The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 20, Ed. 1 Friday, February 16, 1990 Page: 1 of 20
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SINCE 1916
FEBRUARY 16, 1990
GET OUT YOUR SHOVEL
VOLUME 77, NO. 19
BSU forum raises awareness of hurdles facing blacks at Rice
by John Weimer
Close to 200 faculty members,
administrators, alumni, and students
attended Tuesday night's forum on
"The State of Black Rice 1990."
Black Student Union President Alex
Byrd presided over the event, which
consisted of four panels designed to
address the problems and concerns
of black faculty, administrators,
alumni, and students.
The forum, which lasted two
hours, exposed the breadth of prob-
lems confronting blacks at Rice.
The alumni and student panels
discussed the lack of academic sup-
port among black students and from
the faculty and administration. The
panels also discussed problems be-
tween black athletes and non-ath-
letes, and poor recruitment of black
students and professors.
Members of the audience as well
as various panelists said many of the
academic problems encountered by
black students at Rice can be traced
back to elementary school educa-
tion. Many black children attend
predominately black schools where
funds and instruction are inferior,
especially when compared to the
quality of education most Rice stu-
dents receive before coming here.
"We don't have the background
equal to our white counterparts,"
Jones College freshman Lawrencina
Mason said.
According to Hanszen College
sophomore Julius Campbell, black
students at Rice isolate themselves
academically, instead of making a
concerted effort to overcome th.it
which their educational background
failed to provide. He calls it the "get
mine and get out syndrome." Those
having the syndrome worry about
their own academic standing but are
unconcerned with the academic
problems of other black students.
"Black students don't seem to
pull together and help each other,"
chemical engineering graduate stu-
dent Pam Jones echoed.
Another problem discussed was
the decline in the number of blacks
pursuing science and engineering
degrees. When asked what the
administration and faculty could do
to combat this problem Monique
Shankle, Rice alumnus and current
administrative secretary in the Rice
Admissions Office, said, "We should
not lower admissions standards but
instead make more of an effort to
retain [black students]."
Trade Hall, a junior in Wiess Col-
lege and president of the National
Society of Black Engineers, said that
of the 25 black students who matricu-
lated in 1987 and began their under-
• V' ' -V' :
ii
graduate studies as engineers, five
have left Rice and 18 of 20 are no
longer pursuing engineering de-
grees.
"I don't feel that they have the
support and encouragement that
they need from the university,"
Shankle commented. She sug-
gested that an academic support
group be initiated by the administra-
tion.
Jones noted that at the University
of Pennsylvania, where she was an
undergraduate, there is a separate
minority recruitment office, free
minority tutoring, and administra-
tive personnel who monitor minority
academic problems. None of these
services existed at Rice until the
Office of Minority Affairs was estab-
lished last year. Cathy Clack, Direc-
tor of the Office of Minority Affairs,
initiated a science and engineering
tutorial group which meets weekly..
Mason suggested that the ad-
ministration sponsor a pre-orienta-
tion week similar to programs for mi-
ser BSU, PAGE 9
SA presidential
candidates hold debate
by Leslie Raneri
Tuesday afternoon in Chemistry
Lecture Hall the three candidates for
Student Association President,
Brown College junior Tony Kocica,
Will Rice College junior Spencer Yu,
and Lovett College sophomore Sean
O'Connell, debated before a crowd
of about 50 people.
The debate was divided into five
parts: opening statements, which
were allowed to be three minutes
long; questions from the candidates
for Thresher editor addressed to all
three Presidential candidates; ques-
tions the candidates wrote to each
other, an open forum for questions
asked by the audience to one or all
three candidates; and a closing state-
ment by each candidate lasting two
minutes.
In his opening statement, Kocica
assured the audience that, "Yes, in
fact, I am a serious candidate for the
office of SA President despite all
appearences to the contrary." He
described his campaign strategy as
"dynamic—the way my particular
stand on a particular issue sort of
fluctuates as the situation dictates."
He described the food as "really
awful" and said the administration
needs to know the students care that
they are eating "fluorescent orange
carrots." He said he wanted to
"appeal to [people's] sense of the
bizarre."
Yu outlined his reasons for run-
ning for SA President and listed the
issues with which he is concerned.
"The [SA] Senate is for one purpose,
and that's to serve as a link between
the students and the
administration...I'm running for
Senate because I feel there's a lot
that can be done. I've done a lot of
work for the Senate this year." His
goal is to be open to new ideas and
oppx>rtunities and to improve com-
munications between students, the
administration and the Senate. Some
of the issues he wants to address are
tuition, the food policy, (he co-
chaired the SA Ad Hoc Commitee on
the Food Policy), and buying books
at the campus store. He suggested
using card readers or some alterna-
tive method to reduce the long lines
at the beginning of the semester.
O'Connell described how he saw
himself in relation to the role of SA
President, saying, "The job of SA
President will not be one that I will
shy away from, nor will it be one
which I will keep to myself. As Presi-
dent I will encourage student input
and activism... I will challenge the
SEE DEBATE, PAGE 10
Panelists ponder a speaker's message during Tuesday's BSU forum, "The State of Black Rice 1990"
Willy's Pub may lose liquor license
by Jay Yates
The liquor license for Willy's Pub
expires March 31, and due to a
change in the Texas Alcohol Board
of Control's regulations, Dean of
Students Sarah Burnett is unable to
apply for the license now held by
former proctor Edward Holt The
Pub Control Board has reviewed
several possibilities and forwarded
its suggestions to the administra-
tion, which passed them on to the
university's attorneys, Baker &
Botts.
According to Burnett, the TABC
has changed the nature of the ques-
tions it asks applicants and to hold
the license, Burnett would have to
receive the profits from the Pub.
This causes three major prob-
lems. First, the Pub's finances would
have to be restructured. According
Sean O'Conneil (left) and Anthony Kocica listen while Spencer Yu addresses crowd during SA presidential debate.
to Pub Manager Clay Jackson, the
Pub is currently designed to break
even, and making a profit would
require raising prices and a reevalu-
ation of the Pub's pattern of ex-
penses.
Second, the holder of the liquor
license cannot be an employee of
Rice University. Thus, no adminis-
trator or faculty member is eligible.
The third problem is liability.
"When you have a campus with two-
thirds of the people underage, you
have problems," Jackson explained.
Jackson said compliance with the
alcohol policy is key to keeping the
Pub open. Head Bartender Bradley
Shisler said, "The Pub is a privilege
and should be treated as such." Shis-
ler claimed a majority of the Pub's
patrons poses no problems, but "a
few stand out that ruin it for every-
one."
To evaluate this situation a spe-
cial committee of both undergradu-
ates and faculty was formed to dis-
cuss possible solutions to the prob-
lem. Additionally, the Pub Control
Board talked to experts in the field of
obtaining liquor licenses and has
produced four potential solutions for
evaluations.
The first plan calls for a member
of the board of governors to take on
the license. However, TABC regula-
tions prohibit people having invest-
ments in companies that profit frop
alcohol from holding liquor licenses,
which most likely will prevent all
board members from holding a li-
cense.
The second answer is to bring in
an independent entity, like an alum
nus who already has a liquor license.
With this plan, Rice University and
its students lose control over the Pub
and prices will increase, with the
result being, a professional bar on
campus which may not let in under-
aged students.
The third solution is to reopen the
Pub as a private club. However,
these licenses are expensive and
have many restrictions. Alcohol can-
not be served by the drink, certain
food service is required, and current
membership must be kept with the
state.
The final proposal establishes a
corporation to own and run the Pub.
Many legal questions remain about
this solution, which Baker & Botts
are now researching. A corporation
may still leave the university liable,
and thus risk the endowment
Valhalla shares the Pub's situ-
ation, but its license is good until
July. Also, because the majority of its
patrons are of age and due to close
ties to some alumni, Valhalla may
have an easier time finding a work-
able solution, according to Burnett
Despite the apparent difficulty of
the situation, Burnett felt optimistic,
saying, "The Pub will not close." Vice
President of Student Affairs Ronald
Stebbings said a "continuing genu-
ine effort to find a solution" will be
made to keep the Pub open. How-
SEE PUB, PAGE 10
ELECTIONS
Promises, Promises,
Promises.
See page 4
FINE ARTS
Catching up with all
the theatre around
town
See page 11
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Kahn, Greg & Leedy, Sarah J. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 20, Ed. 1 Friday, February 16, 1990, newspaper, February 16, 1990; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245743/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.