Outdated Campus Alarm Systems Create Fire Threat by LEE SOWERS Mitted Along Cables to a Special on Horseback

Outdated campus alarm systems create fire threat by LEE SOWERS mitted along cables to a special on horseback. The original fire- colleges in case of fire. Alarms were installed this When first constructed in the fire house built specifically to house has been removed. Un- Sid Richardson's alarm sys- fall in both Bx-own and Jones early 1900's Lovett Hall and serve Itice, because the campus fortunately, the antique alarms tem is manually activated and Colleges as the result of recom- the Physics Lab were among was located so far from down- remain, conversation pieces triggers a buzzer in the mas- mendations sent to President the largest building in Houston. town Houston. Upon hearing from yesteryear. ter's office in addition to sound- Hackerman by the Campus These structures formed the the alarm, firemen hitched their Acording to Campus Safety ing a general alarm. The sys- Safety Committee last Spring. nucleus of the developing Rice fire wagon to a waiting team Officer Larry Blackwell, the tem is not student-proof and There are no plans to install Campus. The modern and ela- of horses and dashed to the only other fire alarms on cam- has no method of functioning alarms in any building on cam- borate facilities were protected fire. pus are the newly installed automatically. It did not func- pus in the near future. The by manually activated fire Lovett Hail and the Physics alarms in Jones and Brown tion during the small fire there systems in Jones and Brown are alarms, In case of fire, anyone building are no longer the big- Colleges, the alarm in Sid earlier-this year; Buildings and manually activated, which un- present simply triggered the gest structures in Houston, and Richardson, and a steam Grounds is reportedly repairing fortunately subjects them to al%rm. The alarm was trans- firemen no longer answer calls whistle to warn the other men's the system. pranks and therefore defeats their serious purpose. All of the men's colleges are protected by a centrally located steaan whistle. The steam whistle is tamperproof; B&G retains the secret of its opera- tion. Four or five years ago the masters of the men's colleges decided that some alarm system was needed. A Steam no this Whistle was chosen over a siren the because of the constant use of sirens along main street by ears emergency vehicles serving the week medical center. The system was installed, and remained unused until this fall, when one of the Masters suggested that it be tested. A test was arranged and announced. The whistle failed for lack of steam pressure. B&G has assured the Cam- volume 61, number thresKef october 4, 197B pus Safety Office that the dif- ficulties have been corrected and the whistle should work in the futwe. Blackwell feels that there is no real danger from the lack County to vote on mass transit authority of alarms in the other build- by FORREST JOHNSON The Vorhees plan was largely don't see why they should vote the members amateurish. Some ings on campus. In a working On Saturday, the citizens of created to qualify for federal for an Authority that has not small town citizens and resi- atmosphere everyone could be Harris County will be asked to aid. HARTA is not bound by it, even formed a plan yet. Mayoral dents of minority neighbor- warned in sufficient time to confirm or reject the Houston but it does show the general Candidate Bob Hervey considers continued on Page 3) (Continued on Page 2) Area Rapid Transit Authority thrust of the Authority's intent- (HARTA). The referendum will ions. have a crucial effect on the The Authority area's transportation. This year, the legislature The Situation passed a bill authorizing the Houston is approaching a creation of a Harris county transportation crisis. All the mass transit authority. HARTA freeways Loop 610 South are has 9 members — 5 appointed overcrowded. Pollution in the by the Houston City Council, 2 downtown area nears the limits by the County Commissioner's of government safety stan- Court, and 2 by the mayors of dards. The 1970 Federal the smaller cities. The Authori- Clean Air Act will force onerous ty has the right to tax, to con- changes on Houston, including demn land, to issue bonds, to gas rationing, unless Texas can alter existing road or rail lines, present a viable alternative to create a mass transit system, plan by October lS. As pollution to police it, and to make re- increases, standards become gulations and penalties for stricter. violating them (not to exceed Public transit is inadequate. §200 or 30 days or both). It can Since 71% of the County's set whatever rates it pleases. population lives in the Houston The tax is to be an auto emis- city limits, it does not pay to sions tax with maximum rates serve outlying areas. Operating that vary from $4 to $15 a year, costs are • rocketing. In 1950, depending on engine size. the base bus fare was 10 cents. The tax would be collected By 1970, it had increased to by the county tax Assessor 45 cents. Even so, the major bus along with the annual license line (Rapid Transit Lines, Inc.) fee. Thus, the average car own- is operating at a loss. * er would pay $24 for a license The Vorhees Report and an $8 emissions tax. Last year, the City Council HARTA is forbidden to collect received the report of a $774,- property taxes, "unduly inter- 000 study of Houston transpor- fere with interstate commerce," tation. Alan M. Voorhees & As- or use existing rail lines. sociates presented a voluminous The Authority, if voted in, plan .for a network of buses, would be responsible directly to trains and subways. The plan the legislature. is flexible and presents many Objections alternatives. There are, of course, many First, Rapid Transit Lines objections. Some say HARTA would be purchased. Rates would be too powerful and not would be maintained or de- responsible to the people. Many sfeve jackson creased. Outer lines would be extended. Frequency of pickups would increase on existing Law, med school routes. Total service would double in five years. HARTA might create a "demand res- ponse" service, in which a cus- Graduate advisory committee formed tomer would dial for a bus like by DEAN ORNISH para. "Each student will have didate over a long period of the sudent, exclusively for a cab. In the same part of town, All pre-grad school advisory* file that wil be continually time, Othe committee will be handling pre-professional af- the bus would pick up a dozen work has been organized this updated throughout his term at able to write more intelligent fairs. MCAT, LSAT, GRE, or so people off their doorsteps year under the supervision of Rice. All data will be kept' in evaluations." DAT, and other test applica- and deliver them to their des- Dr. Jorge Awapara, with of- strict confidence, to be used The pre-professional advisory tions, as well as information tinations. fices located in 101 Lovett Hall. only at the request of the stu- committee consists of ,Drs. such as a statistical evaluation . The plan also calls for fixed "I want to meet every student. Awapara, Engel, Eskin, Gian- of Rice students acepted to guideway vehicles (rail, mono- dent, preferably as early as "Letters of recommendation noni, Hyman, Kennedy, Leeds, medical school are available. rail, pneumatic tube, magnetic the beginning of the freshman are becoming increasingly im- Parish, Stewart, and Hudspeth, "For example," stated Awa- levitaion, or whatever), first in year, who has even the slight- portant in determining profes- ex officio (without vote). para, "Baylor began an Early Houston, then in the rest of est intention of going to pro- sional school entrance. By be- The office will be a central- Decision program this year, the county. fessional school," states Awa- coming familiar with each can- ized source of information for (Continued on Page 3) S fK Rice again hosts Election Central; student jobs available by CARL TRELEAVEN an atl hoc media organization. fice. 99 people are needed to least three of the eleven jobs try to find the RPC a part- Rice University will once It gathers election results be- do various jobs during the ev- available through each College time secretary. again this year sei-ve as Elec- fore anyone else, and, in addi- ening, from answering the from off-campus members of Should the College phone tion Central for all of Harris tion, serves as a monitor for phone to serving as runners that College. lines be dedicated? The Presi- County on election night, No- the official tabulation of re- between Rice and the County Because of all the extra work dents reported the opinions of vember 6th. Election Central is sults at the County Clerk's of- Courthouse. Scott Thurston, SA in recent weeks forced upon their Colleges to the Senate. Internal Affairs Vice Presi- Mrs. Reed, the SA Secretary, the The question is: should each dent, told Senate members suggestion of hiring a typist room be given a permanent Monday that everyone who to handle the extra work was phone number? works will g*et from $1.75 to presented to Senate members. Mike Mannes said Baker mem- the rice thresher $2.00 per hour for at least four Ed Barnuim opposed, saying bers want the phones dedicated. hours. Thurston said he hopes the real problem was that Mrs. However, if someone would like to get 11 people from each of Reed has had to spend too much to take his or her phone to the Colleges.

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