The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, August 24, 1990 Page: 4 of 8
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4 FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 1990 THE RICE THRESHER
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"Rice Ratio" worsens;
Admissions seeks remedy
by Kurt Moeller
U.T. Medical School at Houston
Sixty-three percent of freshmen
in the incoming class are male, the
highest figure since at least 1986, in
spite of record numbers of applicants
and an increase in the number of
females offered admission. The rise,
which disappoints some administra-
tors, faculty, and students, is causing
the Office of Admission to begin
developing a specific, long-term plan
to increase the percentage of fe-
males at Rice.
Although exact comparisons are
impossible because in recent years
the Office of Admission has changed
the data which it uses to compile
figures, statistics indicate that since
1987, when 42 percent were female,
the proportion of freshmen who are
females has declined. This year
fewer females matriculated, even
though more were accepted than last
year.
Forty-three percent of accepted
females matriculated, compared
with 47 percent last year. In both
cases, 49 percent of males did so.
This year, 61 percent of applicants
were male. In both years approxi-
mately 25 percent of applicants were
accepted.
Vice-President for Student Affairs
Ronald Stebbings said that while
"there have been no overt steps to
recruit women [as actively as
minorities]....my own view is that we
need to be more active in this regard.
The figures for this year are very
disappointing."
Director of Admission Ron Moss
said, "We will have a plan. It's an
ongoing part of our task, but we don't
have a [specific, long-term] plan
currently.
"It seems to follow that we'll want
to take some kind of corrective ac-
tion for next year," he added.
"Frankly, I'm a little disappointed
that the yield was down. That needs
to be part of our formulation for next
year."
Stebbings said there were "many
very, very able women" who apply,
but that if differing standards were
set for male and female applicants,
"that would be a very damaging situ-
ation for us to be in."
"We have a wonderful applicant
pool," said Dean of Students Sarah
Burnett. "We always have to reject
many hundreds of excellent appli-
cants with high grades, high scores,
and superior records of achieve-
ment"
"I am very, very disappointed by
this setback," Burnett added. She
mentioned that her concern was not
only for social issues that affected
mainly women, such as sexual har-
assment, women's sports, and equal-
ity of opportunity; but also interper-
sonal ones.
"Let's face it," she said. "Students
spend a great deal more time out of
class than in class, and interpersonal
relations are extremely important at
this time in an individual's life."
Burnett also mentioned the ratio
as an obstacle to women reaching
full equality. Hanszen junior Melissa
Dalton said, "You never get leader-
ship positions unless you're really
obnoxious and loud. ...And in Hu-
manities [ 101 and 102 seminars], the
guys just kind of keep the ball rolling.
If agirl says something, they say, 'Oh
she doesnt know anything,' and just
ignore her."
Lovett Orientation Week Coordi-
nator Jennifer Benson said that al-
though "males at Rice are generally
more understanding.,.1 would feel
intimidated in a huge class if I were
one of a few girls raising my hand,
asking a question."
But Baker fifth-year Cinda
Kassing said, "For me personally, it
hasn't caused me any trouble. I'm an
engineer. I haven't felt intimidated in
any of my classes."
Noting that two Baker vice-presi-
dents and the college treasurer are
female, Kassing stated, "I don't think
it hurts [in leadership positions]."
However, all eight college presi-
dents - for the first-time ever - as well
as the top officers of the Student As-
sociation, the Rice Program Council,
the Thresher, and the Campanile, are
males.
Lovett Master Susan Wood
stated "government in the colleges is
affected by iL...When men outnum-
ber women too significantly, it does
cause a problem...It's too easy for us
to sit back and let men take over."
Hanszen senior Lucky Sahualla
said, "You can't expect an institution
that's two-thirds male and one-third
female to be truly integrated."
"Do they accept in equal propor-
tion to the applicant pool?" asked Ric-
hie Ehlers, Hanszen's 1989 O-Week
Coordinator. "[The ratio] has stayed
constant and I don't know if that re-
flects the applicant pool....It should
reflect the pool."
"The girls feel a little overpow-
ered," he added, noting that the ratio
in freshman groups this year is six to
three at Hanszen.
When asked why a smaller per-
centage of females accept Rice's of-
fer, most said the essentially the
same thing as Wood, who stated,
"Maybe because women perceive it
as a school dominated by engineers
and scientists...I'm not sure why."
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Moeller, Kurt & Yates, Jay. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, August 24, 1990, newspaper, August 24, 1990; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245757/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.