EDITORIAL: OVERKILL

---

Sammy controversy illustrates administration's tendency to overreact.

---

The recent firestorm of controversy over Sammy the Owl and specifically the removal of Sammy from the Rice-Texas A&M University game typifies a serious problem which plagues the Rice administration: They overact at a point when someone finally gets the balls to squeak out a complaint after ignoring the issue for years.

Take the Backpage for instance. For the first 20 or so years of the Backpage's existence, the administration really didn't say much; now, they devote their precious time harassing us about its legal implications.

Matriculation is another example. While students have expressed their college spirit through jacks for years at the ceremony (e.g., 1991 Thresher spread entitled "Matriculation goes bananas"), this year, the administration decided to crackdown and the faculty threatened to walk if the jacks were not eliminated.

The same kind of situation exists for Sammy the Owl. Why all of sudden, after nearly a decade of elected Sammys who have been creating controversy, is there a sudden need to totally redefine how Rice's mascot is selected and functions in the university?

When Residential Housing Manager Bob Truscott was Sammy in 1986, he paraded onto the field and mocked the Southern Methodist University drum major. The MOB tackled him and dragged him off the field. During the Texas A&M game, Truscott and his Sammy colleague got a stuffed collie, put a noose around its neck and paraded around the field swinging the stuffed animal in the air. So, there is nothing new here. And yet, we need change now -- immediately . It was so urgent that Athletic Ticket Manager Steve Moniaci withheld the Sammy costume from this year's student-elected Sammys for the men's basketball game against the University of North Texas. And while the administration may demand immediate action, no one will ever make a decision or take responsibility. It's passing the buck, Rice-style. Welcome to Waffle U. -- the home of the delayed-demand, no-action administration.

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the December 1, 1995 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.