T1 Rupp Calls on Freshmen to Look Beyond Courses
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T1 Volume 74, Number 3 Rice'sWRESHE Best-Oriented Newspaper ^ LIBRARY -AugusAugusRtt 22, 1986 Rupp calls on freshmen to look beyond courses President George Rupp delivered you choose to concentrate. That also a tremendously enjoyable the matriculation address to the solid grounding in your major or event that embodies a great many class of 1990 on August 19 in the majors is certainly a central aim of strengths of this university. There Grand Hall of the Rice Memorial your time here. So it is entirely are also innumerable other festive Center. Excerpted here are his appropriate that as you become occasions ranging from formal remarks. clear over time about how and dances to elaborate theme parties where you want to focus your (Wiess' Night of. Decadence, I am delighted to have this early learning, you invest heavily in that Lovett's Casino party, the opportunity to add my word of area. Elizabethan revelry surrounding greeting to all of you in the Class of But resist the temptation to Baker's Shakespeare production) '90. We are pleased that you have think only in terms of your major to less spectacular college joined us, and we look forward to cookouts or T.G.'s or informal stimulating and satisfying years field or discipline or professional goal. Here at Rice you have the parties and social gatherings. As with you. So, on behalf of all of us you participate in such parties arid who have been here for varying opportunity to attain an informed acquaintance with other areas as celebrations in the coming weeks periods of time — faculty, staff, and months, you will experience well. Our distribution require- returning students — 1 welcome all how play here is as vigorous as ments are one expression of our of you to what I am sure will be a work. challenging and rewarding time conviction that education is more together. than specialized learning in a 1 am not under the illusion that 1 major. During this year, we will be need to urge you to work and play Among the challenges and exploring ways to improve our hard. Most — virtually all - of rewards awaiting you are two that Professors gather prior to Matriculation ceremonies curriculum so that this learning see Community, page 7 -H. Turner characterize most Rice students as outside the major is even more individuals and also the university ethos as a whole. You, no doubt, effective. You need not worry that Coherent minor panel selected are already well aware of them new requirements will be imposed retroactively on you: the through your evaluation of Rice in by Shao-Lee Lin the Schools of Music and advisor, and Patricia Martin (then requirements that you have to deciding to come here and perhaps Students and faculty were Architecture, one alumnus, and head of Student Advising) for meet are the ones you already also through your time here the selected over the summer to serve two undergraduates. names of students who had done know about from the current last few days. In any case, in my on the committee to develop President George Rupp selected consistently well in their major catalogue. But, you can help all of relatively brief acquaintance with possible coherent minors to two student members, Dave area and were also well-rounded." us as we think through Rice, I have been struck with how present to the Faculty Council. Chustz and Jill Foote, both Will The four names Perrault improvements in our overall deeply pervasive is the pattern of a Faculty members voted at the Rice seniors, from a list of four selected to give Rupp included two curriculum — even if those kind of rhythm between two qlose of last year to create a students suggested by SA science and two liberal arts majors, improvements become new opposed yet finally comple- committee "consisting of President Tom Perrault. two male and two female. requirements only for subsequent mentary forms of intensity: Rice representatives from the various Said Perrault, "When 1 met with Chustz Ls an economics major, people work very hard and also classes. university constituencies, to design the faculty committee this and Foote, formerly a biology play ferociously. Both the work Your hard work in your studies and present to the faculty a more summer. Dr. Rupp suggested that major and a pre-med, is now in and the play will shape your will' have as its counterpoint fully developed coherent minor to students "be recommended by the managerial studies. Said Perrault, experience here decisively. equally vigorous play. You are no be considered for adoption at a SA as soon as possible. I consulted "Both expressed an interest in doubt already experiencing that Your work will, for the most meeting of the faculty next spring." with numerous faculty members, joining committees in the spring this week, and you will continue to part, be in the form of your studies. Since the May 1 faculty meeting, the pre-med advisor, the pre-law see WRC. page 7 experience it in the years ahead. I hope that you will take your the actual composition of that You have by now heard a lot about studies seriously; but I don't have committee has been set. Chaired that fabled Rice invention, the to urge you to do that because I'm fry Provost Neal Lane, it consists Entering class diverse Beer-Bike race. Having now confident that virtually all of you of two faculty members from each watched it — and participated by David Ottenhouse applicant pool is the ability to will. You will have the opportunity of the four academic schools: peripherally in it — once, I can A record number of applicants maintain a desirable academic to prepare youself thoroughly in science, engineering, humanities, assure it is a very impressive and for the class of 1990 allowed for profile while diversifying even the discipline or subject in which and social sciences, one each from greater diversity and a more the personal profiles of the "multiplicity of interests" among students in the entering class." the incoming freshmen, according The class has an average to Director of Admissions Ron Scholastic Aptitude Test score of Festival torch run Moss. 1321, slightly lower but not "It's a class about which we're significantly different from last very excited because it represents a year's average of 1326. Consistent growth in the applicant pool and with the preceding two years, more diversity in the applicant approximately 62 percent of the pool," Moss said. "These factors freshmen rank in the top 5 percent allow for more flexibility in the of their high school class, while way we extend our offers of only about 5 percent rank below admission." the upper quartile. The 551 freshmen in this year's The percentage of students who class were chosen from an finished either first or second in applicant pool of 3835, the largest their high school graduation number in Rice's history, which is classes stands at 26 percent for slightly greater than last year's 1986, compared to 37 percent in 3768. 1985, and 33 percent in 1983. The continued trend toward a Moss said the last two years larger applicant pool has caused have shown an increase in the the admissions process to become number of applicants to the increasingly competitive. Only see Fewer, page 7 about 14 percent of the applicants for the class of 1990 have INSIDE: matriculated at Rice this fall. By contrast, 21 percent of all • Welcome freshlings and applicants to the class of 1987 transfer students. mat riculated. • All about Houston, pp. 8-9. "In terms of academic profile, • New, improved ID cards, the class of 1990 is very pp. 2, 6. comparable to the last two • Upperclassmen arrive in the entering classes," Moss said. "But colleges tomorrow. Runners carry the torch of the U.S. Olympic Festival —H. Turner what you have with a larger • Activities Fair 1-5 pm today SUKrrstusrcPUPNOv. BuricANPortr UNDER My twoum' rnm-msfwmu COME MAKE EVER/THING AUMfiHT.? Card-access may be too secure for Rice We had to know it was coming, but we don't have to like it. I he doors to five academic buildings which students use at night will soon be controlled by a computerized security system; the powers-that-be will tell the campos who may enter at night, and S&OSfr these privileged persons will use their slick new magnetic-strip ID's to "gain access". All sounds very twentieth-century, doesn't it? To be sure, the system has its advantages. Night Owls will have less to fear at Mudd and other buildings, and the risk of theft should be lessened with tighter controls at these all-night buildings. Future use of the magnetic ID's for food service and library accounts also seems promising; we may even see the end of the need for a half-dozen tries to get through the lunch line. But there are problems to be pointed out. The system will cost $57,000, according to the campos, and this in a period which President Rupp described as financially "grim" for the COMMUNITY SERVICE/by James Mustacchia university. The time and money involved in maintaining the system will undoubtedly overshadow installation costs within a matter of years. Card-access will raise the cost to students of Choose your service project. replacement ID's by 400 percent, to $25. If this represents the Albert Einstein wrote that "A ideals and values are constantly establish himself, finds a foothold cost to the university of preparing the ID's, then some $75,000 successful man is he who receives a challenged, we can nevertheless for others and who, desiring remain confident that actively has to be added to the price of the system for preparation of the great deal more from his fellow attainment for himself, helps man, usually incomparably more reaching out to try to understand others to attain." Indeed, it would first 3000 cards; if not, then it is unreasonable for the than corresponds to his service to and address the legitimate needs of be great if everyone at Rice who is administration to be turning the ID press into a profit center.