The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, September 4, 1992 Page: 4 of 16
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Rice University Woodson Research Center.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
4 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4. 1992 THE RICE THRESHER
NEWS
RPC Notes
The Rice Program Council met on Sunday, Aug. 30 in the Lovett PDR.
The following appropriations were approved:
•$400 for a deposit for the Screw Yer Roommate DJ
•$200 for the Rice Student's Speaker's Forum to help bring Ward
Churchill of the American Indian Movement to campus
•$292 for Wiess Films
•$242 for Brown Films
The film appropriations will be reimbursed by the colleges.
•Screw Yer Roommate will cost an estimated $2,200, according to
the social committee chair.
•The application process for new committee members was de-
bated at length, and the issue was tabled until the next meeting.
•Damage to the bike track caused by Republican National Conven-
tion parkers was discussed. RPC President Conley Wake expressed
her wish that the university and not the colleges be responsible for
paying for the repairs.
Next meeting: Baker, Sept 13.
—compiled by John McCoy
Lederman to deliver first President's Lecture
RUPD identifies 0-Week
car thief, files charges
by Sara Maurer
The Rice University Police De-
partment has filed aggravated rob-
bery charges against Bobby Parker
for stealing Jones junior Mike Woods'
car at gunpoint Aug. 17 in the Jones
parking lot.
Ryals, who has been investigat-
ing the case, explained, "1 knew the
'A police officer died
because of them.
These guys are going
to be in jail for awhile.'
—Mike Woods
Houston Police Department was
dealing with similar cases which had
occurred recently in the north end of
Harris County. In these cases an au-
tomatic weapon was involved, just as
an automatic weapon was used [in
the robbery on campus]. The physi-
cal description of the suspect was
also consistent."
Ryals worked with the Houston
Police Department Robbery Division
to identify possible suspects.
Woods participated in a photo
spread on Monday, in which he was
asked to pick out the suspect from
among the photographs of six men.
"Mike identified Bobby Parker as
the individual who robbed him at
gunpoint," Ryals reported.
"1 only saw the gunman, not the
driver," Woods explained. "They said
t hat there were two of them working
together, but. 1 could only identify
one."
Parker was apprehended last
week in Corsica, Texas, after a high-
speed car chaseduringwhich Parker
and his companions exchanged gun-
fire with pursuing police officers. One
police officer suffered a fatal heart
attack during the chase.
"There are more charges pend-
ing for this guy," Ryals said, explain-
ing that Parker will be charged with
contributing to the death of an offi-
cer, as well as several car robberies.
During one of these robberies, the
suspects abducted Mark Vaughns,
cousin of Jones college secretary
Jaquelyn White, and killed him, be-
fore abandoning his body on the side
of the highway.
"[White] said shewasjustamazed
at how lucky I'd been," Woods said.
"At the time of the robbery, I really
didn't think that the guy would shoot
me after he told me to run. With this
other guy, they told him to run and
then they shot him."
"We're lucky that nothing of that
sort happened to a student because
[thesuspects] did hurtother people,"
said Jones master David Minter.
"I find nothing very consoling or
reassuring about the whole incident.
It's not a pleasant thing to think
about."
Woods' car has been found aban-
doned in a parking lot. Ryals specu-
lated that the car had been abandoned
by Parker, and later vandalized by a
third party.
There's really not much left of
the car," Woods said. The sides are
bashed in, the wheels are gone, the
stereo and the battery are gone."
Woodsexpressed satisfaction that
the suspects had been apprehended.
"Of course I'm happy that they've
been caught," he said. Because of
the multiple charges broughtagainst
the suspect, Woods said that it is
unlikely that his case will ever come
to trial "Mine's notoneofthe harsher
charges," he explained. "But, still, a
police officer died because of them.
These guys are going to be in jail for
awhile."
Parker has already served time in
theTexas Department of Corrections
for murder.
Meanwhile, Woods wants to put
the incident behind him. "I'll be glad
when I can stop having to deal with
the police ant' the insurance com-
pany, " he said.
"Still, I guess I've been pretty
lucky."
by Lan Huynh
Nobel Prize-winning physicist
Leon Lederman has been chosen to
be the first speaker in the 1992-93
President's Lecture Series. He will
speak on "Quarks and Quasars: The
Union of Inner and Outer Space" Sept.
15 at 8 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the
Rice Memorial Center.
Lederman, who received the
Nobel Prize in 1988 for his work in
high-energy particle physics, has
been a primary force behind the con-
struction of the superconducting su-
percollider in Waxahachie, Texas.
His contribution to the scientific
community includes revolutionary
research in areas ranging from sub-
atomic particle behavior to the enig-
matic workings of the universe.
Linda Bramlett, director of events
and functions, said she hopes the
event will draw both science and
liberal arts majors from the student
body.
Part of the reason Lederman is
such a popular speaker, Bramlett
said, is because "[he] communicates
complex scientific concepts to audi-
ences with little or no scientific
background."
For those intimidated by the
somewhat imposing title of the lec-
ture itself, Bramlett noted that
Lederman takes great pains to infuse
humor and comprehensibility into
his speeches. He has undertaken a
personal crusade to make science
more accessible to non-scientists. At
the University of Chicago, Lederman
taught a course called "Quantum
Mechanics for Poets."
In addition to this experimental
class, Lederman has also initiated
several teacher training programs,
which focus on both basic scientific
theories and improved teaching
methods. The issue of science illit-
eracy among children is his principle
Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman will begin the 1992-3 President's Lecture Series.
social concern.
"Science and education,"
I^ederman explained, "are the admis-
sion tickets to the 21st century."
To further this goal he has served
in various positions as an educational
consultant, including co-chairman of
the Board of Trustees for the Teach-
ers' Academy of Mathematics and
Science, chairman of the Governor's
Science Advisory Committee, and
vice chairman of the Illinois Coali-
tion. Yet despite his tremendous
commitment to science education,
Lederman has also dedicated vast
amounts of time and labor in a re-
search capacity. He has served as
director of major international facili-
ties such as the Nevis Laboratory
and the Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory.
It was on the basis of these formi-
dable credentials, as well as due to
Lederman's reputation as an engag-
ing and dynamic speaker, that the
President's Lecture Series selection
committee, chaired by Kate Beck-
ingham of the Biochemistry and Cell
Biology Department, invited him to
inaugurate the 1992-93 season. The
committee is also solidifying plans to
host lectures by a noted environmen-
talist, a former president of Costa
Rica, a Harvard astronomer, and a
famous novelist. The names of these
future speakers will be announced
immediately prior to each engage-
ment.
Admission is free. Seating will be
on a first-come, first-served basis.
GSA becomes involved in Outreach Day
by Kevin Mistry
.An earlier sign-up, new projects,
and greater involvement by the
Graduate Student Association will
enhance this year's Outreach Day,
which will be held Saturday, Sept. 12.
The Rice Student Volunteer
Program's largest event of the year,
Outreach Day is an effort to get stu-
dents involved in serving the Hous-
ton community.
Student signups for Outreach Day
began this week. Tom Harris, RSVP
external vice president, said, "First,
planning and signups are much ear-
lier than last year, so we're a lot bet-
ter organized. Also, last year two col-
leges had college nights the night
before, so that hurt things a bit But
this year, that won't happen."
Vo lunteer projects are categorized
into crisis work, mental and physical
disabilities, hunger and relief assis-
tance, and youth, health, environ-
ment, animal, and education agen-
cies. RSVP Director Lucy Martin said,
"We try to make volunteering
simple, pleasant, and gratifying."
Projects will last throughout the day,
with RSVP coordinating transporta-
tion.
There have been several changes
in Outreach Day this year.
In addition to the consolidation of
some activities, a new project was
developed withWellsprings, Inc. This
foundation shelters Houston-area
homeless women and children while
providing educational and job skills.
Also, the popularity of some
projects has changed. The SPCA
project has been horribly popular this
year. I guess a lot of people really
miss their dogs or something,"
Martin said.
The GSA is also getting more in-
volved with Outreach Day. Two
graduate students, Nick Panaro and
Joseph Elias, will serve as GSA repre-
sentatives. Both have been instru-
mental in the drive to set up a Rice
chapter of Habitat for Humanity, a
group that builds housing for the
homeless.
While the number of graduate
students participating is not yet
known, Martin expects it to be much
higher than last year.
As of last Monday, over 300 stu-
dents had volunteered. At this rate
the total should exceed last year's
count of 526 volunteers.
Brown RSVP representative
Heather Hawley said, The last day
to sign up is FYiday, butyou could call
[RSVP] on Saturday morning.
... [S]ignups are going very well. In
two days, we've had over 40 people
sign up at Brown alone."
Hawley added, "I think more
people should sign up because it's a
great way to get to know and meet
other Rice students and increase
awareness in the community while
helping others."
Music
FROM PAGE 1
outside the music school told her
she cou Id change, and were notaware
of the new rule until the student de-
cided to move out of the music school
and the admissions office informed
them of the new rule. Hammond
pointed out that the student's case
was unusual because the music
school has its own advisors and stu-
dents do not usually seek academic
advising outside the school.
"We do our own advising," said
Hammond. There is little or no
chance of academic faculty knowing
well enough what academic architec-
ture or .music requirements are."
Such was the case when Huston
called Hammond to talk about the
student's schedule.
The question remains of whether
the change in the music school's ad-
missions policy, in effecting curricu-
lum requirements, can be made
without the consent of the faculty as
a whole. "It seems to me that a deci-
sion as major and different to univer-
sity policy governing transfer be-
tween departments and curriculum
needs to come before the faculty as a
whole before it can be made law,"
said Huston. Proposals to the faculty
council must undergo two readings
and a vote by the faculty as a whole.
Rudolph noted that a policy simi-
lar to this had been enforced before
when Rice had an influx of engineer-
ing students and the "backdoor" was
through the social science and hu-
manities majors departments.
"We just had too many chemical
and electrical engineers," said
Rudolph, The letter we sent them
said that they could not be guaran-
teed a place in the engineering de-
partment if that was not their initial
major." Stabell reports the ratios have
evened out and eliminated any
"backdoor" between these two aca-
demic fields.
If the student is not released, her
advisors have suggested that she ask
the Examinations and Standing
Committee to review the case. Stabell,
however, claims it is an admission
issue and not within the committee's
bounds. The rule is expected to come
up at the next faculty meeting. Re-
gardless, the student has not been
attending her music classes in hopes
the dean will release her from her
conditional acceptance.
Stabell has said Rice could re-
scind its admissions acceptance if
the dean of the music school does
not release the student and she does
not fulfill her music requirements.
Campus Crime Statistics
For the week ending August 24
BUILDINGS
DATE
TIME
INCIDENT
Abercrombie
7/16-8/18 1200-0730
Computer taken from
locked office
Biology
7/4-8/20
0800-0900
Computer disks missing
from public area
Gym
8/20
1410-1416
Bicycle taken from
bike rack
Mech Lab
8/17-8/18 1530-0830
Computer chair taken
from private office
COLLEGES
DATE
TIME
INCIDENT
Baker
8/18
0300-0700
Cash taken from
wallet left in public area
Grad Houtoe 7
8/19-8/21
1900-1200
Locked bicycle taken from
bike rack
Grad House
8/1-8/16
1500-1100
Locked bicycle taken from
bike rack
Lovett
7/16-8/18 1200-1900
Purse taken from chair in
Lovett Commons
PARKING LOTS
DATE
TIME
INCIDENT
Jones College
8/18
0015-0017
Vehicle taken at gunpoint
North Lot
8/17
2240-2248
Unauthorized operation of
construction equipment
Sid Richardson
8/18
1130-1230
Locked pickup truck taken
from lot
Entrance 13
8/21
1955-2001
Man driving red pickup
exposed person to female
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.
Kim, Leezie & Carson, Chad. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, September 4, 1992, newspaper, September 4, 1992; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245816/m1/4/: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.