The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, October 26, 2016

VOLUME 101, ISSUE NO. 9 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016

SA funds 3 new initiatives Amber Tong News Editor

VICTORY AT LAST

Led by 407 passing yards and five passing touchdowns by senior quarterback Tyler Stehling in the best performance of his career, the Rice University football team topped Prairie View A&M University 65-44 on Saturday.

Aniket Tolpadi

Thresher Staff

0see FOOTBALL, page 11

A total of $1,900 has been granted to three organizations under the Student Association Initiatives Fund by the Blanket Tax Committee, according to SA Treasurer and BTC member Maurice Frediere. As nine other applications were rejected, some raised regarding the criteria of the funding and whether it was clearly communicated.

Of the 12 clubs that submitted applications for funding, two received their full requests: Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers received $500 to host a cultural dinner and Rice Club Sailing Team received $1,000 to rent sailboats for their first annual regatta, a race for collegiate sailors across the nation.

SPHE President Alejandro Akerlundh said the event will expand the club’s mission from professional development to cultural outreach.

Rice Sailing President Amy Fox said a fully funded regatta will increase Rice’s presence in the sailing community and allow sailors to participate even if they can’t pay.

“This regatta, which will be entirely cost-free to all participants, combats the view of sailing as socioeconomic[ally] discriminatory,” Fox, a Baker College senior, said.

Rice Student Volunteering Program, a blanket tax organization, received $400 of their $1,000 request to reimburse drivers for off-campus volunteering. RSVP president Kalian Shi said the club will benefit from the funding and she is satisfied with the preliminary amount. “[The] fund gives us more flexibility in shifting our budget 0see FUND, page 2

sean chu /thresher

Honor Council pushes for statute of limitations, lowered penalties Emily Abdow

Assistant News Editor

achal srinivasan/thresher

Members of the Honor Council discuss new penalty guidelines at their annual Consensus Penalty Strucutre meeting, where they decided to modify punishment criteria and enact a statute of limitations on cases.

The undergraduate student Honor Council proposed several changes to its constitution, including expanding the Council and implementing a statute of limitations, and passed an updated Consensus Penalty Structure, at an open meeting on Saturday.

The CPS is a system for evaluating Honor Code violations that outlines penalties in order to provide students and faculty with an expectation for case outcomes. This encompasses plagiarism, falsifying data and cheating. The updated CPS will be used for cases received after Oct. 22.

Since increasing the number of Council members entails a constitutional revision, such a change requires presentation to the Student Association and a vote of approval by the student body to go into effect.

Honor Council Chair Katie Jensen said expansion is necessary, as the current Council composition is restricted by standards set in 1948 when the student body was less than a

third of its current size. In addition, in 2015 the Council lost almost one third of its voting members with the creation of the graduate student Honor Council.

Jensen said the proposed solution, to alter the Council’s constitution so the composition is defined in the bylaws, would allow the Council to alter its size with an internal vote.

“We wanted to change the Constitution in a way that would allow for flexibility in future years if the Council is faced with an extremely heavy case load,” Jensen, a Lovett College senior, said.

A second change to be brought before the SA is a statute of limitations which would give the Council the power to declare a case cannot be heard. In the proposed statute, such a situation could arise in three situations: if 90 days have passed between the suspected violation and its discovery, if more than 15 days have passed between the violation being discovered and reported to the Council or if more than a semester has passed between when the violation is discovered and the evidence presented.

The statute of limitations is partly in response to a case in an Introduction to Program Design (COMP 215) course in which the professor waited almost a semester to report a suspected violation. While the incident occurred in spring 2015, the case was not heard

by Honor Council until fall 2015.

Former Honor Council Chair Alex Metcalf said without a statute of limitations, students are at risk of a professor collecting evidence against them without their knowledge, placing them at a disadvantage in the process.

“The decisions we make are based off of material evidence,” Metcalf, a Will Rice College senior, said. “If the professor has structured their case such that it is very difficult for the student to submit tangible and useful material into evidence, then [students] don’t have a case.”

The statute of limitations was also recommended by the Faculty Senate’s Task Force on the Honor System, which was comprised of faculty and undergraduates, and engaged in a yearlong process of evaluating the 0see HONOR, page 3

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0FUND FROM PAGE 1 so we don’t need to cut down expenditure on current events to support more services,” Shi, a Lovett College senior, said.

However, Shi questioned the transparency of the decision-making mechanism.

“We should know why they decided on certain amounts or refused certain people,” Shi said. “I don’t understand why they prioritized blanket tax organizations [which] don’t necessarily use funds better.”

Frediere, a Duncan College sophomore, said the funding priority for blanket tax organizations is laid out in the SA constitution.

He said the BTC determines the amount and redefines priorities each semester. This fall, the BTC allocated $4,000 for the fund and agreed to prioritize activities that benefit students of all socioeconomic status, have a well-structured budget, reach a large number of students and are diverse in mission and type.

Six voting members and one nonvoting member of the BTC convened last week to determine which groups to grant funds.

The main reason for declining nine requests is that those events have existed before and thus fall out of the fund’s intended scope, Frediere said. Even though this is not a constitutional requirement for funding, it has been clearly communicated to him by SA Parliamentarian Annebelle McIntire-Gavlick and former Treasurer Sai Chilakapati.

At the time of printing, McIntire-Gavlick and Chilakapati could not be reached for comment.

The denied groups were Rice Chapter of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Evening of Elegance, Medical Humanities, Society of Women Engineers, Matchbox Gallery, Real Food Revolution, END7, Rice Relief and Rice Coalition on Hunger and Homelessness.

Among them, Evening of Elegance and END7 had previously received funding.

“Ideally, the fund would be used for a firsttime idea, or a significant revamping of an existing event that needs the money to get off the ground [and] have a successful event that impact a lot of students,” Frediere said.

In Monday’s SA Senate meeting, McMurtry College President Madhuri Venkateswar said the criterion is valid but the messaging of the fund does not clearly convey that activities that have happened before would not be considered.

“Messaging on the website [should be] ‘We will not consider it if you have applied for the same initiative before,’” Venkateswar, a senior, said. “Based on what is written on the website, I would have never felt that was the case.”

The online application form states the Fund should go toward the greater benefit of Rice University and opportunities that foster relationships that enhance or initiate interaction between students. It also includes a question about whether an event occurred previously and what its attendance was.

Frediere said he agreed the purpose of the Fund was not obvious to the campus community. He said the process, now in its third semester, is still relatively new.

“When we plan for next semester, it’s something I’ll make very clear in the application,” Frediere said.

Hanszen College Senator Peter Yun said a one-off subsidy may be insufficient for student organizations’ future growth and proposed giving more financial support to sustain them.

“I had the opportunity to talk with Student Activities about the large amount of campus clubs that seem to come and go — the turnover rate is pretty high,” Yun said. “I thought providing some ‘seed money’ could help alleviate this issue.”

Frediere said this is outside the Fund’s goals and suggested those clubs look into other funding sources. The remaining $2,100 will roll over to next semester. Under the blanket tax structure, each student provides $85 of their tuition towards the “pot of gold” to which blanket tax organizations have priority access.

Any remaining funds following this distribution go toward the initiatives fund.

Amber Tong is a member of RSVP.

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

CCL, student clubs register more than 150 voters

courtesy neethi nayak

ye lim oh/thresher

Rice students registered voters with the American Association of University Women (left) and as part of the Civic Center for Leadership’s efforts to promote voting low-turnout areas in Houston (right). Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 8, and there will be a polling location at the Rice Memorial Center.

Meredith McCain Thresher Staff

With a presidential election looming in November, the Rice Center for Civic Leadership and various student organizations have hosted a variety of voter registration drives and get-out-thevote efforts over the past two months, registering a total of over 150 students before the Oct. 11 registration deadline. The efforts aim to increase Texas’s historically low voting rate.

The Rice Young Democrats held weekly registration drives, in addition to a large drive on National Voter Registration Day, Sept. 27, in conjunction with the CCL and the Rice chapter of the American Association of University Women.

Rice Democrats President David Cirillo said he believes Rice Democrats volunteers made a major impact on voter empowerment at Rice. Cirillo, a Sid Richardson College junior, said more than 100 people were registered and more than 40 received absentee ballots via Rice Democrats drives.

An additional 50 students were registered through the National Voter Registration Day drive.

The CCL hosted a volunteer deputy voter registrar training for 50 community members and students, making them eligible to register others to vote.

The CCL offered Rice students opportunities to volunteer in get-out-the-vote efforts in the Houston community as well.

Morgan Kinney, CCL assistant director for programs and partnerships, said some Rice

community members partnered with local organization Neighborhood Centers to promote voting in low-turnout areas of Houston.

“In total, we ended up with about 25 volunteers canvassing in low-voting neighborhoods over the past two weekends,” Kinney said. “That was our small part of a much larger effort: [Neighborhood Centers has] closer to 30 to 40 people out canvassing every Saturday until Election Day. Our 25 Rice students, staff and faculty probably knocked on over 300 doors.”

Cirillo said he hopes registration drives translate to increased awareness among students. “[The voter registrations] will transpire hopefully into votes, both at Rice and in their home states,” Cirillo said. “But, it also gives people more efficacy and advocacy towards keeping in touch with politics and policy.”

Rice AAUW founder and Co-President Neethi Nayak said she believes the voter registration events were successful, but the work of campus organizations isn’t done yet. The next step is ensuring that students turn out to vote, she said.

“Ideally, the number of people registering helps give us at least a metric of what we can expect at polls, but probably not by much since several students were registered beforehand,” Nayak, a Martel College senior, said. “Since there is a polling location on campus, too, I hope it adds to the convenience for students without a car.”

Rice organizations’ efforts contributed to the registration of 15 million new voters in Texas this

year. The state faces some daunting statistics when it comes to voter turnout, ranking 48th in the nation in the last presidential election, according to the Texas Civic Health Index. Eligible voters ages 18 to 29 make up 25 percent of the state’s eligible voter population, but many don’t vote. According to the US Census Bureau, only 30 percent of eligible voters in that age group voted in Texas in 2012, compared to 45 percent nationally.

Despite the low state turnout, Alex BerginNewman, financial director of the Rice Democrats and the other co-president of Rice AAUW, believes peer registration efforts can be effective.

“There have been studies that show when students are registered to vote by other students, they’re more likely to turn out to vote,” BerginNewman, a Wiess College junior, said. “Being registered at Rice can help people be more in tune with local politics, which frequently get ignored.”

Ben Hoff, a Sid Richardson senior, is one of the more than 150 students who were registered on campus this year and plan to cast a Texas ballot.

“I didn’t know I could register to vote in Texas since I’m already registered at home in Massachusetts,” Hoff said. “Had it not been for the voter registration tables, I would not have known I could register here.”

Early voting takes place in Texas from Monday, Oct. 24 until Friday, Nov. 4. Registered voters can vote at any polling location in their county during early voting or at their assigned precinct on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Serveries garner national environmental certification Elizabeth Rasich For the Thresher

After a two-year-long process, all six Rice University serveries have been named Certified Green Restaurants by the Green Restaurant Association. The lengthy process, greenlighted by the internal vice president of Housing and Dining, was kept secret from upper administration per GRA policy.

“It’s like Fight Club,” Dining Director Chef Johnny Curet said. “We can’t talk about it.”

As of August, Housing and Dining is free to reveal the accomplishment. Rice is the first university in Texas and the second university in the nation, after Harvard University, to have all dining halls named Certified Green Restaurants.

“This isn’t easy,” Director of Sustainability Richard Johnson said. “There’s a reason only 15 restaurants in Texas have this certification.”

Getting all six serveries certified was akin to certifying six restaurants at once, Johnson said.

“All of us at Rice are overachievers,” Curet said.

The GRA evaluates restaurants’ environmental standards in seven different categories, including sustainable food, reduction of chemicals and pollution and water efficiency.

H&D provided invoices, construction records

and a comprehensive video inventory of every machine in the kitchens for the evaluation.

“The Green Restaurant Association looks at— almost audits — your business practices, your culinary practices, and it looks into your facilities management practices as well,” Glenn said.

She emphasized the process’s thoroughness.

“They were looking at what type of light bulbs do you use, how was this building constructed, what trash can liners do you use, so it was very involved,” Glenn said.

However, she noted the complexity wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“It’s good that it’s complicated because these people are indeed interested in understanding what our practices are,” Glenn said.

To minimize costs, H&D used video conferences with GRA representatives, walking around facilities with a phone or iPad. Glenn explained that she even had to show the GRA the serveries’ waste disposal system.

“They wanted to get up close and personal in our recycling and trash area for the entire campus,” Glenn said. “They talked to waste management, who takes care of our single-stream recycling, to kind of understand how that works and verify what we were saying.”

Johnson attributed the motivation for earning

the certification to H&D’s “exceptional culture” and student encouragement.

“I think this certification reflects their values,” he said. “[It is] representative of years of having thought about their role in the bigger system.”

Students’ interest in the environment provided motivation to complete the process, Johnson said. “[The relationship between students and H&D] is a partnership,” he said. “As students become more interested, the staff and the chefs become more interested, and as the staff and chefs introduce new things, it pulls the students along, too.”

Conrado Asenjo, co-chair of the Student Association Environmental Committee, thinks the certification is a step in the right direction.

“I applaud the hard work of all our staff that worked hard to achieve the certification, and look forward to continue working with them,” Asenjo said. “We need to make our home the best it can be.”

Asenjo said there is still more work to be done.

“This certification does not mark the end of the race, but simply a checkpoint,” he said.

“We hope to see less food waste, clearer food sourcing labels, more options for students with dietary restrictions in all serveries and better use of resources.”

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Media, engineering design minors to launch Huizi Yu

Thresher Staff

Rice University students now have acces to two new minors in addition to the available curriculum. Engineering design and cinema and media studies. The minors are available for all students except graduating seniors.

The Faculty Senate approved this minors at its Oct. 5 meeting.

Engineering design According to minor Co-Chair Maria Oden, who is also a professor in the practice of engineering education and the director of Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, Rice is famous for its Engineering School, and every year a cohort of students expresses their desire to pursue more engineering design education.

“We had a number of students who end up spending a lot of their time at the [OEDK] working on a variety of designing projects throughout their years of undergraduate,” Oden said. “While they felt very happy and satisfied with the opportunity that they had to work on designing projects, they expressed to me that they would really love to have an academic credential that we demonstrate their enhanced expertise in engineering design.”

Ann Saterbak, minor co-chair and the associate dean of engineering education, said for students who want to continue on their freshman design projects, or who identify new projects after freshmen experience, this minor can help them prepare for capstone project, which refers to the final year design project that engineering students take.

“This minor may fulfill some gaps between [students’] freshmen design course and their capstone senior design course.” Saterbak said.

The engineering design minor offers includes four core courses and requires students to take at least two additional elective courses and participate in at least two projects.

According to Oden and Saterbak, students who pursue this minor are expected to have deeper understanding of engineering design

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process and apply the knowledge from their majors to real life.

“It is our hope that students will bring the technical skills that they are learning in their disciplines, and apply those to projects that they work on in the design courses, so we are sort of supplementing but not taking place the engineering education they are getting from their majors,” Oden said.

Statistics major Harry Chen said there may not be many students who earn this minor despite the amount of expressed interest.

We are surrounded by moving images, so it is important to understand [their] effects on our life.

Lida Oukaderova Art History Professor “It is a good opportunity for students to apply their theoretical knowledge to real life and learn about practical experience, but for engineering students, the workload of this new minor might be overwhelming, because team work for projects really need a lot of time,” Chen, a McMurtry College senior, said. “For non-engineering students, it is meaningless to take this minor.”

Baker College sophomore Jasmin Taylor said she supports the minor for its collaborative aspect.

“Students can work together with new ideas, and have more background of working with other people,” Taylor said.

Cinema and media studies The cinema and media studies minor

was mostly advocated by faculty who felt that similar programs in many universities, and films and other forms of media have profound impacts worthy of study and research, according to Lida Oukaderova, an assistant professor of art history and now heading the minor.

“Film and media studies programs exist pretty much in every university in U.S.,” Oukaderova said. “We are surrounded by moving images, so it is important to understand what effects they have on our life and why we desire to see them. It is a long history of attempt to understand what they mean, which constitutes the film study.”

Cinema and media studies requires students to complete at least three core courses and three additional courses. It covers general courses of film history, and focuses on theoretical analysis of cinema and other visual media. Students will learn how to analyze a film and how media affects our daily lives from this minor.

“Students will have a good grasp of film history, tools of how to analyze film, media and develop critical thinking skills and research skills — how to go from watching a particular film to understanding how this film is operating in a particular culture, moment and history,” Oukaderova said.

Lin Guo, a Jones College sophomore, said she thinks the minor will be useful in developing students’ analytical abilities.

“We don’t have anything specific on this field at this moment, and I think these courses do help students to develop critical thinking skills and to be a better thinker,” Guo said.

Ruby Pan, a Jones freshman, said she feels the minor lacks practicality in a real world context.

“It is an attractive minor, and I am sure that many students will have interests on it,” Pan said. “However, I don’t know what real things I can do after taking it. It seems useless in the real world.”

Both minors are accessible to all undergraduate students from all majors, except for graduating seniors.

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0HONOR FROM PAGE 1 effectiveness of the system. For Metcalf, the statute, which will be presented to the SA by Jensen on Oct. 31 is a long time coming.

“It’s something I pushed for during my time as chair last year, it’s something recommended by the Faculty Senate’s Task Force on the Honor System and I’m proud to see the Council has decided to implement [it],” Metcalf said.

In the spring semester the CPS underwent major changes when the minimum grade reduction penalty, originally one third of the letter grade, was increased to a full letter grade.

On Saturday, the Council upheld this decision.

However, last year’s addition of the weight percentage system, which determines punishment based on how a violating assignment is weighted in a course, came under scrutiny. Members voiced concerns that the weight percentage system was overly harsh.

The Council changed the requirement that a one letter grade reduction can apply only to assignments weighted less than 5 percent in a course to those that are worth 6 percent and under. According to Ike Arjmand, a sophomore class representative, the newly approved system is more fair for students because smaller assignments are often given 5 percent weight, and would result in a two-letter-grade reduction.

Council members also said there should be a greater distinction between receiving an F, or receiving an F with semester-long suspension.

At the meeting, the Council raised the threshold for receiving a semester suspension to assignments weighted at 33 percent, while a two-semester suspension now applies to those worth 45 percent of the grade. These changes respectively represent a 3 percent and 5 percent increase over thresholds set last year.

Metcalf said the CPS meeting, which occurs at least once a year, allows the Honor Council to ensure punitive measures remain consistent and reasonable.

“The discussion at our CPS meeting was important and it is one part of an ongoing conversation that allows the Council to continually update and codify our response to academic dishonesty,” Metcalf said.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

the Rice Thresher

DE LANGE CONFERENCE X | DEC. 5–6, 2016 | RICE UNIVERSITY

HUMANS, MACHINES AND THE FUTURE OF WORK

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Applicants for student funds misinformed There are two glaring problems with how the Blanket Tax Committee allocated initiative funds this year. Student Association Treasurer Maurice Frediere said initiatives would not be considered for funding unless they were “new” (see pg. 1). First, the requirement that initiatives be “new” is nowhere outlined in the SA constitution, nor was it publicized through the application process. It is misleading to encourage organizations to apply for funding without informing them of such a disqualifying condition.

Second, there does not seem to be a concrete definition for what constitutes a “new” initiative. Does the idea have to be a brand-new one with no precedent? If not, how much of a change is required from a previously submitted initiative before the committee is willing to allocate funds for it?

As of now, the BTC’s notion of a new initiative is a nebulous one, and it seems unfair to hold organizations to a standard that has not even been properly documented by the vetting committee. In any case, a new initiative does not necessarily entail a better one, so the committee ought to think critically about why specifically they believe only new initiatives are worthy of funding.

While we understand the initiative is not meant to fund everything students propose, the committee must more clearly differentiate its purpose from other available funding sources such as the Student Activities President’s Programming. This semester, there was a $1,900 surplus of unspent initiative money that will be rolled over into next semester’s budget.

Hopefully by then, the BTC will have clarified its requirements and roles as it determines how to spend the nearly $6,000 at its disposal.

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

Anita Alem is a member of the Blanket Tax Committe and recused herself from this editorial.

Seeing Rice’s neglected outdoor spaces Hi, my name is Mitch, and I’ll guide you through the second installment of the Rice University Tour of Publically Neglected Outdoor Spaces. Many outdoor spaces on campus exceed in beauty but sit unused. Let’s see if we can spot them.

Any good tour begins at the front entrance.

Behold two triangular lawns flanking the drive up to Lovett Hall, liberally sprinkled with oaks, pines and a few hollies. A wonderful spot to take phone calls or photographs, two slices of peace and quiet. Straight ahead we approach Founder’s Court, home to impromptu sporting events and Beer Bike’s water balloon fight.

As we pass through the Sallyport you’ll see our next stop, the academic quad. The only bench wraps around Willy’s statue. The architecture students hold their informal fall soccer league on the lawns, using the notched hedge pattern as goals, and I’ve spotted ultimate frisbee players tossing their discs over the hedges.

As we turn the corner toward Fondren you’ll glimpse the Humanities Building’s Jamail Courtyard on the left, and just across the arcade you’ll find an anonymous courtyard where some students recently stuck poles in the ground and strung hammocks between them. As we walk north, you may spot the UFO disguised as a bench that landed around the lovely live oak in Anderson Hall’s courtyard. To your left you’ll find the renovated grounds outside Vallhalla, which gets a kickin’ evening atmosphere under the string lights’ warm glow.

We’ve reached our next spot, the unnamed courtyard outside Ryon Lab where an engineering class built a treehouse around one of the two live oaks weaving a ceiling. You can now inhabit a live oak without climbing it, that is with the groundskeeper’s good graces.

Another lovely spot for a phone call.

Yes, you have a question? The question was, Where are the neglected outdoor spaces? I wondered when one of you would ask. We have been passing right through them. Did you notice?

Let’s cut through the engineering quad, a frail web of sidewalk slabs floating on a sea of grass. The rock sculptures loom like icebergs.

You may have played “the floor is lava!” as a child. On campus, I feel the landscaping implies “the grass is lava!” so stick to the sidewalk, and the name “sidewalk” encourages movement. Do side-lingers exist?

Back to the Sallyport. You can summarize the campus’ attitude toward its outdoor space with the only view that mattered in the original masterplan. Imagine Fondren doesn’t exist, and look through the Sallyport at a half-mile-long quad, its scale reminiscent of the Texas prairie mown over for the university. The arch is a picture frame.

The original master planners multiplied this frame along the buildings and roofed them to cleverly create arcades which grant commuters respite from rain and Texas sun.

As they saw it, only a breeze and your gaze should pass through the arcade arches. What better view than our pristine quads while walking to your next destination? But the

arch can be two more things: a doorway and a space to linger.

All the arches should be seen as doorways, but things like the Sallyport superstition and the asian jasmine edging between the arcade and the quads discourage that reading. Encouraging the arch as doorway encourages you to walk through it and onto the lawns. Rice could go the extra mile and rent out blankets, a simple tool to make any patch of ground more inviting.

The arches can be spaces to linger because it’s not flat like a picture frame. Their thickness can accommodate benches like the ones near Fondren’s front entrance and Anderson Hall’s courtyard. Benches are mediocre because they encourage sitting and looking anywhere but the arch. A great complement to the hard, formal stone arch is the soft, casual canvas hammock.

The hammock would encourage lounging and enjoying the arch itself, and could also be used for sitting and looking.

Entertain this vision, if you will: Some students read and doze in hammocks slung under some arcade arches, while another pair holds brief conference under another arch at a thin table and chairs. The arch still is a picture frame, one that includes the students and the university’s activity.

This sermon aimed at the arcades around the academic quad applies to all spaces thought of as purely for travel, not as a destination itself.

The most neglected outdoor spaces on campus are neglected by the mind, not the eye.

Mitch Mackowiak

is the Thresher Opinions Editor and a Lovett College senior

Thomas the SA Engine: All initiatives are special interest The Student Association Senate’s creation of a task force to explore the state of prehealth advising at Rice has drawn some attention to the purpose of the SA in recent weeks. Since this bill has passed and a number of people have already opined on the subject, I do not think it productive to wade into this debate. Instead, since it is a little over halfway through our term, I want to clarify how the SA operates and evaluate what more we can do.

First and foremost, the SA exists to give every student the opportunity to shape the undergraduate experience. To this goal, we fund blanket tax organizations, administer a campus wide initiative fund and advocate for student interests inside and outside the hedges. Each year, these initiatives touch all aspects of the undergraduate experience, from student life to well-being to academics.

In order to increase the efficacy of our advocacy, we often form committees and

STAFF Yasna Haghdoost* Editor in Chief Anita Alem* Managing Editor Juan Saldana Business Manager news Drew Keller* Editor Amber Tong* Editor Emily Abdow Asst. Editor

task forces to explore a given topic in greater depth. These groups are given a narrow charge, such as studying the experiences of low income students on campus, but they work in coordination with other SA initiatives.

The narrow scope simply acknowledges that we must set realistic objectives given our term of less than one year.

Every initiative the SA sponsors inherently services a certain interest. Sponsoring a singular initiative that would adequately further all aspects of the Rice experience is impossible. That fact is precisely why we have a central SA, to help coordinate these various efforts. Whether we are talking about last year’s Critical Thinking in Sexuality program, the Rice Education of Future initiative or recent initiatives related to low income and first generation accessibility, a specific interest is inherently being pushed.

With all of these initiatives, one can ask why we are prioritizing sexual assault prevention

opinions Mitch Mackowiak* Editor sports Andrew Grottkau Editor arts & entertainment Lenna Mendoza Editor Walden Pemantle Editor design Justin Park Director Samantha Ding News Designer Katrina Cherk Sports Designer Christina Tan A&E Designer Jennifer Fu Illustrator photo Sirui Zhou Editor

copy Jasmine Lin Editor Julianne Wey Editor backpage Riley Robertson Editor business operations Shannon Klein Ads Manager Sean Kelley Distribution Manager online Charlie Paul Editor Alex Kim Editor *Editorial Board member

over the more general goal of student wellbeing, or why we are prioritizing first generation accessibility over accessibility for all students. We need to address these larger concerns in smaller pieces, or we would get nothing done. To say the SA should not simply serve special interest groups grossly simplifies and misunderstands the purpose of the SA, its structure and the initiatives it pursues.

The student body should be holding us responsible for our actions and should be pushing us to do more. I am excited we are having disagreements about the type of initiatives the SA should be sponsoring and I encourage more people to participate in the process. Vigorous debate and disagreement only stands to make our ideas stronger and encourage broader community buy-in to our conversations. But I also want to ensure we are being judicious in our evaluations of initiatives. Since many senators and college 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.

presidents are still looking for campus-wide projects to take on, it seems misguided to criticize the few initiatives that have been proposed simply because there may be better initiatives out there. We still have plenty of capacity and time to pursue further change.

The only question is, what should we tackle next?

Griffin Thomas is the Student Association president and a Lovett 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 The Thresher is a member of the ACP, TIPA and CMBAM © Copyright 2016

6

Andes Cafe boasts varied

South American fare Lauren Heller Thresher Staff

Andes Cafe Address: 2311 Canal St Phone number: (832) 659-0063 Price range: $$

Recommended Dishes Contra Negra Ceviche, market price Black clams, lime juice, ketchup, mustard, pickled red onions, tomatoes, cilantro and olive oil El Machu Picchu juice, $5 Soursop, passion fruit, milk and honey If you’re looking to go south of the border for your next Saturday dinner, Andes Cafe is a great place to expand your food horizons beyond North America. Located close to downtown, off Navigation Boulevard (right

by Ninfa’s for those of you who would rather stick with Tex-Mex), Andes Cafe is a cute restaurant with a Latin American flair. As you walk inside, prepare to see a colorful mural covering the walls and to be overwhelmed by an extensive menu.

Andes Cafe markets itself as a South American kitchen that serves authentic dishes with roots in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.

The Ecuadorian owner serves both brunch and dinner, but, since I went for dinner, I will focus solely on that menu. Besides the usual soups, salads and sandwiches, you can order small plates, signature plates and ceviches.

Out of the small plates, I sampled the tequenos and arepa “la pelua,” both of which are of Venezuelan origin. Think of tequenos as South American breaded cheese sticks, served with an avocado relish. An arepa is a rich corn patty stuffed with shredded beef and sprinkled with the same white cheese

that fills the tequenos and is served with avocado relish. The choclo asado was the most surprising small plate that my group ordered because it was a whole charcoalgrilled corn on the cob topped with roasted pork, avocado relish and cheese. It came with a knife to shave off the pieces — a cool way to impress your date or friend would be finishing the entire cob without making a mess. Of course, there are plenty of other appetizers to try, including empanadas, plantains and tamales.

The signature plates are for those with a strong appetite, as most come with a lot of meat and starch. Some Peruvian specialties are aji de gallina, or shredded chicken covered in a creamy sauce served over rice, and lomo saltado, a stir-fry of beef, red onions and tomatoes served with rice and french fries. More adventurous eaters can try cuy, or deep-fried guinea pig — I personally did not.

Boasting five different types of ceviches from Ecuador and Peru, Andes Cafe can also satisfy the pescatarians in your group. The concha negra is a ceviche unique to Ecuador that diverges from the usual expectations of ceviche. It consists of black clams marinated in lime juice, ketchup and mustard that are mixed with pickled red onions, tomatoes, cilantro and olive oil. If you didn’t find that mix of ingredients eclectic enough, the concha negra is served with popcorn, sliced green plantains and toasted corn.

Finally, my favorite part of the meal: the drink. Not only does Andes Cafe have a wideranging food menu, but it also has a fantastic beverage menu with fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies and organic roasted coffee. I ordered “El Machu Picchu,” a juice blend of soursop, passion fruit, milk and honey.

While I still can’t really describe soursop, what I can say is that it was a darn good tropical juice drink, and there were plenty more juices and smoothies with exotic fruits like prickly pear and Andean blackberry.

To sum up, if you’re looking for tasty food in a hip and colorful setting, Andes Cafe is a great place to check out. The menu has something for everyone and makes you want to actually share your food — gasp — so that you can try even more new dishes.

Left: Tequenos with avocado relish Right: Arepa with shredded beef and queso fresco, avocado relish on the side

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

R2 OPEN MIC NIGHT

Troubling context mars ‘Birth of a Nation’

courtesy bron studios

Michael VerMeulen For the Thresher

After my preview screening for “The Birth of a Nation,” a viewer remarked that it portrayed an event that “you don’t learn about in history class.”

It’s true; many accounts of important AfricanAmericans are sadly ignored in American history, and Nat Turner leading a slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831 is certainly one of them. Though it’s a story everyone should see, this portrayal of the rebellion is complicated by the sexual assault controversy that surrounds both its content and its maker.

Writer, director, producer and lead actor Nate Parker created this project with grand, noble ambitions, wanting to tell this impactful story in a way that could expose newcomers to its power while also diminishing the effect of one of the most infamous films in cinematic history.

By naming his debut feature after D.W. Griffith’s infamous 1915 Ku Klux Klan-promoting motion picture, Parker hoped to reshape the title’s meaning in the minds of Americans into one that better represents its inherently hopeful words.

Though these goals may have seemed lofty, they were closer than ever following a well-reviewed screening at the Sundance Film Festival.

It is sad and ironic that Parker paints himself in his feature as a Godfearing, loving husband ... when his own behavior completely belies this portrayal.

However, Parker’s own transgressions change the story. This summer, Parker’s history of alleged sexual assault resurfaced after news broke that a woman whom Parker and fellow Pennsylvania State University student Jean Celestin were accused of sexually assaulting committed suicide.

The woman’s family felt Parker should have received a jail sentence instead of the acquittal he ultimately received, and the woman’s sister, Sharon Loeffler, claimed in a Variety guest column that the two men had “the power of the [Pennsylvania State University] Athletic Department behind them” and that it “tormented [her] sister to see [Parker] thrive while she was still struggling.”

Parker maintained a friendship with Celestin,

KINDA SKETCHY

Hear some poems, songs and maybe even stand-up comedy at R2’s open mic night this Friday. The yearly reading is a great time to check out your peers’ creative sides over free Torchy’s, Thai Spice and beer at the unbeatable, if sticky, atmosphere of Willy’s pub. Performances and readings run 8 to 10 p.m.

Or maybe you’re looking for something lighter Friday night. If so, check out Kinda Sketchy’s pre-NOD show, “Kinda Sketchy Votes for Trump (and Other NOD-y Things).” The show starts at 8:34 p.m. on the dot, so don’t be late! According to the event description, you could even leave with a six-pack.

Willy’s Pub Rice University r2review.com

Herring 100 Rice University facebook.com/kindasketchyrice

whose guilty sentence was overturned on appeal.

The pair even developed the story for “The Birth of a Nation” together. Parker has denied any feelings of guilt. “17 years ago, I experienced a very painful moment in my life. It resulted in it being litigated. I was cleared of it. That’s that,” Parker said. In a recent “60 Minutes” interview with Anderson Cooper, Parker again denied any feeling of guilt and fell back on his Christianity when questioned about any wrongdoing.

In Parker’s film, his character Nat Turner also relies on his faith when justifying his plans of violence to fellow slaves. As a preacher, Turner gets the opportunity to travel, and he begins to change his perspective on slaves’ situations after seeing the extent of the atrocities committed against them.

Nonetheless, Turner’s biggest motivation for vengeance comes when a group of slave catchers rape his wife. Though powerful within the context of the film, this moment is completely fictional, a fabrication from the minds of Parker and Celestin. Loeffler writes in her Variety piece this “creepy and perverse” addition to the story of Nat Turner “pains her most of all.”

I have to agree.

It is sad and ironic that Parker paints himself in his feature as a God-fearing, loving husband who will fight in retaliation against the people who sexually abused the woman he loves when his own behavior completely belies this portrayal. Especially confusing is Parker and Celestin’s decision to add an extra reason for Nat Turner’s rebellion when his real-life inspiration was enough to tell a compelling, necessary story.

By adding this extra motivation, I feel that Parker and Celestin actually blunt the true reasoning behind Turner’s revolt: He was obtaining vengeance not for his wife but for the conditions of slavery more broadly.

While he might never be found guilty, Parker certainly has engaged in some morally bereft activities from which people have been permanently damaged. He clearly lacks awareness of the effect of his actions, despite castmate and sexual assault survivor Gabrielle Union speaking out about the issue to the LA Times. Parker may have some admirable qualities, evidenced by his dogged commitment to making his film a reality, but I believe that even in this regard he may have been misguided.

His own character did not completely gel with the story he was trying to tell and obviously felt very connected with, and he hurt the film because of it.

I urge anybody who wants to learn the story of Nat Turner to watch this film at your own discretion. People need to know Turner and how his life relates to both the past and present, but they do not necessarily need to see a mediocre film about it made by an alleged rapist who took concerning artistic liberties with history.

PARTS UNKNOWN If you’ve never watched Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown,” you’re missing out. The series explores lesserknown locales for lesser known cuisines, and this week’s episode finds Bourdain touring Houston. To celebrate, Axelrad Beer Garden is hosting a watch party 5 to 9 p.m. this Sunday featuring live music and food from Houstonian farmers.

Axelrad Beer Garden 1517 Alabama St axelradbeergarden.com

OF MONTREAL Now touring their 14th studio album, “Innocence Reaches,” of Montreal stops off in Houston on Saturday at 8 p.m. The band has long been known for their out-there concerts, which can feature skits, extravagant costumes and freaky projections.

Walter’s Downtown 1120 Naylor St waltersdowntown.com

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

WHAT’S HIP RIGHT NOW HEALTH:

Healing Crystals

A&E

the Rice Thresher

TECH:

by elisabeth kalomeris

DRINK:

Tile

7

Sunscreen Flask

TRENDING: Not Shaving

courtesy ripleys

courtesy wired courtesy stonerdays

In a phrase: Alternative medicine practice Where to find it: Hunt for your own crystals in the great outdoors!

The terms hipster and hippie are steadily converging as peace, love and understanding, with little to no action behind them, become gentrified and meaningless. Modern hippiedom, easily observed at any musical festival worth its organic salt, consists of many tell-tale sights, but perhaps no hallmark is as obvious as a healing crystal. Crystal healing revolves around metaphysical properties of crystals or stones, typically quartz, which impact so-called energy grids around them. Like pet rocks, the owner imposes meaning and consciousness onto the object and can care for it in any way they see fit. Color is extremely important to many crystal enthusiasts and can correspond to a specific body part, power or chakra. Despite the pile of evidence that healing crystals are pseudoscientific nonsense, many believe differently. Placebo or spiritual, whimsical or serious, many people deeply enjoy these objects. You might think they’re funny, fun or maybe even helpful.

In a phrase: Unobtrusive fob to track anything Where to find it: thetileapp.com Tile is a square-shaped tracker to help prevent misplaced items from becoming lost. Tile comes in two sizes: a wider, extremely thin square designed to fit in a credit card sleeve and the smaller, thicker, key-ring friendly version. Despite their recommended purposes, both can be placed or attached virtually anywhere. Some good examples include inside luggage, on a bike, the lining of clothing, medical devices such as inhalers and EpiPens and laptops. The tiles themselves connect to an app for the user to label different tiles, keep track of their locations, play alarms from a tile and interact with other users. The fobs utilize passive bluetooth technology which consumes far less energy than most other wireless signals, allowing Tile’s battery to last more than a year without charging.The cost is a bit steep, at $25 per tile, but group orders can bring this down significantly. If you lose things a lot, Tile may be worth the price.

courtesy party ready

In a phrase: Deceptive container to hold liquid Where to find it: Trashy mall stores like Spencer’s or Hot Topic In light of increased security at venues and festivals like Austin City Limits or Stereo Live, 21-and-up-year-olds may find themselves wanting the ability to sneak extra booze into various off-campus locations. Enter the Sunscreen Flask, a pouch produced by various different companies to look like a sunscreen bottle but, in fact, it contains anything you desire. Cleverly designed to mimic actual sunscreen brands, sunscreen flasks typically hold eight ounces. Flasks are usually cheap, around $10, and can be refilled indefinitely until accidentally left somewhere and lost. Those not of age to drink alcohol and those planning to use this flask on campus can enjoy filling it with other liquids. Other popular filling choices might include ketchup or mustard in case the need arises for emergency condiments, water to stay hydrated throughout the hot Houston days, hand lotion to keep your skin silky smooth or, in an ironic twist, actual sunscreen.

In a phrase: Resisting the usual practice of cutting unwanted body hair Where to find it: Anywhere but a barber shop or your bathroom with a razor November will soon be upon us, and with it, cultural practices like Thanksgiving, a mourning over the end of pumpkin spice flavoring and Movember.

The origins of Movember (a portmanteau of mustache and November), also known as No-Shave November, come from Adelaide, Australia. In the late 1990s, a group of young men began growing facial hair to raise awareness for charity. The movement quickly spread internationally. No-Shave November is by no means limited to males: Everyone is encouraged to not shave any part of their body and can donate to the Movember Foundation, particularly with funds they would have normally used for personal grooming. The Movember Foundation raises awareness about men’s health issues and allocates money to medical research, $174 million worldwide in 12 years. Even if you can’t grow a beard or mustache, consider not shaving or waxing this month and give that money to a cause you’re passionate about. Au naturel really ain’t that bad — you might even stick with it.

8

A&E

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

9

jiayi lyu/thresher

Rice performs a layup drill during a practice last week at Tudor Fieldhouse in preparation for its season opener, which occurs in just over two weeks. The Owls are entering their second season

under head coach Tina Langley and are looking to improve upon last season, when they finished with a 9-22 record and lost in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament.

Women’s basketball hopes experience pays off Craig Broadman Thresher Staff

The Rice Owls women’s basketball team had a motto in the 2015-16 season — “Overtime is Owl time” — due to their 4-1 overtime record. However, that motto could only carry them so far. The Owls were knocked out of the Conference USA tournament in the quarterfinals, which meant Rice would not be playing in the NCAA tournament for the 11th straight year. This year, Rice is hoping to end that streak by competing for the C-USA title. The Owls finished last season with a 9-22 overall record (7-11 in C-USA). Head

coach Tina Langley, who helped develop the University of Maryland into a Final Four program as an associate head coach, is now in her second season at the helm in Houston.

Langley said her approach to the season is similar to that of last year’s, which is to work on building a strong foundation for the basketball program.

“Last season, we were a team that always gave great effort,” Langley said, “I’d like to see us continue to be that team while getting better at execution.”

The team has been practicing for a few weeks now to prepare for the upcoming season, and Langley said she is pleased with

the preseason performance.

“It’s fun to see how much more quickly we are progressing with our offensive system this season,” Langley said. “A lot of credit goes to our returners’ leadership and willingness to help the newcomers.”

Two of these returners are senior forward Jasmine Goodwine and senior guard Maya Hawkins, the team leaders in minutes played last season. Goodwine led the team in points (12.5 ppg), rebounds (6.1 rpg) and blocked shots (0.6 bpg) while Hawkins led the team in assists (4.2 apg) and tied for the team lead in steals (1.1 spg). She averaged 10.7 points per game while making a team leading 50 3-point

field goals, but she also led the team with 133 turnovers. Junior guard Shani Rainey, one of three Owls to start all 31 games along with Goodwine and Hawkins, is looking to build off a campaign which saw her average 11.7 points per game, 1.1 steals per game and 5.3 rebounds per game.

According to Langley, the incoming freshmen and transfer students add depth to a roster that is already filled with many returning players.

“We are excited about the level of athleticism the new players bring,” Langley said, “Our staff is exceptional at player development.”

0see BASKETBALL, page 11

10 SPORTS

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

the Rice Thresher

The Final Kauntdown Big 12 non-expansion was Rice’s worst case scenario Last week, the Big 12 finally made its decision regarding expansion. And no, Rice was not invited to join the conference. In fact, neither was the University of Houston.

Or anyone. After months of speculation, presentations from at least 11 dierent schools and weeks of deliberation among the current conference members, the Big 12 ultimately decided not to expand.

Earlier this year, I wrote that Rice was not a good fit for the Big 12 because our school does not have a large enough fanbase to fully support a Power Five athletic program. The Big 12’s decision not to add a single school, however, was the worst possible outcome for Rice.

Months ago, when the league publicly declared its desire to expand, the reasons were clear. This summer, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced it was launching its own television network. That left the Big 12 as the only Power Five conference without a television network. In the landscape of college sports, where television money is growing seemingly without bound, this left the league behind. The Big 12 appeared to recognize these deficiencies when it voted to explore expansion options over the summer.

Within a month, approximately 20 schools voiced their desire to join the conference. These schools were hoping to pursue the immense financial gain associated with moving to a Power Five conference. They presented their strengths to the Big 12 over the next couple of months, hoping that the conference would accept them and invite them to college athletics’ promised land. In the end, however, it was all for naught. After the pageantry of the application process, no school was deemed good enough to join the elite.

The outcome is a bad one for every applicant. Each school had a chance to increase athletic revenue by tens of millions of dollars and was denied. The athletic teams of the rejected schools lost opportunities to compete against some of the most talented teams in the nation.

Rice, however, is in a uniquely unfortunate situation. Had the Big 12 expanded, the strongest applicant appeared to be the University of Houston, Rice’s crosstown rival.

The University of Houston currently competes in the American Athletic Conference, which is generally regarded as the strongest of the non-Power Five football conferences. Had the Cougars moved up to the Big 12, the AAC would have had a vacancy.

Rice would have almost certainly applied to join the league. It would have had a strong case to pitch to the conference. The university’s academic reputation is always a selling point, and over the past few years, Rice has had a strong enough athletic program to compete among the schools in the AAC. Although it would have struggled in marquee sports such as football and basketball at first, the athletic department has shown a commitment to improving each of its programs in the past few years and the elevated conference standing would have only accelerated that process.

Rice’s strongest case, however, would have been the media market.

If it lost the University of Houston, the AAC would have been looking to replace its fanbase. There would have been few better options than Rice, a school that would attract casual fans in the city of Houston even after the Cougars departed for the Big 12. The AAC would have been able to endure the loss of the University of Houston without losing the entire Houston market.

0see KAUNTDOWN, page 11

Andrew Grottkau is Thresher Sports Editor and a McMurtry College sophomore

Goal oriented

sean chu/thresher

Sophomore forward Annie Walker boots the ball upfield during Rice’s 2-0 victory over the University of North Carolina, Charlotte last weekend.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

0FOOTBALL from page 1 In desperate need of a win to restore some confidence, the Owls quickly took the ball down the field to start the game. Stehling capped off a 65-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore running back Austin Walter. The Panthers, however, responded immediately, as junior wide receiver Joshua Simmons returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7. Rice, however, steadied itself, scoring 35 unanswered points and ultimately entering the half with a 45-14 lead.

The second half, however, proved to be an entirely different story. The Panthers had six offensive possessions in the second half and scored four touchdowns. Prairie View A&M also put points on the board by blocking an extra point attempt by sophomore kicker Hayden Tobola and returning it for a defensive 2-point conversion. The Owls, however, tacked on three touchdowns of their own throughout the second half.

That said, critical eyes examined not the 65 points that Rice put on the board against the Panthers, but rather to the 44 points that they allowed against a team that was shut out by the only other Football Bowl Subdivision opponent it faced this season, Texas A&M University. As such, while the team will be happy to celebrate its first victory this season, it cannot be satisfied with its defensive and special teams performances this game, particularly when the strength of the opponent is considered. It is therefore understandable why the reaction of many — particularly the team’s defensive players — to the win was somewhat subdued.

Head coach David Bailiff said he was pleased with the team’s offensive effort in the game, but recognized the need for improvement on the other side of the ball.

“For us, it was a win we obviously needed — we needed it bad,” Bailiff said. “I am so proud of the offense, and proud of the way Tyler Stehling directed that offense tonight. I wasn’t really thrilled with [the defense in] the second half. We gave up too many big plays.”

Senior linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee said despite the win, he was unhappy with the way the defense played.

0BASKETBALL from page 9 The most notable addition to the active roster is sophomore Nicole Iademarco, who transferred from Arizona State University in 2015 but was forced to redshirt last season due to NCAA transfer rules. In an interview last year, Langley said the former Sun Devil adds scoring depth to the team. “[Iademarco’s] versatility and ability to shoot the ball will make her incredibly hard to guard,” Langley said, “Nicole knows what it takes to compete for championships and will be instrumental in helping us take the next step in.”

Two other notable transfer students are junior forward Olivia Ogwumike and sophomore guard Erica Ogwumike, who will sit out this season due to transfer rules but will be eligible to play next year. The sisters played at Pepperdine University last year and are siblings of WNBA stars Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike.

the Rice Thresher “I guess this is a bittersweet victory for us,” Ellerbee said. “Sweet in the fact that we did get a win — it’s obviously nice to get a win in the column — but it’s bitter because we gave up 44 points. We didn’t even give up 44 points to Baylor, so for us to give up 44 points is hard to wrap my mind around.”

This type of defensive performance, unfortunately, falls in line with what we have seen from the Owls this season. Despite a strong effort last week against UTSA, the team ranks third-to-last in Division I in both total and passing yards allowed per game, as well as 11th-to-last in points allowed per game. Considering these types of warning signs, this game may represent little, if any, progress for the team’s defense and its coaching staff.

For us, it was a win we obviously needed — we needed it bad.

David Bailiff Football Head Coach The Owls do, however, have much more to build on when looking at the other side of the ball. With his performance, Stehling became the fourth quarterback in Rice football history to eclipse 400 passing yards in a game, while junior wide receiver Temi Alaka and sophomore running back Samuel Stewart both topped 100 yards in the game.

The team executed better offensively against the Panthers than they have at other times in the season, as they only had three drives (save for the end of the game) that did not end in points.

As such, this game represented some positive signs for Rice. Considering that they continued to make heavy use of a horizontal passing game and that the offensive gameplan this week did not differ much from the unsuccessful ones of past weeks, however, the legitimacy of these signs cannot be confirmed until more games are played.

Owls players recognized that it was far from a perfect performance, but there is The incoming freshman class features three new players: Tayler Bennett, who was ranked as one of the top 75 shooting guards in the nation; Kendall Ellig, an All-State forward from Texas; and Gabby Ozoude, the Division II high school tri-player of the year in Ohio.

Our fans bring such such tremendous support and make a huge difference.

Tina Langley Basketball Head Coach The combination of returners, transfer students and freshmen will look to improve

obvious emotional value in winning football games. This lift is something the team can hope to build on in the weeks to come.

Stehling said he was relieved to finally earn a victory.

“We got to sing our little song we do when we win, but we haven’t been able to do it all year,” Stehling said. “To be honest, losing takes a lot out of you, because you put in all the work and all the effort. But to finally win, it feels good to relish it.”

Up next for the Owls is a matchup with perennial Conference USA powerhouse Louisiana Tech University. The Bulldogs always boast an impressive collection of talent that excels at the collegiate level and often matures into NFL talent. Just last season, Louisiana Tech produced a firstround draft selection in defensive tackle Vernon Butler, while quarterback Jeff Driskel and running back Kenneth Dixon were also drafted. This year, senior safety Xavier Woods and senior wide receiver Trent Taylor are players that are projected to have a good chance of making the leap to the professional level.

As a program that consistently churns out strong talent, it is no surprise that the Bulldogs (5-3) are currently riding a four-game winning streak and sit atop the C-USA West Division. Rice has not defeated Louisiana Tech since 2013, a stretch that includes a 76-31 defeat in 2014 when both teams were playing for a trip to the C-USA title game against Marshall University. The Owls are currently a 24.5-point underdog in the game.

Despite the long odds, the Owls hope that their win will spark a strong finish as they progress to the latter half of the season.

Although the Owls have virtually no shot of qualifying for a bowl game, starting roles next season and the jobs of the coaching staff likely will depend on the performances in the remainder of the year. Alaka said that the win could provide momentum.

“I feel we’ve been talking about getting this win and start rolling and see what can happen,” Alaka said.

The Owls (1-6, 0-4 in C-USA) will look for their second win of the season and first conference win of the season in a road game on Saturday, Oct. 29 against Louisiana Tech at 6 p.m. a team that committed 2.7 more turnovers per game than its opponents while getting out-rebounded and out-shot. According to Langley, the journey to a conference championship starts with the right attitude.

“Our goal for this season is the development of a relentless mentality,” Langley said. “Growth and effort are continuous, never ending.”

Rice will look to put that mentality on display next week on Friday, Nov. 4, when Langley and The Owls take on Concordia University to open the season at Tudor Fieldhouse. The game will not count in the standings, as it is merely a preseason contest.

The regular season begins on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in Tudor Fieldhouse against Prairie View A&M University. Langley said that she expects a strong showing of Rice students at the game to support the growing basketball program.

“We are looking forward to all the games, but especially the home contests where our fans bring such tremendous support and make a huge difference,” Langley said.

SPORTS

11

0KAUNTDOWN from page 10 There would have been little to discourage Rice from joining the conference.

It is no secret that Conference USA is one of the weakest Division I conferences, and its miniscule television revenue (just $200,000 per school, second smallest in Division I) does little to inspire confidence in the league’s vitality. The AAC would have provided Rice with an increase in athletic revenue and a step up in athletic competition compared to its current conference.

Unfortunately for Rice, however, this scenario never played out. When the Big 12 announced its plans to explore expansion, Rice appeared to have a strong chance at moving up in the landscape of college sports.

Instead, it will remain stuck in its current situation. For the foreseeable future, Rice athletics has no upward mobility.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

the Rice Thresher

We’ve been getting a lot of fan mail recently with questions regarding the Wiess public party, Night of Decadence, which is coming up this weekend. So we’ve decided to turn to our help columnist Alice to try to provide some guidance for you Owls before you get to pecking.

1. Is NOD happening this year? If so, what’s the theme?

Despite the lack of advertising, NOD is actually happening and yes, it’s still the only pay-to-enter “public.” The theme is officially “Walt DisNOD: Where Dreams Cum True.” If you can believe it, there’s only one sex pun. Terrible. On top of that, you may notice that this is a particularly lazy theme considering the stake that Brown College has over the sexy Disney market (a relatively small market to begin with).

Hats off to you, Wiess, for not even respecting us enough to come up with an original title for the only public of the year which we have to pay for. We’re still salty about it.

2. I’m unsure what to wear to NOD. Do you have any advice?

While many people tend to wear very little to NOD, there’s no need to feel pressured into wearing something that makes you uncomfortable.

With that being said, NOD tends to get pretty hot and sweaty, so you might find something light to be the most comfortable. For example, socks (only socks), fishnet bodysuits and assless crotchless banana suits have all proven to be excellent choices for NOD costumes.

3. I’ve heard that people tend to drink a lot for NOD. What can you tell me about that?

It’s true, many people are compelled to drink too much at NOD, probably because of insecurities over being so exposed. If you ask me, that’s a terrible reason to drink too much. You should be drinking too much just because you want to and because it’s tradition!

Although there are definitely some things to avoid, like throwing up on any uniformed police officers or having “technical difficulties” in the event you find a partner for the evening. As long as you are mindful of those constraints, by all means, go crazy.

4. Someone is dressed as Olaf from ‘Frozen,’ and I am INTO it. Where can I go to hook up with this magical character and their carrot nose?

With how hot and steamy it can get on the dance floor, everyone’s glasses will be fogging up. So it's pretty much a near-sighted private show for everyone. But if you still would rather go somewhere more private, there’s a whole slew of shag spaces on campus. We recommend reserving the McMurtry College Innovation Space beforehand so you can do some after-hours “innovation” of your own. Or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, it doesn’t take much to make your way into the rec pool after hours. This can be a doubly effective move if you’re planning on going to NOD as Sebastian from “The Little Mermaid.”

Lastly, don’t forget that most colleges’ RHAs carry condoms, lube, fuzzy handcuffs, silk blindfolds and Powerade. Make use of these resources!

5. Where is the clitosaurus?

It’s impossible to know for sure. Godspeed.

The Backpage is satire and written by Riley Robertson. This week, Simon Chan contributed. For comments or questions, please email thirsty@rice.edu.

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