The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, August 23, 2017

VOLUME 102, ISSUE NO. 1 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS see pages 19-21 SPOTLIGHT

welcoming the class of

2021

The matriculating class of 2018 is the largest in Rice history.

FLYING IN 5% 20%

8%

A DIVERSE A DIVERSE CLASS*

Out of 1,048 incoming students, 111 are international and 601 are from out of state

HALF AND HALF 32%

CLASS

51% of the incoming class identify as male 49% of the incoming class identify as female

33% African-American/Black Multiracial Hispanic/Latino/Mexican-American Caucasian/White Asian American *2% American Indian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or not reported.

Demographics do not include 111 international students (11% of the incoming class).

SMART OWLS Caucasian/White

The middle 50% of admitted students scored between a 1480 and a 1570 on the SAT** or between a 33 and 35 on the ACT **1600 scale; exclusive of the Writing section infographic by christina tan

NEWS

High yield causes bed shortages EMILY ABDOW NEWS EDITOR / ESA2@RICE.EDU

Rice did not find beds for all its new students until the start of Orientation Week due to a higher than expected yield rate for 2018 matriculants, according to Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson.

“Rice only has one guarantee in its housing agreement, which is that if you’re a new student and you want housing you are guaranteed housing,” McDonald said. “There is no guarantee for three years on campus.”

Housing and Dining offered returning students a discount of $2,000 off of the $4,745 fall semester room costs on June 16, according to Housing and Dining Senior Business Director David McDonald. However, when bed shortages persisted, Housing and Dining increased the overcrowding incentive to free housing for the fall semester. This offer led to about 40 students choosing to overcrowd, making 17 additional beds available by Aug. 14.

McMurtry College sophomore

Marco Gutierrez said he and his roommate agreed to overcrowd under the $2,000 incentive and tried to find three doubles to consolidate into two triples.

However, they could not find a third double, even after the incentive increased to free housing.

Students who could have gone to Stanford or Princeton or Harvard or Yale chose to come to Rice.

John Hutchinson Dean of Undergraduates “I started Facebook messaging almost every male at McMurtry to try to find a candidate,” Gutierrez said. “I must have messaged 50 people before finally I found [someone].”

Rice admits more applicants than there are available beds on campus with the expectation that

many will decline the offer of admission. The ideal size for every new class is 955 and the target for enrolled students over the course of the year is 3,800, Hutchinson said.

Of the 2,865 freshman applicants whom Rice accepted this year, 1,048 enrolled at Rice, resulting in a yield rate of 36.6 percent, 1.3 percent higher than the year before. In contrast, Rice also extended 2,865 offers for freshmen entering in fall 2015, but only 969 students accepted the offer, a yield of 33.8 percent.

The transfer yield rate also increased from 50 percent to 56 percent, but the number of transfers enrolled fell by six as Rice extended fewer offers of admission to transfer students, according to data provided by Director of Admission David Warner. The Office of Admission could not be reached for a comment regarding the data at the time of print.

Residential colleges conduct room draw while returning students are still on campus, well before admissions receives data

on enrolled new students. This leaves Housing and Dining to estimate the numbers of beds that each college should reserve for new students. In previous years, inaccurate estimations led to too many students being bumped, while this year colleges bumped too few.

“In my opinion, room draw occurs very early and sometimes makes predicting beds to save difficult,” McDonald said. “For most universities, it’s housing that is running the room draw so they can do it as early or as late as they want, but here it’s unique and it’s Rice and we like it that way.”

Hutchinson said he asked the residential colleges to freeze their waitlists for living on campus over the summer after learning of the large incoming class. The freeze came after a much larger number of students were forced to move off campus for this academic year.

At McMurtry College, one of the two largest residential colleges with 314 beds, the wait list currently stands at 20, according to

YIELD CONT. ON PAGE 6

Purity Test evolves, spreads EMILY ABDOW NEWS EDITOR / ESA2@RICE.EDU

Have you ever done anything that you wouldn’t tell your mother? Lose 10 purity points.

Ever told a lie? Ever cursed?

Don’t recognize these questions from the Rice Purity Test? That’s probably because you weren’t alive when the Thresher published the original version of the test in 1924. Back in 1924, the average score for the 119 women who took the test was 62. Of the scores collected on DisOrientation 2017, the Saturday after Orientation Week, the Houston average for people who took the test was 65. The number of tests taken in Houston spiked to 274 on Dis-O, from around 100 on a typical day.

In just the past year the webpage of the “official” online version of the test, hosted by the Thresher, has been visited 1,524,204 times. The top city for purity test takers: Atlanta, followed by Houston, Dallas, Chicago and New York.

As the test spreads through colleges and high schools across the globe, inspiring chat rooms, blog posts and even an erotic book — “Bicurious and the Rice Purity Test” by Amy Morrel — it serves as an entryway into often taboo topics even as it is being phased out of the place where its current iteration was designed to be taken: Orientation Week.

BEYOND RICE When Madeline Cook first heard of the test at St. Agnes Academy, a private all-girls’ Catholic School in Houston, her friend told her one of the smartest girls in their grade had gotten a 19.

“I was like, ‘What the heck what test would she get a 19 on?’ and then I pulled it up and I was like, ‘Oh this is not what I was expecting,’” Cook, now a sophomore at Drexel University, said.

Cook said that being at an allgirls’ school made it a lot easier to share scores.

“It would have been really awkward to be like, ‘Oh yeah I heard this person got like a 15 if there were a bunch of boys around because then they would have been like, ‘Wow, that girl is a slut,’” Cook said.

While most girls wanted to have scores in the middle range, Cook said going to a Catholic school made higher scores less embarrassing. After sharing scores, girls often delved into the details.

“If you were friends you would talk about the details or it would all come out later in a game of ‘Never Have I Ever’ because you now had new targeting information,” Cook said.

PURITY CONT. ON PAGE 10

NEWS

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Saturday dinners to reduce financial strain ANNA TA NEWS EDITOR / AXT1@RICE.EDU

The full on-campus meal plan will include Saturday dinners this semester, according to an announcement made by the Rice University Student Association over the summer.

SA President Justin Onwenu said Housing and Dining decided to expand the meal plan to 20 meals per week with no cost increase, following discussions about reducing the burden on low-income students.

H&D Senior Business Director David McDonald said the administration

considered the needs of low-income students in making the change.

“We’re a community, and we have to create a community that’s conducive for everybody, regardless of [their] background,” McDonald said. “I don’t think the real world can ever get anything at 100 percent, but we want to try and get there as close to the margins as possible.”

According to McDonald, the conversation that led to the change began roughly three years ago.

Onwenu, a Sid Richardson senior, said H&D was very responsive to student input after he and Wiess College senior Hannah

sirui zhou/thresher

The full meal plan increased from 19 meals a week to 20 with no additional cost to students.

Previously, students were encouraged to go outside the hedges for their Saturday dinner.

Todd began discussing the flexibility of the meal plan with them.

“Moving in this direction just seemed like the right thing to do considering the wide number of students who were asking for this option,” Onwenu said. “Once we discussed funding a service every Saturday with administrators, H&D stepped in and decided that Saturday dinner was definitely something they could handle.”

McDonald said that student groups have often suggested adding Saturday dinners to the meal plan, but it was difficult without a proper financial model. This year, overcrowding caused by a larger than expected enrollment helped make the model feasible, according to McDonald.

“Students who overcrowded still have to pay full board plan,” McDonald said.

“Essentially, we’re getting extra 30 or 40 revenues for board. So those extra beds help with the incremental costs of food and labor.”

McDonald said this year room and board costs will not increase to accommodate the Saturday dinner and most likely not increase more than 20 to 25 dollars a semester after, but that nothing will be certain until H&D can gauge participation.

“Basically, I’m going to ask students’ forgiveness for a couple weeks until we sort out the numbers,” McDonald said. “I think that’s fair to ask.”

According to McDonald, Siebel and North serveries will be open from 4:45 p.m. to 6:15

p.m. on Saturday evenings, and they expect roughly 400 to 800 participants at each location.

Previous attempts to increase accessibility included allowing students to use Tetra points at Siebel Servery on Saturday nights.

“Students either didn’t have enough Tetra to last an entire semester or felt like they could just order food for similar costs,” Onwenu said. “Additionally, it didn’t make sense financially for H&D to keep the serveries open with the low student participation that we observed.”

The lack of Saturday dinners on-campus began as a means of encouragement for students to go beyond the campus hedges and explore Houston, McDonald said, but as the student body has diversified, other considerations are more pressing.

“Now we’re an international university,” McDonald said. “We have people coming to school here from all different backgrounds and ways of life. To think that one policy could persist continuously, forever, should be challenged once in a while. And I think this is the right time to challenge it.”

In contrast to the original purpose of Houston exploration, Onwenu said he’s observed many students ordering in or going to nearby fast food restaurants.

“We must explore initiatives aimed at getting students outside of the hedges, but this goal doesn’t have to come at the expense of students who find eating [off-campus] financially straining,” Onwenu said.

Learn. Act. Create Change.

The mission of the Center for Civic Leadership is to foster engaged citizenship through integrated curricular and experiential learning opportunities. We offer a range of courses and experiential opportunities designed to develop your civic leadership capacities throughout your four years at Rice and beyond. Our programs are open to all Rice undergraduates and tiered in three levels, LEARN- ACT-CREATE CHANGE, to ensure that you progressively and intentionally build your leadership knowledge and skills.

Please see the following important dates for application deadlines and info sessions: LEARN Jan 20

Group International Service trip application due

Feb 1

Leading Edge registration closes

ACT Feb 1

Leadership Rice Mentorship Experience (LRME) application due

CREATE Jan 20

Rich Family Endowment Grant Writing Session, 12-1 PM. RSVP: lc40@rice.edu

Feb 1

Rich Family Endowment for Student Community Service application due

Feb 10, 11, 12 Certificate in Civic Leadership info sessions, 12 -1 PM.

For more information, visit http://ccl.rice.edu Contact us: ccl@rice.edu

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

NEWS

3

UNCERTAINTY SURROUNDS MULTICULTURAL CENTER EMILY ABDOW NEWS EDITOR / ESA2@RICE.EDU

As fundraising begins for the construction of Rice University’s new Multicultural Center, a critical question remains: Who will run it?

Administrators need time to decide whether the center will receive a staff member, Provost Marie Lynn Miranda said in July, just under two months after she and President David Leebron received letters from both alumni and student leaders advocating for the addition of a staff member. “I would just say, gosh, we’re figuring it out,” Miranda said.

The center, temporarily housed in the basement of Rice Memorial Center since this past spring, will have a new home costing around $2 million adjacent to the RMC courtyard offices.

Rice alumna Blaque Robinson (Wiess ’16), who proposed the Multicultural Center, said she regards Miranda and Leebron’s response to the letter signed by herself and four members of the Student of Color Collective, a group formed she formed, as an insult.

“I’m very disappointed in this institution, and I’m never going to call this place a multicultural center even if that’s the name they put on it because I don’t believe that that’s what it is,” Robinson said. “It’s a slap in the face to all the students who worked hard to make this a reality.”

THE LETTERS Robinson said she sent a letter signed by the Student of Color Collective requesting the multicultural center receive staffing in May after hearing from an undisclosed source that the center would not be staffed. She received a response from Miranda on July 6, at the same time as she responded to the Thresher’s inquiry about staffing.

In their response, Miranda and Leebron wrote that the design of the center would allow for on-center staffing, but it was too early to make that decision.

“It may be that the center should evolve somewhat organically, and future decisions should be made in light of the experience we gain,” they wrote in their response.

Student Association president Justin Onwenu said he and and Graduate Student Association president Sydney Gibson also sent a letter to Miranda signed by 12 heads of multicultural clubs and two Diversity Facilitator coordinators.

Gibson and Onwenu are student members of the steering committee formed to oversee the design of the center. They decided to write the letter after Associate Vice Provost Matt Taylor showed architectural plans at a spring Student Association meeting that did not include space for staffing, Onwenu said.

“I fear that despite being developed with the best intentions, this decision to leave the space unstaffed will likely lead to people perceiving the center as an empty gesture,” Onwenu wrote.

Robinson said the ideal staff member for the center is Assistant Dean and Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs Catherine Clack, as she has the life experience to counsel students as well as ensure access to a range of resources such as funding a tutor for a student who may feel uncomfortable speaking to their professor.

“She has all the training that is necessary and she already runs the office,” Robinson said. “It would be ludicrous to hire anyone else outside of her department.”

Alumnus James Carter (Brown ’17), another member of the Student of Color Collective, said the center would be reduced to a lounge without the guidance of a staff member.

President of the South Asian Society Rohan Palanki said a staff member at the center would allow for institutional knowledge to be retained as students graduate and allow opportunities for activities involving multiple multicultural groups.

Last semester, the SAS used the center for several events including a sari-tying workshop. But Palanki said temporary space in the basement of the RMC is difficult to find and he was not aware of its temporary staff member, Larry Garvey from the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Garvey is stationed in the center to be helpful to students, Smith said.

“I’d like to see the multicultural center utilized for more than just its space, but rather its potential to connect cultural organizations,” Palanki, a Jones College

junior, said. “I think a staffer could serve a pivotal role in acting as a liaison in this space.”

However, Smith said including offices for staffing risked less space for other activities.

“If we responded to the request for offices for the new space for example, the whole space would be offices and we didn’t want to do that,” Smith said. “We wanted to keep it flexible for now.”

Miranda said administrators are taking student opinions seriously, as this is the first time students — Onwenu and Gibson — have been part of a steering committee.

“I think about the letter as yet another source of input to help us in this whole process,” Miranda said. “We’re always delighted when students and alums stay engaged and

MULTICULTURAL CONT. ON PAGE 4

sirui zhou/thresher

The temporary multicultural center, housed in the basement of the Rice Memorial Center, opened to student organizations on Feb. 1 and is overseen by Associate Provost Roland Smith.

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NEWS

MATLAB made free SHAMI MOSELY THRESHER STAFF / SMM25@RICE.EDU

Over the summer, the MATLAB computer program was made free for Rice students, faculty, and staff to download on their personal computers, according to Diane Butler, Office of Information Technology associate vice president.

“MATLAB is one of the most used software packages on campus so we are excited that we can provide it to students at no cost to them,” Butler said.

Previously, OIT had purchased a network license for MATLAB that allowed students to use the program for free on a connected campus computer. MATLAB joins a number of software programs that Rice provides free or at reduced cost throught OIT. “As more and more students came to campus with a laptop, we became aware that students were spending their own money to download a copy of MATLAB to use on their laptop as it was more convenient than going to a computer lab on campus,” Butler said.

Following discussions with the administration, OIT purchased a new license that permits free MATLAB download.

Jones College freshman Adam Subel, who is currently enrolled in the Introduction to Engineering Computation (CAAM 210) course, said he appreciated the free MATLAB license.

“Since, unlike a textbook, there aren’t alternate methods of getting MATLAB cheap, I’m quite happy it’s free,” Subel said.

“I’d also have been happy if they offered it at a price closer to that of a textbook.”

Jones senior Matt O’Gorman also said he was happy to hear of the change.

“I’m glad they’re making more of an

effort for low-income accessibility,” he said.

Sid Richardson College senior Luis Zelaya purchased MATLAB before the announcement was made.

“I bought it last semester, and it cost me around $70,” Zelaya said. “Not everyone who goes to Rice has the means to pay for such a program. I have a job so it wasn’t too bad for me but other people have other obligations that don’t allow them to accrue a usable income.”

Zelaya said other programs that should have been made free before MATLAB, such as MasteringPhysics and Sapling Learning.

“More students use those than use MATLAB,” Zelaya said. “I think these are still required for introductory physics and organic chemistry and a large swath of Rice students are enrolled in those courses some of whom may have difficulty covering the financial cost of those materials alongside textbooks.”

Will Rice College sophomore Orlando Cervantes also said he believes another program, MasteringChemistry, should be made free.

“Maybe MasteringChemistry from Pearson could also be made free for Rice students,” Cervantes said. “The textbook itself is already expensive enough so it seems silly that one would then have to pay to even have access to their homework.

The same idea applies to other classes that have students pay for homework access like PHYS 125, MATH 102, etc.”

According to Butler, other programs free for students to download on their personal computers are Mathematica, LabView and Solidworks.

“We monitor the usage of software on campus to determine if the cost of a site license makes fiscal sense as it did for MATLAB,” Butler said. “At this time, we feel we have the software licensed correctly.”

anthea lyu/thresher

Rice students now have access to free MATLAB subscriptions on their personal computers instead of just on campus computers due to the increasing popularity of laptop usage.

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MULTICULTURAL FROM PAGE 3 continue to contribute to the university. It was another good source of input.”

THE PROCESS Robinson said she submitted the proposal for the Multicultural Center to Miranda in February 2016 with the goal of increasing visibility for students of color.

Rice’s residential college system decreases visibility by splitting students of color into even smaller groups, she said.

Miranda said she and other administrators including Leebron then identified space for the center in the basement of the RMC. However, university architect David Rodd pitched the idea of constructing a permanent center adjacent to the RMC offices.

Taylor said he and Miranda chose architecture firm Miro Rivera in October. Between November 2016 and January 2017, Miranda and Leebron appointed members to a steering committee to provide input on the pre-design and design phases of the center.

The committee, chaired by Vice President of Administration Kevin Kirby, includes Clack, Associate Provost Roland Smith, undergraduate representatives Onwenu and Taara Clarke and graduate representatives.

Miranda said she recommended Smith, who also serves as director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, to oversee programming at the center, which began operating at its temporary location in February.

Then came the predesign phase lasting until May. During predesign, an architect held two focus group meetings with student leaders including heads of multicultural clubs. The focus group members recommended by Taylor helped the architect determine the types of spaces that should fill the 3,500-square-foot center, Miranda said.

Robinson said she attended a focus group meeting in February as a concerned alumna. At the meeting she said attendees stressed the importance of office space and staffing in the center.

“It was promised in that meeting that they would try to stick to our vision but as we know now that’s not what’s happening,” Robinson said.

Currently, Miranda said she is working with the vice president for development and alumni relations to fundraise with the center projected to cost at least $2 million.

“Students brought us a creative idea, we came up with a first solution that was good and now we have a second solution that’s great, and we’re really excited about it,” she said.

THE FUTURE Onwenu said he was pleased by the administration’s response and receptiveness to student opinion. “[President Leebron and Provost Miranda] understand this Multicultural Center will be an important part of the Rice community and seemed very genuine about their desire to make the center the best it can be,” Onwenu said.

But Robinson said she was disappointed by the response she received. “[Leebron and Miranda] didn’t even say that they would like to meet with us. It was

kind of just like, this is our answer, it’s over.

You know — done,” Robinson said.

Smith said he is looking at multicultural center models at other universities but also searching for ways to be innovative given Rice’s diverse undergraduate population.

“Some of the things at [other] campuses, we don’t necessarily have some of those things happening at Rice,” Smith said. “I’m being specifically vague because I don’t want to indict any other institutions. We’re operating at a position of relative strength when it compares to other institutions. And so that’s why I don’t want us to default back to models that are already out there.”

I’m never going to call this place a multicultural center ... because I don’t believe that that’s what it is.

Blaque Robinson Multicultural Center Proposer Smith said he sent emails to other universities asking what they would do differently at their multicultural centers, but he said there were not many takeaways as those schools are different from Rice.

However, Robinson said the argument that Rice’s unique culture may not necessitate a staff member at the center is damaging to the experience of students of color at the university.

“Let’s look at our peer institutions and then look at ourselves and say, ‘What’s going on here?’” Robinson said. “Every single year, students of color are complaining about their experiences — why don’t we do something to change that?”

Programming for the center has not yet been determined, Smith said, but he is currently working with an advisory committee to brainstorm for the semester.

He said delays in determining programming were caused by students being away for the summer and his own office’s obligations separate from the center.

“We’re moving slowly because we didn’t want to just jump out there and then create a lot of expectations,” Smith said. “We’re trying to move it more intentionally and deliberately.”

Danna Ghafir, a signatory of Onwenu’s letter and president of the Middle Eastern Student Association, said she understood the administration’s decision to delay the staffing decision.

“It may be helpful to see how students use the multicultural center first, and then fill in the gaps as we go,” Ghafir, a Martel College senior, said.

But Robinson said uncertainty in staffing is a symptom of Rice’s resistance to change.

“We only want to move in the way we’re comfortable,” Robinson said. “Let’s build a new multicultural center? That’s not comfortable. Let’s build a new opera center?

Let’s build a new athletic center? That’s comfortable.”

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THE RICE THRESHER

NEWS

5

Rice applies for bike-friendly status

jasmine zhou/thresher

Rice University may be designated a ‘Bicycle Friendly University’ by The League of American Bicyclists after nearly doubling its number of bike racks since 2014. However, challenges to bikers remain as bikers must share paths with walkers because of the one-way inner loop.

JAECEY PARHAM THRESHER STAFF / JLP9@RICE.EDU

Rice University’s Transportation Demand Management department submitted an application on Aug. 6 for Rice’s designation as a “Bicycle Friendly University,” following a years-long effort to improve biking at Rice.

The League of American Bicyclists will announce new designations this fall. The organization created the Bike Friendly University program to support schools that wish to become better cycling environments.

Rice could be the first university in Houston to become a Bike Friendly University, joining fellow Texas universities such as Texas A&M University, the University

of Texas, Austin and Texas Tech University.

The League of American Bicyclists classifies Bike Friendly Universities based on four levels: bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

The criteria is based on engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation of universities’ bicycling culture, according to the League’s website.

Madeleine Pelzel, the 2016 Rice Bikes general manager, said becoming a BikeFriendly University would be an important step forward for transportation accessibility and sustainability.

“Rice is making a statement about the type of university that it aspires to be both now and in the future,” Pelzel, a Lovett College senior, said. “I’m excited about the potential this holds.”

According to Lisa Lin, Rice’s transportation demand manager, the application required a number of campus statistics. One find from the department’s research showed Rice’s campus holds over 3,000 bike racks, or almost a bike rack per undergraduate, while Texas State University has about 2,000 bike racks, or 1 per 18 undergraduates.

Zach Verne, a student intern for the transportation demand management program, said that Rice has nearly doubled the number of campus bike racks since 2014.

“I think the huge increase in the number of bike racks on campus over the past three years is indicative of a trend in the Rice population towards more sustainable forms of transportation,” Verne, a McMurtry College sophomore, said.

However, according to Verne, Rice still needs to improve its road and pathway infrastructure to improve campus biking.

“Bicyclists are often forced to take shareduse paths when riding on the opposite direction of the one-way inner loop [and] often times there is not enough room for both groups to use them effectively,” Verne said.

Verne said Rice’s biking culture is making progress, citing organizations such as Rice Bikes. Lydia Dick, Rice Bikes’ general manager, said the student-run business is concerned with making biking accessible.

“Our shop’s mission has always been to encourage more students to take up cycling as well as to make bike services easier, cheaper and more accessible to students,” Dick, a Martel College senior, said. “We hope this new initiative will encourage more students, faculty and staff to take up biking as a healthier, greener alternative to driving.”

According to Verne, because Rice has bike racks at every major building on campus, more community members could be encouraged to take up biking.

“This is an especially good trend because it could potentially snowball with more bikers leading to better biking infrastructure which leads to more people biking,” Verne said. “If this trend continues, in a few years Rice could become as bicycle friendly as Bike Friendly University superstars like Stanford, Colorado State and [the University of California at] Davis.”

One of the biggest disadvantages Rice must overcome to improve biking culture on campus is the state of bicycling in Houston, Verne said. In March, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and HPD Chief Art Acevedo introduced a campaign to improve cyclists’ safety in the city.

“Houston is at times a difficult city to bike in and its bicycling infrastructure has not caught up to the likes of Portland, Seattle or New York,” Verne said. “Dispelling the myth that it is difficult to bike in Houston is a hard task, but an important one that is taken on by local bicycling groups such as Bike Houston.”

According to Lin, the transportation management department hopes for at least a bronze level distinction, but a higher designation would be exciting.

“I believe we can get to gold, maybe even platinum, but it’ll take time to put certain practices into place on campus while working with the City of Houston to ensure that our streets are bike-friendly also. The city’s goal is to achieve a gold level bike-friendly city by 2027. If they’re able to achieve that, it’ll make it easier for us to get to gold.”

According to Lin, the most valuable aspect of the application process was to compile the work Rice has done for its bicycling culture into one document. She said the document serves as a starting point for continuous improvement for the future. “[This] designation [would be] the icing on the cake,” she said.

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THE RICE THRESHER

NEWS

RICE RISING

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017 YIELD FROM PAGE 1

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college coordinator Jackie Carrizales. At the start of last year, McMurtry had six to seven students on their waitlist, but they had already made room arrangements, resulting in empty rooms at the college.

One unexpectedly large yield was outof-state students, increasing percent since last year, from 27 percent to 30 percent, according to Director of Admission Dan Warner. Hutchinson said this shift could be a sign of Rice’s increasing competitiveness with the country’s most prestigious universities.

“One of the things we can say here is the reason our number went up is because students who could have gone to Stanford or Princeton or Harvard or Yale chose to come to Rice,” Hutchinson said. “That’s a good thing, even if it creates an imposition in housing.”

The larger freshman class will cause increased competition for on campus next year though some competition may be relieved by admitting a smaller class of 2022, according to Hutchinson. However, he said it is almost impossible to avoid overadmitting from time to time.

in enrollment

The increase in enrolled freshmen has driven overall enrollment numbers in the past 10 years, placing increasing pressure on bed availability.

1000

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100 800

80

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40

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600

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David McDonald H&D Senior Business Director “To my knowledge there is basically no way to fix it, because statistics of relatively small numbers are going to have some error bars resulting in some fluctuations,” Hutchinson said.

The last several times Rice’s yield rate was larger than anticipated, the Office of Admission reduced acceptances for the next years’ classes, according to Hutchinson. When the yield for new freshmen hit a high of 38.5 percent in fall 2011, offers dropped by 72 for the next year.

Hutchinson said the Office of Admission will determine the offer number for next year in the next few months.

Hutchinson said the increased yield could have an impact extending beyond just next year.

“If we can project that this is actually a change in what we expect to be our longterm yield, then that will go into the model used by enrollment to decide how many people to admit,” Hutchinson said.

The number of beds on campus could increase with the building of a new Sid Richardson College facility, McDonald said. Sid, currently the smallest college with 220 beds, may be increased to 280 or 290 beds. McDonald said 290 beds is ideal as Lovett College runs efficiently at that size, but further studies into bed numbers would be conducted.

Currently, the ratio of students to beds is about 75 percent, Hutchinson said.

In his Vision for the Second Century, President Leebron wrote that even as Rice’s undergraduate population expands, the university’s goal will be to house 80 percent of students on campus.

“We must take great care to ensure the vitality of the college system,” Leebron said.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

THE RICE THRESHER

NEWS

7

OPINION

8 EDITORIAL

FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK

Future issues loom with overcrowding Housing and Dining succeeded in handling overcrowding gracefully this year: Though there was a bit of a scramble, all designated on-campus students were put in rooms, and H&D did not lose any money.

However, the idea of simply increasing the size of colleges is flawed, and may compromise the deeply rooted traditions of Rice’s residential college culture. If a pattern of overcrowding or housing expansion continues, the college system we hold so dear will increasingly feel the repercussions of a student body it cannot sustain; logistically, it’s difficult to have a cohesive college culture when a college’s population grows beyond a certain point.

We understand it is near impossible to predict exactly how many students will actually enroll at Rice. However, the Office of Admission should take all necessary precautions next year to ensure that Rice maintains the benefits of having a manageably sized residential college community, while admitting as talented and diverse a class possible.

At the very least, we didn’t end up like UC Irvine.

102 years of reinvention

Right now, this letter is competing for your attention with an editorial cartoon, a much more inspiring letter from President Leebron, and your syllabus week hangover.

However, we will soon be competing for your readership against schoolwork, your friends and your overcommitted schedule. This isn’t a challenge we take lightly: At both a national and a community level, journalism is necessary more than ever.

We’ve come to the role of editor-inchief through different paths — Drew as a news writer and editor, Juan as the paper’s business manager and a sports writer — but we share a common goal. From documenting day-to-day student life to investigating the most serious issues on our campus, we seek to provide an unbiased lens into the Rice community.

While continuing our tradition of relevant, timely journalism, we’re working on expanding the breadth and depth of the Thresher’s coverage. To this end, we’re launching a Spotlight section of the paper which will focus on individuals, organizations and events on campus that might not be covered by our traditional news, sports, and arts and entertainment articles. We’re also adding video and online features that supplement our print stories and bring news of campus happenings to you in more ways.

The Thresher is run by Rice students

and published for Rice students, and we want our organization to reflect that in its accessibility. The Thresher’s mission is not just to provide news to the student body. We also aim to provide a working place for those students who are interested in journalism — particularly since Rice still does not offer journalism classes in a time in which it is vital to cultivate the next generation of journalists. If you’re interested in journalism or media, whether as a hobby, career or simply a means of being involved in your community, sign up to join us. Believe us, we’re not professionally trained journalists, so no matter what your level of experience we could use your help in writing the first rough draft of Rice’s history.

The last part of the Thresher’s mission is to serve as a community forum, as a place for your voice. So that’s our request to you: Get involved. Speak up and send us your opinion pieces. If you like (or don’t like) something we’ve published, write a letter to the editor — or just come talk to us!

JUAN SALDAÑA & DREW KELLER

ASK THE STAFF What are you looking forward to this year?

“Existential dread.”

– Jasmine Lin, Managing Editor

“Expanding my wardrobe of shortsleeved button-downs.”

– Drew Keller, Editor-in-Chief

“Beer Bike, because I didn’t go last year.”

– Sarah Smati, Copy Editor

“My roommate getting her shit together.”

– Clara Tian, Video Editor

“Not being sexiled because I have a single.”

– Catherine Soltero, Copy Editor

Thresher Editors-in-Chief Will Rice College Senior & Brown College Senior thresher@rice.edu

“Not having to talk to freshmen because I’m graduating.”

– Julianne Wey, Ops Editor

“Not having to look at Handshake anymore.”

– Lenna Mendoza, A&E Editor

EDITORIAL CARTOON

“To finally use Handshake and experience its wonderful UI.” – Christina Tan, Art Director

“Getting this paper published and out of my hair.”

– Anna Ta, Assistant News Editor

“The existential crisis of figuring life after college only for reality to barrel into me, wholly unprepared, at the speed of a full-throttle freight train.”

– Isaac Schultz, Backpage Editor

“More accurate football predictions.”

– Katrina Cherk, Sports Designer

“Getting a new sports designer.”

– Andrew Grottkau, Sports Editor

“Late nights at the Thresher office.”

– Emily Abdow, News Editor

“A sixth sweep.”

– Juan Saldaña, Editor-in-Chief

CARTOON BY JUAN SALDAÑA AND CHRISTINA TAN

“I knew we shouldn’t have overcrowded.”

STAFF Drew Keller & Juan Saldaña* Editors in Chief Jasmine Lin* Managing Editor Shannon Klein Business Manager

news Emily Abdow* Editor Anna Ta Editor opinions Julianne Wey* Editor spotlight Elizabeth Rasich Editor

arts & entertainment Lenna Mendoza* Editor Naomi Pringle Asst. Editor sports Andrew Grottkau* Editor backpage Riley Robertson Editor Isaac Schultz Editor design Christina Tan Art Director Sydney Garrett News Designer Katrina Cherk Sports Designer Ellie Mix A&E Designer photo Sirui Zhou Editor Charlene Pan Asst. Editor copy Sarah Smati Editor Catherine Soltero Editor

business operations Tom Wang Advertising Manager Sara Lopez Marketing Manager Grace Earick Distribution Manager online Charlie Paul Web Editor Alice Liu Digital Content Editor video Clara Tian Editor *Editorial Board member

“To hear back from Heelys about the Campus Rep position I applied for over the summer.”

– Joey McGlone, Backpage Editor

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

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

content and length and to place letters on its website.

Editorial and business offices are located on the second floor of the Ley Student Center: 6100 Main St., MS-524 Houston, TX 77005-1892 Phone (713) 348-4801 Email: thresher@rice.edu Website: www.ricethresher.org The Thresher is a member of the ACP, TIPA, CMA, and CMBAM © Copyright 2017

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

THE RICE THRESHER

OPINION

9

OP-ED

Committee needed for responsible investment This May, 62 percent of ExxonMobil shareholders voted in favor of the company reporting the impacts of climate change on its business. In 2016, shareholders of Fluor, a major global engineering firm with over $19 billion in annual revenue, voted to require the company to formally report all of its political contributions. Yet, due to the $5 billion Rice University endowment’s sole focus on investment-picking, had it been an investor in either of these companies, it would have abstained from these votes, a de facto vote against these proxy resolutions for positive social change.

This is a problem. To be clear, the hard-working people who manage Rice’s endowment are not at fault. As the Thresher has previously reported, the endowment provides half the university’s annual operating budget, so ensuring the endowment makes enough money to keep Rice running is — and should be — its only priority. Instead, Rice desperately needs a separate committee of representative individuals who can recommend votes on the important moral and social issues that arise at companies Rice invests in.

I have been working on creating such a committee at Rice since the spring of 2016. There has been significant progress, including a show of support from President David Leebron, contingent on Student Association and Faculty Senate support. While I expect most of the Rice community will have no qualms about this idea, I do understand that the past year has been filled with vigorous debate about whether Rice should play any role in social and political issues. I also understand the potential concern that such a committee could never represent the diversity of social and moral views on this campus, and that it could even further marginalize the conservative voices that do exist at Rice. I hope I can allay these fears and convince you that a Responsible Investment Committee is necessary.

So why ought Rice become involved in the affairs of private corporations in the first place? One of the basic tenants of human morality is that if we see harm occurring (example: a potential robbery) and we have the ability to stop that harm (call the police), then we should take action and attempt to stop the harm.

This is what Yale University calls their “Basic Policy.” As a stockholder in a corporation, if Rice has the ability to use its proxy votes to prevent harm caused by that corporation, then it has a moral obligation to cast those votes. Such a policy would be the backbone of the RIC. What is key about this policy that would address the potential concerns previously mentioned, is it also imposes limitations on the RIC. The policy is narrow by nature — any resolution that goes beyond stemming social harm and into abstract political statements would be in violation. The RIC would not be a political forum; it would instead focus on pushing companies toward taking action that would enable real social change.

Take the Exxon climate resolution, for example. The RIC would analyze available evidence and determine whether actions taken by Exxon (the production of greenhouse gas emitting hydrocarbons) have or have not caused harm. It would then conclude on a proposed solution — Exxon reporting the effects of policies limiting climate change to 2C on its business — that

might solve that harm and then vote accordingly. Of course, these are still subjective decisions, but the Basic Policy will provide a strong framework that helps the RIC make more objective and less political decisions.

On Monday, the SA presented a resolution regarding the creation of the Responsible Investment Committee.

While the creation of a committee dealing with financial proxy resolutions may seem boring and bureaucratic, Rice’s endowment is likely the strongest short-term form of influence at this university (money talks, people listen).

I hope that you will reach out to your college presidents and senators and show support for this resolution that will help contribute to the bettering of our community and our world.

TAYLOR MORIN

Brown College Junior ctm3@rice.edu

Charlottesville, empathy and speaking out This year we are reminded once more that we don’t live in a bubble here at Rice, and that external events — good and bad — have an impact on our community.

On Monday morning, I sent a letter to the campus community conveying some thoughts on the outrageous and tragic events in Charlottesville. I placed it in the context of our own values, and the importance of both our commitment to those values, and for taking responsibility for living those values.

With an increasing number of disturbing events in our country and around the world, I confess it’s not always easy to decide when to speak out, and exactly how to phrase my reaction or objection.

Sometimes I speak (or tweet) simply as an individual, but often I am called upon to speak as the president of Rice. In that capacity, I must be cognizant of both the wide range of views in our community, but also that we as a university must stand for certain values and be willing to speak out about them.

Today I want to make three points in this context: the importance of empathy, the ability of all of us to speak, and the difficulty of issues we will confront.

The definition of empathy is “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” Although my letter to the community used the word “empathy” just once, the idea was a significant part of its content. Without empathy — without

an ability and willingness to understand how others are perceiving and reacting to events occurring around them — I do not see how we can be a successful community, and in particular achieve the “culture of care” we aspire to have.

I can think of no area in which that is more important than the bigotry which so many members of our community must sadly experience, whether because of their race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity or other attribute. I spoke out in part on Monday to ask that all of us understand the implications of events in Charlottesville not as a deeply disturbing but distant event, but in the ways in which others in our community might experience such an event and feel in a very immediate way threatened, demeaned and hurt.

There is no other side when it comes to opposing a march and movement that traffics in Nazi or KKK symbols.

If we are to convey that empathy, we must speak out. And here I want to say that I am not the only one with a voice to do so. We all have a voice, or a pen, or a keyboard. We may not all need or want to speak out publicly, but it is also

important we communicate privately. It’s rarely sufficient that the president of the university speak out, and sometimes for a variety of reasons it’s not appropriate or perhaps necessary for the president to speak. The responsibility to communicate falls not on only one of us, but on all of us, while acknowledging the responsibility is not the same for all.

Finally, we should not deceive ourselves into thinking the issues we face will all be easy. As we learned so vividly in the aftermath of Charlottesville, there are some issues on which, because of shared fundamental principles and overwhelming agreement, there is in effect no legitimate other side. Our society has, thankfully, come to the view that there is no other side to opposing racial and religious hatred and bigotry. There is no other side when it comes to opposing a march and movement that traffics in Nazi or KKK symbols and slogans, and unreserved condemnation is the right response. We know all know too well that this widely shared view was not always the case, and that it took immense struggle and sacrifice to get to where we are today — which is not at all to say we are where we ultimately want to be.

That said, we will surely encounter disagreement across a wide range of important issues. How should we reconcile the intolerability of hate speech and our commitment to free speech? On a different current issue, what should we

do about monuments and statues that recall oppression? When is it appropriate to remove statues or monuments that may be seen as commemorating slavery or racism? I have my own often strong views on such questions, yet I understand that others might take a different view.

It is through dialogue, argument, learning, understanding, empathy and political action that we must resolve such disagreements. We cannot resolve them by suppressing speech or vilifying those we disagree with.

We are privileged to be part of a community where we have the opportunity not simply to espouse our most important values but to live them. That means we must be willing to say that some things are intolerable, even if we can’t always suppress them. And it also means we must be willing to admit there is room to disagree about many things, and seek ways to expand understanding.

DAVID LEEBRON

President of Rice University president@rice.edu

WELCOME BACK FROM THE SA PRESIDENT Welcome back!

The Student Association is excited to welcome our returning students back to campus, and wishes all of our new students a particularly warm welcome. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the SA, we are the campus-wide student government organization that collaborates with students, administrators and the colleges to represent your interests to the faculty, administration and external organizations. Our mission is to enrich the undergraduate experience by engaging, inspiring and advocating for all Rice undergraduate students.

We have been busy this summer preparing for the semester, and we are so excited to hit the ground running.

This summer, we have worked hard to advocate for students by bringing the New York Times digital subscription

to all undergraduate students. We’ve also succeeded in making the meal plan more accessible to all students by working with Housing and Dining to include Saturday dinners as part of the meal plan (at no additional cost). These are examples of very tangible items that the SA has worked to push this summer.

As we enter this year, from making Rice more accessible for all students, to finding innovative ways to encourage engagement outside of the hedges, we’re looking to make even more improvements. Admittedly, at times the SA has garnered a reputation for being reactionary, exclusive and rigid, but as a team we envision an SA that is forwardthinking, ubiquitous and innovative.

In order to accomplish this we need students participating, speaking out and engaging with members of the Rice community. We will work tirelessly

to make sure the SA is in touch with the wishes of students, present and transparent in all that we do; and in return, I ask that all of you make an effort to have your voices heard. With your help, the possibilities are truly endless.

You can get engaged in a few ways: Apply to be a New Student Representative or committee member: These two programs feed the majority of the internal committees of the Student Association (comprised of the Wellbeing, Environmental, Student Life, Academic, and the Diversity and Inclusion committees). The application will close on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at midnight.

Come to Senate at 9:30 p.m. in Farnsworth Pavilion (located in the RMC) to stay in the loop and engage with all officers of the SA. Talk to your SA senator, college

president or any SA executive team member for specific requests or ideas you have to move Rice forward.

Follow us on social media to stay up to date with everything the SA is doing.

We post regular updates to our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

I encourage you to reach out to me if you are ever looking for a sounding board or if you have questions about getting involved. Let’s get ready for an amazing year!

JUSTIN ONWENU

Student Association President Sid Richardson Senior sapres@rice.edu

10

SPOTLIGHT

infographic by christina tan

‘Stay away from college if you want to go to heaven’ PURITY FROM PAGE 1 At St. Agnes’ brother school, Strake Jesuit, the purity test spread when the school gave every student an iPad. “There was a period of a few weeks where it was super popular and everyone took it to goof off in class, but eventually everyone kinda got over it and moved on to the next internet fad,” Logan Baldridge, a Duncan junior, said.

Like Cook, Baldridge said the attending an all-boys’ school made students more comfortable sharing their scores.

The test also reached Bellaire High School, a Houston public school, according to Andy Zhang, a Jones College senior. He said that the score became part of a student’s social status in high school, but Rice students cared much less about each other’s scores.

“We did take the test early in freshman year and it was a similar feeling as taking it in high school but that feeling quickly dissipated,” Zhang said.

Other institutions of higher learning are also taking the purity test. On the East Coast, one university is at least partially responsible for the purity test’s popularity in Atlanta, Georgia: the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Joshua Santillo, a student in his third year at GT, said several people in his residential hall knew about the test and asked about “RPT scores.” A week into the semester, Santillo said the hall had a designated large classroom-sized whiteboard for students to self-report scores.

The test has also spread south to Florida, reaching Lena Daniels and her friends at the University of Central Florida.

Daniels, a sophomore, decided to write a blog post titled “Shaming the Rice Purity Test” on media website Her Campus after taking the test with a group of friends at UCF. “I just think the general idea that you’re put into these categories is a little bit judgmental,” Daniels said. “It can lead to judgmental things.”

However, Daniels said she would not discourage others from taking the test and continues to do so herself.

“I would say take it if you want to take it because it’s something curious to find out about yourself,” Daniels said. “Every once in awhile I still take it, I’m like, ‘Have things changed?’ Just know that it’s just a test, it’s just a number, it doesn’t define who you are as a person, it’s just a very small factor of life.”

“Shaming the Rice Purity Test” is Daniels’ most popular article, receiving as many as 20,000 views each month.

“I’ve noticed since then other people have started writing about it,” Daniels said. “It has become more of a conversation topic lately.”

A 93-YEAR HISTORY The original 1924 purity test, which was only given to women, featured questions reminiscent of another era. “Have you ever been engaged and broken it?” the test inquires. Two questions have survived the test of time since their inception 93 years ago: “Have you ever cheated?” and “Have you ever been drunk?” 58 of the 119 original respondents said they had cheated. Only four said they had ever been drunk. “[Freshman women] in truth do come to college young and unsophisticated, and they become demoralized year by year,” the article presenting the 1924 test said. “Stay away from college if you want to go to heaven.”

The 10-question test resurfaced 50 years later in a 1974 issue of the Thresher. The editorial staff included a slip for readers to cut out, fill out and mail in, but the results of the survey were never published. A reference to the purity test appeared in a 1980 “misclassifieds,” a precursor to the Thresher Backpage. The misclassified advertised “The First Annual Rice Purity Contest” where each couple competing would receive a copy of the test, initial score of 100 and challenge of having the lowest combined score by sunrise.

In 1988, the Thresher ran a purity test vastly different from the earlier version. The Backpage suggested a new rule for the purity test: “If you don’t understand the question, add two points.” The new version of the test featured 100 questions, each worth one point, as opposed to 10 questions each worth 10 points. In its introduction the test defined the acronym “MOS” as meaning “member of the opposite sex.” The test separated out questions regarding homosexuality, placing them lower on the list of questions. In the purity test, activities considered more licentious are towards the bottom of list.

Alarmingly, the test also included questions about sexual crimes including child molestation and statutory rape.

By 1998, all mentions of molestation and rape had been edited out and the acronym “MOS” was replaced with “MPS” meaning “member of the preferred sex.” Many of the questions in the 1998 version are included

in the current version, including the 69th question (“?”). However, the question “Used alcohol to lower an MPS’s resistance to sexual activity?” remained and several questions regarding homosexuality and members of the same sex were featured in lower questions of the test. The 2008 test also included questions about using alcohol to lower inhibitions of sexual partners and many of its questions are undeniably cruder than the current version.

However, the final question, a position reserved for the most egregious act, stood in stark contrast to the rest of the test: Have you ever neglected to wash your hands after using the restroom?

[The test has] latent, widespread and lasting impacts that can make new students uncomfortable.

Evan Toler Jones O-Week Coordinator In 2011, the Thresher Backpage editors refused to publish the test, citing its divisive nature of separating students based on score.

In 2012, however, the same editors decided to run the test due to what one editor, Anthony Lauriello, wrote was its positive potential of allowing O-Week groups to “transition from the rosy summer camp feel of O-Week to the somewhat irreverent year ahead.” If Lauriello and his fellow editors did not run a new test, he argued, O-Week groups would take older versions containing sexuality bias in its separation of homosexuality as well as nonconsensual sexual activities.

Those backpage editors created the version we know today as the Rice Purity Test, the version that can be taken at www. ricepuritytest.org. The site receives more hits than rice.thresher.org and also makes the Thresher more money than their own website due to the range of test takers it attracts, both in age and location.

O-WEEK The purity test has long been a staple of O-Week, and yet for decades the debate over whether to introduce new freshmen to the questionnaire has waged on.

David Rhodes (Will Rice ’97), now president of CBS news, expressed his opinion in a 1995 issue of the Thresher. He said that too often, advisors treated freshmen like their children, dependent upon the wisdom of upperclassmen for college survival.

Rhodes coined these advisors “The O-Week Gods” and wrote that many disapproved of O-Week groups taking the purity test, which he viewed as “already overrun with political correctness.”

“Could it be that the purity test is a harmless college right-of-passage meant to separate the men from the boys (sorry, the Members of the Preferred Sex from the Less Inhibited Members of the Preferred Sex?),” Rhodes wrote.

Ten years later, Pulitzer prize finalist Evan Mintz (Hanszen ’08) wrote about how in college students are free to work for themselves, “Whether it is through that 4.0 GPA representing how much you’ve learned or that purity score of 4.0 representing how crazily you’ve partied.”

Eric Rechlin (Will Rice ’04), who took the test with his O-Week group in 2000, said one of his advisors read the test out loud while the rest of the group kept track of their scores.

At the end of the test, the group shared their scores with some members volunteering additional details. Rechlin said that taking the test put him outside his comfort zone, but he believes it should remain a part of O-Week.

“In some ways, that’s part of what O-Week is about, and in hindsight I am glad they did it,” Rechlin said. “Introducing students to things that make them feel uncomfortable is absolutely a critical component of a university education to help them grow as a person and prepare them for the real world.”

In a 2005 issue, the Thresher reported on a “tamer O-week” where the Purity Test was banned after a coordinator said the test could constitute sexual harassment. This year, the Jones College O-Week coordinators banned the Purity Test from Jones’ O-Week. O-Week advisors were not permitted to take the purity test with their new students during O-Week.

“The purity test goes against just about every major value we identified for Jones O-Week 2017,” Jones O-Week coordinator Evan Toler said. “Although most people may seem comfortable in the moment while taking the test, there are latent, widespread, and lasting impacts that can make new students uncomfortable and self-conscious about what they have or have not done.”

Toler, a senior, said the test separates winners and losers and gives the appearance that certain activities are normal at Rice, fueling the imposter syndrome felt by Rice students.

“As a senior, the purity test still makes me uncomfortable, and I would never encourage anyone to have to take it and have to experience the same feelings that I felt right after O-Week,” Toler said.

Lovett College coordinator Akin Bruce said that advisors shouldn’t hide the purity test from new students, but rather wait until after the chief justice and Healthy Relationships talks. Meanwhile, Will Rice College advisors mentioned the Purity Test during O-Week in the Healthy Relationships Talk.

Will Rice coordinator Carey Wang said they cautioned new students against viewing the test as a checklist of experiences they should have at Rice.

“We have advisors with a diverse range of “Purity Score[s]” and we want to emphasize that everyone can be successful and involved at Will Rice regardless of what they have done on that list.”

Amelia Calautti, a Will Rice freshman, took the Purity Test with her O-Week group.

She was initially worried that she would be judged for her score being too high or too low, but ultimately enjoyed the experience.

“After sharing our numbers and seeing a whole spectrum of scores, I no longer felt like I should be ashamed and it really was just a good laugh for my group and I,” Calautti said.

“The activity made me realize that no one actually cares about your purity test score and that everyone comes into college with different experiences.”

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

THE RICE THRESHER

SPOTLIGHT

11

IN FOCUS

Brown senior co-founds Asian studies research journal ELIZABETH RASICH SPOTLIGHT EDITOR / EAR4@RICE.EDU

In Focus is a series of in-depth profiles of Rice students, faculty and staff showcasing unique experiences on campus.

Jackson Neagli is a big presence. He stands a head taller than everyone in the room. His smile is a broad grin on the edge of laughter. He tends to push back his mane of shoulder length hair from his forehead and hold it there in a makeshift ponytail with one hand as he gestures with the other. And he’s a very busy man.

Neagli got his summer public policy and legal internships — all three of them — out of the way last spring. His interest in Chinese law and politics had him continuing research for Baker Institute Fellow Stephen Lewis, and writing case studies for a George Washington University professor he interned with in summer 2016. He also tied his long hair back in a conservative man-bun for an internship with Chief Judge Lee H. Rosenthal.

To manage his extracurricular obligations, Neagli became a part-time student, taking only two classes, and split the rest of his time between captaining Rice’s club lacrosse team and developing the inaugural edition of the Rice Asian Studies Review as its editor-in-chief.

Neagli suggested to fellow RASR cofounders, Justin Park (McMurtry ’17) and Aidan McBride (Lovett ’17) that an undergraduate journal for Asian Studies should be the first major project of the Rice Asian Studies Organization, of which they were all members. Neagli is currently president of the organization.

“I had a hunch that because of the research and writing-intensive nature of the Rice Asian studies curriculum, there was probably a pretty substantial repository of high-quality Asian studies research just ‘gathering dust’ on Rice students’ hard drives,” Neagli said.

Ultimately they were right. For a first-time publication, RASR received a flood of submissions: 17, out of which the editorial board chose six to publish.

The authors of the selected research hail from all academic disciplines, including anthropology, mathematical economic analysis and biochemistry. This, Neagli says, was the intent.

“Basically, we want to foster a diverse approach to Asian studies, where the meaning of ‘diversity’ is twofold: not only diversity of content (e.g., different geographical regions, phenomena, people, ethnic groups, etc.) but also in terms of approach (i.e., academic discipline),” he said.

The next step for the journal is a flurry of advertising throughout the fall semester and streamlining the editorial process.

Park attributed most of the frustration of creating the first issue to authors’ busy schedules.

“While we had hoped to maintain a consistent communication with our authors to successfully work toward improving their submissions before publication, we found that to be more difficult than we expected since so many of our Rice students have enough things going on in their semester,” Park said.

The editorial team was worried they wouldn’t find students or faculty willing to support the new publication but were pleasantly surprised by the response the

journal received and the help offered by the Chao Center for Asian studies, which just recently published its first edition of its journal “Transnational Asia.”

When Neagli first mentioned creating the journal, Lewis warned him about the amount of time and effort it would entail.

“Few intellectuals have the patience and intelligence to create an academic journal — I certainly do not — but Jackson is just the type to take it on,” Lewis said.

“I imagine this will be a lifelong interest of his, and can picture him becoming the

NEAGLI CONT. ON PAGE 14

courtesy steven lewis

Jackson Neagli presents his research at the Baker Institute 2016 Summer in D.C. Policy Seminar. Summer in DC program participants receive a stipend for policy internships and research in Washington, D.C.

12

SPOTLIGHT

1

Abhi Obi-Li – Lovett College

“Sometimes I never know what’s behind me - quite contradictory to how I am over the chessboard.” I put this sentence under the picture I sent. I’m a competitive chess player so this situation would most likely be one of my worst nightmares if it wasn’t a bunny that snuck under my radar.

2

THE RICE THRESHER

RICE BOX 4

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

The incoming class shares the one image that got them into Rice

Remy Slimp – Hanszen College

Mariana Najera – McMurtry College

The summer before my senior year in high school, as part of an independent study in political science, I visited Avdiivka, a Ukrainian town along the front lines in the war between Ukraine’s forces and the Russian-backed separatists to the east. I went there in order to have a better understanding of what the consequences of national leaders’ decisions can look like and what war does to ordinary people caught up in the middle. This image of me standing alongside the Ukrainian volunteers and soldiers represents the memory of this powerful experience seared into my mind.

The day I finished my extended essay for the IB, my bed was a mess. For some reason I can’t concentrate when sitting at a desk as well as I can on my bed when writing for long periods of time, so that’s where I wrote my 4,000 words on ‘Infinite Jest.’ It’s the work I’m proudest of, done in the space where I feel safest, and this picture was my way of remembering those feelings.

3

5

Shelbi Armstrong – Martel College

Allison Yelvington – Baker College

I included a collage I created from magazine clippings. As a transfer student, starting at Rice is really turning a new leaf in my life, so I thought the wording on the collage matched the intention of my application.

I really enjoy photography and it was one of my best-looking pictures, at the time. The picture was also taken in Wicker Park, one of my favorite parts of my hometown (Chicago). It was taken as a friend and I wandered the neighborhood together. It’s an example of how everyday life can be turned into art.

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

SPOTLIGHT

13

Female MOB leadership team takes charge ANNA TA NEWS EDITOR / AXT1@RICE.EDU

Bonnie Miller originally hated the Marching Owl Band’s practice of scattering into formation rather than marching into place. A lover of traditional marching bands, she joined just to borrow an oboe, but today she’s the MOB’s drum major.

When they joined the MOB, Executive Producer Bailey Covell and Drum Minor Emmie Ledesma also broke from the traditional marching style they embraced in high school, but today the three of them form the MOB’s leadership team — the first all-women’s leadership the MOB has had in at least 15 years.

It took some time, but they each grew to love the MOB and its unusual traditions.

The band is as unconventional as one might expect from a marching band that doesn’t march: It is not uncommon to see MOBsters carrying violins onto the field or blowing wholeheartedly into kazoos. Their allwomen leadership is just another example of the MOB welcoming the untraditional.

Covell, a Lovett College sophomore, hopes to inspire other women to apply for executive staff later this year.

“It’s an exciting new thing for the MOB to be led by an all-women executive team, and I’m excited to see where the energy this year takes us,” she said.

Miller, a Jones College junior, said that the MOBStaff is “sort of lacking in the female department”. The MOBStaff are MOB players with responsibilities beyond playing in shows. Miller hopes the new executive team will influence more women to take on roles and future executive

positions. However, she doesn’t think the fact that they are all women will alter the success of the leadership staff drastically.

University Bands Director Chuck Throckmorton also said he thinks it won’t be much of a change since Miller, Ledesma and Covell are in a long line of successful Rice student leaders.

“In some ways, they have already helped me see policies or traditions of the band from their point of view, which is sometimes affirming and sometimes powerfully eye opening,” Throckmorton said. “I think we will watch, learn and enjoy them while they are here. This is a special time.”

Among the MOB’s traditions are their half-time shows that are designed to provoke or poke fun. In the 70s, the MOB goose-stepped to Texas A&M University’s Aggie War Hymn and took a jab at their mascot, Reveille. According to Covell, the crowd got so angry they formed an actual mob outside the stadium and trapped the band inside. Last year, the MOB sparked controversy during the Rice-Baylor football game, forming “IX” and a star in reference to Baylor’s sexual assault scandals and former Baylor President Ken Starr, respectively.

Covell feels having all women on the leadership can allow for more inclusive viewpoints on dealing with sensitive issues.

“It may vary how much depending on what we’re talking about, but in terms of the Baylor controversy and sexual assault, I think it absolutely widens the perspective on the issue,” Covell said.

Covell thinks the MOB’s approach

is moving towards using the show as a platform to call attention to more relevant topics involving the opposing schools.

Everyone is welcome to the show meetings where they draft the scripts, and the executive team usually gets unanimous approval from the MOBsters before putting anything on the field.

Miller said the MOB always asks themselves whether a show will help or hurt people. For the Baylor show, they concluded that the awareness they raised for the issue would ultimately result in more help than harm.

“Let’s be real, it wasn’t a very serious show,” Miller said. “We played songs like

“Muppet Show Theme” and had Fozzy bear on every slide. We were getting a jab at Baylor administration, we were having fun and we were raising awareness. Makes for a good show in our books.”

Ledesma, a Martel College junior, hopes this year’s all-women executive team will put the image of women in leadership into more people’s minds.

“I like to think that men and women can lead in a similar fashion, and it isn’t gender that defines the difference, but character,” Ledesma said. “Perhaps I will notice more as the season goes on, and the MOB will become a little closer to being a place for everybody.”

courtesy christine luk

Left to right: MOB Drum Minor Emmie Ledesma, Executive Producer Bailey Covell and Drum Major Bonnie Miller. The three together form the MOB’s executive leadership team.

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SPOTLIGHT NEAGLI FROM PAGE 11

editor of a law school review, or of an academic journal.”

Submissions to RASR are restricted to Rice undergraduates, but Neagli isn’t against collaboration with other universities.

“In the long term, we hope to partner with other undergraduate Asian studies journals to sponsor conference-style events where students can present on their research,” Neagli said.

Park describes Neagli as “an expert in China, energy and everything in between.” Neagli’s selection for the journal is modestly placed second-tolast and contains 2.5 pages of citations and notes as well as seven graphs. In the article, “A Strategic Sham: Explaining Beijing’s Feigned Interest in Iranian Oil and Gas Resources,” Neagli lays out an argument for the possibility that China’s interest in developing oil and gas extraction projects with Iran is in fact a ruse to lower gas prices.

This semester, his research with Lewis will focus on the relationship between the content and frequency of Chinese subway advertisements to pollution levels in Chinese cities. Lewis and Neagli

THE RICE THRESHER have worked together on a number of projects since October 2015, including an essay about the benefits of cooperating on energy and space policy between the United States, China, and Russia that was recently published in a journal put out by a Chinese government think tank. Lewis describes Neagli as tenacious and curious, and says he is one of the top student researchers he’s worked with in his 20 years at Rice. “[Over the time I’ve known him] he’s learned to temper his curiosity and create a plan whereby he can explore a problem intellectually, but only up to a point, eventually moving on or, as they say, ‘pulling the trigger,’” Lewis said.

The case studies Neagli wrote last semester totalled approximately 45,000 words — nearly the same size as Ray Bradbury’s novel “Fahrenheit 451.”

His research covered Chinese domestic political reform. Neagli studied Chinese policies, sometimes in their original Mandarin, to see how they changed throughout the citizen consultation process. In citizen consultation, drafts of laws are published online and Chinese citizens can comment on them before the laws are revised or passed. It’s

fitting that Neagli’s research is the size of a small novel: his case studies will be incorporated into a book being written by GWU professor Steven Balla.

Neagli’s interest in China is not purely intellectual fascination; he spent four years of his childhood living in Hong Kong, where he attended Hong Kong International School. The geographic centrality of Hong Kong made it a convenient stepping-off point for traveling through Asia. Neagli remembers Cambodia, India, Thailand and Tibet as particularly enjoyable trips.

He also started studying Mandarin, which he points out is ironic given that Hong Kong’s predominant language is Cantonese. When he came back to the United States in 6th grade, he continued the Mandarin courses through high school, and completed 400-level Chinese courses during his sophomore year at Rice.

“It was an incredible opportunity to be exposed to people and places so extremely different from me — both through international school and through travel — at such a young age,” Neagli said.

The experience won’t simply be cocktail chatter. Neagli has already made

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017 Chinese law and politics the focus of his time at Rice, and he plans to make Chinese law his career.

Now he returns from an eight-week stint at Middlebury College, where the only language he could speak was Mandarin. Even after studying Mandarin since second grade, Neagli hesitates to call himself fluent. He aims to eventually master both the language and the culture of China — indeed, he has to, if he wants to make a living there.

“My goal is to become totally fluent, hopefully to the point where I’ll be able to practice law in China in Mandarin,” Neagli said.

After graduation, he hopes to land a paralegal internship in a law firm or local Harris County government office. Law school will hopefully follow — and before that, a Master’s program in China that he thinks might finally tip him over the edge into fluency, both in language and in Chinese culture.

With only one semester left at Rice — he plans to graduate in December — he’ll return to life as a full-time student.

Between coaching lacrosse, acting as editor-in-chief of RASR and continuing his research, he will stay a very busy man.

Beyond the Hedges: Exploring Houston ELIZABETH RASICH SPOTLIGHT EDITOR / EAR4@RICE.EDU

METRO The Museum of Fine Arts Houston is a quick metro rail ride away, and admission into the permanent exhibits is free for Rice students. Special exhibits are often discounted through residential colleges or Rice Program Council.

DRIVE When the familiar bird-poop-stained sidewalks of Rice Village and the sound of the Metro’s “train is arriving” starts to haunt your dreams, it’s time to hit the road. Beg your friends to give you rides, take a ZipCar, or Uber — whatever gets on you on the famously congested streets of Houston. It might take you 45 minutes to go just five miles, but it’s worth it to remind yourself that there actually is a real world that exists outside of the Rice Bubble.

Restock on dorm snacks at the Trader Joe’s on Shepherd St., which is housed inside an old movie theater. Two-step the night away at Wild West, which offers dance lessons on Fridays and Sundays.

Eat half a pound of inventively flavored mac n’ cheese at Jus’ Mac, or, for a classier meal, enjoy a beef-and-brisket hamburger on La Grange’s string-light strewn patio.

The best late-night food can be found at House of Pies (which is always, somehow, crowded at 2:30 A.M.) and Katz’s Deli; they’re both great for blowing off steam after a long night of studying.

DISTANCE FROM RICE It’s a short walk or car ride to some of our favorite places near Rice.

HUNGRY’S — 0.8 TORCHY’S — 1.0 HALF-PRICE BOOKS — 1.3 HERMANN PARK — 1.6 HOUSTON ZOO — 2.2 MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE — 2.1 MFAH — 1.4 MENIL COLLECTION — 1.7 AGORA — 2.0 MERCHANT & MARKET — 2.0 DAK&BOP — 1.9 BODEGAS — 1.5 BREAKFAST KLUB — 3.4 TRADER JOE’S — 2.0 WILD WEST — 6.8 JUS’ MAC — 3.9 LA GRANGE — 2.0 HOUSE OF PIES — 2.4 KATZ’ DELI — 2.7

miles from Rice

WALK, BIKE OR SHUTTLE Although Rice Village is within walking distance, a shuttle runs from 5:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Most of the shopping in Rice Village is out of the typical college student’s budget — think White House Black Market and Ann Taylor — but the Village does have good food.

If you get to dinner at just the right time, you’ll see hundreds of birds coming to roost for the night. When the weather is nice, sit outside of Hungry’s (where Rice students get 10 percent off) under large heat lamps and enjoy a slice of jalapeno sausage pizza.

Local Foods is another classic: Order $4 avocado toast like a true millennial or enjoy a range of sandwiches and sides, including their smoked salmon sandwich and cajun spiced pumpkin seeds. Of course, you can’t go wrong with Torchy’s Tacos and their unique fountain drinks, like prickly pear soda.

For dessert, show your Rice ID at The Chocolate Bar for 15 percent off their ice cream and chocolates. (Personal recommendation: Try a chocolatecovered orange slice.)

For the book lovers among us, HalfPrice Books is perfect for an afternoon of browsing. Prices on used books hover around $7, and make sure to check out their collection of zany McSweeney’s literary magazines that come in all shapes and sizes. When you make the trek back to the shuttle pickup location, pop into Bath and BodyWorks to smell all the candles you’re not allowed to have in your dorm while you wait for the shuttle to arrive.

On the other side of campus is Hermann Park. With its expansive network of trails, the park is the perfect place for picnics, bike rides, and early morning runs. The Miller Outdoor Theater offers free performances within walking distance of campus. It’s also home to the Houston Zoo, which is free for Rice students. Watch the ducks and turtles in the park’s many ponds

Currently on display: pixel forest thing and upcoming The Glamour and Romance of Oscar de la Renta. Down the road from the MFAH is the Menil Collection, which is known for its collection of surrealist art, including works by Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali. Rothko Chapel.

If you need a break from studying in Fondren, take Bus 56 to Montrose for gaybar-turned-coffeeshop Blacksmith or still-a-bar-but-also-a-coffeeshop Agora.

Spend an afternoon of antiques shopping in the neighborhood’s small but quality antiques district. Sights include ceilings strung with chairs, boxes of old family photos, and World War II memorabilia.

Pop into Joybird Furniture to ogle at mid-century modern furniture and Merchant and Market for eclectic decorations for your future apartment.

You may even find a mural wall or two to pose in front of for the perfect Instagram shot.

The metro also provides easy access to classic food spots: Share a pitcher of margs at Bodegas, or for a cheap dinner with a large group, split a few orders of Korean fried chicken at dak&bop. For brunch, try the Breakfast Klub — the line is often out the door, but moves quickly, and the food is exactly the kind of carb-loaded monstrosity you’re craving on a Sunday morning.

infographic by sydney garrett

&

ARTS entertainment

15 ART

‘Soundworm’ dismantled LENNA MENDOZA A&E EDITOR / LMM10@RICE.EDU

COURTESY BILLBOARD & PITCHFORK

MUSIC

Arcade Fire flounders on ‘Everything Now’ NAOMI PRINGLE ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR / NGP2@RICE.EDU

Since their near-perfect first album, “Funeral,” in 2004, Arcade Fire has produced consistently excellent music that tackles the existential pain familiar to us all with skill and energy. Their grand statements have commanded the spotlight with an almost unparalleled sincerity and finesse. On their latest album, “Everything Now,” the group’s seemingly inextinguishable creative spark has dimmed. Their anger is hollow and confusing. It’s highly performative, straying from a previously internal and organic feel.

Rather than speaking for its audience, it speaks pedantically to it, lecturing instead of championing.

“Everything Now” represents a dramatic drop in quality of both content and production. With the collaboration of producer James Murphy, frontman of LCD Soundsystem, their previous album, “Reflektor,” maintained a kinetic groove that propelled the album. “Everything Now” strives for the same but falls painfully flat.

“Chemistry,” perhaps the album’s worst track, features lead vocalist Win Butler performing relentless iterations of the same grating chorus over a plodding tuba.

More disappointing than the production are the lyrics, which struggle to maintain the righteous emotion that invigorated past albums. The themes are too unoriginal and condescending to be anything more than pretentious. Previously, the drama of Arcade Fire’s music has provided emotional catharsis. Authenticity made their music electrifying rather than melodramatic. One

THE WEEKLY SCENE

WORDS & ART: READING Houston-based authors and poets present works inspired by JooYoung Choi’s exhibit “A Better Yesterday,” which will explore healing and trauma. The event is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and is free to enter.

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston 5216 Montrose Blvd.

got the sense the group would perform with the same verve whether or not anyone was listening. They were willing to deliver their best lines just once and trust they would be heard and understood on their merit.

Now, they insist on beating the listener over the head with every half-baked scrap of wit they can cook up. Never before has their message been easier to understand, and never before has Arcade Fire been more bent on driving it home.

Before, Arcade Fire was a beacon for those who felt socially isolated, now it’s Arcade Fire against the world.

They’ve spread such a small amount of inspiration so thin, you don’t have to look further than the track list, which contains not only “Everything Now” but also “Everything Now (continued)” and “Everything_Now (continued),” for evidence. “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, sometimes Sunday/Love is hard, sex is easy,” Butler moans condescendingly from a committed relationship whose security he’s been lucky enough to enjoy since he was a teen. The album features a mix of lackluster social commentary that scolds their audience rather than commiserating with them, and love songs devoid of the urgency and truth that used to come effortlessly. It’s difficult to hear criticism of superficiality coming from a band that spent the weeks leading

up to the release of “Everything Now” glued to Twitter delivering a stream of inscrutable and largely unfunny attempts at promoting the album.

Still, glimmers of the old Arcade Fire provide hope that the band may be able to put this misstep behind them. The track “Everything Now” is a classic Arcade Fire anthem, channeling a Dancing Queenlike spirit to decry the excesses of society.

Additionally, “Creature Comfort,” despite drifting dangerously near the same traps that marred the rest of the album, hits on genuine emotion at times. “Some girls hate themselves/Hide under the covers with sleeping pills and/Some girls cut themselves/Stand in the mirror and wait for the feedback,” sings Butler.

Arcade Fire is at its best when it can channel its anger at a worthy target. When they hit the mark, it’s revolutionary and inspiring, but the lack of direction on “Everything Now” feels like an abandonment of their fans. Their condemnation hits indiscriminately: Before, Arcade Fire was a beacon for those who felt socially isolated, now it’s Arcade Fire against the world. It’s a strange stand at a time when the band has never been more popular, resounding with listeners that feel similarly disenchanted. Personally, I think they had it right with in “Creature Comfort” with “Born in a diamond mine/ It’s all around you but you can’t see it.”

Their sudden misanthropy is deaf to the encouraging fact that their success is a testament to the notion that though we may feel we’re the only one yearning for authenticity in a superficial world, we are not alone.

After almost three years standing between Anderson Hall and Fondren Library, Rice University’s first and only student-created public art installation, “Soundworm,” was removed in early August.

“Soundworm” was conceived of for the Rice School of Architecture’s spring 2014 Charette, a weekend-long team-based design competition. To meet the competition prompt, the creation of an “installation that addresses the possibilities of a relationship between public spaces in the digital and physical realms,” “Soundworm” played live audio from microphones stationed in different public buildings around campus. Following the university’s approval, “Soundworm” was installed the following October.

While after three years “Soundworm” may have felt like a permanent installation, its lifespan nonetheless exceeded original planning.

“The permission was granted for a one year duration that we then succeeded in extending for another year and then one more. ... But it was never intended to be permanent,” Dean of Architecture Sarah Whiting said.

Whiting said part of the reason the installation had to remain temporary was the cost of maintenance.

“Student installations … are not part of Rice’s public art program, which budgets for project maintenance,” Whiting said. “Maintaining it, particularly given its complex sound technology, would be very difficult.”

For this reason, “Soundworm”’s removal did not come as a surprise.

“I had known for more than a year that “Soundworm” would be dismantled. The wires carrying sound to the pipe suffered from flooding and for a long time the installation was silent,” fifth-year architecture student George Hewitt said. Hewitt was a member of the six-person team that originally entered the proposal for the project.

For Hewitt, the installation displays the potential for student-based projects on campus.

“The ‘Soundworm’ represented a strong collaboration between engineering, arts and architecture at Rice. It communicated to many students that a project of this scale is possible even at our age and stage in our careers,” Hewitt said.

COURTESY RICE UNIVERSITY

2017 ROLLING REVUE

Feature-length film “Sacred” examines spirituality around the world, through a variety of cultures and religions. Showing are this Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for students and $9 for regular admission.

FILM & PSCHOANALYSIS: MOONLIGHT If you missed the Academy Awardwinning film “Moonlight” in theaters, you can see it at the Jung Center Thursday at 7 p.m., followed by a discussion.

Admission is free.

Auspicious Phoenix Productions is putting on a screening of five short concept films, featuring subjects from rebirth to Martians to bikers. The event is on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Admission is free to the public.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 1001 Bissonnet St. sacredthemovie.org

Jung Center of Houston 5200 Montrose Blvd. junghouston.org

Rice Media Center Rice Cinema (Room 100)

MFAH FILM: SACRED

16

THE RICE THRESHER

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

WHAT’S HIP RIGHT NOW? TRENDING: Potables

FOOD: Poke

ARELI NAVARRO MAGALLON THRESHER STAFF / AMN9@RICE.EDU

BEAUTY: Glossier

MUSIC:

Trump Impeachment Song

courtesy fox weekly courtesy honestmarijuana.com

In a phrase: Really dank tea. Literally.

Where to find it: For recipes consult your local Google search engine

You’ve heard of edibles (just heard of, of course), but have you tried — ahem, heard of, potables? We’ll assume that as a Rice student you get the pun, but in case you’re still a little hazy, we’ll elaborate. People (again, definitely not any of us) are ditching the trite brownie for a classy and unassuming alternative: tea. A marijuana chai latte is ~reportedly~ a particular favorite.

Though we do not condone its creation, you should add some honey to mask the flavor of sin. ***No one was marijuana-ed in the writing of this article***

courtesy jessicagavin.com

In a phrase: Deconstructed sushi but not Where to find it: Yelp Bacon. Cupcakes. Frozen yogurt. Boba tea. Ramen. Food fads are a fascinating (if not slightly problematic) phenomenon.

The latest trend? Bowls of cubed and seasoned raw fish on a bed of rice, finished off by a variety of topping options.

Surprisingly filling, this Hawaiian dish fulfills the food industry’s current love for simultaneously delicious and healthy food. Check out Houston’s growing poke scene on Saturday evenings at locations like Ono Poke, Seaside Poke and Pokii Eatery. Not a fan of raw fish? First of all, reconsider your tastes. If you still insist on denying yourself a happy life, shrimp is an option for your poke bowl as well.

courtesy racked.com

In a phrase: No-makeup makeup Where to find it: Glossier.com

This makeup company understands that there is a spectrum of makeup wearers and caters to those who have a simple daily routine. Operating under the motto “less is more,” Glossier has surged in popularity since its birth only two years ago, and it’s easy to see why. Its appeal lies in impressive marketing that advocates subtlety and accessibility in makeup. An emphasis on the currently desirable “dewy” look also means that your sweat can become an accessory instead of the enemy. Personal favorites include the coveted “Boy Brow” gel and “Haloscope” highlighter.

In a phrase: Your new jam Where to find it: YouTube This summer has been anything but relaxing, what with the constant whiplash of following America’s latest hit reality show: Keeping Up with Trump. Jokes surrounding his presidency, policies and incompetence have long been thriving in this golden era of internet humor as a coping mechanism, but they seemed to falter after his words following Charlottesville. Twitter was quick to pick up the slack, however. Though the video has existed since February, the “Trump Impeachment Song” has found new popularity as Trump’s impeachment grows more and more plausible everyday.

The song may be only 45 seconds long, but I dare you to listen to it without getting it stuck in your head. Enjoy!

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

17

FILM

Despite failed funding experiment, ‘Logan Lucky’ shines

MICHAEL VERMEULEN THRESHER STAFF / MAV6@RICE.EDU

LOGAN LUCKY Running time: 109 minutes Rating: PG-13 Genre: Crime/Drama

For nearly three decades, Steven Soderbergh has been one of the most prolific filmmakers on the planet. He directed 25 feature films from 1989 to 2013, and has been exceedingly diverse in the genres and styles that he tackles. In 2013, Soderbergh announced his retirement from movie making, speaking in an interview with New York Magazine about “how badly directors are treated” and claiming that he doesn’t “think movies matter as much anymore, culturally.”

However, that didn’t slow him down. In the next few years, Soderbergh directed “Behind the Candelabra,” HBO’s biopic on entertainer Liberace, as well as all 20 episodes of the underwatched but critically acclaimed Cinemax medical drama, “The Knick.”

Now, Soderbergh has returned to the silver screen with “Logan Lucky,” a spin on the fun and well-crafted “Ocean’s” Trilogy. Starring huge names like Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Daniel

Craig, the film follows a pair of down-ontheir-luck brothers (Tatum and Driver) who attempt to rob NASCAR’s Charlotte Motor Speedway with the help of their sister (Riley Keough) and incarcerated explosives expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig).

A number of wild antics involving prison breaks, gummybear bombs and birthday cakes ensue, all of which coalesce into a insanely funny and entertaining yet surprisingly laid-back film.

If audiences don’t support original work by great filmmakers like Soderbergh, they should not complain about the abundance of reboots and remakes being pumped out by Hollywood.

With “Logan Lucky,” Soderbergh eschews the studio system and attempted to avoid his problems with the film industry by producing the movie himself.

The movie cost only 27 million dollars, which according to Soderbergh is about half of the studio production cost.

Production cut costs by spending less on marketing and getting big name actors to work for a smaller salary. With this approach, Soderbergh hopes to more easily make a profit from his work than he

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has in the past. If it succeeds, financially struggling but talented filmmakers like him can follow suit and regain control over their art.

Unfortunately, this method does not seem to be working out financially.

Soderbergh’s own studio-run heist film “Ocean’s Eleven” made $38 million in its opening weekend; “Logan Lucky” only grossed $8 million. While the movie has the star power and overall quality of a hit and could possibly appeal to a large demographic with its Southern flavor, these attributes did not result in the box office success that might be hoped for in order to pave the way for other filmmakers.

“Logan Lucky” isn’t a perfect movie.

Great actors like Hilary Swank and Sebastian Stan are wasted in their roles, its finale is somewhat lackluster and its runtime is a touch too long. Nonetheless, it is absolutely a good time at the cinema and a work that deserves financial success.

If audiences don’t support original work by great filmmakers like Soderbergh, they should not complain about the abundance of reboots and remakes being pumped out by Hollywood. The bottom line is all that matters to the people deciding what movies get made. In order to change that bottom line, audiences should go to films like “Logan Lucky.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

FILM

‘Wind River’ meditates on healing and survival MADDIE FLAVIN THRESHER STAFF / MF37@RICE.EDU

WIND RIVER Running time: 101 minutes Rating: R Genre: Thriller

What makes someone a fighter? In the final chapter of his American West trilogy, writer Taylor Sheridan uses a Native American reservation as the setting for a sinister crime thriller that’s all too aware of how Darwinian life can be, particularly for the marginalized.

As an agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cory Lambert’s job is to protect the prey of the frigid Wyoming landscape.

However, three years ago, he failed to protect his half-Native American teenage daughter from violence. The memories of her unsolved murder bleed anew for Cory when he comes across the frozen body of her best friend Natalie in the woods of the reservation. The FBI dispatches Las Vegasbased agent Jane Banner to investigate.

Jane quickly rules Natalie’s death a homicide. Due to Jane’s lack of knowledge about the region, Cory agrees to help her catch the predator behind Natalie’s death, primarily to ensure that Natalie’s father gets the closure that he never received.

Away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen demonstrate the freedom of what happens when there is no CGI cushion to rely on, just the words on the page.

What makes Renner’s performance as Cory come alive is his being a father in real life. For Cory, his eyes overburdened by an inescapable guilt, every father’s worst nightmare has tragically come true

for him. Though pessimistic in his view of humanity, he’s fiercely protective with a strong sense of justice. If he can right even one little wrong with the world, he might sleep a little easier in the night.

Elizabeth Olsen makes Jane a girl who’s more than capable of standing on her own two feet, but who’s also unafraid to admit when she feels overwhelmed.

Even when Jane is injured in violent situations, she knows how to save herself, which earns Cory’s admiration.

Gil Birmingham, in his few brief scenes, drives home the irreversible effects of Natalie’s death on her father, Martin.

What makes Birmingham’s performance so heartbreaking is Martin’s immediate realization that not even finding out the identity of his daughter’s killer will fix the cracks in his broken heart.

With the trilogy’s previous entries “Sicario” and “Hell or High Water,” Sheridan demonstrates an innate ability to craft heart-racing character-driven

stories about raw survival instincts. As both writer and director of “Wind River,” he takes full advantage of such total creative control to tell the story the way he wants. He keeps the fictional events grounded in a sobering reality that doesn’t dare let the bitter cold remain contained to the celluloid of the screen. What elevates the story beyond genre trappings is its depiction of a side of American life that few of us know about or are willing to acknowledge, that of the truly original Americans — Native Americans. One marvels at their resilience in fighting to keep what little remains for them after everything that’s been taken away, just as Jane weeps at how Natalie ran six miles barefoot in subzero snow.

Just before the end credits, it is revealed that no missing persons database exists in the United States for Native American women. It’s a statistic that’s stomachpunching in its unfairness. It asks if closure is just an illusion.

courtesy robertegert.com

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW p. 19-21

Freshman wide receiver Cameron Montgomery cuts upfield with the ball during a training camp practice earlier this month.

The Owls have since departed for their season-opening game in Sydney, Australia against Stanford University. courtesy erik williams / rice athletics communications

ANDREW GROTTKAU SPORTS EDITOR / ABG4@RICE.EDU

In the northeast, fall begins when the leaves change color. In Florida, it’s when the snowbirds return to their gated communities. In Texas, fall begins when football starts.

This year, fall is coming early. Rice football kicks off the 2017 college football season when it travels to Sydney, Australia to take on No. 14 Stanford University Saturday night. After about 20 hours of travel in compression pants — featuring occasional dynamic stretching — the Owls have arrived down under. The Aug. 26 opening game is the earliest in Rice football’s 106 seasons. Between that and the international trip, head coach David Bailiff said this season’s training camp has been odd.

“It’s the most unique camp I’ve ever had,” Bailiff said. “We started while the guys were still in summer school, so we were practicing really early so we could get them to class. Now we’re leaving in [training] camp to go to a foreign country.”

The structure of training camp has not been the only unusual thing about the Owls’ preseason. Rice overhauled both its offensive and defensive schemes in response to last year’s 3-9 finish.

Offensive coordinator Billy Lynch said he is excited about the ways the team has altered its approach.

“One thing that you’re going to see about our football team is how [offense, defense and special teams] play in sync,” Lynch said. “We’ve talked a lot about how, offensively, we can help the defense and how they can help us and how special teams will win us yards.”

One thing that you’re going to see is how [offense, defense and special teams] play in sync.

Billy Lynch Offensive Coordinator New defensive coordinator Brian Stewart worked to transition to a 3-4 defense this offseason after the Owls allowed 504.5 yards per game last year, which ranked 123rd out of 128 teams in Division I. Senior linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee, who was named the Conference USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, said the transition has not always been easy.

“When you do something for three years like I have as a senior, you get used to it and get set in your ways,” Ellerbee said. “There’s the saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but sometimes you have to learn new tricks.

Coach Stewart has done an amazing job

of breaking [the defense] down for the team so that we can understand it on a different level.”

On offense, Rice replaced starting quarterback Tyler Stehling, who graduated, with redshirt freshman Sam Glaesmann in hopes of sparking an offense that finished 93rd in the country in scoring. Glaesmann is the first redshirt freshman to open the season as the Owls’ starting quarterback since 2010.

Glaesmann won the starting job over sophomores Jackson Tyner and J.T. Granato after a lengthy competition.

Tyner will serve as the backup, but Granato has transferred to Missouri State University. Glaesmann said he is proud to have earned the starting role.

“It’s a huge honor to be able to represent this team as the quarterback,” Glaesmann said. “Ever since spring ball I’ve pictured it, to get to have my first start on ESPN in Australia versus a top25 team. It’s pretty nerve-wracking but it’ll be fun for sure.”

Glaesmann will have the benefit of working behind an experienced offensive line. All five starters are either juniors or seniors and have a combined 92 starts in their careers. Senior center Trey Martin and junior tackle Calvin Anderson were both named to preseason all-conference teams by Athlon Sports. Lynch said the team is planning to run its offense through its experienced front five.

“Everything we do is going to start with who we have [on the offensive line]

and what we can do [on the offensive line],” Lynch said. “The beauty of that is that, not only do we have experience there, but we have depth.

While the team is looking forward to this year, last season’s failures are still on their minds. Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard has made it clear he has high expectations. After two straight seasons without a bowl appearance, it is no secret that Bailiff’s job status could come into question if the Owls stumble again. According to a statement from Bailiff released last November, he is working hard to make sure the team improves.

“No one is more disappointed in the 2016 season’s results than me and I am resolved to do whatever is necessary to have success once again,” Bailiff said. “I am working with Joe on implementing the changes we need to be successful while also preserving the terrific attitude of our players who fought through a difficult season this year.”

Players are optimistic they can improve this year. With a new quarterback, a new defensive coordinator and numerous players returning from injuries, Ellerbee said the Owls believe they will barely resemble last year’s squad.

“Expectations are great,” Ellerbee said. “This is a new season and we have to prove that last season was just last season. It’s a whole new season, a whole different look and a whole different team.”

20

THE RICE THRESHER

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

EDITOR’S PICKS

2017 Rice football predictions Aug. 26 vs. Stanford Rice’s first game of 2017 is the same as its last game of 2016. The only difference: 7,421 miles. Nine months to the day after Stanford crushed the Owls 41-17, the Cardinal will be looking to repeat its dominance in the season opener.

Unfortunately for Stanford University, star running back Christian McCaffrey has moved on to the NFL. Fortunately for Stanford, it should not matter against Rice. The Cardinal are significantly more talented and will present an enormous test in new defensive coordinator Brian Stewart’s first game. Sophomore quarterback Keller Chryst, who threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns in last November’s win, is back. He will be more than enough to carry the Cardinal to victory.

PREDICTION: STANFORD 38, RICE 9

Oct. 21 at UTSA Before last year, the University of Texas at San Antonio had not had much success in C-USA. But last year, newly hired head coach Frank Wilson led the Roadrunners to their first-ever bowl game. UTSA now enters 2017 with lofty expectations. League media picked the team to finish second in the C-USA west division behind only perennial powerhouse Louisiana Tech University.

The main reasons for optimism lie in the experienced roster. The Roadrunners return seven defensive starters from a unit that finished a respectable 63rd in the nation in points allowed last year.

On top of that, the offense returns six starters including senior quarterback Dalton Sturm. A tight 14-13 UTSA win at Rice Stadium last year was one of the low points of the season for the Owls’ offense.

Against a similar defense this year, look for more offensive struggles for Rice.

Sept. 9 at UTEP The University of Texas, El Paso football team followed a similar trajectory to Rice last season. It started 1-5, then finished 3-3 in its last six games. However, nearly all of the UTEP offense focused on running back Aaron Jones, who has since departed for the NFL. Both Rice and UTEP will be trying to find their offensive identities in this game. Rice is building through a new starting quarterback in redshirt freshman Sam Glaesmann, and UTEP building through, well, it’s hard to say right now.

The trip back from Australia will be difficult for the Owls, yes. But against a mediocre team that just lost its best player, Rice will find a way to get in the win column.

PREDICTION: RICE 34, UTEP 23

Oct. 28 vs. LA Tech Owls fans might want to shield their eyes. When the C-USA West favorites roll into Houston, they will be ready to pounce on a team they have beaten by a combined score of 179-66 in their last three matchups. The Louisiana Tech University offense has ranked in the top 20 nationally in points scored each of the past three seasons. Head coach Skip Holtz will not let his offensive juggernaut miss a beat, even with a new starting quarterback this year. Rice’s defense will not be able to contain a team that has averaged just under 60 points per game against the Owls in their last three meetings.

PREDICTION: LA TECH 55, RICE 21

PREDICTION: UTSA 27, RICE 17

Sept. 16 vs. UH The return of the Bayou Bucket is welcome news for Rice and University of Houston fans alike. The event pits the two Division I football schools against each other for the first time since the two were Conference USA rivals in 2013. UH is riding a three game win streak in the head-to-head series; Rice’s last win was a 34-31 victory in 2010.

Unfortunately for the Owls, the Cougars have enjoyed far more success since the teams last met. UH finished 2015 13-1 with a win over Florida State University in the Peach Bowl, and generated early-season buzz in 2016 as a College Football Playoff contender before finishing 9-4. While the Cougars have lost starting quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and head coach Tom Herman from those dominant teams, new blue-chip quarterback Kyle Allen and highly touted head coach Major Applewhite will pick up where Ward and Herman left off. The Cougars will make easy work of the Owls.

PREDICTION: UH 48, RICE 10

Nov. 4 vs. UAB We have no idea what to expect in this game. It’s doubtful anyone from the University of Alabama, Birmingham does either. UAB football is coming back from two seasons of nonexistence. In a controversial decision, the university discontinued its football program after the 2014 season, citing financial troubles (which a CBS report later claimed were bogus). Faced with immense backlash, however, the school soon announced it would return in 2017. Virtually all of the Blazers’ stars transferred, so this year’s team is built almost entirely of transfers and freshmen. It is difficult to predict how they’ll perform on the field. For all we know, the players could blossom and contend for the conference crown. They are just as likely to lose every game by 40 points. I have to make a prediction, though, and I’ll go on the safe side and say UAB will be pretty bad this year.

Rice will get its third win of the season.

PREDICTION: RICE 35, UAB 13

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THE RICE THRESHER

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SPORTS

ANDREW GROTTKAU SPORTS EDITOR / ABG4@RICE.EDU

Last year, the Rice Thresher released its inaugural game-by-game Rice football predictions. Our forecast had the Owls going 6-6 and qualifying for a bowl game despite blowout losses to teams like Baylor University, Western Kentucky University and Stanford University.

At least we got the blowout losses right. The Owls actually went 3-9, failing to qualify for a bowl game for a second straight season. This year, we are looking for improvement — in our predictions at least.

PREDICTED FINAL RECORD: 4-8 Sept. 23 vs. FIU

Oct. 7 vs. Army

Sept. 30 at Pitt

Nearly a month after the season opener, the Owls will finally play its first game at Rice Stadium in late September. This game should be worth the wait. Florida International University has generated headlines this offseason by hiring former University of Miami and Cleveland Browns head coach Butch Davis. As one rival C-USA coach said, however, “The Butch Davis thing sounds good and everybody’s fired up, but it’s still FIU.” Despite the hire, FIU is the same team that whose defense struggled all last season. This game may be Rice’s best chance to get Glaesmann into a rhythm early in the season against a punchless defense, and junior running back Samuel Stewart should excel opposite a run defense that ranked near dead-last in the nation.

For the third time in its first five games, Rice will play a major conference opponent (Note: The American is a major conference compared to C-USA). Again, the result will not be in question. The University of Pittsburgh will beat Rice.

The Panthers lost starting quarterback Nathan Peterman and star running back James Conner, but they replace them with a former five-star recruit in graduate transfer quarterback Max Browne and the former ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year in running back Qadree Ollison. Rice’s defense will have its hands full trying to contain the talented Pitt offense.

PREDICTION: PITT 51, RICE 24

PREDICTION: RICE 35, FIU 27

Rice and Army will face off for the third consecutive year this October. In 2015, the Owls prevailed by scoring the game winning touchdown with under a minute to play. Last year, Army ran away with the win 31-14 behind 348 rushing yards and just six pass plays. The offensive scheme has changed very little. The Black Knights will return starting quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw and each of their top seven running backs, so they will likely run the ball just as often as they have in the past.

The danger for Army is turnovers. The Black Knights have committed more fumbles than almost any other Division I team over the past two years. Unfortunately, fumbles are Rice’s best chance at winning. The Owls have languished against Army’s rushing attack in the past, and short of a huge turnaround by Brian Stewart as defensive coordinator, those struggles will continue. The game will be closer, but Rice will not prevail.

PREDICTION: ARMY 28, RICE 23

Nov. 11 vs. USM

Nov. 25 vs. UNT

Nov. 18 at ODU

Since 1997, Southern Miss has beaten foes like the University of Alabama, Oklahoma State University and the University of Virginia. Yet, it has lost plenty of times to Conference USA opponents. Last year, it beat a bowl team from the Southeastern Conference but lost to the University of North Texas and the University of Charlotte in C-USA play. In other words, USM is unpredictable. Making USM more unpredictable is its newcomers at key positions. Star quarterback Nick Mullens has graduated, and its volatile defense is welcoming two new safeties. The Golden Eagles could soar on the back of strong quarterback play or flail thanks to a porous defense. Against Rice, though, one returner should steal the show: senior running back Ito Smith. Smith rushed for 1,459 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. He will excel against a Rice defense that has struggled mightily against the run the past few years.

Rice has played Old Dominion University just once before, in 2014, when the Monarchs made a statement by beating the defending conference champion Owls in their first-ever game as members of Conference USA. Since then, Rice has gotten worse every year while Old Dominion has gotten better. Last year, the Monarchs qualified for and won their first ever bowl game, finishing 10-3 and 7-1 in C-USA. Unfortunately, at the moment, the Monarchs do not have a clear starting quarterback. Luckily for them, though, they return the majority of their skill position players and defenders.

Two receivers, senior Jonathan Duhart and junior Travis Fulgham, averaged more than 15 yards per catch last season.

Rice will need to contain those receivers in the deep passing game, which has not been easy for the Owls. The Monarchs will make enough big plays against Rice’s secondary to take home the win.

PREDICTION: USM 38, RICE 27

PREDICTION: ODU 34, RICE 28

The last game of the year could be the best game of the year. The University of North Texas is coming off a resurgent season in which it qualified for a bowl game despite finishing just 5-8. In 2017, UNT faces an uphill battle to qualify for a bowl game again. However, if it can muster five wins in its first 11 games, it will be fighting for bowl eligibility in its final contest of the season against Rice. North Texas was among the worst teams in the nation at stopping the run last season, and it does not appear much will change.

Stewart should have a big day, and even the motivation to qualify for a bowl game will not be enough to compensate for a porous run defense.

PREDICTION: RICE 44, UNT 31

design by katrina cherk | photos courtesy erik williams / rice athletics communications

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THE RICE THRESHER

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

Sophomore midfielder Lianne Mananquil fights off a defender during Rice’s 2-1 road loss to the University of Texas, Austin on Friday.

courtesy rice athletics

Soccer rebounds from frustrating opener with 4-0 win ANDREW GROTTKAU SPORTS EDITOR / ABG4@RICE.EDU

On a sweltering Houston day that left even fans in the bleachers soaked in sweat, the Rice soccer team earned its first win of the year with a 4-0 victory over Texas A&M, Corpus Christi. The win followed a 2-1 season-opening loss to the University of Texas, Austin. Head coach Nicky Adams said the team did a great job moving on from a tough loss.

“I’m really pleased with how we rebounded,” Adams said. “I think our girls were devastated after Friday night with all the chances we created and didn’t put them away. To get a 4-0 result, it’s fantastic.”

Four Owls scored their first goals of the season in the victory. Sophomore defender Louise Stephens opened the scoring with her first career goal in the 12th minute.

Junior midfielder Annie Walker’s corner kick found Stephens around the 18-yard box, and she headed the ball past the goalkeeper.

Stephens said she was thrilled to get her first career goal.

“I felt like I needed to step up and make something happen,” Stephens said. “It felt good, really good.”

We did a really great job combining to get forward and create chances for ourselves.

Samantha Chaiken Senior Midfielder In the 33rd minute, senior midfielder Samantha Chaiken doubled the Rice lead. Chaiken headed home a corner from junior midfielder Dominique Mazero. In 65 minutes, Chaiken registered six shots, two on goal. She said her rapport with Mazero

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helped make the goal happen.

“I’ve played with [Mazero] since I was really young,” Chaiken said. “Finishing set pieces coming from her is textbook for us. I just found the ball and put it in the back of the net.”

Rice added a third goal just nine minutes later when sophomore forward Haley Kostyshyn took a pass from senior defender Mallory Radtke and put it home from inside the six-yard box. Kostyshyn’s goal was the final one of the first half. In the second half, freshman midfielder Rebecca Keane broke through for her first career goal to put the finishing touches on the 4-0 win by beating the goalkeeper 1-1-1.

The Owls outshot the Islanders 23-4 over the course of the game. Chaiken said the disparity in shots was due to Rice’s attacking mentality.

“We did a really great job combining to get forward and create chances for ourselves,” Chaiken said. “When you outshoot a team 234, you almost expect it to be more than 4-0.”

The Owls stay home this week and get a chance to face two marquee opponents at Holloway Field. On Friday night, Baylor University comes to Houston and on Sunday night, the University of Houston visits.

Adams said she is excited about the Owls’ next two matchups.

“We have a really tough nonconference schedule this year,” Adams said. “We start with Baylor, who is a top teams in the Big 12. They’re going to be a very physical, direct team so we’re going to stay composed and be able to play Rice soccer. Then we turn around and play a crosstown rival which is always going to be a good match.”

For now, though, the Owls get to celebrate a successful start to the home slate.

According to Chaiken, the win should give Rice momentum for its upcoming games.

“It was very important,” Chaiken said.

“It’s going to set the tone for us moving forward and we’re excited for our following games against Baylor and UH.”

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

Summer recap: Baseball’s turnaround, Filip’s honor ANDREW GROTTKAU SPORTS EDITOR / ABG4@RICE.EDU

BASEBALL COMPLETES MIRACULOUS TURNAROUND With a record of 13-25 about three quarters of the way through the regular season, Rice baseball looked doomed to end its 22-year streak of NCAA tournament appearances. But the Owls rallied to win the Conference USA tournament with wins in 18 of their next 22 games. Rice clinched the tournament championship with a walkoff 5-4 win over the No. 1 seed, the University of Southern Mississippi.

Head coach Wayne Graham compared the victory to winning the 2003 national championship. Unfortunately, the Owls went on to lose in the regional round to eventual national runner-up Louisiana State University. Rice has now won conference championships in 21 of the past 22 years and has appeared in the NCAA tournament every year since 1995.

RICE BASEBALL PLAYERS DRAFTED Three Owls heard their names called in the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft. The New York Yankees selected junior pitcher Glenn Otto in the fifth round, the Detroit Tigers took junior pitcher Dane Myers in the sixth round and the Pittsburgh Pirates took junior infielder Tristan Gray in the 13th round. All three players signed professional contracts and began play in the minor leagues this summer. All three are off to strong starts. Otto has a 1.46 earned run average in 12.1 innings pitched, Myers has a 1.95 earned run average in 27.2 innings pitched and Gray is batting .286 with a .479 slugging percentage in 140 at-bats.

FILIP A FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN Junior Scott Filip finished fifth in the NCAA championships in the men’s decathlon to earn First Team AllAmerican honors. In the 24-athlete field, Filip finished 12th or better in nine of the 10 events. He jumped a personal-best 7.58 meters to finish fifth in the long jump, his top finish of the competition. Only seniors finished above Filip in the final standings WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MAKES RECRUITING SPLASH Head coach Tina Langley built upon her strong track record on the recruiting trail by adding sophomore transfer Nancy Mulkey from the University of Oklahoma.

Mulkey, a 6-foot-9 center, was the nation’s No. 19 ranked recruit in the 2016 class. She will have to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer regulations. As a freshman last year, she averaged 3.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. She finished fifth in the Big 12 in blocks with 62 on the season, second most of any freshman in the country.

TRACK AND FIELD ALUMS COMPETE AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Rice alums Lennie Waite (Brown, ’09) and Ari Ince (Brown, ’11) both competed at the IAAF World Championships in London in early August. Waite, competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for Great Britain, finished 11th in her heat with a time of 9:54.97. Ince competed in the javelin for the United States. She threw 54.52 meters, good for 13th in her group.

Both Waite and Ince work as volunteer coaches under head coach Jim Bevan for Rice track and field.

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THE RICE RICE THRESHER THRESHER THE

BACKPAGE BACKPAGE

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST AUGUST 23, 23, 2017 2017 WEDNESDAY,

the backpage presents

‘A SYLLABUS WEEK TIMELINE’ MONDAY

2017 New Student Purity Test Results* 100

60

TUESDAY

11:35 a.m. Realize you have half an hour left in class; proceed to drop all your T/Th classes.

12:10 p.m. Work up the nerve to eat in a different servery, but upon seeing all the unfamiliar faces, discreetly slip out and return to your college’s servery, explaining to your friends that your class ran late.

4 p.m. Discover the “salsa” LPAP doesn’t actually involve food, so you drop.

40

20

WEDNESDAY 11 a.m. Reintroduce yourself in class.

11:55 a.m. Look at Willy on your way to lunch and ponder whether he has a ... complicated history that could require his removal. (Hint ... He does!)

10:30 p.m. Accidentally keep buying glasses at Pub for Keep the Glass. But, hey, at least now you can stop hoarding servery cups.

12:45 a.m. Break all your glasses in the hallway as you yell, “Mazel Tov,” making a lot of first impressions that will need to be mended tomorrow.

0

used hard drugs 69? used marijuana had sex anal bestiality

80

masturbated watched porn consumed alcohol held hands romantically

11 a.m. Introduce yourself in class.

12:30 p.m. See a cavalry of blacked-out Escalades fly down Rice Boulevard in the direction of a series of bangs north of campus. Not disruptive noises. Bangs. Not to worry – even though that word is only associated with guns and explosions.

1:16 p.m. Come to terms with lifelong blindness, but realize you won’t judge romantic interests on looks anymore – an even more effective solution than “Rice goggles.”

11:30 p.m. Go to Pub on Monday. It’s like a dream but way wetter.

*A curated list of actual data taken from ricepuritytest.com results on Dis-O. In our unsolicited opinion, we believe this to be suggestive of the freshman class.

THURSDAY

10:30 a.m. Wake up in brown. But not the college. Decide you’re definitely not drinking tonight.

12:30 p.m. Enjoy your newly free mornings with a breakfast of lunch.

9:45 p.m. Find out that your super-hot hallmate is going to pub tonight. You’re definitely drinking tonight. They’re so exciting! So adventurous! Everything feels new with them!

1:30 a.m. Accidentally hook up with a minor at pub. And somehow, you’re dating.

1:40 a.m. First college breakup.

FRIDAY

11 a.m. You realize you’ll be Jamie for the rest of the semester because your professor still can’t remember your name.

11:45 p.m. Head to Martel – you never knew sweat like flannel-and-a-10-gallon-hat sweat.

12:30 a.m. Accidentally hook up with a miner. Which, you realize, as far as stereotypes go, is not very Texas-y. But hey, at least this time, they’re down to get dirty.

SATURDAY 10 a.m. Hop on Pornhub to watch some intense gangbang to realize you’re actually watching the Rice football season opener.

10 p.m. Accidentally hook up with a mirror at your college’s private party of the night. Because, damn. They were looking good. And they were giving you the same sexy-time eyes that you were giving them.

SUNDAY

1:45 p.m. Wake up. Rush to make it to brunch. Consider going to a museum, park, coffeeshop, concert, etc. Decide against it and unconsciously resign to the fact that this will be your policy for the rest of your Rice career.

3 p.m. Take the afternoon to consider your life priorities. Start questioning whether you’re following your own path, or merely the path your parents have laid out for you. Will you wake up in 30 years at an unfulfilling job with two shitty kids and a spouse you don’t love? ... Or do you actually want to be a doctor?

The Backpage Backpage is is satire satire and and written written by

by Joey Joey McGlone McGlone and and Isaac Isaac Schultz.

Schultz. For For comments comments or or questions, questions, please please email email thirsty@rice.edu. thirsty@rice.edu.

The

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grammar mastery. mastery. Flexible Flexible schedule. schedule. ConCongrammar tact: wipf@purdue.edu wipf@purdue.edu tact: OLD SCHOOL SCHOOL TUTORING TUTORING is is looking looking to to fill fill popoOLD sitions at at our our after after school school care care and and tutoring tutoring sitions program for for 2017-2018.

2017-2018. Offering Offering $12 $12 hourly hourly program and up, and located across from Rice!

Conand up, and located across from Rice! Contact Daniela Daniela Hernandez Hernandez at at OldSchoolFCC@ OldSchoolFCC@ tact gmail.com or or 713-510-3102 713-510-3102 gmail.com

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING

We accept accept display display and and classified classified adadWe vertisements. The The Thresher Thresher reserves reserves vertisements. the right right to to refuse refuse any any advertising advertising for for the any reason. reason. Additionally, Additionally, the the Thresher Thresher any does not not take take responsibility responsibility for for the the does factual content content of of any any ad. ad. Printing Printing an an factual advertisement does does not not constitute constitute an an advertisement endorsement by by the the Thresher.

Thresher. endorsement Display advertisements advertisements must must be be Display received by by 55 p.m. p.m. on on the the Friday Friday prior prior to to received publication. publication.

First copy copy free, free, second second copy copy $5. $5.

First

PRIVATE ASSISTANT ASSISTANT NEEDED, NEEDED, must must have have PRIVATE good communication communication skills skills with with great great atatgood titude to to work. work. Offer Offer $600 $600 weekly. weekly. Send Send reretitude sume: flora.louis101@gmail.com flora.louis101@gmail.com sume:

Cash, check check or or credit credit card card payment payment Cash, must accompany accompany your your classified classified adadmust vertisement, which which must must be be received received vertisement, by 12 12 p.m. p.m. on on the the Friday Friday prior prior to to by publication. publication.

Tom Wang Wang Tom External Ad Manager Advertising Manager thresher-ads@rice.edu thresher-ads@rice.edu P.O. Box Box 1892 1892 P.O. Houston, TX TX 77005-1892 77005-1892 Houston, (713) 348-4801 348-4801 (713)