The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 37, Ed. 1 Monday, March 24, 1975 Page: 2 of 12
twelve pages : ill. ; page 20 x 14 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
the rice fhreeher
editorial
Many students are angry, and justifiably so, over the
speculated cutoff of computer services for those enrolled
in undergraduate computer courses. Everyone agrees that
the cutback is terribly unfortunate and undesirable; as is
usually the case when funds are short, though, it is the
student who winds up getting shafted.
One reason for the possible cutback is, paradoxically,
that the courses involved have been too successful. Their
widespread popularity brought about unforseen increases
in course enrollments; even so,'students have been allowed
what one outsider termed an "amazing" amount of inter-
action with the computer.
What happens now to students who entered these
courses under the assumption that they would have full
computer privileges up until the end of the semester? Also,
how would ICS A itself be affected if a sizable chunk of its
workload were cut off?
Of course, there aren't any simple answers. It boils
down to a question of whose ox is getting gored. In this
case, clearly, the student is the loser. —gary brewton
A few weeks back, the Thresher ran an editorial that
related (with some amusement) proposed new rules for
people living in the colleges. It's always reassuring to know
that somebody actually reads editorials, because appar-
ently many people read that particular one, and were not
amused.
An example of the mild outrage the proposed rules
caused is a survey currently being conducted in Wiess
College. The survey, circulated by Kim Brown of the Wiess
Cabinet, criticizes the rules as an attempt "to guarantee no
damage to the new colleges and the renovated rooms at the
old colleges — which just happens to include every room at
Rice except (his emphasis) ours' here at Wiess." We feel
Brown and the rest of the Wiess residents are perfectly
entitled to the special consideration their "barracks-like"
situation requires, but we can't agree that Wiess alone is
discriminated against by the proposed rules. Anyone who
lives in the old parts of Will Rice, Baker and Hanszen will
agree with that.
The intent of the Wiess survey is good, since the college
masters' and presidents will soon collaborate with Food
Service and Housing to decide on next year's rules; they
need ideas and feedback from the people who are going to
be affected (or screwed) by the new rules in their present
form. Nor is the intent of the new rules (however detached
from reality you consider them) bad; something needs to
be done lest the newer colleges fall into the same disrepair
and decrepitness as the others.
This type of thing (i.e., sweeping changes in rules for
living in the colleges) usually go generally unnoticed until
they are put into effect, and then the uproar begins. The
issue deserves broad inspection before the rules are
adopted, because it's hard to reverse the wheels of bureau-
cracy once set in motion. So cooperate with current sur-
veys, start your own, or just tell your college presidents
how you feel. Next year it may be too late.
—joel rennie
'OH, WELL—TIME, I SUPPOSE, TO TURN THE WHOLE THING OVER GRACEFULLY TO THE
CIVILIANS
threshing-lf-out
Food crisis caused by "imperialists
WW
To the editor:
Two weeks ago an article in
the Thresher attempted to ana-
lyze the epidemic of worldwide
starvation. In alleging to this
problem a complex milieu of
contributing factors, Freeman
not only failed to isolate the
true causes of this social atro-
city, but offered solutions which
at best might be applicable to a
situation that does not resemble
the present one. This illustrates
all too clearly the extent to
which the academic community
of the industrial nations have
succumbed to the rationalistic
propaganda of international
imperialism and have become
lackeys of the ruling military-
technocratic elite.
Population control and tech-
nological advancement were
offered as long range solutions;
in reality, however, present
world food production is at a
level sufficient to adequately
feed between 15 and 20 billion
people. Starvation, then, is not
the result of overpopulation, or
of a technological deficiency in
production, and neither a pro-
gram of scientific development
nor of ethnic genocide will solve
the problem.
The key to the annual elimi-
nation of fifty million people
and the marginal condition of
two billion more, as well as the
blatant exploitation of 95% of
the remainder of humanity lies
in the maintenance of the pres-
ent world economic order. This
order is characterized by the
dominance of the leading imperi-
alist nations, the United States
and the Soviet Union. The afflu-
ence of these nations is due to
their effective exploitation of
the resources and labor of the
Third World and their mainte-
nance of respective blocs of
dependent nations. To maintain
their control of the neocolonial-
class structure, the ruling classes
of the imperialist nations contin-
ually strive for the impoverish-
ment, division, and subjugation
of both the Third World and the
working classes of their own
countries. Gross inequality of
distribution is but one facet of
this effort.
World hunger is a direct result
of a universal economic war
propagated by the forces of neo-
colonialism. It will never be
solved by the administrative
machinations of the culprit
themselves, but only by a mass-
based campaign to annihilate the
system which maintains it. There
are two aspects of the conflict
that exhibit themselves; the first
is a political struggle by the
imperialist power centers for an
international base. The solution
to this aspect lies in the creation
of a cohesive Third World politi-
cal front against imperialist
aggression and in its armament
for the defense of militant neu-
trality. The second aspect is that
of the covert economic struggle
by the neocolonialists to destroy
the sufficiency and self-determi-
nation both of the subjugated
nations and of the subjugated
working class in their own coun-
thres
M
tries. Solution of this aspect
requires on the one hand the
economic unity of the Third
World producers of natural
resources, and on the other a
coordinated domestic effort by
workers and students against the
system that enslaves us as well as
our brothers in the Third World.
Action by the academic com-
munity is desperately needed
now. Such action is by no means
impotent; it was delayed in its
effect, but it eventually led to
the retreat of the imperialists's
invasion army and the ongoing
defeat of their neocolonialist
lackeys in Southeast Asia. How-
ever, in the more general case
that has been exposed by the
present crisis, no such action has
been taken. One must conclude
either that the intelligentsia has
fallen prey to the coercive pro-
paganda of the ruling elite, or
that it is guilty of collaboration
with them.
The United States and the
Soviet Union are guilty of the
systematic murder of fifty mil-
lion individuals annually, and of
the enslavement or/and impover-
ishment of billions more. In
turn, the academic community
of these nations stands accused
of complicity through silence,
deceptive analysis, and failure to
provide leadership for the popu-
lar , struggle which must ulti-
mately succeed. It is now pre-
sented with the opportunity to
vindicate itself.
Hiram Berry
SRC
GARY BREWTON
Editor
DALE PAYTON-ENGLE
Business Manager
Tom Anderson Advertising
Manager
Cathy Egan Assistant
Business Manager
Rosine Wilson Ad Production
Manager
Michael Joe Thaimisch . . Circulation
'SIDDOWN, SCARPELLI! YOU CIA GUYS GET SO DAM' NERVOUS
the rice thresher, monday, march 24, 1975 — page 2
Nancy Taubenslag . . Associate Editor
Emily Coffman .... Associate Editor
Debbie Davies News Editor
Philip Parker Sports Editor
Joel Rennie Editorial Assistant
Janet Doty .... Production Manager
Doug Peck Head Photographer
Mark Linimon Back Page Editor
Wiley Sanders Assistant
Head Photographer
Editorial Staff: Linda Eichblatt, Shannon Vale, Jim Asker, Fritz Morsches,
Carla McFarland, John Anderson, Tricia Regan, Lorel Dowden.
News Staff: David Walker, Brian Buchanan, Shannon Vale, Ron Miller, Danna
Bledsoe, Cheryl Miskell, Debbie Osterman, Deby Wyatt, Nathan Gordon.
Fine Arts Staff: Elaine Bonilla, Paul Alley, Debbie Osterman, David
Courtwright, Thomas Zimmerman, Hannes Vogel, Andrew Blakeney.
Sports Staff: Steve Fouga, Scott Starks, Linda Eichblatt, Wiley Sanders, David
Au, Larry Nettles, Marc Siegel, Barry Josselson, Asuka Nakahara.
Business Staff: Mary Craig, Jim Davis, Carolena Houze, Mike Hindman, Cyn
Hudson, Margaret Nabors, Janice Colgrove.
Production Staff: Ruthie Melton, Bonnie Gershon, Gary Preuss, David White,
Bill Studabaker, Connie Dressner, Carla McFarland, Jeanne Fagan.
Austin Bureau: Steve Jackson.
The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper of Rice University since
1916, is published semi-weekly on Mondays and Thursdays during the school
year except during examination periods and holidays by the students of Rice
University, 528—4141 ext 221. Advertising information is available on
request, 528—4141 ext 356. Mail subscription rate, $15 per year. The opinions
expressed herein are not necessarily those of anyone except the writer.
Obviously.
|
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Brewton, Gary. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 37, Ed. 1 Monday, March 24, 1975, newspaper, March 24, 1975; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245232/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.