The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

VOLUME 103, ISSUE NO. 20 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

2019 SA Election Results Executive Elections

President

Internal Vice President

Simi Rahman

Grace Wickerson

External Vice President

Brown Junior

Will Mundy

PERCENTAGE OF THE VOTE

Treasurer

55%

36%

Freddy Cavallaro Bill Duong Other

Secretary

6.5% 2.5%

Christina Lee Isabel Wiatt infographic by sumin hwang

SA aims to bar sexual abusers from leadership Serveries to CAMERON WALLACE

SENIOR REPORTER

The Student Association Senate introduced legislation aiming to prevent students found in violation of the sexual misconduct policy or guilty of interpersonal violence from holding campuswide leadership positions for the duration of their time at Rice.

The legislation recommends that Student Judicial Programs bar students from holding SA voting positions or top leadership positions in blanket tax subsidiary organizations.

“Above all else, when taking this potential sanction into account, we want SJP and Dean [of Undergraduates Bridget] Gorman and future deans to prioritize the safety and the feeling of belonging for survivors of sexual misconduct and violence,” Maurice Frediere, a co-author of the legislation, said.

Frediere said giving SJP the discretion to determine which students will be sanctioned under the proposed guideline acknowledges the complexity of cases handled by SJP and the fact that the sexual misconduct policy

cover different infractions. Frediere said the other alternative would have been proposing an amendment to the SA constitution that sanctioned all violators.

“Gorman has said that if the SA Senate issued a formal recommendation that allowed SJP some discretion for unique cases they would abide by it,” Frediere, a Duncan College senior, said. “We chose to follow that route instead of the Senate amending the constitution to bar one hundred percent of violators at the recommendation of [SJP Director] Emily Garza who expressed trepidation at a zero tolerance policy because in some cases there is not malice [or] careless disregard for standards.”

According to the constitution, any student who is not currently on disciplinary or academic probation is eligible to run for any campus-wide office, including any SA Senate voting position and offices at Blanket Tax Organizations.

The proposed policy would act as a guideline for Student Judicial Programs to issue a sanction against running for office in all cases involving interpersonal violence or sexual misconduct that would stand for

the duration of the convicted student’s time at Rice, SA Internal Vice President Grace Wickerson said.

These sanctions would not apply to those running for college offices that do not vote at SA Senate, such as treasurer, since the SA does not have direct jurisdiction over college policy, according to Frediere.

The resolution endorses a letter written

by Frediere and Wickerson addressed to Gorman and Director of SJP Emily Garza which lays out the policy.

“The resolution itself is really not where the core of the content is,” Wickerson said.

“It’s in the letter. The [resolution is] about setting a standard for those we put in our leadership positions, and making that refer to instances that we as a community condemn and see as violations of power.”

According to the letter, allowing those who have been sanctioned for sexual misconduct to run for office uniquely harms survivors of sexual violence.

“Too often, survivors feel unable to speak out against popular students who may have been sanctioned, especially when those sanctions are unknown by their peers at their college or across campus,” the letter said.

MECH department restructures curriculum ANDREW GROTTKAU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Rice mechanical engineering department is overhauling its major requirements beginning in Fall 2019 including reducing the number of required hours and adding specializations, according to department head Laura Schaefer.

The Bachelor of Science degree will be reduced from 132 hours to 127 hours and a Bachelor of Arts degree from 128 to 124.

The new structure focuses on providing students with an updated curriculum while still satisfying Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology certification requirements, according to Schaefer.

“Some of the things suggested in the town halls we began having three years ago like

We wanted to have it be so that students who don’t come in with a bunch of AP credits can find their way to MECH a little bit more easily.

Laura Schaefer DEPARTMENT HEAD

active learning...those were good steps,” Schaefer said. “But we didn’t think they were

enough to address some of the more endemic issues of what makes a good mechanical engineering curriculum.”

Under the new structure, mechanical engineering bachelor’s students will have the option to specialize in one of three areas: mechanics and dynamics, thermal fluids or computational engineering. Students will declare their specialization on their major declaration form, but they may change their specialization any time up to their final semester according to Schaefer. Maggie Webb, a senior mechanical engineering student who acted as one of the student liaisons to the faculty during the development of the new curriculum, said if she had the option, she would have chosen to specialize in Computational Engineering.

SEE MECH PAGE 2

remain open for Spring Break ANNA TA NEWS EDITOR

Serveries will provide meals during spring break for the first time, according to David McDonald, the senior business director of Housing and Dining.

“With the large differences in socioeconomic abilities for students now — it’s much different from a decade ago and two decades ago,” McDonald said. “We have to be more open about changing our processes and accommodat[ing] as many people as we can, just as the university’s doing so with its financial aid package.”

McDonald said this year will be a trial run to gauge data about servery usage during the break, which H&D will use to adjust plans for coming years.

Johnny Curet, H&D campus dining director, said the geographic demographics of Rice have also significantly shifted.

“Many more students now are not just from the Texas area, [and] that’s definitely increased quite a bit in last 10 years,” Curet said. “The farther people have to go away for breaks, either back home or actually take a vacation, that’s changed a lot.”

Starting the Friday night before the break and continuing through the weekend, only Seibel Servery will be open, according to McDonald. During the break, only Baker Servery will be open until the following weekend, when Seibel and North Servery will open.

According to McDonald, H&D has been in discussions with the dean of undergraduates and college presidents about providing spring break meals for roughly a year. According to Ranjini Nagaraj, outgoing Jones College president, the presidents approached McDonald after several students had come to them about meal schedules during the break.

SEE SPRING BREAK PAGE 2

THE RICE THRESHER

2 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

NEWS FROM PAGE 1

The Mechanical Engineering department presented the curriculum changes to students at a town hall last Friday during lunch in Herzstein Hall. andrew grottkau / thresher

MECH

“I’m going to be working for Exxon next year, so it’s not like that specialization would have been particularly applicable to my job,” Webb said. “But I think for some people they really want something to say to employers like ‘I have a specialization’ to show that not only [have] you completed your degree, but you’ve also developed expertise and profound interest in what you’re doing.”

Those who do not wish to specialize have the option to instead take courses for breadth in mechanical engineering. Schaefer said the specializations, which replace upperlevel elective courses currently in the course of study, are designed for students to attain a deep knowledge of a specific topic within mechanical engineering.

“It’s nice to take the time when you’re a student to delve into things you’re passionate about,” Schaefer said. “Hopefully that’s also the career you follow too, but that doesn’t always line up perfectly.”

Schaefer said an additional motivation in changing the curriculum was the difficulty of becoming a mechanical engineering student for those who did not enter Rice with Advanced Placement credit.

“Looking at how many hurdles there are for a student to be a MECH, particularly if a student comes from a lower income background where they haven’t been at a high school that has a lot of AP classes, you can’t make any mistakes if you want to finish in four years,” Schaefer said. “We wanted to have it be so that students who don’t come in with a bunch of AP credits can find their way to MECH a little bit more easily.”

Current students will have the option to follow either the new or old course of study, but many of the courses in the old curriculum will not be taught after the 2019-2020 academic year, according to Schaefer. She said she expects most current sophomores and nearly all current freshmen to follow the new requirements.

Some current juniors expressed interest in moving the new curriculum during a town hall last Friday, which Alex Acosta, a junior mechanical engineering major who helped to collaborate with faculty regarding the changes, said was a surprise.

“With the juniors wanting to switch over, that just shows how many people would rather choose these requirements over the old requirements,” Acosta said. “I think that’s a good indicator of how well we did to improve the curriculum.”

Other changes to the curriculum include the addition of a required Mechanical Engineering Design Tools class (MECH 203) that will focus on computer-aided design software and the reorganization

of laboratory classes so that they align better with the subject matter taught in the classroom, according to Schaefer.

MECH students will no longer have to take General Chemistry II or Introduction to Materials Science under the new course of study. Instead, according to Schaefer, the subject matter taught in the materials science course will be taught as part of a three-course sequence that also replaces Engineering Mechanics (MECH 211) and Mechanics of Solids (MECH 311). The new sequence will include classes on Mechanics/Statics (MECH 202), Rigid Body Dynamics (MECH 310) and Stress Analysis (MECH 315).

The department announced the changes to students at a town hall last Friday. Webb said she felt that the changes were wellreceived by MECH students.

“The overall mood at the town hall, everyone was stoked,” Webb said. “There was this collective effervescence in the room where everyone was chit-chatting and [saying] ‘Ooo, that’s good.’”

SPRING BREAK FROM PAGE 1 The college presidents sent out surveys to their respective colleges to gain an idea of how many students were planning on remaining on campus and how many of those students would benefit from provided meal service, according to McDonald. Roughly 400 students indicated on the survey that they would benefit from the meal service, according to Curet.

According to McDonald, the funding will come from H&D’s operating budget at no additional cost to students.

McDonald said staff, who will be “essentially volunteers” from all six serveries, will have to combine to operate the serveries.

H&D added Saturday dinners to the full meal plan in 2017 after discussions with Student Association leadership regarding low-income student accessibility. According to Akin Bruce, outgoing Lovett College president, they explored options including tetra to food pantries, but decided serveries would be the most feasible.

“It’s difficult because less privileged students, financially, don’t necessarily self identify; it’s not easy for us to understand,” McDonald said. “Our goal is to provide the services and figure out how much of those services are going to be used in subsequent years.”

According to McDonald, H&D is still considering opening serveries for Thanksgiving break and will likely send out another survey next fall semester to gauge student need.

“We think it’s the right thing to do at the right time,” McDonald said.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019 • 3

History of presidential platforms reveals SA discontent SAVANNAH KUCHAR THRESHER STAFF

Freddy Cavallaro’s call to restructure the Student Association Senate may be the first such campaign in current students’ memories, but it is at home in Rice’s history. Between 2003 and 2014, at least six campaigns aimed to achieve goals including shifting power to residential colleges and increasing voter turnout in SA elections, but none won elections.

In 2003, the Thresher reported that two co-presidential candidates ran to prove the existence of student apathy toward the SA Senate. They were Hubert Gorniak, a Martel College sophomore, and Scott Selinger, a Will Rice College sophomore.

“The SA is the most worthless club on campus,” Selinger said at the time. “No one cares about you, no one respects you, no one listens to you.”

A 2006 campaign run by Andrew Chifari called for getting rid of the SA Senate and returning power to the residential colleges and their governments.

Chifari ran again in 2007 with Martel senior Gillian Serby, this time running a more pro-SA Senate campaign. In his second campaign, Chifari had a completely different

disposition towards the SA Senate and the role of its president, but ultimately still lost the election.

“I’ve learned from last year’s campaign to take this more seriously,” Chifari told the Thresher in 2007. “I hurt a lot of people last year, and I apologize for that.”

Two years later, Mithun Mansinghani, a Martel senior, and Zach Marshall, a Martel junior, ran as co-presidential candidates with a similar goal to Chifari in 2006: giving power back to the residential college governments.

“If we can bring some things ill-managed by the SA [Senate] back to the students, it will lead to a stronger Rice in the future,” Marshall said at the time.

In 2009, Alexander Crompton, a senior from Martel, said he ran in order to attract

more student attention to the SA Senate and the election. That year, there were 1,610 voters, which was more than half the undergraduate student body at the time and the highest voter turnout in a decade.

“Martel has a long tradition of sending joke candidates to the SA [Senate] to draw awareness to important issues on campus,” Crompton told the Thresher in 2009.

Two Martel seniors, Erik Tanner and Daniel Hays, ran for SA president in 2011 in an effort to revive Rice culture and raise awareness of what they called an essentially ineffective SA. Meeting minutes from Martel’s Feb. 12, 2014 parliament advertised that year’s candidate, Denis Leahy, a senior from Martel.

Under the statement “Vote for Denis Leahy!

Write him in!” was the call to “DISSOLVE THE SA” because “IT’S POINTLESS.” This year, Cavallaro first decided to run a campaign with the platform of dismantling the SA Senate, but changed to focus on decentralizing power from the SA Senate through constitutional reform after current SA President Ariana Engles decided not to run.

“The largest problem with the SA [Senate is that] I don’t think it’s representative of the student body,” Cavallaro, a Will Rice College junior, said in an interview with the Rice Thresher. “I aim to divert as much power as possible from the [SA] Senate and give it back to the people.”

This article has been condensed for print.

For the full version, see ricethresher.org.

Timeline of presidential platforms based on SA reform Scott Selinger and Hubert Gorniak 2003

Alexander Crompton

2006

Andrew Chifari

2009

Denis Leahy

2011

Erik Tanner and Daniel Hays

2014

2019

Freddy Cavallaro

infographic by sydney garrett

THE RICE THRESHER

4 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

OPINION STAFF EDITORIAL

SA bill right for #MeToo era

The Thresher editorial board strongly supports the Student Association’s efforts to prevent violent and sexual abusers from holding elected office in campus-wide organizations, including the SA Senate (see p. 1). We believe this change is one that should be implemented as soon as possible — not only at a campus-wide and SA voting level, but also for certain positions at a residential college level.

The policy introduced at Monday’s SA Senate falls in line with disciplinary actions already taken by Student Judicial Programs against students who are found in violation of Rice’s Student Code of Conduct. Often, these penalties prohibit offending students from serving in leadership positions for at least one semester. It is even more crucial to bar students in violation of the sexual misconduct policy for their college careers, or else survivors will have to watch as students who abused them rise to positions of power.

We also support the proposed mechanism of the legislation, which would allow to SJP to determine who to sanction rather than passing a blanket statement introduced through an amendment to the SA constitution. The cases brought to SJP are complex, and it is best that those determining the sanction against a student are also the ones who know the severity of the violation — which fellow students will never completely understand due to student privacy laws.

It’s important that SJP exercise discretion when deciding what kinds of violations should disqualify a student from running

EDITORIAL CARTOON

for elected office. The vague wording of the SA’s letter to Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman leaves a lot to interpretation — especially “interpersonal violence.” Unlike sexual misconduct, an offense clearly spelled out in Rice policy, there is not a widely used definition for interpersonal violence. This move places trust in the administration, and it’s important that the university not betray that trust.

Because the SA does not have jurisdiction over positions at colleges outside of president and senator, we believe all 11 residential colleges should follow the SA Senate’s lead.

One college position where it is critical that students not violate the sexual misconduct policy is chief justice. Chief justices are responsible for ensuring student safety, especially during parties when there is a larger risk of unwanted sexual experiences.

To have a chief justice who has violated the sexual misconduct policy runs counter to everything Rice’s culture of care stands for.

SJP should evaluate candidates for all elected college positions, but especially chief justice, to determine students who should not be trusted with positions of power at their residential colleges.

In a world where learning yet another leader or celebrity is accused of sexual misconduct feels like a daily occurence, this legislation is an important step towards breaking out of such a cycle. We applaud the authors of this legislation, Grace Wickerson and Maurice Frediere, for working to ensure Rice’s student leaders are fully capable of serving and supporting their peers. cartoon by dalia gulca

COLUMN: BARBER SHOP TALK

Historic women’s basketball team deserves support Saturday Rice women’s basketball clinched the regular season Conference USA title on Saturday with a win against the University of North Texas. The Owls are C-USA Regular Season Champions for the first time in program history.

The 2018-2019 season has been recordbreaking for the Owls. They are ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 poll for the first time in program history. They are currently on the longest winning streak in program history at 16 games, which is the second-longest current winning streak in the nation behind Baylor University. The Owls haven’t lost since before Christmas.

With one more win, the women will tie Rice’s single-season record for wins, and with two more they’ll break that record.

The Owls have yet to lose at home this season, posting a perfect 12-0 record.

Rice’s defense has been as stifling as the ‘85 Bears (or, if you don’t get the reference, 85 actual bears). They rank No. 7 in the country in opponent points per game allowed (53.6) and No. 16 in the nation in opponent field goal percentage allowed (35.5 percent).

However, at times this season, the fan support for the team has been less than

impressive. Yes, the Rice Rally Club has the second consecutive year as she is done its absolute best to get students in currently averaging a double-double on the season. the seats, but often to no avail.

For the final time this season, you The average attendance at women’s basketball games at Tudor Fieldhouse is can see sophomore center Nancy Mulkey. little more than 800 people. That number She started the season out with an hovers around 1,800 for the men’s games, injury, but her introduction has added a different dimension to both according to the Rice’s defense. Mulkey Rice Athletics website. averages 3.7 blocks For a team that is game, more than writing history, the They are currently on per doubling the next best women deserve better conference player. She fan support than they the longest winning is a strong candidate are getting. However, streak in program for C-USA Newcomer of it’s not too late. history at 16 games, the Year.

Students, you have which is the secondAnd for the final one more shot to see time of her career, you the Owls in action. Rice longest current can see senior forward takes on Louisiana Tech winning streak in the University this Saturday nation behind Baylor. Nicole Iademarco make shot after shot from afternoon at 2 p.m. at Tudor Fieldhouse in what will be the beyond the arc at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Owls’ last home game of the season — not Iademarco is the all-time leader in threepointers made in Rice women’s basketball to mention their senior night.

For the final time this season, you can history.

After the game against LA Tech, Rice see junior guard Erica Ogwumike score and rebound at ease. Ogwumike was the has one more regular season game on the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year and road against the University of Texas, San looks to earn All-Conference Honors for Antonio. The Owls will then head to the

conference tournament as the No. 1 seed in hopes of earning their way to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.

Before Rice makes its push for a tournament berth, come show your fellow classmates support. If you have never attended a Rice sporting event, Saturday afternoon should be your first. Admission is free for students. Take less than two hours out of your weekend and cheer on the blue and gray. Even Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Twitter that he will be in attendance. Just because Rice is not known as an athletic powerhouse does not mean that students should not show up when the teams are successful.

Rice’s unofficial motto this year has been “Fight 4 Greatness.” They have certainly been great. And it’s time for Owls fans to be great too.

ERIC BARBER

SENIOR SPORTS WRITER WILL RICE COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

STAFF Emily Abdow* & Andrew Grottkau* 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 Prad Biswas Advertising Manager

*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

5 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

FEATURES Chloe Oani

Frances Williamson

20192020 Juliette Richert

Kyle Bartsch

Joyce Chen

Louis Cole

Landon Mabe

McKinzie Chambers

Tim Thomas II

James Alex Warner, Jr.

Anna Margaret Clyburn

MEET YOUR PRESIDENTS

Top row: from left to right, photos courtesy Laura Yordan, Frances Williamson, Joyce Chen, Freddie Wang, Landon Mabe; second row: Isabel Wiatt, Agustin Carrizalles; third row: Elizabeth Hang, Ashton Duke, Jennifer Fu; fourth row: Amy Griffiths.

We spoke to the newly elected presidents of all 11 residential colleges about what they hope to accomplish both inside and outside of their college over the duration of their respective presidential terms.

JONES KYLE BARTSCH, JUNIOR

I plan to improve communication between the Jones government and our fellow Jonesians. By doing this, I hope to encourage more student involvement in college activities and more discussion regarding campus-wide issues.

DUNCAN LOUIS COLE, JUNIOR

This upcoming year is an important one.

Duncan will be turning ten [and] we will have to select new magisters, and possibly new A-Team members. With that being said, my main goal as president is to have concrete definitions of things here at Duncan before my term is over. I think this could be accomplished through communicating what Duncan was, is and could be in the time to come.

HANSZEN LANDON MABE, JUNIOR

BAKER JAMES ALEX WARNER, JR., JUNIOR

I plan to increase involvement at Baker across the board. I also want to not only express the need for inclusion, but [also] reach out to show that our college government will incorporate the needs of all the diverse groups housed here.

MCMURTRY

With a New New Section on the horizon, I plan to establish a long-standing committee that will work with [Housing & Dining] from the pre-design process all the way to the building’s eventual construction. I also plan to lead a review of our constitution and bylaws to ensure that Hanszen’s governing documents are in line with the practices of the college, updating them when necessary.

JOYCE CHEN, JUNIOR

MARTEL

For McMurtry’s 10th anniversary, we’re planning a capital campaign to launch an endowment. I’m also looking forward to strengthening our community by revamping our public spaces and hall rep system by engaging underrepresented groups.

ANNA MARGARET CLYBURN, SOPHOMORE

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Crossword by Sam Rossum Thresher Staff

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I want to help strengthen Martel’s community. And I want to get to know more Martelians, which is why I’m trying my best to attend as many Martel events as possible and to empower all Martelians to

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plan any sort of activity that will appeal to their and other students’ unique interests.

Every Martelian, regardless of their background and tastes, deserves a warm and welcoming family to come home to at the end of the day — my plan is to facilitate that connection as best I can!

BROWN FRANCES WILLIAMSON, JUNIOR

Two years ago, Brown began a strategic planning process called “Brown to the Future” that initiated great change within our college. I hope to continue to implement and refine the structures that arose from this initiative and to encourage college-wide involvement and feedback. Specifically, we will continue to engage cross-campus organizations, encourage involvement outside the hedges, improve our culture of inclusivity and incorporate an almost entirely new A-Team into our community.

SID RICHARDSON MCKINZIE CHAMBERS, JUNIOR

I plan to revamp our low-income accessibility and wellbeing programs, welcome our new magisters and RAs to the best college and prepare us for New Sid. New Sid will challenge our community culturally, systematically and physically, but with strategic planning, fun traditions and strong leaders, Sid will be good to go.

Numbered composition Only president to have also served as a Supreme Court justice He thought, therefore he was To enjoy, for a Spaniard Stumble Perfect time for a nap Injures an adolescent Event host on retainer, statedly Mispronounced order that may get one kicked out of a Vietnamese restaurant?

One can describe a noun (Abbr.)

Popular sushi tuna Rock, for the Rolling Stones Digging a hole _ __, improbable task Bonus marks (Abbr.)

Letters famously accompanied by c^2 Going off, so to speak Watch a big football game

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WIESS TIM THOMAS II, SOPHOMORE

Wiess is known for its familial sense of community, and my goal is to ensure that this continues while also becoming more welcoming to those we may have not have been in the past, including members of our own community.

WILL RICE JULIETTE RICHERT, JUNIOR

My platform is centered around inclusion.

I want to continue conversations about WRC culture and ensure there are a variety of event types to appeal to all Will Ricers and plenty of ways to be an involved community member.

Additionally, I’m very interested in improving how we, as a college, welcome associates and keep them engaged throughout the year.

LOVETT CHLOE OANI, SOPHOMORE

I want to create an environment where each Lovetteer feels empowered to work with elected and appointed representatives to see that their ideas for positive change are explored and implemented. We embrace inclusivity and opportunity as key elements of Lovett culture; we should translate it across our student government too.

Read more online at ricethresher.org.

Prefix for ones who can straighten you out Llama and Lima land Like wearing bedazzled jeans weeks after Y2K Type of nose piercing that’s easy to hide Native American emblem Identity for the original residents of Tenochtitlan Idolized Kylo of “Star Wars” Court ordered separation, briefly Word frequently attached to scandals Site Reliability Engineering, briefly 007’s cars have featured this button Norman of “Psycho” “A House Is Not ___”, Warwick ballad Chew on a bone Title for a noble Sandwich With nob, to mingle Burger chain based in Cal.

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

Bolded clues correspond to the theme.

THE RICE THRESHER

6 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

What to look out for: SXSW Our writers will be heading to Austin during spring break to cover South by Southwest.

Check out what they’re excited for.

See more on ricethresher.org

COMEDY

Comedian and alum Matthew Broussard returns JAKE REINHART THRESHER STAFF

Comedian Matthew Broussard (Jones ’10) had his homecoming in front of a packed house in the Wiess commons Thursday night. Raised in Georgia, Broussard spent most of his time at Rice focusing on his computational and applied mathematics major and filling in electives with mechanical engineering courses. He started doing comedy in clubs when he was in his early twenties, committing to it full-time a little while later when he was forced to resign from his analyst position after burglars stole his work computer from his car. Since then, he has performed on Conan and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and finished

as the runner-up on season two of Jeff Ross Presents: Roast Battle. But this was his first time performing at Rice. Broussard was back on invited back on campus by Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman, who was his RA at Jones, and Andrew Schaefer, Wiess College Magister and administrator of the Dr. Bill Wilson Student Initiative Grant.

“You need to wait for everyone who knew you in college to leave before you can do a set there,” Broussard said to me before the show.

“I get it; I look the guy in a rom-com who gets left at the end of the movie.”

Broussard opened his set by riffing on some of the “privileged white bro” material he has previously used in his appearances on Conan and Fallon. He notably added new jokes into these bits that portrayed a healthy cultural awareness, including jokes acknowledging body-shaming, mansplaining and gentrification. Even when he was ostensibly doubling down on something awful (“I’m not trying to body shame my girlfriend ... like, I’d f**k her”), he managed to always make himself the real

Matthew Broussard (Jones ‘10) was a fellow at Wiess College his senior year. stephany marchany / thresher

punchline. Some might conclude that jokes like that were insensitive, but I found them to be both perfectly appropriate and hilarious, and judging by the laughter these jokes received, the room agreed. More importantly, Broussard was efficient with these additions, meaning the storylines didn’t distract from his larger comedic narratives. If Broussard can continue being true to his comedic self and adapting to the changing cultural landscape, it is only a matter of time before he becomes a top-flight comedian.

“Every French word is just a gangbang of letters.”

A key element of Broussard’s material that distinguishes him from other comedians is the academic nature of his material. The middle third of his set almost felt like the most well-received medical history lecture of all time: he made considerable riffs on the discovery of penicillin, early uses of Viagra, the mechanics of intrauterine devices and the synchronization of menstrual and lunar cycles. He also spent about five minutes on linguistics, comparing how vowels are used in the French and Hebrew languages. The mere fact that he was able to discuss this material in a comedy show is laudable in its own right; it speaks to Broussard’s comedic tempo and word economy. And while he did use traditional comedic gold mines like drugs, sex and poop as jumping off points for these bits, he performed his knowledge of the seemingly inane parts of the story with a notably different energy. His bro persona seemed to peel away in these moments, and a love of learning things — and in particular, nerdy things — seemed to show through.

As the night went on, it became increasingly apparent that the real Broussard was much more of a Rice student than his comedy belies. He shared photos from his collection of homemade Pokémon

figurines and some of his favorite “Monday Pundays,” a series of punny rebus riddles he puts on the web every week. Broussard seemed genuinely surprised both by the level of interest that the puns generated and the speed with which the audience could solve them.

“One of the great things about comedy is that jokes can help us get through dark times, find levity in pain.”

The beauty of Broussard’s act is in its contradictions. There aren’t many communities in which both his comedy and his true self will feel at home. Broussard has made his name and his persona by leaning into his appearance, stereotyping himself as a fratty white guy — his work on Fallon, Conan and Comedy Central highlights this. But Thursday showed that this material makes Broussard a caricature of his true self; he has a much deeper, even quirkier personality.

While there are certainly comedians for the nerdy communities — Chris Hardwick comes to mind — Broussard isn’t really that kind of nerd. His knowledge base seems a little too generalized to fit neatly into an established subrealm of our popular culture.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that Broussard’s act seemed to resonate especially well with the crowd of Rice students; he has lived through, and thus personifies, a kind of shared struggle that we all go through. Rice has always been known as a school of quirky students, but we’ve never established exactly how weird is too weird, leaving students in a constant state of anxiety over exactly how much quirkiness to let out. Not only does Broussard personify this struggle; he also shows us the best-case resolution to it. As we slowly reveal our true, weird selves, we find that members of the Rice family not only continue to accept us, but grow even closer to us than before.

ENTERTAINMENT

Rodeo Houston 2019: Who to see, what to eat CHRISTINA TAN

A&E EDITOR

Fried bacon-wrapped cinnamon rolls, “minnepumpkin” pie, a $2.17 million prize pool — who says Texans don’t have culture?

It’s time to put on newly-bought cowboy boots and sweat in jeans because the Houston Rodeo is in town. A conglomeration of carnival, cowboy sport and musical performances, the three-week-long Houston Rodeo is a spring must-go for both native Texans and wanna-be Texans alike.

WHO TO SEE Unfortunately, if you’re reading this you’re too late — recent Grammy Award winner Kacey Musgraves performed on Monday. But Musgraves leads a star-studded music lineup, which includes authentic country artist Chris Stapleton, country/pop artist Brad Paisley, electronic dance music artist Zedd and hiphop artist Cardi B. All performances are in

the stadium itself and vary in cost depending on which seat you want — nosebleed seats usually cost around $20. Weekday performances start at 8:45 p.m. and weekend performances typically start at 5:45 p.m.

WHAT TO SEE In addition to musical performances, the rodeo offers a different type of show: two cowboy-style shows, where competitors lasso, ride and trap their way to a $2.17 million prize pool. These shows are the Super Series and the Super Shootout, both of which include events like bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and barrel racing. Access to the shows is included in the sticker price for musical performances, but must be purchased in addition to grounds tickets (if you’re not seeing a musical performance). Get there early to see the grand entry and the national anthem salute, both of which include fireworks, color and much fanfare.

Grounds tickets are standard entrance, and give access to the carnival aspect of the rodeo. Hosted on the grounds outside of NRG stadium, the carnival includes rides, food and mini-cowboy shows: think little children trying their best to hang onto sheep.

However, the rodeo ain’t cheap — within the grounds, you must purchase separate tickets to buy food and access rides. A notable ride is the Ferris Wheel at night, which provides a scenic view of the entire rodeo.

In addition to the carnival, grounds access also includes the livestock show and birthing center. You can watch farm animals give birth — weird, but if you want to call yourself an authentic Texan, you gotta do what you gotta do.

WHAT TO EAT On the grounds, you can access a blissful amount of fried food. From fried butter to fried Nutella to fried Pop Tarts, prepare your arteries for crunchy, oily goodness (my favorite

are the fried Oreos, a rodeo staple). The prices are admittedly steep, but the experience is unique. If you didn’t get a taste of turkey leg at North Servery, be sure to cop one of these monsters to bring around on your rodeo adventures — but find someone to share it with, as they tip the scale at 1.5 pounds.

HOW TO GO The weather is perfect to go in full yeehaw outfit — any later, and your denim will be drenched in sweat. To get to the rodeo, take the METRORail to the Stadium Park/ Astrodome stop and get off right outside of the grounds. Alternatively, an Uber/Lyft will run you around $10. Tickets cost $15 for general grounds entry and an extra $20 or more for musical performance/rodeo entry.

Keep an eye out for “Family Wednesdays,” which include $2 rides, games and food from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The Houston Rodeo continues until March 17 and is located at NRG Park and Stadium.

THE WEEKLY SCENE

BAYANIHAN

SHAPESHIFTERS

Inferno Gallery will open its spring exhibitions with “Bayanihan: You, I, and US” on Thursday from 8 - 11 p.m.

Featuring Houston-based artists Isabel Cuenca and Matt Manalo, the exhibit will “utilize abstract images of architecture and urbanization” to explore their Filipino heritage. Admission is free.

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston will host the opening for its Teen Council exhibition, “Shapeshifters” Friday from 6:30 - 9 p.m. The exhibition seeks to address responses to “our rapidly changing socio-political landscapes.”

Free beer will be provided and admission is always free.

Inferno Gallery Sewall Courtyard

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston 5216 Montrose Boulevard

RTA NIGHT MARKET Boba, games and performances — the Night Market, hosted by Rice Taiwanese Association, promises to have it all. Head over Saturday from 5:30 - 9 p.m. to eat food from Kamalan Bakery and Tainan Bistro.

Tickets are $5 presale and $7 at the door.

RMC Grand Hall

ACAPPELLOOZA Come support student a cappella groups — the Phils, Nocturnal, Basmati Beats, the Low Keys and the Apollos — Sunday from 7:30 - 9 p.m. Admission is free, with donations given to the Music Therapy Center of Houston.

RMC Grand Hall

THE RICE THRESHER

7 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

SPORTS ANTEATERS STRIKE OUT OWLS Senior pitcher Jackson Parthasarathy delivers a pitch during the Owls’ 11-4 loss to the University of California, Irvine on Sunday at Reckling Park. Parthasarathy allowed just three hits in four innings, but three walks coupled with a wild pitch and an Owls error led to four UCI runs (two unearned) during those four innings. After Sunday’s game, Rice is batting just .238 on the season, with a .349 slugging olivia daneker / thresher percentage and 81 strikeouts in eight games. Meanwhile, Rice’s pitchers have recorded an ERA of 5.38 and a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.62.

SPENCER MOFFAT SENIOR WRITER

Ever since beginning the Matt Bragga era with a series win over the University of Rhode Island, it’s been all downhill for Rice baseball. The Owls lost all five games they played last week, including a sweep by the University of California, Irvine. With the losses, Rice fell to 2-6 on the season, the worst winning percentage in all of Conference USA. After Rice lost its two midweek games by a combined 18 runs at the hands of the University of Texas and the University of Arizona, freshman outfielder Antonio Cruz hit his first collegiate home run in Friday night’s game against UCI. Cruz homered to left field after being down in the count 0-2 to give Rice a 3-2 lead, their first lead since the previous Sunday against URI. However, junior starting pitcher Matt Canterino gave up a two-run home run in the top of the third inning to allow the

Despite losing by six runs on Friday, Anteaters to retake the advantage. Rice never regained the lead and finished the there were some bright spots for the Owls, according to Bragga. Bragga said he was game with an 11-5 loss.

The Owls struck out 17 times at the plate pleased that junior outfielder Bradley during Friday’s loss, which Bragga said Gneiting was 2-for-4 at the plate. He said he was also impressed by was a major reason for senior pitcher Jackson the defeat.

Tyner, who gave up “It’s hard to win a zero runs in just over game when you strike It’s hard to win a two innings of work. out 17 times,” Bragga game when you Senior pitcher said.

“Nolan Ryan Evan Kravetz took shouldn’t strike anyone strike out 17 times. out 17 times.”

Nolan Ryan shouldn’t the mound to start Saturday’s game The Owls went strike anyone out 17 against UCI as the Owls 0-for-11 with runners looked to end their in scoring position times. three game losing skid. on Friday against the Matt Bragga Unfortunately for Rice, Anteaters and committed BASEBALL HEAD COACH the Anteaters hit two three errors. Those three errors gave the Owls a combined 11 errors home runs in the third inning to open up in the span of two games, after the Owls a 3-0 lead, forcing the Owls to play from racked up eight errors in last Wednesday’s behind again. The Anteaters continued 16-5 loss to the University of Arizona at to build on that lead while silencing the Rice offense for the remainder of the game, Reckling Park.

Swimming ready for C-USA championship MADISON BUZZARD ASST SPORTS EDITOR

With the conference championships right around the corner, the Rice swim team is rounding into form.

On Saturday, five Rice swimmers earned season-best times in the University of Houston First Chance Meet. Sophomores Hannah Sumbera and Ellery Parish swam season-bests in the 100-yard freestyle, junior Claire Therien and senior Sydney Franzen did the same in the 200-yard freestyle and sophomore Lindsay Mathys added one more in the 100-yard butterfly. The Owls’ quartet of junior Harper Gillentine, freshman Becca Evans, senior Marie-Claire Schillinger and freshman Marta Cano-Minarro also posted a season-best time in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The meet did not feature team points as a result of emphasis on individual preparation for the upcoming conference meets. According to head coach Seth Huston, this unique structure relaxed the team.

“We are in the championship season for sure right now,” Huston said. “A lot of teams are rested and are in a window of peak performance, and the [match at UH] was at the front of end of it. We aren’t thinking too much about it, no pressure, just get up and go. We are focusing on timing our kick counts, our stroke counts and getting off the wall. Our swimmers are starting to get their legs under them and get a little more power.”

Next, Rice ventures to the McAuley Aquatic Center at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta, Georgia to compete in the Conference USA Championships, where the Owls have an opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Championships in both team and individual races. Preliminary events will take place from Wednesday to Friday, where the top eight finishers in each event will move on to the championship races on Saturday.

Last season, Schillinger was the only Rice swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships after she had also been C-USA champion in the 200-yard breaststroke in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. But Huston said he believes several Owls can advance to the NCAAs this year.

“We will have many swimmers on our team competing for conference titles,” Huston said. “Marie-Claire Schillinger is our only defending champion, but Ellery Parish, Marta Cano Minarro, [sophomore] Hannah Sumbera, Becca Evans, [sophomore] Brittany Bui, [senior] Hanna Huston as well as MarieClaire all have top-three seeds in various events and certainly they and others will compete for conference titles.”

According to Mathys, fostering communal support is important for the conference meet.

“We took a very different approach to conference this year,” Mathys said. “Last year we planned really far ahead and focused on the small details and winning, and this year we are focusing on having fun.”

shutting out Rice 7-0 to hand the Owls their fourth consecutive defeat.

Rice was unsuccessful again on Sunday in its efforts to end the losing streak. Senior pitcher Jackson Parthasarathy started on the mound and received little help from his defense. He allowed only two earned runs in his four innings of work, but two unearned runs scored thanks to defensive lapses. The same storyline continued for junior pitcher Addison Moss, who relieved Parthasarathy. The Anteaters extended their lead to eight, with Moss allowing four runs, all unearned.

Rice was not shut out like it was in the previous game, but the Owls could only muster four runs, all of which came in the sixth inning. It would not be nearly sufficient to complete the comeback as the Owls fell to the Anteaters by a final score of 11-4.

On Wednesday, Rice will look to turn its season around in a game against a Prairie View A&M University team that is 1-5 on the year entering Tuesday, Feb. 26.

Owls come back from 20-point deficit DERRICK KAGWANJA FOR THE THRESHER

Despite falling behind by as many as 20 points in the second half of Saturday’s game against the University of Texas, El Paso, Rice men’s basketball stormed back for an 85-81 win. The game, which went to double overtime, was decided by a slew of scoring by freshman guard Chris Mullins, who converted a contested layup and four free throws within the last minute and a half to establish a five-point Rice lead. Head coach Scott Pera said Mullins has earned his right to be a late-game playmaker.

“We’ve had a lot of confidence in Chris as he’s matured through the season, and we put the ball in his hands through the end,” Pera said. “We were confident he would make the right decision and the right play and he did, not only [with] the buckets that he made but also the great pass he made to [sophomore guard Trey Murphy III] in the corner for three.”

The Owls overcame a 17-point halftime deficit, outscoring the Miners 43-26 in the second half, to tie the game at 63 and force overtime. UTEP rushed out to a quick fourpoint lead in the first overtime period before junior forward Robert Martin gave the Owls signs of life by hitting a jumper to reduce the deficit to only two points. Martin was all over the ball in the waning minutes of the period, stealing the ball from UTEP and helping turn

the ensuing possession into a three-point play for Mullins on the other end. According to Mullins, Rice’s comeback was fueled by its players’ faith in their teammates.

“Just the confidence we had in each other, and the fact we knew we were going to make plays and make a run ... helped us to come back,” Mullins said.

The Owls are currently 11-17 on the year, with a 6-9 record in conference play. Mullins has helped to replace some of the production from players who transferred from Rice last year, averaging 12.5 points per game and shooting 33 percent from three in 29 minutes per game. Mullins said the Owls can continue to improve by focusing on fundamentals.

“We can set ourselves up for success by believing in our system and believing on the defensive end what we can do to be effective,” Mullins said. “We know what we can do, and we know how we can play; just the fact that we can do that for 40 minutes will help us be successful in the long run.”

According to Martin, there were lessons to be learned from the Owls’ comeback victory.

“There will be times in the next three games when we will be losing, we will be down and those will be the times for us to rally, come together and overcome adversity,” Martin said. “This past game showed us we have what it takes to come back and win.”

The Owls now have three more regularseason games to play before the Conference USA Tournament begins on Mar. 13.

BACKPAGE

8 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

The Houston Rodeo, which kicked off this week, provides a great avenue to venture yonder beyond the hedges. Whether or not this ain’t your first rodeo, the terms associated with the event aren’t always easy to understand. But there’s no need to buy another prep book that you’d have to post on Rice Students Selling Stuff again. The Backpage has put together a convenient glossary clarifying any confusion the average Rice student may have. The semantic differences may be subtle, but they are keyhaw for a successful yee-haw.

LIVESTOCK EXHIBITION

What it means at Rice: Live stalking is exhibited at Rice in the form of Missed Encounters. You see this person every day, memorize their appearance and write them an anonymous note?

Well, at least the public seems to enjoy it.

What it means at the rodeo: Looking at big cows.

MILKING CONTEST What it means at Rice: Who can milk their homework situation the most? The winner is not determined by workload, but rather who can complain about it most aggressively and flake on the greatest number of meetings and gatherings with studying as an excuse.

What it means at the rodeo: On Monday, local Houston celebrities raced to milk dairy goats. Seriously.

BULL RIDING

What it means at Rice: This class’ homework is only “required” reading?

More like required bullshitting. In a room packed with lazy learners, you ride your peers’ bullshitting to build upon their equally inadequate understanding of the material.

What it means at the rodeo: Riding a bull.

TEAM ROPING What it means at the rodeo: Cowboys work together to rope a steer.

What it means at Rice: Getting roped into something you really don’t want to do based on a superficial sense of loyalty to an arbitrary peer that Rice has systematically cultivated.

Changing your profile picture for your advisor’s freshman they separately co-advised? Donating to the ASB of some kid from your FWIS? Venmoing someone in the club whose meetings you never attend for hosting a private you didn’t enjoy? That’s what the culture of care is all about.

BAREBACK RIDING What it means at the rodeo: Riding a bronc with no saddle.

What it means at Rice: You got your results from the free STI testing in the quad yesterday. You currently don’t have any infections. Your friend has the same results. You questionably decide to engage in some bareback riding.

The Backpage is satire, written by Simona “yee-haw” Matovic and designed by Simona “yeet-nah” Matovic. For comments or questions, please email JamesJoyceLovesFarts@rice.edu

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