COMMA of AGE: Rice Colleges at 30
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Jarravi% r, t7E t:C3 iv 7:3 tO cIPl tn so PI 04 to n go' #.3 2. DIP 15(7 3 FEB.-MARCH 1987 0 ti) VOLUME 43, NUMBER a'. 1-4 tri cr: COMMA OF AGE: Rice Colleges at 30 INSIDE: CURRICULUM UPDATE DONALD CLAYTON AND THE JOSHUA FACTOR THE RETURN OF THE HOT SLUG SOCIETY Coo-tem-a gaztp.4244 FEB-MARCH 1987, VOL. 43, NO. 3 EDITOR Curriculum Proposal 6 Suzanne Johnson In December, Rice faculty and students gathered for a forum to discuss a preliminary pro- CONTRIBUTING AND posal on curriculum changes at Rice. Sallyport presents a look at the proposal itself, and of- STAFF WRITERS fers the third in our series of "Faculty Forum" pieces, this one by English Professor Alan Erin Blair '88 Grob. Steve Brynes Andre Fox '86 Valerie Rohy '88 Coming of Age 8 DESIGNER The age, in this case, is 30, and change is in the air. Rice faculty and students — past and Carol Edwards talk about the college system while Sallyport takes a highly subjective tour present — OFFICERS OF THE through three decades of college history. ASSOCIATION OF RICE ALUMNI President, Gwynne E. Old '59 President-Elect, William (Bill) Merriman '67 12 1st Vice-President, Nancy Moore Eubank '53 Sunstruck 2nd Vice-President, Dan Steiner '77 For the past 12 years, space physics professor Donald Clayton has been a man obsessed by Treasurer, H. Russell Pitman '58 the romance and mysteries of the sun and its puzzling source of heat. What began as a 1975 Past President, G. Walter McReynolds '65 scientific paper ended last fall with the publication of Clayton's first novel, The Joshua Fac- Interim Executive Director, Marilyn Moore'59 tor. Sallyport takes a look at the man, his novel and the romance of astrophysics. ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATIONS Gwynne E. Old '59, ex officio Update: The 'Hot Slug Society' 17 Association of Rice Alumni Where do old Thresher editors go when they leave the oaks of Rice? Apparently, anywhere Marilyn Moore '59, ex officio they want. A new "classnotes" feature of Sallyport, "Update" this issue offers proof that even Association of Rice Alumni chairman after graduation, Thresher editors can still mix it up with the best. Darrell Hancock '68, John Boles '65, past chairman W.V. Ballew Jr. '40 Nancy Boothe '52 Brent Breedin Nancy Burch '61 Kent E. Dove Lisa Gray '88 Ira Gruber Robert Patten Patti Simon '65 .2elleia, Geri Snider '80 Linda Leigh Sylvan '73 Charles Szalkowski '70 Obscuring the dilemma of philosophy and the history of religion. We tant role for Rice is to educate students during G. King Walters Your coverage of the administration's efforts to had this once at Rice, or something close to it, their four undergraduate years. Until Rice be- to return to these basic re- again, with the task of ed- revamp curriculum and degree requirements and it would be wise comes serious, once RICE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI GOVERNORS quirements for graduation now that we know ucating its students during the four tbept.-Oct. 1986) tends to obscure a major di- Joyce Pounds Hardy '45 feel elated lemma. Why is it so difficult for the Rice com- the elective system has failed. Such a core cur- undergraduate years, I cannot Neal T. Lacey Jr. '52 riculum would still leave almost two years out about the plans for "going world class." First munity to acknowledge the philosophical Jerry McClesky '56 completing first-rate Rice college with first- vacuum in which young adults are expected to of the four undergraduate years for we develop a Pat H. Moore '52 know how to teach under- mature intellectually and emotionally? And majors and for elective courses. rate professors who captures in very consider going on to how will changes in academic requirements Professor Williams' piece graduates, then we can SALLYPORT(USPS 412-950) is published in April convert mediocre personalities? few words the first 40 years of Rice's efforts in that brave new academic world that has been September, November, February, he wrote, "Rice chose de- proposed as the new ideal. Association of Rice The university's consistent failure to fully higher education. As and June by the university integrate sensitive and creative minorities into liberately to be intellectually aristocratic W.V. Ballew Jr. '40 Alumni, and is sent free to all Houston students, and friends. its arid regions represents the greater chal- rather than non-intellectually democratic"; it alumni, parents of did not elect to be "a popular institution oper- Second class postage paid at Houston, lenge. Superficial manipulations such as re- A 'disastrous' error quiring language students to comprehend ating on the same intellectual wavelengths as Texas. Lovett, in my lam no longer surprised to see the word "trag- physics or engineering students to discern po- the surrounding community." Dr. edy" misused in the public press (i.e. "the William Marsh Rice University offers etic symbolism will only perpetuate frustration opinion, did create on the Rice campus the Challenger tragedy"), but somehow I expected equal opportunity to all applicants with- and provoke new levels of controversy of no nearest thing possible to the Platonic ideal of a better from the Sallyport. Hamlet is a tragedy; out regard to race, color, sex, age, na- practical significance. university — Rice was "an influential ideal in the Mexico City earthquake was a disaster, but tional or ethnic origin, or physical Brian Watson '84 the community and in the state, not an influen- not a tragedy — no moral issues involved. handicap. Corpus Christi, TX tial force." I believe Williams has it quite right and his reminding us of the way it was only re- V. Karl Benson '63 inforces the hope of bringing back such an Southicrke, TX Editorial offices for SALLYPORT are located Back to basics ethos. in the Allen Center for Business Activi- Congratulations to Professors Kolenda and Which brings me to the well-written piece, Say your piece! ties, Rice University, 6100 South Main Williams for their first-rate pieces in the No- "Going World Class." If "going world class" Remember the article in Sallyport you hated Street, Houston, Texas. vember issue of Sallyport. I believe Kolenda is means developing autonomous centers for pri- (or, we hope, loved)? We'd like to hear about it. right that "the attempt to construct a coherent marily scientific inquiry with the goal of pro- Sallyport encourages letters to the editor and POSTMASTER: Send address changes to minor naturally merges with the idea of a core ducing results that have immediate practical will print signed letters as space allows. Sally- SALLYPORT. Office of Information Services, curriculum." A well-constructed core curricu- application in industry and technology, then I port reserves the right to edit letters for space Rice University, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, lum for the B.A. candidate would require two fear the four undergraduate years will become or ethical considerations. Letters that for any Texas 77251. years of a foreign language; ancient, European less and less important to the faculty and that reason require more than superficial editing Copyright 1987 by the Association of Rice and American history; a year each of mathe- undergraduate education will be further di- will be returned to the author for approval be- Alumni, Rice University. matics, biology, chemistry or physics(or other minished. It would result, in my opinion, in the fore printing. Write to Sallyport, do Office of natural sciences); Shakespeare; an English lit- further professionalization and commercializa- University Relations, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, erature survey course; and possibly the history tion of the university. Surely the most impor- TX 77251. Let us hear from you. NOTICE On July 1, 1986, the Rice development A time to remember and alumni offices began operating on anew computer system. The software MARK YOUR CALENDAR! causes alumnae to be addressed by first, middle and last names. The maiden name remains in the record, however, and may be coded into the preferred name. Any alumna who pre- fers to have her maiden name used in- stead of her middle name(Mary Smith Johnson instead of Mary Jane Johnson, for example) may request that change in writing. Please send all such requests to: Frank Chuber, Alumni Records, Rice University Development Office, P.O. Rice's Annual Beer-Bike Race is March 28 Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251. 2 SALLYPORT—FEBRUARY -MARCH 1987 -1 livioactit the Sallimoitt Rice 'goes Hollywood' across a strange response from Karin Rice Florentine Passing the buck Regular readers of "Through the Sally- Scholz '83. As history professor Harold Hyman and Without the MOB, it could have been a port" will recall a recent item about the REA queried all former Outstanding his wife, assistant librarian Ferne Hy- much sadder evening for University of vampire flick that wasn't filmed at Rice. Student Engineering Award winners last man, traveled to Florence, Italy, last No- Houston head football coach Bill Yeoman In February, however, the campus fi- fall, requesting updates that could be vember for a conference, little did they as the Cougars faced the Rice Owls in the nally "went Hollywood," as huge 18- used in their newsletter, said Joyce Taber know they'd be making new Rice connec- Astrodome Nov. 29. wheelers full of camera equipment of Rice's engineering dean's office. The tions so far from home. The Owls, not fazed by the fact that it lumbered inside the hedges to film seg- results, she said, were impressive; Rice The Hymans had gone to Florence for was the final contest of Yeoman's 25-year ments of "Sharing Richard," a CBS-TV engineers were apparently doing very a meeting of the Institute of North Ameri- coaching career at UH, unceremoniously production tentatively scheduled for na- well.