EDITORIAL: IMPROVEMENTS?

---

Strategic Plan proposes changes that could drastically alter campus.

---

When Rice went public with its 1996 Strategic Plan for improving the university, it actively encouraged students to give their comments about the proposals presented in the plan. Because many of these proposals have the potential, if enacted, to dramatically alter student life here, we feel obliged to contribute our views regarding a few of these proposals.

Ninth College

Perhaps the most interesting proposal in the Strategic Plan is the suggestion that a ninth college be built. Many students appear to be in favor of a ninth college. Each year, a significant number of students are forced to move off-campus due to a shortage of rooms. A ninth college would address this problem. In addition, the ninth college could be useful as a temporary home for Wiess College residents while Wiess, whose foundation has been sinking, is demolished and rebuilt.

Unfortunately, the proposal has a few problems. For instance, it suggests an increase in the undergraduate enrollment, which contradicts the idea of building a ninth college to accommodate a greater percentage of students wishing to live on campus. Although the proposal is careful to state that any increase should be minimal so that it does not "seriously compromise" the qualities that make Rice what it is, even a small increase should be questioned. Students are attracted to Rice because it is a small university; people here feel that they know a large percentage of their peers. Rice would become less of a community. True, an increased enrollment would probably translate into the hiring of more professors and availability of more varied courses. But are these benefits great enough to offset the negatives.

Graduate Education

Although we welcome Rice's efforts to improve the quality of its graduate program, we strongly disagree with the plan's proposal to allow graduate students to teach undergraduate courses. One of Rice's strong points in recent years has been the quality of undergraduate teaching. A major selling point for Rice is that almost all of its undergraduate courses -- even introductory-level classes -- are taught by professors rather than graduate students. This is a small university. Why should we adopt one of the classroom weaknesses of larger research universities?

Financial Disclosure

The Thresher fully supports the plan's suggestion that the university increase the disclosure of financial records to the Rice community. By withholding this information, Rice prevents students, faculty and staff from fully comprehending the university's financial situation, thus making it difficult for those outside the administration to come up with practical solutions to many of the university's problems. Furthermore, Rice creates the impression that it has something to hide by withholding information.

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the April 12, 1996 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.