The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 74, No. 24, Ed. 1 Friday, March 20, 1987 Page: 3 of 24
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THRESHER Opinion Friday, March 20, 1987
Brown University group calls for end to SAT testing
continued from page 2
population. Even when it does work, it
indicates only whether or not ovulation has
occurred, not when it will occur, which is
what is required for effective contraception.
If Mr. Lagrone has a solution to this
problem, he should come forward. If not, he
should learn the facts of its complexity. In
any event, I should hope that as a graduate
student in chemistry he does not fabricate
chemical information to conform to his
religious beliefs as he does biological
information.
James W. Campbell
Professor of Biology
Anti-testing group writes
To the editor:
Greetings from Brown University. We are
a group of concerned students who would
like to share with your undergraduates a
referendum which we are sponsoring at
Brown on the resolution: "The College
Admission office should no longer require
prospective Brown students to submit SAT
scores."
Your school is considered a "selective"
college. The SAT according to many is an
important factor only at selective colleges.
We disagree that it is an important factor
anywhere.
Many questions can be raised about the
SAT. Why do minorities do worse on the
test than their educational disadvantages
can account for? How substantive can the
test be if some coaching companies regularly
improve scores by more than 150 points?
How genuine are the scores if so many
people are known to cheat on such poorly
proctored exams? How can Educational
Testing Services (ETS), which makes. *he
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THRESHER
THRESHING IT OUT
letters to the editor
SAT, be trusted to monitor its own
performance when this, their most
profitable test, accounts for much of their
revenue?
The Scholastic Aptitude Test is not
objective: it is not a valid or reliable
standard. Great as it might be to have such a
touchstone, this test is not it. As David
Owen writes in his book None of the Above,
"There is nothing genuinely objective about
a test like the SAT: it is written, compiled,
keyed, and interpreted by highly subjective
human beings. The principal difference
between it and a test that cant be graded by a
machine is that it leaves no room for more
than one correct answer." Needless to say,
many who think creatively or split hairs do
not do well on such a test, though they do
well in school.
The Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching, which helped the
College Board create ETS, has brought to
public attention in a report soon to be
published that most colleges need not
require their students to take the SAT,
because most colleges no longer admit
selectively. If they are going to let everyone
in anyway, why should they require their
applicants to spend time and money on a test
they don't need?
This means that Brown, and your school,
as well as a few other colleges who do have
competitive admissions, are the only ones
who benefit from the program at all. If we
get little use out of the SAT, why should we
worry about jeopardizing its place in the
testing market? When the influential
Carnegie Foundation's report convinces
Doonesbury
many colleges who don't need it to actually
drop it, the cost of the test will climb, and we
will more urgently ask "Why not us, too?"
The time has arrived for the
undergraduates of "selective" colleges to
question the entire testing industry in this
country.
Michael Spatter, Founder
Students Against Testing
Ovulation not easy to spot
To the editor:
This is in response to Craig B. Lagrone's
letter in the Friday 13 Thresher.
Dear Craig,
Thank you for informing your fellow
reproductive neurotics of the mechanics of
the Pill. I am sure that it makes them sleep
better at night. However, the rest of us were
more interested in the latter part of your
letter, specifically in your generalization
that a woman educated about her body
should know when she is ovulating.
Leaving the question of education aside
for a moment, I will first talk about the
ovulation bit. After I quit choking (giving
some eager freshman a chance to show off
the Heimlich maneuver), 1 showed your
article to some of my female acquaintances
who had not had the luck to read your
brilliant piece of investigative journalism.
They were the ones who were still breathing
normally.
I was surprised at the similarity of
response. In essence the reaction was "Sure,
we wake up in the morning and think to
ourselves'Gee, I must be ovulating today.'
Most of us would only know we were
see Bio. page 4
Beer-Bike to be a safe race
Beer Bike is fast approaching and we want
to make this a fun and safe race. To make
sure that no one gets hurt on the race track
we will be sounding a horn thirty seconds
before the race begins and once the race is
over. Between those two times spectators
should stay off the track so as not to
endanger themselves and the riders or
interfere with the race. Remember that we
could disqualify a team if we feel that a
college member is endangering himself and
the riders on the track. Please be careful.
Don't forget about the picnic before the
race. It will likely begin arflmd 10:30 a.m.
and will last until 12:20. Central Kitchen will
do its best to please you once again.
During and after the picnic will be the
parade, which will run in the reverse order of
the final men's times from last year. Baker,
RPC WATCH
by Jeff Solochek
last year's loser, will lead the parade, and
Will Rice, last year's overall champions, will
bring up the rear, finishing the parade no
later (ha, ha) than 1:00. Come on out to
support your team.
Please keep all cars out of the infield and
off the little road next to the stadium. They
will be in the way of the ambulance, which
must have clear access to the open road. We
don't want to have to tow away your car.
Also, make sure not to lock your bike to the
tower in the infield because it will be in
Greg's way (he's in charge) and he will throw
your bike away.
Thank you, and good luck to all. Ill see
you at the races.
BY GARRY TRUDEAU
Editorial Staff
Editor Spencer Greene
News Editor Mike Raphael
Fine Arts Eds .. .Nancy Collier, Jen Cooper
rA Sports Eds Jim Humes, Steve Nations
Backpage Editor Carol Drummond
Photo Eds Dennis Kelley, Lawrence Cowsar
Copy Editor Lisa Gray
Production Manager Amy Orchard
Head Typesetter Blake Morris
Senior Editor Scott Snyder
Assistant News Editor Michele Wucker
Assistant Production Manager Mary Elliott
Beyond the Hedges Jill Goodman
Editorial Advisor David Butler
Ace Courier Maribeth Clark
Graphics Mike Harshman, Steven Lait, Jose Villegas
News Staff Chandravir Ahuja, Adam Carr,
Merrill Davis, Henri de la Garza, Ami Falk,
Jenny Hawkins, Susan La.vington, Jody Lee,
Rebecca Monroy, Elise Perachio, Steve Phillips,
Libby Schwartz, Joel Sendek, Mike Yanochik
Fine Arts Staff Maribeth Clark, Frances Egler,
Melissa Gregory, Bruce Mast, Mira Milas,
Karin Murphy, David Nathan, lan Neath,
Karen Nickel, Kayhan Parsi, Elise Perachio,
Eric Salituro, L. Gene Spears, Paul Winkler
Sports Staff Wade Chow, Doug Collins,
Keith Couch, David Cumberland, Jim Dean,
Jim Humes. Michael Lamont, Mark Matteson,
Robert Nevill. Thad Ware, Anthony Wills, Scooter Yee,
Steve Zaleski
Photography Staff Alex Flenner,
Mike "Dingbat" Gladu, Harold Turner
Proofreader Jennifer Berry
Production Staff Linda Burns, Jeff Burton,
Edie Feldman, Jeff Johnstone, Allison Krauth,
Pat McGarrity, Karen Nickel, Kayhan Parsi
Business Staff
Business Manager Carlos Soltero
Advertising Manager Paul Angles
Assistant Business Manager .. Mike Alexander
Assistant Ad Manager Norbert Hugger
Senior Business Manager Crystal Davis
Student Staff Assistant Lee Finch
Circulation Paul Angles
The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper at Rice University
since 1916, ispublished each Friday during the school year, except during
examination periods and holidays, by the students of Rice University.
Editorial and business offices are located on the second floor of the Ley
addition to the Rice Memorial Center. P.O. Box 1892. Houston Texas
77251. Telephone (713) 527-4801 or 527-4802. Advertising information
available upon request. Mail subscription rate per semester: SIS.00
domestic. $30.00 international (via first class mail). The opinions
expressed herein are not necessarily those of anyone except the writer.
Obviously. I hate Wednesday night classes!
©1987, The Rice Thresher. All rights reserved.
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YOU KNOW, 3-P.,
I'VE BBBN THINK-
ING A LOT ABOUT.
MY PAST LIVES
LATELY..
I'VE BEEN SO MANY THINGS—
A MIDDLE KINGDOM MIP-WIFE,
A BABYLONIAN ASTRONOMER,
A HOLY ROMAN EMPRESS,
A LEPER IN FIN-DE -51 EOS
MARRAKESH...
\
LASTNI6HT, I WAS TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY HAD IN
COMMON, WHAT CONNECTED THEM
TO THE DIVINE SPARKOFMY HIGH-
ER SELF. SUDDENLY, IT HIT ME..,
EACH OF THEM THAT^S ONE
ALWAYS TRIED puirJCY
VJgKHl* LipEk.
BEST'. /
SO, AS YOU CAN WELL
IMAGINE, THOSE FIRST
LIVES OF MINE MERE
FILLED WITH NOTHING
BUT DRUDGERY.
\
A FEW LIVES AFTER MY
INCARNATION ASA HtTTITE
CONCUBINE, I BECAME A
FRESCO PAINTER IN THE
\ M/NOAN PALACE AT
ZAKRQ.,
LIFE IN THOSE DAYS WAS
JUST HUNT AND GATHER,
HUNTED GATHER. THE
ROUTINE COULD REALLY
WEAR YOU POWN.
\
IT WAS MY FIRST UFE IN
THE FAST LANE. I WAS A
COURT FAVORITE, AND MADE
OUT LIKE A BANDIT UNTIL
ME ALL DIET? DURING THE f
ERUPTION OF THERA. <T
/
IN FACT, THE FIRST HALF-
DECENT INCARNATION I EVER
HAD DIDNTCOME UNTIL WELL
INTO THE PLEISTOCENE. BUT I
KNEW IT WOULD BE SPECIAL.
THE OMENS WERE \
FABULOUS!
HOWEVER, IT REALLY WASNT
UNTIL MY INCARNATION ASA
COURTIER TO QUEEN NEFERTITI
THATIBE6AN TO SEE THE
IMPORTANCE OF A SENSE r~
OF SELF-ESTEEM...
WERE ONLY
UP TO THE
TO BEGIN WITH,
IT WAS WE FIRST
'TIMEINA66&I
DIDN'T DIE DUR-
PLEISTOCENE? ING CHILDBIRTH...
PULL IN THAT TUSH,
MAJESTY! THAT'S IT!
FEEL THE BURN!
\
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Greene, Spencer. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 74, No. 24, Ed. 1 Friday, March 20, 1987, newspaper, March 20, 1987; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245660/m1/3/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.