The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Shakespeare revisited

Studying domestic

Bakershake produces a modern take on ‘Measure for Measure,’ a play that consistently defies expectations see A&E p. 6

Think beyond studying in foreign countries when crafting your Rice experience see Ops p. 5

INSIDE

On the ball Baseball sweeps through conference foes with improved team chemistry, becomes part of Omaha discussion See Sports p. 9

Code of Conduct clarifies rustication policies See P. 2

student-run

volume 99, issue no. 22

Colin Powell to speak at graduation

Working group releases 28 recommendations, including campus-wide climate survey

Thresher Staff & Asst. News Editor

Colin Powell

wednesday, march 18, 2015

‘A safer environment’

Jieya Wen & Drew Keller

The Rice University administration announced Wednesday that former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Sta General Colin Powell will deliver this year’s commencement address on May 16.

Powell served as chairman of the JCS, the highest-ranking military oďŹƒcer in the United States, under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, then as secretary of state in the administration of President George W. Bush. According to Rice President David Leebron, a search committee responsible for the address chose Powell because they believed he would deliver a beneficial message to graduates. “We have not generally had people I would call celebrities,â€? Leebron said. “We’ve had sometimes people not so well-known, sometimes very well-known, but mostly our committee has tried to find people who have accomplished something distinctive in the way of making contributions to society.â€?

Leebron emphasized Powell’s leadership qualities as key to his selection. According to Leebron, Rice is working to improve its leadership programs as part of the newly launched Initiative for Students. “There are few better examples of leadership in the U.S. than General Powell,â€? Leebron said. “We are hopeful that we will have some new leadership initiatives to announce later this spring ‌ This choice of a commencement speaker is consistent with the increased emphasis on developing the leadership capabilities of our students.â€?

According to Leebron, Powell’s life story will also make him a good choice for commencement speaker. Powell was raised in the South Bronx by Jamaican parents and attended New York City public schools throughout his childhood. “He’s led a remarkable life,� Leebron said. “This is the son of immigrants who rose to the very highest positions in both the military and civilian government, who is widely regarded as one of the great lead0see POWELL, page 2

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Anita Alem News Editor

After seven months of evaluation and discussion, the Working Group on University Response to Sexual Assault Initiatives has compiled its review into 28 recommendations. A survey created in conjunction with Stanford University and the University of Chicago will be administered to all undergraduates this semester to determine the prevalence of sexual misconduct at Rice.

Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson released the working group’s 15-page report and announced the renovated safe.rice.edu website in an email to the undergraduate student body on Tuesday. “This was an incredible amount of work for this group to seek the input of every member of the community over a very extended period of time, and to do so under some pressure,� Hutchinson said. “They responded in Rice fashion to do well and above what was expected.�

Working Group Goals Associate Vice Provost Matt Taylor, the chair of the working group, first convened a meeting in summer 2014 in light of the federal report “Not Aloneâ€? by the White House Task Force. The group outlined four areas of focus, including disciplinary policies, training of faculty, sta and students, student resources and web communication.

Representatives from Student Judicial Programs, Rice University Police Department, the Student Wellbeing OďŹƒce and the Counseling Center were members of the working group. Former Lovett College president Meghan Davenport served as an undergraduate representative.

The recommendations of the group encompass many topics, according to Davenport. “[There’s everything] from sta training to student advocacy to climate surveys,â€? Davenport said. “I think that when people read our recommendations, they will be almost guaranteed to learn something new. Our recommendations are detailed, thorough, and I think they reflect a deep commitment to creating a better Rice community, when it comes to these issues.â€?

Davenport said she believed the working group accomplished what it set out to do. She said she hopes the recommendations will help teach the Rice community about the available resources. “The goal was to examine and improve our policies and practices, not just getting them in line with Title IX guidelines but going above and beyond them,â€? Davenport said. “Hopefully, when the recommendations are implemented, we will have a more educated community of sta, faculty, and students, more clearly defined and helpful resources, and an ongoing, informed conversation about sexual assault that will create a safer environment for survivors.â€?

Climate Survey The federal government recommended universities complete a campus climate survey studying the prevalence of sexual misconduct before the end of 2015. Taylor and the working group referred to a government template, worked with peer institutions and studied a climate survey administered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create Rice’s fiveminute survey.

0see SURVEY, page 2

SA facilitates campus values discussion Anita Alem News Editor

Following the Student Association meeting last Wednesday, the SA facilitated a student forum on creating a healthy campus climate.

Over 70 students were in attendance at the event, which, according to SA President Jazz Silva, was closed to higher administration to ensure students felt safe sharing their thoughts.

Silva facilitated the conversation with a series of questions, such as those concerning Rice values, avoiding bad situations and how to proceed when campus values are violated. At the start of the event, Silva said the forum was created to facilitate conversation, as opposed to a question-and-answer session or a panel. Silva said the event fos-

tered a constructive environment and was not hosted by the SA itself.

However, the event was listed on the SA meeting agenda. “I’m sure there’s a little bit of confusion about what this event is,�

Silva said. “You should feel confident to say exactly how you feel — it’s just a very safe conversation.�

A wide variety of sources of an unhealthy campus environment was discussed, including negativity toward the administration, the alcohol policy and academic and personal stress.

Students continued to share concerns regarding the relationship between students and administration as well as campus resources, including Student Judicial Programs and the Wellbeing Center. Some believed a negative outlook toward administration’s

actions fostered an unhealthy environment, but others said the administration must reach out to students constructively, as it has not done so in the past.

I’m sometimes worried about the way administration addresses situations.

Rachel Sterling Martel College President

The SA presented the question, “To what extent should admin-

istration have a say in creating a standard of values?� Martel College President Rachel Sterling said the administration should foster a more consistent, trusting relationship with students. “I don’t think everything needs to go to the students first,� Sterling said. “But there isn’t a regular form of feedback right now — [we] wait until there’s such a loud outcry that we need to deal with it. I’m sometimes worried about the way administration addresses situations, especially very recently. Sometimes, it feels that [administration doesn’t] trust us.�

Students suggested the formation of a feedback system with SJP through the colleges’ chief justices.

However, some students said the administration’s current feedback sys0see VALUES, page 2

2

NEWS

0from SURVEY page 1 “One of the key motivations to collaborate with our peers is, if we can, to ask questions that are the same,� Taylor said. “In addition, we’d like to draw on more academic knowledge and expertise in order to create a survey that generates useful data.�

According to Taylor, he and Davenport, who gathered student input, met with Director of Sexual Violence Prevention Allison Vogt to discuss the suggestions from students. “We’re asking what kinds of things happened without your consent and what might have led to a person assaulting you and about your connection to the person assaulting you,�

Hutchinson said.

For continuing undergraduate students, the survey will be released in conjunction with the Survey of All Students, although the responses will be completely confidential. Graduating seniors will take the survey in conjunction with the Senior Exit Survey, with similar provisions of confidentiality. An independent body will then analyze the aggregate data, which will also be released to the Department of Education’s OďŹƒce of Civil Rights. “We are doing this [principally] because the working group recommended it,â€? Hutchinson said. “The recommendation turns out to be consistent with that of the Department of Education. This is a response to a community issue.â€?

Web Resources Updates Hutchinson announced the updated safe.rice. edu website, which went live last Wednesday.

Kate Hildebrandt, the Title IX navigator, and Kate Noonan, director of the Student Wellbeing OďŹƒce, solicited student feedback for the content and format of the website. Student representatives from Rice Health Advisors, the Women’s Resource Center and the Student Association Wellbeing Committee all worked on programming or legislation in conjunction with the OďŹƒce of Student Wellbeing. Hildebrandt, Noonan, Vogt and Hutchinson all visited residential colleges to discuss the sexual assault policy.

The new site succeeds in following the “two clicks or less� roadmap to resources directly addressing student inquiry, as mandated by federal guidelines. The site features drop-down menus, including tabs for survivors and students looking to support friends who have been through a sexual assault.

Recommendations The working group’s 28 recommendations also spanned beyond the sexual misconduct policy, survey and web resources to include training for faculty, sta and students, as well as disciplinary procedures with SJP. Several faculty members have already under-

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

the Rice Thresher

Code of Conduct outlines new rustication policies

gone a three-hour training, which will be renewed every two years. The Montrose Center will now be partnering with the Houston Area Women’s Center and Rice to provide training and act as an o-campus resource for students seeking help.

Project SAFE training during Orientation Week will now, in addition to bystander intervention training, include risk-reduction information on sexual and domestic violence, in accordance with the Department of Education’s updates to implementing the Clery Act. There are also plans to create a new student arm for the oďŹƒce of Title IX support. Student input from the Student Association Wellbeing Committee led to this idea since there was no independent student-led body committed solely to sexual assault prevention on campus. “It could be helpful for the OďŹƒce of Sexual Violence Prevention and Title IX to have students to help them connect with campus,â€? Taylor said. “It could be like RHAs, but it shouldn’t have to be.â€?

RUPD will work with the Title IX Coordinator, the Dean of Undergraduates and the General Counsel to discuss the Clery Act and sexual violence.

Taylor said the working group was impressed

by SJP’s policies and procedures for handling cases of sexual assault. However, SJP made several changes to its policies as well, which were included in the new student Code of Conduct released in January. Students may now bring a support person into meetings with SJP in cases of sexual assault or sexual misconduct, although this individual may not act in the capacity of a lawyer. Additionally, SJP now records student meetings. “[The support person] is there for advice or comfort in what might be a stressful period,�

Hutchinson said. “In general, every substantive meeting of a student for any purpose with SJP will [also] have two people from SJP in the room at the same time, whether a person is coming in for an inquiry or a complaint. [SJP is] now recording all student judicial process meetings and, in general, every conversation that takes place.�

In January, Student Judicial Programs released an updated version of the Code of Student Conduct, to which all students agreed to adhere by virtue of registering for the semester. One major update to the document was the clear outlining of rustication policies. Rather than going on a case-bycase basis, SJP and University Court jointly determined a standard set of sanctions to be imposed on students who received different levels of rustication.

Current UCourt Chair Brian Baran said the more precise definitions for each type of rustication were necessary to maintain equity among punishments. “The previous Code defined rustication broadly, so the terms had to be decided on a case-by-case basis,� Baran, a Duncan College senior, said. “The three levels now codified in the Code had already emerged in practice as a result of a need to craft sanctions that were fair, consistent and tailored to a given set of circumstances. The new definition furthers the same objectives with additional clarity for everyone involved.�

“Comprehensiveness and Sensitivity�

Taylor and Hutchinson agreed that the findings of the working group reinforce the measures Rice has already implemented. “In reviewing this, all members of the working group were impressed by the comprehensiveness and the sensitivity of the processes and resources already in place,� Hutchinson said. “Although the recommendations of the working group are many, that is not a reflection that the working group thought we were broken, but rather that there was much strength that could be built upon with input from the community.�

Taylor said Rice has been ahead of peer institutions in several areas. “We’ve either been following federal recommendations, or [the changes] were already in the works before the recommendations had even been published,� Taylor said.

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ers of our time, while [embodying] a person of great integrity and achievement.�

Leebron said Powell has made valuable contributions to accessible education through his leadership of several organizations such as America’s Promise Alliance, which works to support children across the country. “He spends most of his philanthropic activity around the issue of education,� Leebron said. “It’s that combination of bringing together passion for what education can do and what is possible for anybody who works hard enough and brings the right values to their life.�

According to Leebron, the search committee considered both alumni and faculty contacts as well as companies representing prominent speakers. Last year’s commencement speaker was Dr. Helene Gayle, the president and CEO of the anti-poverty organization CARE USA. Leebron said he hopes Powell will inspire students to consider their futures. “We expect him to stir [graduates’] thinking about their own futures and stick in them a sense of possibility of their own lives,� Leebron said. “Hopefully, they spent the last four years accumulating some of that, but this is an important moment for students and their families, and we hope they’ll be happy to have a well-recognized commencement speaker.�

According to Leebron, the university wants students to work to improve society. “We want the students, while they are here, to develop a sense of what they can achieve with their lives, and it’s even better when they leave,â€? Leebron said. “They get the message of ‘Here’s what you can contribute with your lives, and it requires that whatever field and endeavor you choose, you can be a leader in that endeavor, you can make a dierence, you can mobilize other people.’â€?

tems were ineective because they elicited student opinion without responding to it.

Attendees were again polarized on whether the relationship between the student body and the administration should be treated as a privilege or a right. Students disagreed on whether they had the right to protest the application of Title IX to the McMurtry College stripper incident when they had failed to provide enough feedback to the administration’s Sexual Assault-Free Working Group.

In response to the question of “In what situation is it reasonable for students to seek permission?â€? students raised doubts on the distinction between defining a public event versus a private one, and the necessity of permission in each case. Some feared that events such as Beer Bike could be deemed oensive and result in change or punishment if students did not seek permission for themes or float ideas. “At what point does someone’s oense constitute or necessitate change?â€? Lovett College President GriďŹƒn Thomas said. “Is it when one person comes forward and we have a discussion about it?â€?

As the forum came to a close, students agreed that they desired transparency and consistency from administration.

Silva said the forum was successful as a platform for students to challenge each other respectfully. “Student leaders have the responsibility of being unbiased and acting in a way that is cognizant of all spectrums of the student body,�

Silva said. “This forum gave student leaders an opportunity to better understand these varying student concerns.�

Silva declined to comment on the SA’s plans to move forward with the concerns expressed at the forum.

Sapna Suresh Thresher Staff

MASTER’S RUSTICATION “The ability to impose social or college rustication on students from their own college.�

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SOCIAL RUSTICATION “Removal from social activities at Rice, without restricting the student’s opportunity to live and eat in the colleges.â€? ĂŁ &DQQRW DWWHQG SXEOLF RU SULYDWH SDUWLHV ZKHUH DOFRKRO LV SUHVHQW ĂŁ &DQQRW SDUWLFLSDWH LQ FDPSXV ZLGH HYHQWV LQFOXGLQJ :LOO\ :HHN %HHU %LNH 5RQGROHW DQG &ROOHJH 1LJKWV ĂŁ &DQQRW EH SUHVHQW LI WKHUH DUH SDUWLHV LQ WKHLU RZQ URRP HYHQ LI D URRPPDWH RU VXLWHPDWH LV WKH KRVW

COLLEGE RUSTICATION “Removal from the college and college life.â€? ĂŁ ,QFOXGHV DOO VWLSXODWLRQV IURP VRFLDO UXVWLFDWLRQ ĂŁ &DQQRW OLYH LQ WKH FROOHJH ĂŁ &DQQRW HDW RU EH LQ WKH VHUYHU\ ĂŁ &DQQRW EH DURXQG DQ\ RI WKH FROOHJHV

CAMPUS RUSTICATION “Removal from the University, except for academic access.â€? ĂŁ ,QFOXGHV DOO VWLSXODWLRQV IURP VRFLDO UXVWLFDWLRQ DQG FROOHJH UXVWLFDWLRQ ĂŁ &DQQRW EH LQ RU XVH WKH 5LFH 0HPRULDO &HQWHU RU 5HFUHDWLRQ &HQWHU ĂŁ &DQQRW DWWHQG YDUVLW\ VSRUW RU DQ\ RWKHU FDPSXV ZLGH HYHQWV ĂŁ 2QO\ DOORZHG WR EH RQ FDPSXV IRU DFDGHPLF UHDVRQV

marcel merwin/thresher

Turkish students Deniz Haklar (left) and Melis Ugurlu (right) purchase food at the Turkish Cultural Night hosted by the Turkish Student Association. “I’ve been craving this all day,� Ugurlu said, pointing to her plate.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

the Rice Thresher

NEWS

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Bun B-taught course to be offered online on EdX Andrew Ligeralde Thresher Staff

Professors of religion Anthony Pinn and Bernard Freeman, who is commonly known as Houston rapper Bun B, are offering their Religion and Hip Hop (RELI 157) course to the general public for free on the online platform EdX this spring. After teaching the course on campus for two semesters and garnering a wide following both within and beyond the university, the duo said creating an online version felt natural.

“It allows us to be creative,” Pinn said. “One of things we wanted to do is make certain that we took students off campus ... and think of the course in a way that privileged that movement beyond the hedges and do this thing differently and to give it to a global audience.”

According to Freeman, they plan to film the lectures from a variety of locations in the Houston community, such as churches, mosques and synagogues.

“If the students can be sitting anywhere to take the lesson, then we can be anywhere presenting the lesson,” Freeman said. “Houston is a vibrant hip-hop community, and a religious one because the city is so multicultural, so we have more places than other cities to go out to film these lessons.”

Discussion is also a major focus of the course, according to the professors. Students in the same area will meet together with a facilitator, a community figure who will serve as their discussion leader. The duo has also proposed continuing the conversations on Twitter, where students and instructors can interact directly. The main goal, according to Pinn, is to bring together multiple perspectives.

“We have students signed up from roughly 108 countries, the age range from about 12 to 90, so the conversation will be really interesting,” Pinn said. “But they are required to interact with each other. The more you engage, the better your grade will be.”

According to Freeman, disagreement between students is not only expected, but encouraged.

“The 12-year-old’s perspective on religion and hip-hop is going to be drastically different from a 90-year-old’s,” Freeman said. “There’s room for each student involved in the classroom to create their own interpretation on what the lesson is. Is it right or is it wrong? It’s really neither.”

To further encourage a variety of students to register, the duo is promoting the course to as many people as they can reach.

We have more places than other cities to go out to film these lessons.

Bernard Freeman Houston rapper ‘Bun B’

“That’s the whole thing, is to let as many people know its available and that it’s free,” Freeman said. “Most college courses aren’t offered for free in the university, much less online.”

The duo has also reached out to figures in both the Rice and Houston communities, such as local artist Gonzo, to help publicize the class.

“The Rice college or student group that signs up the most non-Rice folks will get a piece from Gonzo and lunch with us off campus,” Pinn said.

As for the future of the course, Freeman said they remain open for more opportunities to offer the course, as well as new courses.

“But for now we’re just focusing on the online course and making sure that we knock that out of the park,” Freeman said. “We’re just finding what works. Pop one piece out, another piece in — kind of like academy Jenga.”

claire elestwani/thresher

Touching the art

Duncan College sophomore Elizabeth Denton watches over her spray foam artwork during this past Saturday’s TACTILITY Workshop. Works created at the TACTILITY Workshop will be exhibited at the CelebrateArt Festival on March 21, 2015.

4

NEWS

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

the Rice Thresher

NEWS IN BRIEF Marie Lynn Miranda named provost of Rice University

geneva vest/thresher

Maeda presents design’s emerging role in tech Andrew Ligeralde Thresher Staff

Employing a mixed bag of childhood anecdotes, cartoon graphics and pop culture references, John Maeda, design partner of Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers delivered a Design in Tech report on Monday at Rice University.

Maeda addressed the expanding role of design in consumer technologies as demonstrated by data trends over history, current examples in the industry and personal experience.

According to him, design is not only creating logos, contrary to popular belief.

“Take Rochelle King, the vice president of design at Spotify, an art history major who studied semiconductor physics, worked at a wafer plant and later on become a head designer,” Maeda said. “When you think of [a] designer, you think of people that went to design school. It turns out that in the tech industry, a third of them have engineering and science credentials. If you don’t know how to take the technology apart, you won’t make a good product.”

Maeda said design has taken a dominant role in all aspects of the technology industry, from aspiring students in top business schools, of which 70 percent have design clubs, to early-stage startups, where one study reports a ratio of one designer for every four engineers.

“At IBM Design, [it’s] one to 64,” Maeda said.

“They’re moving that to one to eight. Design is moving from a cost to an investment.”

According to Maeda, the reason for these changes in the technology industry is an increase in the user base. In the past, most computer users would log on only around twice a day. Today, Android reports that average mobile phone users unlock their phones 150 times a day.

“Twenty years ago, we used technology that was poorly designed for people,” Maeda said.

“It was designed for technologists. Only recently, we’re all using it, and we non-nerds don’t like stuff that doesn’t feel right … Now, companies like Facebook know they are consumer-facing, not tech-facing.”

However, according to Maeda, this correlation between usage and design is not new, but rather rooted in historical precedent.

“When usage increases dramatically like this, design’s strategic value is leveraged,” Maeda said. “After looking at the changes with computers, I looked at the car industry. GM was the first company to have this position, vice president of design, because President Eisenhower implemented the Federal Highway Act in 1952. You suddenly were in the car a lot longer, and the car designs improved. Usage increased. Users increased. Today, you can’t imagine buying a car with no design.”

In conclusion, Maeda said that design is an ongoing process.

“I’m trying to show more audiences, more investors that design is an old idea,” Maeda said.

“There’s new companies, like Apple, but the idea’s not that new. It’s about the old and new combination that creates new opportunities.”

Marie Lynn Miranda, Samuel A. Graham Dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, will replace George McLendon as the Howard R. Hughes Provost on July 1.

McLendon is stepping down after five years as provost to concentrate on teaching and research, according to an email sent to the Rice University community by President David Leebron.

“We were struck by the quality and breadth of her scholarly accomplishments, her insights and sensitivity to collaboration as an academic leader, her clear capacity to develop and execute on a vision and her warm engagement with everyone she met,” Leebron wrote in a March 11 email. “[Miranda] is a respected scholar, researcher, teacher and administrator who has made great contributions wherever she has served.”

Miranda has gathered over $43 million in sponsored reach as a principal or coprincipal investigator, and an additional $14 million as investigator. She said she is eager for interdisciplinary research and academics at Rice.

courtesy rice news

“Even in the information age, with the ensuing democratization of knowledge, colleges and universities hold the greatest potential for helping students bridge the chasm between knowledge and wisdom, especially so in the residential college setting,” Miranda said to Rice News.

Miranda, a Truman Scholar and National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow, holds a master’s degree and a doctorate, both in economics, from Harvard University.

Associate Director of Student Health Services Stacy Ware promoted to director, available hours for doctor appointments set to increase Associate Director of Student Health Services Stacy Ware has been promoted to director after previous director Mark Jenkins (Will Rice ’83) left after 17 years in the position and nearly 25 years at Rice University.

Jenkins, who was also the associate team physician for NCAA sports at Rice and chair of the Institutional Review Board, will become the executive director

of the Hall Health Center at the University of Washington. Total available hours for doctor appointments will increase under Ware’s leadership.

Ware has been at Rice since 1998, when she was hired as a staff physician. Staff physician Jessica McKelvey (Will Rice ’93) has been promoted to associate director, and a search has begun to hire a new physician.

Office of Information Technology merges IT and administrative systems into eight divisions headed by Klara Jelinkova A new Office of Information Technology launched March 1 and merges Rice University’s academic and administrative IT units: Information Technology and Administrative Systems.

The new office will be headed by Klara Jelinkova, who arrived at Rice on Jan. 1 as vice president for information technology and chief information officer. According to Rice News, Jelinkova said the new office will implement university-wide security standards, improve data analytics and re-

porting and provide stronger support and management of new teaching and scholarship technologies.

Eight divisions will compose the new office: enterprise and administrative services; networking and telecommunications; systems engineering; campus services; business intelligence, data warehousing and analytics; teaching, learning and scholarly technologies; IT security; and research computing and cyberinfrastructure.

5

You need not travel far to study abroad SA-facilitated forum accomplishes little The Student Association facilitated a student-only forum with residential college presidents about what constitutes a safe environment on campus, among other concerns, last Wednesday, March 12 (see p.1). More than 70 students attended the forum, which was held after the Senate meeting.

The forum came in the wake of an incident at McMurtry College, in which a president-elect resigned after a friend ordered a stripper to attend a private party celebrating the win. Informal discussions about Title IX and Rice’s sexual environment ensued, but these conversations left many confused about the legislation’s role in moderating student behavior. As such, students may have expected the forum to directly address the McMurtry incident and clarify what a Title IX violation entails.

However, the questions the SA used in the forum did not delve into specifics. They asked questions such as, “How do we avoid bad situations and what do we do when a value is violated?” While these questions did generate discussion, many left the forum with more questions than firm answers about campus values.

The Thresher believes events like the forum should directly address student concerns. As the voice of the student body, the SA should embrace its role as both a facilitator of difficult conversations and an advocate for the solutions that arise from them. However, they cannot fulfill their role if these conversations leave students with more questions than solutions.

Many at the forum expressed divergent opinions about the role of administration and their relationship to students. While it is necessary to promote discussion among the student body regarding the role of the administration in setting campus values, students deserve a seat at the table when their values and their community are at stake. Though administration necessarily plays a role in the discussion, the students’ voice should be loud and warrant recognition.

To ensure that the student voice matters in discussions about campus values, the SA must work toward concrete solutions. Passing legislation, for instance, codifies student opinion in both an authoritative and historical record students can point to when administration takes action that goes against their interests. For the forum to effect change, the SA should craft legislation that expresses student opinion on Title IX and the campus environment.

While it may be a good start for the SA executive team to sit down individually with the administration in the future to facilitate discussions, it is not nearly enough. Creating legislation is the most effective way to enact lasting change in our community, as it transcends the short-term institutional memory that plagues other less concrete solutions.

Students wanted answers about Title IX and the McMurtry incident that the forum did not provide. In the future, the SA must take a stronger leadership role; haphazardly organized discussions without plans of action are insufficient. Tangible solutions, such as working groups and legislation, would better represent student voices in a lasting and meaningful way.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece’s author.

Last Wednesday, I stood in front of the White House press gate for at least 30 minutes among photographers, other journalists and later, with three of my classmates. Eventually, a White House staffer led us into a room decorated with white chandeliers and golden curtains. After 15 minutes or so, out came first lady Michelle Obama.

The occasion was the first lady’s Nowruz, or Persian New Year, celebration, which is also observed by people in Eastern Europe, Asia and other Middle Eastern countries. As an Iranian American, it was beyond incredible listening to her say “Nowruzetan Mobarak” and give remarks about a holiday my family and I celebrate. With all the political news about Iran, it was a nice change listening to someone in the administration touch on cultural aspects of the country.

I was able to have this experience because of one of my amazingly resourceful professors in my study abroad program. Well, let me back up. Instead of actually leaving the U.S., I chose to study in Washington, D.C. through American University’s Washington Semester Program in Journalism and New Media. I did have some initial concern

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

about missing out on living and learning internationally — in fact, I remember bringing that up the day I finalized my application with the Study Abroad Office.

By choosing to stay within the country’s borders, I did miss out on being immersed in a totally new culture for a semester. However, I’ve now been in D.C. for more than two months, and I hold zero regrets. And because no study “abroad” is complete without the participant telling you why you, yes you, should also do it, here is my spiel.

While studying abroad in a foreign country does have a lot of value, such as language and cultural immersion, it may not be for everyone.

For some, a semester away from Rice University might mean reaching Spanish fluency in Spain or learning about state formation in Bosnia, and I’m all for that, because such particular interests are best explored abroad. However, for others, like me, studying internationally is not the best fit. Had I gone to London or Rabat, I would not be where I want to be in my journalism career.

Living and working in the nation’s capital has been educational, fun, challenging and something that will give me a jump-start when I’m job-

hunting in several months.

At Rice there is a mindset of “unconventional wisdom,” or so people claim. I believe studying abroad, or away from Rice, for a semester is a vital addition to the Rice experience, provided that you can find a way to make it work with your major and finances. In choosing a study abroad program, do your research and pick one that caters best to your needs and goals. Furthermore, do not be afraid to think domestic. D.C. may not be “abroad,” but it has opened doors to a world that I would never have been able to imagine sitting in my room at McMurtry College last semester.

Tina Nazerian is a McMurtry College junior.

Letter to the Editor: Explain tuition hikes Last week’s Thresher (March 11) presented an article of special importance, namely the staggering increase in Rice University’s tuition, evidently 135 percent over the last 15 years. To explain the seemingly inexplicable, Kathy Collins, vice president for finance, gives the primary reason as “educating students, faculty salaries, library resources and other operational expenses.” I think most professors at Rice would be happily amazed by anything close to a salary increase rate of 135 percent over the last 15 years.

There are, of course, numerous articles on the subject of rapid rise in tuition across universities, including why little of this relates directly to education and why professor salaries have increased at a far more modest rate, one much closer to changes in the cost of living across the United States. To quote the summary of the 2014 report on this topic by the American Association of University of Professors: “Increasingly, institutions of higher education have lost their focus on the academic activities at the core of their mission. Spending on administrative overhead continues to draw funding away from academic programs, and the proliferation of new administrative and support positions has continued unabated in the two decades since ‘administrative bloat’ was brought into the higher education lexicon.”

It would be great if Rice was truly different from most of our peer institutions. This should be easy to find out. I therefore respectfully ask Kathy Collins to either justify or modify her answer. The Rice community, especially students and parents, deserve at least an accurate answer for the skyrocketing tuition.

“Looks like we’re cleaning up again...”

The Muslim prayer room after a weekend wedding. cartoon by marcel merwin

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.

Sincerely, Jerry Dickens Professor, 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

The mystery behind the boba tea craze Melody Yip

For the Thresher

courtesy anastasia bolshakov

McMurtry College Junior Emily Statham, a member of the a cappella group Rice Philharmonics, sings at Acapalooza. Acapalooza, which took place last Sunday, March 15, is a full-length annual concert that features performances by all of the major a cappella groups on campus.

Acappellooza

Measure for Measure renews a classic Alex Haer

For the Thresher

The Victorians thought that each “translation” of a play served to enrich rather than rob the original source of the adaptation. This well-acted and well-produced adaptation maintains a faithful dialogue with Shakespeare’s original work, while adding an innovative and contemporary touch to this profound and complex comedy.

The play is framed by the soft lighting of the Baker Commons, which adds a collegiate feel to complement the well-manufactured theatrical atmosphere of the makeshift stage.

The decadent couches, elevated chairs and blood-red carpet around the center stage lend themselves to an overall ambience reminiscent of a local or community theater, so the audience does not feel far removed from the action. Excellent management of light, sound, costuming and set throughout the play serve to accentuate the intensity of the performance and deserve special recognition for tact and subtlety.

The performance itself parallels the tone of the Great Bard’s original lyrics, vacillating between dark cynicism and outrageously offensive humor. In Victorian times, this play was considered painful and shocking and antagonized traditional sensibilities. While it may fail to shock contemporary viewers, the provocative edge that pushes this play above

A-

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

a theatrical exercise provides enough added value to make this performance well worth the price of entrance. Sex toys and a steamy pole dance are excellent, even if slightly forced, additions, and the lewd puns and metaphors of the original piece are humorously delivered well, though their shock value has eroded.

[The] actors and actresses overwhelmingly turn in a talented and well-rehearsed performance, delivering Shakespeare’s lines with uncanny experience and verve.

Measure for Measure’s actors and actresses overwhelmingly turn in a talented and well-rehearsed performance, delivering Shakespeare’s lines with uncanny experience and verve. Ian Mauzy (Baker College ’14) delivers a tremendous performance as Duke Vicentio, breathing life into a truly complex

POWWOW This weekend, dip your toes into traditional Native American culture without leaving campus.

March 21, the Native American Student Association presents the Rice Community Powwow, a festival featuring art, culture, food, entertainment and more.

Rice University Turrell Skyspace ruf.rice.edu

character. Mauzy handles the profound and resonant motifs of mercy, justice and hypocrisy equitably with sharp, concealed wit, compassion and even a self-aware sense of personal fallacy. Mauzy sketches for the audience a multi-dimensional creature which must at least reflect Shakespeare’s vision for such a central yet divisive force in the play.

Kevin Mullin (Jones College freshman) delivers an intense performance as the corrupted Angelo and masterfully presents the tortured duality of his both tragic and detestable character.

Yena Han (Duncan College sophomore), in her role as Mistress Overdone, adds an artistic and provocative edge to the play with a performance that would have shocked Victorian audiences. While the pole dancing provides a fun and necessary extra, the pole itself does not quite earn its position in the front and center of the stage, as it is rarely used throughout the performance. Max Payton (Wiess College senior) and Kathryn Hokamp (Martel College junior) provide lighthearted comic relief as Lucio and Pompey, respectively, and inject much-needed comedy into a play that often alarmingly balances on the edge of tragedy.

Overall, director Joseph Lockett, a Hanszen College alumnus, offers an admirable presentation of one of Shakespeare’s darker comedies. Measure for Measure is a faithful and extravagant mesh of proud literary prose and Shakespearean tradition, simultaneously colluding with a touch of comically licentious avant-garde revision.

VAMPIRE CON

When Kung Fu Tea opened a new location in Montrose, the people rejoiced. It’s no question boba is beloved among Rice University students, but it hasn’t always been so easy to find. There are stellar options in the heart of Chinatown, but not everyone can just drive there for a late-night run. Teahouse is close, but exceedingly average in comparison. Until Kung Fu’s arrival, most students had to turn to boba sales that occur in the Rice Memorial Center to satisfy cravings.

It has always struck me how popular boba has become. The craze is not confined to Rice’s campus, either, but has spread almost worldwide. Hordes clamor for the tea mixed with a scoop of tapioca bobbing at the bottom, which hails from Taiwan. The original flavor is milk tea (black tea with non-dairy creamer), a staple for all firsttimers. To the unfamiliar, even this basic flavor may seem a little bizarre, even unappealing.

And depending on your order, the drink can cost $4 to $5, a relatively expensive sum for a beverage that doesn’t require much skill to make on the spot. Most shops just fill the plastic cup with tea, add some powder to supply a fruit flavor if so desired and plop in some tapioca. One could purchase a smooth, creamy latte decorated with foamy art from an upscale coffee shop for the same price.

Perhaps boba’s fame can be attributed to its reputation for variety. Boba shops always offer tea with tapioca, but most also allow you to substitute tea with smoothies, slushies and coffee. Many have massive menus sporting choices for just about every fruit and tea on the planet. In addition to tapioca, there are jellies available to put in drinks, ranging from apple to lychee.

Chunks of egg custard pudding are perhaps a bit more daring, but a good alternative for people looking for a twist. Get your beloved 7-Eleven slushie as a boba drink, or go for an iced coffee option instead.

There’s green tea and cookies and cream, passion fruit and Thai tea.

Boba has also become a part of popular culture. Even the term “boba” is ambiguous — it refers both to tapioca and the drink itself. If you tell a friend that you want to buy boba, you mean that you’re hankering for the drink. If you’re talking to the polite employee behind the cash register at the boba shop and ask for boba, it’s a request for tapioca in your beverage. One can’t underestimate the process — ordering boba is an art.

Furthermore, boba doesn’t taste the same everywhere. The ratio of milk to tea is different at every place, and consistent tapioca texture is crucial and can be a sign of a good vendor. Nothing is less appealing than chewing hard, stringy tapioca, and it takes time and good advice to find a suitable go-to place. One option is to try the same flavor at every place and compare taste and tapioca texture. I did this once, trying the original milk tea boba at various places around Chinatown.

Enjoy exploring, but be careful — this drink is strangely addicting.

STUPID FUCKING BIRD

Those who have jumped on the steamy Vampire Diaries bandwagon will be ecstatic to hear that the 2015 Official Vampire Diaries Convention is coming to Houston, March 20-22.

Stars of the series including Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley will be there in person, presenting live entertainment.

Stages Repertory Theatre takes Chekhov’s classic, The Seagull, into the 21st century with the premiere of a spinoff called Stupid Fucking Bird. The show runs Wednesday through Sunday, March 18-29. Tickets start at $19.

Hilton North 12400 Greenspoint creationent.com

Stages Repertory Theatre 3201 Allen Parkway, Suite 101 stagestheatre.com

CELEBRATE ART Join Celebrate ART this Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m. for a “Touch the Art” party. Indulge in tacos and beer and get your hands on some art made at the TACTILITY workshop. This event is free.

Rice University Sewall Courtyard facebook.com/ events/407728569388941

WHAT’S HIP RIGHT NOW WEBSITE: Oyster

courtesy oyster

In a phrase: “Netflix for books” Where to find it: Apple iOS, Android, Nook, Kindle, the Internet Even if you cancel your Netflix account, let’s face it — the urge to procrastinate isn’t going to vanish overnight. So why not spend some of your free time reading? Oyster allows users to enjoy books on-the-go without breaking the bank.

For $9.95 a month, Oyster boasts over 1 million titles in a variety of popular categories from Harry Potter to “Technology.” Like Netflix, Oyster also tailors its recommendations to readers’ tastes and allows browsers to pause reading, skip around and pick up where they left off. It’s businesses like these that are the death of local bookstores, but at least they encourage reading in today’s fast-paced lifestyle.

A&E

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

APP:

by sophie newman

TRENDING:

JSwipe

Aoshima

courtesy public domain courtesy jswipe

In a phrase: “Tinder meets JDate” Where to find it: iTunes app store Swipe right and a Star of David with a happy face appears. Swipe left and you get a frown. Jews now have an answer to the modern-day dating crisis with the birth of a new dating app, JSwipe. JSwipe, like Tinder, skips the hassle of dating profiles and provides users with an efficient and convenient way to meet other members of the tribe.

What’s more, JSwipe is super customizable — users may indicate their degree of “Jewishness” by selecting from categories like “Just Jewish,” “Orthodox” and “Willing to Convert.” With only about a quarter of a million users, Jswipe is looking to expand to about half a million before Passover.

7

In a phrase: “Waterskiing meets a jet pack” Where to find it: Vacation destinations You shoot up from the surface of the water, swerving like a spastic fish, carried by the momentum of your own personal jetpack, before diving head-first back under.

While it sounds like something out of a scifi novel or “The Jetsons,” flyboarding, as it’s called, is a real thing.

If you haven’t heard of flyboarding, I advise you to watch a video ASAP. Originally invented in 2011, flyboarding is just now seeing a surge in popularity. In this strange sport, individuals stand on a board connected by a 12-meter hose to a watercraft.

The watercraft supplies pressured water to a pair of boots that jettison you and your board up to 15 meters in the air.

FILM:

Lady Ghostbusters

courtesy hateship loveship

In a phrase: “All-women Ghostbusters reboot” Where to find it: TBD in theaters In January, Bridesmaids director Paul Feig announced the coming of a new Ghostbusters spinoff starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. In addition to scoring a stellar cast, Feig has some pretty epic plans for the film, including a convicted murderer and government conflict.

The plot twist: Last week, Sony announced the production of their own spinoff of Ghostbusters, starring an all-male cast with potential actors Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt. Aggressive much? Needless to say, the two films have gained a lot of media attention, with critics upset at the strict gender binary and having entertainment “for men” and “for women.”

Collina’s fails to deliver high-quality Italian cuisine Walden Pemantle Thresher Staff

walden pemantle/thresher

From top to bottom, Collina Italian Cafe’s pizza, chicken alfredo pasta and tiramisu.

Nestled in a strip mall on Richmond Avenue, Collina’s Italian Cafe looks as inviting as any Italian restaurant. Families and couples chatter over bottles of wine, cooks stir enormous pots of pasta and waiters bustle between the indoor seating and the tables outside on the patio. The affable service, homey redcheckered tablecloths and BYOB policy all add to Collina’s laid-back, neighborhood-Italianjoint atmosphere. It would be all too perfect if Collina’s cooks turned out food that matched their idyllic atmosphere. Unfortunately, Collina’s pastas are far from the heavenly spaghettis and linguinis of superior trattorias; the rustic chicken dishes miss out on the buttery charm that pervades quality Italian cooking.

Even the pizzas, the centerpiece of Collina’s menu, seem bland in comparison to the bold and fresh flavors other pizzerias draw from their pies.

The first warning of the food’s quality comes before guests even order. The dipping oil brought to accompany the bread is a dull, soapy yellow and indeed has a corresponding taste, unlike the bright green, floral extravirgin olive oil typically offered with bread at other Italian restaurants. The other appetizers are somewhat better. The salads are more or less what one expects: chopped romaine tossed with canned olives, onions and the occasional slice of tomato. The appetizer menu’s one standout is the Oysters Ernie. Dusted with flour and sauteed in a tangy brown butter and Worcestershire sauce, the oysters are deliciously plump and chewy. The sauce alone may be the tastiest thing Collina’s serves and is a great alternative to the olive oil for dipping bread.

The entree menu is split between chicken dishes, pastas and pizza. The chicken preparations — marsala, piccata, parmigiana and rosemarino — all come in enormous portions with sides of sauteed spinach and penne marinara.

At $15 each, the plates are all good deals, but across the board, the sauces are fairly disappointing. The chicken marsala is especially so, both too thin and overly sweet, with none of the acidic caramel flavor of actual marsala. The marinara sauce used for the pastas is better, sprinkled with a healthy amount of chiffonade-cut basil to lend it a fragrant flavor. Still, the marinara is overly watery, which

makes for an unappealing appearance on the plate and prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta as well as it could.

The other pastas have similar problems with their sauces. Most use some form of marinara or alfredo sauce, which has too little cheese and pepper to taste like anything but thickened cream. The tortellini, however, is a highlight, filled with fennel sausage and spinach stuffing that shines despite the drab alfredo.

Collina’s Italian Cafe Address: 3835 Richmond Ave, 77027 Price range: Website: www.collinas.com Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

The pizza, what many fans claim is the star of the food at Collina’s, is certainly less disappointing than the other entrees, but still not exceptional. The puffy crust is satisfyingly chewy, but the toppings and thinly spread sauce contribute little to the pizza’s flavor.

The dessert menu adds an odd end to the meal that betrays the very non-Italian nature of Collina’s cooking. With options like lemon squares, brownies, butterscotch squares and cheesecake, the menu seems more like a list of beginner’s baking projects than an Italian dessert menu. The one recognizably Italian dish, tiramisu, bears little resemblance to its classic preparation. The mascarpone cheese is traded for a cream cheese icing, which tastes good on its own, but is much too heavy for the ladyfingers, which in Collina’s case might just be sponge cake anyway. Worse, the cake has barely any trace of the coffee liqueur that defines tiramisu’s flavor.

More than anything, Collina’s comes across as a missed opportunity. The waitstaff is so friendly, the decor so cozy and the prices so reasonable that even a small improvement in the food would make it a charming place for a casual Saturday dinner. Instead, the food is more or less on par with any local Olive Garden, and the menu is far more limited. With a few more spices here and a little less cream there, Collina’s could be a wonderful place to unwind over a mountain of pasta; but without some changes, there’s little to recommend.

8

A&E

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

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

9

courtesy tommy lavergne

Senior catcher John Clay Reeves, the preseason Conference USA Player of the Year, swings at a pitch during a three-game series against Louisiana Tech University, which Rice swept. The sweep marked the second consecutive conference series sweep for the Owls, who improved their record to 15-6 overall and 6-0 in conference. Rice will next play a three-game series against Old Dominion University.

Baseball sweeps second consecutive series Michael Kidd Thresher Staff

Rice vs. LA Tech

4-2 8-7 9-2

The Rice University baseball team returned home to Reckling Park this past week and earned their second consecutive conference series sweep.

After a 14-5 midweek victory over Texas State University, Rice headed into the weekend series against conference foe Louisiana Tech University and won all three contests. Rice finished 4-0 on the week and moved up two spots in the D1Baseball Top 25 ranking to No. 8 nationally. The Owls are now 15-6 (6-0 Conference USA) and have won seven straight games.

Beginning Friday night, the Owls first got on the board in the bottom of the third inning after junior catcher Hunter Kopycinski scored on an RBI groundout to take the 1-0 advantage. In the top of the fifth, however, a trio of base hits followed by a

costly outfield error put Louisiana Tech on top 2-1 against junior pitcher Kevin McCanna.

In the eighth inning, a diving catch in right field by sophomore Charlie Warren stalled the Bulldogs. Rice then rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth after the first three batters reached with walks. Freshman Tristan Gray came through with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to give Rice the 3-2 lead. Warren followed with a base hit to center for an insurance run as Rice held on for a 4-2 final.

In Saturday’s matchup, Louisiana Tech got on the board quickly by scoring two runs off junior starter Blake Fox in the opening inning. The Owls responded by posting two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning on RBI singles by Warren and junior infielder Connor Teykl. The Owls added two more runs in the third after hitting three doubles to take a 4-2 advantage. The teams then went back and forth until the Bulldogs pulled ahead for a 7-6 advantage after eight innings. In the ninth inning, the Owls had just three outs remaining to work with, but quickly worked the bases loaded with nobody out before junior infielder Grayson Lewis hit a two-run single up the middle for the Owls. The base hit gave Rice their first walk-off of the 2015 season and guaranteed a series victory.

On Sunday, the Owls scored six runs in the first inning. Junior pitcher Austin Orewiler held the Bulldogs scoreless through the first five innings and left after allowing two runs on five hits through 6.0 innings pitched. Senior catcher John Clay Reeves finished with three hits and three RBIs, giving Rice the 9-2 win. The offense recorded

double-digit hits for the 16th game this season and has yet to lose in C-USA play.

Assistant Coach Clay Van Hook said starting 6-0 in conference play has been a major boost of confidence for the team.

Getting it done and completing the comeback — there really is not a better feeling.

Grayson Lewis Junior infielder

“It’s always big when you start conference strong from the standpoint of gaining some confidence,” Van Hook said. “When you have confidence, you get wins. More important than getting those wins is playing well, and I feel we have done that as of late on both sides of the ball.”

The Rice offense needed to score runs late in both Friday and Saturday’s matchups. Van Hook said the team needed to make adjustments and take quality at-bats late.

“I have full confidence in our hitters, so I had

no doubt in our ability, but sometimes for young hitters it takes a little longer to make adjustments,” Van Hook said. “The best-hitting teams are the ones who can make adjustments quicker, and fortunate for us we made them at the right time.”

Lewis said hitting the walk-off gave him one of the best memories of his baseball career.

“Obviously it felt great … coming off the bench in that situation and looking for any way to help my team win.” Lewis said. “Getting it done and completing the comeback — there really is not a better feeling.”

According to Lewis, team chemistry has improved and contributed to the winning streak.

“We’ve been playing really [well] these past two weeks, and the chemistry enhancement is unbelievable,” Lewis said. “[We’re] looking to keep that going against [the University of Houston] and [Old Dominion University] and go game-by-game playing our best ball.”

Orewiler is currently leading the Owls in wins and innings pitched. He said his success comes from throwing strikes and going right after hitters.

“I’m just trying to attack the strike zone with all of my pitches,” Orewiler said. “I try to go right after hitters and use my defense to get outs. My defense definitely turned a couple of big double plays to get me out of some rough spots.”

The Owls will look to keep the winning streak alive when they face Old Dominion this upcoming weekend in Norfolk, Virginia for a three-game conference series. Old Dominion was the only other team in C-USA to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament last season. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.

10 SPORTS

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

the Rice Thresher

Mid-Season Update

Men’s hoops falls in C-USA second round

Six spring teams look to have strong second halves of their seasons

Kevin Mohanram Thresher Staff

Rice vs. LA Tech

Baseball

64-70

Men’s Tennis

Women’s Tennis

Overall Record

Overall Record

After losing to Louisiana Tech University in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament, the Rice men’s basketball team’s season came to an end. Rice ended the season 12-20 overall and 8-10 in conference play. The team’s record marks a large improvement over last year, when they finished 2-14 in conference play and 7-23 overall.

The Owls began slowly against the CUSA regular season champions Louisiana Tech and fell down by as many as 15 points in the first half. Louisiana Tech was able to start the game quickly, opening up on a 10-1 run that lasted just over three minutes. The Owls, however, closed the gap to 10 points by halftime, trailing 35-25.

They again fell down by 15 in the second half before closing the gap and coming to within three with 32 seconds to play. But the comeback came too late and Rice lost 70-64, eliminating them from the tournament and any postseason contention.

Senior forward Seth Gearhart led the team in scoring in the game, recording 16 points in 38 minutes of action in his last collegiate basketball game, including nine of 10 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Marcus Jackson contributed 12 points on five of 11 shooting in the loss as well.

Mike Rhoades, who finished his first season as Rice’s head coach, said he was especially proud of the effort the players showed. Additionally, Rhoades said he had particular praise for the seniors, who played in their final games at Rice.

“I absolutely love my players and I love the fight they have,” Rhoades said. “We got down by 15 two different times and we just kept fighting. We had seniors out on the court playing for the last time and you could tell they didn’t want it to end.”

Rice previously defeated the University of North Texas in the first round of the tournament 82-54, the team’s largest margin of victory since 2011. The Owls had previously lost two regular season games against UNT. However, Jackson, who scored 28 points on 71 percent shooting from the field, helped lead the team to victory. Jackson also converted four of his six 3-point attempts in the win. The baskets gave Jackson 85 3-pointers on the season, good for sole possession of second place on Rice’s list of 3-pointers made in a season and just four shy of the all-time record held by Austin Ramljak’s 89 in the 2013-14 season.

Gearhart also contributed 10 points and nine rebounds. Although the Owls held only an eight-point lead at halftime, they quickly widened the lead in the second half, culminating in a 28-point victory.

Rhoades said the team improved its focus and execution in its third game against UNT. “I thought we did a good job of sticking to the game plan and carrying some things over that we didn’t do the first two times we played into this game,” Rhoades said.

Against UNT, Rice recorded 17 assists on 29 field goals. According to Rhoades, teamwork and a willingness to pass the basketball were essential to advancing past the first round.

“I thought we did a really good job sharing the basketball,” Rhoades said. “We have to play that way and we have to play through each other. [Jackson] did a really good job making plays down the stretch and helped us with the lead.”

According to Rhoades, everyone involved in the program, particularly the players, have helped improve Rice basketball’s prestige and reputation over the course of this season.

“I’m just so proud of Rice, the people I work for and my assistant coaches and, most importantly, these players,” Rhoades said. “We fought all year long, and we’re trying to change the culture, and I think we’ve done a good job of that in this first year.”

7-10

Overall Record

C-USA Record

C-USA Record

C-USA Record

0-0

6-0

After beginning the season with a 7-6 record, the Owls have dropped their last four matches. Led by Head Coach Efe Ustundag, Rice has played only two conference matches thus far against the University of Texas, San Antonio and Old Dominion University, both of which resulted in losses. In the newly constructed George R. Brown Tennis Center, the new home of Rice tennis, the Owls boast a winning record of 7-4. Rice will next play against Tulane University on Sunday, March 22 at 12 p.m.

Despite losing six of their first seven games, the Rice women’s tennis team has rebounded to win five of their last six. The team is currently ranked No. 62 nationally and is led by senior Natalie Beazant, who is ranked No. 23 nationally in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Additionally, the doubles combination of Beazant and senior Liat Zimmerman is currently ranked No. 67 in the nation. Rice will look to earn its third consecutive victory on Wednesday, March 18 against Marshall University at 1 p.m.

21 games into the 2015 season, the Rice Owls baseball team has posted a 15-6 overall record (6-0 in Conference USA play). Before the season began, the Owls were ranked as high as No. 13 nationally and have improved upon that standing to No. 8. Rice will continue their quest for a 20th consecutive conference championship led in part

by Preseason Conference Player of the Year John Clay Reeves and Preseason Conference Pitcher of the Year Blake Fox. Rice has won seven straight ballgames and is garnering attention as legitimate Omaha contenders.

Men’s Track and Field

Men’s Golf

Women’s Track and Field

0-2

Rice’s golf team has yet to place in a tournament this season and has yet to finish above 11th place. Most recently, the Owls tied for 11th place at the Border Olympics tournament, held in Laredo, Texas. Senior Tommy Economou led the Owls in the tournament, recording his best finish of the season, coming in at 16th place. The Owls, ranked No. 141 nationally by Golfweek, next travel to the University of Texas, San Antonio Lone Star Invitational at San Antonio’s Briggs Ranch Golf Club on March 23-24.

Men’s Track and Field is looking toward its 2015 outdoor season after a 62nd-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Three Owls placed at the meet, including senior pole vaulter Chris Pillow (7th), senior long jumper Ben Pressley (13th) and sophomore runner Scott Filip (14th). The Owls will begin competing in the outdoor portion of their schedule on March 17 and 18 at home at Holloway Field in the Shirley Crowe Multi Events meet.

SUNDAY

15-6

6-7

MONDAY

TUESDAY

CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY

Recently, the Owls concluded their indoor track season with the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend, where they finished in 52nd place. The Owls will begin the outdoor portion of their schedule on March 20 at the Texas State University Relays. Senior thrower Claire Uke, who received USTFCCCA First-Team All-American honors, will look to lead the team in the field portion of events.

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

MARCH 18

19

Women’s Tennis Marshall vs. Rice

Women’s Swimming NCAA Championships

Men’s Track Shirley Crowe Multiple Events

20 Women’s Tennis Yale vs. Rice

21 Men’s and Women’s Track TSU Relays Baseball Old Dominion vs.

Rice

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

Women’s Tennis William and Mary vs. Rice

Men’s Golf Lone Star Invitational

Baseball Sam Houston vs.

Rice

Men’s Tennis Northwestern vs.

Rice Women’s Tennis Baylor vs. Rice

Men and Women’s Track Texas Relays

Baseball Southern Miss vs. Rice

Men’s Tennis George Washington vs. Rice

Men’s Tennis Tulane vs. RIce

APRIL 29

30

Men’s Tennis UL Lafayette vs.

Rice

31

1

Women’s Tennis Tulane vs. Rice

Men’s Tennis Texas A&M vs.

Rice

Baseball Lamar vs. Rice

5

6

7

Men’s Tennis ATP 250 Houston Qualifying

Men’s Golf Jim West Intercollegiate

Baseball Texas A&M vs.

Rice

8

2

3

4

Women’s Tennis BYU vs. Rice

Men and Women’s Track Victor Lopez Classic Women’s Tennis Utah vs. Rice

Baseball Middle Tennessee vs. Rice

9

10

11

Baseball UAB vs. Rice

Women’s Tennis Louisiana Tech vs. Rice Women’s Track Texas Invitational

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

SPORTS

the Rice Thresher

11

The Fifth Quarter Embracing the Madness Evan Neustater Sports Editor

The Fifth Quarter is a column written by Sports Editor Evan Neustater. The opinions expressed in the column are solely his.

It’s March, the month sports fans across the United States look forward to all year.

Every March, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament begins and sends millions of hardcore and casual fans alike into a stupor of college basketball binge-watching. Families, friends and office staff create bracket pools to see who knows the most about college basketball or, more likely, who has the best luck.

courtesy rice athletic communications

One and done

Sophomore forward Jasmine Goodwine goes for a layup during a 62-57 loss against Old Dominion University in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament. The loss ended Rice’s 2014-15 season, giving the team a final record of 9-21 overall and 4-14 in conference.

Track and field competes in NCAA indoor championships Aniket Tolpadi Thresher Staff

This past weekend, Rice competed in the 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The competition saw the University of Oregon win a second consecutive championship in the men’s competition. Oregon had also won the previous five championships on the women’s side of the draw, though that streak was broken this year as the University of Arkansas earned their first ever women’s title.

On the men’s side, the Owls tied for 62nd place out of 87 schools, while the women’s side tied for 52nd place out of 81 schools.

The Owls had several notable performances at the championships in the both the men’s and women’s competitions. On the men’s side, senior Chris Pillow impressed with his finish in the pole vault, as the se-

nior’s 5.40-meter jump tied for seventh-best in the field. This finish earned the Owls a point in the team standings. Ben Pressley, a senior who finished 13th in the long jump, as well as sophomore Scott Filip, who finished 14th in the 60-meter heptathlon, had notable finishes. On the women’s side, senior Claire Uke earned a point for her team with an eighth-place finish in the shot put with a best mark of 17.14 meters.

With his performance, Pillow earned First-Team All-American status, while Filip and Pressley garnered Second-Team AllAmerican honors with theirs. Similarly, Uke also earned First-Team All-American status for her performance.

Both track teams will now move on to the outdoor track season, which will span the remainder of the semester and end deep into June with the NCAA Outdoor and USA Track and Field Championships.

USTFCCCA All-Americans Claire Uke Shot Put

Senior Cedar Hill, Texas 8th place NCAA indoor Championships 16.73 m

Scoff Filip Heptathlon

Sophomore Bloomingdale, Illinois 4794 points 60 m - 6.99 s; Long Jump 7.20 m; Shot Put 13.51 m; High Jump 1.98; 60 m Hurtles 8.97 s; Pole Vault 4.35m photos courtesy rice athletic communications

Sports, if anything, are great social mediums through which people can bond over common goals and interests.

The three-week tournament, known as “March Madness,” marks one of the most entertaining sporting events in the world.

The beauty of the tournament is that anything can happen — schools virtually no one has heard of before can upset traditional powerhouses, sending shockwaves through the sports world and bringing attention and recognition to their school. The idea of the “Cinderella” team can unite fans everywhere because, after all, who doesn’t love a good underdog story?

This year, I encourage everyone to enter a bracket pool. It doesn’t matter if you’ve

never watched a basketball game in your life or if you’ve watched every game this season.

This is what makes March Madness so great: Anyone and everyone has an equal chance of having the best overall bracket. With the stakes at their highest, no one really knows for certain who will win any given game. It’s either win or go home; survive and advance.

So many games seem to come down to the final moments with both teams trying to keep their season and dreams alive. The tournament creates excitement few other sporting events can match.

I have been a part of a bracket pool every year since middle school, and I can promise it’s a great way for people to bond. I’ve seen people who have never watched a game turn into huge sports fans and go crazy when they picked the correct upset. I’ve seen people become friends just because they were in the same bracket pool and made similar picks.

Regardless of anyone’s basketball knowledge, everyone should give it a try.

This year, it seems the University of Kentucky is poised to win it all. Coming from a 33-0 season and just the fifth undefeated season since the 1975-76 University of Indiana team, everyone seems to think the Wildcats are the obvious choice to win it all. But as NCAA Tournament history tells us, anything can happen.

Last season, Wichita State University went undefeated in the regular season but lost to Kentucky in just the second round of the tournament. In fact, the last four teams to finish the regular season undefeated did not win the national championship.

Use March Madness as a chance to bond with your friends and possibly even your college. Sports, if anything, are great social mediums through which people can bond over common goals and interests. And if you are so lucky to win your bracket pool, you can earn the glory that is bragging rights.

And who doesn’t like talking trash to their friends?

12

BACKPAGE

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

the Rice Thresher

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School Pick-up and after care needed for two girls (3 1/2 and 2 1/2) from same school, near Memorial Park. Need play time, dinner time, and bath time. Hours: 3-730. Pay $15/ hr. bbtruxillo@yahoo.com

A physician family is looking for a part-time nanny from 6:30pm to 8pm during weekdays.

Girl is 1 yo, boy is 3 yo, both in Daycare right next to Rice campus. Responsibilities: picking up from daycare at 6:30pm, and preferably feed them dinner afterwards (our home is inside TMC right on Holcombe). putao123@ yahoo.com Experienced LSAT tutor, 98 percentile scorer, Georgetown Law graduaIndividualized, high-level, cost-effective tutoring. Check out my website and LSAT blog with free tips at www.thelsatpro.com.

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Please send resume and letter of interest to freddietrich@msn.com.

Need tutor for science and math and homework 5-7 hours per week in rice village area for fourth grade student. Contact khuranas@bellsouth.net

SPRING BREAK- SOUTH Padre Island, TX. Sleep 6 ppl. Next to water park and all the action. Cell: 956-459-4806 condorental@border-tech.com for rental and details.

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