The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The candidates speak

An old standby Vagina Monologues both innovates and presents well-worn material in newest Rice production see A&E p. 5

Candidates for Student Association president petition for your vote in the general election see Ops p. 4

INSIDE

Diamond dynasty As Rice baseball begins its season, it looks to secure its 20th straight conference title, and maybe even a bid to Omaha see baseball insert

NCAA considers re-evaluating drug policy, Rice responds See P. 7

volume 99, issue no. 18

student-run

since 1916

wednesday, february 11, 2015

SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE: ballot proposals, contested positions and the RPC and SA EVP races

Basketball upsets conference foe

KTRU to be back on air before 2016

Kevin Mohanram Thresher Staff

by Anita Alem News Editor

KTRU will soon be on the radio once more, according to Station Manager Sal Tijerina. The Federal Communications Commission approved the request for a low-power FM station on Monday. KTRU had been on air until early 2011, when President David Leebron approved the sale of its station and radio tower to the University of Houston.

The radio station is anticipated to be available by the end of 2015.

According to Tijerina, a Lovett College senior, KTRU applied for the LPFM signal in November 2013 with the help of General Manager Will Robedee. “[We] have been eagerly awaiting our turn in the FCC’s long list of applicants,” Tijerina said. “Because we were not the only station that applied for that frequency, the process was drawn out. Will’s help in this convoluted process has been invaluable and all of us at KTRU are super excited to share this moment together.”

KTRU will be broadcast on 96.1 FM and will cover a five-mile radius around Rice University. The call letters for the station have not yet been finalized. According to Tijerina, the transmitter will be installed atop Rice Stadium within the next few months. Currently, students may listen to KTRU online with the mobile application or on 90.1HD2.

Students, alumni and faculty members protested the sale of KTRU’s broadcasting license from the FCC in Leebron’s controversial move. The station and the 50,000watt broadcasting tower were appraised for $9.5 million and sold to KUHF, a station broadcasting classical music and news programming at the time of the sale. According to Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson, the purchase of the new license and transmitter has been funded by $1 million dollars from the sale of the previous station.

Tijerina said the response from the community regarding the purchase has already been incredibly positive and KTRU is grateful for its fans remaining loyal to the station. According to Tijerina, KTRU serves an important role in introducing new local artists.

“Many fans of KTRU old and new have been anticipating our return to the FM airwaves since the day we went off air,” Tijerina said. “KTRU has always been about exploring the bounds of music and promoting underexposed and local music. The Houston community and KTRU go hand in hand.”

courtesy joshua lindsey/usa today sports

Sophomore center Andrew Drone dunks as a Western Kentucky player watches in a 72-68 Rice win. Western Kentucky was ranked first in Conference USA at the time. Rice has now won seven games in the season, as many as they won last year.

With a victory over Western Kentucky University on Saturday, Feb. 7, the Rice men’s basketball team earned their seventh victory of the season, matching last season’s win total.

Coming off a 55-69 loss to Marshall University, Rice recorded an upset victory over the Conference USA leaders, WKU, winning 72-68. The win sent WKU to second in the conference and brought Rice’s record to 7-15 and 4-6 in C-USA. The Owls held a narrow 19-17 lead early in the game before going on a 9-0 run. The Owls led by 17 points 4326 going into halftime. The Owls shot 68.2 percent from the field, four of six from downtown and nine of nine from the foul line in the opening half while holding the Hilltoppers to 33.3 percent shooting.

WKU, however, managed to tie the game with five minutes left. With three minutes to go, WKU came back from a 19-point deficit to take a two-point lead. The Owls, however, outscored the Hilltoppers in the final three minutes on a perfect three of three shooting and four of five from the foul line, coming back for a 72-68 victory.

Senior forward Seth Gearhart scored a career-high 31 points on 69 percent shooting from the field, including a perfect 10 of 10 from the foul line. Sophomore center Andrew Drone connected on all five shots

he took from the field for the second game in a row for 10 points, adding five rebounds. Junior point guard Max Guercy contributed seven assists and two steals in the win.

Rice shot a season-best 59.5 percent from the field, connecting on seven of 17 three-pointers and 15 of 17 free throws. WKU, conversely, shot 41.8 percent from the field and 54.5 percent in the second half.

According to Rhoades, Gearhart and senior guard Dan Peera, who made a three-pointer and came up with a steal as the game was ending, played career-best games.

“Seth just played the game of his life,” Rhoades said. “He played so aggressive and those guys just willed each other to win it. What a great moment for Dan Peera.”

Rhoades said the game was one of the more memorable in his career due to the team’s tenacity and will to win.

“You’ve got to play to win, and our guys played to win today, and I’m so darn proud of them,” Rhoades said.

“In my 19 years of coaching basketball … I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a team because of their fight than I am of this team tonight.”

If Rice wins another game this season, it will mark the most wins Rice has had in a season since the 201112 season. The Owls have two home games this week against Middle Tennessee State University on Thursday, Feb. 12 and the University of Alabama, Birmingham on Saturday, Feb. 14.

Presidential candidates present election platforms, future goals for Student Association leadership Anita Alem & Drew Keller

News Editor & Assistant News Editor

The general elections for the Rice University Student Association began on Monday, Feb. 9 and will continue through Friday, Feb. 13. Three contenders are running for the presidential position: Jazz Silva, Aishwarya Thakur and Sandra Blackmun.

Jazz Silva Should she be elected SA president, Sid Richardson College junior and SA senator Jazz Silva said she will preserve the work of this year’s SA while increasing its visibility on campus.

“Some of the other candidates are running on the platform of ‘We just need to make more change,’” Silva said. “Everything doesn’t need to be changed — I think what I like about the SA is we make smart changes. ” To increase student engagement with the SA, Silva hopes to bring allcampus meetings to each college as well as to create positions on the SA to represent student athletes.

“Athletes are a lot of times encouraged not to run for or hold positions of leadership within colleges and across campus,” Silva said. “I don’t think you can increase the scope of representation of the SA while ignoring that huge [number] of students.”

Silva said she hopes to oversee implementation of blanket tax reform as well as restructuring of student parking. She currently serves on the SA Parking Committee and was a member of the Economic Initiatives Committee.

Silva said she places importance on the SA’s relationship with faculty.

“In the past, the SA has ... been passive toward faculty,” Silva said. “We’re afraid to put our foot down on things we really want. I think [communicating with faculty] is the biggest responsibility of the SA president.”

Silva said student outreach is another important area for improvement.

“My platform is not about critiquing the inner workings of the SA; it’s about critiquing the way the SA communicates to students,” Silva said. “We haven’t done enough to show our faces

helen wei/thresher

Jazz Silva, Aishwarya Thakur and Sandra Blackmun (left to right) are contenders for the Student Association President position. to the community, [so] people don’t think the SA does anything.”

Aishwarya Thakur Lovett College sophomore and SA senator Aishwarya Thakur is running on a platform of “knowledge, vision, action.” Thakur’s experience in the SA includes serving on the 2017 Academic

Calendar Committee and working as a New Student Representative.

Thakur said she has three action items if elected president: examining student interest in certain majors and minors, extending the findings from Rice Education of the Future and creating an alumni network.

0see PRESIDENT, page 3

2

NEWS

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

the Rice Thresher

Ballot contains two proposals Yasna Haghdoost News Editor

A look at the contested positions The Student Association elections officially began on Monday, Feb. 9 and end on Friday, Feb. 13. The ballot includes the leadership for blanket tax organizations such as Rice Student Volunteer Program, Rice Program Council and the Honor Council. The following positions constitute only those that are being contested. Voting results will be released on Feb. 17.

RPC President

Honor Council Sophomore Rep

Amendments to the Student Association Constitution related to blanket tax and amendments to the University Court Constitution are on the SA General Election ballot this year. They both need at least 20 percent of the student body to vote on them and 66 percent to approve them.

Blanket Tax Reform The blanket tax-related amendments to the SA Constitution will revamp the funding process for subsidiary organizations and their oversight. The amendments, proposed by the SA Blanket Tax Crack Team, call for a flat $85 blanket tax fee per student (not including the intramural fee), which will be allocated to subsidiary organizations.

Current blanket tax organizations will be assigned subsidiary status. A standing committee, comprised of students and advisors to subsidiary organizations, will review the subsidiary organizations’ annual budget and expenditures. The committee can decrease an organization’s funding by no more than 25 percent. Any surplus greater than 125 percent of the organizations approved funding will be returned to a pool of unallocated funds; this acts as an initiatives fund for other organizations to apply for further funding.

University Court Constitution The amendments to the University Court Constitution eliminate the position of graduate student representative, remove term limits for Court members and explain the process for choosing members. Additionally, the amendments clarify procedural rules, revise the Court’s relationship with Student Judicial Programs and review the Court’s mission and purpose.

To read the full text of the amendments and campaign states, visit sa.rice.edu/ballot.

Dixita Viswanath

Will Rice Past RPC Publicity Chair, EMS CPR Coordinator, Will Rice Caregiving President. Hopes to uphold past traditions while incorporating student feedback.

Jodie Nghiem

McMurtry RPC Socials co-Chair.

Helped plan Esperanza and Rondelet. Promises responsiveness, transparency, and upholding the quality of RPC events.

Anika Zaman

Baker New Student Representative on the Honor Council, member of Council task force. Sees the Honor Code as a symbol of trust; encourages inquiry on Code.

RSVP Chair

Henry Bair & Alan Vu

Baker Health Committee co-Chair (Vu), Education Committee co-Chair (Bair).

Increase RSVP presence and student participation.

Kalian Shi

Lovett Hunger and Homelessness Committee Chair, two-time Outreach Day co-coordinator. Promotes convenient interesting volunteer opportunities.

Bradley Hamilton Isabel Alison Duncan Will ensure fair treatment of students who are brought in front of the Honor Council.

Believes Honor Code is prestigious and deserving of importance.

SA EVP

Joan Liu

Jones

SA Treasurer.

Audited $400,000 of student money, worked with Blanket Tax Crack Team.

Supports experiential learning, SA as vehicle for change.

Madhuri Venkateswar

McMurtry SA Senator. Worked on Rice Education of the Future. Will facilitate transparent conversations between students and administration.

Duncan At-Large Representative on Honor Council, and believes this experience has provided her with full understanding of the job. Hopes to preserve fairness and justice.

SA Treasurer

Palvasha Deme

Brown New Student Representative on Rice Education of the Future. Believes she can make better use of SA funds through new projects.

SaiChilakapati

Hanszen SA Chief of Staff, former NSR. Worked for campus-wide calendar. Blanket tax reform is top priority. Pledges transparency.

photos courtesy of the candidates & helen wei

The Schumann Brothers Grant committee is happy to announce it is accepting applications for the 2015 Schumann Brothers Grants for Creative Expression.

Grants are available for Written Expression and Travel Journalism. Applicants must be undergraduate students involved with a Rice University student publication.

For more information, please go to www.ricestandard.org

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

RPC candidates offer differing skillsets, styles Andrew Ta & Anita Alem News Editors

Rice Program Council presidential candidates Dixita Viswanath and Jodie Nghiem present different approaches to leadership centered upon their current roles in the organization. Viswanath, a Will Rice College junior, is the publicity co-chair while Nghiem, a McMurtry College sophomore, is the socials co-chair.

Nghiem said she has two years left at Rice, allowing for the possibility of either a second term or the ability to provide mentorship to the next president.

“Continuity in leadership is important,” Nghiem said. “I’ll be there after my term as a source of guidance.”

Viswanath said being a part of Rice Emergency Medical Services provided her with a sense of calm in stressful situations as well

as the ability to see the big picture of any event.

“I redesigned the website and added a line-by-line budget so students can see exactly where their blanket tax goes for each event,” Viswanath said. “I have different ideas that I want to see changed, [such as] the entrance fees for some of our events so it could be a more equal chance for everyone.”

Nghiem cited her crisis management throughout Esperanza as evidence of her communication expertise, and stated that the RPC president would need to deal with emergencies and unexpected difficulties.

“The [Esperanza] experience has taught me to keep calm during high-stress situations, [so I] really think about choices as we run at them,” Nghiem said. “[I learned to] deal with repercussions and respond to student feedback. My co-chair and I responded to every single email and created an exten-

sive FAQ to answer any questions.”

Both candidates stressed that they respect each other but have different visions for the organization.

“As publicity chair, Dixita is more in charge of how RPC is perceived,” Nghiem said. “At the end of the day, RPC is planning events, and my experience gives me the perspective I need to really improve RPC. RPC is my Rice experience.”

Viswanath said her role of gaining feedback actually aids the co-chairs and said she has different skills to offer from Nghiem.

“I have a very broad way of thinking and very specific goals for RPC,” Viswanath said.

“Jodie’s a socials chair and is very focused on individual events. As publicity chair, my role is more big picture. I help bring students to events and see how we can improve by gauging student feedback and incorporating social media into this.”

EVP candidates split on REF initiative results Andrew Ta & Anita Alem News Editors

At first glance, Student Association external vice president candidates Madhuri Venkateswar and Joan Liu appear to campaign on similar platforms of empowering students to control their own Rice experiences. However, McMurtry College senator Venkateswar and SA treasurer Liu differ in their approach toward this broader goal of realizing student interests.

Venkateswar cited her experience as a part of the Rice Education of the Future initiative as an indication of her ability to collaborate with administration. However, Liu said she finds the future plans of the REF to be outlined vaguely and desires more tangible results.

“To make student priorities a reality, I want to translate these into something accomplishable, as opposed to [just] setting

NEWS

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a vision and revolving around it,” Liu said.

“When I asked how we could realize REF, I never got a clear response. It was always, ‘We’re deferring to administration’ or ‘We’re working on it.’”

Liu said although considering the big picture is important, being able to create something real is what students want.

“Experiential learning, like the ideas from REF or the SA40K — that’s what the SA should be making a reality,” Liu said. “So many good initiatives came from giving students money via the SA40K. That shouldn’t be a one-time thing. Making something like that happen on a regular basis — that’s what the SA is for.”

Venkateswar said the projects she tackled as a senator were particularly suited to preparing someone for EVP and that she will apply the lessons learned working on REF to ensure changes come to pass.

“I want to continue initiatives like blanket tax reformation and parking and look at tangible things to do in the short term,” Venkateswar said. “I also want to take the ideas REF came up with and implement those ideas over the long term. We’re at a unique point where [both students and administration are] in agreement that something needs to change.”

Liu said her role as treasurer allowed her to work closely with the Blanket Tax Crack Team and contribute to the final SA40K proposal.

Venkateswar said, as a senator, she has contributed more to legislation, including the initiative for oral communication courses in different schools of study.

“I’m uniquely qualified because I took the senate position not just as, ‘Let me represent McMurtry,’ but I took it as, ‘What do I see in the Rice community?’” Venkateswar said. “It’s about noticing specific things and saying, ‘I can make a difference here.’”

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0PRESIDENT FROM PAGE 1 “This position is all about doing multiple things at once,” Thakur said. “It’s important to get the ball rolling in a lot of different areas.”

Thakur said she wants students to see the SA as an extension of their residential colleges.

“I don’t want people viewing the SA as a 12th college,” Thakur said. “In office, I wouldn’t overstep boundaries; colleges are great at what they do and [it’s] a great way to reach out to people.”

Thakur said she hopes to carry out her external and internal visions of the SA and Rice without making unpopular changes.

“I want to respect the experience and the culture that we have here, but I also want to move it forward,” Thakur said.

Sandra Blackmun Jones College junior Sandra Blackmun said she would use her experience in residential college government to improve SA-college coordination. Unlike her opponents, Blackmun has one year of experience with the SA. “My overall platform is just bridging the gap between the colleges and the SA, and obviously a lot of people will say that,” Blackmun said. “Because of my college government background, I can [connect the two].”

According to Blackmun, working with the colleges will allow the SA to better involve students in its work. Blackmun said she would attend college cabinets and meet with college presidents to reach out to the student body.

“I would want to change the way people perceive the SA in terms of not working against the colleges,” Blackmun said. “I ... want to make sure to shape the way people view the SA.” Blackmun said she supports the general direction of the SA under current president Ravi Sheth and that she hopes to carry out the Rice Education of the Future initiative and create a single student organization event calendar.

According to Blackmun, her philosophy of leadership stresses cooperation.

“A good leader isn’t someone who leads followers,” Blackmun said. “It’s someone who creates miniature leaders [and] a great team.”

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MEET THE CANDIDATES: Botched election timeline ensures uninformed votes The Student Association presidential debate, initially scheduled for Monday, is instead being held today, Wednesday, Feb. 11 in the Kyle Morrow room in Fondren Library at 8 p.m. in place of the SA senate meeting. The SA initially planned to host the SA presidential debate on Monday, before elections began. However, according to SA President Ravi Sheth, the debate was moved to Wednesday to increase the event’s turnout.

Additionally, the SA did not release official information for all general election candidates until Monday, less than 24 hours before the ballot opened. Director of Elections Austin Cao said the registrar’s new requirement that all candidates must release information indicating good academic standing forced the SA to delay releasing candidate information.

While the Thresher understands exigent circumstances forced the SA to make changes to the elections timeline, these changes have negatively impacted the student body’s knowledge of the candidates and issues. By creating such a large window of time between the start of elections and the debate, framed in an already short voting period, the SA effectively ensures uninformed voting.

Moreover, the idea that delaying the debate will increase turnout to the event is flawed.

Sheth’s decision to hold the debate during the scheduled Senate meeting time because those who would typically attend the former will be available for the latter only guarantees that Senate members will be present. Considering Senate members are typically at the forefront of Rice leadership, it is reasonable to expect these individuals to make time to attend the debate regardless of its scheduling. The debate should be scheduled at a time that is most convenient for the entire student body as opposed to a time that appeals to a niche group already engaged in student government.

Consistently low voter turnout plagues the SA general elections. Increasing turnout is a responsibility that currently falls upon candidates themselves; however, candidates have their own interests in mind, and although they may contribute towards increasing turnout, they are more focused on becoming elected than sustaining a positive culture surrounding voting. We have long treated low turnout as an inherent problem without a solution, but the truth is that the SA has not yet attempted a solution.

Evidently, elections deserve greater attention from SA leadership. For the sake of its own future, the SA must expand the role of the elections committee to include ensuring a smooth elections timeline and instilling students with a strong sense of civic duty.

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 want to create more leaders

I will show you the SA’s power

Let’s improve the Rice experience

My extensive experience in political television series has taught me a great deal about how to be an effective leader and how to empower others to create the significant change they want to see. But more importantly, my experience at Rice has given me the opportunity to meet incredible people, experience the amazing campus culture and to learn that everyone has a voice.

I am running to be your next Student Association President because I see the potential of this organization. The SA is an amazing organization that allows us to truly make a change not only for our own undergraduate experience, but also for that of students to come. But something doesn’t add up. If you ask the average Rice student what the SA does, they are unable to tell you. To me, there are two main reasons why this is the case: 1) College and SA Relationship: I believe a current gap exists between the colleges and the SA, and my goal is to bridge this gap. With my college leadership background, I fundamentally understand the college government. I want to allow colleges to remain autonomous and run themselves but also to bring the two organizations together to create campus-wide changes.

2) Communication: Many people are unaware of what the SA actually does. I plan on increasing communication via social media, attending college cabinet/ council meetings to create a direct relationship with students and increasing our relationship with the Thresher to publish even more to students.

Together, we will make a change. I hope to empower you to make the difference you want to see. One of my favorite quotes in life has absolutely changed the way I work with others, and I hope you’ll know that I will lead with this belief: “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” We can all come together and elicit the changes we want to see in our university, but to do so, we need an SA President who knows both sides of the relationship between the SA and the colleges and who has a vision to empower you. I hope you’ll Stand with Sandra and see this vision become a reality.

It is a very frustrating time to run for a position in the Student Association. For the past few weeks, I have been walking around campus trying to convince people that I’m capable of running the most powerful student organization on campus.

From Facebook spam to “Get Jazzy On It” t-shirts, I’ve been trying to market myself and my campaign. But at the end of the day, I know most Rice students don’t give a damn about a cute flyer. You want to make sure that the 50K you pay a year goes toward a university worth your money.

For those students still choosing who to give their vote to, I write this to assure you that I would not run for SA president if I did not wholeheartedly know that I am the most qualified candidate.

I am not running on future promises or hopes. I am only running on the platform that I have been holding myself to for this past year. You see something that needs to be fixed and you get that thing done. You don’t wait until someone else makes it a priority.

Parking has been a problem on campus for longer than I’ve been in attendance. So why haven’t we seen any changes until this year? It’s because this year the SA made it a priority. When you elect competent leaders, they do what it takes to command our community.

I am not going to mindlessly criticize the SA. No one who’s ever been in the SA would argue that the we don’t have the power, influence, structure or resources to function.

What needs to change is the fact that the rest of the student body believes that isn’t true. Roughly six people this week asked me what the SA even does. That’s not acceptable, and it is entirely the fault of the SA. It is not the job of a busy Rice student to find the campus-wide SA meetings, learn about the legislation on the agenda and then show up. The SA should go to the colleges, which is something they used to do.

This is not just another election; you are choosing who will set the agenda for an entire year of legislation. When you cast your vote, you are actually choosing the problems that are going to get addressed. I am that person who will stand up for you, and I sincerely hope you trust me with your vote.

My three-point platform of advancing our experiences inside and outside the classroom, and looking ahead beyond Rice is rooted to what I see as the Rice experience.

There’s a reason we consistently report being some of the happiest college students around, so there must be something here worth upholding. Whether that includes your appreciation for our self-governing 11 residential colleges, small class sizes, or available career-advancing opportunities, let’s work to maintain them — but also to advance them. Let’s find a way to view the SA not as a 12th college, but an extension of each of the colleges — a part of the student body that connects us all. Let’s fight back against the growing student population and urge administration and faculty to keep our class sizes small and education at its best.

Let’s demand for more externship, internship, research and shadowing opportunities; let’s make it easier to connect with 100 years’ worth of alumni who have been in our exact befuddled, yet driven, shoes.

With the knowledge of whom to contact and how to contact in the administration, you all have the power to ask for the changes you want to see; with our online petition system, you all even have the power to make those changes. Having been an active leader in the SA as an NSR and senator, I recognize that we need to increase the flow of information from you, the student body, to the administration, and vice versa. Let’s get everyone on the same page from the very beginning of every topic of discussion.

With a vision of how to proceed and clear-cut goals, we can truly impact the faculty’s and administration’s thinking. What’s the best way we see fit to handle add/drop for registration? Is there a way students can access new parking spaces as well? Is a twoweek spring break feasible for our culture, and how do we as students envision it to provide more opportunities for experiential learning, as we proposed in the Rice Education of the Future Initiative? Let’s work together and relay our ideas to the university.

And, lastly, let’s just do it. These are not farfetched ideas, but a list of concrete plans. Let’s fix what’s broken — such as how we allocate the blanket tax — and let’s better the education we receive. Voice your opinion with your vote and let’s advance the Rice experience together.

Sandra Blackmun

Jazz Silva

Aishwarya Thakur

is a Jones College junior

Errata

is a Sid Richardson College junior

is a Lovett College sophomore

In the Feb. 4 issue of the Thresher, a photo caption in Arts & Entertainment incorrectly identified Laurel Bingman as Lauren Bingman.

Editorial Staff Miles Kruppa* Editor in Chief news Andrew Ta* Editor Yasna Haghdoost* Editor Anita Alem* Editor Drew Keller Assistant Editor Justin Park Designer opinions Mitch Mackowiak* Editor

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

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.

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

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PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP 2

Ryan Chandler OF ‘18 Bat L, Throw R Wiess Houston, TX

Ford Stainback 2B ‘15 Bat S, Throw R .258 avg McMurtry Dallas, TX

Leon Byrd SS ‘16 Bat S, Throw R .258 avg Brown Cypress, TX

Tristan Gray IF ‘18 Bat L, Throw R Sid Richardson Houston, TX

Kirby Taylor DH ‘15 Bat R, Throw R .355 avg Will Rice Bellaire, TX

photos by marcel merwin/thresher

Perfect pitch: Baseball go HOME GAMES vs. Texas*

2/13 6 p.m., 2/14 12 p.m., 4 p.m., 2/15 1 p.m.

vs. Houston Baptist 2/17 4:30 p.m.

vs. Stephen F. Austin

2/25 4:30 P.M.

vs. Stanford*

2/27 6 p.m., 2/28 12 p.m., 4 p.m., 3/1 1 p.m.

vs. Lamar

3/10 6:30 p.m.

vs. Texas State

3/11 6:30 p.m.

vs. Louisiana Tech

3/13 6:30 p.m., 3/14 2 p.m., 3/15 1 p.m.

vs. Sam Houston State*

3/24 6:30 p.m.

vs. Southern Miss

3/27 6 p.m., 3/28 2 p.m., 3/29 1 p.m.

vs. Middle Tennessee

4/3 6:30 p.m., 4/4 2 p.m., 4/5 1 p.m.

vs. Houston*

4/14 6:30 p.m.

vs. UTSA

4/17 6:30 p.m., 4/18 2 p.m., 4/19 1 p.m.

vs. Texas A&M, Corpus Christi

5/6 5 p.m.

vs. Florida International

5/14 6:30 p.m., 5/15 6:30 p.m., 5/16 12 p.m.

* key games

Michael Kidd Thresher Staff

Coming off their 19th consecutive conference championship and 40-win season, Rice will compete to earn their 20th straight trip to the postseason and advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Rice, selected by Conference USA coaches as the unanimous favorite to once again win conference, has not been to Omaha since their three-year run ended in 2008.

The 2015 Owls completed a 42-20 season last year (23-7 in Conference USA play) and earned both the regular season and C-USA tournament championships in 2014. With preseason rankings of no. 13 on d1baseball.com and no. 15 on Baseball America, many believe the Owls will be able to continue their conference streak.

This season, Rice returns a slew of highprofile pitchers, including junior all-conference pitchers Blake Fox and Matt Ditman. Last season, Rice ranked second in C-USA with a 2.56 team ERA, compared with the conference’s average of 3.41. Rice looks to build upon those pitching statistics and allow the pitching staff to lead the team deep into the postseason.

Starting Pitchers Fortunately for the Owls, the Rice Owls pitching staff is returning nearly all of their 2014 rotation and is expected to be one of the top programs in the country. Last season, righthanded pitcher Zech Lemond was drafted in the third round of the MLB draft by the San Diego Padres. With the exception of Lemond, a multitude of pitchers have returned to the roster.

Now in his 10th season with Rice, Pitching Coach Pat Hallmark said the team’s pitching staff will help the team win a lot of games.

“We got a lot of guys back from last year, which means we expect to add to last season’s success,” Hallmark said. “They [all] have good stuff, [and] the biggest thing with our guys is to always throw strikes. If we get a lot of strikes

from our pitchers, we feel very confident that they will have good games.”

Hallmark said he knows two of his most reliable and experienced pitchers, juniors Kevin McCanna and Blake Fox, will be on the mound for the opening series against Texas.

“We think Kevin and Blake will certainly be in there somewhere over the weekend,” Hallmark said. “The other two we are not sure about but we do know they will be very capable and compete at a high level.”

6-foot-4, 225-pound sophomore pitcher Jon Duplantier looks to have solidified a spot in the weekend rotation, having had a successful summer playing in the California Collegiate League. With a fastball capable of hitting 95 on the radar guns and a power slider, he was named the top prospect of the CCL and will be heavily relied on this season.

Additionally, right-hander McCanna, who spent much of last year as the Friday night starter, is back and has shown command in intrasquad games thus far. He went 8-3 on the mound last year and was second on the team in both wins and innings, pitching behind only fellow teammate and All-American Blake Fox. Fox is coming off a season in which we went 12-0 (9-0 against Conference USA opponents) and was a finalist for the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year. This year, Fox was named the preseason favorite for Pitcher of the Year in C-USA.

Closer Junior reliever Matt Ditman was the surprise story of 2014. Ditman emerged as a dominant pitcher for the Owls last season. The former bullpen catcher appeared in 26 games for Rice and had nine saves on the year. His 1.83 earned run average and opponent hitters’ batting average of .198 on the season earned him preseason All-Conference honors this year. He is the only relief pitcher to have made the list.

Ditman discussed being recognized by the conference for his achievements, and said he

believes the important accolades come when the preseason honors can become postseason.

“I am honored and happy to have gotten [recognized],” Ditman said. “But at the same time, I’d rather see postseason all-conference as opposed to preseason. I really want to focus on receiving postseason accolades for the sake of my teammates.”

When Ditman looks at his fellow pitchers, he sees experienced guys who have tasted success. According to Ditman, he feels the Owls have the potential for another strong season.

“When you look at our pitching staff, it’s a lot of guys who have already displayed success and have the capability to succeed at this level,” Ditman said. “We have a lot of potential to do something really special as a pitching staff.”

Other notable pitchers for the Owls include juniors Ryan McCarthy and Austin Orewiler, who are midweek starter candidates. Additionally, junior Jordan Stephens is set to return from Tommy John surgery this season. In 2013, he led the Owls in innings pitched with 118.2 and recorded 100 strikeouts. Notable freshman standouts this year have been Ricky Salinas and Glenn Otto, who have the potential to see significant action.

Hitters On the opposite side of the ball, the Owls have many gaps to fill, having lost five of their nine offensive starters last season. Seniors Keenan Cook (RF), Michael Aquino (LF), Shane Hoelscher (3B), Chase McDowell (DH/ RHP) and junior Skyler Ewing (1B) were either lost to graduation or drafted by MLB teams.

Hitting Coach Clay Van Hook, in his fourth year as the Owls’ coach, talked about the highly restructured lineup for 2015. According to Van Hook, replacing the departed players will not be easy, but he believes the team has the talent to continue its winning tradition.

“You know it’s always tough to replace four out of your top five hitters, not just from [the]

BASEBALL B3

P 2015: A CLOSER LOOK

Connor Teykl 1B ‘16 Bat L, Throw R .351 OBP Baker Sugar Land, TX

Blake Fox P ‘16 Bat L, Throw R 1.46 ERA Will Rice The Woodlands, TX

John Williamson RF ‘15 Bat L, Throw L .301 slg % Sid Richardson Houston, TX

John Clay Reeves C ‘15 Bat R, Throw R 41 RBI McMurtry Monroe, LA

goes for 20th straight title hitting standpoint, but from the leadership that a lot of those guys had,” Van Hook said.

“We feel we brought in a very athletic group of kids that we know will have a good future here at Rice.”

Ahead of facing no. 10 ranked Texas, Van Hook said he needs his hitters to remain calm and realize that, in the game of baseball, composure in all situations is a must.

“In terms of preparing the guys for Texas, it’s opening weekend and the juices are going to be flowing, [and] the adrenaline is going to be there,” Van Hook said. “The biggest thing for the young guys is to keep [their] composure and stay in the moment. I think the guys are prepared and [have done] a good job hitting in practice and intra-squads, so hopefully they are ready.”

Infield Returning for the Owls is the sure-handed duo of middle infielders, junior shortstop Leon Byrd and senior second baseman Ford Stainback. Both are effective runners and excellent hitters capable of hitting the ball to all areas of the field. Rounding out the infield is junior Connor Teykl at first base and junior college transfer Grayson Lewis at third base.

In his first year with the Owls, Lewis said he is excited about being part of a team he claims is the most talented he’s ever been on.

“It’s all been very exciting and really different from junior college [playing for Rice],” Lewis said. “This is the most talented team I’ve ever been on and is an honor to be a part of it.

They continue to amaze me with all their talent on the field … [and] I feel lucky to be on a club that has such great team chemistry.”

Outfield The outfield for the Owls has considerable depth, thanks in part to the addition of talented freshmen. Returning from last year’s squad is Charlie Warren, who is expected to

transition to right field after spending most of his time last season at center field. The other two outfield positions are undecided as of yet as multiple Owls ranging from freshmen Ryan Chandler and Tristan Gray to seniors John Williamson and Kirby Taylor have each received significant reps at left and center field. Sophomore outfielder Dayne Wunderlich has also emerged as a hard-hitting sophomore with athleticism and speed who may prove to be a real weapon for the Owls.

Chandler projects to see significant playing time for the Owls. Entering his first season for Rice, he said he has learned much about the game at the collegiate level.

“It’s a lot different [from] high school because the competition is much better,” Chandler said. “When you consider that everybody here was the best player on their high school team, you must turn it up a notch. You have to grind and give it your best every single day.”

According to Chandler, the constant message he receives from his coaching staff and fellow teammates is to always remain confident at the plate.

“The thing they have preached to us is being confident every time you are out there,” Chandler said. “It has really changed me personally as a hitter. Trusting them and trusting my teammates to help me and hold me accountable for what I’m supposed to do on the field has been key.”

Catchers Senior John Clay Reeves and junior Hunter Kopycinski will share the duty behind the plate this season. Reeves is arguably the best hitter on the roster with a 2014 batting average of .317 and was named the Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year. Entering his senior season, Reeves will be a threat on both sides of the ball, especially when it comes to two of the most important aspects of the game: Calling pitches for the pitching staff and power hitting.

Kopycinski is a defensive-minded catcher capable of catching multiple innings. Coaches agree he has shown improvement this offseason and Kopycinski has made a case to be inserted in the lineup on a more consistent basis this season.

Outlook The Rice schedule includes notable nonconference games against many notable nonconference opponents. A few of these toptier teams include Texas, Stanford University, Texas Christian University, the University of Arizona, the University of Houston and Sam Houston State University.

Head Coach Wayne Graham, who earned his 1,000th Rice victory last season, said he enjoys playing these elite teams because it tests where Rice stands on a national scale.

“You find out by playing good teams where you are and where you’ve got to go,” Graham said. “We think we can compete with [these top teams], and aside from these games being developmental it gives you a good power rating for later.”

Entering his 24th year as head coach, Graham said he realizes the Owls streak of 19 straight conference championships and 20 straight NCAA tournament appearances is remarkable, but is not the ultimate goal of the season.

“We always want to keep the string going because obviously it’s hard to get a streak like that going,” Graham said. “But we’d rather get to Omaha and win the national championship.”

The 2015 season is set to begin this upcoming Friday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m, when the Owls take on the University of Texas, Austin at Reckling Park.

The last time the two teams played was the 2014 NCAA regional matchup where the Longhorns defeated Rice 3-2 in 11 innings and gave Rice their first of two losses in the regional tournament.

Grayson Lewis 3B ‘16 Bat R, Throw R .397 OBP (JC) Martel Heath, TX

BY THE NUMBERS Rice Team Average

C-USA Average

OBP .363

.341 ERA 2.56 3.41 Batting Average .293 .263 Slugging % .385 .345

B4 BASEBALL

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The bat: John Clay Reeves Juan Saldana Thresher Staff

John Clay Reeves has finally found a baseball home at Rice University. Coming from Monroe, Louisiana, the Owls’ starting catcher played his first two seasons at the University of Arkansas and Navarro College, respectively, but has finally established himself at Reckling Park.

Last season, his first season as an Owl, was Reeves’s breakthrough year in which he recorded a .317 batting average led the Owls to another conference championship and earned him a collection of individual accolades. He was named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year in addition to being a second team AllConference USA honoree.

Reeves played his freshman year at the University of Arkansas, where he helped the Razorbacks reach the College World Series as a true freshman. However, due to a crowded depth chart at catcher, he transferred to Navarro College after the season. According to Reeves, he enjoyed his time at Arkansas but felt he could achieve greater accomplishments at other programs.

“Arkansas was a great experience for me my freshman year,” Reeves, a McMurtry College senior, said. “I had some great times and got to learn from a great catching coach, but I was splitting time and it was best for me to move on.”

At Navarro, Reeves led his team to the Junior College World Series while posting a .367 batting average. After completing his junior college year, he landed at Rice.

Reeves said ending up at Rice was a dream come true.

“Not many people want to pass up the opportunity to come to Rice and play for a great coach in Wayne Graham,” Reeves said. “I thank God every day that he gave me the opportunity to be on a team like this.”

After sustaining a hip injury last season, he had surgery on June 26 to begin his rehabilitation. He missed fall baseball practice as part of his five-month recovery process. Reeves said he has been aggressively training to get back into top-tier baseball form since mid-November.

“I have been hitting it real hard,” Reeves said. “I have been catching and hitting as much as I can to get ready for the season and handle all these great pitchers that we have. I want to put up some of the same numbers I put up last

year and maybe improve since I am healthier this year.”

Reeves is focusing on fixing the last season’s mistakes. Despite his all-conference-caliber numbers from last year, he believes there is plenty of room for improvement, for both himself and the team. Primarily, Reeves said the team needs to do a better job taking each game with the same intensity.

“I want to have a good season, not only for myself but for my teammates,” Reeves said. “We want to take each game one at a time and win the series every weekend.”

Head Coach Wayne Graham is also looking forward to another impressive season from Reeves, whom he named Most Valuable Player of the team last year. According to Graham, Reeves has a chance to improve his performance from last season due to his improved health.

“He played hurt [last season] and he played well and called a great game,” Graham said.

“He has a chance to have a great year. He is just a fine and intelligent player.”

In addition to his hitting prowess, with his six home runs and 41 RBIs in 2014, much of Reeves’s contribution to the Owls comes from his job as a game-managing catcher. Reeves said he works closely with the Owls’ top-tier pitching staff and is entrusted by Coach Graham to call the pitches in games.

“As a catcher, I want to be able to lead our pitching staff and help call pitches,” Reeves said. “I can’t say enough about this pitching staff. We have so many good pitchers on this team.”

This year, Reeves will have some defensive help with junior Hunter Kopycinski ready to take on some of the load at the catcher position.

According to Reeves, Kopycinski has shown promise and will be able to fill in for him, if needed.

“Toward the end [of last season], I got a little tired,” Reeves said. “This year we have Hunter Kopycinski to share some of the games at catcher. He’s been playing great and had a great fall.”

With Kopycinski ready to share the load, Graham said Reeves and Kopycinksi would be splitting games defensively at catcher. When not catching, Reeves will be the team’s designated hitter, replacing the pitcher in the batting lineup.

“Reeves will always bat in the lineup,” said

Graham. “Kopycinski is hitting better but will not always be in the lineup.”

Reeves’s goal is to return to the College World Series in Omaha for the first time since his freshman year at Arkansas, and he said he believes this team has the ability to achieve their objective.

“I think this is a great team and a great group of guys,” Reeves said. “This is a team that does have potential to go to Omaha.”

Reeves, who is entering his final year of eligibility, said he is looking to play professionally after this year. He said his goal is to continue to play baseball and someday continue working in the field as a coach.

“I want to try to play baseball as long as I can like every guy in that locker room,” Reeves said. “Eventually coaching is something that I think I have a lot of passion for. These coaches here have done nothing but great things for me.”

Reeves, a sports management major, said he is also thankful for the academic value that his Rice experience has given him. He has been working hard in the classroom to make up for the 30 hours he lost when he transferred. Named to the C-USA All-Academic Team last year, Reeves will walk at graduation, but will be six credits short of a diploma.

“Rice does a lot of great things for you other than athletics,” Reeves said. “It is a great school for academics, which is another reason I came here. It has given me the opportunity to have some great internships through our sports management program.”

Reeves looks to stay healthy and be on the lineup card for the entire season as he enters his final year as a college athlete, having found a place in which he could excel.

“There is no better place to me than Rice,” Reeves said.

“It really has been a blessing to have the opportunity to play here and I could not be more thankful.”

The arm: Blake Fox

Aniket Tolpadi For the Thresher

illustrations by claire elestwani

Rice University baseball’s 2014 NCAA Regional matchup against the University of Texas had just concluded the bottom of the seventh inning. The Owls, holding a 2-1 lead over their rivals at Reckling Park, received a standing ovation from their supporters.

Thanks to timely hitting and a dominant start from sophomore lefthanded pitcher Blake Fox, Rice was six outs from a crucial victory over their in-state rivals.

Fox said the moment was surreal; he described it as the single coolest moment of his career thus far.

“It gave me the chills,” Fox said.

Though the Owls were unable to win the game, the strong performance they received from Fox was nothing out of the ordinary. As a freshman, Fox finished with a 6-0 record while coming primarily out of the bullpen. As a sophomore, he compiled a 12-0 record with a 1.46 earned run average.

His success on the field has earned him a number of accolades.

Following his sophomore season, Fox was named a first team AllAmerican by the National College Baseball Writers Association, first team AllConference USA and Rice Male Athlete of the

Year, among several others.

Fox made the transition from reliever to starter between his freshman and sophomore years. Typically, such a transition requires considerable strength training to build stamina, as well as an expansion of the pitcher’s repertoire.

According to Fox, strength training was a big part of the offseason and the addition of a slider to his repertoire over the summer of his freshman year as necessary for the progression to start.

“It’s about having your goals in mind during the season [and] offseason and having the discipline and focus to achieve them,” Fox said.

Head Coach Wayne Graham said Fox is a well-rounded pitcher and the ideal Rice player.

“We’re always looking for good, reliable players, and that’s exactly what Blake is,” Graham said. “He’s very disciplined on the mound.”

According to Fox, the coaches have had a significant impact on his success on the mound. “[The coaches] coach the mental side of the game very well,” Fox said. “They’re really aware of different situations, and that helps us perform better as players.”

Through his development, Fox has developed a unique pitching style that has allowed him to enjoy so much success in a short amount of time. His greatest strength, perhaps, is his confidence in each of his four pitches: fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. While most pitchers have one “out pitch” that they will call upon in pressure situations, this is not the case with Fox. According to Fox, he has the confidence in his pitches. Further accentuating this point is the fact Fox pitches to his strengths. While he is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of hitters on the mound, Fox still prefers pitching to his strength rather than a hitter’s weakness in a given situation.

Additionally, Fox describes himself as a strike thrower who prefers to go for a direct strikeout, rather than trying to get the hitter to chase.

“I throw strikes,” Fox said. “If someone in our infield makes a play or if I strike a guy out, I don’t really care as long as the guy’s out. But if I walk someone, then nobody gets to make a play, and that hurts us.”

The ability to throw strikes, as Fox said, is particularly important given an NCAA rule change regarding the baseballs that will be used during games. While balls that were used last year are described as “high-seam” balls, the ones that will be used this year “lowseam.”

This upcoming season, Fox will serve the role of “weekend starter” for the Owls. Doing so gives him six days of rest between starts, all of which are necessary to recover from the soreness that results from consistently pitching deep into games. According to Fox, the rest is a critical aspect of being able to pitch at a consistently high level throughout the season.

“There definitely is some soreness the day after you pitch, so you spend a lot of the week recovering from that,” Fox said.

As for what constitutes this recovery, Fox mentioned long toss, bullpen sessions and running, all of which he uses in addition to typical resting protocols to stay sharp between starts. While six days is longer than most professional pitchers have to recover from starts (typically four days at the Major League level), the pitcher’s responsibility of staying sharp places additional emphasis on the fitness and conditioning training that is typically done during the offseason.

As for Fox and the Owls, the goal this year is the same as it always is: win the Conference USA title en route to winning the College World Series in Omaha. The 19-time reigning Conference USA champions begin their season Feb. 13 against Texas in Reckling Park.

arts

ENTERTAINMENT

5

Vagina Monologues sees new faces Anastasia Bolshakov For the Thresher

As a student who has been at Rice for four years, I knew exactly what to expect from The Vagina Monologues — women dressed in red, black and white, a basement and lots of usage of the word “vagina” — and that’s exactly what I got. While at times the show is entertaining, it is essentially the same show I have seen performed in a Rice basement last year, the year before that and the year before that. That was expected — and boring.

The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler.

It consists of a variety of monologues, each dealing with a different aspect of the female experience, typically read by a varying number of women. Every year on Valentine’s Day, across the globe, activists unite to perform The Vagina Monologues in order to raise money to benefit female victims of violence and sexual abuse.

The proceeds from the Rice show will once again go to the Houston Area Women’s Resource Center.

Given that The Vagina Monologues is a wellestablished production, it’s hard to expect much of a change year to year, but at times it feels as if none of the direction has budged in the past four year; even most of the faces performing are the same. The venue change, however, is a nice breath of fresh air. With Sid Richardson College’s basement occupied by the Sid musical this year, The

B

Monologues moved to Lovett College’s basement.

Despite the carry-over in direction, there are a few new faces that bring fresh perspective to old monologues. Graduate student Lynn Fahey’s performance of “Hair” is conversational, sassy and funny, unlike past years’ somber performances.

McMurtry College junior Helen Hoover also wows with her rendition of “The Vagina Workshop,” layering braininess and silliness.

However, more monologues seem to fall flat rather than shine. Some lines just don’t hit the right note; some monologues feel rushed while others drag on and some actresses seem not to connect with their pieces at all. It’s also hard not to compare renditions to previous years’, especially since much of the delivery and direction seem so similar. I still assert that I have not seen a rendition of “My Vagina Was My Village” better than that performed

by Duncan College senior Clara Roberts in 2012.

At the same time, I was pleasantly surprised by the addition of three new monologues this year. Jones College sophomore Zoe Matranga and Hanszen College sophomore Olivia Hsia fabulously take on “They Beat the Girl out of my Boy.” For years, The Monologues has been missing a very important aspect of the female narrative — the voice of the transgender community. Matranga and Hsia handle the topic wonderfully and are able to connect not only to the audience, but also to each other. “My Short Skirt” and “My Revolution Begins in the Body” are also two new additions to the lineup of monologues.

Despite its flaws, this year’s production of The Vagina Monologues succeeds in provoking thoughts about sexuality, women and vaginas. It’s a show I think all students should watch, especially if they have not seen it before. anastasia bolshakov/thresher

‘Brewed the hard way’: Budweiser’s beef with craft beer Walden Pemantle Thresher Staff

Among ads of cute puppies, human PacMan games and stampeding Clydesdales, Budweiser aired a new commercial during the Super Bowl proudly titled “Brewed the Hard Way.” The ad heralds Budweiser as “proudly a macro beer … not to be fussed over.” Bud drinkers are juxtaposed with glasses-wearing mustachioed men, who represent Budweiser’s take on microbrewed beer’s finicky hipster crowd. The ad continues by stating that Bud is “brewed for drinking, not dissecting,” and shows yet more hipsters before finally proclaiming, “Let them drink their pumpkin peach ale, we’ll be brewing us some golden suds.”

The ad is a direct smear on microbrewing and craft beer’s surging popularity, and it doesn’t come from a struggling brewer desperate for sales, but from the producer of America’s most popular light and regular beer. So why pick on the little guys?

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

It doesn’t take an analyst to see how the craft beer revolution has transformed our country’s markets. Just like California put American wine on the map, microbrews have completely changed the perception of American beer. Once loathed for its cold fermentation and use of corn to add alcohol content without flavor, American beers are now every bit as lauded as the historic beers from Germany, Holland and Belgium, and not without reason. American brewers have pioneered the malting and fermenting techniques that created some of the world’s toastiest porters, creamiest milk stouts and most aromatic pale ales.

Other beer giants like Samuel Adams have used the craft beer trend to their advantage. A 2014 commercial for their beer asks people off the street how many styles of beer Sam Adams brews in a year. The people in the ad, one of whom is also a mustachioed, glasses-wearing hipster, reliably named four or five beers before exhibiting shock at the 60 different brews that Sam Adams makes

in a year. It’s a commercial that celebrates the ability of serious American brewers and the diversity of their beers. It sends a message that Sam Adams supports them, even if its main source profit is its “macro” Boston lager. Instead, Budweiser offers its viewers a message that there can be only one way of making good beer, and if they don’t agree, they must be pretentious.

Perhaps the oddest factor in Budweiser’s choice to run a $9 million Super Bowl ad slamming craft beer is that, in many ways, Budweiser also supports craft beers and microbrews. Anheuser-Bush, the owner of Budweiser and all its breweries, also owns 10 different small craft beer breweries. Widmer Brothers, which merged with Redhook Brewing as part of the Budweiserowned Craft Beer Alliance in 2012, has released over 65 types of beer, most of which are limited-release microbrews. Elysian Brewing Company, acquired by Budweiser in January 2015, ironically makes a pecan peach pumpkin ale of the exact sort that

Budweiser’s ad claims is fundamentally incompatible with the type of people who like Budweiser.

So Budweiser: Why the posturing? As a company that already has the largest share of its U.S. market and is managing to profit off the craft beer boom anyway, isn’t slamming the hard work and popularity of talented microbrewers kind of biting the hand that feeds? Budweiser has always run ads that play to its strengths as a straightforward everyman’s beer. But stabs like “[Budweiser] is brewed for drinking, not dissecting. The people who drink our beer are people who like to drink beer brewed the hard way” don’t seem to sell anything. They make Budweiser seem tasteless, people who care about taste snobbish and beers that aim for a more complex flavor tedious.

It’s fine if Budweiser doesn’t want to invest in brewing lines of more flavorful complex beers like Sam Adams, but it could at least leave those who do care about improving taste well enough alone.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

SIGNALS

UNDIE RUN

Super hip art gallery Aurora Picture Show has a new treat for any culture nerd. Until Friday, Feb. 13, interdisciplinary artist Nick Bontranger’s multimedia piece Signals will be on display.

The piece requires direct viewer interaction with a series of films and pulls the viewer into the art. The exhibit is free and on display 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

Take your love for Baker 13 to the next level this Valentine’s Day and run the streets of Houston in your underwear. At 2 p.m. on Feb. 14, the Cupid’s Undie Run will be going on across the city. There will be a VIP bar and all profits will go to charity.

Registration is online and pay-whatyou-can.

On Feb. 14, toast to the the Year of the Ram at the 2015 Lunar New Year celebration. This all-day event features all the festival must-haves: food, games, art exhibitions, cultural performances and best of all, free admission.

Classy night out? How about classy night outside? Treat yourself or your significant other to fine food and drink in the moonlit arboretum on either Feb. 13 or 14.

Stroll along softly lit paths, enjoy specially paired courses and wines and pretend you are in Europe for a night.

Aurora Picture Show 2442 Bartlett aurorapictureshow.org

Celtic Gardens 2300 Louisiana cupidsundierun.com

Chinese Community Center 9800 Town Park Dr. ccchouston.org/lunarnewyear

Houston Arboretum 4501 Woodway Dr. houstonarboretum.org

WINE & TAPAS

WHAT’S HIP RIGHT NOW APP:

PODCAST:

Postmates Food Delivery

NPR’s Invisibilia

A&E

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

6

by kaylen strench

TV SHOW: Togetherness

ART EXHIBIT: Infinity Machine

courtesy npr

In a phrase: “Jogging entertainment for science and psych nerds.”

Where to find it: npr.com; can also download from iTunes.

I can never run without something in my ears — my drowning-elephant-level panting makes the outer loop feel like a three-mile version of the Mojave desert. That said, I think I’d rather fork out my eyeballs than listen to the Top 40 on repeat for a half-hour.

Thankfully, I lucked out with Invisibilia, an hour-long NPR podcast that meshes together cutting-edge science, NPR witty intellectual charm and a touch of sentimentality. The two extremely likable hosts, Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel, focus on a theme, like “Entanglement,” and relate it to the workings of the human brain through a series of real-life stories and discussions with academia about breakthroughs in science, psychology and technology. It comes together in a way that is both stimulating and consumable; and the easy accessibility through NPR or iTunes makes it a pleasurable addition to a walk from West Lot or inner loop bus ride.

courtesy hbo

courtesy postmates

In a phrase: “Uber for food delivery.”

Where to find it: Postmates.com, or download the app off iTunes.

You’re sitting in your dorm room, it’s a Saturday night and you’re tired of people, but you still want a nice dinner. Also, caveat — you are sick and tired of pizza, and you have no car. Enter the neatest app I’ve seen yet, Postmates, which employs freelance couriers to bring you delicious, highquality food from your favorite restaurants.

All you have to do is select a restaurant (including Jus Mac, Crave Cupcakes and even Ruggles Green), pick out what you want and a nice guy or gal will bike or drive it over to you for a small fee. They don’t do every restaurant, and you may have to wait just a little bit, but hey, we’ll take it over stomaching Domino’s yet again.

In a phrase: “Something like a darker ‘Modern Family’ that’s been HBO-fied.”

Where to find it: HBO, or mooch off your friend’s HBOGO account.

The eccentric indie duo of brothers Jay Duplass (Jeff, Who Lives at Home) and Mark Duplass (“The League”) has put together an oddly warm little family drama that is weird enough to actually seem, well, believable.

“Togetherness,” which just got renewed for a second season, tells the story of a young family with fairly standard issues (“Honey, why do we never have sex anymore?”) hosting a couple of not-so-welcome guests.

Though at moments it oozes with warm fuzzies, the Duplasses use an appropriate amount of edge to distance the show from triteness, encouraging viewers to feel invested but never bored. Though only four episodes have been released so far, this seems to have the potential of to becoming a little gem of a show worth giving a shot.

courtesy houston chronicle

In a phrase: “Spinning lights, space, chanting, mirrors.”

Where to find it: In the Byzantine Fresco Chapel by the Menil, in the Museum District.

Visiting the Menil is always a trippy experience, but if you go within the next couple of months, it may verge on surreal.

Inside the newly renovated Byzantine Fresco Chapel right next to the main museum, Canadian artists Janet Cardiff and Georges Bures Miller have just installed their new absolutely overwhelming “Infinity Machine.” I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but let’s just put out a few buzzwords: ethereal sounds, over 150 rotating antique mirrors, NASA. Essentially, “Infinity” is designed to supply the effect of a hallucinogenic drug experience and a visit to MoMa. You’ll be moved, disoriented and see imaginary things — and you’ll be a little cooler for the whole thing.

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

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NCAA to rethink marijuana policy Evan Neustater and Maddy Adams Sports Editors

courtesy rice athletics communications

Senior guard Maya Adetula drives to the basket during a 76-83 loss against first-place Western Kentucky University. Adetula came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points in the loss, hitting five of 10 field goals. The Owls are now 7-14 overall and 2-8 in Conference USA on the year.

Football inks 18 on National Signing Day Evan Neustater Sports Editor

Each year, the first Wednesday in February is celebrated nationwide as the first day high school athletes can accept an athletic scholarship from a university. The day has become something of a spectacle in recent years, with recruiting websites and large networks such as ESPN joining in on its coverage.

This year, Rice football signed 18 players to football scholarships beginning in the 2015-16 academic year. The class includes four defensive linemen, three offensive linemen, three cornerbacks, two safeties, two quarterbacks, two running backs, one tight end and one kicker.

Additionally, 16 of the 18 seniors come from within the state of Texas. Three of the sixteen Texans hail from the Houston metropolitan area.

Head Football Coach David Bailiff said Signing Day was the culmination of nearly a year’s work of recruiting and establishing relationships with the players. 16 of the 18 players who signed either went to Rice’s Junior Day workouts or attended Rice’s annual summer football camp.

“It has been a fabulous day for Rice, but today has been a process where this really started back in March on Junior Day,” Bailiff said.

“We’ve been developing relationships with a lot of these young men for quite some time and that really makes it special.”

J.T. Granato, a local quarterback prospect from the Kinkaid School, has already garnered high expectations from the coaching staff. According to Bailiff, Granato, who threw for over 9,000 yards in his career, may be the future start-

ing quarterback for the Owls due to his athletic and leadership abilities.

“Not only is [Granato] a great quarterback, he’s a great leader,” Bailiff said. “We just think our future is bright at that position.”

Bailiff and his staff added two more skill position players in Emanuel Esukpa and Nahshon Ellerby. This past season, Ellerbe had over 2,000 yards rushing and 700 receiving yards.

Bailiff said Esukpa, who scored five touchdowns in a game this past season, reminds him of former Rice running back, Charles Ross, who led Conference USA in rushing in 2013.

“He’s a powerful running back,” Bailiff said.

“When you see him run ... he’s powerful, he’s explosive, but he’s still got the speed and agility to outrun you.”

Defensively, Rice signed five defensive backs and four defensive linemen. According to Bailiff, the new defensive line recruits may be the best defensive recruits in the program’s history.

“We have four of the best future defensive linemen we’ve ever signed here going into my ninth year,” Bailiff said. “The first young man, Zach Abercrumbia, had a lot of offers; he’s very disruptive and incredibly powerful with his hands. Blaine Plaggent is a kid when you watch his film you see how much he loves football. Carl Thompson is another guy like Zach Abercrumbia. We really think these three young men could play early for us if we needed. Carl is very explosive; he can play from sideline to sideline.”

One of the players from outside of Texas, kicker Jack Fox, hails from Missouri and received high praise from Bailiff. Fox, the no. 28 kicker in the country according to ESPN, also played quar-

terback in high school but was recruited as a twoposition player as a kicker and punter. Fox broke the Missouri high school record for field goals in a season this past year with 17.

According to Bailiff, Fox’s athletic ability and leg strength made him an exciting signee.

“He’s got an unbelievable leg when he punts,” Bailiff said. “We really liked the fact that he was also a quarterback, so he’s very athletic. He threw for 1,900 yards this year but we’re just going to ask him to get his foot to go to work for us.”

According to Bailiff, Rice only wants student athletes who have a commitment to excellence both on and off the field.

“We want young men who are serious about winning and serious about graduating,” Bailiff said. “We tell them all, ‘In five years we expect you to be a boss, and in ten years we expect you to pay your scholarship back to Rice and in 30 to 40 years we expect you to name a building after yourself.’

We have high expectations here, and I think we’re looking at a Conference USA championship-caliber class.”

According to ESPN, 13 of the 18 signees are ranked as three-star prospects. However, not a single player on either Super Bowl team this year, the New England Patriots nor the Seattle Seahawks, was ranked as a five-star prospect out of high school. Bailiff said he believes in this class and believes they will help the team continue its winning ways.

“It was a fabulous year,” Bailiff said. “We’re just excited for what these young men have stood for in their community, what they’ve stood for academically and athletically. They’re great fits and the future is bright.”

On the heels of two University of Oregon players’ suspension from the college football National Championship game after testing positive for marijuana use, the NCAA announced that it will be reexamining its drug policy.

According to the NCAA website, the association's Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports recommended extensive changes to the NCAA's drug testing policies, particularly with regards to testing for marijuana.

According to the NCAA, the recommendations were to "First, strengthen the NCAA drug testing program for performance-enhancing substances; second, development of a shared model of deterrence for recreational drug use (e.g., marijuana, alcohol and opiates) with a focus on educational programs instead of a traditional testing model" and "the responsibility for deterrence will be shared between the NCAA and member schools."

It remains unclear whether any policy changes will have an immediate impact at Rice.

As of last semester, student athletes cannot be randomly tested for marijuana.

Some, however, are skeptical of the decision. Mike Rhoades, head coach of Rice men’s basketball, said he still condemns drug use, regardless of what the NCAA decides. According to Rhoades, any change to NCAA policy would not impact his expectations of his players.

“We’re in a position right now [where] our guys know what’s right and wrong, what is becoming of a Rice basketball player,” Rhoades said. “The NCAA can look at anything it wants, but we will always abide by the rules: The rules of the school, the rules of the NCAA.” According to Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard, Rice takes a hard stance against both recreational and performance-enhancing drug use.

“Our approach is that both types of drugs are unhealthy for our students and may also lead to negative consequences for our programs,” Karlgaard said.

According to a Rice student athlete, who preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of this topic, the policy will only encourage drug use and will ultimately reflect poorly on the student and the university.

“I really think it’s bad; I don’t think drugs should have any part in Division I sports,” the athlete said. “Athletes receive scholarships to represent their school and should show a certain respect to the people paying for their education and to the sport itself.”

The NCAA said it is considering changes because the current drug policy has, in their opinion, failed to deter recreational drug use. Student athlete drug surveys conducted by the NCAA have indicated that alcohol use has dipped only slightly, marijuana use has remained consistent and opiate use has increased.

Furthermore, players who lose eligibility due to drug use are more likely to drop out, according to the NCAA’s study. The results have prompted the association to focus on recreational drug education rather than punishment.

Some pro-marijuana legalization advocacy groups, however, have expressed their approval of the NCAA’s decision. Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said the NCAA should not penalize athletes for marijuana use as it does not provide a competitive advantage, nor does it harm other non-users.

“Punishing athletes for marijuana use has nothing to do with fairness or safety in competitive sports and everything to do with inappropriate extensions of the drug war into American life,” Nadelmann said. “It's great to see the NCAA join with other sports associations in revising this hypocritical and harmful policy.”

According to Karlgaard, Rice Athletics will accept any future changes to the NCAA drug policy.

“We will embrace any additional resources provided by the NCAA to educate our students on the consequences of drug use,” Karlgaard said. “I think it’s terrific that the NCAA is looking for better ways to educate students about drug use.”

The NCAA will announce any changes by the end of 2015.

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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

the Rice Thresher

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