The Rice Thresher

On-campus overcrowding blamed on clerical error by LEE SOWERS late to prevent an overbundance administrator, Mrs. Carolyn apparent effect of having extra assigned a larger share of off- A clerical error in the Admis- of on-campus freshmen. Cason, into rooms for seven stu- male students in both Hanszen campus Freshmen. The number sions Department last Spring During late June, those students. A residents associate's and Baker was to reduce their of O-C Freshmen varies with caused many male students, in dents who had not received rooms were also used to house male/female ratios without each college from a little over 10 excess of the allotted quota, to forms were mailed copies. When four more students. These reducing the number of girls liv- in Lovett to 2 in Sid Rich. Wiess be admitted as freshmen this a final count was available, there changes allowed Baker to in- ing there. As a result, both co-ed received 53 off-campus fresh- year. These extra freshmen have existed a great number of fresh- crease on-campus capacity from colleges are a little below the tar- men, or about 49% as opposed in large created the overcrowd- men who had paid for and been 202 to 213, and thus have get ratio set for this year in the to about 10% for other colleges. ing that exists in Wiess, Lovett, promised a room, but for whom enough space for all students. co-ed college agreement. This greatly alleviated the seri- Hanszen, and Baker. no rooms were available. A letter Hanszen College had several Wiess College still has 8 stu- ous overcrowding there. By an apparent oversight, the was sent to upperclassmen to ask "swing rooms", rooms to be dents on their waiting list. These Lovett had two students liv- College Information Forms, for volunteers to move off- used for either female students students are currently living off- ing in the Tidelands Motel(paid which indicate if a freshman will campus, and as always some or male students as required. campus in apartments. The by the University) until two desire on-campus housing, were freshmen withdrew during the These were used for male stu- apartments were not provide by "triples" were formed last week. omitted from the packets sent to summer. Some upperclassmen dents, solving Hanszen's problem. ohe university, but found indi- Although many upperclassmen about half of the freshmen notified their colleges that they No girls were juggled between vidually by the students, moved off-campus and there is a admitted under Rice's interim would not be returning. After all the co-ed and girl's colleges. A although they had earlier been large list of Houston freshmen decision program. Dr. Stabell available spaces were tallied ther higher proportion of girls were promised rooms. Last Spring and other students waiting to said that the interim freshmen were still 37 freshmen who had admitted this year as compared Wiess had 23 Sophomores with- move on, all out of town Lovett were notified of their admission requested rooms, paid room to last (29% last—32% now) and out rooms. As a result of this freshmen have now been accom- on February 1, but that the deposits, and been promised so the women's colleges are both and the admissions mistake, Dr. odated. CIF's were not sent to those rooms, but for whom no room almost at capacity. However, the Baker requested that Wiess be freshmen whose 'last names existed. ranged from N-Z. A meeting was held to deter- This oversight resulted in a ming possible solutions. It was rather small number of freshmen suggested that temporary mobile requesting on-campus housing. homes be set up on campus to Unaware of the mistake, admis- house the students. Also men- sions requested the number of tiones was the possibility of con- spaces available for freshmen in verting the basements of Lovett the colleges, and then set about and Sid Rich into temporary filling these spaces with fresh- "barracks" for all the freshmen. the men on the waiting list. By May Another alternative was to con- 15, the original quota of fresh- vert some of the female "wings" men had been reached. Since the in the co-ed colleges back to N-Z group had not been inclu- ded in filling this quota, there male wings. For a variety of was actually an excess of fresh- reasons none of these sugges- „ uce men desiring on-campus resi- tions were approved, and it was dence. Rice's policy is to keep decided, at the request of the the colleges at capacity for Committee of the Masters, to financial reasons. assign the freshmen to the colleges and let each college In early June Admissions handle its own problem. noticed that many freshmen Baker College converted the thresher were requesting the forms which rooms of retiring Food Service august. 29, 1974 volume 62, number 3 they should already have had. A cross check was made on all requests and it was determined that apparently the N-Z group New policy on 'bad' checks to be enforced admitted in February had not received the forms, as heretofore by JOHN ANDERSON lead "as a last resort" to the pro- past twelve months ranges from in his chair, feet propped on the believed. The missing forms were Due to an "unusually large secution of students writing 100 and 150. desk: "Chief disciplinary officer later discovered in an admissions number of bad checks," the Uni- checks which "bounce" twice. Asked to provide statistics sounds very ominous. But you office filing cabinet verifying the versity has announced a new In a memorandum dated Au- showing the extent of losses, the know, I don't look on it as a accident. It was, however too get-tough policy which would gust 26, Proctor Samuel M. Car- proctor shook his head saying, prosecutorial function. I think rington stated that, "As a last re- "No, I really can't give you the the important thing is to make sort, the Cashier's Office will figures. Let's just say the losses preventive or rehabilitative judg- have to turn checks which have were heavy." ments, not to persecute or to pu- "bounced" twice over to the However, as Carrington was nish." District Attorney's Office for quick to note, before action is Carrington also spoke of his possible prosecution." taken, the student will be noti- predecessor in the role of stu- Interviewed by the Thresher, fied by registered letter that he dent discipline, former Dean of Dr. Carrington justified the new- has ten days in which to redeem Students Frederick A. Wierum, a ly instituted policy, saying that the "hot" check. "very fair and even-handed man, Rice had absorbed what he des very understanding of pro- cribed as "significant losses'over blems." the last year because of the high Carrington noted that. "My number of so-called "hot Later, the Thresher talked philosophy is basically the same checks" cashed. According to with Dr. Carrington about his as his. If our policies should dif- Carrington, the number of new role as Proctor of Rice Uni- fer then that is because I am a checks which bounced over the versity. Carrington leaned back different person." Unfair phone practices alleged by LEE SOWERS Students were given these "cam- switch phones. The Thresher is investigating pus models" when they request- Additional hassle was encoun- certain practices used in instal- ed a phone. Theyxwere not told tered by students who wanted to lation of telephones by South- that it was a more expensive mo- change the name billed for ser- west Bell on the campus. Several, del, simply that it was a "special vice when rooms were juggled in members of Jones College have model" for students. Jones last week. Students there reported being misled by com- Upon finding that they had were informed that the phones pany representatives when order- received a more expensive could not simply be assigned to ing phones. Any students having phone, several students reques- the new persons occupying the had trouble with the phone com- ted that it be switched for a room, but that a new phone, pany in reference to having cheaper model. The phone com- (still with the same number) phones installed this year are pany informed them that unless would have to be installed, cost- urged to contact the Thresher at they had specifically inquired ing and additional $15. How- extension 221. about the possibility of having a ever, those students who called Among the irregularities re- cheaper phone, the trimline was the main office (rather than the ported was the fact that com- installed. Their order was special number for Rice stu- pany representatives were pass- marked to indicate if such an in- dents) were told that the name ing off a special "campus mo- quiry had been made. If no such of the owner could simply be del" phone: actually a trimline inquiry was made, the company changed on the company's re- phone. Trimline phones are one further explained, an additional cords. -mike mc dure of the more expensive models. $15 fee would have to be paid to the rice thresher Editor's note: This article, written by John Edwards (Lovett, '77), is an example of what will become a regular QM feature in the Thresher this coming year. Our goal is to provide some indication of widely-held, strongly personal, or unusual opinion held by members of the community outside the regular staff. The Nixon administration is now ended, but its influ- ence (both good and bad) on the office of the Presidency and American's perception of that office remain.

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