The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, March 21, 2018 by The Rice Thresher

VOLUME 102, ISSUE NO. 21 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

COUNTDOWN TO

BEER BIKE

NEWS

New social science building to be built near Tudor A new social science building will be constructed next to Tudor Fieldhouse in what was Recreation Field 6, and Dean of the School of Social Sciences Antonio Merlo said he hopes construction will break ground by the end of this summer. Although Merlo could not confirm the construction period yet, he said an official announcement of the project will likely come from the university at the end of this academic year.

I think it is good to have a quality space that is in line with the quality of our ambition and expectations. Antonio Merlo Dean of Social Sciences

economics professor Vivian Ho said. “The Baker Institute has been growing, and it’s been difficult to find space for new personnel. The new classrooms are sorely needed. It makes me sad seeing my students, many of them six-foot-plus athletes, squeeze themselves into rickety wooden desks for lectures.” “We don’t want to start overcommitting resources from the university,” Merlo said. “We want to use these as opportunities to getting alumni involved.” Merlo said that having a physical presence to call home is important for the School of Social Sciences to keep moving forward. “I think it is good to have a quality space that is in line with the quality of our ambition and expectations,” Merlo said.

floor will draw from core values of the School of Social Sciences by stimulating openness and social interactions, according to Merlo. While the upper floors will contain offices, the ground floor will consist entirely of shared spaces, with plans for undergraduate and graduate student lounges, classrooms and an auditorium/multi-purpose room, according to Merlo. The building will also house an array of institutes and labs, such as the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and the Houston Education Research Consortium, as well as the dean’s office and the two biggest social science departments at Rice, economics and sociology, Merlo said. “Giving social sciences a new home will make everyone better off,”

FUTURE LOCATION OF NEW SOCIAL SCIENCE HALL practice field

Visitor Parking

North Lot

intramural field 4

O’Connor Way

Bike Track

intramural field 3

laboratory/

17 loop road bus stop SS

Rice University Music and Performing Arts Center (Under Construction)

bus stop S

West Lot 4 W

West Lot 5

bus stop C

Central Campus Garage

77 intramural field 6

20 71

track/soccer stadium

Bus On

reckling park SC

Founder’s Court Visitor Lot

LS FC

9 LS

founder’s court

10 9

John and Anne Grove

8 18

28 29

visitor parking (Nights & weekends)

16 55

67 68

69 NC

Res

visitor parking

college way/ loop road

2 1

campanile road

10 57

(faculty, staff, student parking)

(Visitors, facult y , staf f )

(facult y , staf f , studen t Parking)

West Lot 2

West Lot 3

Greenbriar Lot

intramural field 2

O’Connor field

bus stop

G bus stop g

(visitor parking Nights & weekends)

intramural field 5

(faculty, staf f, student, contract parking) GA

d dry

“Other schools have a building they call home, but the School of Social Sciences doesn’t,” Merlo said. “Building a new home for the School of Social Sciences has been an absolute priority since I took over as dean [in 2016].” According to a 2012 Rice News article about plans for the building, the hall will be named after alumnus Robert Klein, who donated $25 million for the hall’s construction. Merlo said the majority of project funding comes from donations by alumni and friends of the university. Merlo said Rogers Partners Architects+Urban Designers, which is lead by a Rice alumnus from the School of Architecture, has been assigned

to direct the project. However, the architectural style and design are still under discussion. “The idea is to simultaneously bring in the elements of the architecture at Rice, while understanding that we are not building a 1940 building, we are looking into the next chapter,” he said. When Facilities Engineering and Planning relocated Field 6 from the east side of Tudor Fieldhouse to the north side of campus to accommodate a new utilities tunnel that would service the Moody Center for the Arts and the planned opera house, Merlo said the former Field 6 location became the optimal place for the new building. Political science professor Leslie Schwindt-Bayer said she believes the new building will bring the different social science departments together. “[This] could allow for more collaboration across units and provide more of a sense of unity among social science students,” Schwindt-Bayer said. However, Schwindt-Bayer said that the building’s distance from the academic quad is a disadvantage to the goal of physically unifying the community. Merlo said the new building, Jones Graduate School of Business and the Baker Institute for Public Policy would create a new policy corridor. “Now, these three buildings would essentially create practice, policy, research all related to this policy vision,” Merlo said. “We are talking about expanding the Rice University campus. I think the vision is also to have a second quad that develops toward the [Bioscience Research Collaborative]. The idea is to build toward the BRC as the future evolution of the Rice campus.” The general layout for the ground

alumni drive

SREE YELURI FOR THE THRESHER / SSY2@RICE.EDU

E3G

Cambridge Office Building and Parking Garage

17 SC

38 SC

Former Recreation Field 6

BRC

Vi Ac

Fondren to continue campuswide New York Times access ELLA FELDMAN THRESHER STAFF / EMF6@RICE.EDU

A campuswide New York Times subscription will be renewed for the 201819 academic year and will be funded by Fondren Library, according to assistant university librarian Kerry Keck. Fondren will also continue to provide complimentary access to the Wall Street Journal. According to Keck, who called herself the “library’s number cruncher for the budget,” the Times subscription costs upwards of $30,000 per year for campuswide access. “When this started last year as a pilot with funding from the Student Association’s budget, I anticipated that [funding] would become a problem on an ongoing basis,” Keck said. The Times subscription, accessed with an oﬃcial Rice University email account, is currently funded by the residential colleges, the Student Association, Rice administration and Fondren, according to former Student Association President Justin Onwenu. The Wall Street Journal subscription is funded entirely by Fondren.

Keck said she has always felt fairly confident that Fondren would be able to fund the subscription for the next academic school year, but she confirmed it in late February. Fondren is also keeping an eye on other newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, according to Keck, which currently only sells subscriptions to individuals. The idea for university access to the New York Times originated in the Student Association under Onwenu, who said the SA wanted to bring news to Rice students in hopes of engaging them beyond the hedges. “There is a lot going on in the world, and it’s really important that we think not only about how to make sure we’re prepared after Rice, but to also make that we’re engaging while we’re at Rice,” Onwenu, a Sid Richardson College senior, said. Fondren became involved with the pilot towards the end of the implementation process, while the SA was still finalizing funding, according to Keck. She said she believes it is the library’s duty to provide students with access to resources about the real world.

“Like any other resource, if anyone is having trouble with it they’re gonna assume the library can help, so we needed to get involved,” Keck said. She also said the Wall Street Journal subscription adds a different viewpoint to the resources Fondren offers. “As a library one of the things we always try to do is provide different perspectives so that there’s a balance of ideas, liberal and conservative, so that’s why we’re doing the Wall Street Journal again,” Keck said. Onwenu initially announced the complimentary Times access in July 2017. Complimentary Wall Street Journal access debuted four months later, in November 2017. This delay was caused by a lack of responsiveness from the Wall Street Journal, according to Keck, who said in this time many students and alumni raised concerns about the left-of-center nature of the Times. Darren Pomida, a Will Rice College junior, wrote an op-ed for the Thresher published on Aug. 5 2017, arguing that the University was putting the New York Times on a pedestal above other news sources

through this subscription. Pomida said that he was happy to hear about access to the Wall Street Journal later that year, but he still believes it is insuﬃcient — and that the university will never be able to provide a completely balanced perspective. “Instead of seeking this mythical ‘balance,’ a more apt goal would be for the University to continue to expose the community to the numerous respected and nuanced newspapers, think tanks, weeklies and journals from all sides of the political spectrum and [especially] from across the world,” Pomida said. He added that Fondren’s databases, which include a variety of newspapers, are a great place to start. Keck said alumni also voiced concerns to her about the New York Times’ liberal skew. “There was a perception from alumni that the Times was a particular liberal view, they were concerned that that’s all the students had access to,” Keck said. “Well, of course that’s not [only] what you have access to, because we have tons of newspapers in aggregated databases.”

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

NEWS

Leebron signs letter to Congress asking for reconsideration of endowment tax President David Leebron signed a letter to Congress with 48 other university presidents urging reconsideration of a new national tax on university endowments. According to Leebron, the tax would cost Rice University roughly $6 million per year, depending on yearly endowment income, the equivalent of 130 full tuition scholarships. The tax, a 1.4 percent excise tax on private universities with endowments greater than $500,000, was established by the tax act passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in December. According to Inside Higher Ed, the act affects around 30 universities nationwide, including three from Texas: Rice, Baylor College of Medicine and Trinity University, all of whose presidents signed the letter. University presidents argued in the letter that the endowment tax will unfairly place restrictions on universities’ efforts to improve education quality and affordability. In Rice’s case, the tax will impede the university’s efforts to expand financial aid, although existing levels of financial aid will not be reduced, according to Leebron. “This tax will not address the cost of college or student indebtedness, as some have tried to suggest,” the letter states. “Instead, it will constrain the resources available to the very institutions that lead the nation in reducing, if not eliminating, the costs for low- and-middle-income students.” Although Leebron was not directly involved in drafting the letter, he said he hopes it influences lawmakers to reconsider implementation of the endowment tax. “Large pieces of legislation like this – written quickly and including hundreds of complicated, often overlapping provisions – are usually subsequently amended in the

months following passage into law,” said Leebron. “We hope the letter demonstrates to policymakers that we remain committed to working with them toward a reasonable and fair outcome addressing our concerns.” Last December, before the release of the Senate version of the tax bill, Leebron wrote an opinion article for the Houston Chronicle arguing against the inclusion of the endowment tax and a tax on graduate student tuition waivers in the GOP bill.

It is doubtful that the bill would raise much more than $180 million per year toward closing the projected $1.5 trillion budget deficit increase. David Leebron Rice University President Leebron said he hoped to give voice to the concerns of students and administrators in higher education as well as make the issue known to the greater Houston community. He argued in his piece that the bill was discriminatory against successful institutions of higher education as well as ineﬀective in generating revenue. “It is doubtful that the bill would raise much more than $180 million per year toward closing the projected $1.5 trillion budget deficit increase,” Leebron wrote. “Our Texas congress members should be outraged that three of the 30 or so institutions aﬀected are located here, where they contribute to the best in education and research.” The tax on graduate student waivers, against which Leebron argues in the piece, was a controversial item in the House-

approved tax bill but was ultimately not included in the Senate version released later in December. “We were pleased that the Senate version of the bill prevailed in this regard, which was due in large part to the advocacy eﬀorts of the graduate student population across America,” Leebron said. “We hope as a result that our educators are more aware of the vital importance of graduate education, and the impact our graduate students have. The mobilization of tens of thousands of voices in opposition definitely had an eﬀect.” Taylor Morin, a Brown College junior, said he is concerned about how the tax may hurt students’ abilities to pay for school . “There have been so many strides made by Rice in improving the accessibility of a college education despite the inevitable

rising costs, so it is extremely unfortunate that this legislation works in the opposite direction simply because lawmakers needed to replace revenue lost from a corporate tax cut,” Morin said. In the coming months, Leebron said he hopes that students concerned about the possible repercussions of the endowment tax will contribute their voices to the discussion surrounding its inclusion in the tax bill. “Let your federally elected oﬃcials know what you think because the legislative process never really stops,” Leebron said. “Laws are changed all the time, and interpreted in the legislative process, so continued engagement with lawmakers is a necessary and vital part of democracy. And as you saw with the proposed tax on graduate student tuition waivers, student voices can have a meaningful eﬀect.”

Read it online: Rice applications top 20,000 for the first time In 2008, the number of applications to Rice was just over 9,800. In 2018, applications to Rice topped 20,900, the most freshman applications in Rice’s history. See the full story at www.ricethresher.org.

Applications from first-time, first-year students 25000

20,900 Number of applications

AMY QIN THRESHER STAFF / AQ5@RICE.EDU

20000

15000

10000

5000

9,813 2008

2017

Application year (2008 = 2008-2009 academic year)

Data from Common Data Set and the Oﬃce of Institutional Research. Infographic by Christina Tan.

Undergraduate Students! On Friday, March 23rd, the Fall 2018 Course Schedule will be published at: https://courses.rice.edu/ AND the ESTHER Course Registration Planner will open for Fall 2018 registration You will have TWO WEEKS to enter your desired course selections into the ESTHER Course Registration Planner PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME: The ESTHER Course Registration Planner will officially close at 5:00 PM on Friday, April 6th Please be certain to clear all your registration holds!

You don’t want to end up like our buddy here L

THE RICE THRESHER

NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF H&D accidentally starts work on McMurtry kitchen instead of Duncan’s Emily Abdow News Editor / esa2@rice.edu Rice University Housing and Dining accidentally removed all the shelving units and threw out all of the food from the McMurtry College fourth floor kitchen over spring break when they were supposed to be renovating kitchens at Duncan College, according to McMurtry President Quinn Mathews. Senior Business Director David McDonald said H&D stopped work in the McMurtry kitchen within the first hour of realizing they were in the wrong college. “We made a mistake in a rush to start and complete a kitchen project during Spring Break,” McDonald said. “H&D will make sure both kitchens are repaired accordingly and items replaced. H&D will make sure those students and colleges that lost items during the renovation will be reimbursed or items replaced as needed. H&D regrets this error.” Mathews said she became aware of the mix-up when students messaged a GroupMe Monday asking where the food and utensils in the kitchen had gone. She said some students then reached out to H&D asking what happened, and H&D Senior Operations Manager for Duncan and

McMurtry Brad Thacker informed them of the mix-up. John Parts, one of Duncan’s improvement heads, said the intended Duncan renovations involve demolishing the 3rd and 4th floor kitchens and converting them into study rooms. They also include installing booth seating and a speaker system in the fifth floor kitchen, which was renovated with additions including a kitchen island, marble countertop and more kitchen equipment in January. Parts said he met with Thacker before Spring Break who informed him the Duncan renovations would be implemented over Spring Break and finished during the break or directly after. Mathews said H&D has oﬀered to reimburse students at McMurtry who lost food if they provide a receipt. If a student does not have the original receipt, they will have to repurchase the food and provide that receipt to H&D. Mathews said she is in the process of gathering feedback from McMurtry and working with H&D to incorporate student feedback into the fourth floor kitchen renovations.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

POLITICAL DIVISIONS

Rice student voter turn out for primaries See ricethresher.org for the full story

6 REPUBLICAN BALLOTS CAST IN 2014 33 REPUBLICAN BALLOTS CAST IN 2018 8 DEMOCRATIC BALLOTS CAST IN 2014 224 DEMOCRATIC BALLOTS CAST IN 2018

McMurtry’s fourth floor kitchen will be renovated after Housing and Dining removed its shelving units over spring break. H&D had intended to renovate kitchens at Duncan but mixed up the two colleges.

infographic by sydney garrett

vidya giri / thresher

WHERE

FRESH & FAST MEET

2018-2019 Jameson Fellowship for American Decorative Arts Rice undergraduates and graduate students interested in art history, history or musuem studies are invited to apply for the Jameson Fellowship in American Decorative Arts and Painting. The Jameson Fellow will enroll each semester for a 3-credit art history internship course and spend the 2018-19 academic year as a researcher at the Bayou Bend Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

$13,000 stipend

Additional funds (up to $1,500) available for fellowship research trip.

For Jameson Fellows without access to a vehicle, some help could be available to partially cover one’s transportation costs during the year.

Qualifications include: • Excellent academic record • Interest in American art and culture of the 17th through 19th centuries

WE DELIVER! VISIT JIMMYJOHNS.COM TO FIND A LOCATION NEAR YOU

Application Requirements: • A brief (2-3 page) typewritten statement expressing the applicant’s willingness to undertake the internship in 2018-19 and how the Fellowship would enhance the applicant’s other studies at Rice, plans for graduate school, career goals or general interest in the decorative arts • Academic transcripts (official or unofficial) • One letter of support from a Rice faculty member Applications should be sent to the Jameson Fellowship Committee at the Department of Art History (Herring Hall 103, MS-21) no later than Monday, March 26, 2018. Questions may be directed to Professor Joseph Manca (manca@rice.edu or 713-348-3464).

OPINION

SA SA IN IN REVIEW REVIEW

HITS 1. FLU VACCINES

In the spirit of the Student Association’s changeover this week, the Thresher editorial board reviewed the many resolutions, amendments, task forces and working groups passed this year to identify the most impactful accomplishments and areas for improvement. Overall, we hope incoming SA leaders continue to make progress on some of the important topics the SA has considered under outgoing President Justin Onwenu.

Amid a particularly vicious flu season, the Senate passed a resolution supporting free year-round flu vaccinations at the health center and additional resources to help buoy student health. If implemented, these would be important steps for increased healthcare accessibility on campus.

2. SUPPORT OF DREAM ACT

MISSES

Even before President Donald Trump announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the SA created the Undocumented Student Support Services Working Group to identify existing services and potential ideas to support undocumented students at Rice. The SA later passed a resolution supporting the passage of the DREAM Act, a strong demonstration of support for undocumented students and university values.

1. LEAP PROPOSAL

Onwenu pushed especially hard for his proposed Lifetime Enrichment Achievement Program, and in the process, overlooked student opinions that did not align with his goals. Ultimately, LEAP failed to pass due to strong student backlash.

3. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION The Academic Freedom Working Group dedicated a year to gathering student opinions on freedom of expression. Their letter, which states Rice has the responsibility to refrain from disinvitation while encouraging students to peacefully protest, is a thoughtful framework for the inevitable time when a divisive speaker is invited to campus.

2. TOO MANY TASK FORCES There’s nothing inherently wrong with the SA’s method of using task forces to study issues, but this year featured some especially egregious examples of groups that seem to be motivated mainly by personal interest and/or to check oﬀ boxes for election hopefuls. (Pre-grad task force, anyone?)

4. SEXUAL HEALTH TASK FORCE

3. V2C2 100 IDEAS

This task force targets another important, and currently expensive, aspect of student health. So far, the task force has found a disparity between the health center’s STI testing prices ($74) and the amount most students are willing to pay. Through its dedicated leadership and clear goals, this task force has the momentum to push for a concrete change.

Onwenu touted the V2C2 as a timely opportunity to collect ideas to improve academics and student life. For all the hype about V2C2 and the 450 ideas generated from the initiative, the ideas were of poor quality to begin with and seem to have fallen oﬀ the map in the SA’s list of priorities.

5. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

4. DISCUSSION ON CTIS

Onwenu co-introduced a resolution, passed by the Senate, that calls for diversification of the international student population, reducing international student financial barriers and expanding admission of displaced and refugee applicants. These points align with Rice’s professed values regarding its place in a broader global community, and we hope the admissions oﬃce takes note.

When campaigning for SA president, Onwenu said he would prioritize bolstering the Critical Thinking in Sexuality course. However, even when students expressed concerns about the eﬀectiveness and logistics of the course, Onwenu refused to acknowledge any shortcomings. The SA, as the original impetus of the course, should take the initiative to solve these issues.

OP-ED

Mass shootings must come to an end, and that’s why we must March for Our Lives

Former United Nations SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan once said, “No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts oﬀ from its youth severs its lifeline.” The past year has pushed our entire campus to recognize that democracy is not a spectator sport. We’ve recognized that beyond our residential college allegiances we are Rice Owls, and above being Rice Owls we are citizens. More than any other time in my memory, we’ve begun to recognize that engaging in political, cultural and social discussions is a critical component of our world-class education. Whether it was our massive volunteer efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, former Vice President Al Gore’s event on the dangers of global warming, or advocacy for undocumented, displaced/refugee and underrepresented members of our community, this year

STAFF Drew Keller & Juan Saldaña* Editors in Chief Jasmine Lin* Managing Editor Shannon Klein Business Director news Emily Abdow* Editor Anna Ta Editor Cameron Wallace Asst. Editor

will serve as a reminder that we cannot ignore the world around us. In short, this year has demonstrated how important citizenship is. This Saturday, on Beer Bike, we will be called on once again to demonstrate our commitment to this goal of popping the Rice bubble. We will be called on to demonstrate not only our commitment to our own Rice community, but we will also be called on to recognize that in times of tragedy we have a distinct obligation to participate, facilitate and speak out. After a countless number of mass shootings that have wreaked havoc across our country, we’ve become accustomed to these tragedies. We grew up with the stories and images of Columbine and Virginia Tech, and over the last few years, a script has emerged. After each mass shooting, we have been told to keep the victims in our thoughts and prayers, we have been told not to politicize the tragedy, we have grown numb to the news as the carnage fades from our television

opinions Julianne Wey* Editor arts & entertainment Lenna Mendoza* Editor backpage Joey McGlone Editor Isaac Schultz Editor photo Sirui Zhou Editor Charlene Pan Editor

spotlight Elizabeth Rasich Editor

copy Sarah Smati Editor Catherine Soltero Editor

sports Andrew Grottkau* Editor Michael Byrnes Asst. Editor

online Charlie Paul Web Editor Alice Liu Digital Content Editor

screens. Then a couple of weeks pass by and the cycle is repeated. This time is diﬀerent. The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, shaken by the deaths of 17 of their classmates and teachers, have woken the country. The #MarchForOurLives movement has called for solutions to the epidemic of gun violence that plagues our country. On March 24, thousands of students, survivors and outraged citizens will demonstrate in our nation’s capital and around the country to demand action. March for Our Lives Houston will also bring together thousands of citizens in demanding action from our lawmakers. If you are interested in attending, meet at the Hanszen College magister’s house at 8 a.m. on Saturday to attend the march with other students. The march, which starts at 9 a.m., will end by 11 a.m., so students could make it back in time for the Beer Bike races. I hope you all will join me for this important event. While Beer Bike is an

design Christina Tan Director Sydney Garrett News Designer Marlena Fleck Sports Designer Ellie Mix A&E Designer Tina Liu Spotlight Designer Areli Navarro Magallón Illustrator Esther Tang Illustrator business operations Sara Lopez Marketing Manager Joey Castro Distribution Manager Greg Campo Distribution Manager Sanvitti Sahdev Business Designer *Editorial Board member

amazing tradition, as students who have grown up during these turbulent times, we should answer the call to engage outside of our own bubble, to speak out in the face of this national tragedy and to demand action from our lawmakers. Every generation is called upon to serve their country in one way or another. Generations before us have led and challenged our country to improve during the Civil Rights movement, the anti-South African apartheid movement, the fight for marriage equality and the fight for environmental sustainability. This is our moment. This is our time to serve.

JUSTIN ONWENU

Student Association President Sid Richardson College Senior jno1@rice.edu

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

THE RICE THRESHER

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

EDITORIAL CARTOON

In pursuit of a safer Beer Bike: Next year’s biker certification test

cartoon by areli navarro magallón and esther tang

OP-ED

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Veganism: A moral imperative for present and future generations

Weakness of course review models, not lack of student engagement, to blame for poor course-specific feedback

Vegan. This word arouses anxiety among many; however, a deeper knowledge of this philosophy leads to truth. While many changes occur in one’s life when embracing veganism, you not only liberate animals but also liberate humans. As a society, we are plagued by speciesism, the repugnant belief that our well-being is more important than that of other sentient beings. This same sort of preferential valuation has also guided the practice of racism and sexism within human society. Whether or not we can emotionally relate to a crab does not matter — there may even be the possibility that we simply do not possess the specific means necessary to communicate with, for example, these crustacea on a deeper emotional level. It is clear that no earthling prefers suﬀering. This is all the moral guidance we need. Veganism is not simply a diet but a philosophy that is dedicated to health, animal liberation and environmental sustainability.

We have a moral obligation to prevent suﬀering and preserve our planet. A plant-based diet is truly one of the most beneficial measures we can take to support our health. According to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a vegan diet is completely healthy and adequate for all stages of life including infancy and pregnancy. Thomas Colin Campbell documents his monumental findings in his book “The China Study” and aﬃrms that a plantbased diet is the best way to prevent our most common diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and Alzheimer’s disease. A plant-based diet adds years to life and life to years! We cohabitate with all sorts of earthlings. We humans adamantly protest tyranny, so why do we impose tyrannical dominion upon other creatures? Humans frequently relish the ignorant notions that we are superior to animals and that animals are not sentient or do not feel pain the way we do. Because of these unfortunate dogmas, we accept that the mass killing of other earthlings for our pleasure is acceptable. Regarding animal testing, it actually makes more sense to do medical tests on humans in a vegetative state because the results would accurately

demonstrate the eﬀects on human biology. For the love of Mother Earth, it is imperative that we boycott the factory farm industry. This goliath and insidious enterprise consumes a vast portion of our planet’s resources. Livestock sustained in factory farms consumes approximately 70 percent of grain crops in the U.S. According to studies from the journals Bioscience and Animal Science, one pound of beef requires approximately 2,500 gallons of water — a conservative estimate — and one hamburger takes 660 gallons of water to produce. To make matters worse, according to Jeﬀ Anhang writing in Worldwatch and Christopher Hyner of the Georgetown Environmental Law Review, livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, or 51 percent of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. On top of this, according to the Journal of Science and Scientific American, cows produce 150 billion gallons of methane every day, a molecule that is 25 to 100 times more destructive to the Earth’s climate than CO2 on a 20-year time frame. In a time when everyone knows the world is in crisis, eliminating our gluttonous production of bulk animal flesh is one of the most direct and imperative steps we must take to save our planet. Each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves an average of 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 square feet of forested land, 20 pounds CO2 equivalent and one animal’s life. We have a moral obligation to prevent suffering and preserve our planet for future generations; this era of excuses must come to an end. While this may seem daunting, there are many resources available for support. The Rice Vegan Society is active with a dedication to outreach and education. The society will be hosting a screening of “Cowspiracy,” a documentary detailing the effects of animal agriculture on the environment, in Farnsworth Pavilion at 7 p.m. on March 27. We invite everyone to come out so that we may continue with the progress of creating a healthier and more loving world.

CHAD WESSELKAMPER

Rice Vegan Society Vice President Jones College Sophomore chw6@rice.edu

On March 6, the Thresher editorial board published an editorial discussing the deficiencies in undergraduate course feedback. While the editorial board correctly identifies the need for course review reform, the editorial places too much blame on a lack of student engagement as opposed to the weakness of existing student feedback models. The editorial identifies two ways in which students should be better engaged with providing feedback: the course evaluation system and direct engagement through Student Association committees, town halls and intra-department advisory boards. There are several elements of the existing post-completion course feedback system that prevent the platform from being used as the Thresher editorial board envisions. As the editorial pointed out, “Reviews are often … focused on giving advice to peers who will take the class in the future.” Many students, myself included, write course reviews with the knowledge and intention that they appear on Schedule Planner and that reviews will be seen and used by students deciding which courses to take. Clarifying the purpose of the tool might elicit more useful feedback, whether to inform prospective future students or to provide feedback to professors. In addition, due in part to the requirement that students complete the course feedback survey to remove a hold on Esther, there is no way to distinguish between students genuinely interested in providing feedback on the course and students merely clicking through “strongly agree” to complete the registration requirement. A course review system should both encourage thoughtful student feedback and distinguish between students willing and unwilling to provide that feedback. While committees, advisory boards and town halls reward students willing to commit greater effort to try and make changes within their respective departments, they also don’t solve the problem of feedback for specific courses. To solve the problem of a lack of

actionable feedback within individual courses or for individual instructors, Rice should move toward an in-person discussion or focus group model for course reviews. Many professors have already opted in to student feedback services provided by the Center for Teaching Excellence, where staff members lead in-class focus groupstyle discussions to solicit specific feedback. Additionally, as these group discussions take place during the semester, professors can immediately implement student feedback.

Rice should move toward an in-person discussion or focus group model for course reviews. I believe that these existing efforts conform most closely to the Thresher editorial board’s ideal for a student feedback system and should be used to inform further development of the student feedback model. When students complete their end-of-semester course evaluations, they should have the opportunity to indicate their willingness to participate in further in-person feedback panels. While such a program would require significant resources to organize, panels or interviews can be prioritized for critical courses within a major or courses with a significant proportion of negative feedback. In-person discussions where administrators can request specific, actionable changes to course structure or teaching methods would yield much more useful feedback than text boxes and agree-to-disagree scales. These changes would represent a significant departure from the existing course review model. However, for an institution that prides itself on undergraduate education, they can’t come quickly enough. Will Grimme Will Rice College Sophomore wjg5@rice.edu

Correction In the March 7 housing guide insert, Eugenio Mesta’s name was misspelled.

SPOTLIGHT 1

JENNIFER LEE IN THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS courtesy jennifer lee

EMILY SHEN AT BUC-EE'S courtesy emily shen

JENNIFER LEE

I participated [in] the ROPE spring break backpacking trip to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee [and] North Carolina for six days. It was a lot colder than expected, and our group ended up staying in a shelter for three days while it snowed outside. Despite the freezing temperatures, we were able to see beautiful winter holiday card scenery through our hikes and on Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Tennessee.

21 25

traveling far and wide, from San Antonio to Paris, France

EMILY SHEN

On the way to San Antonio, my family stopped by Buc-ee’s. It was my sister’s first time going, so of course we had to be tacky and get matching shirts.

SHELBY BICE

I went to Paris to with three of my suitemates to visit a fourth suitemate who abandoned us for an awesome study abroad program in France. I spent way too much money on great museums and even greater food and was complimented by a Parisian on my choice of footwear, which is probably the crowning achievement of my life. The best museum was a creepy carnival museum where I was pretty sure I was going to be murdered, but instead I got to ride an old carousel and take funny photos like this one.

WILLY WEEK

Answers will be posted on ricethresher.org and on the Thresher Facebook page.

ACROSS

DOWN

2 3 4

1 5

Bolded clues correspond to the theme.

courtesy shelby bice

Crossword by Margaret Roddy Thresher Staﬀ / mhr2@rice.edu

MEREDITH ANNE AUCOCK

I went to a small island in Washington state to visit my boyfriend who is stationed there. I spent the week raising his tiny new puppy, so I’m basically a mom now! He’s an adorable Shiba Inu and his name is Mor’du, which is the name of the bear in the movie Brave.

courtesy meredith anne aucock

SHELBY BICE IN PARIS

SPRING BREAKERS 1

MEREDITH ANNE AUCOCK IN WASHINGTON

10 11 12 13 16 18

24 25 26 27 28 29

Alcohol from cereal grains Speedy mode of transportation on Saturday With 3 down, Napoleon’s exile location River in Central Europe Short for Robert WWII: Battle of the ______ Event after water balloon fight; here comes the War Pig again Saddest Pixar movie REMEMBER: the hard version of this is not allowed on Saturday Backwards hat What you do to an ex at a public Large African bird Barbie’s other half, reversed Regular, for short A dog’s snarl

5 6 7 8 12 14 15 17 19 20 21 22 23

Best bibliography website: Easy___ Employee stock ownership plan See 9 across Dimensionless number for fluid mechanics for flow patterns A weevil To operate an engine at a low speed Barrel of beer “I kissed thee ___ I killed thee” Othello Sheep noise Density in Greek Chugging substitute for beer To propel a bike Like term-limited president, precedes waterfowl Sub-4 seconds is the goal With 22 down, what everybody will have by 4 pm on Saturday See 21 down, wild bachelor party movie in Las Vegas: "The ___" “Mama Didn’t Raise No Bitch” beverage

THE RICE THRESHER

SPOTLIGHT

From left to right: Christine Luk, Rachel Lambert and Elizabeth Stone stand behind their cervical cancer training models at a presentation in MDEl Salvador.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

A prototype of Team Mission Compostable's compost system sits in the OEDK. The device will use food waste from garbage disposals and produce compost in a month-long process.

courtesy mila salcedo

One of Vaxthus's prototypes shines on plants. The automated greenhouse will be housed in a Swedish apartment complex, along with Team Mission Compostable's composter.

courtesy caroline krawczyk

courtesy harrison lin

SENIOR ENGINEERS WRAP UP PROJECTS

Here's a look at three of the Senior Design teams who embarked on a year-long eﬀort to design and build a final product JULIANA SPECTOR FOR THE THRESHER / JJS12@RICE.EDU

Building materials and iterations of prototypes lay strewn on tables, one for each senior design team, in the basement of the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen. It is a flurry of building activity, design discussions and noise from the machine shop whirring in the background. Engineering design student projects range in scope from home food production and waste solutions to women’s health screening tools and escape rooms. All projects have the goal of giving groups of three to six senior students the opportunity to design a solution to an engineering problem and work through various stages of project planning, budgeting, building and testing prototypes.

RICE GYNO-MITE Rachel Lambert, Christine Luk, Elizabeth Stone Representing engineering interests from a global health perspective is Rice Gyno-mite, who is working on a cervical cancer training model that is being used abroad in the developing world, specifically in the countries of El Salvador and Mozambique, as well as the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, which is a hotspot for cervical cancer incidences. The team of three women, Elizabeth Stone, Rachel Lambert and Christine Luk, all minoring in global health technologies, are adapting a pre-existing model to help physicians and health care workers gain the practical skills to screen and treat cervical cancer. The model simulates the female pelvic region and uses a speculum to open the vaginal canal. In the back, a model cervix is attached to a magnetic wall. The cervix models show diﬀerent types of cysts: pre-cancerous and cancerous. This allows health providers to practice speculum insertion and viewing the cervix before they do these procedures on a real person. “Women’s health has always been an interest of mine because it’s a huge problem in developing countries,” Stone, a Brown College senior, said. “A lot [of] people don’t know how to do it or don’t value it, so I thought it was a really important project to be involved in.” Rice Gyno-mite’s prototype has already been utilized at cervical cancer screening and treatment workshops led by MD Anderson Cancer Center in El Salvador and Sherman, Texas. The workshops include a session where doctors and health care workers use the models to practice different techniques, including biopsies. All team members traveled to attend a workshop in El Salvador in December and were able to receive useful feedback directly from the physicians, which helped them adjust their prototype. “Being able to use a prototype that your team had worked on all semester is a truly

rewarding feeling, and seeing them in action gave us valuable feedback that we used to guide our second semester goals. I've worked on a handful of projects at Rice now, and most of them barely make it out of the brainstorming and early prototyping phase, so it's neat to see them used in the real world,” Luk, a Will Rice College senior, said.

Many of the physicians who worked with us for the training workshop wanted to purchase our models for their own clinics. Christine Luk Will Rice College Senior One improvement the team made was adding the ability to adjust the angle of the cervix along the magnetic wall with a ball and socket design. This accounts for variation in the location of the cervix on actual female bodies. “Many of the physicians who worked with us for the training workshop wanted to purchase our models for their own clinics. They're helpful for educating not only professionals, but also patients,” Luk said. In addition, Rice Gyno-mite also had the opportunity to see how the prototype traveled, which is important since it will be transported frequently abroad. “We used to make the prototype out of acrylic and it traveled and just broke. It wasn’t durable so we make it out of wood now. We’ve been testing diﬀerent types of wood and it seems to be holding up,” Stone said. Rice Gyno-mite is one of two all-female teams participating in the senior design class this year, along with Team Breast Test. Given the women’s health issues on which the project focuses, Stone said it helps to have female perspective through the design process. “It's really great to have that comradery with my teammates about being women in engineering,” Stone said. “Because we're working on a women's health issue, it all kind of goes well together.”

TEAM M ISSION

COMPOSTABLE Caroline Krawczyk, Travis Kwee, Nick Moser, Anna Norris, Scotty Stevens, Juan Valenzuela One group, Team Mission Compostable, has been working on designing a compost system for a sustainable apartment complex in Sweden. The team consists of six mechanical engineering majors. “One of the main things we focused on was having the compost system be

easy to use, so it would be accessible and usable for non-engineers and people who are not necessarily super environmentally conscious,” Nick Moser, a Jones College senior and member of Team Mission Compostable, said. The composter will be placed under the sink, uses waste from the garbage disposal, and converts the waste into compost in a month’s time. Food scraps are collected in input jars and placed in a heated box. The jars are also rotated every day to facilitate the composting process Team member Caroline Krawczyk, a McMurtry College senior, also emphasized the environmental awareness aspect of the project and how it motivated the team to choose this undertaking. “Our prototype helps people reduce waste because they are constantly confronted with it when they compost,” Krawcyzk said. Team Mission Compostable has also integrated user experience into their design process, actively working to make their prototype easy to use. “For example, to turn the jars that collect the compost, we’re going to have a wheel on top and it spins all the jars at once. So it’s very easy to use and kind of fun. Being cognizant of things like that can make our product more marketable to users,” Krawczyk said. In terms of the stress associated with finishing the project by the Engineering Design Showcase in April, team members seemed to think that the project was manageable. “It's a lot of goals that we set for ourselves,” Moser said. “So part of it is being able to attain them within this time frame.”

VÄXTHUS Mary Bao, Lingbo Chen, Mike Hua, Jack Kaplan, Harrison Lin

Another team with a sustainability focus is Växthus, which takes its name from the Swedish word for greenhouse. The group of five mechanical engineers and one electrical engineer is building an automated, indoor greenhouse, also intended for use in the same sustainable apartment complex in Sweden as Team Mission Compostable. The greenhouse features watering through constant pressure droppers in the ceiling, a water recycling system and lighting with LEDs. The prototype will soon incorporate controlled temperature, humidity and ventilation. Moisture, light and heat are all monitored via sensors and a small computer. The greenhouses are compact enough that they can be stacked three units high and can grow diﬀerent types of vegetables and herbs in each planting box, such as kale, potatoes, lettuce, carrots and basil. Växthus team member Harrison Lin

said he was drawn to this project due to his previous interests in sustainability and product design and desire to learn more about gardening. “I just think it is so rewarding to see plants grow,” Lin, a Brown College senior. said. “There is some immediate gratification, especially when they are growing so healthy and it's because you know you engineered the system right. I don't think anyone on our team has ever gardened, so that was a priority for us to learn. We went out and did gardening classes and asked people who had gardened for a long time for their advice.” Lin also shared more about the vision and meaning behind the project for himself. “This project has the potential to show people the whole process of growing food — how diﬃcult it is, but at the same time how easy it is because it's automated,” Lin said “And it can also give people a taste of what they're missing out on. If you eat this lettuce it's going to be fresher than anything you get from the servery.” In addition, Lin said that Växthus has been keeping a design journal to document their design process. “We're talking about why we chose certain design elements, like why the water drips from the ceiling instead of getting dispensed in the dirt … It's for the aesthetics. It looks like rain and it's really beautiful. The light catches the raindrops as they fall.”

This project has the potential to show people the whole process of growing food — how difficult it is, but at the same time how easy it is because it's automated. Harrison Lin Brown College Senior Although the team works well together and individual members have diverse interests and skills which complement each other, Lin said that the design process involving so many different sensors has presented some difficulty. “All of the electronics and code have to work together all at once, or else you can’t test the prototype,” Lin said. “Because we have so many moving parts that has been the biggest challenge.” However, Lin feels that Växthus is well on its way toward a successful presentation of the prototype at the design showcase. “I think we have put a lot of thought into it and we know what we want as a final product,” Lin said. “I think at this point, it's a matter of refinement — how do we make this more functional, more beautiful. We have the basic functionality down.”

EEEE E

EEER

BIKE

POUR ONE OUT FOR THE ATHLETES BROOKE ENGLISH

Baker Women’s Chugger

Chug time: 2.92 seconds “I’ve been on chug team since freshman year because it is a great way for me to be involved in Beer Bike and [it’s] something that I can really only do at Rice.”

JACKSON SCHAAP

Martel Men’s Ironman

Bike time: 2:12 Chug time: 4.2 seconds “As far as chugging goes, it sounded fun and goofy so I gave it a shot. The water went down easy enough, and I’ve been in the fastest 10 since!”

JARED BESHAI

Anna Ta & Cameron Wallace News Editor & Asst. News Editor section design by christina tan

GRACE JENKINS

Brown Men’s Ironman

Jones Women’s Biker

Bike time: 2:30 Chug time: 5.19 seconds “It’s great to feel like you’re representing your college and carrying that tradition forward.”

BAILEY DOUGLAS

Lovett Women’s Biker

Bike time: 1.33

Bike time: 1.49

“Winning used to motivate me, but now it’s mostly the team spirit that keeps me going.”

“[Lovett’s mud fight is] a tradition unique to us that’s always so much fun! We get totally gross, but it’s worth it to push your friends into the mud.”

KARI-LEIGH BRINKLEY “My favorite part of Beer Bike is the earliest part of the morning. Everyone is getting hype even Chug time: 2.9 seconds though they should be truly miserable at such a ridiculously early hour. “ Duncan Women’s Chugger

GRANT LU

McMurtry Men’s Chugger

NICOLAS JEFFRESS

Will Rice Men’s Ironman

Chug time: 4 seconds “[Chugging is] a great way to hydrate!”

Bike time: 2.19 Chug time: 3.4 seconds “I have been around beer bike my whole life. My mom encouraged me to chug juice boxes as a kid.”

MEG BRIGMAN

Sid Richardson Women’s Biker

Bike time: 1:43 “There’s no doubt that Sid has the best Beer Bike because each year it is tailored to the current body of students. If we want to joke around and have a good time, we DQ in the races. If we want to win, we win.”

LIZ KACPURA

Wiess Women’s Chugger

PATRICK BREEN

Hanszen Men’s Biker

Chug time: 2.5 seconds “Wiess Beer Bike is the best because we will always have fun whether we win or lose!”

Bike time: 1:58 “I decided to bike because I love supporting Hanszen and can use my cycling background to get other people into riding.” courtesy college historians

THE RICE THRESHER

10 BEER BIKE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

CHANGES TO BEER BIKE 2018 Though the race time and team sizes are staying the same, this year’s Beer Bike features a number of rule changes regarding biker certification, race adjudication and fines. Campuswide Beer Bike coordinators Joyce Moon and Erica Zhong, respectively a McMurtry College junior and Will Rice College sophomore, said they believed the modifications would lead to an improved event.

1. CERTIFICATION This year’s biker certification process tests a rider’s ability to bike at high speeds in addition to their ability to clip into pedals and brake safely.

2. FINES Colleges must pay a base fee of $400 in addition to fines for rule violations. Penalties for rule violations have been reduced from previous years.

3. ADJUDICATION

Judge training has been redone and the race will be filmed from two angles to resolve discrepancies.

1. CERTIFICATION To be certified to race this year, Moon and Zhong said riders must have passed two tests: a clipping task and a biking task. In the clipping task, bikers clipped in, rode a short distance, and clipped out three times. They could not fall, swerve or take too long in order to pass. In the biking task, riders completed two fast laps on the track in groups, first passing inside and then outside a set of cones. The bikers must have then properly braked and clipped out on their own in order to pass. “During the certification, we had experienced bikers assessing the bikers at every task,” Moon and Zhong said. “Having experienced bikers present at certification also allowed them to warn bikers if their shoes, bike, or helmet did not fit correctly.” Previous years’ certification process tested clipping in, a line ride and a free ride, according to Moon and Zhong. “From what we’ve been told, bikers were able to pass even if it was obviously their first time on the track,” they said. “This year, we completely scratched the old certification process, and asked members of [the Rice University Cycling and Triathlon Club] for assistance in creating a new certification process.” Another change this year is that before each race, two random bikers from each team will have to undergo a breathalyzer alcohol test, according to Moon and Zhong. Blood alcohol content above 0.02 will disqualify the biker and result in testing the entire team, Moon and Zhong said, and having two members above that level will result in the team’s disqualification. Moon and Zhong said they met in early February with RUCT oﬃcers and Luke Howe-Kerr, who they said was a biker passionate about improving safety. The RUCT members then drafted the new certification process. Along with the track coordinator and experienced bikers, Moon and Zhong said they decided to implement the process this year with some minor changes. Moon and Zhong decided not to implement additional changes to the rules that proposed moving the race time earlier and reducing the number of bikers per team following a mostly negative poll of residential college Beer Bike coordinators. RUCT President Mary Natoli said she worked with three other oﬃcers, all of whom have competed in a

number of oﬀ-campus cycling races, to develop the new certification process. “We tried to develop a set of tasks that would demonstrate a rider's competency in handling a road bike at near-racing speed, while still ensuring that anyone, with a little practice, could pass the certifications,” Natoli, a bioengineering graduate student, said. “Beer Bike was never meant to be an elite cycling race, but the increasing number of crashes in recent years did seem to require that something be done.” The certification tasks also had to be kept focused, Natoli said, because 240 bikers need to be certified. “We hope that our recommendations will contribute to a safer Beer Bike, but ultimately it's up to each and every rider to race carefully and at a speed at which they can control their bike,” Natoli said. Will Rice College women’s bike team captain Ellen McMullen said she thought the certification changes are a step in the right direction, though the majority of them might not directly make bikers safer. “They checked if we could clip in and out of the bikes which is important for biking in general, but on race day you start clipped in and get caught so you don’t have to clip out independently,” McMullen said. “They also checked if we could stop from a sprint within the distance of the pit, but again with catchers that’s less relevant for race day, and not where crashes tend to occur.” McMullen said the certifiers were checking for swerving during the sprint portion of the test, which she saw as encouraging, but that because the sprints were individual they do not fully mimic race conditions. “Basically it was better because we actually had to sprint and be able to control a bike at high speeds, but it still needs to be more focused on group riding,” she said. Moon and Zhong said they believed the changes would improve biker safety. They said it was diﬃcult to foresee whether certification changes might continue in future years. “We will get a better sense of what needs to be emphasized or verify that the certification process is good as possible once the races are completed,” they said. “Beer Bike is always changing and so are the processes around it.”

Juan Saldaña & Drew Keller Editors-in-Chief

2. FINES After complaints from residential colleges about high fine totals after last year’s Beer Bike, this year’s event will debut a new fine structure designed with the intent of helping colleges predict the amount they need to set aside for paying fines. Each college will have to pay a base fee of $400 in addition to fines that are assessed by student security volunteers and judges during the day’s events. The individual fine violations have been decreased from last year, with most fines being decreased by over half their previous amount. According to Moon and Zhong, they considered input from last year’s college Beer Bike coordinators to create the new fines system, which raises funds for repairs to the Beer Bike track in Greenbriar Lot. “With the new system, the amount of money paid by each college should be drastically decreased while still being able to save up money for track renovations,” Moon and Zhong said.

I can’t see how you think it’s reasonable that throwing one balloon of mayonnaise is worth a $1,500 fine. Drew Keefer Wiess College Beer Bike Coordinator Moon and Zhong said they have encountered no resistance from the colleges regarding the new system, as they predict that it will cost colleges less than in the past. However, Martel College Beer Bike Coordinator Andrew Stefani sent an email to all college Beer Bike coordinators expressing concerns regarding the base fine and inviting college Beer Bike coordinators to start a dialogue with Moon and Zhong on the issue. “We’d like to open a dialogue with the campuswide [coordinators] on this topic because we don’t think it had the proper amount of discussion before being implemented,” Stefani said in the email. “We believe the college budgets are given to support the individual activities and culture within each college, and that a campuswide improvement on a parking lot outside of our domain

shouldn’t immediately fall on us.” Wiess College Beer Bike Coordinator Drew Keefer said the new process is an improvement over last year’s but that the college beer bike coordinators were not involved in formulating this new system. Keefer said that while he understood the need to control dangerous behavior on beer bike, he believed the process was too punitive. “Really harsh monetary fines, that honestly prey on ignorance for the most part, irk me,” Keefer said. “I can’t see how you think it’s reasonable that throwing one balloon of mayonnaise is worth a $1,500 fine.” This year’s changes come after last year’s fine system resulted in fines that were higher than colleges had previously budgeted for. After complaints by colleges regarding the fines, 2017 campuswide Beer Bike Coordinators Ashton Duke and Colin Feng made the decision to only charge certain violations, such as throwing water balloons outside of Founder’s Court and throwing balloons before fight begins, one time rather than per occurrence. This decreased the cost of college’s fines drastically. For example, at Will Rice College, the sum of the assessed fines dropped from $5,250 to $2,050. These funds supplement the amount that Beer Bike receives from blanket tax every year and are specifically used for track repairs, according to Moon and Zhong. Beer Bike applies for blanket tax funding separately from Rice Program Council and money is allocated by the Blanket Tax Committee specifically for Beer Bike usage. In last April’s blanket tax allocation process, Beer Bike requested $50,322 from the blanket tax pool, a 9 percent increase from the previous year. According to last year’s submitted blanket tax documents, $2,000 was specifically set aside to rollover for a track maintenance fund that are necessary every four to five years at a cost of $10,000 to $15,000. “Beer Bike is under the unique situation that it has to make large one-time expenditures in the form of Track Repairs that are necessary for the functionality and safety of the event,” the Beer Bike blanket tax budget proposal states. “Part of our budget anticipates adding an additional $2,000 each year to this rollover to ensure there are always funds necessary for potential track repairs.

3. ADJUDICATION Moon and Zhong said the races will be filmed from two perspectives this year: the finish line and the football stadium. This comes after last year’s results included errors and possibly inaccurate times. “Last year’s only issue revolved around the judges not following the instructions to properly record each lap,” Moon and Zhong said. “On the timing sheet, there’s places to circle each lap completed by each rider and the judges for four colleges did not circle those numbers which is why they recorded the cool-down lap. This year, we are implementing

the video cameras to ensure that we can go back and look at the results, if necessary.” This year’s judges coordinator, Pricilla Li, also redid training for judges, according to Moon and Zhong. They said the training emphasizes handwriting legibility and understanding of the cooldown lap, and includes track sessions to help the judges practice. Finally, they said judges will be provided with walkie talkies to communicate with each other and the campuswide and area coordinators.

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

CAPTAIN’S RANKINGS

2018

BEER BIKE

Andrew Grottkau Sports Editor

There are many questions that come up on Beer Bike, including but not limited to: Should I eat the Beerios this guy is oﬀering me? How many people can fit on this sundeck? Did Lovett really just chant that? If you’re hoping for the answer to those questions, the Thresher is not the place to look. But if you want to know who will win the races on Saturday, you may be in luck. The Thresher polled the Beer Bike captains from each college and asked them for their predictions for the final standings in the men’s and women’s races. Six men’s teams and six women’s teams cast their votes. As always, some predictions were particularly interesting, including an assertion that Baker’s “Olympic Athletes from Fourth” will be sweeping the men’s race (whatever sweeping a single race means) and a prediction that Jones’ women’s team will finish in every spot from first through 12th. Without further ado, here are the bike captains’ predictions for Beer Bike 2018:

MEN’S PROJECTED RANKING

1 2

COLLEGE

CHANGE FROM 20171

CHANGE FROM 20152

WOMEN’S PROJECTED RANKING

COLLEGE

CHANGE FROM 20171

CHANGE FROM 20152

Will Rice

Jones

GSA

Sid Rich

Lovett

DNF

Baker

Martel

McMurtry

Wiess

Sid Rich

Duncan

Brown

McMurtry

Duncan

Brown

Wiess

Hanszen

Lovett

Baker

Jones

Will Rice

GSA

Martel

Hanszen

1 1

1 2

Timing of 2017 results may not be accurate. Changes for Baker, Brown, Hanszen and Martel assume all four men’s teams got fourth place. 2015 results are used in place of 2016, which was a Beer Run instead of a Beer Bike.

More than just webs: Martel build takes shape Students can snap a photo on the ceiling of Peter Parker’s bedroom and dance on a sundeck transformed into a cityscape through the Martel build inspired by the colleges “Martel Comics Presents: The Amazing CiderMan” Beer Bike theme. Gigi Rill, a head builder for the Martel build, said the smaller pieces around Martel as opposed to the typical one larger build on the sundeck is a result of trying new styles and the fast turnaround required by Willy Week falling right after Spring Break. “Normally we have a week after break to set everything up, but this year we needed to set everything up in a couple hours,” Rill, a Martel College junior, said. “So instead of a big build on the deck, we are doing a big build in the commons and a mural on the sundeck we can just roll out.” Rill said she was hard at work painting the cityscape mural for the last three weeks and finished the mural, which will hang from the sundeck, in a 12-hour painting marathon Sunday after returning from spring break.

But Rill’s favorite part of the build is Peter Parker’s upside-down bedroom, which she said will provide the best photo opportunity for those students in search of the coveted Beer Bike profile pic. “The idea is that you pose as Spider-Man for the photo then flip the photo upside down and it looks like you are walking on the ceiling,” Rill said. “It’s going to be awesome.” Head builder Jonathan Bunt said he and head builder Amanda Suarez dedicated many hours each week for the last three months to make the room a reality. “This year’s build is a lot more detail oriented and decorational than any of the previous years,” Bunt, a Martel sophomore, said. “We decided to focus more on each unique detail of the city scape and room, even if it meant making a smaller build than last year’s.” Suarez, a Martel freshman, said said work on the build began with planning in mid-January and Home Depot trips in February. The total build has taken about 350 man

hours, slightly less than the typical about 400 man hours because of less wood construction, according to Rill. Rill said the typical build budget can range from $1500 to $2500, but this year’s budget will be slightly cheaper as she has designed the build to use up stored material from past builds. Previous Martel builds have included transforming the sundeck into a castle with a beer bottle throne and a beer can dragon for the college’s 2016 “Game of Patrons” theme and reacration of Rick’s garage for Martel’s 2017 “Rick and Forty” theme. Rill said she has developed a process that includes pulling key items from the source material inspiring the theme and consulting Pinterest, particularly over-the-top birthday parties. “I’ve developed a process of brainstorming where everything is on the table until it becomes obvious that it’s not realistic,” Rill said. “This year with the theme of Spiderman I was looking into covering the

entire Martel Quad with a spider web across the 4th floor. This got revised to a spider web hanging in the commons.” Ril said she has been involved with the build every year of her Rice career.

Emily Abdow News Editor

“It’s developed into a passion project that I enjoy tackling every year,” Rill said. “I did set design and backstage construction in high school so this is a way I can channel my creativity in a way everyone can enjoy.”

courtesy jonathan bunt

Martel College sophomore Justin Tang poses in his college’s build of Peter Parker’s upside-down bedroom. The photo has been flipped 180 degrees.

SPECTATOR GUIDE PAID FOR BY THE RICE PROGRAM COUNCIL DESIGN BY SANVITTI SAHDEV

Baker

Brown

Duncan

“Demons of Beer Bike”

“We are so excited for Beer Bike that we had to photoshop a pic of Danielle from Beer Bike 2017”

“World Renowed Experts in ‘Letting the Good Times Roll’”

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Hanszen

“Team mAAGIC!!!”

THE RICE THRESHER

Jones

RPC SPECTATOR GUIDE

Lovett

“We just can’t wait for it to be Beer Bike”

14 RPC SPECTATOR GUIDE

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Martel

McMurtry

Sid Rich

“With great power comes great responsibility”

“We think people at Rice have lost sight of the Culture of Scare. It’s important for students, especially during Willy Week to follow the 3 S’s: Spooky Scary Skeletons.”

“5 stressed out beer bike coords 4 actually present in the picture beer bike coords 3 approaching deadlines 2 weeks till beer bike day 1 super hype college!!!!!”

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Wiess

BEER BIKE COORDINATORS

RPC SPECTATOR GUIDE

Will Rice

GSA

“WRWS”

“Graduate Student Association coords John Gawedzinski, Oliver Chang and Sai Paul pictured with the rest of their awesome team on the GSA. Not pictured: GSA coord Ronan O’Connell.”

Campuswide: Joyce Moon

Parade: Priscilla Li

Campuswide: Erica Zhong

Security: Angel Zhang

Track: Freddie Zhang

Rice Staﬀ Advisor: Ryan Morgado

Concessions: Rebecca Artall

Exec Liason: Ashton Duke

Judges: Priscilla Li

SCHEDULE: Saturday, March 24 9:00 a.m. - Hanszen color powder war 10:00 a.m. - Water balloon fight starts 10:45 a.m. - Parade starts 11:30 a.m. - Alumni race starts 12:15 p.m. - Women’s race starts 1:00 p.m. - Men’s race starts

PARADE: Prizes 1st place - 25% off fines 2nd place - 15% off fines 3rd place - 10% off fines Judges James DeNicco John S. Hutchinson Colette Nicolaou

“WRWS”

RACE EMCEES: Nathaniel Williams - Lovett Jake Reinhart - Martel

2018 BEER BIKE FOOD

SHIPLEY DONUTS CHICK FIL A PAPA JOHN'S TACO CABANA OUI BANH MI VEGAN, VEGETARIAN, GLUTEN FREE OPTIONS AVAILABLE

ARTS entertainment

Highlights from South by Southwest Last week, some Rice students headed up to SXSW to take in the vibes and enjoy some of the free showcases. Here’s what they had to say about their experience: “I’m from Austin [and] enjoy SXSW because I’ve discovered a lot of emerging artists there, but traﬃc gets ridiculous. I sort of grew up around SXSW and it has transformed from a lessconcentrated version of Austin City Limits into a place where lots of industries share their new talent and technology. It’s cool, but often it’s been a catalyst for gentrification as tech companies set up shop in Austin.” - Emma Foster Duncan College sophomore

< STEVE AOKI

“[I] Ubered around from an Airbnb to a lot of small free shows and saw mostly indie bands. It was a group of about eight of us in a small Airbnb by [the University of Texas, Austin] campus and we would walk to venues nearby like bars or coops. We saw Gus Dapperton, Post Animal, Mt. Joy, White Mystery and some others.” - Emmett Bertram Duncan College freshman

CHRISTINA TAN Over spring break, I visited Austin, Texas for South by Southwest. The internationally-attended festival combines a tech-dominated conference with music, film, comedy and interactive showcases, as well as a trade show and gaming expo. This year, conversations about blockchain and the future of virtual reality dominated the scene. I, a SXSW virgin, bring you my highlights. Note that I only went to four out of nine days of the festival (Thanks, test during Willy Week!) and was not able to get into some of the coveted highlights like Elon Musk, the “Westworld” recreation and “Isle of Dogs.” Trust me – I’m saltier than you. MARK HAMILL’S SURPRISE Rian Johnson, director of “The Last Jedi,” spoke with Vanity Fair’s Joanna Robinson about his creative process and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi Documentary.” The documentary premiered during SXSW and follows Johnson and the crew of “The Last Jedi” during production. During their interview, Robinson surprised the audience by inviting actor Mark Hamill on stage. Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy and “The Last Jedi,” filled the room with his humble energy.

THE WEEKLY SCENE

NOISE-FORMS Professor Michelle Chang will host digital media fabrication shop “Noise-forms,” which converts astronomical images into 3-D objects. Admission is free and open to the public this Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. Anderson Hall

“[Will Rice College junior Priyanka Jain and I are] both into tech and art and music and cool people giving speeches. Highlights included cauliflower tacos, the screening of ‘1985’ (the director gave us free tickets!) and Sixth Street. Considering we didn’t have a pass, I think we made the most of it. I’d definitely want to come back some year with an actual badge.” - Clara Tian Will Rice College sophomore

“In the early days, I wanted to do everything myself,” Hamill said. “Fast forward – [now] anything I can get away with not doing, I want the stunt double to do.” Hamill also shared touching memories of Carrie Fisher, his Star Wars co-star who passed away in December 2016, stating that it was hard watching the documentary because, “To me, she’s still here.” THE SATIRE AND STYLE OF ‘SORRY TO BOTHER YOU’ “Sorry to Bother You” is a sci-fi fantasy comedy coming out in July. After leaving the early showing, I heard people muttering about how it was “just another ‘Get Out.’” But I’ve never heard anyone say, “Ah, Iron Man is ‘just another’ Superman.” We can have more than one predominantly black satirical movie, y’all. Rather, “Sorry to Bother You” is a fresh and independent take on black experiences in the corporate world with an absurdist fantasy touch. The film features a stacked cast of break-out talent like Tessa Thompson, Lakeith Stanfield and Steven Yeun. Although it doesn’t take itself too seriously, “Sorry to Bother You” conveys deeper implications about the struggle to balance paying rent and maintaining meaningful relationships. BILLIE EILISH’S VOCALS IN A CHURCH The 16-year-old’s meteoric rise began

YUE NAKAYAMA If you need a quick culture fix to bring you back to life after Beer Bike, stop by Matchbox Gallery on Sunday from 3-6 p.m for video and performance artist Yue Nakayama’s exhibition opening. In “2017-2016-2015” Nakayama considers the role of the individual in our politically absurd world. Expect live music and refreshments. Matchbox Gallery

‘Not All the Beautiful Things’ builds on What So Not’s sound NAOMI WENTZ THRESHER STAFF / NW9@RICE.EDU

BEAUTIFUL Genre: Dance / Electronic Top Track: ‘Be Ok Again’

“[It was] pretty tiring but Tank and the Bangas was a religious experience. [I] decided on an impulse to go, Googled it once, and left with a group of people six hours later.” - Jahnavi Jagannath Lovett College senior

christina tan / thresher

THRESHER STAFF / CT38@RICE.EDU

MUSIC

with “Ocean Eyes.” Now with nine songs under her belt, two of which are gold certified, Eilish is an indie pop artist to watch. I had the pleasure of listening to her all-acoustic set in a church, where Eilish’s crooning vocals on “my boy” and cover of “Hotline Bling” truly felt like a religious experience. SADIQ KHAN’S REALISTIC TAKE ON TECHNOLOGY At a conference where “blockchain” was thrown around with the same frequency as “hello,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s keynote speech was a refreshingly realistic take on technology. Not playing around, Khan began his speech by pointing to technology’s divisive nature and called upon policymakers to develop policies in pace with technological development. Khan also called upon social media companies to take a stronger stance against fake news and online harassment. “[I want] to create a place where everyone is welcomed,” Khan said. VIRTUAL REALITY CINEMA’S POTENTIAL Horrifically long lines did not deter me from experiencing some of the virtual cinema at SXSW. I watched, or rather experienced, Terrence Malick’s “Together,” a six-minute 360-degree

SXSW CONT. ON PAGE 17

“Not All the Beautiful Things” is electronic project What So Not’s second album, and in these 12 tracks, the Australian producer finally demonstrates the full range of his musical talent. However, this album isn’t a perfect five; it has its weak points just like almost any other artist. “Not All the Beautiful Things” displays a perhaps more accessible side to What So Not and certainly adds more than it takes away from his favorable reputation. “Not All the Beautiful Things” has so many stellar tracks that not only capture, but also add to the essence of What So Not’s sound. “Warlord,” which is a collaboration with underrated electronic producer Slumberjack, is intense, unpredictable and very reminiscent of another prolific Australian electronic artist, Flume, reminding listeners that Flume was also once part of What So Not. “Goh” is another collaborative track, this time with one of the genre’s most well-known producers, Skrillex. It is, of course, a “banger,” much like the 2016 track “Waiting,” which featured Skrillex and RL Grime. “Goh” is a bit less moody and dark, and the second drop features more melodic elements which call back to What So Not’s first album, “Divide and Conquer.” My favorite track, and perhaps the most catchy, is “Be Ok Again,” which includes Daniel Johns’ vocal talents, which are featured other places on the album. Though I know some would

BEAUTIFUL CONT. ON PAGE 17

courtesy bandcamp

SPRING ART MARKET

HOUSTON LATINO FILM FESTIVAL

Support local artists over coﬀee this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Black Hole’s Spring Art Market. You’ll be able to peruse and purchase zines, ceramics, cards, paintings and more. A portion of the proceeds will go to support the March for Our Lives.

The third annual Houston Latino Film Festival runs from Thursday through Sunday this week, showing short and feature-length films spanning a variety of subjects and genres. Tickets are $10 per screening, check their website for the full schedule.

Black Hole Coffee House 4504 Graustark

Various locations houstonlatinofilmfestival.org

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018 FOOD

Hunting for happy hours WALDEN PEMANTLE THRESHER STAFF / WSP2@RICE.EDU

I love Willy’s Pub and Valhalla as much as the next guy. The cheap craft beer and convenient location of both bars make it hard to justify schlepping off campus and ponying up $10 a drink at any “more fashionable” off-campus bar. Still, missing out on the enormous array of cocktail bars, ice houses and dives that make up Houston’s bar scene would be a real shame, and for those willing to hunt, a number of excellent bars nearby offer happy hours cheap enough to stay within your beer money budget. BENJY’S Benjy’s in the Village is the closest and most highly recommended happy hour in our area. Before discovering the swanky second-floor lounge, I had held Benjy’s to be the quintessential restaurant to visit with parents or a time someone else could pick up the bill. However, Benjy’s happy hour, served from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, offers $3 beers, $5 wines and $6 cocktails, plus a number of discounts on house specials. The Brussels sprouts with peanuts and bonito flakes is highly recommended at $6 a bowl, and the $8 burger and beer combo over-delivers with a fluffy, sweet bun and impressively juicy patty. LUCILLE’S On the pricier side of the spectrum, Lucille’s happy hour is still worth trying for its food specials and the wide range of botanicals used in their cocktails. Complex layered herbal house cocktails like “The Garden” are $3 off, leaving most around $6 or $7. The famous chili biscuits, while tiny, are also served in fours for $4 and additional discounts are offered on specials like fried catfish and oxtail gremolata. Happy hour runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily. THE HAY MERCHANT My personal favorite of the bunch, Hay Merchant simultaneously manages great deals, a relaxed atmosphere (You can just as easily catch a game or chat over a plate of nachos) and creative, delicious food. Happy hour runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and simply entails a subset of 23 beers from the massive beer list priced down to $3 a

pour. Knowledgeable servers and helpful descriptions on the menu ensure you’ll find a beer suited to your taste. While the only food deal is a typical beer-burger-shot combo, dishes like the PB&J wings, crispy pigs ears and the Cease & Desist burger are already well priced at $14 and under. It’s not walking distance, but a quick ride on the 56 bus will get you a block away. GRAND PRIZE For a low eﬀort trip, Grand Prize is a quick walk up Montrose from campus and has accurately been described as “divey yet dank.” Operating out of a converted, dimly lit house by Bell park, Grand Prize is among Houston’s best known hipster dive bars. Happy hour is fairly limited with $2 PBR specials, $3 wells and $5 frozen cocktails, but it lasts from 4 until 8 p.m., and the $5 cheeseburgers put more expensive burger outlets (I’m looking at you, Bernie’s and Hopdoddy) to shame. With straightforward, tasty drinks, and even better bar food, Grand Prize is well worth a trip while in the museum district. You may even end up sticking around and hitting the upstairs dance floor.

Hay Merchant simultaneously manages great deals, a relaxed atmosphere and creative, delicious food. DAK & BOP Alternatively, why not try Dak & Bop while you’re in the Museum District? As far as happy hour goes, Dak and Bop is certainly the most limited, but it still deserves honorable mention for how well it accompanies the restaurant’s Korean fried chicken. The Korean double fried chicken is quite possibly the best in Houston; however the process means a consistent halfhour wait from order to table. Adding the restaurant’s popularity and no-reservations policy to the mix can mean truly grueling waits. Fear not though, the $2.50 wells oﬀered during happy hour turn the wait into a win-win as showing up between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. means both a shorter wait and tasty drinks while you drool over your incoming fried chicken.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BEAUTIFUL FROM PAGE 16 classify it as electronic dance music (the most poppy subgenre of electronic music), it has a mixture of elements more complex than any releases by The Chainsmokers. “Same Mistakes,” also with Johns’ vocals, is a quiet but intense track. About two thirds of the way through the track, the sound shifts a bit to a classic What So Not drop that is rich in bass without being overpowering or harsh. Closing song “Us” is arguably the best track from the release. It’s slow and beautiful and seamlessly blends melodic elements with Johns’ voice and is great way to end the album. Throughout “Not All the Beautiful Things,” What So Not has also made some complementary tracks that add to the cohesiveness of the album. The tracks “Demons” and “Monsters” are perfect examples. Both are smooth hip hop/R&B style tracks that build upon the themes of the other, but “Demons” is the stronger of the two as it better captures the quiet but intense sound that What So Not develops in this album. “Not All the Beautiful Things” is a strong album overall but there are a few tracks that should have been omitted or at least retooled. One of these tracks is

“Beautiful.” The vocals, by Winona Oak, are pretty run-of-the-mill for an electronic song and the drop is like that of “Be Ok Again” but it ends up being too repetitive. “If You Only Knew” is a collaboration between What So Not and San Holo and is also another track that falls flat. San Holo has a very distinct style, but it isn’t brought out at all in “If You Only Knew” and instead, it tries to be a “banger” and ends up feeling clunky and awkward. The worst track by far is “We Keep On Running.” It combines over-hyped guitar riffs with ill-fitting vocals from Toto. This song just doesn’t fit What So Not’s style and sounds forced. What So Not’s debut album, “Divide and Conquer,” was a tough act to follow, artfully establishing the producer’s intense and moody style, but “Not All the Beautiful Things” does a great job of building upon that sound and expanding it into more subgenres of electronic music. Complementary tracks add to its cohesiveness, although some are weaker than others. “Not All the Beautiful Things” makes What So Not’s work more accessible to “beginner audiences” and cements the Australian producer’s place in electronic music.

SXSW FROM PAGE 16 dance performance. The dancers swayed, leaped and spun all around me, while shifting banners fluttered behind them. It genuinely felt like I had been thrown into a YouTube video of the dance. It finished with the dancers fading into a bottomless starry universe, where I too floated before taking my headset off. Although a bit clunky with visual distortions, “Together” convinced me of the potential of Virtual Reality Cinema in upcoming years.

STEVE AOKI’S CAKES Aoki is known to throw cakes at the end of his performances – his SXSW set was no exception. After a high energy set, Aoki brought on stage Noah Cyrus, an upcoming pop star and Miley Cyrus’ younger sister, to throw large birthday cakes into the audience. Yours truly had the pleasure of getting hit in the face with one. Worth it. For more in-depth coverage, including best-of/worst-of and film and music reviews, see www.ricethresher.org.

Rice University Baker College

Henry presents

Admission: $10 March 29-31 April 5-7 Baker Commons, 8PM

Directed by Stephen Miranda

For questions or ticket reservations, please email ricebakershake@gmail.com or call 346 217 8026

Do you have a background in Math, Engineering, or Computer Science? You Could Have a Future in Financial Engineering!

College of Engineering | College of Business Master of Science in Finacial Engineering

SPORTS

18 SOCCER

Rice fútbol: Soccer makes first international trip MICHAEL PRICE THRESHER STAFF / JMP12@RICE.EDU

Over Spring Break, the Rice soccer team took its first ever international trip, a weeklong journey to Spain. They had the chance to compete against various Spanish teams and also visited many famous sites in Barcelona and Valencia. Although the players agreed the matches were a blast to play, most of the team said their favorite part of the trip was sightseeing in Spain. Some of the places they visited included Mercat de la Boqueria, a large market in downtown Barcelona, and Camp Nou, home to prestigious FC Barcelona. Junior Marissa Topolski said she relished the opportunity to visit the country. “You only go to Spain once in a while,” Topolski said. “The sightseeing is something I may never get [to do] again.” Sophomore Louise Stephens said visiting famous sites of Spain was the best part of the trip. “I [had] never seen Barcelona or Valencia,” Stephens said. “Playing was definitely really fun, but I love being in the city and seeing what the country had to oﬀer.”

Many players’ favorite destination was the Barraca Toni Montoliu restaurant in Valencia, a farm-to-table restaurant known for its “Original Spanish Paella.” After a nine-mile bike trip earlier in the day, the team was able to finally rest and enjoy the famous Valencian rice dish. Junior Annie Walker said she enjoyed experiencing the local atmosphere.

They are a lot more technical, so it makes us focus on staying close when defending. Annie Walker Junior Forward “What I really liked was seeing how diﬀerent the culture is, especially at the paella farm,” Walker said. “It was so much fun to hang out with my teammates and with people who live here.” Because they enjoyed the trip, head coach Nicky Adams said she would like to take more international trips in the future.

“I think these trips are great cultural experiences, but also a great bonding experience for the team,” Adams said. “There are so many places where soccer is so significant, and we can go on and on [about] the possible places where we can go.” All of the players on the team had suggestions for where to go next; the most popular were France and Germany. The Owls opened up the playing portion of the trip with a scrimmage against RCD Espanyol, a Spanish Primera División club based in Barcelona. In the 11th minute, sophomore goalkeeper Maya Hoyer punted the ball to Topolski, who in turn scored in the right side of the goal to take a 1-0 lead. The Owls continued to play strong defense throughout the rest of the game and defeated the Spanish club team 1-0. According to Walker, competing against Spanish teams is very diﬀerent than playing college matches in the United States. “The Spanish teams are a lot smaller than the teams we play back home, so we can use our size and strength more,” Walker said. “However, they are a lot more technical, so it makes us focus on staying close when defending, pressuring quickly and having them not play around us.”

courtesy rice athletics

Members of the soccer team pose at Barcelona’s Castell de Montjuïc during the second day of the trip. The castle, which dates back to 1640 and currently serves as a Barcelona municipal facility, was one of many sites the team visited in both Barcelona and Valencia during the trip.

For their second match, the Owls played el Club de Fútbol Femenino Marítim, a professional team based in Valencia. Despite junior Dominique Mazero’s goal in the 18th minute, the Owls were unable to keep up their momentum. CFF Marítim scored three more goals to win the game 3-1. Hoyer said the main aspect of the Spanish teams that set them apart was their fiery passion for the game. “Every team has passion no matter who you play, but these teams, you saw in their eyes, movements and how they communicated,” Hoyer said. “They always encouraged each other no matter what.” According to Adams, this experience helped the team improve their skills on the field. “It was really good for our team to see something diﬀerent,” Adams said. “What we’ve been trying to work on is problem solving on the field, and I believe that seeing diﬀerent playstyles allowed us to see new obstacles.” The Owls returned to Houston this past Saturday and hope to use some of the skills they learned from the trip for the upcoming 2018 season.

courtesy rice athletics

Freshmen Stephanie Halow and Trinity King pose before FC Barcelona’s Champions League match against Chelsea FC at Camp Nou. The team was surprised with tickets to the game and watched as Barcelona trounced the Blues 3-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.

FOOTBALL

Bloomgren looking forward to beginning of spring practices ERIC BARBER FOR THE THRESHER / EM23@RICE.EDU

This week will mark the beginning of a new era for Rice football: Head coach Mike Bloomgren will lead his first practice as a collegiate head coach on Thursday when the football team begins its spring practices. The opening practice was originally scheduled to occur on March 5 but was delayed until after spring break due to the passing of junior defensive end Blain Padgett. The Owls will have 15 practices, including the annual Blue-Gray game, an intrasquad scrimmage that is open to the public. Bloomgren, who has been in the job since December, said he is enjoying being around Houston and Rice in general. “I think the people here [have] been excellent,” Bloomgren said. “They’ve been awesome to me, they’ve been awesome to my family and so welcoming and the Rice community is so passionate about Rice University and Rice football. During the winter, the team focused on their strength and conditioning training, but on Thursday they will get

out to the playing field for the first time. According to NCAA regulations, their first two practices must be non-contact; only 12 in total can have contact, and only eight out of those 12 can include tackling. According to Bloomgren, he is excited about getting out on the grass and getting started. “That’s what I’m looking forward to: Getting the chance to see step one of our system [installed] oﬀensively, defensively and [on] special teams,” Bloomgren said. One thing that Bloomgren will be looking for is new leaders. Last season’s team had 17 seniors, including veteran standouts Emmanuel Ellerbee, Brian Womac and DJ Green. Bloomgren has made it clear that the future leaders he is looking for need to perform on the field first and foremost. “To be that leader that we want, you gotta lead from the front,” Bloomgren said. “So, you got to be doing everything right yourself so that your voice will be able to bring those people along.” Since his hiring, Bloomgren has filled his staﬀ with key assistants that he will count on to head their respective units. Bloomgren hired Pete Lembo as

associate head coach and special teams coordinator, Jerry Mack as oﬀensive coordinator and Brian Smith as defensive coordinator. Lembo was most recently the associate head coach at the University of Maryland, Mack comes from the head coaching position at North Carolina Central University and Smith arrives at Rice after two seasons of being the defensive backs coach at the University of Michigan. Bloomgren said he is confident

It’s the most fluid depth chart in the world; we might as well call it water. Mike Bloomgren Football Head Coach in the choices he has made for these roles. “They are experts and unbelievable men; I think that’s the starting point of why we hired them,” Bloomgren said. “What you’re getting is three very diﬀerent coaching styles in those three coaches.” Usually, one of the main storylines

of spring practice at any university is position battles. For Rice, according to Bloomgren, all starting jobs are up for grabs. “It’s the most fluid depth chart in the world; we might as well call it water because that’s exactly what it is,” Bloomgren said.“We’ve told these guys we’re going to evaluate them from when I took over Dec. 5. This is a real fresh start for these kids and a great opportunity for all of us.” The Blue-Gray scrimmage is tentatively scheduled for April 21. While Bloomgren said he knows that change does not come overnight, he is hoping to see the team take its initial steps toward improvement during the spring. “I don’t know that anybody will be masters in their respective systems, but I hope that we have a good understanding of how to do the things we need to do for these oﬀense, defense and special teams units to be successful,” Bloomgren said. “The thing I’m stressing to these guys is process and eﬀort and understanding; that this thing is not going to be built tomorrow, but we have to understand the steps we have to take to get this thing right.”

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

SPORTS 19 MICHAEL BYRNES ASST. SPORTS EDITOR / MEB18@RICE.EDU

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Owls advance in WNIT

charlene pan / thresher

Junior guard Lauren Grigsby backs down a defender during Rice’s 71-60 victory over Texas State University in the first round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament last Thursday at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Owls moved on to the round of 32 for the first time since 2006 with the victory. Rice took on the University of New Mexico Tuesday night in Albuquerque, with the winner moving onto the round of 16. The game was ongoing at time of print.

The Owls are back in the postseason. After advancing to the quarterfinals in the Conference USA Tournament, Rice’s women’s basketball team earned a spot in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament for the first time since 2011. The WNIT is the second-highest level of postseason competition in women’s college basketball, one rung above the Women’s Basketball Invitational, which the Owls won last season. It follows a similar format to the NCAA Tournament, with 64 teams competing through six rounds of single-elimination play. The Owls qualified as one of 32 at-large bids given out by the selection committee. Rice triumphed in its first-round WNIT matchup against Texas State University, notching a 71-60 victory through a strong defensive eﬀort, limiting the Bobcats to just 38 percent shooting from the field. The Owls were led by sophomore guard Erica Ogwumike’s 14th double-double of the season; her 27 points and ten rebounds paced the squad. Junior forward Nicole Iademarco added 12 points and a team-high five assists to help Rice secure the victory. With the win, the Owls advanced to the round of 32 for the first time since 2006, facing oﬀ against the University of New Mexico on Tuesday night in a game that was ongoing at the time of publication. Read the Thresher’s recap of the game online at ricethresher.org.

EDITOR’S COLUMN: THE FINAL KAUNTDOWN

Rice baseball no longer among national elite ANDREW GROTTKAU SPORTS EDITOR / ABG4@RICE.EDU

Everyone who follows Rice baseball knows the numbers: 23 straight NCAA tournament appearances. Seven College World Series appearances. One national championship. And if anyone doesn’t know them, they can see them as soon as they enter Reckling Park. A flag in left field celebrates the 2003 national champions, and various plaques, trophies and signs celebrate all of the College World Series teams and star players of the past. That history will never be forgotten. Rice spent the better part of two decades as one of the nation’s best baseball programs. Those years were magical, and they should be celebrated forever. But that period is over. Sorry, Rice. The baseball program just isn’t elite anymore. In truth, it has not been elite for years. Rice last appeared in a Super Regional in 2013. And a College World Series? Not since 2008. The Owls’ win totals have decreased steadily since their last Super Regional appearance: 44 wins in 2013, 42 in 2014, 37 in 2015, 38 in 2016 and 33 last season. It has been a slow, consistent fall from the pinnacle of the college baseball world.

Ten years ago, a conference championship was a foregone conclusion, not a lofty goal. The NCAA Tournament was an expectation, not an achievement. And while bad losses happened, Rice almost never got swept, much less by a conference foe.

As long as the fans who followed the Owls through their glory years are around, each Rice team will be compared to those of the early 2000s. Now, the Owls are a very good, but no longer great, program. In the past two years, Rice has been swept in the opening series of conference play both times. Its NCAA Tournament hopes last year hinged on a miracle run through the conference tournament. And after winning the regular season conference title six straight years from 2010 to 2015, the Owls haven’t finished better than fourth in the conference standings the past two seasons.

This year’s start has only reinforced Rice’s standing in the college baseball landscape. The Owls are 9-13, not quite bad enough to warrant a full-on panic but mediocre enough to indicate that like last season, it’s going to be a battle for this team to make the NCAA Tournament. Junior Ford Proctor and senior Ryan Chandler have been superb so far, batting .405 and .333 respectively, and newcomers Braden Comeaux and Trei Cruz have impressed as well. The Owls also have had some great wins, beating nationally-ranked teams like the University of Central Florida and Texas Christian University. But they have been woefully inconsistent, dropping close contests when the defense or bullpen falters or getting downright outplayed by superior teams. Still, the expectations of greatness remain. As long as the fans who followed the Owls through their glory years are around, each Rice team will be compared to those of the early 2000s. Every win will remind the longtenured supporters of a great team from years ago, and every loss will be a sign that the team just isn’t as good as it was at its height. Those comparisons will never end. Now that Rice does not have the luxury of being at the top of the college baseball world, the

expectations are almost unreasonable. As the program continues to settle among the goodbut-not-great teams in college baseball, each season will add to fans’ disappointment. There is still a chance this year’s team could make the NCAA Tournament. It would be the 24th straight appearance for Rice, which currently holds the third longest active streak in Division I. And hey, anything can happen. If Rice makes the tournament, some hot pitching could carry it to the Super Regional round or further. That won’t change the fact that the program is stuck in the mud. It’s not moving forward; it’s just trapped in the middle. And it’s hard to see any signs that it could get much better than this. Good but not great is the new normal for Rice baseball, and it’s here to stay.

ANDREW GROTTKAU

McMurtry College Junior Thresher Sports Editor abg4@rice.edu

THE RICE THRESHER

BACKPAGE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

VOLUME 102, ISSUE NO. 21 | STUDENT-PUNS SINCE 1916 | RICEPURITYTEST.COM | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

The Backpage

MCDUNCAN MIXUP Housing and Dining: “We don’t know the diﬀerence either!”

THANK GOD Bike captains predict “Will Rice Won’t Sweep”

NOT JUST THE HANDSHAKE Leebron sad about shrinking endowment

SEE NEWS P. 4

SEE BEER BIKE P. 11

SEE NEWS P. 3

NEWS

INTER-COLLEGIATE COLLUSION CONTUSIONS IN WILLY WEEK CONFUSION!?

Only three days before Beer Bike, reports are swirling surrounding several colleges allegedly bribing the Rice Program Council for race placements. Our sources have produced email exchanges between representatives from Will Rice, Jones and Wiess Colleges, as well as RPC oﬃcers. The parties have been oﬀering a slew of “contributions” to curry the favor of execu-

tive council members, such as kegs, funding

There has been absolutely no collusion between RPC and any of these college agents. Suljeman Sorensen RPC Spokesman for a new study break, “treasures from the Orient”, and even a couple doobies. Although

Help me help you

OP-ED

Which residential college fills the most water balloons each year? Perhaps that question should be rephrased: which residential college most supports the ecological annihilation of the majestic Solenopsis, or “fire ant,” population that calls Founder’s Court its

“Will Rice started it,” according to indignant RPC spokesman Suljeman Sorensen, “there has been absolutely no collusion between RPC and any of these college agents.” Jones attempted to one-up Will Rice’s offering with single-origin homemade goat cheese, which most everyone can agree is just weird. Not to be left behind, Wiess College quickly donated their entire endowment

home? On March 24, hordes of humanoid scum will disrupt, deluge and destroy hundreds of intricate ecosystems, the complexity of which is lost on beings unable to think with the hive’s mind. And after the morning’s siege, fragments of those bulbous bombs

will litter the field for 24 hours – a sadistic gesture that leaves the few survivors incapable of escaping the ravages of war. So if you choose to participate in this abhorrent annual atrocity, take a moment to think of the ants. Because they will return stronger,

to RPC. To maintain an objective investigation, Dean Hutchinson has dispatched special counsel Todd Flenderson, an RUPD oﬃcer who “would otherwise just be unlocking doors for irresponsible dartyers.” Flenderson has assured The Backpage that “I will deal with this matter in expedited fashion due to the fact that it does not matter.” Although Will

INVESTIGATIVE

WikiLeaks uncovering jack list UH OH! MARTEL IS GONNA PAY FOR A KITQ FOR BROWN! #GOTTEM

RiceLeaks founder Stephen Paulus has uncovered an audacious jack for this Willy Week. As a matter of courtesy, The Backpage feels

Brown, you’re gonna get shelled with Hershey’s chocolate bars.

CONTUSIONS CONT. ON PAGE 21

angrier and evolved. And they will have their revenge.

compelled to let the public know: Brown, you’re gonna get shelled with Hershey’s chocolate bars. They’re also gonna prep some bonfires and stock you with graham crackers, but not a single marshmallow. #SAVAGE! #ugoodm8? Lastly, our apologies to Duncan and McMurtry – we didn’t realize H&D did jacks, too.

UNDERGRADUATE SENTIMENTS DURING WILLIAM MARSH RICE WEEK For your convenience, we have provided the DowJones Industrial Average for the current week for scaling and economic purposes. Oh, that makes no sense? Shut up.

Shits Given

Will Rice Suckage Water Balloons Biking How good you feel about your haircut Progress on a Two-State Solution Dow-Jones Industrial Average

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The Backpage is satire and written by Joey McGlone and Isaac Schultz. For comments or questions, please email farts@rice.edu.

CLASSIFIEDS WANTED

TEACH FOR TESTMASTERS! Dynamic and Energetic teachers wanted. Starting pay rate is $20 to $32 per hour. Flexible schedules. We provide all training, all training is paid, and we pay for travel. Email your resume to rice-jobs@testmasters.com. RICE ALUM HIRING tutors for Middle & High School Math, Natural & Social Sciences, Foreign Language, Humanities, and SAT/ACT prep. Reliable transportation required. Pay is based upon variety of factors. Contact 832428-8330 and email resume to sri.iyengar@ sriacademicservices.com

LOVING CAT WANTED 2-3 years old. Suitable for condo home. Lap cat, purrs readily. Does not scratch furniture. Medium length fur. Companion of active senior. Calm and sweet personality. Contact 713-528-3239. FURNISHED ROOMS from $560-$640 per room, including water, gas, electricity and internet. 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment $965 bills paid. Located in a fourplex in the Rice Village. Seven minutes walk to Campus. Washer/dryer available. Summer/school year lease. International students welcome. Contact 713-205-6681 - melsyo@sbglobal. net

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