VOLUME 102, ISSUE NO. 20 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018
LIVING
OC?
check out our 2018 housing guide for tips and tricks see insert after page 6
HOPES AND DREAMERS
RICE COMMUNITY RALLIES TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH DACA RECIPIENTS sirui zhou / thresher; photo illustration by christina tan
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ELLIOT STAHR THRESHER STAFF / ERS9@RICE.EDU
It is time for us to earn our rights by standing up for what is right as voting, local and active allies. Sonia Torres Hanszen College Junior
Students marched from each of the 11 residential colleges to the Rice Memorial Center on Monday night, joining other Rice community members in showing support for those affected by the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Monday marked the expiration date for new DACA applications, which was set by President Donald Trump in September. Judges in several federal courts have temporarily delayed DACA’s phasing out, ruling that the administration must continue to accept DACA renewals. Both undergraduate and graduate students read stories, poems, statements and more in front of over 200 fellow students and faculty members. Kimberly Olea, incoming vice president of the Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice, spoke about her family’s path to citizenship in 2017, describing herself as “one of the lucky ones.” “As a child, I lived in constant fear of deportation,” Olea, a McMurtry College sophomore, said. “I cried at the idea of having to leave behind the only life I’d ever known. When I was 12, I waited in
line for an interview at the Department of Homeland Security office in San Antonio where I tried desperately to show the officials that I, a 12-year-old, was a good person who decided to live here because this was the place I call home.” HACER member Sonia Torres delivered a speech urging her fellow students to vote and call their representatives. “We did nothing to deserve the privilege of having papers that designate us as Americans,” Torres, a Hanszen College junior, said. “It is time for us to accept the inherent privilege of having an American passport and it is time for us to earn our rights by standing up for what is right as voting, local and active allies.” Several students gave musical performances as well, ranging from Wiess College senior Isabel White’s rendition of “The Impossible Dream” from the musical, “The Man of La Mancha”, to Austin “Kid Fig” Figueroa’s performance of “Desperado,” an original song he said was inspired by his experience with immigration-related struggles growing up in the Rio Grande Valley. “Grandpa worked that nine to five when he was only six. He’s basically the reason
child labor laws exist,” Figueroa rapped to the crowd. Figueroa said he was uncharacteristically nervous before performing because the subject was so personal to him, but seeing the other speakers address their personal connections to immigration issues inspired him to do the same. “I’m from the Rio Grande Valley, I grew up 10 minutes from the border so immigration was an issue that people in my family and my community faced on a daily basis,” Figueroa, a Brown College senior, said. “It’s hard to talk about something that hits close to home. My sister was deported when I was eight years old. It’s difficult growing up in a mixed status family when not all stories have happy endings.” After Trump’s announcement of the DACA phase out in September, Rice President David Leebron issued a response to Trump’s announcement, saying that Rice would continue to extend financial aid and other benefits to DACA students and take whatever action permissible under law to avoid increasing the risk that such students are deported or otherwise have their immigration status challenged.
DACA CONT. ON PAGE 3
IN MEMORIAM
Students remember Blain Padgett, student-athlete JAECEY PARHAM THRESHER STAFF / JLP9@RICE.EDU
courtesy rice athletics
Blain Padgett, a Lovett College junior and defensive lineman on the Rice football team, passed away on March 2 in his apartment. While an official cause of death has yet to be determined, according to a public statement, he is believed to have passed away in his sleep. He was 21 and pursuing a degree in sport management. On Sunday evening, during a candlelight vigil at Lovett, Lovett junior Roe Wilkins spoke about his friendship with Blain. Both
hail from Sour Lake, Texas, and according to Wilkins, the two grew up together. As underclassmen, they were roommates. “T-ball, little league and track, which we both hated. But of course we played football [together]. We did it all together. Blain and I have always been friends and he still will always be my friend,” Wilkins said. Teammate and friend Brady Wright said Padgett was a leader on the football team for the past three years, setting high standards for others to follow. “He was not only a great player, but he was a phenomenal teammate
who constantly supported others and always had his brothers’ backs,” Wright, a Will Rice College senior, said. Former head football coach David Bailiff, who worked with Padgett over the last three seasons, told FOX 26 Sports that Padgett’s passing will be greatly mourned. “It’s news that absolutely hits your heart and brings tears to your eyes,” Bailiff said. “You reflect back on the last conversations you had with him. The big gut hug he gave you when you walked out the door. Shocked, saddened.” In an online obituary, Padgett’s
sister Kenedy wrote that her brother was beloved by all who knew him. “I remember [in high school] him being everyone’s favorite person, and I was so jealous of that,” Padgett said. “Now that I look back at it, it all makes since. He was my favorite person, and he deserved all the praise he received.” Kenedy Padgett also wrote that while Blain was well known for his presence on the football team and many achievements, such as defensive lineman of the year, he will remembered for more than his accomplishments.
PADGETT CONT. ON PAGE 3