The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, November 18, 2015 by The Rice Thresher

VOLUME 100, ISSUE NO. 12 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015

SB#4 passes, moves to Faculty Senate Drew Keller News Editor

Stay woke, stay conscious Stand up to daily injustices, for some it’s not a choice

see Ops p. 5 truly altruistic altruism?

The Student Association Senate passed Senate Bill #4, creating a task force charged with developing a mandatory Critical Thinking in Sexuality course for new students, by a 19-7 margin at the Nov. 11 Senate meeting. Before voting on the bill, the Senate approved an amendment requiring Senate approval of additional members of the task force, whose first five members were named in the legislation. SA President Jazz Silva, who proposed the course to combat campus sexual misconduct, will chair the task force. “I’m very excited,” Silva, a Sid Richardson College senior, said after the

vote. “That was awesome — we have a lot of work to do.” The course proposal will be presented to Faculty Senate, who will make the ultimate decision of whether the course is implemented and made mandatory. The course’s details will be developed by the task force with Faculty Senate, the Provost’s Oﬃce and the faculty and students of the Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum, according to the bill. Silva said she hopes the course will be approved in time for it to be ready for next fall’s new students. After its original presentation to the SA Senate on Oct. 28, Brown College President Tom Carroll introduced an amendment to the bill calling for Senate approval of the course once it is

developed in addition to the initial vote creating the task force. In its final form, Carroll’s amendment states that the task force must “present details of the course for Senate support through voting procedure” once the curriculum has been outlined. However, the outcome of this vote would not have legal eﬀect on Faculty Senate’s final decision. At the Nov. 11 meeting, immediately before voting on SB#4, the Senate voted on an amendment proposed by Duncan College Senator Reagan Kapp. After revision, the amendment changed the wording of the section of the bill describing more task force members from “additional members to be appointed by the Student Association presi0see SB#4, page 3

WHAT COMES NEXT? 1. The SA Senate will approve additional task force members. 2. The task force, Faculty Senate, Provost’s Oﬃce and Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum will develop the details of the course. 3. The SA Senate will vote to show support or opposition for the curriculum outline. The Faculty Senate will vote to make the final decision on implementation of the course.

Rice Players’ comedy oﬀers seriousness and reflection

see A&E p. 6 Heartbreaking Reunion Football experiences first homecoming defeat in years

RTV rebranding reveals excess in rollover funding Anita Alem

see Sports p. 9

Decision nears on campus carry Abigail Panitz Thresher Staff

President Leebron will decide by Thanksgiving whether to allow licensed handgun owners to carry concealed weapons on Rice University campus based on feedback from Rice community members, according to Rebecca Sanchez, a member of the Staff Advisory Committee. Earlier this semester, a student task force was founded by the Student Association to address the Texas Senate’s campus carry bill, Senate Bill 11. S.B. 11, which was passed last June, will allow campus carry with the exception of colleges that legally opt out after consulting their students and staff.

We want to make sure people feel like they have the opportunity to be heard. Nikolas Liebster

Task Force Representative

The student task force collected feedback through an online survey where Rice students were able to vote “for” or “against” allowing concealed carry on campus. The student survey closed Sunday evening. Lovett College President Griffin Thomas explained that the constituent groups will report their feedback to the campuswide working group. The group will then communicate the input to President Leebron, who will make a decision. The closure of the survey representing undergraduates, in ad0see CARRY, page 2

News Editor

Rice Television is currently rebranding itself as Rice Video Productions. RTV must also adapt to the new blanket tax process implemented last year, as the current 201516 budget shows an unauthorized rollover of $5,334 left unaccounted for by the Student Association Blanket Tax Committee. At its Nov. 18 Senate meeting, the Student Association will vote upon the renaming of RTV to RVP, as well as a change in station manager from Lovett College senior Rachel Gray, who was elected in last year’s general election, to Baker College senior Patrick Huang. The organization has already been functioning as RVP, with Huang as station manager since August. According to SA Treasurer and BTC member Sai Chilakapati, the BTC will meet and discuss the unauthorized rollover with RTV. Chilakapati, a Hanszen College junior, said an approval of this renaming may be followed by a closer look into the organization’s mission and budget.

RTV Under the New Blanket Tax Process According to Chilakapati, under the new blanket tax review process introduced in the spring of last year, the amount of money allocated to blanket tax organizations each year is more flexible. The BTC discusses annual projected budgets with blanket tax organizations in the spring and designates funds for the following year depending on this budget. In previous years, organizations were awarded a set amount of funds per student, which would result in the accumulation of surplus. “[In the new system], we don’t care about your budgets from two years ago,” Chilakapati said. “We want to look at have you spent [funds] this year, and how do you intend to spend them the following year?” According to the SA Constitution, the BTC may instruct an organization to return all or part of the surplus in excess of 125 percent of the budgeted surplus. A two-thirds vote by the SA may require complete or partial return of unapproved surplus. By its blanket tax review process in 0see RTV, page 4

DOCUMENTING RTV

APRIL 2015

SUMMER 2015

AUGUST 2015

NOVEMBER 2015

RTV has remaining budget of $14,506 from 2014-15 funds, guarantees $0 rollover to next school year

RTV decides on rebranding to Rice Video Productions

RTV does not spend all of $14K, creates restructured internal budget with $5,334 rollover from 2014-2015

Voting in Senate to take place on Nov. 18 on renaming to RVP, changing station manager

Blanket Tax Committee allocates $15,668 to RTV assuming $0 rollover from 2014-15

Fiscal year ends on June 30, BTC does not verify that $14K was spent

Budget was not shared with BTC

Fondren south to reopen by Thanksgiving Sydney Garrett Thresher Staff

Minor setbacks during renovations to Fondren Library’s south reading room pushed its expected completion date to Nov. 23, according to Vice Provost and university librarian Sara Lowman. The renovations were originally expected to be completed over midterm recess. The south reading room has been closed since May for renovations aimed at creating a study space that is more representative of what students want, Lowman said. According to Lowman, the completion was postponed due to delays in carpet and furniture delivery.

“[Students] wanted more comfortable furniture, better lighting, better window coverings, not necessarily just technology and different types of seating,” Lowman said. “A lot of time has been spent trying to figure out how to best use our resources to support how students want the library to function.” The GIS/Data Center began studying where students prefer to study in Fondren Library in response to feedback that students were having difficulties locating places to study. It counted the number of students every hour and mapped the usage of almost every study space, according to Lowman. 0see FONDREN, page 2

photo courtesy fondren library & jessica kelly/thresher

NEWS

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

the Rice Thresher

Vigil voices unity with Paris, Beirut Amber Tong

Assistant News Editor

In light of recent violence in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad, over 100 students attended a candlelight vigil to show solidarity, say prayers and express their thoughts. The gathering,hosted by the Boniuk Council, took place on the night of Nov. 15. On Nov. 13, a series of gun and bomb attacks in the French capital killed 129 people, leaving over 300 injured. On the same day, a suicide bombing at a Baghdad funeral killed at least 17 people. In Beirut, one day before that, 41 lost their lives to two suicide bombs. Boniuk Council outreach oﬃcer Zaid Bilgrami said the organizers hoped the vigil would be a space for attendees to reconcile traumatic global events for themselves. “Praying helps me personally process tragedy in these kinds of events; it helps me heal,” Bilgrami, a Baker College senior, said. “So I’m just happy I got the opportunity to invite people and allow them to pray as well, and allow them to initiate their own healing as well. It’s just the least we can do.” Bridget Schilling, a Boniuk Council member, was one of many students who gave a speech at the vigil. “We stand together tonight not as activists, but as people who value basic human life,“ Schilling, a Lovett College junior, said. Anita Kapyur, another member of the Boniuk Council, said she is deeply touched by the diﬀerent voices present. “As terrible as tragedy is, this sort of times that we come together are just so beautiful —it just shows how much greater love is than hate,” Kapyur, a Duncan College junior, said. “It’s a privilege to be part of this, and be part of everyone’s healing and praying, even if we’re not all of the same religion.”

jan li/thresher

Rice students assembled late Sunday by Willy’s statue in the Academic Quad to express solidarity with the inhabitants of Paris and Beirut. The vigil was organized by Rice’s Bonuik Council.

Humanities to launch research practicum Hannah Todd Thresher Staff

The Humanities Research Center is partnering with Houston institutions and university archives to provide semester-long student practica in the fields of medical humanities and cultural heritage starting in spring 2016. John Mulligan, a Rice University lecturer, will be managing the program. The students will receive three hours of humanities credit under HURC with the expectation of spending five to 10 hours a week on site. Mulligan will check in with students weekly and institutions monthly. Students will submit a midsemester write-up on their work and will present at a symposium at the end of the semester on the results of their research. “The research the students will engage in is flexible with respect to the institution,” Mulligan said. “It will draw on some unrealized potential an institution has that a student can make the most of and learn some skills along the way.” The practicum is sponsored by the Public Humanities Initiative, an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant managed by principal investigators Melissa Bailar and Fares El-Dadah. “The grant is designed to take humanistic potential at Rice and give students an opportunity to

plug into the cultural landscape of Houston,” Mulligan said. “We want to try to make what we do as publicly relevant as possible and find a way of reminding people how important to daily life the humanities can be.” 10 of 14 students have already been placed and three others will be placed next week. Five students will conduct medical humanities research and eight will focus on cultural heritage. “We have a really interesting mix of students — some science-y people, some double majors,” Mulligan said. “Nobody has done deep archival work though.” Lovett College senior Emily Higgs plans to pursue a master’s degree in library and information science after graduating and applied for the practica to get a better idea of the field. “I am going to be processing small collections at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center,” Higgs said. “Once we know what’s in these collections and organize them in a way that is accessible to researchers, they can be mined for a wealth of historical information about Texas and Houston.” Higgs said she is most looking forward to going through the collections. “You never know what kind of material you’ll stumble on,” Higgs said. “The archivists I’ve talked to love to tell stories about the treasures they’ve

discovered in these collections.” Psychology major Christian Capo said he wants to work in pediatric mental health in his future career. He was placed in the Institute for Spirituality and Health to focus on improving children’s knowledge of these topics. “I hope to instill true understanding and appreciation of interfaith practices into Houstonarea children, as well as alleviate their mental and physical health crises,” Capo, a Jones College sophomore, said. Capo said he is most looking forward to the novelty and uniqueness of the experience. “I am excited to be doing something so new and so diﬀerent from anything else that I have ever done at Rice,” Capo said. “I never thought that I would have an opportunity like this, especially as a non-humanities major working with the Humanities Research Center.” Mulligan does not expect students to continue their research in subsequent semesters. However, he is open to that in the future. “I don’t believe we will be rolling students over but have discussed for larger projects and especially for group projects,” Mulligan said. “Once we are certain the one semester with one student on one given project is working, we will revisit making changes.”

Competition causes food waste reduction Maurice Frediere Thresher Staff

The Zero Waste Campaign’s first Food Waste Reduction Competition led to a 23.3 percent reduction in waste at Sid Richardson College Kitchen, a 15.8 percent reduction at West Servery and an 11.1 percent reduction at Baker College Kitchen, according to Baker College EcoRep Travis Kwee. The numbers from South and North Serveries are still being calculated. Kwee, a sophomore, described the many environmental eﬀects of food waste and the possibility of resolving the issue. “Many organizations independently came up with the idea that food waste is a huge issue that extends to many other issues such as water shortages, world hunger and methane emissions” Kwee said. “It spans multiple issues and is easily solvable by pushing people to change their lifestyles to decrease food waste.” The Student Association Environmental Committee, Eco-Reps, Environmental Issues: Rice into the Future (ENST 302) class and the

Rice Environmental Club collaborated to create the Zero Waste Campaign. SA Environmental Committee Co-Chair and Eco-Rep Kira Bre Clingen said she looks forward to the potential longer term eﬀects the waste campaign could have, including composting initiatives, more sustainable energy sources and separate instead of single-stream recycling. “We’re definitely seeing more awareness and also more of an interest about actively engaging in conversations about the environment” Bre Clingen, a Duncan College senior, said. “This is about raising awareness and fighting against the culture of apathy towards environmental issues that Rice has. Wiess College New Student Representative Avery Jordan said the Food Waste Reduction Competition could be repeated annually. “We’ll be sending out a final survey to all the colleges and students to get feedback on how many people we reached and what we could have done better,” Jordan said. Emily Foxman, Lovett College Eco-Rep and

a student in the ENST 302 class that co-sponsored the campaign, talked about the future of combatting food waste on campus. “Our long-term plan is based on education initiatives,” Foxman, a sophomore, said. “We want to keep up the posters that we have in some of the serveries. We’re trying to determine if there’s a correlation between the posters that are up and the difference in waste reduction between serveries.” For the competition, servery staff weighed trash from different colleges six times over the course of two weeks, then weighed five meals during the week of the competition. The numbers from the two periods were then averaged individually and compared to produce a percentage decrease. The final results will be announced this week and a follow up weighing will occur in December to judge the permanent effects of the campaign. The campaign also included a clean plate challenge, in which individuals were encouraged to take pictures of themselves and their empty plates.

0CARRY FROM PAGE 1 dition to the closure of three other surveys representing graduate students, faculty and staff respectively, marks the end of Rice’s legally required discussion period of campus carry. According to Sanchez, all feedback will be processed and analyzed by Nov. 20. Thomas, a junior, explained that the task force was formed after Rice’s General Counsel attended a meeting of residential college masters and presidents earlier in the semester to discuss how best to assess student feedback on S.B. 11. This initial conversation ultimately led to the SA passing a bill to create the task force. Hanszen College New Student Representative Nikolas Liebster described the selection process that led to his joining the taskforce. He volunteered to join at one of Hanszen’s weekly college government meetings when the position opened. “Individuals were chosen by presidents of the colleges and we had one representative from each college other than Will Rice,” Liebster said. “We sent the survey to the SA senator of Will Rice and he then distributed it because Will Rice was otherwise not represented.” Thomas voiced appreciation for the administration’s efforts to foster conversation on campus around S.B. 11. “Personally, I am glad Rice is taking these steps to discuss Senate Bill 11 as the safety of our campus is paramount,” Thomas said. “If nothing else, it raises the level of public debate around an issue that is not generally discussed.” Liebster said the task force has worked to remain unbiased. “We’re being as transparent as we can,” Liebster said. “We know that this is a very divisive issue and that people have strong opinions on it so we want to make sure that people feel like they have the opportunity to be heard.”

0FONDREN FROM PAGE 1 The library staff used this information to determine where students like to study and what furniture they prefer. According to Lowman, the staff ’s goal was to provide for the possible needs of students in a range of situations. “We try to provide a wide variety of seating arrangements to reflect how you may want to sit in a lounge chair when you’re reading a book, or you may want to have a study room or a two-person carrel,” Lowman said. “We’ve tried to update the library spaces to reflect the current study experience that students have.” Duncan College freshman Sam Boyle said he thought the renovations will be a positive addition to the library’s existing study spaces.

We’ve tried to update the library spaces to reflect the current study experience that students have. Sara Lowman

Vice Provost and university librarian

“[The south reading room] is kind of out of the way, and I’m usually in the library at night, so I haven’t really noticed it being worked on,” Boyle said. “But it’ll be great to have more large tables for group work on the first floor.” Lowman said she hopes that the newly renovated south reading room will become popular among students. “At night, students tend to study on the first floor. I think it feels busier and more active, and probably a little safer,” Lowman said. “So I predict that this area is going to be very popular for studying.”

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

0SB#4 FROM PAGE 1 dent” to “additional members to be appointed by the Student Association president and confirmed by the Student Association Senate or by majority vote of the Student Association Senate.” “Part of the reason why students felt they could not support the course was they felt the way the task force was created was unfair,” Kapp, a sophomore, said. “From someone who doesn’t know what’s going on inside student government, it just seems like it’s all being controlled by one sector.” The Senate approved the amendment almost unanimously, with only Lovett College President Griﬃn Thomas voting against it, then moved on to voting on the overall bill. Kapp said the amendment helped prevent procedural concerns from dragging down the proposal itself. “The goal of this amendment was just to alleviate those concerns so that we can talk about the actual bill, and what it is and what it isn’t, and not just focus on some procedural worry that people have,” Kapp said. “[Also, the task force] should be as representative as possible of the diversity of opinion that we have here at Rice.” The presidents and senators of Baker, Jones and McMurtry Colleges voted no on SB #4, as did Sid Richardson President Lauren Schmidt. All other presidents and senators, as well as the four members of the SA Cabinet, voted yes. Sid Richardson Senator Justin Onwenu said he and Schmidt agreed to split their votes to reflect the divided opinions at their college, where 58 percent said they supported the class and 42 percent

NEWS

the Rice Thresher said they opposed it in a non-mandatory survey. “Other colleges [voted such that] the majority won out,” Onwenu, a sophomore, said. “We just thought it would be a better idea to split the vote that way to be equally representative. There were more ‘no’s than we anticipated, so we just thought giving them a voice would be helpful.” McMurtry President Elizabeth Finley said she and McMurtry Senator Mishi Jain voted against the bill after a slight majority of their college’s survey opposed the proposal. “These responses, along with our concern regarding how rushed the process was and the SA’s minimal communication with relevant stakeholders, caused us to vote against SB#4,” Finley, a senior, said in an email sent to McMurtry members. Finley said she and Jain personally supported the concept of a sexuality class for all students. “Though we feel that education is extremely important, we want to ensure that this initiative is done thoughtfully,” Finley, said in the email. “We felt that it was imperative to vote how the college wanted us to vote, regardless of how that may or may not have conflicted with personal views.” Hanszen College President Angela Masciale, in contrast, said she voted in favor even though Hanszen’s poll was almost evenly split. Masciale is one of the task force members named by the bill. “Hanszen [is] about 300 students,” Masciale, a senior, said. “And 100 voted. So if you’re [trying to be] completely representative, you can’t, because two thirds didn’t even vote.” Masciale said comments from the Hanszen survey showed that much of the opposition was due to logistical concerns or misinformation. “A lot of what was negative was very mis- and ill-informed,” Masciale said. “There was a post

that said, ‘They should do another survey of sexual assault of only the penetration because I think unwanted kissing and touching isn’t sexual assault.’ That’s obviously wrong. That is sexual assault.” Hanszen Senator Olivia Hsia said fears of the Faculty Senate disregarding student input when approving the developed course are unfounded, even if the SA Senate does not have the power to actually reject the final product. “If there’s something in there that we don’t like and are not receptive of, then if we — the Student Association and student body — pool our support, I firmly believe the class will not come forward,” Hsia, a junior, said. “There is historical precedent that Faculty Senate has only done these initiatives because the students had wanted it.”

Thomas said he voted for the overall bill because he supports the underlying proposal of a mandatory sexuality class. “Procedurally [the bill] became problematic throughout the debate, but I’m glad that ultimately students put the sexual well being of the campus first,” Thomas, a junior, said. Masciale also said she voted yes because she supported the proposal’s spirit, even if she disagreed with some aspects of its implementation. “I was very surprised that there was such a backlash against [SB #4],” Masciale said. “It’s all in good spirit. It’s not to make anyone feel like they are cornered or that their voice isn’t heard. It’s about tolerance of people from diﬀerent backgrounds. That’s why we have this vote of the spirit.”

SB#4 Vote Results President Senator

Baker Brown Duncan Hanszen Jones Lovett Martel McMurtry Sid Rich Wiess Will Rice

N Y Y Y N Y Y N N Y Y

N Y Y Y N Y Y N Y Y Y

College Poll For: 43%

Against: 50%

59% 49%

41% 51%

51% 39%

45%

Senate Votes

IVP - Y EVP - Y

61% NO POLL CONDUCTED 28%

60% 43% 58% 67%

51% 42% 33% RESULTS NOT RELEASED

Secretary - Y Treasurer - Y

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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

the Rice Thresher

Former death row inmate recounts road to innocence Hannah Todd Thresher Staff

Somerville, Texas; 1994. A family was murdered by a man named Robert Earl Carter. Law officials coerced Carter under the pretense of a plea bargain into falsely implicating his acquaintance, Anthony Graves, as his accomplice. Graves was incarcerated for assisting Carter in multiple murders, and subsequently sentenced to death row. “[The law officials] caught the guy who did it, and told him, ‘If you tell us who your accomplice was, we will let you go,’ thinking that no one acting alone could kill six people,” Nicole Bremner Casarez, Graves’ attorney, said. 21 years later today, Graves is a free man. He and Casarez spoke respectively at lectures hosted by Rice University’s Scientia Institute on Nov. 10. The two described how Casarez and her University of St. Thomas journalism students found the truth leading to Graves’ exoneration. “It was a horrible, horrible crime in which an entire family was killed,” Graves said. “The town wanted justice. The mayor of the town even said, ‘Whoever did this should be caught and hanged.’” When Carter gave Graves’ name, the police went immediately to Graves’ house. “When I asked why [they arrested me], they wouldn’t say,” Graves said. “They asked me my name and then they read me my Miranda rights. I wasn’t panicking because I hadn’t done anything wrong. Then, I was accused of capital murder.” Graves served over 18 years behind bars, many of which were spent in solitary confinement and on death row. He had two execution dates scheduled and cancelled. “I didn’t know anything, but the [law officials] didn’t want to hear the truth,” Graves said “They wanted me to tell a lie. It took 6,640 days to get home. I witnessed thousands of deaths, guilty people, mentally ill people, innocent people being executed, deaths where they would execute one man and then clean the table off for the next.” Many law officials knew of Graves’ innocence yet did nothing.

“Everyone was reading the same boxes but they made the decision to keep kicking the can down the road,” Graves said. Graves’ path to freedom began in 2001, when Casarez began teaching an Innocence Investigations with Journalism class at the University of St. Thomas. Students randomly assigned to investigate the case of Anthony Graves examined existing material on the case and obtained an aﬃdavit from Carter’s brother. As a result of the students’ investigation, Graves’ case was overturned in 2006 and he was released in 2010. Casarez and her students began to see disparities based on race and socioeconomic status in cases they analyzed. Casarez said one in three black Americans goes to jail in their lifetime compared to one in 27 whites and one in 17 Hispanics. “I’ve been waiting for this [statistic] to change for a long time and it hasn’t,” Casarez said. Casarez also views socioeconomic status as an important source of criminal justice inequalities. “Criminal justice isn’t black or white,” Casarez said. “It’s green. If you can aﬀord good representation, you don’t get sent to death row.” Graves said he saw these disparities firsthand. “All the injustice stems from ignorance, hatred and bigotry,” Graves said. “No one cares about the other person. Everyone wants to win. I was the little man.” Graves emphasized the importance of the public knowing about justice system inequalities. “We need a change in our system and we have to be that change,” Graves said. “As is, one day you’ll wake up and say, ‘I know someone who is innocent in prison who is on death row.’” Graves said he views exercising the right to vote as instrumental in achieving change. “We can change laws all day long but we have to want the system to work,” Graves said. McMurtry College sophomore Anna Thomas said she was struck by Graves’ perspective. “The most remarkable part was Graves’ persistently positive outlook and determination to make good use of his life since being exonerated,” Thomas said.

the queer agenda events

PAID FOR BY THE QUEER RESOURCE CENTER

November 18 Trans Women of Color United for Change’s Transgender Day of Remembrance at 7 p.m. November 20 VA Medical Center’s Transgender Day of Remembrance at 10 a.m. Gender Reel Transgender Film Festival at Rice Media Center at 6:30 p.m. November 21 Houston Transgender Unity Committee’s Transgender Day of Remembrance at 7 p.m. Gender Reel Transgender Film Festival at Frenetic Theater at 9 p.m. November 22 Rice Queer Monologues mSociety’s Motown Revue Gender Reel Transgender Film Festival at Montrose Center

fact of the day

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked oﬀ the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases—has yet to be solved.

art from the community

November 28 Queer Lit Book Club at 1 p.m. November 28 – December 1 Legacy’s Red Ribbon Light Display December 1 Legacy’s World AIDS Day Candlelight Observance and “Rent” Selection Performance at 6 p.m. December 2 GLBT General Membership Meeting at 6:30 p.m.

by Marie Jacobson if you want to be featured in the Queer Agenda, please submit your art piece to riceqrc@gmail.com

Shaken, not stirred

jake nyquist/thresher

Rice students dance at this year’s Esperanza dance, arranged by RPC. The dance, whose theme was “Night at Skyfall,” took place at the Hyatt Regency Houston downtown.

0RTV FROM PAGE 1 April 2015, RTV had spent $6,316.40 of its budget for 2014-15, leaving $14,500 in unused funds. In email correspondences between Chilakapati and RTV leadership, the organization said it planned to use all of the funds by the end of the fiscal year in June 2015, so the proposed budget for 2015-16 indicated an expected $0 rollover from 2014-15. The BTC analyzed this proposed budget and allocated $15,668 of student funds to RTV, assuming $0 in rollover from the previous year. “We felt that the explanation they provided [for the usage of the $14,500] was suﬃcient,” Chilakapati said. “We approved them with the condition they report those expenditures to us.” The BTC corresponded with RTV on April 11 and requested the organization provide a list of purchases of the remaining $14,500 once it was spent. However, the BTC did not provide a deadline by which to respond. No further correspondences regarding the budget occurred between RTV and the BTC until the Thresher approached the two organizations. At the beginning of the school year, RTV created a restructured budget for 2015-16, which was a better use of resources, according to Gray. This budget was not shared with the BTC but was shared with RTV’s advisor. “We are happy to submit an update of our budget from last year and our revised budget for this year to the SA,” Gray said. “We just needed to be asked. The last we heard about that was last semester.” This updated budget showed more than $5,300 of the $14,500 promised to be spent in the previous fiscal year had not been utilized. Gray said, and budget records confirmed, the portion of the $14,500 that was spent went primarily towards purchasing a new Mac computer, a GoPro camera and accessories. The unused $5,300 rolled over into the 2015-16 year, despite the predicted $0 rollover. RTV Vice President Jeremy Kao said in the past, the organization has purposely kept some surplus because it makes large purchases every few years for computers and other equipment. According to Kao, a Hanszen College junior, RTV understood the gist of the changes to the blanket tax system, but thought it would have the same amount of funding each year regardless of this system. “We were under the impression that the rollover budget would go to us,” Kao said. “We thought we’d just spend the money this semester, since we weren’t able to finish it in the past year.” Chilakapati said the BTC was unaware of this restructured budget as well as the existence of rollover. RTV’s internal budget was restructured to allocate $12,100 specifically toward equipment expenditure; the April 2015 proposal allocated $7,300 to the same category of purchases. “When an organization needs to change their budget, they need to approach me so I can take that back to the BTC,” Chilakapati said. “That was made clear to them.” Rebranding Huang said RTV decided to rebrand as Rice Video Productions in summer 2015, in accordance with a shift in programming. RTV had previously filmed Senate meetings, cultural shows

and lectures; however, Huang and Kao said they are currently trying to move toward a greater focus on original content. “Last year, we filmed a lot of events for the club that did the event and not so much for the larger Rice population,” Kao said. “We are trying to do more experimental short films that the entire Rice population could enjoy.” Huang said the organization’s mission remains the same with teaching students about video production. Students may still borrow and learn how to use RTV’s equipment as well. RTV has released three videos this semester, including a satirical video on Night of Decadence entitled “NOD BODS,” and is currently editing an Esperanza video. Huang said the split is about 50-50 in terms of covering short films and events but creating original content is often more time consuming. Last year, RTV released more than 30 videos to its YouTube page. “In terms of a sheer volume of videos we produce, it’s lower this fall,” Huang said. “But I think our quality is going up.” Huang said the new budget created in August 2015 is reflective of the shift. RTV plans to purchase a camera geared toward cinematography and hired cinematographers to instruct members, which was done for the ‘Nod Bods’ video. The BTC was unaware of any changes in programming. RTV has been in contact with the SA about its name change since August. “The way it was phrased to us is that it was just a name change to better represent what that organization’s mission was,” Chilakapati said. “If RTV approached us with a significant change, we’d look at how the mission changed, and we’d like to see a change in the budget to reflect that.” Blanket Tax Committee Oversight According to Chilakapati, the new blanket tax process has measures to ensure oversight of blanket tax organizations’ budgets. The SA Treasurer must be given access to organization’s C-funds and D-funds, although the latter capability was not mandatory this year to give clubs time to become accustomed to the system. However, Chilakapati said he has not looked into at any organization’s C-funds thus far. Blanket tax funds are given on a semesterly basis. However, Chilakapati also said the BTC does not check in with the blanket tax organizations between semesters because it has time constraints from other responsibilities. “The BTC not only does blanket tax reviews, it also does initiative funds as well as reviews any applications organizations submit to become a blanket tax organizations,” Chilakapati said. Chilakapati said the BTC does not determine whether organizations should continue to receive blanket tax. This falls upon student opinion, including the SA as well as other blanket tax organizations. However, the SA has not posted any blanket tax organization budgets on its website. “[The budgets] are supposed to be on the archive tab, but it is not stated that students have open access to that,” Chilakapati said. “They should contact me [to see them].” Chilakapati said the BTC is still in its early stages and will convene to decide what to change for next year. “We [plan] to ask for any necessary constitutional amendments to make the process smoother and more doable within the academic year,” Chilakapati said.

SA too hasty, did not represent students

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

Editorial Staff Andrew Ta* Editor in Chief Yasna Haghdoost* Managing Editor Miles Kruppa* Senior Editor news Anita Alem* Editor Drew Keller* Editor Andrew Ligeralde Asst. Editor Amber Tong Asst. Editor Justin Park Designer

the vote. But all these voices were cut short by the actual vote. With many in the SA and the task force admitting that there was tremendous misinformation, why didn’t the SA postpone the vote to address the misinformation more attentively? Why was there not a school-wide town hall to address misconceptions and questions? By rushing to vote without hosting a town hall, the SA chose to ignore the problem of misinformation. Furthermore, there was little student body input throughout the whole legislative process. The SA president introduced and advocated the bill and later changed the amendment on it. She will also head the task force that already consists of five members she selected. Since this task force will represent the student body, shouldn’t the student body as a whole have more of a say in its member selection? While the SA can now choose task force members (due to a last-minute amendment before the vote), how many members can they add to the six already selected ones before the task force becomes ineﬃcient due to overcrowding? Lastly, while the student body was divided on the bill, the vote did not reflect this. According to surveys, Duncan was 50 percent yes, 50 percent no; Wiess 66 percent yes, 34 percent no; Martel 60 percent yes, 28 percent no, 12 percent undecided;

Sid Richardson 60 percent yes, 40 percent no; and Baker 43.1 percent yes, 49.4 percent no, 7.2 percent undecided. Yet, the vote last Wednesday was an overwhelming 73 percent yes and a meager 27 percent no. This is a rare time when “apathetic” Rice students are actually passionate and vocal about an SA bill. Unfortunately, the SA cut the debate short with the vote and failed to show us they believe every student’s opinion matters. This whole process started with the “It’s Up to Us” campaign, calling each of us to help solve the sexual assault issue. At this point, however, I am very doubtful that “Us” means the student body. In the end, the student body must consider: Who does the SA represent?

Aaron Huang is a Baker College sophomore

To be Woke and a Woman and Black

I woke up this morning thinking about last night. I woke up this morning thinking about what was going to happen at Mizzou today, what we needed to say about Mizzou, what was happening at Yale, what needed to be said at Yale, what was going to happen at Rice today, what we needed to say at Rice. Woke refers, in my definition, to those persons of color that are constantly plugged in. We know about the latest injustices. Some talk about the ails of a capitalistic society. Some talk about power structures meant to keep people of color down. Some talk about the eﬀects of racism on their day-to-day life. Some speak out. Some have one-on-one conversations with the perennially ignorant on their college campuses. Some work to educate other people of color around them about how the injustices our brothers and sisters face in California aﬀect us here in Houston. Some just cry in their rooms. Some have to take an information break. Some can’t even speak. Some cannot bear the weight of staying woke. Today, I rest here. I rest fed up, too sad, beyond angry, unable to do homework, can’t think about that thesis, wishin’ I could just go get some ice cream with the besties or cuddle up with the boo thang and pretend that the world is going just the way it should and injustice is not threatening to break down my door. But I can’t. Even when I’m fed up, I still come face-to-face with injustice because I am a Black female body that just doesn’t mix it up well all

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To read the full version of these op-eds, visit ricethresher. org/opinion

copy Jasmine Lin Editor Julianne Wey Editor backpage Joey McGlone Editor Riley Robertson Editor * indicates member of the Editorial Board

“

the time in a white male society. Every day, even without checking my Facebook feed for the latest on injustice in America today, I wake up “woke” and I can never go back to sleep. James Baldwin so aptly said, “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.” What happens to that Black woman at the back of the classroom who is faced with so much violence by being at an institution of higher learning that she can’t bear to read the next assignment for class? What happens to that Black boy whose brother was shot and killed last week, yet his teacher is yelling at him for not turning in his paper and he can’t even manage an answer because all he will do is cry? What happens to that black girl who just lost her mother and grandmother, is depressed, doesn’t want to give up her cellphone and as a result gets slammed to the floor by a school police oﬃcer? What does this mean for the Black college student trying to get into DuBois’s esteemed Talented Tenth to lift up the community who walks into her residential college commons at Rice University’s Brown College to see “most likely to be a bitch ass nigga” posted on the wall? To live in a constant state of rage is also to live in a constant state of the unknown. It is necessary, but it is unhealthy. The Black body does not suﬀer from the disease of rage, rather, rage is the symptom of constant exposure to the toxicity of a racist, sexist, homophobic, elitist environment.

Rice homecoming court too conventional The Rice identity is a quirky one, and our court should reflect that. No matter how you spin it, a homecoming court is a popularity contest, and it reduces our community identity. I’ve always been encouraged at Rice to try something diﬀerent, which this “traditional” court is not.

“ “

The presence of unaccounted rollover in Rice Television’s budget (see p.1) is indicative of a broader issue with the procedures and responsibilities of the Blanket Tax Committee. A failure to provide proper oversight of and clear communication with blanket tax organizations has resulted in the same issues with rollover that were apparent in the previous blanket tax system. As the BTC reflects on its past year and determines what constitutional amendments to implement, it should consider restructuring to lighten its load to focus simply on blanket tax organizations. While the Thresher agrees that RTV should have reported the existence of an unreported surplus from its previous year, the onus ultimately lies upon the BTC to verify organizations’ budgets and ensure proper allocation of student funds. The BTC’s failure to follow up on how over $14,500 of student funds were spent is concerning, especially considering the BTC specifically implemented oversight of C-funds and D-funds to be able to easily check on blanket tax organizations’ budgets. There is no reason to require clubs to allow the BTC access to its funds without ever utilizing this capability. Moreover, this change created a false sense of oversight. The confusion over the entire process indicates that the BTC should meet with each of the blanket tax organizations to explain the new procedure specific to their budget, regardless of whether they presented anything concerning in their budgets. This is the best way to ensure a smooth transition to the new blanket tax system and allows for accountability if a club makes a mistake. Otherwise, blanket tax organizations will simply continue budgeting as they have for the past several years. This is exemplified by RTV, which is in the same position it would have been last year, under the old blanket tax system, with both rollover and newly allocated funds. With its current list of responsibilities, the BTC cannot perform its due diligence in ensuring proper allocation and expenditure of student funds. However, the committee is undestandably bogged down by Student Association initiative reque sts and evaluating the creation of new blanket tax organizations. The committee would be better served by separating into separate entities, with communication between the committees facilitated by the SA treasurer, who has an overall sense of the total student funds available. This would allow a committee entirely devoted to current blanket tax organizations to checking up with organizations throughout the year and fully utilizing all resources for oversight. No entity can do its job properly if given too many responsibilities. To ensure proper expenditure of student funds, the blanket tax committee must prioritize clarity in communication and dedicated oversight.

Last Wednesday, the Student Association passed the Senate Bill #4 for the Critical Thinking in Sexuality class. “What? They voted already? It’s over?” were many students’ reactions. Many still had questions unanswered, concerns unexpressed and misconceptions unclarified. Given this bill’s controversies and implications, why was it voted on so quickly? The bill’s outcome and your stance on it aside, this legislative process reveals a more troubling issue that the student body needs to examine: Whom does the SA represent? Before I begin, I would like to point out that most college presidents and senators held information sessions to shed light on the bill. I applaud their eﬀorts and commend the presidents and senators who voted in accordance with the majority stance of their college. However, I question whom the SA represents because students were given only two weeks to thoughtfully form and express their opinions on this bill. Moreover, many information sessions were not held until mere days before the vote. As a result, misconceptions ran rampant among the student body because people had little time to process the information. By the time people formed knowledgeable opinions, it was too late to voice them. Ongoing discussions were vibrant and the Thresher posted three op-eds about the bill the night before

Shelby Kuhn Wiess College senior

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.

We suﬀer because white middle-class cis-hetero able-bodied society has chosen to hate those who are not them. Yet I, not they, am forced to come face-to-face with the realities of injustice every day. We wake to the pathologizing of the bodies we inhabit for being perpendicular to “the privileged.” Our screams, yells, cries and demands that we be recognized as human are used against us to prove just how valid the claims to our inhumanity are and the necessity of our invisibility. We are in a constant state of rage. Some cannot bear the weight of constantly being “woke.” What happens then? Note: I identify as a cis black able-bodied woman. So, when I say “we” I am referring to those areas of my identity that are targeted and recognize those areas which are privileged from having to be perpendicular.

Blaque Robinson is a Wiess College senior

Being PC more than just careful vocabulary I believe talking PC is representing oneself as an ally to the community that society systematically exploits. Talking PC is a gesture that demonstrates understanding of systematic oppression and thus supports communities fighting injustices, even if it is a small action like being cautious of one’s vocabulary.

“

Blanket Tax Committee bears too heavy a load

Linda Heeyoung Park Hanszen College senior

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 2015

arts

ENTERTAINMENT

Salman Rushdie talks tolerance in Houston Minoti Kale Thresher staff

vidya giri/thresher

Jones College sophomore Justin Bernard and Martel College freshman Alan Kim prepare for a protest as Ronald and Lance in the Rice Players’ production of ‘The Altruists.’ Directed by Jones alumna Susannah Eig, the one-act play paints a satirical portrait of the world of social justice.

‘The Altruists’ parodies social justice gone wrong Cannon Lewis Thresher staff

What does it mean to protest? Can one really commit time, energy and willpower to a cause greater than their own self-interest, and do so without reservation? In The Rice Players’ production of “The Altruists,” directed by Rice alumna Susannah Morgan Eig (Jones ’14) and written by Nicky Silver, these questions are answered with a resoundingly ironic shrug. The play’s caricature of bohemian Manhattan is rife with social justice, higher causes and irate protesters, but these do not form the conflict of the piece. Rather, much like its vain characters, the play focuses on the petty personal conflicts of its so-called protagonists, and the result is a fantastic work of satire that forces the viewer to re-examine their own actions and question how truly altruistic they are. At only five cast members and a running time of 90 minutes, “The Altruists” is a small play in everything but subject matter. The play is in large part an ensemble production, starring Jones College sophomore Justin Bernard as Ronald, a bleeding heart social worker; Lovett College freshman Hannah Tyler as Sydney, a wealthy and shallow soap opera actress; Martel College freshman Alan Kim as Lance, a drug-addicted prostitute with a heart of gold; Sid Richardson College freshman Abby Sledge as Cybil, a self-described “lesbian politically” and protest aficionado; and Brown College senior Chris Sanders as Ethan, an abusive, penniless disestablishmentarian. Tyler’s performance is especially interesting, as she delivers her lines with the overblown emotion of soap operas, in sharp contrast to the other actors’ muted performances. These

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

few over-the-top characters embody a large swath of viewpoints from which people approach social justice, giving the play’s satire a surprisingly broad eﬀect. “The Altruists” begins as this eclectic group of friends prepares for a protest — the cause for which, ironically, none of them can remember — the morning after a decadent party. Though this protest is ostensibly the primary concern of the entire cast throughout the play, it is mentioned only in passing, or brought up whenever there is a lull in interpersonal drama. This discrepancy between words and action is a consistent theme throughout the play. Even Ethan and Cybil, the most radical protesters in the cast of characters, do not seem concerned with the actual cause they are supporting or opposing, and get just as wrapped up in the personal conflicts that form the majority of the plot. The greatest strength of “The Altruists” is in its development of these contradictions, and despite its exaggerated characters, the play manages to communicate its message through subtle emotional cues. In fact, the writing is so strong that some of the later scenes deliver an unexpected emotional punch, as even the audience’s attention is swayed from the casually mentioned social causes to the smaller-scale issues of the play’s action. “The Altruists” is also assisted by incredible set and lighting design. Though the action of the play takes place in just three bedrooms, this minimal placement is brought to life by an abundance of care and eﬀort put into the set design. Each character’s room is entirely characteristic of their personality, from Sydney’s tastefully decorated space to Ronald’s disorganized, newspaper-filled one. As the play occurs entirely in three characters’ apartments,

set and lighting cues are imperative to signal cuts between locations within a scene, and the play makes ample use of selective lighting to quickly direct the audience’s attention. The eﬀect highlights parallels in characters’ dialogue within a single scene. Overall, the set and lighting choices communicate a great understanding of the purpose and rhythm of the play on the part of the crew. Though it is billed as a comedy, “The Altruists” will not have many people laughing uproariously in the aisles. The play is certainly funny and well-acted but its heavy themes and morally bankrupt ending ultimately weigh the play down too much for one to walk away lighthearted. However, this is not a bad thing; “The Altruists” is just as concerned with criticizing and remanding its audience as it is with entertaining them. It is clear that the audience is meant to come away from the play with a simple, not at all comedic message: We are all hypocrites in some respect, no matter how many protests we go to, how many petitions we sign, how many clothes we donate to Goodwill or how much time we spend debating the social causes of our day. In the end, almost no one is really an altruist.

Last week Salman Rushdie, an international writing icon who won two Man Booker Prizes for his novel “Midnight’s Children,” came to Houston as part of Inprint’s Margarett Root Brown Reading series. His message, one of religious tolerance and peace, coincidentally came right when both seem to be at risk around the world. Rushdie read a selected excerpt from his new book, “Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights.” Set in New York City, the book is centered around mythical jinn, and involves recurring themes of war, faith, religion and philosophy. The reading was followed by an onstage interview discussing Rushdie’s influences and style. Rushdie’s novel, though seen as a kind of alternate-universe fairy tale, makes several observations on our world’s relationship with things like religion and radicalism today. The interview concluded with two questions from students regarding religiously divisive politics, specifically those in India, and Rushdie’s response summarized his philosophy — secularism and pluralism should be upheld, and we must be open-minded and willing to engage with people from all parts of society while fighting terrorism and extremism. It is a philosophy that we see in many college campuses, particularly here at Rice. However, recent events both on campuses in other parts of the country and in other parts of the world have led many to ask, to what extent are we actually a secular and plural community?

Secularism and pluralism should be upheld, and we must be open-minded and willing to engage with people from all parts of society while fighting terrorism and extremism. For instance, the event with Rushdie occurred only a few days prior to the tragic events in Beirut and Paris. In the wake of these incidents, discussion on campus and on social media has centered on the motivations of the terrorists, how to manage the aftermath of the situation and the sentiments of those in the areas aﬀected. A candlelight vigil was held on campus by the Bonuik Council on Nov. 15 to show solidarity between Rice students and with those in areas aﬀected by these terrible attacks. However, one major consequence of the attacks came in the form of a statement issued by Greg Abbott. The current Texas governor said Texas will no longer accept incoming Syrian refugees, who were scheduled to come 0see RUSHDIE, page 8

VIA COLORI

CEREAL PARTY

WINTER LIGHTS

REMSLABS

Remember when you could spend hours drawing in chalk all over your driveway? Well, you can do so again this Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event, Via Colori, is completely free for the public and features street painting alongside 200 artists. There is no better way to relive childhood.

If you can stand a tiny bit of a trek, then you will not want to miss the single most perfect Houston event this Saturday, Nov. 21 at 10:30 a.m. Alamo Drafthouse will be screening the classic film “Space Jam,” accompanied by an all-you-can-eat cereal buﬀet. The best part is it’s all pretty cheap, at a mere $9 per person.

For 52 days this winter, the Sam Houston Race Park will play host to the largest lantern festival ever held in the United States. The drive might be long, but the many exhibits, costing a total of $10 million to create, promise to make the trip worth it. The light show runs seven days a week until Jan. 10.

The Rice Electroacoustic Music Labs presents their annual fall concert this Thursday at 8 p.m. The collective is formed of a diverse group of students, ungrad and grad, MUSI major and otherwise taking Shepherd’s classes on electroacoustic music production.

Hermann Square Park 900 Smith centerforhearingandspeech.org

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema 531 South Mason drafthouse.com/houston

Sam Houston Race Park 7575 Sam Houston Parkway magicalwinterlights.com

Hirsch Orchestra Rehearsal Hall 6100 Main music.rice.edu

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

WHAT’S HIP RIGHT NOW TECH:

Smart Reply

courtesy google chrome

In a phrase: You don’t even have to respond to your emails anymore. Where to find it: Built into Inbox by Gmail app. We are Rice students, and we often justifiably feel that we have more important things to do than answer a bunch of emails all the time. Well, the good folks at Google seem to agree. This week, the company unveiled “Smart Reply” for the Inbox app that thinks up short responses to your emails so you don’t have to. It’ll use machine learning to understand the context, then oﬀer you up to three options to begin your reply. The program’s lauded artificial intelligence relies on algorithms to figure out what you’re responding to (human beings can say the same thing in 100 diﬀerent ways) and then craft a socially intelligent message that sounds like you. If we started to really use it, think of the minutes and hours we would save. However, I can’t help thinking we’d also make the world a thousand times creepier. “Sounds good” is already stressfully hard to interpret — the thought of having to distinguish whether it came from a person or a Google plug-in makes it all even more difficult and ambiguous. My call? It sucks, but just type your own damn emails.

A&E

the Rice Thresher

TV:

Jon Stewart returns

by kaylen strench

FASHION:

ART:

Paint Can

courtesy wikipedia

courtesy nails inc

In a phrase: A way to wean oﬀ our addiction. Where to find it: HBO, release date not announced.

In a phrase: Spray-paint manicure? Where to find it: Available at most major beauty retail stores.

Most of us have had a hole in our hearts ever since Jon Stewart left Comedy Central and the world of media satirization. Some of us have found bits of relief in John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight,” but let’s be real — it’s just not the same. Fortunately for us, it seems that Stewart has also had a tough time leaving the media landscape: News broke earlier this month that the former “Daily Show” host has just signed a fouryear deal with HBO to start developing “short-form digital content.” I do not know what this means, and I’m not exactly sure if HBO does either. My guess is that Stewart will film his reactions to current events, and do some short comedic bits in the same vein as “The Daily Show” that will debut online. If that sounds confusing, it’s probably because Stewart and the cable network are planning to make some of it up as they go along. Either way, all of us “Daily Show”ers have something to look forward to in the next few months.

I can think of nothing more maddening than trying to give myself a manicure. You clean every nail. You cut them, file them. You painstakingly swipe on base coat. Wait for it to dry. Paint on first layer. Wait for it to dry. Paint on second layer. Wait for it to dry. Paint on top coat. You guessed it — wait for it to dry. Wait some more just to be sure. Reach for the remote and … Your fingernails transform, before your eyes, into platforms for tiny mountains of blue or black or pink goo. God help you if you are trying to do toes. The solution is here, people. New company Paint Can has just released a new line of spray-paint nail polish that promises to give you a flawless mani in minutes. Yes, minutes. In the absorbing online ad, a hand model simply sprays the tops of her hands, washes them oﬀ and voila! Perfect nails with no waiting, no mess. Is it the greatest invention of the 21st century? I leave that to you to decide, my friend, but I think you know where I stand.

Picture Yourself

@menandwine

courtesy instagram

In a phrase: Yes, this does belong under the art heading. Where to find it: instagram.com/menandwine Instagram has done the hot-boy-loving population quite well. First, it gave us the puppy and six-pack filled @hotdudeswithdogs. Then it gave us the deceptively named @menlovepussies: beautiful men holding various types and sizes of kitties. Now, we may have the best of all: @menandwine. You may be thinking, what could possibly be so alluring about various whitetoothed, perfectly coiffed males holding a bit of Pinot Noir? Is it the effortless classiness? Is it the sight of scruff brushing up against a long-stem glass? Is it the contrast of smooth and rough? Is it all just an excuse to look at photos of handsome humans (don’t we all feel just slightly skeezier typing “hot bod” into a search bar?) lounging around? I cannot tell you, and I encourage you to do your own research to decide for yourself. But I will say this: No one can say that nothing good ever comes from social media.

The Campanile, your Rice yearbook, invites you to our biannual event, Picture Yourself! Instead of taking boring school portraits like you did in high school, we set up in the Grand Hall with our camera, backdrop, props, and music. You can bring yourself, your friends, your O-Week group, a club, your suite, your pet, or anything else you can think of! It’s completely free, and you are guaranteed a spot in the yearbook.

RMC Grand Hall November 18, 2015 6 p.m. - 12 a.m.

A&E

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

the Rice Thresher

Sid Richardson junior leads part-time career as runway model Melody Yip

Thresher Staff

steve robinson/thresher

Julie Ren, a Sid Richardson College junior, models an Alexandria Lee wedding dress at Houston Fashion Week. Ren is a biochemistry major and began modeling in high school.

Julie Ren leads an extraordinary double life as a pre-med biochemistry major and an aspiring fashion model. Her fledgling interest in modeling evolved into a passion and now Ren, a Sid Richardson College junior walks the runways sporting fashion by the most notable designers in Houston. She recently debuted an edgy, sleek bob as a hair model at a hair show called “World’s Fair,” and sauntered down the runway for various designers during Houston Fashion Week. The hair show in particular involved a flurry of activities, since Ren was featured as a primary display model and needed to be present for the entire weekend. Call times were early, around 6 or 7 a.m., and the company asked her at her auditions if they could do whatever they wanted with her hair. She agreed with admirable fearlessness. “There was certainly a lot of trust involved in the prep,” Ren said. “They cut my hair short because they thought the look would frame my cheekbones well, and then they added pink and orange streaks because those colors went with my skin tone.” To Ren’s surprise, Houston Fashion Week was much more relaxed. She did not even need to audition — the director found her on Facebook and asked her to walk at pre-show. Her execution earned her another invite for Houston’s actual Fashion Week, where she modeled clothing that ranged in style from wedding gowns to chic black outfits. Walking down the runway came naturally to Ren, who said the art was never formally taught to her. “I’ve actually never learned how to walk,” Ren said. “I’ve never really practiced, either. I just focus on being confident in myself. The goal is to make the clothing stand out, not so much the walk.” During Houston Fashion Week, Ren stunned in a dress from wedding dress designer Alexandria Lee and pulled oﬀ the look of an elegant bride walking down the runway on the arm of a male model — all while wearing dangerously high nude pumps. While modeling for designer Tony Rio, Ren donned a neon purple evening

gown and, to her relief, was allowed to wear her own shoes. For someone who has never learned how to “walk,” Ren is certainly making her way in the fashion world. However, Ren also said working in the fashion world has opened her eyes to misunderstandings about the industry. She said that at the shows she worked at, most agencies aim for diversity as well as a general body type and height. Models are 5-foot-10 and fairly skinny. Ren said she believes there is a distorted public perception that models strive to stay a certain size to meet a specific standard of beauty, but in reality, designers just make clothes in a standard size and choose models who will fit into them. “Models are not at fault,” Ren said. “The designers create clothing based on a certain size and expect models to fit into that.” Ren said she has continued to pursue modeling because she views it as a hobby and creative outlet that has helped her find balance outside of her studies at Rice. She cultivated an interest in modeling through finding odd jobs in high school and the start of college, and soon enough a photographer recommended that she should find an agency. Modeling is manageable as a part-time endeavor because she can determine her own schedule and decide which photo shoots and events she wants to do. “It’s one of the easier jobs to balance here,” Ren said. “Right now I enjoy it as an extracurricular, but if I want to continue on, I would have to re-sign with an agency that requires more time commitment, and I’m not sure if I am able to do that yet.” Although Ren prioritizes her Rice education, she said she appreciates how modeling has influenced her perspective on fashion. She currently gravitates toward classy, sophisticated designs and has learned to see fashion as a true art form. “I think that dressing well also really helps me to be motivated to do work,” Ren said. “I used to just wear whatever I thought looked nice, but now I’m more open to trying diﬀerent designs and branching out my style.” Ren’s pursuit of both a fashion career and a STEM major demonstrates that there is no “standard” Rice student, and there is a way to balance academics and other passions.

0 RUSHDIE from page 6 into the country over the next year. Several Rice students, in keeping with Rushdie’s message, immediately reacted to this statement by organizing a campaign that will be held over the course of five days, through Facebook, to protest this announcement and fight for a more humanitarian response to the plight of the refugees who are trying to escape the very same terrorist organization that launched these attacks. “Two Years Eight Months and TwentyEight Nights” has an overarching theme of war between the forces of light and darkness. The havoc-wreaking jinns in the story generate terror in a manner that is very similar to much of the terrorist action we are seeing in the world today. It is important to understand our role in promoting peace and religious tolerance in our community. Facilitating discussions between people from diﬀerent backgrounds and encouraging people to participate in an ongoing dialogue regarding acceptance in our community is key to promoting a healthy environment that is truly representative of our secular stance in an intellectual community.

courtesy random house

Homecoming Heartbreak Nine-year homecoming winning streak comes to an end

sean chu/thresher

Junior quarterback Tyler Stehling attempts to shake oﬀ a Golden Eagles defensive lineman during a 65-10 loss against the University of Southern Mississippi in a homecoming game blow out this Saturday. The match dropped Rice to 4-6 on the season. Stehling replaced senior Driphus Jackson at the end of the second quarter after Jackson was sacked five times in the first half of the game. Because of this loss, Rice will need to win their final two regular season games to qualify for a postseason bowl game. The Owls will travel to the University of Texas, San Antonio on Nov. 21 and try to shake their three-game losing streak.

Aniket Tolpadi Thresher Staff

On Homecoming 2015, the Rice University football team fell to the University of Southern Mississippi in a 65-10 defeat. The Golden Eagles were led by 386 passing yards and five touchdowns from junior quarterback Nick Mullens. The Owls’ senior quarterback Driphus Jackson was sacked five times in the first half and replaced by redshirt junior Tyler Stehling at the end of the second quarter. The homecoming loss dropped the Owls to 4-6 (2-4) on the season and extended the team’s losing streak to three games. The Owls received the opening kickoff and were able to pick up a first down courtesy of a 16-yard run from redshirt junior running back Darik Dillard, though this would be their only first down of the opening quarter. The Owls and the Golden Eagles traded punts on their opening drives, after which Mullens hit sophomore running back Ito Smith for a 28-yard touchdown pass. While the Owls forced Southern Mississippi to punt on their following drive, the Golden Eagles would find the end zone on the following possession courtesy of a fake field goal. Junior punter Tyler Sarrazin found

redshirt sophomore lineman Xavier Thigpen for a touchdown that was the turning point of the game. These scores initiated the beginning of a blowout. The Owls’ inability to get on track offensively and defensively eventually led them to a 58-0 fourth quarter deficit and a devastating defeat. The Owls did attempt to turn the blowout around. Redshirt senior quarterback Driphus Jackson was pulled out of the game with his team down 28-0, having just lost a fumble and not having completed any of his eight pass attempts. The Golden Eagles racked up 682 yards of offense to Rice’s 214, gained 26 first downs to Rice’s 15 and possessed the ball for just over 31 minutes of the game. Most notably, however, Southern Mississippi set a school record by putting up an impressive 35 points in the second quarter alone, effectively deciding the game long before the final whistle. Predictably, Head Coach David Bailiff was disappointed with his team’s poor showing, and said the team’s performance can be blamed on the coaching staff. “It starts with me,” Bailiff said. “This is an embarrassing loss. We’re going to keep analyzing everything that we do from top to bottom in this program. We didn’t get to

three bowl games from being bad coaches, but every year is a different year and every year is a new set of problems and we’ve got to figure out solutions to what’s happening to us.” The Owls were penalized seven times for 67 yards in the game. Bailiff said he was upset with the team’s lack of discipline and eventually changed quarterbacks to try to light a spark. “We start the game with a penalty,” Bailiff said. “Then we get a nice run from [redshirt freshman] Austin Walter on the perimeter and we get a penalty. We can’t do that, we don’t have that margin for error. When I took [Jackson] out, I was hoping Tyler [Stehling] could stimulate it and get it going.” During the postgame press conference, Bailiff said he was particularly frustrated with his team’s poor tackling on defense. According to Bailiff, the Rice team wasn’t playing with a team mentality. “Some of those missed tackles tonight weren’t missed tackles,” Bailiff said. “It’s because we tried to hit them so hard we didn’t wrap up and tackle. That’s not what we work on. We work on tackling. And when we start to put this team first and tackling instead of trying to get the big hit, then we won’t have

as many missed tackles. It’s not a team-first attitude, and that’s my biggest frustration at this time.” The Owls are now 4-6 on the season with upcoming games against the University of Texas, San Antonio and the University of North Carolina, Charlotte on the schedule. They will need to win both games to qualify for a fourth consecutive bowl game. While both opponents are not of Southern Mississippi’s caliber, it remains to be seen if Rice can recover from the 55-point loss in time to salvage what remains of their season. While Bailiff and his team are undoubtedly frustrated and unhappy with these recent performances, he said they are prepared to do whatever is necessary to rectify a turbulent situation. “We’ve been a winning football team around here,” Bailiff said. “We’ve got to take this frustration and anger in our stomach and turn it into something positive on the football field. We’re going to get this figured out as a team, as a coaching staff, and it’s something I believe we can do.” The Owls will look to snap a three-game losing streak and move to 5-6 (3-4) in a matchup against UTSA in the Alamodome on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m.

10 SPORTS

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Men’s basketball drops opener to Golden Bears Michael Kidd Thresher Staff

After coming off a thrilling 102-78 home exhibition victory over LeTourneau University, the Owls men’s basketball team traveled to Berkeley, California to take on the No. 14 University of California, Berkeley. With a 2015-16 roster made up of just three upperclassmen, many of the players experienced facing a top-15 college basketball program for the first time. The Owls were defeated by a final score of 97-65 on Friday night, but they gained valuable experience to draw from for the remainder of the season. Rice was greeted at Haas Pavilion by the roars of 10,530 fans. The raucous atmosphere didn’t faze the Owls at the start as the team came out and stuck right with their opponent. By the 14:19 mark of the first half, Rice led 14-11 with six quick points by true freshman guard Marcus Evans. However after that point, California caught fire running off a 23-4 run over the next eight minutes of play to take a commanding lead. However, the Owls put on a run of their own in response. Rice outscored Cal 14-4 over the next 4:16 to cut the lead to 10 with just 1:56 left in the half. Rice would take a 16-point deficit into halftime. Head Coach Mike Rhoades acknowledged the close lead in the first half but said the loss was due to a lack of momentum. “We cut it to 10 with the ball, but they scored the final six points of the half,” Rhoades said. “The best way to have momentum is to take it into the half, and we didn’t do that. We didn’t shoot very well. We shot it a little better in the second half ... Now we have to do a better job.” As the course of the game progressed, the Owls could not keep up with the hot California offense that also kept Rice in check defensively. California shot 50.7 percent for the game while Rice shot just 36.7 percent. Sophomore transfer forward Egor Koulechov led Rice with 19 points and also registered eight rebounds in 31 minutes of play. Evans contributed 18 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor to give himself 42 combined points through just two games this season. The Owls were 15-22 from the free throw line and showed ball control by committing just nine turnovers for the game. California held the advantage in 3-pointers 10-6 and a clear rebounding advantage 48-30 which contributed to their 97-65 victory. Rhoades is now in his second year at the helm of the Owls, and said the young team needs more games to adjust to college play. “We didn’t play well today,” Rhoades said. “I thought we were selfish with the ball. We have a lot of young guys [and] it’s a lot harder to win in college basketball. They just figured that out. We’ve got to get a lot better.” Before the regular season began, Rice was already down two key players at the guard position to knee injuries, freshman Chad Lott and Preseason All-Conference USA guard Marcus Jackson. With their absence, the remainder of the team will need to work hard and play extra minutes even while running a fast-paced offense and a high-pressing defensive scheme. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Rhoades said the team will rely heavily on freshmen. “We’ve planned a schedule this year to throw our freshman in the fire,” Rhoades said. “We’re really throwing them in the fire now. We’re going to figure it out and keep moving forward [regarding the injuries] … There is no other way to do it.” Koulechov, a native of Volgograd, Russia and former member of the Israeli national team, is entering his first season with the Owls. He said he feels a deep connection with his teammates and enjoys the mutual respect granted by his coaching staff. “My favorite thing so far about [transferring to Rice] is just the connection we as players have with the coaching staff,” Koulechov said. “It never feels solely as basketball or business; it is something beyond that and it’s a great thing to have.” Koulechov said he shared Rhoades’ sentiments about the team’s selfishness. “We can’t play selfish, and [we] can’t do it by ourselves,” Koulechov said. “It takes a team effort and I think we didn’t play for each other on Friday. We will definitely fix that.” Following their trip to California, the Owls return home for their home opener against Oregon State University on Thursday, Nov. 19. The game will be televised on the American Sports Network. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thresher Sports Writer Aaron Shi contributed to this article.

In for the kill

sean chu/thresher

Junior right side hitter Chelsea Harris attacks against University of Texas, El Paso blockers. The Owls faced oﬀ against the UTEP Miners on Nov. 12 for Rice volleyball’s annual senior night. Rice defeated UTEP 3-2. Following the match against UTEP, the Owls traveled to Birmingham, AL and swept the University of Alabama, Birmingham 3-0. The Owls are now ranked No. 3 in Conference USA and will face oﬀ against No. 6 University of Southern Mississippi in the C-USA Championship quarterfinals on Nov. 20.

Intramural Powderpuﬀ Football Bracket 4 Lovett

18-0 5 Wiess

3 McMurtry

37-7

4 Lovett 1 Hanszen 2 Martel 3 McMurtry

6 Sid Rich

Basketball prepares for opener at Tudor Andrew Grottkau Thresher Staff

Tudor Fieldhouse will be rocking on Thursday night as the Rice University men’s basketball team hosts Oregon State University in its first home game of the 2015-16 season. According to Head Coach Mike Rhoades, the team cannot wait to play in front of the home crowd. “We have 17 home games this year, and that’s really great for the [players],” Rhoades said. “I wish every game was a home game.” The home crowd will see a very diﬀerent team from the one that took the court last year at Tudor. It will be the first home game for five freshmen on the team: guard/forward Harrison Brown, guards Connor Cashaw and Marcus Evans and forwards Marquez Letcher-Ellis and Amir Smith. Sophomore forward Egor Koulechov, who transferred from Arizona State University, will also be playing in his first oﬃcial game at Tudor Fieldhouse. Rhoades said that while these players are new to the Rice program, he is not afraid to let them play. “We need them to play significant minutes and make an impact,” Rhoades said. “We’re throwing them in the fire right as the season starts, but that’s the fun of it.” The newcomers are not the only players being challenged. Rice opened the season with two road games on the west coast against strong op-

ponents: the University of California, Berkeley and the University of San Francisco. In their first game of the year, the Owls fell to No. 14 California 97-65. Egor Koulechov led the way for Rice with 19 points and eight rebounds, but it was not enough to defeat the Golden Bears. The Owls played San Francisco on Monday night before returning home to prepare for Oregon State. Thursday will mark the fourth meeting between Rice and Oregon State. The Beavers have won two of the three previous matchups, including a 67-54 victory over the Owls last November. Oregon State competes in the Pacific 12 Conference, a conference that currently has four schools ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The Beavers return all five starters from a team that went 17-14 under first-year Head Coach Wayne Tinkle. They are led by senior guard Gary Payton Jr., who was honored as the Pac-12 defensive player of the year last season and was named to the first team all-conference. According to Rhoades, the matchup will be a challenge for the Owls. “They’re very good,” Rhoades said. “Coach Tinkle has done a great job with his program in just one year.” The likely starting lineup for Oregon State includes Payton, senior guard Langston MorrisWalker, senior forward Olaf Schaftenaar, junior guard Malcolm Duvivier and freshman forward Drew Eubanks. These five players started the

Beavers’ season opening 74-52 victory over Northwest Christian University. The Rice starting lineup, however, remains in flux. The Owls were forced to adapt after losing their top scorer, junior guard Marcus Jackson, and a highly touted newcomer, freshman guard Chad Lott, to knee injuries before the season began. The starters against California included senior guard Max Guercy, freshman guard Marcus Evans, sophomore guard Bishop Mency, junior center Andrew Drone and sophomore forward Egor Koulechov. According to Rhoades, the lineup is not set yet, but the uncertainty may be helping the team. “It’s a tryout every day,” Rhoades said. “We’ve improved our competitiveness because guys think, ‘If I beat that guy out today, I’m going to play more than him.’” Rice is hoping its competitiveness can help it to defeat top-tier programs like Oregon State. According to Rhoades, the Owls are confident that if they play hard, they can win this game. “Getting close isn’t good enough,” Rhoades said. “For those 40 minutes, let’s be on edge, let’s be aggressive, let’s be loose, let’s be very confident and let’s see what we can do.” Rice will look to win its third straight home opener when it takes the court at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19 at Tudor Fieldhouse. The game will be televised on the American Sports Network and broadcast on TuneIn Radio.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

the Rice Thresher

SPORTS

BACKPAGE

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

the Rice Thresher

It’s getting to be that time of year again! No, we don’t mean decorations, festive sweaters, Shiner Cheer and time spent with loved ones. We’re talking about the misery of course registration and add/drop. To get a firsthand look at some of the trials and tribulations that Rice students go through during this hassle, the Backpage decided to do a comprehensive case study of one student’s struggles with scheduling throughout his time at Rice.

FRESHMAN

Major: BIOE, CHEM Minors: SOCI, BUSI Other: Pre-med track

Fall

As you can see, the incoming freshman has a very heavy workload, and he has clearly overestimated his abilities. Take special note of the 8 a.m. CHEM class, demonstrating how little knowledge the new student has of the importance of sleep and the troubles of post-pub hangovers. The breadth of classes, like PHYS, MATH, PHIL and RELI 101, also show how he “is really into receiving a well-rounded education that goes beyond [his] major. Plus I heard med schools like that,” he adds diligently.

SOPHOMORE

Major: ARCH

Fall

JUNIOR

Full Year

Observe as the sophomore rediscovers himself in the form of a major change. Architecture – yes, that’s just what will bring joy to a worn-out pre-med. Or will it? As the semester wears on, the realization that an extensive background with Legos does not qualify one for the study. And the initial thrill catalyzed by losing his virginity with a “totally hot Archi chick in Anderson” quickly vanished once they were assigned to the same studio.

Major: Medieval and Early Modern Studies “Yeah, last year set me back a bit. I’m not sure of much, but I am sure that I don’t want to be an Archi.” Our student was clearly unaware that you have to apply to the School of Architecture separately. After a hasty decision to switch to medieval studies, since “apparently, you have to have a declared major,” our student was oﬀ to study abroad! When asked about this opportunity for cultural exchange and global enlightenment, he reported, “It was freakin’ lit, bro. I went out drinking like every night with these other Americans who were abroad. Pass/fail is the best thing ever.”

SENIOR

Major: POLI

Spring

5TH YEAR SENIOR

And now, it appears, the once overly ambitious freshman we witnessed walk through the Sallyport all those years ago has evolved into the dedicated and inspired scientist we now see. Political scientist, that is. “Yeah, I was trying to figure out how I could possibly graduate, and then I saw the POLI website where it says, ‘There’s no need to overload your schedule with political science courses in your freshman and sophomore years,’ which I definitely didn’t do. But somehow, and really, it fucking beats me, it looks like I’m gonna make it.” Ah yes, it looks like he’s finally found his passion – and in only four years!

“I forgot to take an LPAP.”

The Backpage is satire and written by Joey McGlone and Riley Robertson. For comments or questions, please email thirsty@rice.edu.

CLASSIFIEDS WANTED

TEACH FOR TEST MASTERS! Dynamic and Energetic teachers wanted. Starting pay rate is $20 to $32 per hour. Flexible schedules. We provide all training, all training is paid, and we pay for travel. Email your resume to ricejobs@testmasters.com OLD SCHOOL TUTORING is looking for Rice students with strong math skills to fulfill a part time child tutoring position. Oﬀering schedule flexibility and $12-$14 an hour. Located across from Rice! Contact Bob Schmitt at OldschoolASC@gmail.com

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