The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, January 23, 2019

VOLUME 103, ISSUE NO. 16 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019

Rice celebrates MLK Day at parade, vigil RYND MORGAN THRESHER STAFF

Still perfect

Women’s basketball remains undefeated in conference play MADISON BUZZARD ASST SPORTS EDITOR

The women’s basketball team extended its undefeated stretch to seven games, claiming a 6452 victory on Saturday over the University of North Texas at Tudor Fieldhouse. The win gave Rice a 5-0 Conference USA record and a 14-3 overall mark.

Rice took a bit of time to settle in at the start of the game. Sophomore center Nancy Mulkey began the game by committing a turnover on offense before blocking a shot on defense, then surrendering another turnover on offense. Each team missed its first three-point shot before senior guard Nicole Iademarco deposited the game’s first bucket. North Texas senior guard Grace Goodhart scored six points in the first six minutes to narrow the margin to 9-8 in favor of the Owls.

Rice extended its lead to eight points by the end of the first quarter thanks to baskets from junior guard Erica Ogwumike, senior guard Lauren Grigsby and sophomore center Alexah Chrisman. Grigsby and Chrisman were Rice’s only two bench players to play more than three minutes (Grigsby played 25 minutes and Chrisman played 12 minutes). Head coach Tina Langley’s decision to play only a few reserves enabled four of Rice’s five starters to score more than seven points.

SEE BASKETBALL PAGE 11

cloris cai / thresher

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Business & Pleasure: A conversation with Paul Hester CHRISTINA TAN

A&E EDITOR

A group photo usually includes three elements: the passerby photographer, the impatient photographed group and a phone camera. On Thursday, I got to be a part of the photographed group — but the photographer was former photography professor Paul Hester (Wiess ‘71), and instead of using a phone, he opted for a giant view camera. In classic Paul fashion, we were gathered in this film photo to celebrate the opening of his exhibition, “Business & Pleasure: Fifty Years of Photographs by Paul Hester.”

The event, hosted in the Rice Media Center, was packed — Hester later commented to me that it was a good thing the fire marshal didn’t stop by. Fans, former students and fellow colleagues jammed into the space to look at work ranging from Hester’s college years to post-grad photographs taken on a Thomas J. Watson fellowship to collaborative work with his wife, Lisa Hardaway (Brown ‘81). Like its onlookers, the photographs themselves were arranged in every nook and cranny: visit the men’s room, and you might be confronted with a photograph of Spanishstyle architecture.

Hester, who taught photography at Rice for 15 years, is a Rice alum, as are Hardaway and his two sons, Eric Hester

(Wiess ‘07) and Noah Hardaway (Wiess ‘18). At the opening, Hester clarified that he is not retired, but “taking a break from teaching” and focusing his time on taking photographs of the Menil’s collection.

She started pulling prints out of the boxes, making connections between work from different periods of time.

Paul Hester FORMER PHOTOGRAPHY PROFESSOR I had the opportunity to talk to Hester, also a former teacher of mine, twice — once, for two hours, before I lost the audio file, and a second time, for two hours, since he was patient enough to do it again. Parts of the interview are embedded online for a more holistic experience of Hester and his exhibit.

HESTER & HARDAWAY Hester and Hardaway own a joint business, Hester + Hardaway, and worked together for this exhibit. Hardaway, a Shepherd School graduate, curated the exhibit, choosing which photographs to display and where.

“I was busy doing some other work, and [Hardaway] said, ‘You gotta get started on this,’” Hester said. “So she started pulling prints out of the boxes and getting things together, making connections between work from different periods of time, expressing her preferences for different things.”

Throughout the exhibit, Hester expressed his appreciation for Hardaway’s vision, chuckling at some of her paired choices and exclaiming that he never would have seen such connections. The result is an exhibition that feels cohesive, with a chronological beginning that unravels into a new order later, paired together by composition and subject as opposed to time.

Such careful thought even led Hardaway to place a photo in the men’s and women’s restrooms — a fireplace in the men’s and a cactus in the women’s.

Equally thoughtful are the architectural photographs that lead visitors in a winding U-turn, finishing in an almost hidden room full of Hester’s students’ work.

“I put up photographs from students that I had that maybe they never picked up from the class, or that maybe I had kept from an assignment and forgot to return,” Hester said. “At the end of the exhibit, I’m going to put the students’ books in a collection in Fondren Library.”

SEE HESTER PAGE 9

After students voiced concerns about the dilapidated state of Rice’s float, Rice students, alumni, faculty and staff honored Martin Luther King Jr. weekend by participating in Houston’s MLK march and attending an on-campus vigil featuring speakers including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Rice President David Leebron.

THE PARADE At 8 a.m. on Monday, members of the Rice community gathered at the Allen Center for breakfast before going to the 41st Annual “Original” MLK, Jr. Day Parade downtown.

Instead of the float used in the parade last year, Rice presented “a very energetic walking group,” as described by the Facebook event page.

According to William Edmond, assistant director of multicultural affairs, students decided walking as a group would be a better option than a float.

“Logistically, we advertised the opportunity for students to participate,” Edmond said. “By determining to walk, we were able to solicit the participation of students, alumni, faculty and staff close to 100 volunteers, including the Marching Owl Band.”

I give a lot of credit to [Martin Luther] King’s message; that pushed me along, motivated me, inspired me.

Sylvester Turner MAYOR OF HOUSTON Greg Marshall, director of university relations, said that both the Houston Pride Parade group this past summer and MLK group this weekend opted for walking groups instead of redecorating the float used in last year’s parade, primarily for financial reasons.

“We explored the possibility of trying to rent a larger float this year, but the cost to do so is thousands of dollars — many times what we spend each year on redecorating the float, printing T-shirts, providing food, transportation and security to parade participants,” Marshall said. “So that simply wasn’t feasible.”

Yonas Tekola, vice president of the Black Male Leadership Initiative, said that a walking group made more sense to promote turnout to the parade.

“I think a big critique from last year was the float itself and the processes that led up to the float,” Tekola, a Jones College junior, said. “But the parade itself was a good time. I was on the float, and I was there with other students, faculty, alumni. I think the more students that get involved, the better we feel in the group, as well as the better we present ourselves as a university.”

Brown College sophomore Mathias Adamu walked in the parade this year, along with a group of other Rice community members and the MOB. “The parade was wonderful,” Adamu said. “Getting up early was kind of a struggle but actually walking was really fun. Cheering and waving and handing out bookmarks to all the people was awesome.”

THE VIGIL On Sunday night, Turner and Leebron spoke at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Vigil.

SEE MLK PAGE 4

THE RICE THRESHER

2 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019

NEWS

New Sid Rich building on track for 2021 completion KIMMY SCHUSTER THRESHER STAFF By the spring semester of 2021, the new Sid Richardson College building will be completed and ready for use, according to Grant Wilkinson, head of the Sid New Building Committee. The building will occupy the space from the current Will Rice College Magister house to Seibel Servery, Wilkinson said.

Sid will remain the tallest building on campus, according to Project Manager Anzilla Gilmore. The current plans are for a 12-story structure that will be slightly taller than the current 14-story tower.

“The student committee’s input has played an integral role in programming and a number of key design decisions, most specifically, the decision to maintain the height of the college,” Gilmore said.

The new building will be connected to Seibel. Plans for the existing Sid Kitchen have not been finalized, but the space will likely be used for graduate student dining, according to Gilmore.

The building itself will likely be used to house graduate students, according to Sid Magister Ken Whitmire.

“Seibel was designed to serve a third college,” said Gilmore. “Minor changes in the layout of the serving stations may be required, but an expansion or renovation of Seibel is not anticipated.”

While the building will still be a tower with two central elevators, a few floors will house more students than others, and a number of single and double rooms will be compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. This means that for the first time, Sid will be able to accommodate students with disabilities, according to Whitmire.

The new building will include a generous allotment of intentionally flexible spaces that can be repurposed to meet the needs of Sid students over the years, according to Wilkinson. Additionally,

Wilkinson said the building will include a makerspace similar to McMurtry College’s, a covered terrace on the second floor, a multifunctional space intended to house performances and plays, a student lounge, study rooms, a student kitchen and a quad.

The Steering Committee, consisting of members of Facilities, Engineering and Planning, Housing and Dining, the Building and Grounds Committee of the Board of Trustees and Whitmire, interviewed architects and recommended use of the firm BarkowLeibinger, which is located in Berlin, as the design architects, partnered with local architecture firm Kirksey.

“The pace of design has been very fast,” Whitmire said. “Once the architects were under contract, they began meeting and planning the building with the input of all of the stakeholders. They held meetings with students and toured all of Rice’s colleges to get ideas of what to do and what not to do.”

Wilkinson, a Sid junior, said that the students of the Sid New Building Committee were highly involved in the planning process.

“We have been consulted in every step of the process and our feedback and desires have consistently been taken and incorporated into the plans,” Wilkinson said. “There are, of course, compromises that have been made, but the committee is very excited about the direction New Sid has taken.”

Senior Youssef Machkas said he is excited about both the new facilities and the cultural changes they could bring to the college.

“The new building will still be a tower, which will maintain the foundations of the old building’s culture,” Machkas said.

“But since there will not be two floors per floor, there is the possibility for many more floors and many diverse floor cultures throughout the college. Plus, the elevators will work, which is great.”

N THE RADAR A NIGHT OF PHILOSOPHY AND IDEAS The Moody Center for the Arts and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy will present a unique event bringing philosophers, musicians, artists and authors from around the world together with a series of conversations and performances. The night will revolve around the theme of “ecology.”

The event is free and open to the public.

JAN. 26 AT 7 p.m. // Moody Center

SURVIVING R. KELLY SCREENING The Rice Women’s Resource Center is screening part one of the recently-released documentary series detailing the sexual assault allegations against R. Kelly.

The event is free and the center will be providing dinner from Thai Village.

JAN. 23 AT 5:30 p.m. // Wiess Movie Room

PAINT WITH FRIENDS At the latest installment of the Owls After Dark series hosted by the Ley Student Center, students are encouraged to come paint in the Rice Memorial Center Grand Hall. The activity will be lead step-bystep by a facilitator and all supplies will be provided.

JAN. 24 AT 8:30 p.m. // RMC Grand Hall

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019 • 3

Aid offered for summer courses Professor named to JADE KANEMITSU FOR THE THRESHER Undergraduates who received needbased aid during the academic year will now be eligible to receive financial aid grants toward a total of nine credit hours of Rice summer coursework starting summer 2019, according to Rice’s financial aid website. According to the financial aid office, it is currently unclear to what extent the aid will cover summer coursework.

In previous summers, students have been able to apply for federal funds consisting of Pell Grants and loans, according to Rice’s financial aid website.

However, now students will have the option to apply for grant-based financial aid directly from the university in addition to government loans.

Rice’s financial aid can be applied to Rice summer courses both online and inclass, “Rice in Country” coursework, and other Rice faculty-led overseas programs, according to Rice’s website.

Duncan college sophomore Adalberto Machin said the new summer financial aid

will allow him to take a more manageable course load.

According to Machin, the only aid available was federal aid. According to the office of financial aid’s website, students applying for federal financial aid in the summer of 2018 were required to be enrolled in at least six credit hours, with each hour costing $1000.

“Even with aid, I would not be able to afford that many credits, so I was unable to take summer courses,” Machin said.

According to their financial aid websites, peer institutions like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford and Columbia Universities offer loans for summer school, but no grant aid. The University of Houston allows students to use unused aid from regular semesters over the summer, but does not allocate additional grants specifically for the summer.

Machin said that with Rice’s financial aid he now has the opportunity to take courses in the coming summer.

“I am looking forward to be able to take summer classes at Rice,” Machin said. “I am extremely proud of my school and very grateful for this opportunity.”

Aid eligibility in the Summer For the first time, students can apply for grant-based financial aid aid for these types of summer courses:

Rice in Country

In-class or online Rice courses

Ric facul e tyovers led eas

infographic by sydney garrett

Inventor Hall of Fame

woman and first Rice faculty member to receive the award.”

Richards-Kortum, who has been at Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Rice since 2005, co-founded the Rice Malcolm Gillis University Professor of 360° Institute for Global Health, an Bioengineering, will be one of the 2019 organization which works with students inductees to the National Inventors Hall and faculty to develop solutions to of Fame this May, according to a press medical issues around the world. She currently serves as its director, according release from the Hall.

The National Inventors Hall of to its website.

According to Richards-Kortum, the Fame was established in 1973 and has inducted over 550 members, according work she is most excited about is her team’s potential to to its website. The develop a device that group works to both allows for earlier recognize the talent detection of cervical of these scientists cancer. and use it to further Failure is a constant R i c h a r d s - Ko r t u m STEM education. and inevitable part of also works with the Richards-Kortum is invention.

Optical Spectroscopy one of 19 inductees Imaging for 2019, including Rebecca Richards-Kortum and Laboratory on campus the developers of BAKER COLLEGE SENIOR to develop medical the UNIX operating technologies used to system and the inventors of fluoride toothpaste according facilitate early diagnosis at a low cost.

Her work extends the benefits of medical to the list posted on their website.

“It was a complete and humbling innovation to developing countries.

Outside of Rice, she serves as a U.S. surprise,” Richards-Kortum said, Science Envoy, one of only 23 people to reffering to her induction.

This honor recognizes her innovation ever hold the title; in this role, Richardsin the field of affordable medical Kortum works to establish international technology.

Such work includes partnerships to promote scientific the Pumani CPAP system, which is development and collaboration around used to save newborn babies with the world.

Despite all her success, Richardsbreathing issues at a much lower cost than previously available technology, Kortum said the a crucial part of her according to the National Inventors Hall work is learning and recovering quickly from mistakes. of Fame website.

“Failure is a constant and inevitable “Our team is inspired by the of invention,” Richardsopportunity to use engineering as a part tool to improve health equity,” said Kortum said. “We’re always failing, and sometimes it’s hard to not feel Richards-Kortum.

In 2016, Richards-Kortum was awarded discouraged. Also, invention is a team a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship — a sport - and to be successful your team “no-strings-attached” grant of $625,000 needs to have a deep understanding — along with 23 other fellows. According of the problem you’re trying to solve. to a Rice News story, she was the “first Nothing is more satisfying than when it Houston scientist, the first Houston all comes together.”

LILA GREINER FOR THE THRESHER

O-Week coordinators now eligible for need-based stipends EMILY ABDOW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Fifteen Orientation Week coordinators have received need-based summer stipends ranging from $500 to $2,500 from the Dean of Undergraduates’ Office, according to Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman.

Additionally, all coordinators will now earn letter grade as opposed to a satisfactory or unsatisfactory grade for the spring semester course that coordinators are required to take, according to Lovett College President Akin Bruce.

Bruce said a third change he and Will Rice College President Tanvi Varadhachary pushed for was increasing the number of credit hours for the spring course from one credit hour to variable credit of either one or two hours. However, he said when Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman and Director of First Year Programs Araceli Lopez brought their suggestions to Faculty Senate, the senate reached the verdict that the academic

content of the coordinator course did not justify an increase.

“To be quite honest, I didn’t think the administration and FYP would be willing to roll out a stipend for the coords so quickly, so I’m really impressed with the outcome,” Bruce, a former O-Week coordinator, said.

O-Week coordinator applications increased by 12 percent from last year, according to Lopez, who said she believes the change is due to the stipend.

Gorman said the Martel College magisters initially proposed the change to her early in the fall semester. Her office then worked with FYP to implement the program. Applicants indicated whether they wanted to be considered for aid when applying for the program, according to Gorman. Then, her office and Lopez considered both the applications and financial aid status to make funding decisions and notify coordinators at the time of their selection.

O-Week Student Director Gabrielle Falcon said while the stipend is a “massive improvement,” she would

eventually like to see a flat rate for every coordinator. Last year, O-Week coordinators received no summer compensation other than eight meals per week and on-campus housing from June 1 until advisor training and O-Week, Falcon said.

Falcon, who coordinated Martel’s O-Week in 2018, said she worked three jobs to support herself that summer;

one in the Provost’s Office, a second at Coffeehouse and a third in the political science department conducting research.

“It [was] stressful,” Falcon, a junior, said. “Oftentimes coords were always trying to figure out where they were going to get their next meal and planning trips to the grocery store together. My magisters also fed us once a week to help us offset the costs.”

up to

$2,500

per coordinator is being offered as stipend

33

total O-Week Coordinators

15

coordinators will receive stipend infographic by sumin hwang

NEWS

4 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019

Houston Mayor Turner speaks at Rice MLK vigil MLK FROM PAGE 1 In his introduction, Leebron referenced the desegregation Rice University was going through at the time of Dr. King’s assassination.

“When Martin Luther King was shot, Rice was still a year away from graduating its first black graduate student, Raymond Johnson, and two years away from graduating its first two black

undergraduates, Ted Henderson and Linda Faye Williams,” Leebron said. “We are a very different institution today. And we see everyday the benefits of that, and the challenges of that. For me personally, what Martin Luther King symbolized was the symbiosis of anger and optimism, a belief that this nation could be challenged to live its ideals and ultimately the mountain could be climbed together.”

Rice students sing at the vigil held in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Speakers at the event included President David Leebron and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. callum parks / thresher

Turner said that he was personally he understood the importance of being there for one another,” Carter said. “He inspired by King’s work.

“I give a lot of credit to King’s message; understood the importance of being a that pushed me along, motivated me, member of society and not only partaking inspired me,” Turner said. “I give a lot of in it but contributing to it.”

In the closing remarks of the vigil, credit to two parents that didn’t graduate from high school, but didn’t give up on Jeremiah Murrell, president of the Black their kids, believed in education. And I’m Male Leadership Initiative, said that he wanted to challenge looking at a city that has fellow students to changed so much over take action. the last 25 years.”

“It’s very easy to In her speech at the Think about Dr. King see something that’s vigil, Black Student and everyone who wrong and wait for Association President Summar McGee said made it possible for us someone else to make that King left behind a to be at this university. it right,” Murrell, a Hanszen College legacy of improving the And just take action. junior, said. “But it’s lives of others. gotta be one of us ...

“If we can take Jeremiah Murrell it’s gotta be somebody. anything from Dr. King BLACK MALE LEADERSHIP That’s my challenge and his legacy, [it] is INITIATIVE PRESIDENT to you. When you that each and every one of us has a collective responsibility to the go about the semester, think about this person who sits beside us, that we have weekend, and think about Dr. King, and a responsibility to do what we can to everyone who made it possible for us to be make that person’s life better,” McGee, a at this university. And just take action.”

Tekola said that he wanted to give a Hanszen College junior, said.

Jones College freshman Drew Carter shoutout to the black student community said he was grateful for King in his for motivating changes in this year’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. remarks following McGee’s.

“Even though this is a good first step, “Dr. King understood the importance of an education, he understood will we want to take this energy and put it in the fight, but more than anything towards our next initiative,” Tekola said.

Three south colleges announce incoming magisters SAVANNAH KUCHAR THRESHER STAFF

culture and respected the autonomy and diversity of their students.

“Whether we had someone totally new Search committees at Hanszen, Lovett and or someone who was familiar with the Sid Richardson Colleges have announced residential college system, we wanted their new magisters, who will begin their magisters who realized there isn’t any one size fits all solution,” Hatanpää said. “An terms at the end of this academic year.

Fabiola López-Durán and her husband appreciation for diversity was also very Carlos Martinez-Rivera will be the new important to us — we wanted someone magisters at Hanszen, Michel and Melanie who was aware of the different needs Achard will be taking over at Sid and of off campus students, international Michael Gustin and his wife, Denise Klein, students, student athletes and other affinity groups.” will begin the role at Lovett.

Grimes said that in order to gauge Although all three colleges were searching for new magisters and were what qualities Hanszen students were looking at the same candidates, Chase looking for, the committee sent out a Hinman, head of the search committee at survey to the remainder of the college at the beginning of the search process.

Sid, said that it was not a competition.

“Ultimately, those qualities ended up “We had communication with [the other college committees] and we were all working being approachability and accessibility; together to find the magister[s] that fit our understanding and respect of student leadership and independence and creativity colleges the best,” Hinman said.

According Madison Grimes, head of in engaging with [Hanszen] students,” Grimes said. the search committee In each college, the at Hanszen, many candidates were chosen candidates had already by a Magister Search been planning to It is also my duty Committee, which apply and reached to work for the are student-led and out by email or composed of students attended a reception institution, to build from each class. at the beginning of the institution, According to Hatanpää, last semester. Grimes and I think being a there were also two said it didn’t feel like magister gives you residential associates competing because and a magister from the three colleges the platform. another college on the were each looking for Fabiola López-Durán committee. something different.

HANSZEN MAGISTER Hatanpää said “We had 11 magister candidates total, which was more than that the students on the committee were enough for all three of the colleges,” responsible for deciding on a magister, Grimes, a junior, said. “Also, Sid, Lovett while the adults served as more of an and Hanszen are all very different in our advisory role.

“The decision was made entirely by cultures and needs as colleges, so I was confident that we would each be able to the voting members, who submit two names to the dean [of undergraduates],” find our best match from this pool.”

Hinman said that above all, Sid Hatanpää said. “But we definitely students wanted a magister who is very appreciated and listened to the input from our A-Team.” approachable.

Throughout the search process, “The geography of Sid forces the magister to interact with the students a lot, so we the committees invited candidates to wanted someone who was very easy to talk participate in a variety of activities in order to, someone who wouldn’t mind students to become more familiar with the college’s bombarding them with questions early in culture and students.

According to López-Durán, she and her the morning or late at night whenever they husband had a very busy fall, attending see them,” Hinman said.

Carolina Hatanpää, one of the search as many events as possible at all three committee chairs at Lovett, said that at colleges. Achard said he and his wife were Lovett, students wanted someone who able to see the college life firsthand through appreciated their prominent commons these events.

“We had long dinner conversations with some students, and we attended a delicious ice cream making competition where we got to see the floor wars in action,” Achard said. “We saw a lot of Sid college spirit, and it really made us want to be part of the college.”

Gustin and Klein, the new magisters at Lovett, were previously the magisters at Wiess College. Gustin said that even though all three colleges had wonderful cultures and people, being chosen for Lovett was special to him and his wife.

“Denise and I, we had been long time associates at Lovett before we became Wiess magisters,” Gustin said. “We knew a lot of people there from way back when,

so it felt like coming home a bit, because we really like the commons culture of Lovett.

[There are] a lot of things we like about it, so we’re very happy that we’re there.”

Grimes announced the new magisters at Hanszen-only dinner this past Monday.

“Being a magister is a fulfillment of my life and journey, from being a very curious younger student whose mind was totally open to everything I was able to see and to earning the privilege [of being] a teacher and a mentor, to get the chance of opening the minds of my students,” López-Durán said. “It’s also my duty to work for the institution, to build the institution, and I think that being a magister gives you the platform for doing that.”

new magisters on the block

Sid Richardson

Michel & Melanie Achard

Lovett

Michael Gustin & Denise Klein

Hanszen

Fabiola López-Durán & Carlos Martinez-Rivera infographic by sumin hwang

THE RICE THRESHER

5 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019

OPINION STAFF EDITORIAL

Summer grant aid laudable

The new summer school financial aid is undoubtedly a good thing (see p. 3). In fact, it appears to place Rice ahead of its peer institutions. Harvard, Yale and Princeton Universities only offer loans for summer courses which must be paid back — Rice’s new grants, which need not be paid back, expand summer school access to those for whom the cost might be prohibitive.

The biggest benefit of this financial aid is that it helps to level the academic playing field. Students often take summer courses to avoid a heavy load during the fall and spring semesters. Heavy course loads may prevent students from dedicating themselves fully to their courses, rising up to leadership positions in extracurriculars and participating in social events. Thus, the summer financial aid is a crucial way to mitigate one effect that socioeconomic status has on academic performance, leadership positions and social experiences.

However, the lack of information regarding the actual amounts that will be offered in financial aid grants is concerning. Given that the deadline to sign up for summer school is Feb. 25, just over a month away, the administration should make more specific information about potential aid readily available. This is consistent with the transparency of the Rice Investment, which made the cutoffs for financial aid very clear, and has apparently been incredibly well received as evidenced by the 30 percent increase in applications (see RiceThresher.org). The current ambiguous state of summer financial aid may discourage the students most reliant upon it from enrolling in summer classes.

Therefore, while the Thresher Editorial Board endorses the expansion of summer school financial aid to include grant aid, we encourage the administration to make more information about the program available in time for students to act on it.

EDITORIAL CARTOON

How to really get Rice students fired up

OP-ED

Rice refugee support: More we can do

Jan. 3, 2019 was a historic moment for the United States. The tired eyes of a frantic but hopeful nation were on the newly elected congressional representatives, one of whom was the first Muslim refugee in Congress: Ilhan Omar. The night before, Omar tweeted, “23 years ago, from a refugee camp in Kenya, my father and I arrived at an airport in Washington, D.C. Today, we return to that same airport on the eve of my swearing in as the first Somali-American in Congress.”

Omar’s story underscores the myriad of ways refugees contribute to and uplift the core values of the United States: diversity, democracy and equality. The inherent power of representatives like Omar lies in their understanding of uniquely American experiences and the value of the freedoms that the U.S. provides for displaced populations. At Rice, our roles as students, administrators and leaders at all levels empower us to support refugees and asylumseekers on an individual and structural level in our community, our host city of Houston (the number one city for refugee resettlement in the nation) and in our country.

Supporting refugee students is concurrent with the values and priorities of Rice University and its students. Rice’s peer institutions have demonstrated their support for refugee students in ways that can be used as a model for our university. For example, Columbia University has created a scholarship specifically for students who have been displaced by the conflict in Syria.

Started in the fall of 2018, the Columbia Scholarship for Displaced Persons provides six students with full tuition, housing, travel costs and living assistance. Other peer institutions such as the University of Southern California have followed suit, providing scholarships specifically for Syrian refugee students. Both of these institutions are part of the IIE Syria Consortium for

DANNA GHAFIR

ARIANA ENGLES

ALEXANDRA BOUFARA

ANNUM SADANA

MARTEL COLLEGE ‘18

JONES COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

SALONEE SHAH

BAKER COLLEGE JUNIOR

Higher Education in Crisis, a group of universities which provide scholarships in order for Syrian refugees to be able to pursue higher education. In line with its mission to expand access to education, Rice should also consider creating scholarship programs for refugee students and joining organizations such as the Syria Consortium dedicated to supporting students displaced by crises.

However, administrative action must go hand in hand with student support. One of the defining qualities of students at Rice is their willingness to not only learn about social issues, but also take action. Given that there are 68.5 million people forcibly displaced worldwide — the highest levels of displacement ever on record — we simply cannot afford to give in to complacency. In a time when refugee support is crucial in higher education and in the U.S. at large, we challenge you to think beyond the comfortable “Rice bubble” that often shelters us all, and look towards how you can play a part — however small or large it may be — in tackling the consequences of the global refugee crisis. Volunteer with Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees (PAIR) or refugee resettlement agencies in Houston, like Amaanah Refugee Services and Interfaith Ministries. Attend city and county government meetings to advocate for increasing funding for local community organizations or write a letter to your representative in Congress to make sure that the U.S. meets its refugee resettlement goal in 2019. Listen carefully when people who have been displaced share their stories and help keep our community informed and inspired to take action. Let us expand upon the principles Rice University was founded on and use them to respond to the global refugee crisis.

The authors of this op-ed serve in the SA’s Refugee Support Services Working Group.

LOVETT COLLEGE JUNIOR BAKER COLLEGE JUNIOR

JEFFERSON REN JONES SOPHOMORE

ANUMITA JAIN

BAKER FRESHMAN

ASK THE STAFF

“Chef Roger’s salmon.”

– Andrew Grottkau, Editor-in-Chief

What would you start a stampede for?

“To see my true love, Harry Styles.”

“Cauliflower hoisin at West Servery.”

“The last Double Stuf Oreo in the office on Monday night.”

“Easy: dogs in rain boots.”

“A cowboy burger at midnight.”

“The East-West Tea mason jars.”

“Chick-Fil-A on a Sunday.”

– Christina Tan, A&E Editor (and H&D intern) – Amy Qin, Assistant News Editor – Elizabeth Rasich, Features Editor

– Emily Abdow, Editor-in-Chief

– Charlie Paul, Web Editor

– Eric Stone, Opinions Editor

– Michael Byrnes, Sports Editor

cartoon by dalia gulca

STAFF Andrew Grottkau* & Emily Abdow* Editors in Chief

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Christina Tan* Editor & Designer

NEWS Anna Ta* Editor Rishab Ramapriyan Asst. Editor Amy Qin Asst. Editor

BACKPAGE Simona Matovic Editor & Designer

SPOTLIGHT Elizabeth Rasich* Editor Ella Feldman Asst. Editor SPORTS Michael Byrnes* Editor Madison Buzzard Asst. Editor OPINIONS Eric Stone* Editor

PHOTO Charlene Pan Editor Sirui Zhou Editor COPY Vi Burgess Editor Bhavya Gopinath Editor ONLINE Ryan Green Digital Content Editor Charlie Paul Web Editor Nick McMillan Video Editor

DESIGN Sydney Garrett Director Sumin Hwang News Designer Jennifer Fu Features Designer Tina Liu Sports Designer Dalia Gulca Opinions Designer Esther Tang Illustrator BUSINESS OPERATIONS Mai Ton Social Media/Marketing Manager Isabella Gandara Distribution Manager Karoline Sun Special Projects *Editorial Board member

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

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

Editorial and business offices are located on the second floor of the Ley Student Center: 6100 Main St., MS-524 Houston, TX 77005-1892 Phone (713) 348-4801 Email: thresher@rice.edu Website: www.ricethresher.org The Thresher is a member of the ACP, TIPA, CMA and CMBAM. © Copyright 2019

THE RICE THRESHER

6 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019

FEATURES Magnolia City Speakeasy: a student’s underground vegan pop-up eatery

IVANKA PEREZ

that they have available, she revises it.

Then she starts preparing the food two days in advance, trying out recipes and When Elana Margosis picks up the making what she can ahead of time before phone for our FaceTime interview, the she and her roommate make the rest on the sound of steaming floods the background. day of the event.

However, the event has limited space, This can only mean one thing — Margosis is cooking. The steam, she tells me, with a maximum of twelve to thirteen comes from a vegan flan recipe she’s guests. This isn’t because Margosis wants workshopping for her monthly pop-up to make the event exclusive — in fact, dinner, the Magnolia City Speakeasy, where she said she’d love to expand the event. she invites guests into her home and cooks But right now, expansion isn’t possible a three-course, plant-based meal for them. for a innocuous reason: space. In her Margosis, a Duncan College senior, apartment, there’s only one stove and and started the Magnolia City Speakeasy oven, limiting the amount of dishes she in Sept. 2018. She uses the phrase can make. Additionally, she said that she “Magnolia City,” one of Houston’s former and her roommate Sarah Bradford only nicknames, because it reflects the plants have about 13 sets of plates, cups and forks, meaning they native to the area. She have to wash the calls it a “speakeasy” dishes in between because it brings to every course. mind an underground “All of our plates gathering of a close It does kind of make and cutlery and cups community. True to you feel like you’re the name, guests pay a doing something cool are all mismatched, which I think is “suggested donation” part of the charm,” to buy a ticket, rather — underground, or Margosis said. than paying for the something.

Margosis said she meal like they would in started the event as a restaurant. a response to her “It does kind of make Katie Webber experiences working you feel like you’re MARTEL COLLEGE SENIOR in professional doing something cool — underground, or something,” Katie kitchens and, more recently, spending the summer cooking for 20 workers on Webber, a three-time attendee, said.

A dinner filled with vegan food might Hana Farms in Hawaii. After spending not sound appealing to everyone, but this months using odds and ends from the is one of the reasons why Margosis chooses farm’s pantry to make creative dishes to cook only plant-based meals — to show like eggplant breaded with crushed people that “delicious” and “vegan” aren’t tortilla chips, she wanted to continue the mutually exclusive. Margosis said she also experience in her Houston apartment.

Because of these experiences, wants to support local farms, especially those who use sustainable agriculture Margosis says she would be interested practices. Additionally, she’s noticed many in making cooking a part of her career. of her vegan friends struggle to find vegan She hasn’t focused on cooking in her restaurants despite Houston’s abundance academics — in her kinesiology and of fine cuisine, so her speakeasy provides public policy majors, she focuses on sexual and reproductive health the gourmet vegan food they desire.

These vegan friends were the first guests — but she said she would love to to the Magnolia City Speakeasy, which is work for a non-profit such as Urban invite-only. Margosis originally invited her Harvest or Brighter Bites, which tackle friends and some classmates to attend the urban farming and food security, event, but soon they began inviting their respectively.

Margosis said that the most friends until the event became so popular important qualities a menu can have that tickets once sold out in two hours.

“We’ve got regulars now, which is are balance and variety. Logistically, it’s important to have some dishes that she incredible,” Margosis said.

Each month’s meal has a theme — can prepare ahead of time so that she Margosis has made Japanese, Southern isn’t rushing to make everything on the and Tex-Mex cuisine, to name a few — and day of the event. But creatively, Margosis she chooses dishes that she thinks would likes her menu as well as the individual be both fun and feasible. But, like an essay, dishes to have a mixture of textures, that is only the first draft of the menu. Once flavors and temperatures.

“A menu that’s just mushy she has an idea of the dishes she wants to cook, she’ll go to the Rice Farmers Market, carbohydrates isn’t a whole lot of where she chooses the produce that would fun,” Margosis said. “But once you fit well in her menu. Based on the produce pair some carbohydrates with some STAFF WRITER

fresh vegetables, with something a little sweeter, something a little sour, something spicy, then you get something that’s a lot more interesting.”

Margosis said that the process of creating and revising a menu is her favorite part of hosting the Magnolia City Speakeasy.

“I love going from a blank page to a fully realized meal and having people come into my home and enjoy this meal that I cooked for them,” Margosis said.

But she also enjoys the connections that she makes through the event.

“I also love how intimate these events are because they are in my home,” Margosis said. “It’s a great way to meet new people and to have deeper connections with the

people who I already know, and it’s a great way for other people to meet people who they may never have met before.”

Webber agreed that one of the best parts of the speakeasy is meeting new people and spending time with her friends in a new environment. “[All three times I’ve attended] I’ve gotten to hang out with and catch up with friends, but also I’ve met or sat with someone new,” Webber said. “It’s not like we’re going to be BFFs, but it’s still nice to hang out with someone new.”

Ultimately, the Magnolia City Speakeasy brings people together. And what better way is there to bring people together than through food?

MAGNOLIA CITY SPEAKEASY JANUARY MENU STARTERS TO SHARE

ENTREE

DESSERT

Produce from Atkinson Farms (Spring, TX), Rice University Community Garden (Houston, TX), Rio Grande Organics (Quemado, TX) and the family orchard of Dan Sebesta Tips- not expected, always appreciated.

Help sustain Magnolia City Speakeasy by leaving an optional tip via venmo.

The menu above is from the Jan. 18 Magnolia City Speakeasy — senior Elana Margosis’ pop-up restaurant. Margosis curates her menus based on monthly themes and whatever produce is available at the Rice Farmers Market.

FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019 • 7 Crossword by Sam Rossum Thresher Staff

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Idris of Hollywood “Phantom Limb” band Move like a nomad Mythological king who had children sacrificed to the Minotaur Each Put two and two together __ Bounty, site of a famous mutiny Ending for many pastas “Bodysnatchers” band Mine matter “Lofty” H&D position Lab leaders, often To conquer Glossophobia “___ Did It”, OJ Simpson book One who avoids paraphrasing “Cheek to Cheek” trumpeter Biting canines?

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Urban Teacher Fellows Program ___ of Good Feelings Chop (off) 2018 Pixar short film Prefix with theater and bian Band who sang “Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb” Stashed Where to spend rupees Property of infinity Federal insurance program for disabled people __ Eisley, cosmic dive bar Round flatbread from 7-Down Former Palestinian leader Burning yearning There’s one in this clue Perched on Common ROPE rental Indoor rowing machines Prompt for an ans.

Favorite pronoun for a narcissist

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

Bolded clues correspond to the theme.

Jones RA hosts Bachelor watch parties, fantasy league ELIZABETH RASICH FEATURES EDITOR

Every other Monday this semester, the Jones College movie room will be filled with “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” aficionados cheering on their favorite contestants and checking their fantasy football-style brackets.

Jones Resident Associate Kerri Barber runs the watch parties with food and love-themed decorations she gets from Party City. “‘The Bachelor’ franchise is pure entertainment,” Barber said. “Lots of great quotes [and] memes come out of it.”

While eating chocolate roses, gourmet popcorn, crackers and cheese galore, Jonesians follow this season’s contestant, Colton, as he chooses a fiancée. Barber also operates a fantasy league open to all Jonesians where students submit their brackets after the second rose ceremony.

“Participants are allowed to watch episode one and use information based on season previews and bios that are on [the] ABC website to help with their decisions of who will move forward,” Barber said.

The winner gets an Amazon gift card.

Barber said that the fantasy league helps build a sense of community within Jones. She often has students reach out to her to let her know how their brackets are faring, and she sends a weekly email update to participants with a recap of that week’s episode.

“At the end of the day, the series is about finding love and I think people get invested

in the relationships that we see unfold before our eyes,” Barber said.

As far as the current season?

“It does seem students are sick of the virgin references — no one cares Colton is a virgin,” Barber said.

Amy Griffiths, a Jones senior, started watching “The Bachelor” last spring.

Although she said that she doesn’t think Colton is “very interesting,” she still enjoys attending the watch parties.

“I love listening to everyone else’s take on the drama,” Griffiths said. “I tried watching ‘The Bachelorette’ over the summer after work, but it just wasn’t the same without friends.”

Ranjini Nagaraj, a Jones senior, is another frequent attendee.

“My favorite thing about this season is all of the drama that has already started,” Nagaraj said. “Sometimes it’s more fun to watch the drama between the girls than it is to watch the actual dates between Colton and whichever girl he picks.”

Nagaraj said Barber’s watch parties have encouraged the whole college to become more invested in the show.

“The watch parties are a lot of fun because everyone there is just enjoying the show and nobody takes it super seriously,” Nagaraj said. “We laugh at all of the drama and cheer for our favorite girls — or guys, when it’s “The Bachelorette” — to do well and receive roses during the week.”

Start your career with one of The Princeton Reviews Top Ten Internships As graduation approaches, it is now your time to make an impact outside of the hedges.

Rice and Breakthrough Houston are looking for talented candidates who are interested in teaching high-achieving, motivated middle school students from underserved families in the Greater Houston area. As an Urban Teacher Fellow, you will teach classes of approximately ten students, work with a qualified instructional coach to make sure you know the ropes, and experience what it is like to be at the front of a classroom.

Why Choose the Urban Teacher Fellows Program?

•

Join the frontline in confronting education inequity

•

Receive a scholarship and reduced tuition

•

Start earning salary and benefits in fall 2019

•

End your first year of teaching with a standard teaching certificate and a career in education

Application Requirements Students must complete applications for: • The Rice Education program • Breakthrough Houston Applications can be found at education.rice.edu.

Information Session Join us for one of our upcoming information sessions for a free Chick-fil-A lunch and to learn more about Rice University’s Urban Teacher Fellows Program.

Friday, Jan. 18 or Wednesday, Feb. 6 12:10 p.m.

RMC, Miner Lounge

RSVP at education.rice.edu.

THE RICE THRESHER

8 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT STUDENT ART

SENIOR MUSI SERIES

R2 goes beyond the hedges AMY GRIFFITHS FOR THE THRESHER

Music composition major Molly Turner is a trained string player and can play the piano, but her interest was most sparked by the challenges of composition. sirui zhou / thresher

Building worlds: Featuring composition major Molly Turner

Metropolitan Opera House in over a century.

Turner said she is most familiar with the violin and the piano, two instruments she Molly Turner enjoys improvising piano tends to prefer. pieces on the spot, skillfully turning a room “I’m actually a trained string player,” into a 1950s jazz club or an 18th century Turner said. “There’s a certain sustained palace ballroom. According to Turner, quality about [string instruments]. The cool however, she didn’t “get into” composition thing about a string instrument [is that] you until high school. She recalls being naïve can change the direction of the bow and in many ways in her first year of music have sound, infinitely.” school — whereas a violinist may have gone When it comes to her own composition through years of training, she was only just process, Turner said there are many learning the art of her craft. parameters to balance.

“Music composition for me started kind “My process usually starts with a graphic of as an improvisatory thing,” Turner, a score,” Turner said. “It’s like a really bad Lovett College senior, stick-figure drawing of said. “[When] I took what I want my music classic[al] piano to be. There are so many lessons and classic[al] parameters — you’re violin lessons, I found Music composition thinking about how fast it myself just playing and what we create is, what instruments you whatever wasn’t written is about the life that want to use, the kind of down on the piano and harmonic language that we experience. writing whatever I was you want to use. You have improvising down.” to transfer that sound in Molly Turner Turner said that your head to what that as she’s gained life COMPOSITION MAJOR instrument has to do to experiences over her what it has to look like on college years, she’s grown as a composer at notation. You have to put it in notation so the Shepherd School of Music. that someone else can also play it.”

“Music composition and what we create After graduation, Turner plans to attend is about the life that we experience, so what graduate school for conducting.

I have experienced at this point of my life “Something I became interested in affects what I write,” Turner said. “I [feel starting sophomore year is conducting,” stronger] on what my music is about, as Turner said. “There’s no undergrad opposed to when I first got here. I was a lot conducting major — it’s really only a more self-conscious.” master’s program. [Conductors] probably As for her inspirations, Turner lists Bach start even later than composers. The best and Stravinsky, as well as underrepresented conductors are old conductors, because living female composers Jennifer Higdon they’ve seen a lot, and [conducting is] and Kaija Saariaho, the first female seeing something on paper and knowing composer to have her work performed at the how to bring that to life.”

SUNNY LIU

SENIOR WRITER

R2, The Rice Review, has more than doubled its pool of submissions — some from high schoolers and others from professional writers — after expanding its reach to the greater Houston area.

Founded in 2004, R2 has traditionally featured only Rice student work. The decision to allow submissions from creatives other than Rice students came from its current editors-in-chief, Kristen Hickey, Ellie Mix and Lily Wulfemeyer.

Mix, a Martel College junior, said that the editors-in-chief were initially unsure about the response of the Houston community. However, to their surprise, they received several hundred submissions.

“We’ve more than doubled what’s coming in,” Wulfemeyer, a Brown College junior, said.

Mix said that the expansion is part of a continuous effort to make the magazine better.

“When we thought about the idea of expanding, we didn’t know how far we should go — Houston, or Texas, or the United States or what,” Mix said. “There isn’t a Houston literary magazine right now. Houston is obviously full of creative types and talent, being one of the largest cities in the U.S., and we felt that [there] was a gap that needed to be filled and that Rice has the resources to do that.”

In comparison, Gulf Coast, a “journal of literature, art and critical writing” in collaboration with the University of

Houston serves the Houston community but does not require that submissions come exclusively from Houston.

Expanding the submission pool also helps to diversify the content of the art in the magazine, according to Hickey and Wulfemeyer. “[R2 has] the opportunity to have more work that represents a wider variety of experiences and voices,” Hickey, a Jones College junior, said. “[Outside contributors bring] a broader image of the world than a lot of the times Rice students bring to the page.”

Wulfemeyer talked about how the process of curating pieces for the magazine.

She said that the editors-in-chief consider which voices they will include and where they are positioned in the magazine so that the art resonates with readers.

“R2 is trying to go beyond creating ‘a Rice voice’ to “create a dialogue between voices,” Wulfemeyer said.

This expansion comes with added challenges, such as deciding how to fully incorporate Houston voices into the magazine while retaining a strong space for Rice students.

“This year, in a lot of regards, is an experiment to see what works,” Mix said.

According to Mix, R2’s accessibility is a very important aspect. Unlike other magazines, there is no fee for submitting work, and hard copies of the literary magazine are free to all Rice students.

“The more people that can read Rice work the better, and the more Rice students that can read Houston work the better,” Mix said.

FILM

Netflix hits a home run with ‘Sex Education’ AMELIA CALAUTTI SENIOR WRITER

SEX EDUCATION Genre: Comedy-drama Run time: 8 episodes, each 46 - 52 minutes Find it on: Netflix

Netflix’s show, “Sex Education,” is a must-see — just not with your parents. The raunchy British comedydrama series covers all the bases in entertainment (ha, get it?) with laughout-loud scenes, heartfelt moments and, of course, tons of sex.

The eight-episode series, which premiered Jan. 11, is set around the life of introverted 16-year-old Otis (Asa Butterfield). The son of a sex therapist, Otis is still a virgin but has accumulated

years of sexual knowledge through listening in on his mom’s sessions.

A wallflower at Moordale Secondary School, Otis spends most of his time with his best and only friend, Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), who is loudmouthed and bold but still equally uncool. While Eric attempts to steer the duo up the social hierarchy while exploring his own sexuality as an openly gay male, Otis prefers to stay in the shadows, knowing he is way behind his classmates (sexually and socially) but being okay with that. Yet when cool-girl Maeve (Emma Mackey), complete with a cigarette and nose ring, approaches Otis about starting an underground sex clinic, Otis is thrown into the spotlight, assisting his peers with intimacy issues ranging from masturbation to orgasming.

While featuring plenty of scenes of teens “doing it,” “Sex Education” is far from your typical teen series comprised of horny kids lusting after each other. In fact, “Sex Education” breaks down barriers that those same shows set in place. Whereas the media SEE SEX ED PAGE 9

THE WEEKLY SCENE

MOODY SPRING OPENING The Moody Center will open its spring season on Friday from 6 - 8 p.m. with four new exhibitions, including a sitespecific installation by VADA professor Natasha Bowdoin and a site-specific installation by Paris-based Michel Blazy. Admission is always free.

Moody Center for the Arts

AFRICAYÉ 2019

WINTER WALTZ

Join Rice African Student Association on Saturday from 6 - 9 p.m. for “Africayé 2019 — Afrofuturism: The Future is Africa.” The event will showcase food, music, dance, musical performances and spoken word.

Tickets are $8 pre-sale and $10 at the door.

On Saturday from 9 - 11 p.m., the Shepherd School Student Council will host its second annual Winter Waltz. It will feature an orchestra of Shepherd School musicians, the Rice Ballroom Dance Club, treats and a dance floor. Admission is free.

RMC Grand Hall

Hirsch Orchestra Rehearsal Hall Alice Pratt Brown Hall

LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVAL Rice Chinese Students and Scholars Association will host a gala celebrating Lunar New Year on Sunday from 5 - 8 p.m.

The event will feature food, activities, a photo booth and red envelopes. Tickets are $6 pre-sale and $8 at the door.

RMC Grand Hall

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019 • 9

FROM PAGE 1

A teacher’s collection of work and play

Indeed, on a table in that room is none other than my own final photo book, accidentally abandoned in the final exam rush but kept intact under Hester and Hardaway’s careful eye.

BUSINESS & PLEASURE Hester maintains his theme of business and pleasure throughout his exhibit, seamlessly interlacing photographs from work and photographs from play and demonstrating the two are not mutually exclusive. Oftentimes, it is difficult to tell which photos were commissioned and which were taken for fun, since all seem to carry the same weight and careful compositional thought. “[Business and pleasure are] sometimes seen as oppositional,” Hester said. “You either have to become a professional artist and sell your soul or you’re an artist and you’re starving. I didn’t want to starve, but I knew I wanted to take lots of photographs.”

Hester traces his professional career back to his time as an architecture student at Rice (he later changed his major to photography in his senior year), when his classmates would pay him to take photos of their architectural models. From there, Hester’s career blossomed, expanding into work for magazines like Cite and Texas Architecture and for notable names like Diane Keaton, Philip Johnson and Georgia O’Keeffe.

“I think that business is being able to go on location when somebody calls you and make the best picture that you can,” Hester said.

“And that taught me that I can photograph anywhere. I can photograph anything. And everything is interesting, if you look at it the right way.”

O’KEEFFE & OTHERS In the main gallery, a stunning group of photos are hung in a single line. These works, collaborations by Hester and Hardaway, are of the late painter Georgia O’Keeffe’s New Mexico SEX ED FROM PAGE 8 often portrays teenagers as having extensive, superb sex lives, complete with romantic bedroom scenes and steamy shower rendezvous (I’m looking at you, “Riverdale”), “Sex Education” shows that not everyone is doing it, and those who are aren’t performing quite flawlessly either. As I watched the show alone in my room, headphones in and screen faced away from the door, I felt considerably uncomfortable watching naked bodies on my screen. Yet the discomfort I felt is exactly why we need more shows like “Sex Education;” it highlights that sex can be awkward or gross, and teenagers are just trying to figure it all out.

The series makes light of the confusing and often-embarrassing struggle of transitioning into adulthood, showcasing characters who, though the same age, are on vastly different stages of development. In addition to their wide range of sexual experience, the characters also come from diverse backgrounds — jock Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling) is the adopted “golden boy” of a lesbian couple and Eric, who enjoys wearing makeup, is the son of Nigerian immigrants. And while some of the characters seem to have it all, they are soon revealed to be as flawed as everyone else, shown

house, where she made some of her most famous work. Hester was commissioned to preserve her house through his photography.

The photos invoke a sense of halted activity, as if O’Keeffe had just departed to run an errand and would be right back. “[O’Keeffe] was a very austere woman,” Hester said. “You’d see photographs of her dressed in all black, way before we all wore black.”

That austerity and O’Keeffe’s biography inspired Hardaway so much that she had to have her own interaction with O’Keeffe, far before their assignment to photograph her house. Hester said that Hardaway drove down from Colorado to O’Keeffe’s studio with flute in hand, just to play a song for the artist.

“The housekeeper answers the door and Lisa says, ‘I would like to play my flute for Ms. O’Keeffe,’” Hester said. “And the housekeeper says, ‘Okay, wait a minute,’ goes away and then a few minutes later, Ms. O’Keeffe comes out of her studio and stands there and just sort of nods.”

Hardaway had noticed that O’Keeffe liked the composer Georg Philipp Telemann based on her biography, and practiced a Telemann piece — but not enough to have memorized it.

“So she spreads the music sheets down on the ground, puts rocks on the four corners, gets down on her knees and plays the Telemann for Ms. O’Keeffe,” Hester said.

“And when she’s through, Ms. O’Keeffe nods and says ‘Thank you very much,’ and she goes back into her house, and that was it. So to go back to this location, for Lisa, was like — amazing.”

Hester said that he was drawn to O’Keeffe for different reasons — her husband, Alfred Stieglitz, spent his career working to make photography an art form.

“Because of Stieglitz, [O’Keeffe] was in this circle where there were a lot of photographers,” Hester said. “Ansel Adams would come and visit her. I took a shower

through outrageous scenes where popular girl Simone can’t give a blowjob without vomiting and where bully Adam overdoses on Viagra. Even Otis’ mother, a successful sex therapist and author, struggles with her personal flaws; she can solve everyone’s problems except her own — a fear of romantic commitment.

“Sex Education” is an amazing revamp of cliché teen dramas but still maintains undertones of romance and high school stereotypes. With hilarious and gasp-worthy scenes, complex characters and multiple storylines, the show steers away from being boring or overly predictable.

Most interestingly, the perplexing setting of the show suits its quirkiness and gives it a timeless feeling. Although the show takes place in the present day (shown through the mention of 21st century pop culture and use of smartphones), the characters dress in vintage fashion resembling the ‘90s while ‘80s hits fill the background, with Otis’ record player making many appearances. And although the show focuses on sex, the true message of the series isn’t about getting laid, but rather about navigating the wave of emotions that flood your teenage years. Who knew a covert sex clinic could be so metamorphic?

“Sex Education” is streaming on Netflix.

“Sex Education” revolves around main character Otis, who is the son of a sex therapist. The show explores themes of teenage sexuality.

courtesy netflix

yi luo / thresher

Former photography lecturer and Rice alumnus Paul Hester talks to visitors at the opening of “Business & Pleasure: Fifty Years of Photographs by Paul Hester.”

in the same shower that Ansel Adams had taken a shower in. How about that?”

LIGHT & DARK Listen on to hear Hester talk extensively about his experiences in Mexico and his experimental photography.

The exhibition winds upstairs with an increased emphasis on color photography.

The work here balances brooding, thoughtful portraits within an operating room with colorful, funny photos from a quinceañera, culminating in a dark room near the back with a completely different energy.

The dark room, covered in black foam and sparsely lit, is a literal representation of a darker side to Hester’s work. Here, experimental photography features alterations like transposed text, collage and stitching as well as nude subjects — some wear Ronald Reagan masks, others are wrapped up in toilet paper.

Hester said that this work displays another aspect of his personality. “[The viewer] doesn’t just look at it and say, ‘Oh that’s a nice picture. I like the lines’ or ‘I like the composition,’” Hester said. “Great, thanks, but that’s not what I’m after. I want

DFA

some intensity of emotion, some feeling.

When I would [show my work], people were either uncomfortable or uninterested in that approach. It violated their feelings or their idea of what a photograph would be.”

“Different” describes this part of the exhibition well — not only are there many nude photos, but also there are many that make political statements which contrast with pleasant photos of architecture or houses.

“Someone asked me at the exhibit and said, ‘I can’t believe this is all work by the same person, they all seem so different,’” Hester said.” And yes, they do seem different, but I know that I’m the common denominator, and I don’t see them in opposition, just like I don’t see business and pleasure as opposing forces. Each of us has a range of emotions, and some of our emotions are more difficult to share with other people. We don’t want to be vulnerable. I think the best portraits are when the subject trusts the photographer and will let down their guard.”

“Business & Pleasure: Fifty Years of Photographs by Paul Hester” is on display at the Rice Media Center until Feb. 22. The gallery is open from 9 - 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and admission is always free.

channing wang / thresher

On Saturday, Design for America hosted a design sprint focusing on sustainable fashion. Attendees were asked to bring a used piece of clothing, and spent 2 hours brainstorming ways to approach sustainability.

THE RICE THRESHER

10 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019

SPORTS

Forever an Owl: Adams endures MADISON BUZZARD ASST SPORTS EDITOR

AKO ADAMS cloris cai / thresher

During his tenure with the Rice Owls men’s basketball team, junior guard Ako Adams has experienced immense turmoil.

Rewind to Adams’ recruitment to Rice in 2015: the Owls had finished back-to-back seasons with a 12-20 record under head coach Mike Rhoades, but with former Owls phenom scorer Marcus Evans showing promise as Conference USA’s freshman of the year, Adams selected Rice. As a 247sports.com 3-star recruit, Adams turned down scholarship offers from four other Division I schools to join Evans and Rhoades.

From Arlington, Virginia, Adams immediately garnered playing time for Rice as a sixth man off the bench, playing in every game during his freshman year. Quick, dynamic and known for his dreadlocks, Adams helped to galvanize a rejuvenation in Rice basketball. With Evans and three-point marksman Egor Koulechov, the Owls experienced an 11-win improvement after Adams joined Rice.

In March of 2017, during the offseason before Adams’ sophomore year, a decision stripped the wind from Rice’s sails: Rhoades resigned as the Owls head coach to join Virginia Commonwealth University. Evans followed Rhoades, which sparked a domino-effect that ravaged the Owls basketball program. A wave of transfers including Koulechov left Rice without four incumbent starters.

Despite the unrest which surrounded Adams, he stayed. Adams said he does not regret that decision.

“It’s been tough ever since the departure of Coach Rhoades and Marcus Evans and Egor,” Adams said.

“When they left it took a lot out of this team. But we have been building with [current head] coach [Scott] Pera for awhile now.”

Pera, who replaced Rhoades, was previously an assistant coach for the Owls under Rhoades and held assistant positions with Arizona State University and the University of Pennsylvania; however, Rice was Pera’s first foray as a head coach.

After Pera’s hiring, two more transfers ensued.

Road to recovery: Rainey returns ANDREW GROTTKAU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

As Shani Rainey laid under the basket clutching her leg during the final game of the 2017 Women’s Basketball Invitational, she already knew what was wrong.

“I knew what happened,” Rainey said.

“Whenever you tear your ACL, you just know it. It pops.”

For Rainey, a senior guard on the women’s basketball team, the day of her injury was both heartbreaking and triumphant. On the court, Rice won the WBI championship for its first ever postseason tournament title. But she knew she faced a long recovery.

Rainey said after being carried off the court, she asked her dad to FaceTime her so she could watch the rest of the game from the locker room. After the win, she returned to the court and climbed a ladder to cut down the nets in celebration.

“It was emotionally overwhelming,” Rainey said. “Coming out on my crutches and having the whole court cheering was an overwhelming feeling, but at the same time, I’ve never felt more grateful.”

Rainey sat out for the entirety of the 2018 season to rehabilitate that injury — a tear of the ACL, MCL and meniscus in one of her knees. “[The trainers] were like ‘We’ve never really seen this injury before,’ so I made the [recovery] timetable as I went along,” Rainey said. “I had to tell myself ‘It’s going to be a long ride, so I have to have the best mindset possible.’”

She said she vividly remembers a message her head coach, Tina Langley, delivered to her early in the recovery process.

“It was one or two days after surgery, and she told me, ‘You’re going to come back better than before,’” Rainey said. “That conversation I had, still on my medicine, nerve block still in, was something that would ring in the back of my head even during times when I was down.”

Rainey set goals throughout her rehab process, building off of her competitive nature to work toward achievements like a 90-degree range of motion and walking.

“You hit walls; it’s just a matter of how you respond to it and push through,” Rainey said. “Even though you might not make a set timetable or a set goal, that’s life. But it’s how you finish and how you reframe your mind. It’s not a failure; it’s just a roadblock you have to push through.”

On Dec. 12, 2017 — less than nine months after her injury — she tweeted a video of her first time running on a treadmill. Rainey made her return to game action for the Owls on Nov. 7, 2018, 592 days after the injury. She said she is thrilled to be back on the court.

“Honestly, it’s great being back out there with my teammates,” Rainey said. “It’s definitely a readjustment coming back from an injury I’ve never had before. But I have amazing teammates… it’s awesome being back out there.”

In 17 games, Rainey has averaged 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game on 57.8 percent shooting. She said she has continued to feel more comfortable as the season has gone on.

Rainey said that while it was difficult not to be on the court, she values the chance she had to learn while she was sidelined.

“While I was out, I got to see the game from a different standpoint,” Rainey said. “You learn a lot while you’re out, and that carries over into this year in terms of how I’m able to see things now while I’m out on the court.”

After she graduates in May, Rainey is planning to start a job at a consulting firm. Although she has not played as much this season due to her ongoing recovery process, she said she has made sure that her impact has not been reduced. As a senior, she has taken on a mentorship role to younger players both on and off the court.

“Everyone has a role on the team, everyone has a purpose and everyone can impact the team in their own way,” Rainey said.

Troubled times followed the Owls. Rice’s record during Pera’s inaugural season as head coach was an abysmal 7-24. Only four of those wins came against C-USA opponents. Adams had been promoted to starting point guard, but he could have hardly been blamed if he’d considered transferring from Rice. Adams remained; according to him, Pera demonstrated a growth mindset from day one.

“Coach Pera has taught me to be a leader, on and off the court, to help others and the community and show my talents,” Adams said. “He has taken all the up and downs really well and he’s a great coach.”

On the court, Adams rededicated himself to the craft of passing, where he earned praise on scouting reports for his speedy fast breaks and all-court distribution as a recruit from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. After coughing up 82 turnovers last year, Adams said he never lost faith.

“I have always put a lot of work into improving my game as a passer, getting a lot of reps in the gym,” Adams said. “I just want to help my teammates out and I try to put them in the right places.”

Off the court, Adams took his sophomore year to reflect on his future career. As a sport management major with a leadership concentration, Adams said he has plenty to look forward to after his playing career concludes.

“Yeah, yeah, it would be really cool to get a job in marketing,” Adams said. “But the sport management major could take me anywhere.”

Adams remains the starting point guard for this year’s team. However, Pera has since built a team capable of replacing the depth and scoring lost during the transfer rush. So far, 10 players have played in a double-digit number of games this season. Rice currently sits at 7-12, already matching last year’s win total.

Alongside freshman guard Chris Mullins and junior forward Robert Martin, Adams is one of three Owls who average at least 11 points scored per game.

Adams boasts a 1.33 assist/turnover ratio, one of the highest among Rice players. He has also started 50 consecutive contests dating back to last season. In fact, Adams has never missed a game in his career.

SHANI RAINEY

juan deleon / courtesy rice athletics

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019 • 11

Owls vanquish North Texas to move to 14-3 BASKETBALL FROM PAGE 1 According to Langley, once the game settled, Rice’s starters had proven capable of defeating North Texas.

“We have been talking a lot about getting a lead and building a lead, and we tried to do that,” Langley said. “I need to do a better job of resting us a bit, and substituting in and out so we can stay fresher, but [North Texas] is a team that can go out there and compete for 40 minutes, so even though we let the lead slip a little, I was happy with how we performed.”

Midway through the second quarter, North Texas closed an eight point gap by spurring off a 10-2 run. The Owls responded with their own 10-2 run. At halftime, the score was 31-26 in favor of Rice.

Ogwumike put together a doubledouble with 18 points, 13 rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes. Ogwumike said her success was the result of being aggressive.

“I wouldn’t, per se, say [ I am an] ‘alpha,’” Ogwumike said. “It’s more that I want to be aggressive every time I get the ball in my hands, and also remain in control. I know what I am capable of doing.”

Freshman guard Jasmine Smith shone as a distributor and led Rice with four assists. She made a three-pointer with just under five minutes left in the third quarter which put the Owls up by 13 points. According to Ogwumike, Smith is a worthy starter.

“Jasmine is a good player,” Ogwumike said. “She comes out aggressive on offense and defense, which is very ideal. It is nice to have everybody on the court to be a threat.

Every time [Smith] comes [into the game], she is full of energy.”

North Texas re-established themselves by playing with motion around the three point line in an offense designed to bend the defense with lane drives and passes into corner three-point shots. After the Mean Green clawed back at the end of the third quarter with free throws, Mean Green senior guard Terriell Bradley put in two 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter. By then, the score was 46-44 in favor of the Owls.

Then Rice sophomore guard Sydne Wiggins hit a 3-point shot, grabbed a steal and hit a layup to stretch the Owls’ lead up to seven.

Langley said she was impressed by the performance of Smith and Wiggins.

“When you want to battle for a championship and be great, you have to have a lot of players who can score and can defend,” Langley said. “It is important to value the development of each player in the team. Players like Smith and Wiggins really stepped up today and showed what it takes to beat a great team like North Texas.”

Rice held off North Texas for the remainder of the game. In particular, the Owls relied upon Mulkey, who towered over Mean Green opponents and finished with 15 points and six rebounds. According to Mulkey, her strategy as a center is to create shots for Rice’s plethora of 3-point shooters.

“Coach says [I am] a scoring option first,” Mulkey said. “But when defenders come out and I recognize the double team, I get the pass out. It is all about trying to get my teammates involved. The competitiveness is fun.”

Next, the Owls travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee on Thursday to battle Middle Tennessee State University, which is also undefeated in conference play.

Rice students take on 47th Houston Marathon MICHAEL BYRNES SPORTS EDITOR

For most Rice students, Sunday was a day of rest. With Monday marking the 33rd federal observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, most of the campus was still fast asleep at 6 a.m. when the starter’s gun went off to begin the 47th annual Chevron Houston Marathon. But a few Owls braved the bitter chill and lived to tell the story 26.2 miles later.

This year’s marathon was a final chance to check off a longtime bucket-list item for some graduating seniors. Duncan College senior Caroline Cobb said that although she ran the half-marathon the past three years, this was her first foray into the full event.

“I have wanted to do the marathon since freshman year, really,” Cobb said. “I just thought it would be a cool way to finish up my time at Rice, running the full marathon right next to campus.”

For others, it was a race against the clock.

Baker senior Madison Nasteff was attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon by finishing in under 3.5 hours. To do so, Nasteff said she and Ian Frankel, a Martel senior, both trained and raced together in order to push each other to new heights. This year’s marathon marked the third consecutive year Nasteff has participated in the event, but Frankel said he was nowhere near marathon shape when he first picked up running just a couple of years ago.

“I tried to run the outer loop sophomore year with my roommate and we made it about two-thirds [of the way] around before we quit,” Frankel said. “During the summer, I was talking with a different friend ... about how awesome it would be to train and do one big race ... simply to prove to ourselves that we could. My friend [bailed] on me, but I followed through and practiced running.”

McMurtry senior Nick Killian and fellow Murt junior Sachi Paul took a different

approach to the marathon, using the experience as an opportunity to raise money for a worthy cause.

“I ran to raise money through donations for [Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy], a charity that benefits boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” Killian said. “I ended up raising $2,600 along with my friend Sachi Paul who also ran and raised $1,900 for the same cause. My brother suffers from the disorder and I felt like it was time for [me] to do my part.”

The race, which started in 33-degree weather at the corner of McKinney and Crawford Streets downtown, wound its way through Houston before running along the northwest border of Rice’s campus during mile nine. Paul said that she enjoyed passing by campus in the middle of the race. “[My] marathon experience was, in retrospect, a lot of fun,” Paul said. “It was cool to see more of Houston than I have ever before, the crowd was amazingly supportive, the weather was beautiful and it was at least a flat course. My favorite part was definitely seeing a huge herd of my friends [and] parents at mile nine and at the finish line with posters and a lot of encouragement.”

In the end, Nasteff and Frankel’s training paid off. They crossed the finish line together, with a gun time of 3:26:56 — beating the women’s Boston Marathon cutoff time by just over three minutes. Nasteff said the experience was unforgettable.

“It feels incredible to have qualified for Boston,” Nasteff said. “While I was confident in my training, I still had doubts about whether or not things would come together for me on race day. In the end, I was able to [set a personal record] by 21 minutes to qualify. I was extremely emotional at the finish, and I truly have Ian to thank for pushing me to run hard in all of our training and on race day.

I could not have done it without him and I hope I can make him proud in Boston.”

cloris cai / thresher

Sophomore guard Sydne Wiggins drives through contact during Rice’s 64-52 victory over the University of North Texas on Saturday at Tudor Fieldhouse. Wiggins finished the game with seven points, two rebounds and two steals as the Owls won their seventh consecutive game. This year, Wiggins has started 14 games, averaging 26.4 minutes played.

Keep the Glass Night at Willy’s Pub Thursday, Nov. 24 8:30 to 11 p.m.

Rice Seniors — Join the Student Philanthropy Committee (SPC) at Willy’s Pub on Thursday, Jan. 24 from 8:30 to 11 p.m.!

With a gift of $11 or more, donors will receive an exclusive Comfort Colors senior t shirt, a pint glass, and two free beers on us (21+).

Class of 2019

If you have already made your gift, bring your pint glass to receive two free beers. If you don’t have your glass yet, this is a great time to pick it up!

Donate at riceconnect.rice.edu/seniors.

BACKPAGE

12 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019

If you completed the marathon (or half of it) this past weekend, congratulations!

If you’re like the rest of us who didn’t, maybe next year will be your chance to challenge your body’s limits AND flex it on social media. Luckily, personalized training will give you a leg up in the competition. So here’s how to start preparing for the 2020 Houston Marathon based on residential college:

BAKER

WILL RICE

HANSZEN

You’re covered for the whole running concept, but you’re gonna have to be covered physically to participate in this public, daytime event. Skip the shaving cream step and add some clothes, but please try not to break any property.

You already have a competitive spirit. You just need to channel it into something other than Beer Bike. Plus, the marathon is really about just finishing, so don’t worry when you fall short of sweeping yet again.

Do you even need an excuse to run away from your dorms? Start running and don’t look back.

WIESS Movie room, music room, dance room, whatever the hell a “Sparky’s” is… You already have a marathon training room hidden away, don’t you? Some Wiess alumni probably already donated the necessary facilities; just stay away from the Toke to improve your lung capacity.

JONES

BROWN

LOVETT

As the first women’s dorm, maybe Jones Winning Again would set a precedent for women winning upcoming races. Get your bad ass up and ready for 2020.

Literally just commute to regularly maintain friendships with anyone at another residential college. Aren’t you already 26.2 miles from the south colleges?

Lovetteers love commitment.

Just go for it. You know how to just go for it.

SID RICH

MARTEL

Your elevator is always broken You love bragging about how and is quite frankly a hazard much sex you’re having. If even when it “works.” Start that’s the case, your stamina taking the stairs every day in should be in good condition your inexplicably tall eyesore for a marathon. of a building and you’ll get all the cardio you need.

MCMURTRY

DUNCAN

Although you’re often confused with Duncan, given the setbacks they’d face in the marathon, you’re definitely the dominant twin in this case.

Just don’t slip on a banana peel.

Considering how many freshmen got transported last semester, your first step would be differentiating between a marathon and a sprint. But with this pattern of overexertion, maybe just stay benched.

The Backpage is satire, written by Simona “Beat the Case” Matovic and designed by Simona “Did the Race” Matovic. For comments or questions, please email JamesJoyceLovesFarts@rice.edu

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