all pai'king fine money
collected goes into the National
Direct Student Loan (NDSL)
fund for student financial aid.
If there are any more ques-
tions an extra copy of the park-
ing regulations may be ob-
tained at any time at the Dean
of Students Office.
brother to surrealism. It is in-
deed so complex that any at-
tempt to deal with it in defi-
nite terms fails.
The first film attempts at
comedy were basically nothing
more than interjections of wit
into simple situations. Many
times this was burlesques
through costumes, makeup, sets
and acting style. The most
memorable of these was
Chaplin's tramp. From these
crude situations arose an art
form. Slapstick gave way to
Victorian bedroom farces and
that to the gag, which was a
sort of card shuffling with real-
ity, an existential fudge. Never
beginnings, did comedy lose
tough with reality.
But something happened. The
country wanted to laugh hard-
er. Depression gave allegiance
to Laurel and Hardy, the Marx
Brothers, the Ritx Brothers, ad
nauseum. Laurel and Hardy
made the transition not only
from silent to sound but also
from gag humor to Victorian
bedroom comedy, a secondary
necessity. Chaplin died. Keaton
died. Sennet; and all the rest
packed their dreams away in
mothballs. Hollywood and the
public taste (or lack of it) pre-
vailed. To be sure, comedies
were immensely funnier, but at
what price ? Meaning was sacri-
ficed to an increasingly ab-
stracting form, existential come-
dy. The low point or high point,
whichever side you take, came
with Dr. Strangelove. Dr.
Strangelove became of the art.
Jean Harlow reincarnated. What
followed after this film is un-
speakable.
Somewhere in Yugoslavia,
however, D u s a n Makavejev,
creator of WR: Mysteries of
the Organism, began to make
films. I am not very good at
making pleas. But I beseech all
of you to attend it, and hope
that I have not spoiled the
film by saying too much about
it directly. The Media Center.
Saturday, 8:00P.M.
sity apathetics. In general,
despite enthusiastic apathetic
support around the country,
apathetic departments continue
to suffer from lack of funds
and cosmic ennui. Attention has
fallen behind expenses with the
result that, for many schools,
minor sports may soon go by
the bored. Coach Landrover had
some comments on this subject,
too.
"Since Rice began charging
tuition, we've been at a real
disadvantage since our apathetic
scholarships must pay about
$3500 a year per jock. Also,
Rice's student body is much
smaller, which makes the apa-
thetes mugh more noticeable-
particularly the football play-
ers. As a result, we hear com-
plaints that our boys take
places which should go to "reg-
ular" students. Actually, they
are no more interested in their
classes than other students,
which means there is room for
everybody. Also we make an ef-
fort to recruit real student-apa-
thetes. As far as I'm concerned,
the apathetic situation is ex-
cellent."
(Nixxtar, the well-known God
of Hopeless Causes, writes a
syndicated column from College
Station, Texas.)
Senator Grover is against
both state corporate and per-
sonal income taxes. He has sev-
eral reasons for his stance. One
is to induce industrial expan-
sion in the state. "Everyone
knows industry considers both
your tax structure and your
labor laws." "We'll never get
any reform in state government
if we pass a corporate or state
income tax. The only way you
can reform bureaucracy is to
tell them, okay, there's no ad-
ditional funds. This is what
we're going to do. If you can't
do the job, we'll get someone
else to do it."
An active legislator against
increased welfare expenditures,
Senator Grover says, "This No-
vember the people of Texas are
not going to vote for a consti-
tutional amendment increasing
welfare for the first time since
I've been in the legislature,
twelve years. They're not be-
cause I killed it." When asked
what he would do if welfare
rolls continued to grow, if he
does not support voting suffi-
cient funds to cover such a
rise, he said, "Well, we have
to start saying no and not let
them continue to rise. That's
the whole problem. The rest of
society cannot forever support
those who simply won't work."
Concerning pollution he says,
"I have regularly pressed for
the creation of (state control-
led) regional air pollution con-
trol boards and regional water
pollution control boards to set
more stringent standard. That's *
the thing that I press for all
the time. I have been unsuc-
cessful because of the power of
the lobbyists in Austin. I have
been warning people in Austin
for years on this but people
have been turning a deaf ear.
The states have been dragging
their heels in this."
And when asked if he felt a
Republican really had a chance
he said, "I was the first Repub-
lican senator elected in forty
years. You bet I have a chance,
or I wouldn't be running; I
wouldn't be giving up a per-
fectly safe Senate seat. But
more important, the people of
Texas deserve better govern-
ment than they're getting."
Police refuse to help near-victim
A young woman employed by
the Rice business office was the
target of an attempted assault
last Saturday afternoon as she
worked in Allen Center.
The incident took place at
about 2pm, while the building
was open for Homecoming but
almost empty. According to the
victim, two young men came to
her desk and asked for direc-
tions to another office, and then
for her help in finding it.
The men were described as
"very freaky . . . short, small-
framed, 19 or 20-year olds . . .
both white; one blond, one
brunet, very serious and solemn.
The brunet had a squinty left
eye. The blond were a Floren-
tine gold ring with a solitaire
diamond. They both wore bright-
ly colored clothes and cheap
women's beads."
Once out in the hall with the
two she saw that one had a
knife, and began to scream. The
knife-holder told her "drop your
pants"; she refused and scream-
ed again. When the girl told the
attackers there were people in
the building, and continued to
scream, they left the building.
As soon as they left, the girl
called City of Houston police,
explained the situation, and ask-
ed for help. The dispatcher told
her he could do nothing, be-
cause the incident had occurred
on the Rice campus, and he
would "have to get a_ letter
from your college master be-
fore we can come out there."
When she asked "... two guys
just tried to kill me and you're
telling me you can't do any-
thing about it?", the dispatcher
replied "Yes, ma'am, that's
what I'm telling you."
After looking out the window
to see the two attackers cross-
ing the Allen Center lot toward
the park, she called Rice Secur-
ity, Two security men arrived
minutes later, but refused to
leave campus with her to search
for the men. They said they
could look for them on campus,
though, and drove around with
her for about ten minutes.
An attempt to call the Park
Patrol failed when Information
couldn't find their number; City
of Houston Homicide took the
men's description but "didn't
seem interested."
The Park Patrol was even-
tually contacted; they never
found attackers.
the rice thresher, november 2, 1972—page 3
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Jackson, Steve. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 60, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 2, 1972, newspaper, November 2, 1972; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245145/m1/3/: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.