The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Cheer Battle no more

Adding on

Movie mania Read about some of the most anticipated movies of 2015, from Star Wars to indie flicks to a Quentin Tarantino thriller see A&E p. 6

Athletics releases sketches and details of new $31.5 million facility at Rice Stadium See Sports p. 9

Orientation Week 2014 coordinator voices opposition to elimination of sanctioned time for Cheer Battle see Ops p. 5

INSIDE Leebron ranks in top ten highestpaid private university presidents See P. 4

volume ic, issue no. 14

student-run

since 1916

wednesday, january 14, 2015

#OWLoha

courtesy hawaii media source

With their best defensive performance of the season and a consistent game from junior quarterback Driphus Jackson, Rice football defeated Fresno State University 30-6 in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (see p.10).

Blanket Tax Crack Team proposes ‘pot of gold’ method for organization funds Drew Keller

Assistant News Editor

The Blanket Tax Crack Team is currently developing legislation introducing a new “pot of gold” model for blanket tax collection and distribution, which could be adopted for future years if approved by the Rice Student Association.

The SA Senate established the Crack Team, chaired by senior Nick Cornell, in November to create an alternative to the current blanket tax system. According to Cornell, who is also president of Sid Rich-

ardson College, the Crack Team based its proposal on input from several different sources.

“Inspiration for the individual brainstorming [came] from looking at other institutions, talking to students, or thinking about how to fix a specific problem we raised with the current system,” Cornell said.

“When we gathered to bring our individual ideas together, we quickly saw that many of them overlapped significantly. After piecing the ideas together and working out immediate areas of concern, the ‘pot of gold’ model was born.”

In December, the Crack Team

presented its alternative proposal to the SA. Under the proposed “pot of gold” system, all students would pay a blanket tax toward a central fund; then, voter-approved student organizations would submit annual budget requests, which would be paid out from the fund following approval by a standing committee.

Current blanket tax organizations are the SA, University Court, Honor Council, Rice Student Volunteer Program, Rice Program Council, KTRU, Rice Broadcast Television, the Campanile and the Thresher.

Currently, blanket tax organizations request a certain fee per

student to be levied on all Rice undergraduates to support their activities. For example, RPC and the campus Beer Bike committee currently charge $23 per student to pay their expenses. These fees amount to $79 plus another $20 for intramural sports, the same amount that would be required under the “pot of gold” system. University Court Chair Brian Baran, another member of the Crack Team, said the proposal would add adaptability to the current model.

“The current system is inefficient because it locks organizations 7890see CRACK, page 3

Hutchinson eliminates Cheer Battle Anita Alem News Editor

Orientation Week 2015 will not include a scheduled time for teaching and performing cheers before the Rice Rally. The event, referred to as Cheer Battle, will remain a possibility at the discretion of the O-Week coordinators, but will not be university-sanctioned, according to Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson.

‘Doesn’t represent who we are’ “[Cheer Battle] is actually an anachronism,” Hutchinson said.

“It really doesn’t represent who we are at Rice anymore, and I can say that because I go back to the 80s, when this was an extremely popular thing. I am not banning cheers … it’s just that we’re removing this particularly university-sanctioned privileged time during O-Week.”

Hutchison cited several reasons for the change, including Rice’s harassment policy requiring a non-hostile environment. Some students have viewed a few of the cheers as objectionable and creating a hostile environment, according to staff, focus groups and the annual O-Week survey. Hutchinson also said the event is not in accordance with the theme of O-Week and may provide a distorted view of life as a Rice student.

“Orientation is to help students get to know what Rice is, and the whole concept of a Cheer Battle doesn’t really represent Rice — it’s not something that we do the rest of the year,” Hutchinson said. “Imagine you’re trying to form your own understanding of this new campus and suddenly this rather major sponsored event scheduled by the university takes place that you find silly or confusing or off-putting. It’s not [going to] give you a good feeling about your new experiences at Rice.”

According to Hutchinson, college masters agreed that the cheer battle was counterproductive to fostering inclusion during O-Week, and college presidents and O-Week coordinators shared similar concerns, though not unanimously.

First Year Programs Assistant Director Chris Landry said FYP fully supports Dean Hutchinson’s decision to remove Cheer Battle from O-Week.

Campus-wide O-Week Student Director Sneha Kohirkar said she supports the changes and believes it will help raise awareness about the negative consequences of the cheers.

“The Coordinators and everyone involved in O-Week want to avoid these situations where new students feel alienated and [get] a negative perception of Rice’s social culture, because that completely goes against the mission,” Kohirkar said. “I’m hoping this change will benefit everyone [by increasing] the 7890see CHEER, page 2

2

NEWS

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

the Rice Thresher

0CHEER FROM PAGE 1 inclusivity in O-week and accurately [representing] the positive spirit of the college system.”

Past changes Martel O-Week 2014 Coordinator Thomas Plackemeier said changes occurred in Cheer Battle last year in an attempt to trim down the event.

“Changes were made without consulting coordinators even though they chose us to plan O-Week,” Plackemeier said. “There was no meetup of all colleges and the route was shorter with small college interactions, though we did switch to Rice Cheers [later in Cheer Battle].”

Traditionally during Cheer Battle, groups of colleges meet up to yell cheers and anti-cheers at each other, then move on to meet other groups of colleges, forming a larger and larger group while slowly approaching Rice Stadium for Rice Rally. Plackemeier said last year’s structure consisted of small groups of colleges battling, after which the groups would approach the inner loop and walk to Tudor Fieldhouse for the Rice Rally, ideally exposing each college to several other colleges. According to Plackemeier, this format resulted in two issues: Students were constantly surrounded by the same colleges, so cheers became boring very fast, and the long walk to Tudor placed loud extroverts in close proximity to people who would prefer to stay back.

“For me, it was really hard to make the event fun even for advisors, let alone an entire college, when you were forced to just cheer the same thing over and over,” Plackemeier said. “From the rushed time to teach cheers to the constant backlash we received from the administration, it felt like ... FYP and Rice wanted to make the event purposefully awful [just to] have another reason to get rid of it, which it looks like they finally have.”

Martel O-Week 2014 Coordinator Elizabeth Sok said the lack of a meet-up among all the students contributed to the problem of separation between residential colleges in Rice’s culture.

“Students complain that there is no larger Rice spirit or Rice identity,” Sok said. “But it’s impossible to have a collective spirit if there is no reconciliation between the part and the whole.

It doesn’t make any sense [to cheer] against a couple of colleges at a time and then start saying Rice cheers as we approach [Tudor]. It does, however, make sense to cheer all together and then transition as a whole body into Rice cheers, remembering our identity as Rice Owls.”

Landry said moving the location of Rice Rally to Tudor necessitated the changes to the route.

“Rice Rally in 2014 was an overwhelming success – the energy from the event was unlike any other year and we were quite happy with the event’s promise for the future,” Landry said.

“The logistical improvements were positive overall and not connected to the shifts ahead for 2015.”

Thresher Staff

The United States Department of Education announced its proposal for a new rating method for institutions of higher learning on Dec. 19, 2014. Based on recent rankings of colleges with the best affordability, retention rate and diversity, Rice appears to rate highly on the scale.

President Obama asked the department to help bring attention to high-achieving twoand four-year universities and create a new system for college-bound students to assess the quality of universities.

Obama has called on the Department of Education to rate institutions on a three-part scale: high-performing, mid-performing and low-performing. Since the factors that make many institutions quality ones are subjective, the raters will focus on schools that “excel at enrolling students from all backgrounds, focus on maintaining affordability and succeed at helping all students graduate,” according to a press statement released by the Department of Education. Four-year and two-year institutions will both be considered, but separately, to compare schools with similar missions.

Specific data areas that the Department of Education will consider include how students’ financial aid needs are met, the cost of tuition, transfer rates and degree completion rates, as well as graduate earnings and graduate school attendance, according to the press release. The department is currently considering several ways to measure each of these parameters.

According to the press statement, Obama hopes to bring the United States to the forefront of education, as university degrees are becoming more and more critical for the American economy and middle class. Since taking office, the Obama administration has increased Pell Grants, devised the American Opportunity Tax credit and placed a cap on student loan payments to ensure the affordability of college.

Economics professor and Martel College master Ted Loch-Temzelides said he agreed with the parameters of the porposed new rating system.

“Diversity, affordability and graduation

Beer Bike Both Hutchinson and Plackemeier said people were concerned that the removal of Cheer Battle may negatively affect Beer Bike.

Student feedback The change will not be discussed at the Student Senate. Hutchinson said he expects to receive concerns from students directly.

“I imagine students will [send] emails [and] come by to chat with me about it,” Hutchinson said. “It gives me the opportunity to explain my reasoning. The emphasis here is on preserving the tradition without necessarily privileging activities that really are not representative of orientation.”

marcel merwin/thresher

New students and advisors engage in Cheer Battle for O-Week 2014 on the way to Rice Rally in Tudor Fieldhouse. Dean Hutchinson has decided to remove Cheer Battle from the O-Week 2015 schedule, citing Rice’s non-harassment policy and focus groups with coordinators, college masters and staff.

Obama calls for new college rating system Sapna Suresh

“Beer Bike is one of the only times when college cheers are used to signify pride, and if they are never taught and never seen as fun, it’s the start of taking the fun away from Beer Bike little by little,” Plackemeier said.

However, although Cheer Battle will not be sponsored by the university, cheers are not banned during O-Week or throughout the year, including during Beer Bike. There is still a possibility of cheers occurring during O-Week if coordinators choose to somehow incorporate them into a college event.

Hutchinson said he will not moderate the cheers, but he does expect students to cheer in accordance with Rice’s policies and to continue maintaining an attitude of inclusion.

“If a complaint were to come from a student saying, ‘This group of people yelled these things at me and I found it offensive,’ we would have to pursue that complaint under our non-harassment policies,” Hutchinson said. “So people need to choose wisely. But I am not saying you can cheer this and you cannot cheer that.”

Sok said although the removal of Cheer Battle protects the university, the idea of how to incorporate the cheers is now a burden on coordinators and advisors.

“Advisors in O-Week groups will most likely have to practice them together which will undoubtedly create larger inconsistencies and increased possibility for discomfort and harassment,” Sok said. “Instead of a random larger group of strangers yelling things that could potentially hurt an unknown individual, it’s possible that the group of friends someone just made is now cheering things that disturb them, albeit unintentionally.”

Plackemeier said he is an overall supporter of Cheer Battle, but said he understands that it is a liability for the university and may be pushing students who are already nervous out of their comfort zones. However, he said the event shows students how their individual colleges fit into Rice University as a whole.

“The time spent for Cheer Battle can be used for something more useful, but I hope it is used for college-specific pride rather than [for] more [mandatory] sessions,” Plackemeier said.

“Hopefully, next year’s coordinators can work something out to keep its basic purposes at play somewhere in O-Week.”

IT and CTE pilot cloudbased ‘clicker’ system

rates should be taken into consideration, in addition to academic criteria,” Loch-Temzelides said.

Martel College freshman Haley Uustal said she is unsure about whether the new rating system would be an improvement, but that she believes it would address factors that current ratings do not.

A B C

Diversity, affordability and graduation rates should be taken into consideration, in addition to academic criteria.

Ted Loch-Temzelides Martel College Master

“The new system will provide a different field of comparison because the highlyranked schools are ranked according to a different criteria than those that the Education Department is looking at,” Uustal said. “I do think that the factors the Education Department is looking at are more important for the average American.”

Rice has recently ranked highly in the ratings system’s categories. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance published its annual “Best College Values” list and ranked Rice seventh overall and fourth among private institutions. U.S. News and World Report noted that Rice has a freshman retention rate of 97 percent. Additionally, with a diverse undergraduate student body breakdown of 26 percent Asian, eight percent black, 12 percent Hispanic, 36 percent white, and 12 percent international, no singular race constitutes the majority of students.

D E

Maha Aziz

Thresher Staff

Rice Information Technology and the Center for Teaching Excellence are collaborating to implement a new cloud-based clicker system to replace existing iClickers.

According to Carlyn Chatfield, Manager of Rice IT Technical Communications, the system will be university-wide by fall 2015.

The technology will allow students to use their own portable devices to submit answers and is currently undergoing pilot studies. The findings will be presented to faculty in April.

As the Thresher previously reported, undergraduate professors had tested TopHat and Polleverywhere, two student feedback programs, throughout fall 2014.

“The current pilot is a continuation of the process that started last semester,” Assistant Director of Academic Technology Services Carlos Solis said. “We are still looking at TopHat and Polleverywhere. We extended the pilot to this semester because we wanted to get wider participation from faculty and a richer set of experiences.”

Paul Dingus, a Baker College sophomore, said that a new system would be a beneficial

change to some current systems, such as iClickers, available to students. The use of iClickers requires stuents to purchase a separate remote, as opposed to being able to use their own portable devices to respond.

“The iClickers often are lost, malfunction or never even acquired for some reason or another,” Dingus said. “If the new system can reduce these problems, and it is hard to imagine it not doing so, and reduce the price paid by students, then I support the change.”

Travis Kwee, a Baker College freshman, said he used Polleverywhere in his general chemistry class. Polleverywhere is similar to a group quiz in which students discuss concepts and work together to approach an answer and are graded on participation, according to Kwee.

“The big downside is that [Polleverywhere] is not 100 percent reliable because the mechanism sometimes does not catch everyone’s answers, so it does affect some people’s grades,” Kwee said. “There is no way to really tell which questions the student actually answered,” Kwee said he has also been a part of the pilot program with TopHat in his physics class. “[TopHat] is not used for grading at all, 7890see CLICKER, page 4

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

NEWS

the Rice Thresher

SA discusess pushing spring break forward

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0CRACK FROM PAGE 1 into a set amount that is exceedingly difficult to increase or decrease,” Baran, a Duncan College senior, said. “The new model will better allow organizations to obtain an appropriate level of funding each year rather than trying to find and lock in the perfect amount for the next five, 10, or 20 years …

Ultimately, the blanket tax exists to further student and community interests, which are flexible from year to year, so there should also be flexibility in how student money is allocated.”

The Crack Team’s presented plan also calls for organizations to return a surplus above an undecided percentage to the “pot of gold” fund. Any unallocated money would be used to form an initiative fund for one-time expenses.

“The review process will be more straightforward in that it will need to consider only each year’s proposed budget as well as a comparison of the previous year’s actual expenditures to the amounts approved, rather than the three years of historical data currently considered,” Baran said. “This will allow for improved, forward-looking oversight that benefits both organizations and the stu-

dent body at large.”

According to Cornell, the proposal’s simplification of the blanket tax budgetary process will eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and increase the accountability of the allocation process.

“I think a lot of argument and frustration in the past has, fundamentally, come from different perspectives about how much money is reasonable to spend where,” Cornell said. “The new model moves these discussions to the front of the fiscal year. There is transparency and agreement between the central committee and an organization on how much can be reasonably spent on what.”

After the legislation for the model has been finished, the SA constitution requires that two-thirds of the student body approve the changes in a general election. Cornell said such a move would serve student interests by making funding more accessible.

“The new model allows for students’ needs and interests to be addressed rapidly,” Cornell said. “There will be a standing ‘pot of gold’ to fund new proposals or organizations that have the passion and manpower to make something wonderful happen — but are sadly lacking in finances … When students get excited and have a vision, having them arbitrarily held back by a lack of seed funding seems foolish.”

One fee is levied on students and creates ‘pot of gold’ Surplus above X% is returned to ‘pot of gold’

3

Blanket tax organizations put in request for funding for upcoming year

Unallocated money forms an initiative fund courtesy nick cornell

A slide from the Blanket Tax Crack Team’s presentation to the Student Association on Dec. 4 shows the process of allocating funds through the ‘pot of gold’ method.

A committee of students, faculty members and staff members is creating a new calendar for Spring 2017 that pushes spring break back to align with that of the Houston Independent School District.

Currently, the Spring 2017 Academic Calendar posted on the Office of the Registrar’s website shows spring break taking place from Feb. 25 to March 5. A shorter midterm recess falls on March 30 and 31.

According to Aishwarya Thakur, the undergraduate representative of the Senate Working Group on the Spring Academic Calendar, the Faculty Senate brought up the idea of moving spring break a couple of weeks later because many faculty and staff members would prefer to be home with their children during the break.

“This is a popular topic among staff and faculty,” Thakur, also the Lovett College senator, said. “They wanted the campus to consider moving Rice’s spring break because HISD and most other Houston school districts have spring break during the first or second week of March.”

Students have shown interest in moving spring break later, Thakur, a sophomore, said. The proposal to change the academic calendar was presented at the Student Association Senate in October 2014 and has been developed since then to its current state.

Three plans had been presented previously: one that maintained the same spring break and two that aligned spring break with that of HISD’s. One of the latter plans also proposed beginning the spring semester on a Tuesday and having the last day of classes on a Wednesday.

“We have heard from students in the past that they would like to be out in warmer weather or spend spring break with their

friends from Houston schools and other campuses,” Thakur said.

Brown College freshman Caleb Suresh, who is from Colorado, supported the move even though his friends who are not Rice students are not from Houston.

“Most other people have their spring break later, so it would make more sense,” Suresh said.

Another Brown College freshman, Jack Weis, was also in favor of aligning the break with other colleges so he could see friends.

“Later is when more of my friends are around, Weis, who is from Utah, said. “It’s not too important to me, but I would kind of like to see my friends.”

Thakur said the committee, which will consider the calendar as a whole and look at other breaks in relation to spring break, needs to plan the calendar about two years in advance to allow professors adequate time to schedule conferences.

Although the decision to align Rice’s spring break with HISD’s spring break is final, the student body can express opinions on other aspects of the calendar at the Jan. 14 Student Association Senate meeting, according to Thakur.

“We want to know when students prefer to have midterm break because with spring break later in the semester, it makes sense to have a break in February,” Thakur said. “We will also check to see if students are okay with possibly shifting around study days before finals and with starting the semester earlier, such as in the middle of the week.”

In the upcoming weeks, the committee will present the Faculty Senate with a calendar the majority of the committee agrees on, and one the minority agrees on, according to Thakur.

“Possibly in late February, the Faculty Senate will vote on the calendar and make the ultimate decision,” Thakur said.

4

NEWS

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

the Rice Thresher

Leebron ranks seventh in compensation study Andrew Ligeralde For The Thresher

Rice President David Leebron is the seventh highest paid private university president in the country. A recent study by the Chronicle of Higher Education found that in 2012, the last year for which data has been released, Leebron’s total compensation amounted to $1,522,502.

The Houston Chronicle report showed Leebron had a higher compensation than 99 percent of the other presidents on the list, including his Ivy League counterparts at Harvard, Princeton and Yale. Shirley Ann Jackson of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was the highest compensated president in the country at $7,143,312.

Leebron’s base pay increased by $6,802 in 2012 to $795,395, which amounts to approximately five times more than the average salary of a full-time Rice professor. However, his base pay increase was relatively small compared to the increase of $574,191 in his total compensation that year, mainly due to deferred compensation, which moved Rice up 27 spots on the compensation ranking from 34th. Leebron’s total compensation amounts to .28 percent of the university’s expenditures, or the tuition of 40 students paying full price.

Competitive universities often provide large compensation packages in an attempt to attract talented leaders, and use deferred components to encourage presidents to stay at the institution long-term. According to the Houston Chronicle, Rice said the deferred compensation responsible for Leebron’s pay increase was to incentivize the president to remain at Rice and carry out important changes to the university.

Such changes were outlined in the Vision for the Second Century, a ten-point plan stemmng from Leebronn’s 2005 document “Call to Conversation” that includes increasing the size of the university, bolstering funding for research, graduate and postdoctoral

programs, and building new facilities and spaces. The plan also aims to grow Rice’s influence internationally. The Board of Trustees unanimously adopted the ten-point plan in December 2005.

Leebron, now approaching his 11th year as university president, announced in his annual State of the University address to the Faculty Senate in 2013 that revenue from research programs increased by 6.4 percent from the previous year, and the undergraduate student body increased by 30 percent during his presidency. In addition, construction of a number of facilities, including a new arts center, tennis complex and opera theatre, has already been approved or completed. Rice has also seen a significant increase in global reach. From 2003 to 2014, the internationl student body has grown from 3 perecent to 12 percent.

Jones College freshman Justin Bernard said he supports the V2C initiative despite the increase in salary. “[The increase is] surprising,” Bernard said. “It’s controversial, but I feel like [Leebron is] doing a pretty good job, so I’d like to keep him.”

On the other hand, Jones College sophomore Camila Kennedy said she takes issue with the distribution of funding.

“The money should go toward the initiative, not the salary,” she said. “We want greater transparency; I just don’t understand the need for such large pay increases.”

The data regarding Leebron’s pay comes just as Rice ranked fourth among private universities and seventh among all universities in Kiplinger’s Best College Values list, which considered schools based on quality of education versus statistics such as tuition, average amount of financial aid, average student debt and four-year graduation rate. Rice had the lowest tuition among the top twenty bestvalue universities.

The Chronicle of Higher Education’s study can be accessed at chronicle.com/factfile/private-ec-2014.

Peer institution presidential compensation Lee C. Bollinger

$3,389,917

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Amy Gutmann

$2,473,952

UNIV. OF PENNSYLVANIA

Susan Hockfield M.I.T.

David W. Leebron RICE UNIVERSITY

Richard C. Levin YALE UNIVERSITY

Nicholas S. Zeppos VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

Shirley Tilghman PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

Drew Gilpin Faust HARVARD UNIVERSITY

$1,679,097 $1,522,502 $1,375,365 $1,154,488 $948,412 $908,642

=

= DAVID W. LEEBRON’S SALARY

5 RICE PROFESSORS’ SALARY

STUDENTS’ 40 RICETUITION

0CLICKER FROM PAGE 2 so a lot of students change answers which at times disrupts the class,” Kwee said. “It is still useful because it is not graded and it encourages us to answer the questions so it is practice with no risk involved.”

According to Solis, since the new system will rely only on wifi instead of classroom infrastructure, it can be implemented in a variety of classes. Due to this flexibility, the system is being tested in many different classes.

“We essentially made a call for participation, and as long as the respondents were teaching a course during this semester, we accommodated them in the pilot,” Solis said. “We did not specify any particular instructional practices as criteria for participation, since we want to be able to capture as wide a set of pedagogies and subject matters as possible.”

Dingus said he believes every class can benefit from using clicker questions, whether these questions are open-ended or multiplechoice.

“I think other classes could benefit greatly from clickers,” Dingus said. “I cannot think of a class that would not have a use for them.

It is always valuable to be able to gauge class opinion anonymously and visualize how well a class understands questions.”

Dingus said his first-year writing-intensive seminar used a system called Socrative that operates from a smartphone or computer. He said the system helped foster discussion in his class.

“Socrative can be used to provide long answers and answer a series of large multiplechoice questions all at once,” Dingus said.

“This may be useful mainly for smaller classes, but that is the main demographic that do not already use clickers. Consequently, something like this might be employed in smaller humanities classes and such.”

Solis said the CTE will convene with the participating instructors and conduct a set of interviews to gather their opinions on the systems. Student feedback will also factor into the decision, which will be presented to faculty and all others interested.

“Combing faculty and student feedback, along with legal contracts for services and provider policies, we will forward a report for the final decision,” Solis said.

5

Cheer Battle cancellation solves nothing

Hutchinson’s decision to cancel Cheer Battle strips students of voice Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson has made an executive decision to not allot time to Cheer Battle during Orientation Week 2015 (see p.1). However, O-Week coordinators will retain the option of organizing an unofficial Cheer Battle during O-Week. According to Hutchinson, Cheer Battle “doesn’t represent who we are at Rice anymore” and violates Rice’s harassment policy requiring a non-hostile environment.

The Thresher believes that Cheer Battle does still represent who we are at Rice and is integral to the goals of O-Week. Cheer Battle provides an opportunity for new students to foster college and university spirit in a lighthearted atmosphere; many students find this experience valuable to their growth during O-Week.

Hutchinson said many students indicated on O-Week exit surveys that Cheer Battle was their least favorite part of O-Week. Hutchinson has used this fact, combined with feedback from a focus group comprised of college masters and discussion with staff, to support his decision to eliminate Cheer Battle as an officially sanctioned event.

However, Hutchinson has not solicited feedback from the general student body.

Hutchinson unilaterally decided to remove the university-sanctioned time allotted for Cheer Battle. Arguably, this offense is graver than the decision itself.

Cheer Battle belongs as much, or even more so, to the students as it does to the administration. This decision is not solely the administration’s to make; it should be made only after allowing students the opportunity to hear the proposal and provide feedback.

This could have been accomplished through first introducing the changes during a Student Association meeting.

Student governance — Rice prides itself on its faith in this system. O-Week coordinating, just as much as Student Association, Honor Council and University Court, is part of Rice’s system of student governance. Furthermore, Hutchinson’s decision to bypass the Student Association also shows a lack of respect for student self-governance from the administration. Thus, Hutchinson’s decision and method of information dissemination both directly undermine a system that we value dearly.

There is room for compromise in the debate over Cheer Battle that Hutchinson ignores with his decision. Profane cheers do not need to be taught during O-Week, and even more resources can be dedicated to providing alternative experiences for students who do not wish to participate in Cheer Battle. Such possibilities could have been considered had Hutchinson not made a unilateral decision and had solicited student opinion instead.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff.

All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece’s author.

I am not surprised that the administration has decided to remove Cheer Battle from Orientation Week. As any O-Week 2014 Coordinator can tell you, it was clear that there was push back on Cheer Battle from the administration. The time allotted to teaching and performing cheers was shortened and the traditional cheer routes were changed so that fewer colleges met up. The changes to Cheer Battle were simply presented to the O-Week Coordinators, and despite a majority disagreement, the changes remained. Some of our opinions were heard but not taken seriously. I quickly learned that our voices as student leaders are not as strong as they are advertised to be.

The main problem with Cheer Battle is not the event itself. O-Week activities exist to make new students feel welcome, get them excited about their time at Rice and create supportive connections among the student body. During Cheer Battle, alternative activities are available to students who find the event too high-energy, and several advisors stay behind with students who decide not to participate. The issues with Cheer Battle are issues of insensitivity or vulgarity sprouting directly from the cheers, not the fact that students are painting themselves up and shouting. Removing Cheer Battle removes the event, not the problem.

In its current state, Cheer Battle has some is-

news Andrew Ta* Editor Yasna Haghdoost* Editor Anita Alem* Editor Drew Keller Assistant Editor Justin Park Designer opinions Mitch Mackowiak* Editor

Yes, the current cheers are outdated, and some of them can be insensitive or offensive. I understand the administration’s hesitation in supporting Cheer Battle, but removing Cheer Battle from O-Week is not the right solution for the student body; it is the easiest solution for the administration. At Rice we pride ourselves on the fact that students govern our culture, but the recent decision to remove Cheer Battle has been made by the administration without consulting the general student population or giving us the opportunity to create new cheers and mold new traditions. The removal of Cheer Battle from O-Week is the perfect example of how, for the administration, defending their interest is more important than giving legitimate power to the student voice.

Ilina Terziyski is a Hanszen College junior.

Charlie Hebdo attacks affirm place of free speech For its Jan. 19, 2015 edition, The New Yorker chose the sketch “Solidarité,” by a Spanish artist named Ana Juan. Below the Eiffel Tower is a sea of blood, and the tower itself is dark, only becoming grey when it starts morphing into a pencil — a pencil that writes in red.

What happened at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris last Wednesday is inexcusable. It shook the journalistic world to its core, threatening freedom of speech and killing twelve people, including French journalists and cartoonists, a French bodyguard and a Muslim of Algerian descent.

I have been working at the Thresher for almost three years and want to become a journalist because I value the power of free speech. Free speech is what allows me to inform my peers, whether it’s about the violation of the Honor Council’s constitution that resulted when the Honor Council formed a graduate honor council separate from undergraduates’, or about students petitioning for upper-level language classes at the end of the last academic year. On a scale much, much greater than my articles for the Thresher, free speech is what allowed Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

to report on Watergate — and I could go on and on with further examples.

Every institution, be it government or corporate, should be criticized. I understand the criticisms many have voiced about Charlie Hebdo and its provocative cartoons. Yet, whether or not I or anyone else agrees with what was printed on those pages, those twelve people did not deserve to die.

Free speech does not eliminate consequences.

Screaming “bomb” in an airport would get me arrested and investigated, and rightfully so. Yet nothing someone says warrants them to get murdered. I don’t care how many people disagree with Charlie Hebdo right now — I’m pretty sure that Ahmed Merabet, who fired at the gunmen to protect the office, did not agree with the cartoons and images in that magazine. What I care about is that twelve people were viciously murdered by fanatic fundamentalists.

And yes, I will call the gunmen “fundamentalists,” because that’s what they were. They were not Muslim. They merely claimed to be Muslim, and as such, only ISIL and Al-Queda should apologize for these attacks, not my Muslim friends in the United

States and Muslim relatives in Iran.

In fact, the recent surge of hateful rhetoric against Muslims, particularly in Europe, shows exactly why there must be free speech. Because for every hurtful, nasty word hurled at Muslims, there is an educated, progressive word retorted back.

Rice, there have been times when you have disagreed with the Thresher, and there will be times when you disagree with us in the future. But know that, as part of the staff, I do what I do because I believe free speech, the foundation of journalism, is absolutely essential to a functioning society.

Tina Nazerian is a McMurtry College junior

Letter to the Editor: Tree farm will not make Rice green According to the article “Rice outlines plans for climate neutrality by 2038” (Rice Thresher, Nov. 18), the main offset for our carbon emissions in the future will be a “50,000-acre timber plantation in southwest Louisiana ... it sequesters carbon ...”

I know Rice very well, and I love and hate aspects of it. I love Rice for the accumulation of fantastic talent, which starts from our students and progresses through our faculty. It is amazing.

I hate Rice for the waste of our collective talent.

We, as a community, absolutely have important issues to chase, but are almost always following what other institutions do rather than leading the cool way.

Editorial Staff Miles Kruppa* Editor in Chief

sues but it also has great value that we should not willingly give up. Cheer Battle fosters intense college spirit and unity and culminates in universitywide cheers leading up to the Rice Rally. Cheer Battle builds our college pride and then provides an opportunity for students to realize that, despite our differences, we are all part of the same Rice community. In eliminating Cheer Battle we remove risks of discomfort, but we also remove the ability to create that powerful unity. I strongly believe that students can create new cheers and adapt Cheer Battle in such a way that it resolves many issues of insensitivity while maintaining the strong spirit that the event fosters.

The administration is not “banning” cheers — it is removing the time allotted to teaching and executing them during O-Week. Cheers are not officially “banned” to mitigate any major opposition to the change. Banned or not, in four years Cheer Battle will become a myth. Instead of brushing the problem underneath the rug, the administration should task students with thinking of a solution.

Putting the solution in the hands of students, rather than imposing a change they expect students to follow, will create a much more meaningful and lasting impact. They should trust the student body to create and uphold the inclusive and nurturing environment we inhabit.

sports Maddy Adams Editor Evan Neustater Editor Sarah Nyquist Designer art Claire Elestwani Art Director Marcel Merwin Photo Editor arts & entertainment Sophie Newman Editor Kaylen Strench Editor Carrie Jiang Designer

copy Jasmine Lin Editor Julianne Wey Editor backpage Reed Thornburg Editor business William Byers Manager advertising Cynthia Bau Manager * indicates member of the Editorial Board

Buying a timber plantation does nothing to offset carbon emissions in the medium term, as all Rice students and faculty should know. This is because, once any such forest grows (consumption of atmospheric CO2), the temporary carbon storage decays (respiration to atmospheric CO2). On a broad basis, terrestrial carbon ecosystems have a residence time for carbon of about 10 years.

Everyone should be very clear on Rice’s current strategy for carbon sequestration: We will, following other institutions, pretend to pull carbon out of the atmosphere in the long-term by purchasing a short-term carbon sink, knowing full-well that this is a luxury most communities cannot afford.

The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper at Rice University since 1916, is published each Wednesday during the school year, except during examination periods and holidays, by the students of Rice University.

Letters to the Editor must be received by 5 p.m. the Friday prior to publication and must be signed, including college and year if the writer is a Rice student. The Thresher reserves the rights to edit letters for content and length and to place letters on its website.

While we then feel warm and fuzzy about our great deed over the next decade, we have actually solved nothing for future generations.

I am not smart enough to figure out how Rice should appropriately deal with carbon sequestration and climate neutrality. But this is precisely where our fantastic community needs to work together. How can we reduce carbon emissions to zero rather than pawn off the problem to a Louisiana forest farm because we have money? If we can solve this problem, Rice will be a beautiful beacon.

Jerry Dickens Professor of Earth Science

Editorial and business offices are located on the second floor of the Ley Student Center: 6100 Main St., MS-524 Houston, TX 77005-1892 Phone (713) 348-4801 Email: thresher@rice.edu Website: www.ricethresher.org Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece’s author.

The Thresher is a member of the ACP, TIPA and CNBAM © Copyright 2014

arts

ENTERTAINMENT

6

2015

Panda Bear – PBVSGR A

by Benjamin Huber-Rodriguez Thresher Staff

at the movies

A&E Editor Kaylen Strench picks out the most promising and anticipated films of the upcoming year.

courtesy domino

Kaylen Strench

intelligence, similar to the vibe in Hess’s cult hit Napoleon Dynamite.

A&E Editor

Okay, I know it’s not even Oscar season yet.

That said, it’s never too soon to start planning which films you’re going to spend $20 to see. In all seriousness, 2015 has all the makings of a golden year for cinema. From Fifty Shades of Grey to a new Star Wars flick to works by the entire spectrum of elite directors, the competition for top place at the box office is sure to be brutal. Fortunately, the Thresher has filtered through the mountain of promising releases to pick out those that you should actually invest your time and money into seeing. The following movies are sure to spark conversation and define film this year.

The Quirky Indie

Title: That’s What I’m Talking About Director: Richard Linklater (Boyhood) Starring: Ryan Guzman (Step Up, All In), Zoey Deutch (Vampire Academy), Tyler Hoechlin (Teen Wolf) Plot: Ambiguous, something about college baseball players in 1980s Texas.

What’s the Deal?: Though Linklater’s been an indie-film king since his sleeper hits Slacker (1991) and Dazed and Confused (1993), he moved into the mainstream consciousness this year with his Best Picture contender, Boyhood, a coming-of-age story filmed over 12 years. There’s some pressure for him to top his previous success — quite a challenge, particularly since he has only a fraction of the time to work. Whatever happens, Talking is sure to be deep, artistic and enlightening.

The Promising Comedy

Title: Masterminds Director: Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) Starring: Kristen Wigg (Bridesmaids), Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) Plot: A humble night guard attempts a colossal bank robbery.

What’s the Deal?: This comedy, which won’t be released until mid-August, isn’t being discussed much yet. With such a proven, knockout cast and director, however, it seems hard to go wrong. Expect Masterminds to be as silly as Bridesmaids or The Hangover, but with an added edge of

THE WEEKLY SCENE The editors’ picks for this week’s best events. Time to explore the wonderful world of Houston.

The Throwback

Title: Macbeth Director: Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) Starring: Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Marion Cotillard (Inception) Plot: See SparkNotes.

What’s the Deal?: Why should you care about yet another Shakespeare on film piece?

First, there’s Justin Kurzel, the mysterious, fresh face known for his 2011 critical hit Snowtown, a chilling tale of murder in a small community.

Kurzel’s sure to provide a dark take on Macbeth that you couldn’t have anticipated during your No Fear Shakespeare skim in high school English. Furthermore, the combination of Fassbender and Cotillard, two of the most impressive and star-studded actors in Hollywood, is worth watching in itself.

The Sure Thing

Title: Silence Director: Martin Scorsese Starring: Liam Neeson (Taken), Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Adam Driver (Girls) Plot: In the 17th century, Jesuit priests go on a dangerous mission to Japan to meet up with their mentor and convert people to Christianity.

What’s the Deal?: Scorsese may have the best resume of any living director in Hollywood. He’s been making classics for over 40 years — from Taxi Driver to The Wolf of Wall Street. Even more interesting, however, is the strange plot synopsis he’s released for Silence and the eclectic cast. It seems like Scorsese has left cocaine and yachts far behind, and it’ll be fascinating to see what he does with this dark period piece.

The Violent Western

Title: The Hateful Eight Director: Quentin Tarantino Starring: Channing Tatum (Foxcatcher), Samuel L. Jackson (Django Unchained) Plot: A group of bounty hunters get stranded during a blizzard in late 18th-century Wyoming.

Eventually, things take a strange turn for the worst.

What’s the Deal?: We all know Tarantino can hit a home run, something he’s proven again and

again with classics like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. What’s interesting about this film is its unexpected star, Channing Tatum. Tatum’s range seems to have no ceiling; he’s excelled in both comedic roles (21 Jump Street) and in extremely intense, complex characters (Foxcatcher). That said, Tarantino’s violent, aggressive characters require a style of performance likely to pose a new challenge for the young actor. And no matter what happens, we’re sure to get an exciting, bloody thriller with a layer of intellectual complexity.

The Sci-Fi Action Flick

Title: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Director: J.J. Abrams (Lost) Starring: Harrison Ford (42), Mark Hamill (Star Wars Episode IV), Carrie Fischer (Star Wars Episode IV) Plot: All we know is that it’s set 30 years after Episode VI and is a continuation of that film.

What’s the Deal?: What can I say? It’s Star Wars, it speaks for itself and it’s a proven formula of a deep plot with rich themes, complex characters and all the fun of the sci-fi genre. The main novelty of this film is director J.J. Abrams, who solidified his reputation for expressing suspense and creating top-notch action sequences with the series Lost and movies like Mission Impossible III. Hopefully Abrams can infuse something fresh and unexpected into this series, which, to be honest, is getting a little stale (sorry Star Wars fans).

Kaylen’s Pick:

Title: Knight of Cups Director: Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life) Starring: Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Christian Bale (The Dark Knight), Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) Plot: A man gets caught up in the life of the rich and famous and loses himself as a result.

What’s the Deal?: It’s really difficult to vocalize the beauty and power of Terrence Malick films unless you’ve seen them. The beautiful cinematography and spiritual themes of his movies are deeply moving. This film, a followup to his weird, wonderful The Tree of Life, could be Malick’s magnum opus. It is already dominating film festivals and receiving attention across the industry. Watch the trailer – you won’t need any more convincing that this is the

“When they said he’s ill, laughed it off as if it’s no big deal / What a joke to joke” Noah Lennox, aka “Panda Bear,” sings on “Tropic of Cancer,” the gorgeous centerpiece to his fifth solo album, Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper (henceforth referred to as PBVSGR). Of course, any fan of Panda Bear or his experimental, psychedelic folktronica supergroup Animal Collective will know that this line refers to the death of his father in 2004, a landmark event that inspired his move from Baltimore to Lisbon, Portugal, and has colored each album he’s released since. So while the title may suggest that Lennox is confronting his own mortality, perhaps it’s just another filter through which he has projected familiar ideas, in often indecipherable lyrics, throughout a storied 17-year career making music.

At this point in Lennox’s arc, he has transitioned through so many iterations of the unmistakable yet dynamic Animal Collective sound — tribal drums, repetition, glitzy synths, screaming, wet, watery sounds, dueling falsettos — that predicting what the next Panda Bear album will sound like proves an impossible task. While 2004’s Young Prayer was sparse, haunting and totally acoustic, 2007’s landmark Person Pitch consisted entirely of samples and Lennox’s sonorous and heavily layered vocals. PBVSGR, on the other hand, is built around a deep, gurgling electronic didgeridoo pulse that rumbles through the bottom of the album like a vein fissuring through the surface of a mountain. “Sequential Circuits” kicks things off in classic Panda Bear style, with held synth chords set behind his resonant, multitracked vocals. It’s a peaceful opening statement, the calm before the storm. The tone switches on second track and lead single “Mr. Noah,” which features the aforementioned didgeridoo sound alongside chirping, quirking electronics and the distorted howls 0see PBVSGR, page 7

OWL PROWL

MARATHONIN’

FREE FLICKS

ARTOPIA

The Houston Arboretum is a cool place to visit anytime, but it’s an especially unique experience at night.

This Saturday, Jan. 17 come out to see some owls up close, and then go on a moonlit hike where you’ll try to encounter and elicit calls from some local nocturnal species.

Get the experience of a marathon without the blood, sweat and tears. Come out to the 2015 Chevron Houston Marathon this Sunday, Jan. 18 to watch the runners tackle the 26.2-mile challenge.

The race begins at 8 a.m., but the action will continue through most of the day.

Entertain your taste for the avantgarde with Santa Sangre. A MexicanAmerican drama set in Mexico, the film tells the story of a young circus boy and his attempts to navigate adulthood. Stay after for a discussion led by Jungian analyst Gonzalo Himiob. The screening is Thursday, Jan. 19, 6-9 p.m.

Get a sneak peak of the Seventh Annual Houston Press Artopia at the preview Thursday, Jan. 15, 7-10 p.m. There will be live music, painting, a magician and drink specials crafted by the 2013 Best of Houston’s Best Bartender. This is a 21 and over event. RSVP on Facebook.

Jung Center 5200 Montrose junghouston.org

1919 Wine & Mixology Bar 2736 Virginia St. houstonpress.com

Houston Arboretum 4501 Woodway Drive houstonarboretum.org

George R. Brown Convention Center 1001 Avenida de las Americas chevronhoustonmarathon.com

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

A&E

7

0 PBVSGR from page 6 of distressed dogs.

The pulse continues on through upbeat tracks “Crosswords” and “Butcher Baker Candlestick Maker,” which feature some of Lennox’s best vocal melodies to date, oscillating between deep baritone and soaring falsetto. “Crosswords,” in particular, resembles a kind of futuristic, underwater Beach Boys song with Lennox’s voice cut from the same cloth as Brian Wilson himself. Second single “Boys Latin” is where the storm comes to a head, with the swirling, murky undercurrent of the wobbling bass and echoing claps completing the transition from the listener’s world to Lennox’s trippy, free-flowing one.

The seven-minute “Come to Your Senses” features the first lyrics comprehensible at a passing glance, the passive-aggressive question familiar to anyone who’s been in a relationship, “Are you mad?” repeated over and over until either Lennox or whomever he’s addressing answers, “Yes, I’m mad!” The domestic dispute that takes place during the track isn’t new ground for Lennox, and with some help from the lyrics sheet, one finds that the entire first half of the album is filled with common Panda Bear tropes: honest self-reflection, a critical eye toward materialism, environmental awareness, parenting and dogs. Lots of dogs. These dogs may in some way represent the link between the domestic world of man and the natural world of animals; when Lennox sings on “Mr. Noah,” “This dog got bit on the leg / He got a pretty big chip on the leg / Don’t want to get out of bed / Unless he feels it’s justified,” he simultaneously reflects on his own lack of motivation and the lack of motivation among anyone feeling outpaced by the rapid commercialization of society.

Notable Tracks 4. “Crosswords” 5. “Butcher Baker Candlestick Maker” 7. “Come to Your Senses” 8. “Tropic of Cancer”

The second half of the album begins with “Tropic of Cancer,” a beautiful track composed entirely of Lennox’s vocals and a celestial harp arpeggio. This is the first time Lennox explicitly sings about death on the album, but rather than discuss the melancholy present in his voice, he looks at disease as an organism that needs to thrive and survive, just like humans. Linking death to the larger themes of life and nature present on PBVSGR, Lennox seeks once again to accept the passing of his father and other loved ones. “Lonely Wanderer” is another gorgeous track, consisting of a gracefully descending grand piano that complements Lennox as he sings some of the sweetest, most supernal melodies of his career. Absent is the pulsating bass that rocks the lively first half of the record.

The second half represents the serenity that follows the hustle and bustle of life; it is here that Panda Bear has met the Grim Reaper.

The final three tracks are more traditional Animal Collective glitch-rinsed psychedelia, with Lennox diving into more personally reflective and obscure lyrics on the catchy “Selfish Gene” and triumphant “Acid Wash.” Like many Animal Collective releases, the record is partly catchy, partly confusing and partly frightening upon first listen. For the uninitiated, the multitude of electronic noises and the uncomfortable pulse of the bass and wet sounds may be a detractor. But, despite the clashing dynamics present throughout the record, Lennox’s carefully cultivated and beautifully reverberant voice ties it all together.

And although the moniker “grower” is a word I feel lazy writers use to justify their own idiosyncratic taste in strange music, repeated listens do aid in deciphering the lyrics and warming up to the swooning melodic turns. Panda Bear has crafted another introspective record about family and society as seen through his own eyes and buried it in the greater musical world he’s spent so long creating. The question is whether you join him there.

courtesy paramount pictures

Selma revives conversations on civil rights Sophie Newman A&E Editor

At the time, the 60s seemed to mark the beginning of the end of America’s racist history. Ava Duvernay’s recent masterpiece, Selma, captures the turbulence of the era as told through the eyes of Martin Luther King Jr. and his political and social struggle to initiate the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It sheds light not only on the horrors of the time, but also the complex character of Dr. King, a feature that many previous films have failed to consider.

While it begins familiarly, with a speech by Dr. King (David Oyelowo), the film creeps into uncharted territory when it begins to portray him as a human being rather than a saint, subject to political, social and even carnal temptations. Presenting Dr. King as an imperfect moral hero complements the rawness of the story. With superb acting, casting and directing, Selma is impossible to escape. The tragedy, tender moments and hardearned victories stay with you long after leaving the theater.

It’s been nearly 50 years since those horrific events, and it’s easy to feel a sense of relief considering how much has changed since then, not just in legislation, but also in our attitudes. It’s easy to find solace in the idea that we have overcome pre-

vious misconceptions and entered a new golden age of equality. What’s more troubling, however, is to consider that we haven’t.

Despite its late birth (without sufficient funding, it took nearly seven years for the script to come to fruition), Selma could not have been released at a more appropriate, or at least relevant, time. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and Selma marches. Events in Ferguson, New York and Cleveland have sparked recent racial bias discourse worldwide. Last year the Supreme Court overturned part of the Voting Rights Act, and this decision paved the way for a new Texas voter I.D. law, which Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg likened to “an intentionally racist poll tax.” Though we no longer condone the noun “negro,” nor is it acceptable to racially discriminate (under the law or otherwise), civil rights are clearly still at the forefront of political and social conversations.

Selma, though it does mark the success of important civil rights legislation, is by no means a feel-good movie, nor does it seek to fulfill such a purpose. Rather, it paints a picture, for better or for worse, of simultaneously one of the most terrible and awe-inspiring times in history — a time in which society had to rear its ugliest face in order to come to terms with its racist practices. Seeing the

the bravery, commitment and sacrifice it took to achieve equality for one basic human right is both inspiring and absolutely heartbreaking. To think that somehow we could be rolling back any of the progress that was then achieved, as my friend aptly, if boldly, considered, is akin to practicing anti-Semitism in light of the Holocaust.

I do not attempt to take a stance on recent cases of potential racial discrimination, nor do I accuse America of being racist, per se. Rather, I ask only that we, as a country with such a troubling past, consider these issues as continually relevant. It’s easy to to deem progress achieved, but as Dr. King said himself, “human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable.” Selma captures Dr. King’s trials as an individual as well as society’s struggle to overcome what seems now like a ridiculous misconception. But just like the Alabama State Troopers could not understand how their thwarted ideology would seem to future generations, we cannot fathom the same for ours.

Selma, unintentionally or not, is a stark reminder of this fact. It forces us to reconsider the labor and sacrifice it took to achieve a single civil rights victory and humbles us to remember our mistakes.

With the wisdom of time on our side, the only way we should be moving us forward. We should not take this past victory for granted.

8

A&E

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Sports is on Twitter. Get the scoop at twitter.com/ThresherSports

9

courtesy rice athletic communications

Athletics unveils $31.5 million training facility Maddy Adams Sports Editor

The Rice Athletic Department recently announced the proposed construction of a new student athlete development building. The Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center will be located at the north end of Rice Stadium and will cost $31.5 million to build.

The 60,000 square-foot building will house a weight room, a home team locker room, staff offices, an auditorium, a football team lounge and areas dedicated to training and sports medicine. These facilities will be available to all Rice student athletes.

According to Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard, these renovations will benefit students and coaches on and off the field.

“The Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center affords our student athletes and coaches a better environment for training and medical care than we currently offer,” Karlgaard said. “I believe our football players and other athletes will be better prepared and healthier as a result of the new building.”

Karlgaard said that these facilities will

also help recruitment efforts.

“I hope young men and women who seek a world class academic and athletic experience will see this facility as a key component of their skill development,” Karlgaard said.

The tarp-covered area that encompasses the north end of the stadium will be demolished to make room for the building. The existing scoreboard will also be removed and will be replaced by a new one that will be on top of the new center.

According to Karlgaard, however, these renovations will not reduce seating capacity.

“I’m not sure this facility will have a tremendous impact on our fan experience,” Karlgaard said. “We are working towards further renovations that will create an excellent atmosphere for spectators in our stadium.”

The Dallas-based architecture firm HKS will be designing the new building. HKS designed Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas and Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts.

Donors have pledged the funding necessary for construction, which will begin in early 2015 and will be completed in time for fall 2016.

courtesy rice athletic communications

Top: A view from the west side of Rice stadium looking at the south wall of the proposed Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center. The rendering reveals a walkway and a concrete ramp that leads to the field. The walkway will provide sightlines from the north endzone, and all tarped seating on that side will be removed.

Bottom: The east side of the new building will greet fans as they enter Rice Stadium from West Lot. The facade will remain true to Rice’s byzantine architectural style while also incorporating modern elements. The Dallas-based architecture firm HKS will be designing the new facility. HKS previously worked on the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.

Vandalism, theft strike club crew team boathouse Jessica Kelly Thresher Staff

courtesy row4rice twitter

The Rice club crew team’s new boathouse on the Bayou was vandalized sometime between Dec. 24 and Dec. 26. The burglars sprayed graffiti throughout the boathouse and on the boats.

This winter break, burglars broke into the Rice Crew team’s boathouse, tagging their boat with graffiti and stealing solar light panels. The vandalism and theft occurred some time between Dec. 24 and Dec. 26. The boathouse is located in the Buffalo Bayou/East End area, a location known for its graffiti culture. This incident of graffiti and theft marks the fourth burglary of the team’s first semester on the Bayou.

Coach Mike Matson told ABC13 that professional paint repair costs for the tagged boat could be anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500.

The team looks forward to the completion of their new permanent structure, which will have high-tech security features. In the meantime, the team is seeking assistance from the local Houston Police Department, along with support from other rowing teams in the Houston area and the Rice community. Vespoli, manufacturer of the team’s tagged boat, has reached out to the team as well.

“It sure is sad that these people are that desperate to be breaking into our boathouse to try to steal what few things we have and even go so far as to vandalize our boats,” Laura Nicholson, a McMurtry College freshman, said. “But in the words of our coaches Mike and David, Rice Crew will continue to push [forward] and rise and rise again through these challenges.”

Coach Mike Matson has been a strong voice of support for the team, addressing this issue while keeping the team focused on the future championships. Matson said the burglary will not affect the team’s performance.

“This was an unfortunate occurrence, but certainly not a setback,” Matson said. “We learned from the experience and have properly adapted our security working in conjunction with the police. Our focus now shifts to the championship season ahead and sending Rice’s first boat to the SIRA championships in over a decade to proudly represent the Owls.”

The team is set to meet with the East End Graffiti Abatement team on Friday to remove the graffiti from their boat.

10 SPORTS

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Women’s basketball opens conference play Michael Kidd Thresher Staff

The Rice University women’s basketball team entered conference play with a 5-6 record, including a 5-2 record at home.

During the non-conference portion of the schedule, Rice competed against two of the top women’s college basketball programs in the nation, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas, Austin. Ranked No. 5 and No. 3 respectively at the time Rice played them, both teams defeated Rice in the non-conference portion of the season.

To mark the beginning of conference play, the Owls went on the road for three consecutive games. In the first game, the Owls defeated the University of Texas, San Antonio in overtime with a final score of 62-58. Sophomore guard Maya Hawkins scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the game to earn the first double-double of her career. She was a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line and committed just one turnover in 37 minutes of play off the bench. As a whole, the Owls bench outscored UTSA 37-15 over the course of the game.

Rice then went on to play the University of Texas, El Paso Jan. 4. Despite another team-leading performance by Hawkins, the Owls could not complete a late second half comeback and lost 54-51. Hawkins scored a team-high 23 points for the Owls, which included three three-pointers. The rest of the offense struggled, as no other Owl scored more than six points in the contest. Senior post player Christal Porter and sophomore post player Adaeze Obinnah tied for the team high in rebounds with nine each.

After a five-day layoff, the Owls competed in their final game of the road trip against the University of North Texas. After a slow start from the Owls, the team went on a 15-5 run to close the first half and take a 27-23 lead into the break. With just 4:23 remaining in the game, Rice held a narrow 43-42 lead, but was unable to hold on and lost by a final score of 53-48. Junior forward Megan Palmer led Rice in scoring and rebounding, recording nine points and eight rebounds. Rice committed a seasonhigh 23 turnovers in the game, which UNT turned into 21 points.

Hawkins said her recent success should be attributed to her teammates and how they have supported her during her comeback after suffering an injury last year.

“My performance at the beginning of conference play was largely due to my teammates,” Hawkins said. “Their encouragement before, during and after my recovery process has helped me to regain my confidence … and I couldn’t have accomplished anything without them.”

Hawkins said playing on the road was a challenge, but also said she was proud of the way the team fought.

“Playing on the road was very tough, but I was proud of how our team played while away, even though some of the games didn’t go as we would have liked,” Hawkins said. “Our team will be working hard all week long to ensure that we secure these next two games in front of our fans at home.”

Head Coach Greg Williams said Hawkins’s return from injury will hopefully spark the team in the games to come.

“We are glad to have Maya back on the court,” Williams said. “She adds defensive quickness at the point position and is our most consistent three-point shooter.”

Williams said the team needs to prepare for their next two games at home to get the season back on track.

“Both [Old Dominion University and Louisiana Tech University] are athletic with most of their scoring coming from their perimeter players,” Williams said.

“Every game is different, as are the decisions players make on the floor, [and] we are ready to come out strong on our home court.”

Rice returns to action this Thursday, Jan. 15 at Tudor Fieldhouse to face Old Dominion. Old Dominio currnelty boasts an overall record of 8-6, incluidng 1-2 in Conference USA. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 6 p.m.

courtesy hawaii media source

Redshirt junior quarterback Driphus Jackson scrambles during a 30-6 victory over Fresno State University in the 2014 Hawai’i Bowl on Dec. 24.

Jackson had his best statistical game of the season, completing 15 of 24 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns en route to earning the game’s Most Valuable Player award. Rice finished the season with an 8-5 record and won its second bowl game in the past three seasons, a school record.

Defense leads Rice to bowl victory Evan Neustater Sports Editor

Rice vs. Fresno State

30-6

Two touchdown passes from redshirt junior quarterback Driphus Jackson in the last 19 seconds of the first quarter gave Rice all the momentum it needed.

After throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jordan Taylor with 23 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Fresno State University junior quarterback Brian Burrell threw an interception to sophomore cornerback J.T. Blasingame on Fresno’s first play back. Jackson threw his second touchdown pass in as many plays on the next down, a 69-yard strike to senior wide receiver Mario Hull with four seconds remaining in the quarter.

The two touchdowns took Rice’s lead to 16-3 at the end of the first quarter, and the Owls never looked back. Rice went on to cap its 2014 season with a postseason bowl victory in the Hawai’i Bowl, defeating Fresno State 30-6 Dec. 24.

The win took Rice’s record to 8-5 overall, including winning eight of their last 10. Rice earned its second bowl victory in three years and its 18th win over the last two seasons, the best two-season stretch in school history.

The offense stagnated in the second quarter, but went on to score a touchdown in the third and fourth quarters, while only sacrificing two field goals in the game. It marked the first time since 2011 Rice did not allow a touchdown from the opposing team.

Coming off a 71-36 loss against Louisiana Tech in which they allowed 677 yards of offense, the Owls’ defense looked to rebound against Fresno State, allowing 27 yards through three quarters. Fresno State finished with 93 yards passing on 38 attempts, and Burrell completed 10 of 20 passes for 44 yards and two interceptions. The defense also added four sacks on its way to holding

Fresno State to 158 yards and 22 points under its season average.

Senior safety Julius White said the team was out to prove something after the school’s worst defensive performance since allowing 77 points to Louisiana State University in 1977.

“Defensively, everybody had a kind of chip on their shoulder,” White said. “[The Louisiana Tech game] wasn’t the way we wanted to go out in the regular season. We didn’t really play much like ourselves that game, so wemade this game like there was

[It was] probably one of the best defensive performances we’ve had all year. “I thought our front four was very disruptive and really thought our secondary was just outstanding.

David Bailiff Head Coach

something we had to prove. We needed to make a statement on national television that that’s not the defense that Rice wants to be.”

According to Head Coach David Bailiff, the team saved its best defensive performance for last. ”[It was] probably one of the best defensive performances we’ve had all year,” Bailiff said. “I thought our front four was very disruptive and really thought our secondary was just outstanding. I thought we tackled really well.”

Jackson won the game’s Most Valuable Player award after having his best statistical game of the season, completing 15 of 24 passes for a school bowl-record 318 yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers. Jack-

son also added 41 yards rushing and finished the season with 2,842 yards passing and 24 touchdown passes, good for the third-best mark in Rice single season history.

Senior wide receivers Mario Hull and Jordan Taylor and junior wide receiver Dennis Parks each had a touchdown catch in the game. Parks recorded his first career 100yard receiving performance, catching five passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. In Taylor’s final game, he caught five passes for 61 yards and a score. The senior finished his career with 176 receptions, 2,588 yards and 20 touchdowns. Taylor finished his career third in Rice history in receptions, second in receiving yards and second in receiving touchdowns.

According to Jackson, his passing statistics were inflated by the play of his wide receivers.

“I had to be on point when it came to reading coverages, but the receivers did a great job of adjusting to balls,” Jackson said. “I get a lot of praise for the touchdown to [Mario Hull], but Mario made a great adjustment to that ball because it was short and he ended up making a play on it. I get a lot of praise for what’s going on, but I’m just doing my oneeleventh and everybody else did their part and it came out the way it was supposed to.”

Bailiff, however, had more praise for the quarterback. Bailiff said Jackson led the team to victory through his play and decision making.

“I thought Driphus did an incredible job of not only managing the game, but at times taking it over,” Bailiff said. “With his big plays and some of the reads he was able to do, we’re really excited he’s coming back next season. It really seemed every time we needed a play Driphus made one for us.”

The bowl victory was Bailiff ’s third win in four attempts, and he is now currently tied with Jess Neely for the most bowl wins by a Rice head coach.

Rice will now shift its focus to the offseason and preparing for the 2015 season. The team will lose five starters from this year’s offense and seven from the defense. The team will look to reload around rising senior quarterback Jackson, who will look to build upon his first year starting.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

11

the Rice Thresher

Covington to forgo final season for NFL draft Juan Saldana Thresher Staff

courtesy danny wild, usa today sports

Redshirt junior defensive tackle Christian Covington declared his intentions to enter the NFL draft following Rice’s Hawai’i Bowl victory on Dec. 24. Covington, who missed seven games due to injury this season, was named to the All-CUSA team after last season’s 59 tackle performance.

Redshirt junior defensive tackle Christian Covington has decided to forgo his senior year and declare for the NFL Draft. Covington is a native of Vancouver, Canada and three-year starter for the Owls. He is on track to graduate in May. Covington is projected to be a late round draft pick by CBSSports.com after missing most of the season due to injury. On Nov. 1, he sustained another injury when he dislocated his left kneecap against Florida International University. This injury required surgery and sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

In the seven games he played this season, Covington recorded 20 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks. In his 2013 All-Conference USA season, Covington recorded 59 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and four sacks, including a memorable sack of Texas A&M University quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

At the time of injury, his timetable for return was six months, which would keep him out of play until April. He projects to be unavailable for the NFL Combine in February and Rice’s Pro Day, which is usually held in March.

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Covington entered the 2014-15 season as a consensus All-Conference USA selection. Early mock drafts and draft projections expected him to enter the draft after this season. He received some late first round and second round chatter from various draft analysts including CBS Sport’s Dane Bugler, who compared his skill set to that of former Florida State University defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, who was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. After the injury setbacks that he suffered this year, however, his spot in mock drafts has fallen significantly. Draftsite.com projects him as a 5th round pick. He is currently rated the seventh best defensive tackle in the draft by CBS Sports.

Covington asked for an evaluation from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, which issues one of three grades to underclassmen prospects — firstround projection, second-round, or a recommendation to stay in school for another year. According to the Houston Chronicle, Covington received

a recommendation to stay in school for another year. The change is part of an effort from the NFL to urge underclassmen to stay in school longer after an all-time high of 98 underclassmen declared for last year’s draft.

In an official statement released by Covington, he thanked the football program, his coaches, friends and teammates for his time at Rice.

“I want to thank Rice University and the Rice football program for the honor and privilege of suiting up for the Owls,” Covington said. “My four years at Rice have marked some of the best years of my life, and I am truly blessed to have been able to attend such a prestigious university with amazing people and play with such incredible teammates.”

Covington, whose decision to forgo his senior year could cost him a significant difference in his draft selection and rookie contract, said his choice was not easy or taken lightly by him.

“The decision for me to leave was not an easy one,” Covington said. “Through the help of a lot of prayer and the help of family, my decision to declare became clear.”

For the Rice football team, this means another starting spot to fill for Defensive Coordinator Chris Thurmond, who will lose seven other defensive starters to graduation. According to Thurmond, Covington’s departure will be a setback for the team, but the defense will adjust and prepare for next season with other personnel.

“We’ll just continue to move forward,” Thurmond said. “ Any time you lose good players, it is just something that is part of the business and something you have to deal with.”

Thurmond, who learned of Covington’s decision in the days following the 30-6 victory over Fresno State University in the Hawai’i Bowl, said he believes that Covington is ready for the challenges of the NFL. “Christian is a talented guy,” Thurmond said.

“He has good athletic ability and I’m sure he’ll make a place for himself.”

If Covington is selected in the NFL draft, which will be held April 30 through May 2, it will mark the fourth consecutive year that a Rice player is selected. Covington is the first player to leave early for the draft since tight end James Casey in 2009.

Men’s basketball begins conference play with win Kevin Mohanram Thresher Staff

Rice vs. UTSA

67-52

The Rice University men’s basketball team opened conference play on Friday, Jan. 2 with a 15-point win over the University of Texas at San Antonio. They then dropped two games to the University of Texas, El Paso and University of North Texas. The Owls are currently 1-2 in conference play and 4-10 overall.

Before conference play began, Rice played the University of Texas, Austin, which was ranked No. 10 nationally at the time of the game.

Although UT won the game 66-55 with a late run, Head Coach Mike Rhoades said even though they did not win, the game showed them they could compete at a high level.

“We really played well,” Rhoades said.

“We played well enough to win ... We were right there. We have to keep getting better so we can learn to win games. The Texas game showed us that we can play with a lot of people if we’re on our game, follow the game plan, and play together.”

Over the past three conference games, sophomore guard Marcus Jackson has averaged 23 points per game on 60.5 percent shooting from the field.

Rhoades said Jackson’s increase in scoring is not the only thing that has changed about Jackson’s game and praised him as an emerging leader in the team. ”It’s not even a scoring streak as much as

it is [experience],” Rhoades said. “Early in the year, he was really pressuring himself to do everything. All we talked to him about was [playing] better defense — just keep playing better defense and your offense will come.

He’s a good player and he’s taking the right shots. What we see is that he’s [taken] a leadership role.”

Rhoades said he was proud of the team’s commitment to practice over winter break.

“I’m really proud of this team, [mainly] the effort and the approach they’ve had over break,” Rhoades said. “We’ve been [on campus] for a long time just by ourselves and we’ve gotten better and closer as a team. I’m really proud of them. We’ve come up short in some games but we won our first [conference] game against UTSA. I think it was the first time in four years we started off the league with a win. We played well enough to have

UTEP on the ropes. The other day against North Texas, we didn’t play very well, … but we found a way to get back in it and almost pull it out.”

Rice has road games against Old Dominion University and the University of North Carolina, Charlotte in the upcoming week.

The next home game will be on Jan. 22 against the University of Southern Mississippi at 7 p.m.

Old Dominion currently has the best record in the conference, going 13-2 over the course of the season, and 2-1 in conference play. UNC-Charlotte is sitting in the middle of the pack with an overall record of 7-8.

Old Dominion has the No. 1 scoring defense in C-USA, allowing 55.9 points per game. Converseley, Rice allows an average of 65.4. The game against ODU will tip off on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m.

12

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