The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, October 9, 2019

VOLUME 104, ISSUE NO. 7 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Unraveling the effects of mass shootings through members of the Rice community

RICE THEATRE PRESENTS ‘AS YOU LIKE IT’

KATELYN LANDRY A&E EDITOR

This weekend, Rice Theatre will present “As You Like It,” a Shakespearean pastoral comedy about the follies of love and the pursuit of happiness amid chaos. In a series of hilarious events, the familiar trope of star-crossed lovers is rejuvenated with a humorous case of mistaken identity.

The play centers on Rosalind, the daughter of the usurped Duke Senior, who runs from her uncle’s corrupt court with her best friend and cousin Celia to the Forest of Arden. Under disguise, Rosalind discovers that her true love Orlando is also in the forest and decides to put his love to the test.

The production is directed by Christina Keefe, director of both Rice Theatre and undergraduate studies for the theater concentration in the visual and dramatic arts department. “As You Like It” marks a sharp departure from last fall’s contemporary fantasy “She Kills Monsters.”

Keefe says this steep contrast is intentional, and that she tries to choose productions from a wide variety of genres.

Everyone has a different way of looking at Shakespeare ... There’s all different kinds of places you could set it.

Christina Keefe RICE THEATRE DIRECTOR

ILLUSTRATION BY DALIA GULCA

ALINA ZHU AND IVANKA PEREZ FOR THE THRESHER & FEATURES EDITOR

Following the tragic events in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, which took place a little over two months ago, we at the Thresher sought to investigate the extent to which the Rice community has been affected by mass shootings. After speaking to many individuals, both students and faculty, we found that many weren’t just saddened by what had happened — they were also frustrated by the lack of action toward a solution. By writing this article, we hope to share these individuals’ experiences messages as they begin to move forward.

INITIAL REACTIONS

One common thread between the stories was their initial reaction when they heard the news — shock and disbelief.

Natalie Saenz went cold when she found out there had been a shooting not 20 minutes from her home in El Paso.

“My heart sank,” Saenz said. “I could feel it drop to my stomach.”

Saenz, a Lovett College junior, was in Austin at the time of the El Paso shooting on Aug. 3. She said she remembers being in absolute disbelief as her boyfriend’s father, a cop who was receiving the updates over the radio, told her about the events as they transpired.

The moment of shock was soon followed by a feeling of dread. Saenz said she rushed to call her family.

“My grandpa always goes to that Walmart on Saturdays and that day he happened to be at the Walmart down the street,” Saenz said.

“It just hit me. It could have been him. It could have been anyone I knew.”

Emani Brown was in Connecticut for an internship when she heard about the shooting near her home in El Paso.

“Immediately I was overcome by fear,” Brown, a Jones College junior, said. “I was shocked. I was scared … I didn’t want to believe it.”

SEE MASS SHOOTINGS PAGE 6

NEWS

Carl Benjamin disinvited by College Republicans

CHRISTINA TAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

British Youtuber Carl Benjamin, also known as Sargon of Akkad, was originally scheduled to speak on campus next week on invitation by the Rice University College Republicans but was disinvited following recent campus discussions on sexual assault, according to RUCR Chairwoman Juliette Turner.

“We saw what was happening on campus regarding sexual assault awareness [and] the scandal with the administration,” Turner, a Duncan College senior, said. “Someone brought to my attention the statements that [Benjamin]

had made [and] we realized that this was not the best time to bring Sargon to campus. We wanted to be sensitive to the environment on campus right now and to sexual assault victims.”

With 969,000 subscribers as of print, Benjamin is best known for his involvement in the Gamergate conspiracy theory and for his comments on rape.

Benjamin, who also ran for European Parliament, regularly posts controversial videos and commentary on political correctness, feminism and Islam.

RUCR originally announced Benjamin’s visit on Facebook on Oct. 3, where they stated that he would come to campus for a talk on “freedom of

speech and tech censorship.” Benjamin referenced this topic in a statement regarding the event cancellation.

“As I understand it, the administration is afraid of ‘bad press’ because they failed to handle a sexual assault case in an appropriate matter,” Benjamin wrote in a statement through his manager, Callum Darragh. “I’m not really sure where I fit into the picture as my talk would have been about censorship and deplatforming, but they seem to think this would be noteworthy enough to bring national attention to their establishment, the scrutiny of which they are apparently unable to withstand.”

SEE SARGON PAGE 3

“I always try to look for something that I think is going to challenge and intrigue the students,” Keefe said. “And that brings me to this play because now you’re going to have to deal with things like corsets and swords.”

Even though Renaissance music and Old English may spring to mind when you hear the word “theater,” Keefe said that a Shakespearean production set in the Elizabethan era is actually uncommon.

“Everyone has a different way of looking at Shakespeare,” Keefe said. “You can set it in cowboy Oklahoma; there’s all different kinds of places you could set it. So, it’s nice to see more an original practice sort of thing.”

Keefe’s vision reverberates with assistant director Alan Brincks, who recently graduated from the University of Houston with a master’s and said he appreciates this year’s production as a refreshing revival of a classic story. “‘As You Like It’ isn’t done a ton and I think it’s still something that a lot of people can glean something from now in 2019,” Brincks said. “And I think it’s just a great story, you know? A lot of the themes are still as present today as they were 400 years ago.”

While the morals and lessons of the play may transcend time, audiences can expect to be transported to and totally immersed in the Elizabethan period thanks to the show’s elaborate costume design. Despite considerable setbacks caused by Tropical Depression Imelda last month, students and staff in the costume shop built and created over 100 looks for “As You Like It,” an impressive volume that Keefe says is larger than any show Rice Theatre has produced in years.

SEE AS

YOU LIKE IT PAGE 9

THE RICE THRESHER

2 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019

NEWS Civic Duty Rice holds Houston Youth Voters Conference that have made Harris County government more transparent, shifting from 15-minute to one-hour long council meetings consisting mostly of contractors to eight-hour sessions involving the community when deliberating infrastructure changes. She points to this increased involvement of the community when addressing the issue of flooding.

“It used to be scary for folks to mention the issue of climate change,” Hidalgo said.

“It never came up or was uttered in county government, which meant we couldn’t use the best science to talk to developers and

brian Lin / THRESHER

The Houston Youth Voters Conference was held at the University of Houston-Downtown. The event included a panel of college student government presidents.

BRIAN LIN THRESHER STAFF The Houston Youth Voters Conference was held at the University of HoustonDowntown by Civic Duty Rice last Friday, drawing over 100 attendees two weeks after the original date was altered by Tropical Depression Imelda. According to Meredith McCain, president and founder of Civic Duty Rice, the event was the culmination of a six-month process of reaching out to several speakers, planning four policy breakout sessions and building a coalition of local colleges including the University of Houston, UHD, University of HoustonClearlake and Texas Southern University.

On a panel of college student government presidents, Rice SA President Grace Wickerson championed the success of Turbovote — an application that streamlines the voting process — in registering students to vote and pledged to empower student civic participation.

“At Rice, we have a large population of students who are out of state, so for them, if they want to vote back home, there’s not many places they can do that,” Wickerson said. “I think Turbovote is really great in that regard ... we got about 558 students on the platform.”

Lina Hidalgo spoke on how young people can be drivers of change, citing her own experience as Harris County judge — an executive position tasked with overseeing Harris County’s governing body. As the second youngest county judge in Harris County history, as well as the first female and first Latina judge, Hidalgo told the audience that it is not age, but the willingness to ask why, that makes for great advocacy.

“The people that had been in politics for ten, twenty, thirty years saw it as a position that only dealt with roads and bridges,” Hidalgo said. “They didn’t realize that in controlling the budget they could do so much good.”

Hidalgo also highlighted the changes

Thousands of voters were denied their right to vote in that election and other elections as well.

Daine Trautman HARRIS COUNTY CLERK really regulate the way we grow.”

Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman spoke on her work implementing countywide voting for the May 2019 elections. She said that before this change, voters could only vote at their designated polling location, forcing 2,500 voters to fill out provisional ballots after arriving at the wrong ballot, a figure that doesn’t include voters who showed up to an incorrect polling location and simply gave up and left.

“So basically thousands of voters were denied their right to vote in that election and other elections as well,” Trautman said.

“And for the first time in the third largest county in the nation, voting on Election Day

did not hinge in having to cast the ballot at a designated polling location.”

Trautman also shared that while she was a trustee-at-large on the Board of Education, she noticed that many voters didn’t vote all the way down to the bottom of the ballot where the school board races and other local races were tallied.

“Sometimes questionable candidates would get into these positions without even trying because voters wouldn’t vote all the way down the ballot,” Trautman said “When I complained about it to my friends, they said the only way you could change this is to educate voters about the importance of local races.”

Several organizations were present at the conference — Houston Peace and Justice Center, Children at Risk, Young Invincibles, March for Our Lives and Mi Familia Vota — as well has two Rice organizations, Deeds Not Words and Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice. Attendees could also choose to attend one of the four policy breakout sessions — equitable disaster recovery, transportation, gun legislation and “We the People: Our Role in Politics”.

Diana De La Torre Pinedo, Baker College junior, attended the event and volunteered for Civic Duty Rice. She said that hearing the leaders speak was a valuable experience, stressing the importance of civic engagement in translating ideas into action.

“Something that I’ve seen throughout the year is that people have become a lot more socially aware, we have seen students take more action about issues that they’re passionate about,” Pinedo said.

“Understanding community organizations matters. I think Rice is getting better and getting more involved, but they do need to commit to stuff like this.”

African studies committee shares progress RYND MORGAN ASST NEWS EDITOR At the Student Association Senate meeting on Oct. 7, Center for African and African American Studies steering committee member Zubaidat Agboola presented current progress on the Center and the selection of a second undergraduate member of the steering committee.

I am happy that I could see this change within Rice’s academic sphere before graduating and have the chance to be a part of shaping its direction.

Zubaidat Agboola WIESS COLLEGE JUNIOR The SA Senate passed a resolution to support the creation of an African and African American studies major in April.

Since the resolution was passed, the Increasing African Presence in Academia task force has been working on a peer institution report and advocating for an African and African American studies major as well as a more accessible African studies minor, according to task force members Dara Okeremi and Agboola.

“We intended to focus on the minor so current students can study in the field and to have a stronger claim to propose a major,”

Agboola, a Wiess College junior, said. “As of now we are focusing on redesigning the African studies minor [and will propose] a curriculum soon.”

At the SA Senate meeting, Agboola said that although the center currently has limited funding, the steering committee is looking for student feedback. The steering committee is currently looking to hire one new art history professor right now, but hopes that there will be more faculty positions open and funding available in the future.

Task force member Axel Ntamatungiro said that he found that many students who wanted to minor in African studies were unable to due to a lack of course offerings and scheduling issues.

“Within this year, I hope the steering committee will have revamped the AAAS minor and provided a tangible timeline for the creation and implementation of the AAAS major,” Ntamatungiro, a Duncan College junior, said. “Long-term, I hope the steering committee will have implemented the AAAS major so that, at the very least, today’s freshmen can graduate with the major.”

According to Agboola, the student work dedicated to “increasing African presence in academia” began before the Increasing African Presence in Academia student initiative committee was even conceptualized.

“The frustration from knowing that Rice students pursuing the African studies minor could not graduate with their intended minor of study pushed me to find out why the state of the minor was how it was and pursue change within the administration,” Agboola said.

Okeremi said that course offerings at Rice should reflect the diverse and multicultural student population.

“Houston is the most diverse city in

ChanNING Wang / THRESHER

Center for African and African American Studies steering committee member Zubaidat Agboola presented progress on the center at the Oct. 7 meeting of the SA Senate.

the United States and Rice, being situated in this city, has a diverse population of students,” Okeremi, a McMurtry College sophomore, said. “I believe a major that allows for students’ cultures to be accurately represented in the academic realm is important because there is in general a lack of discussion around Africa.”

According to Ntamatungiro, most peer institutions established African and African American studies departments or majors about half a century ago.

“Rice not having an AAAS major goes against its mission statement […] and undermines its V2C2 goal to ‘expand access, diversity and inclusiveness,’” Ntamatungiro said.

Agboola said that she was glad to see the progress that has been made so far in establishing an African and African American studies major. Agobala said they are happy to

see this milestone before graduation.

“It has been amazing to see the dedicated work of students and faculty from before our time at Rice as well as the efforts of our committee manifest into a Center for African and African American Studies,” Agboola said. “I am happy that I could see this change within Rice’s academic sphere before graduating and have the chance to be a part of shaping its direction.”

According to Agboola, much of the progress made in establishing the center rose from efforts made by the earlier task force and SA Senate resolution.

“The SA [Senate] can actually effect tangible change,” Agboola said at the SA Senate meeting.

The School of Humanities and the School of Social Sciences are hosting an opening reception for the Center for African and African American Studies Oct. 16.

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 3

Palantir visit prompts petition, protest RISHAB RAMAPRIYAN NEWS EDITOR More than 150 Rice University community members have signed a petition urging the department of computer science to drop Palantir Technologies from a computer science mixer event on the evening of Oct. 10, due to contention over Palantir’s ongoing contracts with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Hanszen College junior Nery Perez, the author of the petition, said they learned about the mixer from a friend who received an invitation through the computer science Listserv.

“They told me there should be a protest at this,” Perez said. “I agreed and in an effort to prevent the company from ever even coming to campus, I followed the footsteps of several other petitioners on Mijente’s website.”

Luay Nakhleh, chair of the computer science department, said that Palantir is one of 15 companies represented by alumni attending the mixer event. The mixer is part of the 35th anniversary celebration for the computer science department.

“We love, respect and care about our alumni, and we are grateful that they are traveling all the way to Houston to see us, celebrate with us and tell current students about job opportunities,” Nakhleh said.

“In doing so, we are neither endorsing any company nor telling our students which companies to work or not to work for.”

Nakhleh also said that the computer science department strongly believes in

integrating ethics into the curriculum.

According to Nakhleh, the computer science department started offering an ethics course last semester, given the implications of computer technologies.

We are neither endorsing any company nor telling our students which companies to work or not to work for.

Luay Nakhleh COMP DEPARTMENT CHAIR “However, our goal in teaching ethics is not to tell students which companies to work or not work for; our goal is to educate them to think for themselves and to make ethical issues part of their decision-making process,” Nakhleh said.

Nakhleh said that individual students can make decisions regarding companies.

“Knowing full well that our students care about ethics, we are confident that they will make the right choices, each according to his or her core values and, hopefully, using the reasoning we teach them,” Nakhleh said.

“And, if some don’t, there is always room for respectful disagreements.”

Prior to the mixer, Rice alumni who are working at Palantir will also be hosting an information session, according to

a Facebook post made by Shelby Bice (McMurtry College ‘19).

“I know there has been some pushback against Palantir recruiting on campus, and we invite anyone who would like to learn and discuss why Rice alums have chosen to work at Palantir, what we actually work on, and the mission of Palantir to attend the info session,” Bice said.

Pranay Mittal, a Wiess College sophomore, said that Palantir should be allowed to visit campus.

“I don’t in any way condone or support Palantir’s work with ICE,” Mittal said. “But if Rice students will start protesting companies that do some highly unethical things and some ethical things, why don’t we protest Facebook, BP, Chevron, etc.?... Trying to prevent [Palantir] from visiting doesn’t respect people who are interested in Palantir for catching child molesters or preventing credit card theft.”

Perez said that they believe that Palantir’s contracts with ICE are inexcusable regardless of other work they do.

“To everyone that signed the petition or supports it, uninviting Palantir is the logical and humane thing to do,” Perez said.

“Palantir may be doing some good things, but it doesn’t excuse their work with ICE.” According to Perez, two protests are going to be held, one at the Palantir information session and one at the CS mixer. Perez said students made signs in the Baker commons on Tuesday night.

“Hopefully this [protest] will convince Palantir to not show up,” Perez said.

Women’s Resource Center hosts panel HAJERA NAVEED FOR THE THRESHER The Rice Women’s Resource Center recently hosted their annual “Ask a Feminist Panel,” where three panelists spoke about their view on feminism and their attitudes toward current issues of debate surronding the topic. This year, the panelists were Brian Riedel, Amina Matin, Tani Barlow and Ylinka Barotto, all of whom bought a diverse perspective to the discussion.

Barotto was recently appointed the associate director at the Moody Center for the Arts a month ago after her move from New York where she worked at the Guggenheim Museum. She explained how she approaches feminism from an artist’s perspective in the panel, and how she tries to empower women in the art world.

“Before coming to Houston, I was involved with a group of women that were trying to understand how to empower women in the art world,” Barotto said during the panel.

“We focused on the issue of salary which is an important issue that is forgotten too often.”

For a student’s perspective, the panel also included Matin, who is one of the copresidents for the Rice American Association of University Women. Matin talked about her journey with feminism and the experiences that led her to this path.

“I had a long history of feminism,” Matin said. “My parents are huge feminists. This has been a long road for me and I plan to continue marching down this road for a long time.”

Riedel is the associate director in the study of women, gender and sexuality at Rice and teaches many classes on this and other related topics. Throughout the panel Riedel focused on intersectionality within feminism and the future of this movement.

“I like to think being a feminist is being a decent human being,” Riedel said in his introduction.

A main focus of the panel was on the issues of intersectionality and how the concept interacts with that of a feminist.

Joel Abraham, a Hanszen College junior, emphasized how many feminist movements are trans-exclusionary and wished that a trans panelist was included.

“I think that without centering a discussion of feminsm on queer issues and transmisogyny, it will always be exclusionary,” Abraham said. “Trans people are often added on to feminist

Amy Qin / THRESHER

Volunteers staff the Rice Women’s Resource Center for every day that the Rice Memorial Center is open. The RWRC also holds events such as the annual “Ask a Feminist Panel.”

movements and by feminists as an afterthought.”

The RWRC volunteer coordinator, Amy Lin, responded to Abraham’s comments on the inclusion of a transgender panelist.

“That is definitely something we will think about including in the future,” Lin said.

“I think we all like to think about issues of intersectional feminism. With a panel like this we are able to interrogate that pretty closely because we have women of color on the panel and we have the queer community represented in the panel.”

Riedel spoke about what intersectionality is during the panel and mentioned that it relates to some of the most important questions in feminism.

“There is a big misperception about what intersectionality is,” Riedel said. “It is not just that you add A and B to get A plus B. It’s that the combined experience of those identities or categories creates something different.”

Throughout the panel, audience members were given the chance to ask their personal questions to the panelists. Meghana Nadella, a Brown College sophomore, asked how one can be a feminist if their political views don’t align with what many associate to feminsts.

“I feel like in any college atmosphere, there is a wide spectrum of political views that students hold,” Nadella said. “I experienced that I am a little more conservative than some of my other friends, and because of that they

perceive me as incorrect in what I believe.”

Barotto responded to Nadella’s concerns, and explained how she wishes the connotation around feminism will change to become more approachable.

“I don’t think there is a wrong way to be a feminist,” Barotto said. “We can see feminism as a much more fluid concept that can be more embracing, and can be accommodating to people’s views. It is important to talk about this.”

Another audience member asked how to help women in situations of domestic violence and poverty, who feel that there is no way out. She relayed a story about a woman who was being beaten by her husband on the street in India, and how the woman did not accept any help that was offered.

Riedel responded by talking about a Houston group that focuses specifically on issues like these, and the panelists all agreed that situations like the one described are indicators of the long road ahead for feminism and the empowering of women.

Hannah Kim, a Brown senior, led the coordination for this event. She reflected at the end of the event on her general impressions.

“The audience asked really interesting questions and the event was very flexible, which was what we intended,” Kim said.

“I think we had the perfect audience for intimacy to facilitate discussion.”

SARGON FROM PAGE 1 Director of Risk Management Renee Block said that risk management was not involved in the planning or cancellation of the event.

Following the RUCR announcement, the Rice University Young Democrats organized an event in response called “Free Speech vs. Hate Speech,” a discussion co-hosted with the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Rice ACLU, according to Rice Young Democrats president Maddy Scannell.

“This event is not a call for disinvitation. In fact, we are happy to find a well for Carl Benjamin to use his free speech to scream into as loudly as he wants,” Scannell, a Martel College junior, said. “Any organization inviting a speaker to campus should make sure the speaker will add to the conversation, rather than troll members of our community for personal entertainment.”

A Google Form collecting student opinion on whether or not Benjamin should be disinvited was also sent out

by Lovett College junior Lavina Kalwani, who did not respond to request for comment.

Mallory Newbern, who commented on the initial RUCR announcement, said that she does not believe Benjamin would bring a diverse perspective to campus.

“As a [Students Transforming Rice Into a Violence-free Environment] liaison, I would say that the past month has been extremely triggering to a large magnitude of survivors,” Newbern, a Martel College sophomore, said. “In creating this event, the Rice Republicans have demonstrated a failure to care about the inevitable impact that Benjamin’s presence will have on these students.”

According to Turner, the original idea for Benjamin’s visit came from RUCR Chairperson candidate Anthony Saliba. Saliba, a Duncan College junior, said that Benjamin’s experiences with online censorship — he had previously been banned from Twitter and Patreon — made him a candidate for speaking on campus.

“Mr. Benjamin is a self-described classical liberal. He believes that all citizens should be equal under the law,” Saliba said. “In this regard, RUCR has no concerns about his ideology. As for his remarks to Ms. [Jess] Philips, the [member of Parliament] in question, RUCR of course does not condone such remarks, but we respect Mr. Benjamin’s right to freedom of speech.”

In their Facebook post suspending the event, RUCR wrote that they do not condone any offensive statements made

by Benjamin.

“We believe that there is value in Mr. Benjamin’s ideas regarding the concept of freedom of speech,” they wrote.

“However, considering the important conversation taking place on campus about sexual assault and Mr. Benjamin’s uncouth remarks in the past, we have concluded that it is an inappropriate time to have him speak to the Rice community.”

Benjamin said in his statement that he doesn’t see how the anonymous opinion writer’s case relates to his planned visit.

“I don’t know the full extent of the details nor how I am meant to be connected to this,” Benjamin wrote.

“I see no reason to assume that it is anything other than cowardice and complicity with cancel culture on the part of the administration, which presumably has more serious charges for which to answer.”

Turner said there are currently no plans in place to bring Benjamin to campus in the future, but that he will host an alternative event off campus at an undisclosed venue.

“As RUCR we are not sending the event to our Listservs, or our Facebook page or anything of that nature and we’re going to delete the post about the event on Facebook,” Turner said.

OPINION

4 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019

OPINION ASK THE STAFF What’s your ideal midterm recess?

STAFF EDITORIAL

Consider ethics in your job search A petition demanding that the computer science department cut ties with Palantir Technologies raised concerns about Palantir’s connections to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As we are students in a border state where ICE has a large presence, the petition raises a valid concern about Palantir specifically. More broadly, it points to the necessity of a critical examination of potential employers. As recruiting season continues, students should consider more than their prospective paycheck when weighing employment options.

While aimed specifically at Palantir, the sentiment behind the petition should apply to almost every company that recruits Rice students; many companies have similarly questionable practices, such as exploiting their employees or harming the environment.

Companies do not exist on a binary scale of ethical or unethical — if they did, nearly every corporation would fall under the latter. But, they can and should be critically compared. Similarly, not all roles in a given company are created equal in terms of the societal and environmental problems they actively contribute to. But, even working in diversity and inclusion or sustainability means identifying with the company’s overall values and practices, and contributing to their

profits that ultimately allow them to continue large-scale problematic behavior.

At Rice, it’s easy for students to lose sight of the world beyond the hedges. This is especially true when it comes to the jobs students seek out. Generally, students weigh pay, location and work-life balance when evaluating where they want to work post-graduation. But, for each company, weighing the performance of values by those empowering the organization is also important. Because quantifying ethics isn’t as simple as quantifying payment, hours expected to be worked, commute time or cost of living, students should invest time into deeper inquiry and self-reflection about the companies they might sign with. This may mean searching for jobs outside of the career fair or on-campus recruiting events, a route that many non-STEM students already pursue. This can pose financial challenges and greater time commitments, especially for students from low-income backgrounds who often have to prioritize financial support and stability over a commitment to certain company values. Regardless of economic background, however, students should take greater responsibility in examining their prospective employer and position; Palantir isn’t the only company with questionable practices.

“Spending all of ACL getting the perfect Instagram shot. Right angle, legs look good, cute outfit, hiding my hefty eye bags and the existential pressure I feel as graduation approaches, the whole deal. ” – Christina Tan, Editor-in-Chief

“Commenting heart eyes emojis on Christina’s perfect ACL Instagram picture and feeling deeply connected to her from hundreds of miles away.”

– Simona Matovic, Backpage Editor

“Christina loses her phone. We have a peaceful ACL experience.”

– Anna Ta, Managing Editor

OPINION

What Black people hear when you use the N-word As the semester starts and parties are in full swing, I want to speak out and be clear about one thing: Don’t use the N-word while rapping or singing along to songs.

On a broader note, don’t use the N-word in your casual vocabulary. This is a demand, not a request.

Regardless of whether you are new to the Rice community or have been here for a few years, you may need a refresher about how our student population views this word.

Dictionary.com defines the N-word as “the most offensive word in English.” The word has been used since at least the American Revolution in a derogatory and malicious manner and has been used as an insult more frequently in recent years. Yes, that’s right, this word has been a racial insult since about 1775.

It shocks me and many other Black people that the word is still uttered from non-Black mouths casually as a means to seem cool or hip and, despite it being 2019, to hear it still used as an insult. Before you decide to sing along to a song that has this word — for example, “Gold Digger,” “Caroline,” “Act Up” or any other song Rice students love to play at crawl stops or publics — please recall the extremely painful history, continuous oppression and disrespect of Black people that you call to mind when saying such a word.

Oppression that leads institutions like Rice to have only 7 percent of their population be Black, forcing Black students to justify their positions at elite institutions.

Oppression that leads Black men and women to be criminalized, followed around in stores and grow used to people crossing the street to avoid them.

Oppression that allows insulting income inequality between Black and White people.

Oppression that allows the murder of dozens of Black transgender women.

Oppression that allowed hundreds of years of slavery and ultimately rationalizes systemic racism and mass incarceration.

No matter the intention of an act, what matters is the perception by the ears, eyes and emotions it falls upon.

And even in the last week, as well as numerous other cases, oppression that allows a White cop to break into a Black man’s home and kill him, and allows the justice system to value his life so little that his killer gets close to a minimum sentencing.

When you say the N-word, in any context, you show your ignorance to these issues and ultimately uphold the institutions that have been dehumanizing Black people all over the world for centuries.

I know the question always asked is, “If Black people can say it, then why can’t I?” Black people have begun reclaiming the

word in the last few decades to redefine it not as an insult, but as a symbol of community.

This reclamation often represents respect, friendship, an acknowledgement of another Black person or simply a replacement for common nouns or pronouns. That being said, there are some Black people who are not comfortable saying the word due to its stigma.

This reclamation is meant for Black people and Black people alone. To put it simply, the word has been used as a weapon against Black people, so it should never be uttered by non-Black people.

No matter the intention of an act, what matters is the perception by the ears, eyes and emotions it falls upon. Not only this, but the plight of the oppressed is that they must enlighten their oppressor as to how they are being oppressed, and this endeavour is emotionally and spiritually deadening. It has taken me four years to publicly speak up about this issue. And even then, I had the courage to do so only because I recognized that the Black freshmen coming in to this university go to parties and may not have the courage to confront their peers about their racist rhetoric.

I will not allow another set of Black students to experience the ostracization, sadness and ultimate burn of hearing a non-Black person say a word that has kept Black people in physical and mental shackles.

The fact that I even have to write this opinion is reflective of this sentiment. For myself and other marginalized people, having to constantly explain and defend our identities and boundaries, day in and day out,

for populations that refuse to acknowledge them, is like climbing a mountain that has no peak or looking for a moment of understanding that does not exist.

I originally posted a variation of this opinion on the Martel College Facebook page two weeks ago. Since then, my college community has come together to have difficult discussions about the N-word and the erasure of Black students’ feelings in so many facets of our lives. I encourage the rest of the Rice community to begin asking themselves challenging questions about the privileges we each hold, the way we interact with each other and the use of hateful and harmful rhetoric in our day to day lives.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Don’t think this issue does not apply to you simply because you have no Black friends or you don’t listen to rap music or you don’t say the N-word. If your friends hurt others, you are just as responsible for that pain. Hold each other accountable so we can all create an inclusive space that does not let marginalized groups suffer in silence.

GABBY FALCON MARTEL COLLEGE SENIOR

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 5

OPINION

The task force on white supremacy: Rice should do more The Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice should contemplate its meaningfulness to our campus beyond being another public relations moment.

There has been a lot of buzz on the task force without a lot of understanding on what it will actually produce. As the task force establishes what it will set out to accomplish, I encourage all those partaking to consider if or how it will enhance the experiences of students in the present. The experiences of Black students at Rice shouldn’t be capitalized on to make our institution appear more progressive and inclusive than it is. The history is important, but we cannot change the experiences of former Black students. Yet we do wield the power to improve the experience of students who are here now.

Slavery, segregation and racial injustice do not exist without white supremacy. The lingering effects of these institutions and issues are results of white supremacy. The exclusion minority students feel on this campus is a result of white supremacy. So call it what it is.

The term “white supremacy” cannot be taboo if we want to truly reconcile the effects it has left us with. Black students have an experience that is different from non-Black students. That was true about 50 years ago when the first Black students graduated from Rice and still holds true today. Students from every background have a shared responsibility to make everyone feel included at Rice

and actively work against the effects of white supremacy.

The history of transgressions on Black students by the university and its students should not be suppressed.

Our history is rooted in a school charter that originally excluded Black students from our campus and is marked with blackface, school-sponsored Ku Klux Klan chapters and derogatory labeling of Black students. Black students frequently face transgressions that are minimized to being labeled as “microaggressions” when the only thing micro about them is the effects on the perpetrators. The racist actions of our past are a part of the history of this university, but one day the everyday experiences of current Black students who struggle to make 6100 Main St. their home will also become history.

If we want to come up with long-lasting solutions, we need to stop putting BandAids on gashes. As William Edmond, assistant director of multicultural affairs and a resident associate at Sid Richardson College, puts it: “This task force is an academic response to a non-academic issue.” Starting a task force on the history of the issue does not remedy the apathy students have internalized within themselves towards the experience of Black students, grow the representation of Black faculty on campus, stop the use of the N-word on campus by non-Black students or relocate Black students from the basement of the Ley Student Center into a more comfortable and specified

space. Starting a task force on the history of the issue does not remediate the fact that only 7 percent of the class of 2023 is Black students, despite the university’s claims of increasing diversity on campus with the Rice Investment.

Starting a task force on the history of the issue does not remediate the fact that only 7 percent of the class of 2023 is Black students.

Why do we need to use a task force to finally justify bringing Black public speakers on campus? Why is it that anytime we have to address issues of race on campus, it is the responsibility of those being transgressed to come up with solutions? The autonomous approach to solving the issues faced by Black members of the Rice community encouraged by the administration is dangerous. Black students, staff and faculty have academic and occupational responsibilities that we are primarily judged upon. We are rarely recognized or compensated for the additional work that we have to do to minimize the Black tax that those that follow in our footsteps will one day face. If you want to solve

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Response to ‘Students attend Modi-Trump rally’: Call for a balanced narrative on Kashmir Two weeks ago, I attended the “Howdy, Modi!” event along with over 100 Rice students and 2,000 students from universities across the United States. It was a proud moment as an Indian American, as I saw fellow students dancing in their colorful garb, musicians celebrating all of India’s spiritual traditions and politicians honoring the contributions made and unique place held by Indian Americans in the fabric of the U.S. For me, it was a dream come true to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose humble background led him to be a voice for the poor and marginalized. The leader of India who started initiatives to provide electricity and toilets for every house in India. The one who championed women’s empowerment in all communities and continues to implement progressive environmental policies. He has even implemented a national health insurance plan, not dissimilar to Medicare for All. However, to my disappointment, what I read in the Thresher’s coverage painted quite a different picture of the event — a one-sided view of relatively few protestors. Additionally, the author neglected to contact the co-organizers of Rice students’ attendance, Indian Students at Rice and Rice Hindu Students Council, for their opinion while including plenty of quotes from the Muslim Student Association and other protesters. Reaching out to the editor revealed that they did not reach out directly to the MSA, an unsatisfactory explanation for their biased coverage of the event.

The narrative of protesters at “Howdy, Modi!” focused on the recent events in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Unfortunately, this narrative thus far is neither well-informed nor balanced.

A complaint raised by protesters was their claim that removing Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was not democratic. But first, what exactly was this special status? Residents of Jammu

and Kashmir, though citizens of India, did not live with the protection of the Indian Constitution and were instead governed by a different set of laws than other Indian citizens. These laws were especially discriminatory against women. For instance, if a Kashmiri woman married a man from outside Kashmir, she would lose all of her property and inheritance rights while there was no such law for men. With the abrogation of Article 370, Indian laws now apply equally to Jammu and Kashmir residents. Opposing the Indian government’s steps in Jammu and Kashmir is in effect supporting the oppression of women.

Additionally, removing Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was done in a fully democratic manner through votes by both houses of the Indian parliament.

The bill was passed with multi-party

The way that the Rice Thresher covered ‘Howdy, Modi!’ is reminiscent of how the media and our own campus has presented Kashmir. support including some from the opposition.

Moreover, refugees and Dalits were also oppressed under Article 370. Refugees from Pakistan (i.e., from 1947) who settled in Jammu and Kasmir still did not have the right to vote in state elections and neither did the Punjabi Valmiki (Dalit) community which was brought to Kashmir to clean streets in the 1950s, according to Freedom House’s Report.

Most importantly, none of the dialogue thus far has even mentioned the systematic ethnic cleansing of the

Kashmiri Pandits, the Kashmiri Hindus who are the original inhabitants of the Kashmir Valley. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the beginning of a targeted campaign by Islamic militant groups to ethnically cleanse the 350,000 Pandits that lived in the Kashmir Valley, according to BBC News. Over 95 percent of the Pandits have been ethnically cleansed from their ancestral land.

Today, there are only 2,764 Pandits remaining in the Valley.

Suffering individual killings and gruesome massacres, Kashmiri Pandits were the primary victims of Jihadi insurgency and terrorism in this Muslim majority state according to the New York Times and European Foundation for South Asian Studies. Any discussion of demographic shifts in Kashmir as a result of Articles 370 and 35A that do not acknowledge the ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Pandits is tantamount to denial of genocide.

This coming January marks the 30th anniversary of the systematic ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Pandits. It behooves us all as Rice students to become better informed, speak up for the truth and use our voices to stand in solidarity with the Kashmiri Pandits whose voices have been silenced for decades. The way that the Rice Thresher covered “Howdy, Modi!” is reminiscent of how the media and our own campus have presented Kashmir.

When having these conversations on vital, controversial issues, it is important that we represent all voices. Else, we risk falsely presenting those with whom we disagree as extremists.

ANU SINGH

these issues, hire people that will be paid to complete this work and accept voluntary contributions as they come.

On the extensive list of what this Black student needs, an education on how racism is ingrained in our institution’s history is not on the first page. The solutions are in the future, not history. Rice University is ill-advised to attempt to use a task force to solve the most troubling aspect of our nation’s creation and history. If we want to really create a better tomorrow, we can start by addressing what we are faced with today. This means increased Black representation in our faculty, increased resources for recruitment efforts in predominantly Black high schools and more programming centered on enhancing the experience for minority students, among other efforts. My opinion is not the only one and it is important to continue to hear from other Black students if we want comprehensive solutions.

DREW CARTER JONES COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Be mindful when protesting Last week, I was dismayed to hear that over the course of protests happening at the university, chalk was used to deface multiple buildings across campus. A desire to strongly express feelings is understandable; however, it seems the vandals paid little attention to the burden their actions placed on those responsible for removing the writing. These actions were undertaken from a position of privilege, one where someone else will eventually come clean up after you.

These actions were undertaken from a position of privilege, one where someone else will eventually come clean up after you.

The men and women in Rice Facilities Engineering and Planning take pride in their work and had no part in the administrative policies being protested.

Having worked in facilities maintenance and janitorial roles prior to graduate school, I can say that incidents like this amount to a large burden for those tasked with the cleaning, over and above their existing daily responsibilities and work orders. The students who didn’t deface campus and who publicly stood behind their convictions were the ones who most consciously and powerfully conveyed their disapproval.

MCMURTRY COLLEGE JUNIOR

JOSH HILL

GRADUATE STUDENT

THE RICE THRESHER

6 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019

FEATURES

me that I need to do everything I can to make sure that my kids don’t have to live in a world where this might happen.”

According to Plaza, the shooting caused her to reevaluate her political views — particularly her views on gun control.

“I feel like growing up, the viewpoints of my parents were very conservative,” Plaza said. “I didn’t realize that [gun laws] were so flexible that they allowed people like the person that went and shot up Borderline [Bar & Grill] to access a gun.”

After the Stoneman Douglas shooting, Meeks and Dobson said they decided to

El Paso is love. And it’s healing. And it’s going to pick itself up. And the community is going to work to make a change.

A memorial dedicated to the victims of the El Paso shooting is adorned with flowers and candles.

FROM PAGE 1

MASS SHOOTINGS

Wiess College junior Romanda Dobson was a freshman at Rice when a shooter invaded Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. She’d just graduated from Stoneman Douglas, and her siblings were seniors there.

I just started crying because I couldn’t believe that people that were so close to [me] were just gone.

Romanda Dobson WIESS COLLEGE JUNIOR When Dobson first heard about it, she said she had just left her economics lecture. She checked her phone to find a call from her sister Rene, which she said was unusual. She called her sister back, and Rene answered on the first ring.

“When my sister called me, the first thing my mind went to was, ‘Is my brother okay?’” Dobson said. “That fear of not knowing whether your family is okay, it really hit me.”

AFTERMATH

Although many of the interviewed students shared similar initial reactions, each one processed the aftermath differently.

For Dobson, the reality of the situation hit the day after the shooting. Dobson said that although both her siblings were able to run to safety, many people they knew, including her brother’s best friend, passed away.

“They had started identifying people who had been killed. That’s when it really hit me because I saw one of the girls was in my class last year,” she said. “I remember I woke up and I was … scrolling through Instagram and I saw [my brother’s best friend]’s face … and I just started crying because I couldn’t believe that people that were so close to [me] were just gone.”

Her family was also traumatized.

“My sister was bawling, I was bawling, even my older sister was crying — we were all crying,” Dobson said.

However, one person didn’t cry: her brother. Dobson said although he tried to hide his pain, she could tell he was broken by his friend’s passing.

“He want[ed] to be strong for all of us, but I could tell just in how he was

behaving … that it had really affected him,” Dobson said. “We all needed counseling after that.”

As time passed, Lillie Plaza, who lived near the area where the Thousand Oaks, California shooting occurred, said she still didn’t know how to cope with the grief.

“I didn’t really know how to feel anymore,” Plaza, a Lovett junior, said. “I felt like I hadn’t dealt with the situation entirely but didn’t have any more emotional energy left to cry over it anymore. I think I felt kind of numb.”

Hannah Meeks graduated from Stoneman Douglas with Dobson. She said that since the shooting, she often finds herself jumping to conclusions when she hears loud noises on campus. One day, she said she had a class in Keck Hall, Room 100 and the sound of someone moving a cart outside combined with doors opening and closing made her feel like there was a shooter.

“I was definitely on edge,” Meeks, a Hanszen College junior, said. “I wanted to stop the class.”

Meeks also said the Stoneman Douglas shooting has changed the way she views shootings now.

“When I look at these tragedies [now], I try to look at it as more than just a number,” Meeks said. “[The El Paso shooting] was the first time where I really made the effort to know all the victims’ names and read all their memorials and testimonials.”

EFFECTS ON THE COMMUNITY

Returning home was difficult for many of the people we interviewed who had to see the devastating toll these shootings had on their communities.

For some residents of El Paso, it was shocking to see such a hateful crime happen to a city with such a strong culture of acceptance. Collin Thomas, a lecturer in the biosciences department who grew up in El Paso, said he felt the shooter’s motive vastly differed from the spirit of his hometown, where he’d been surrounded by diversity and acceptance.

“I’ve always thought of where I grew up as a model for the way the United States, in its best incarnation, would go,” Thomas said. “All of my teachers … were fluent in two languages, and they were conversant in lots of different cultures. I grew up with an understanding that that was normal.”

Although Plaza isn’t from El Paso, she said the shooter’s motive frightens her.

“It’s scary to think that in the eyes of the shooter of El Paso, I don’t deserve to be in this country, even though I was

COURTESY NATALIE SAENZ

born and raised here,” Plaza said. “Now I feel like my life could be in danger. I never thought I’d have to worry for my own safety in the land of the free.”

Brown said after taking in the news of the shooting, she was afraid of recognizing names on the list of victims.

“The thing about El Paso is that it’s a small city,” she said. “Everybody knows everybody. Even if it wasn’t a family member, I was scared that when that list of names came out I would know somebody.”

For Zach Hutchings, a Brown College senior, one of the hardest parts was returning home to Thousand Oaks. He said the loss felt by the community following the shooting became all too real.

“The city felt so somber for that stretch of time,” Hutchings said. “It was so hard to hear the stories of old high school friends saying they went to church with one of the victims. One of my friends [also] umpired baseball with one of the victims.”

Plaza said she was scared to go back home to Thousand Oaks following the shooting.

“You’re never going to be able to understand how it feels to have something like that happen so close to home until it happens to you,” Plaza said. “One moment [Thousand Oaks] is this really happy place where I love going and then another [moment] ... I can’t not think about what happened.”

Brown described the shooting’s rippling effects on the place she called home.

“He shattered my community. And murdered my people. And robbed our city of joy and peace,” Brown said.

POLITICAL ACTIVISM

Before these experiences, many of the interviewed students admitted that they felt detached when they heard about shootings or read about gun violence in the news.

“It’s so normal to hear [about mass shootings], to wake up and be like, ‘Oh, another mass shooting,’” Saenz said.

Some said they weren’t able to comprehend the reality of shootings until it happened to them.

“I used to think Sandy Hook and all the other shootings that happened all were so far away,” Plaza said. “Before [the Thousand Oaks shooting] happened ... I felt really safe.”

But after experiencing the firsthand effects, many said they realized the importance of working to prevent shootings from occurring. “[The Thousand Oaks shooting] was an eye-opening experience for me,” Hutchings said. “[It was] a reminder to

Emani Brown JONES COLLEGE JUNIOR attend the March for Our Lives. It took place on the same day as Beer Bike, but the two said they didn’t mind missing the event.

“It was [supposed to be] my first Beer Bike, [but I] didn’t care,” Dobson said. “[The march] was really good because even though a lot of people from the Rice community didn’t show up, there were so many people. It was a huge rally.”

Saenz voiced her frustrations with the lack of action toward a solution.

“It makes me mad that nothing is being done. How there can be so many mass shootings that happen? It’s just such a normal thing and nobody’s doing anything about gun control, nobody’s doing anything about racism,” she said.

“There’s so many facets to why mass shootings are happening and nobody’s taken an approach to solving any of them.”

Brown also called for people to take political action.

“It’s time to reevaluate what the Second Amendment is actually saying and what it means,” Brown said. “And it’s time to reevaluate, do we care more about guns or do we care about humanity and humankind and one another?”

MOVING FORWARD

Even in the midst of these tragedies, many students said they felt a sense of community, love and resilience in their hometowns.

Saenz was shocked by the love and generosity people all over the country showed following the shooting.

“I have seen people come together in a way that I’ve never seen before,” she said.

“All the victims, their funerals were paid for ... It was really heartwarming to see out of this horrible massacre, something good came out of it.”

Plaza described her community’s response to the shooting, saying they quickly turned to action.

“They were doing community fundraisers for the families that were affected by the shooting,” Plaza said.

“There were people that were holding vigils to remember the victims and try to really emphasize their lives and their stories.”

Despite the hardships El Paso faced, Brown said the love in her community only grew stronger during this time of loss.

“What happened on Aug. 3, the day of the shooting, is not El Paso. It has never been El Paso because El Paso is unity.

It’s resilience. It’s strength. And it’s all bound by love,” she said. “Those effects [of the shooting] will not last forever because El Paso is love. And it’s healing.

And it’s going to pick itself up. And the community is going to work to make a change.”

FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 7

Black at Rice: Taylor Crain IVANKA PEREZ FEATURES EDITOR

Taylor Crain is many things. She is a novelist, poet, aspiring fashion designer, club leader — and she is Black. Crain believes these are all equal facets of her identity.

“To improve representation across the spectrum of Black experiences … it should be like they’re Black and [other things], not just their whole identity is being Black,” Crain, a Lovett College junior, said.

At Rice, Crain founded the Rice Creative Society and is working on countless writing projects of her own. But Crain said her experience as a Black woman hasn’t been easy, especially in the predominantly White suburbs where she grew up.

“When I’d go to the pool, I’d have to wear a cap because I couldn’t get my hair wet,” Crain said.

“Other girls could just jump in.”

Crain said her parents were hyperaware of the extra mile Black girls had to go in order t o

PHOTO BY CHANNING WANG

be seen as acceptable. Wanting to shield her and her sister from the pain of racism, her parents taught her to always be well-behaved and well-groomed. “[I remember] having to negotiate constantly [my] space and [my] identity to make other people comfortable,” Crain said.

From a young age, Crain said she was bullied for her appearance.

“Playing with dolls growing up and not seeing full lips or thick brows and very thick hair [was] something that I was conscious of — to the point where I pushed my mom to let me get a perm so that my hair would be straighter,” Crain said. “I’d be bullied for my lips a lot in school.”

In middle school, Crain began to suffer from anxiety and depression, which she said stemmed from the pressure to be overachieving in every aspect of her life.

Along with playing basketball for a select team, Crain was involved in violin, piano and dance. Being an athlete while also succeeding in school, Crain said she felt an overwhelming pressure to be perfect. “[I] just [became] associated with perfection and [had] to strive for perfection constantly,” Crain said. “No one was really there to be like, ‘It’s okay to not always be on the top of your game, to fail at something.’”

But amid her struggle, Crain said she was able to find a life raft.

“I really struggled with depression and anxiety in middle school and high school,” Crain said. “I’d say the only thing that really helped was that I started writing.”

She was also motivated to write by the need for Black representation in novels.

“I feel like society, in terms of media and film and books and news, has limited Black experience to either be impoverished or this rapper-level [rich],” Crain said. “Those both are experiences, but they’re not the only ones … I wanted to see myself in what I was reading,” Crain said.

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Although she suffered from insomnia in middle school, Crain said it allowed her to explore her love for writing.

“I’d finish my homework and then I’d stay up till 6 [a.m.], right when I had to go to school and just type on my computer,” Crain said.

In high school, Crain continued to face stigmas, particularly a racial divide between her basketball team and the rest of her high school. “[The school] just assumed that we were all ghetto or ‘too Black’ or not that educated, so they kind of looked down on us,” Crain said.

Although writing provided an escape, Crain continued to struggle with mental health in high school. The pressure to play well enough to get a college basketball scholarship, as well as the pressure to succeed academically, weighed on Crain.

However, due to reasons beside mental health, she was given a reprieve: homeschooling. Frustrated with the lack of resources provided by the school and the teachers’ unwillingness to work around her basketball practice schedule, Crain’s parents decided to homeschool her starting junior year.

“I could probably say that homeschooling saved my life,” Crain said. “It gave me time to step back.”

Since coming to Rice, Crain has kept herself busy. After noticing the lack of resources and diverse course options in the School of Humanities, Crain founded the Rice Creative Society, intended to connect humanities students with networking opportunities and expose them to a variety of creative career fields. Through her club, Crain also uses her platform to bring up issues of diversity and course offerings to the School of Humanities.

Additionally, Crain is working on some personal projects of her own: A fantasy novel and a poetry book are on the way, with short stories and a potential screenplay in the works. She’s also branching out into other creative fields, hoping to someday start a

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5 ACROSS 1) Aardvark snack 3) Common email attachment 6) Infamous emperor 8) Ancient Greeks’ Mother Earth 9) Ogler 10) “P” prefix for those who end fights 11) Some young Scottish terriers, colloquially 12) “... to say the ___” 13) Like a gorilla 16) Mediterranean stew 20) Ziegenbock at Pub, i.e.

21) Suspicious of 22) “___, far, wherever you are” 23) Sore spot 24) Lab warning?

25) __-Magnon

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Editor’s Note: This is an installment of Black at Rice, a features series intended to highlight and celebrate black voices on and off campus.

Crossword by Sam Rossum Thresher Staff

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clothing line that promotes inclusivity for all body types and gender identities.

Through her writing, Crain said she hopes to illustrate a variety of different Black experiences.

“The only way to answer that issue is to have a full spectrum of middle-class, LGBTQ+, upper-middle-class, upper-class [experiences] — not just have these depictions be flat [and] two-dimensional,” Crain said.

Although her main passion is writing, Crain said she wasn’t always confident in her writing. It took the encouragement of her friends to perform spoken word poetry at Africayé her freshman year before she began to have faith in her abilities.

After performing a poem she’d written three days earlier for the students in charge of Africayé, Crain said she was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response.

“I didn’t feel like it was me speaking,” Crain said. “This strong woman — that I didn’t think I was but I thought that I could always be — just possessed me. And nothing felt more right.”

Crain said that for a while, she struggled to find strength while dealing with her mental health issues.

“I think in communities of color, people don’t want to accept that mental health is a [problem],” Crain said. “I’ve always had to be, in that aspect, outspoken and self-aware … I know I shouldn’t have to live like this.”

As for her racial identity, Crain said she’s learning to embrace her natural self — and her natural hair.

“I cut my hair last August, and I feel a big shift in my energy,” Crain said. “It’s fine for me to be myself or express who I am as a young Black woman without having the extra embellishments or adornments to be more societally acceptable.”

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

Bolded clues and colored squares correspond to the theme.

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3) Italian setting for “Taming of the Shrew” 4) Subregion that sometimes includes East Texas and North Florida 5) Character of German legend who sold his soul to the devil 6) Mint condition 7) Coffeehouse offering for all-nighters 8) Be slack-jawed 10) Brooks who directed “Spaceballs” 13) Hendrix song “All ___ the Watchtower” 14) Way that many fossils were preserved 15) In the know 17) Fly like an eagle 18) Cancerous prefix 19) “The Cask of Amontillado” author

THE RICE THRESHER

8 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Houston and beyond: Things to do this midterm recess ILLUSTRATION BY YIFEI ZHANG

MORGAN GAGE FOR THE THRESHER

With midterm recess quickly approaching, many students plan to attend the second weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival or return home for the long weekend. However, the number of things to do within the city of Houston or throughout the state is as large as Texas itself.

Watch a piece of live theater.

Houston is home to a vibrant theater district that is nationally recognized as one of the largest and oldest in the country. Tennessee Williams’ memory play “The Glass Menagerie” opens Oct. 11 at the 4th Wall Theatre Company, and tickets are $17 for students. Students can also view F. Andrew Leslie’s adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” at The Company OnStage for $15 with a student ID. Alternatively, go watch Shakespeare’s “A Winter’s Tale” at The Alley Theatre during their closing weekend.

If you want to avoid leaving campus, the Rice Theatre will be presenting Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” with showtimes running at 8 p.m. every day this weekend in Hamman Hall at a student ticket price of $5.

Woods, a forest terrorized by a masked man who wields a bloody chainsaw. The third attraction, Pitch Black, drives the fear factor home with mutated killer clowns. Admission is $35 for adults.

Get into the spooky spirit.

With almost half of October gone by, you may want to take this weekend as an opportunity to get into the Halloween spirit.

Nightly Spirits Ghost Tours offers walking tours through some of Houston’s most historic allegedly haunted locales, including Buffalo Bayou, Market Square Park and downtown. For those over the age of 21, Nightly Spirits offers a haunted pub crawl where they guarantee you’ll see more than a few spirits.Both tours last around two hours and involve 1.5 miles of walking.

Creepy Hollow Haunted House is another option for those looking for a thrilling way to celebrate Halloween early. The venue has three different haunted attractions, the first of which is 288 Scare Factory, a genetic research facility studying viruses that is infested by zombies. There is also the Dark

Experience another city in Texas.

With historical landmarks near and throughout the city, San Antonio is a dream city for those who want to see famous sites of the Texas Revolutionary War such as the Alamo or the nearby towns of Goliad or Gonzales. The city itself is home to UNESCO world heritage site San Antonio Missions National Historical Park where visitors can view the largest concentration of Spanish missions in North America. In the heart of the city lies the River Walk, a 15-mile stretch of restaurants, historic landmarks and attractions such as El Mercado, the largest Mexican market in the United States.

If you are looking to leave the bustling city of Houston, turn your attention toward New Braunfels. Approximately a threehour drive from campus, it is the perfect destination for nature-lovers with plenty of

opportunities to hike, fish, camp or kayak through the Guadalupe River. Hinman Island Park is perfect for scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, tubing and fishing. Additionally, New Braunfels is home to the Natural Bridge Caverns with two distinct cave systems and areas to mine for fossils.

Attend a festival in Houston.

Over midterm recess, several festivals will occur in the Houston area, including the Houston Italian Festival. If you want to attend a wine sampling event, enter a pastaeating or grape-stomping contest and enjoy live music, visit the University of St. Thomas from Oct. 10-13 to bask in a celebration of Italian culture.

Just over an hour’s drive away in the town of Todd Mission is the Texas Renaissance Festival, which offers enough food, mead, wine, ale and Scotch to satisfy a medieval court. This weekend will be themed “1001 Dreams” as fairies, elves and other whimsical magical creatures fill the festival grounds.

This article has been shortened for print.

To read the full story: visit ricethresher.org.

Literary activists organize to aid migrant families LILY WULFEMEYER THRESHER STAFF

This past Thursday, gauzy black curtains were hung to transform a children’s Sunday School room where over 30 Houston-based writers took to a gleaming wooden podium for a night of literary activism. With a suggested $10 donation for all attendees, “Writers for Families Together - Houston” was the second event in a month to raise money for organizations aiding immigrant families facing human rights violations at the Texas-Mexico border.

The marathon reading, which took place at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, was a resonant sequel to Houston’s “Writers for Migrant Justice” reading, a nationwide event that took place in 40 cities in September to benefit Immigrant Families Together.

Daniel Peña, assistant professor of English at the University of HoustonDowntown and author of “Bang: A Novel,” is a member of the Houston Writers Coalition, the group that organized the consecutive readings.

“In the arc it takes you from thinking about standing up to actually [standing up] for something, you give other people permission to do the same thing,” Peña said.

“We say we’re verging on fascism, but we’re sort of full tilt going toward fascism ... it’s important that we stand up not only to show them that it’s safe to do so as well, but also to show our peers that, hey, this is the right thing to do.”

The presence of dozens of attendees and more than 30 readings attest to Peña’s sentiments. While some writers read original work, such as Josh Inocéncio’s excerpt from his play “Chocolate Gravy & White Jesus,” others tapped into the canon of literary

giants such as Pablo Neruda, Erika L. Sánchez, Ocean Vuong and Houston’s own Gwendolyn Zepeda.

Each reader was allotted three minutes, and everyone filled their time with lilting poetics, prose and even song, switching fluidly between English and Spanish.

Former University of Texas, Austin Spitshine slam poetry champion Loyce Gayo dissected the language of violence brought about by colonialism and nation-building. Local poet Ryan McMasters later read his own erasure poem created from the United States immigration law. Then, National Poetry Award winner and creative writing teacher Natasha Carrizosa left a pregnant pause as she read from her book, “Crown.” Her reason: “I lost my place thinking about my Black mother who loved a Brown man.”

All the while, one could hear children giggling and playing on the other side of the makeshift gauze wall.

Robin Davidson, a professor of English at the University of Houston-Downtown and former Houston poet laureate, is also a member of the Houston Writers Coalition. As a translator herself, the multilingualism of the readings spoke deeply to her. “[The readers] didn’t apologize for speaking or reading in Spanish,” Davidson said. “[We] have to learn the language or appreciate multiple languages. How will we ever be ambassadors of peace in any way if we can’t have multiple languages and share in the cultural experiences related to understanding other languages?”

One hundred percent of the donations from Thursday’s reading will go to the Houston-based organizations Kids in Need of Defense and Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en la Lucha.

Speaking to KIND’s work, Peña said

that kids bear the brunt of the Trump administration policies regarding family separation.

“The Kids in Need of Defense fund [has] the best results in terms of getting kids asylum, making sure that kids are united with their families, and just supporting children and minors who are in deportation proceedings here on U.S. soil,” Peña said.

Davidson said that the Houston Writers Coalition has already received multiple requests for a third gathering. In part, Davidson said, this urgency of literary activism is due to Houston’s critical position near the Texas-Mexico border. The readings have spoken to a long history of activist literature examining the border culture and politics, such as Gloria E. Anzaldúa’s famous book “Borderlands/La Frontera: The New

Mestiza.”

At Thursday’s reading, the audience was amused when an Apple lock screen, accidentally projected on the wall, read: “Don’t panic.” While it grew to be a joke, laughingly called out when a reader tripped over the microphone stand, Lupe Mendez, emcee and founder of Tintero Projects, repeatedly invoked the phrase with conviction. As readers shared narratives of grief and resilience, all those present were reminded to “not panic,” but keep speaking truth to power on behalf of immigrant families at the border.

Disclaimer: The author completed an internship with Phuc Luu and Kate Williams of Bloomsday Literary, who were both a part of the Houston Writers Coalition. The author still does freelance work for Bloomsday. lily wulfemeyer / THRESHER

Daniel Peña, assistant professor of English at the University of Houston-Downtown and member of the Houston Writers Coalition organized the “Writers for Families Together Houston” event last Thursday.

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 9

FROM PAGE 1

AS YOU LIKE IT: Rice Theatre returns to its roots with Shakespearean classic

COURTESY ELENA MARGOLIN

“The costume shop has gone above and beyond for this show,” Keefe said. “You will not get an opportunity to see this Elizabethan world [at Rice] probably for another couple of years.”

As opening night draws closer, the layers of actors, their costumes and stage design are finally falling into place. For assistant stage manager Chloe Dittloff, watching the cast’s progress from day one up until now has been her favorite part of participating in the production.

“Seeing the actors at the first read-through and the choices they were making versus what they understand and know about their character today [has been the best part],” Dittloff, a Brown College freshman, said.

Dittloff is one of many freshmen involved in this year’s production, a class that Keefe says is much larger than in the previous three years.

“It’s a really great mix for the freshmen to look at the seniors and the [alumni] and the staff,” Keefe said. “It’s this really great sort of melting pot of different experiences and where they’ve come from — some right out of high school.”

Amid the extensive cast and crew of undergraduate students is Carter Spires (Jones College ’13), whose history with Rice Theatre and recent return to Houston prompted Keefe to reach out to him.

“I cast a really wide net,” Keefe said, “Especially when I know that I’m doing a big cast show and I know that it’s Shakespeare, so I know I’m going to have roles that are older in there.”

Review: ‘Joker’ misses a few punchlines TAYLOR CRAIN FOR THE THRESHER

JOKER Genre: Thriller

Gone are the suave, perfectly timed comedic Jokers of our childhood cartoons. The stylish, crisp and capableof-institutionally-insane-yet-highlyintellectual-monologues Jokers are no more. There is a new Joker in town.

Released Oct. 4, Todd Phillips’ “Joker” does not lend itself to the visionary gravitas of “The Dark Knight” or to Heath Ledger’s powerful performance as Joker.

Nor should it. Instead, it tries to hit a vein similar to that of dark Batman comics such as “Batman: The Killing Joke,” save for a whole lot of awkwardness, irony and dry humor.

Since “The Killing Joke” is considered to be one of the best Joker origin stories, it makes sense that “Joker” riffs off a more realistic take on how Joker becomes a psychotic serial killer. Phillips has admitted, however, that he intended to reimagine Joker’s origins without the “cartoon element of violence.”

“Joker” begins by introducing us to Arthur Fleck, a man whose life’s purpose is to spread joy and make people laugh, as explained by his mother, Penny. In reality, Arthur works as a clown for hire who tugs on the corners of his mouth to look happy.

It is 1981 in a broken-down, overworked Gotham City. Sanitation workers are on strike. Garbage is piling up in the streets.

The poor are only getting poorer and the rich are only getting richer.

An unsuccessful comedian and depressed mama’s boy, Arthur also has a neurological disorder that makes him laugh uncontrollably — usually at the most inappropriate times. Arthur is

unable to function in a world structured to overlook victimized people like him who are ostracized as freaks. The punches he suffers at the hands of white-collar bullies and mean kids ultimately become enough to set him off.

As to be expected from the director of the “Hangover” trilogy, “Joker” plays upon a lot of inappropriate humor. This humor, perhaps, is what keeps the film alive. However, “Joker” often struggles to remain suspenseful. The secondhand embarrassment and monotonous lull of Arthur’s daily life give the movie a tiresome pace that obstructs the important plot points leading up to his inevitable psychotic break.

What truly makes “Joker” bearable is Joaquin Phoenix’s acting.

With his impressive way of mismatching body language with emotion, Phoenix chronicles every bump and shift in Arthur’s psyche until he succumbs to the Joker within. He succeeds in depicting a mentally unstable man trying to make sense of who he is in his own psychopathic way.

“Joker” fails because it shallowly humanizes a highly controversial villain.

While “The Dark Knight” situates itself heavily in themes such as power, anarchy and nihilism, “Joker” remains largely introspective and never truly veers into political or social commentary, coming off more as a revenge plot than a social movement. This has resulted in divisive reviews given the current social climate surrounding mental health and gun violence.

“Joker” is by no means a cult classic like “Fight Club” or a cinematic masterpiece like “The Dark Knight.” Todd Phillips believes the film was “a way to sneak a real movie in the studio system under the guise of a comic book film.” Should Phillips have kept the Joker’s origins in the dark?

Decide for yourself and see “Joker” in theaters nationwide now.

She said she contacted Spires because she felt he’d be well-suited for the roles of Duke Frederick and Duke Senior, who are central characters in the play’s exposition.

Despite the age disparities between himself and his fellow thespians, Spires says the Rice culture remains intact and as potent as ever.

‘As You Like It’ isn’t done a ton and I think it’s still something that a lot of people can glean something from.

Alan Brincks ASSISTANT DIRECTOR “It’s weird because sometimes I feel totally ancient,” Spires said. “I graduated in 2013 so the freshmen are literally 10 years younger than I am, so sometimes I feel very old.

But other times it’s like no time has passed at all.”

Spires said that even though a decade has passed, Rice students don’t change.

“If I were 20 now or if any of these people had been in Rice with me, it would have been the exact same feel,” Spires said. “It’s almost easy to lapse back into it because it’s so much about the culture and it’s very similar to what it used to be.”

From finding romance on stage to choreographing sword fights

and wrestling matches, the cast and crew of “As You Like It” have worked diligently to develop their on-stage relationships. Keefe particularly noted the chemistry between protagonists and lovers Rosalind and Orlando, played

by Jones sophomore Lydia Wang and Martel College freshman Cole Thompson, respectively.

“Watching them find this relationship and build that relationship has been joyous,” Keefe said. “Both of them have been really open to trying a bunch of different things.”

Overall, Keefe says watching such a large cast and crew come together has been yet another fulfilling experience with Rice Theatre, which she says is always enlivened by people from all major departments and various factions of the Rice community.

“Having this large ensemble of disparate people and having them all on stage at one time [helps them] find their way together,” Keefe continued. “And it’s a comedy, so I get to come in every night and we laugh a lot. It’s been a joy.”

“As You Like It” opens this Friday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. Subsequent showtimes are Oct. 12 and 17-19 at 8 p.m., with a matinee Sunday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m. All performances will take place in Hamman Hall.

Tickets are $5 for Rice students; $8 for Rice alumni, faculty, staff and senior citizens; $10 for general admission; and $5 for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available in advance at 713-348-4005.

THE RICE THRESHER

10 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019

SPORTS

Rice nabs victory over C-USA opponent UAB

MADISON BUZZARD SPORTS EDITOR

Senior forward Louise Stephens scored a dramatic, game-deciding goal from a corner kick and Rice soccer earned a 1-0 victory over Conference USA foe University of Alabama, Birmingham on Sunday afternoon at Holloway Field. With the win, the Owls now hold a record of six wins, four losses and one draw on the season. Rice remains undefeated in four matches against C-USA opposition.

Rice started the game lined up in a 4-4-2 formation. Sophomore Bella Killgore started at goalkeeper; freshman Sydney Miller and juniors Callie Ericksen, Caleigh Page and Mijke Roelfsema started on defense; sophomore Delaney Schultz, freshman Shiloh Miller and seniors Lianne Mananquil and Erin Mikeska covered the midfield; Stephens and senior Haley Kostyshyn rounded out the lineup in forward roles.

Kostyshyn, Stephens, Schultz, Mikeska, Killgore, Page and Roelfsema have started in all 11 games for Rice this season. Head coach Brian Lee said he credits the team’s strength and conditioning regimens for enabling the players to stay healthy and fit, even when playing temperatures exceed 90 degrees.

“Really what the goal [of our training] is, physically, we want to be healthy, number one,” Lee said. “[We want to] avoid the quad and hamstring type injuries, those which are caused by muscle tightness.”

UAB took the first shot of the game in the sixth minute of the match, a header by Tori Gann which sailed wide of goal. However, most possessions involved no more than three or four short passes, followed by either an interception or a long pass played to the other team’s defensive back line.

Three minutes after UAB’s first shot attempt, Rice began to develop an offensive rhythm. Mananquil and Schultz played several one-touch passes, and after Kostyshyn placed a shot narrowly wide of goal, Stephens forced the first save of the match by firing a rising shot at Blazers goalkeeper Johanna Popp.

Only one more shot was played on goal prior to the first-half water break.

But when the teams retook the field, UAB

Channing wang / thresher

Senior midfielder Lianne Mananquil prepares to deliver a cross from the right side of the University of Alabama, Birmingham’s penalty box. Although that cross did not lead to a goal, Mananquil ultimately delivered a corner kick in the 87th minute which led to the lone goal of the match.

surged forward in attack. The Blazers played a short, high cross from inside the penalty box, provided a flick-on header and narrowly missed the resulting header over the crossbar.

Although five shots were played on goal during the first half — two by Rice and three by UAB — Killgore and Popp both maintained clean sheets going into halftime.

Senior goalkeeper Maya Hoyer, who substituted for Killgore during the second half, said she appreciates her season-long rotation with Killgore in front of goal.

“Whether or not [Killgore] and I are on the bench or we are playing, we support each other fully,” Hoyer said. “When I go in, whether the score is 0-0 or whether we are up 4-0, as long as we are playing our game, I know that we’ll come through.”

Mananquil developed the first attack for Rice in the second period. She cut inside and swung the ball forward to Kostyshyn, who played a lob pass toward the goalkeeper’s line to Schultz, who headed the ball back in front of goal — but no Rice player was there.

According to Stephens, Rice does not draw up set plays to assist its offensive attack.

“I think what we’ve been working on in practice is just trying to get service into the six, and creating as many dangerous balls as possible,” Stephens said. “[We plan to] keep working on our finishing and keep trying to connect in the final third.”

UAB’s second half involved several miscues on headed shot attempts. Although the Blazers outnumbered the Owls in shots on goal during both the first and second halves, none of UAB’s attempts made their way past Hoyer.

Rice finally gained its opportunity in the final five minutes of the match after playing for a corner kick. Each of the Owls’ first two attempts by Roelfsema on the right corner post were deflected out by UAB players. The second deflection resulted in a Rice corner kick from the left post.

There, Mananquil lobbed the ball with the inside of her right foot and the ball found the back of the net after Stephens chested it. According to Stephens, scoring

the game-winning goal made her feel proud of the team.

“I think our team just loves a dramatic ending,” Stephens said. “But it feels really good to be able to pull it out at the end. I think it shows our toughness.”

Lee said he thinks his team has prepared for long, “even” matches.

“I just think we are fit and we’re fresh,” Lee said. “I think [the difference] shows in comparison to the other teams by the time we’re getting near the end.”

According to Lee, one basis of improvement for future games involves choosing quick, short passes in the attacking area of the field.

“We’re trying to shoot a little less,” Lee said. “We want our chances to be high quality and we are very good in combination in the final third. Once in a while, we shoot earlier than we probably need to, whereas if we get a two- or three-pass combination, we might get a really good chance.”

Rice plays Louisiana Tech University on Sunday, Oct. 13, in Ruston, Louisiana.

POWDERPUFF

WEEKEND RECAP vs.

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Channing wang / thresher

courtesy rice athletics Hanszen College junior quarterback Camryn Hummel secures the ball and cuts toward the left side of the field to elude a Lovett College defender. Lovett edged Hanszen on Sunday, 15-12.

INFOGRAPHIC BY KATHERINE HUI

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 • 11

Volleyball achieves No. 9 RPI ranking MICHAEL BYRNES SPORTS EDITOR

On Monday, Rice volleyball was ranked No. 9 in the nation in the NCAA’s first Rating Percentage Index rankings of the year — the highest ranking in program history.

RPI is a computer-generated ranking system that incorporates both a team’s winloss record and its strength of schedule. It is one of many tools the NCAA weighs when selecting which 64 teams to invite to the endof-season NCAA tournament.

Head coach Genny Volpe said the Owls’ high ranking is a reflection of both the team’s strong performance and a carefully crafted preseason schedule.

“I think [the ranking] says that we’ve performed really well against quality teams,” Volpe said. “This preseason was created to have some good opportunities to get some high-RPI wins … The teams that we played in the preseason, a lot of them were top-50 in RPI last year,” Volpe said. “And then of course, highlighting the Texas game, and pulling off that win … The numbers don’t lie: That ranking shows how significant those wins were.”

This season, Rice has a 14-1 record, with the team’s sole loss coming against No. 37-ranked Stephen F. Austin University. In those 15 matches, Rice has won 44 sets while dropping eight. The team ranks among the top 25 nationwide in assists, digs and kills per set, as well as in both hitting percentage and opponents’ hitting percentage.

Senior libero Lee Ann Cunningham said

much of the team’s success this year can be with this week marking the first of the season where she did not receive the Conference USA traced to two strengths.

“I would say it’s twofold: our mentality and Offensive Player of the Week award after tying our work ethic,” Cunningham said. “It started a C-USA record with five consecutive wins. when we [were] in Italy, playing different As of Tuesday, she ranks No. 4 in the nation teams, which really gave us an advantage with 5.23 kills per set, and has registered five [to] become comfortable with who we are, matches this year with at least 20 kills. But and develop a team sense of personality: according to Volpe, it’s not just Lennon’s so that’s the hardworking [factor]. And [our offense that has improved this season. “[Lennon is] continuing to embrace mentality]: No matter who’s across the net, learning,” Volpe said. we want to play our “When she was a best game.” freshman she was ‘jump Opposite hitter high, hit hard.’ Now Tabitha Brown, a she’s learned how to graduate student, I would say [our minimize her errors and transferred to Rice strength] is twofold: our manage her game ... after spending three mentality and our work [Now] she also has touch years at Wichita State and finesse. [But] she’s University and one ethic ... No matter who’s also worked hard at her year at the University across the net, we want backcourt game: her of Alabama. to play our best game. defense and her passing, According to Brown, so she plays all the way the competitiveness Lee Ann Cunningham around [the court]. She’s of Rice’s bench SENIOR LIBERO really embraced trying to players elevates the become a better defensive player and passer, entire team’s level of play.

“What sets us apart is that [the players] and she has: I think that’s been one of the who are not starting [are] still challenging biggest improvements for her — her ball the people who are starting,” Brown said. control and her defense.”

With Rice’s competitive out-of-conference “It’s hard to have motivation when you’re not playing, [but] they’re still doing their schedule completed, the team’s attention best at practice; we’re all doing our best. now shifts to its conference opponents: The I think that reflects off of everyone on the Owls have 11 games left before the C-USA team: Everyone’s working hard and having Championship tournament in late November, and all 11 are against C-USA teams. However, a good attitude.”

Junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon just four of those matches will take place continues to lead the Owls’ offensive attack, against teams whose RPI ranks in the top 100

nationally. But Volpe said she doesn’t expect the less-competitive schedule to impact the team’s performance.

“I think the core of the team genuinely [understands] that we’re working for something bigger,” Volpe said. “We really have high expectations and high goals beyond conference. If we take our foot off the gas for a second … you’re opening up a window for a team to beat you at any time; we’ve learned that lesson before. Luckily, I think this team is mature enough to understand that … we’ve got to continue to focus on getting better and putting the work in [during] practice.”

Besides adding another win to Rice’s season total, last Friday’s victory against the University of Texas, San Antonio marked another milestone: Volpe’s 300th win as the Owls’ head coach. According to Volpe, her assistant coaches and players deserve much of the credit.

“I feel very blessed to work at such a great place, and to have great assistant coaches,” Volpe said. “I can’t say enough about the people that work for me now, and have worked for our program over the past years … But the players are the ones that got those wins, and I really feel that way: They put on that jersey and go out there and compete … Every player that’s come through, I just feel so fortunate to have coached all of them.”

Next, Rice faces Southern Mississippi University on Friday at 6 p.m., following with a match against Middle Tennessee State University on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches will be played at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Tudor After Dark canceled following technical difficulties ERIC BARBER ASST SPORTS EDITOR

Rice Athletics has canceled Tudor After Dark, an event that was intended to build up anticipation for the upcoming basketball season through a night of festivities introducing this year’s men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The event, which was originally advertised on Facebook to be on Oct. 19, was canceled by Rice Athletics due to issues with sound system installation, according to Kevin Richardson.

“We want this event to be spectacular and cannot ensure that it will be up to par throughout country standards,” Richardson, Rice’s brand advancement and revenue generation specialist, said.

“There are just a few technical roadblocks that would be underwhelming in comparison to expectations. We will be

having this event in the future but feel its best to no longer do this year.”

For years, top basketball programs across the country have hosted similar preseason events. The events have become colloquially known as Midnight Madness, as coined by the former University of Maryland head coach Lefty Driesell in the 1970s. Today, each program has its own name for their preseason event such as Duke University’s Countdown to Craziness, the University of Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness and the University of Kansas’ Late Night in the Phog.

A Sept. 25 Facebook post by Rice Athletics said that there would be a $1,000 giveaway at the event.

“Things just went to another level,” the post read.

The original Facebook event for Tudor After Dark has been deleted.

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BACKPAGE

12 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019

“Yeah, I’m doing ACL this year...”

Even if you won’t be going to Austin City Limits this weekend for midterm recess, that doesn’t mean you won’t be having fun! But if you actually won’t be having fun and don’t feel like going into detail about sad studying plans, a little lying by omission can go a long way in ending any conversation about the upcoming weekend.

When someone asks you what you’ll be up to, you can (somewhat) truthfully respond “ACL” if you’re doing any of the following:

Angrily Calculating Learning You decided to buckle down on your assignments for next week after being disappointed with a couple of your midterm grades so far. Good for you! But, you may fall into the trap of desperately calculating GPA possibilities to make sure you didn’t already do irreparable damage, and gauging how well you actually need to do. Unfortunately, to get the grade you want, you have to set all of your Canvas “what-if” grades at 200. Good luck!

Almost Cooking Lesson

Not all serveries operate their normal schedules over midterm recess, so you decide you’ll cook a nice meal.

By the time you get distracted by watching every cooking tutorial on YouTube, you’re starving. You get rid of your expertly curated grocery list and follow the instructions on the back of a ramen container. That’s basically a recipe, right?

Absentmindedly Clicking Links You’re responsible. You open your laptop and list out all of your tasks for the long weekend. Before you know it, you’re clicking over to Facebook, then Netflix, then, bizarrely, JSTOR to read an article that has nothing to do with any of your classes. Before you know it, you’re down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about actual rabbit holes.

Activity, Cleaning, Laundry It’s like “Gym, Tan, Laundry” from the Jersey Shore, but less cool and less use of dangerous sunbeds. Take the time off to just go on a little jog, organize your space and wash your clothes. Also, wash your bedsheets. The weeks of the semester have been passing by really quickly, but hopefully they haven’t zoomed by so fast that you forget to clean your bedding every two weeks.

Alcohol Consuming (Legally!)

Editor’s note: The Thresher does not condone underage drinking. You may choose to partake in legal, responsible consumption of alcohol. This may take the form of drinking an entire bottle of wine each with your study buddy when you get cabin fever from being stuck at Rice this weekend.

Addressing Career Limitations Maybe you’re skipping out on a wild weekend because of the job application process. Instead of being actually productive, surf through LinkedIn until your impostor syndrome overcomes you. Rather than reassuring yourself of your qualifications and crafting confident cover letters, question all of your achievements and miss a few application deadlines while you binge-watch reality TV and seriously consider whether you should just abandon your career plans to audition for some spinoff of “The Bachelor” instead.

Aging, Crying, Lamenting You can actually do this activity anywhere! Whether you’re working on something or trying to have fun, there’s no time like a break from school to have an existential crisis. With the long weekend, you may end up in extended Sunday Scaries mode.

Academic Choices Loathing Why did you decide to take this class? Why now?

Why did it ruin your long weekend plans? What could you have done differently? Should you drop it last minute on Friday and go on that road trip with friends instead? Check your four-year plan.

The Backpage is satire, written by Simona “recess peanut butter cup” Matovic and designed by Simona “m&midterm” Matovic. For comments or questions, please email JamesJoyceLovesFarts@rice.edu

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