The Rice Thresher | April 17, 2019

THE RICE THRESHER | VOLUME 103, ISSUE NO. 26 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 illustration by esther tang

Off-campus students allege poor living conditions AMY QIN

ASST NEWS EDITOR

A housing company renting to over 100 Rice students has been the target of student complaints about unfair leases, repeated maintenance issues and lack of professionalism dating back to 2017.

Owl House Properties manages a total of 21 properties, including four on Bolsover Street, all in locations within short biking distance to Rice, according to its website.

It currently rents almost exclusively to Rice students, according to Ben Bahorich (Will Rice ‘10), who collectively owns the rental properties with his brothers Mark (Will Rice ‘09) and Eric.

The Bahoriches have owned properties in the area for about 11 years, but the company Owl House Properties was formed in the last few months to cohesively manage the rental properties, according to Ben Bahorich.

potentially switch to using Texas’ standard CONCERNS WITH LEASE The lease used by Owl House Properties to lease next year.

“We’re not rigid,” Ben Bahorich said. sign tenants has drawn criticism for clauses some consider to be overly harsh. Geoffrey “We’re a family company, we’re Rice grads.

Riddle, a resident associate at Lovett College We’re not trying to set something down from who works off campus as a lawyer, said a on high.”

Riddle said one student asked him to of the clauses he informally look over found particularly a lease for a property concerning was a owned by Owl House We’re really tight knit, clause that stipulated Properties. He said and honestly Ben and that the landlord the lease was “not could decide what necessarily illegal, Ronnie have given us constituted beyond just very unfair.” a lot of reason to band “normal wear and Ben Bahorich said together. tear” when deciding he and his brothers to make deductions have been using the Ariana Engles from the tenants’ lease for 10 years and security deposit. have not had any LOVETT COLLEGE JUNIOR According to problems with it.

However, he said that they are open to Riddle, the standard of what constitues changing clauses in the lease that clients “wear and tear” is normally defined by Texas find issue with and said that they would case law.

RPC revises Beer Bike results MADISON BUZZARD ASST SPORTS EDITOR

According to Mesta, video evidence of the finish line filmed with a GoPro Will Rice College won the men’s by alumni team biker Matthew Beer Run while the Graduate Student Weatherman (Will Rice ‘18) was vital in Association claimed victory in the Will Rice’s petition.

“For our petition, we sent them alumni and women’s bike races in Rice Program Council’s revised Beer Bike evidence for them to see what the real running splits were,” Mesta said. “We results released last week.

In the initial standings, McMurtry had someone who had recorded all of the College was declared the winner of laps of the Beer Run including the ending the men’s run while Will Rice finished and showed that we were behind by four second. In addition, the Jones College seconds at the end of the race. But with women’s team received seven penalties the 40 seconds in penalties McMurtry and Lovett College, which did not have had and no penalties for us, it was clear a women’s team, received a penalty. that we should have been awarded with the win.”

RPC altered times Komitov said for McMurtry’s he understood men’s run and the change in his Brown College’s time split, but he men’s run and I recognize the amount was disappointed reduced penalties of work that goes behind because McMurtry to the Lovett and setting up the event no longer had its Jones women’s first Beer Bike bike teams after and enforcing the rules, victory. four colleges filed so the official results “While I am petitions, according should be respected. sad McMurtry’s to campuswide Beer title was taken Bike coordinators Stoyan Komitov away, I recognize Enoch Peng and MCMURTRY COLLEGE JUNIOR the sheer amount Rebecca Artall. of work that “It was brought to the attention of the campus-wide goes behind setting up the event and coordinators that split times during the enforcing the rules, so the official men’s race for Hanszen [College], Jones, results should be respected,” Komitov Brown and McMurtry were potentially said. “RPC messed up the timing of incorrect,” RPC said on its website. teams, but they recognized their error “We used video evidence filmed from and supported their revisions with a a bird’s eye-view and at the finish line statement and video evidence.”

Komitov also said he was thankful to determine more accurate finish line to receive a “transparent breakdown” times.”

A petition drafted by Will Rice biker of McMurtry’s chugging penalties from Eugenio Mesta protesting the time split RPC but argued the review should have of McMurtry runner Stoyan Komitov led taken place before the official results to RPC allocating a 62 second increase were released the Tuesday following the to the 22-second split time of Komitov, races. McMurtry had previously hosted which resulted in McMurtry falling from a victory party after the Beer Run. first place to fourth.

SEE BEER BIKE PAGE 13

Ben Bahorich said that “generally a tenant will know” when damage to the house exceeds normal wear and tear.

“If there’s little nicks on the wall we don’t care about that,” Ben Bahorich said. “A fist through the wall or a knee through the wall aren’t normal wear and tear, [but] generally the expenses are not too bad.”

Colin Losey (Martel ‘18) said he rented 1702 Bolsover from Mark Bahorich from May 2016 to May 2017. According to Losey, he and each of his housemates had about $600 of their $1000 deposits deducted for what he said was “routine maintenance.”

“The Bahoriches deducted money for things like ‘dusting,’” Losey said.

Ronnie Reynolds, the property manager of Owl House Properties, said that last year the company introduced a process involving a form listing the conditions of the property upon move in, which would be used to compare to the conditions upon move out.

SEE LEASES PAGE 4

Newly announced Brown College resident associate steps down ANNA TA NEWS EDITOR

“Who’s going to fire brown’s newly hired RA for posting a photo captioned ‘yes ... that’s a mexican with Haley Hart, one of the newly selected a confederate flag ... haha’,” Humphrey, residential associates at Brown College, who is currently studying abroad, formally withdrew her application for tweeted.

Hart acknowledged the controversial the position following student concerns about photos she posted on her social post in question, which she originally published in 2010 but re-shared a few media platforms.

According to Hart, she decided to days ago, in a separate Facebook post in withdraw her application after careful which she announced that she was taking consideration of the circumstances and the post of RA, according to Humphrey.

She offered an apology and reached taking into account the recommendations out to welcome students to get coffee of the RA Search Committee. with her.

Other “The only thing I photos students have ever wanted is brought to the to serve and mentor surface include an students,” Hart old Instagram post wrote. “The most The only thing I have ever showing Hart posing important thing wanted is to serve and next to a White man to me is that the mentor students. The dressed as a Native students of Brown most important thing to American. have an RA they can “I’ve been relate to and trust. me is that the students of made aware that I was extremely Brown have an RA they a Facebook post I impressed by can relate to and trust. shared a couple days the thoughtful go made some people interactions I Haley Hart uncomfortable,” had during the Hart’s Facebook two forums I PROGRAM SPECIALIST AT announcement participated in. This RICE ALLIANCE read. “I’m so sorry has been a learning experience for me and moving forward, I to anyone who felt this way and want plan to be highly engaged in the diversity to immediately address it. A lot of times social media portrays us in an and inclusion efforts here at Rice.”

Gabrielle Humphrey, a Brown junior, unintended negative light and this is a drew student attention to the offending learned lesson for me.”

The Brown adult team held two open posts after the announcement of Hart’s appointment by tweeting screenshots of forums last Sunday to allow Brown students to voice their concerns directly the posts from Hart’s Facebook page.

Others replied with screenshots of to the adult team and Hart, who is a offending posts on Hart’s Instagram. program specialist at the Rice Alliance Anne Rara and Mandy Gregg, Brown for Technology and Entrepreneurship. sophomores, said they brought Hart’s The meetings were only open to students at Brown. post to the magisters’ attention.

SEE BROWN RA PAGE 4

THE RICE THRESHER

2 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

NEWS Take Back the Night: Students march against sexual assault SAMMI JOHNSON THRESHER STAFF Around 20 students participated in the Take Back the Night march across campus last Thursday, April 11, to advocate for ending sexual and domestic violence and supporting survivors.

The Take Back the Night march, hosted annually by the Rice Women’s Resource Center, is part of a global event that began during the anti-violence movement in the 1970s, according to Jordan Everett, the staff advisor for the RWRC. The march began in Ray’s Courtyard at 8 p.m., then continued across campus with multiple stops for students to share personal stories, poems or songs.

“The event’s goals are to bring awareness to the issues of gender-based

violence, provide a place for healing and support for survivors who choose to speak out and show a unified front in the face of fear of violence,” Everett, a Title IX resource navigator and student wellbeing specialist, said.

As they marched from stop to stop, participants took part in cheers such as “However we dress, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no.” According to Mackenzie Kubik, a co-director for the RWRC, the last segment of the march was held in silence to show solidarity with the women on campus and around the world who have faced sexual and domestic violence.

“Yelling about something that such a vulnerable topic in such an overt way is something that is really hard to do,” Kubik, a McMurtry College senior,

said. “I think just the vulnerability that comes along with that and the kind of confidence and solidarity that fall out of it is the most impactful to me.”

At three of the stops, students read poems they wrote themselves or found online, including poems by June Jordan and Halsey. At Willy’s Statue, Hanszen College senior Abigail Panitz sung a portion of Kesha’s “Praying” and Will Rice College freshman Izzie Karohl read a short anecdote on sexual assault.

I feel like the worst thing that could happen on our campus would be that the student body would be overcome with a sense of immunity to an issue.

Mackenzie Kubik RWRC CO-DIRECTOR

sammi johnson / thresher

Twenty students gather in Ray’s Courtyard for the Take Back the Night march. They carry handdrawn signs professing support for sexual assault survivors and the importance of consent.

The march circled around campus, with stops for participants to read poems they had written themselves or gotten online.

“I think that the sharing and reflection always really inspire me and get me to think of things maybe I hadn’t thought of before,” Karohl said. “That was the part I was looking forward to, was hearing people’s stories and seeing what they brought to it.”

Kubik said Owl Days hindered the turnout for Take Back the Night because lots of students who would have participated were busy hosting and showing around prospective students.

Next year, the RWRC expects to host Take Back the Night again, but Kubik said they may change the date to avoid the scheduling conflict.

To gather submissions for the event, Kubik said the RWRC sent out a Google form to their Listserv, GroupMe and Facebook page.

Kubik and RWRC co-coordinator Chloe Wilson were largely in charge of planning and running the event.

According to Kubik, the RWRC partnered with Students Transforming Rice Into a Violence-Free Environment to jointly host the event for the first time this year.

“We reached out to STRIVE, and they helped us decide that this year we were going to make it a march where we stopped at different points along campus and had an open-mic feel to it,” Kubik said. “In previous years, it’s been a march around campus and then people will read short stories or talk about themselves at the end, but we thought to do the breaking up this year would be nice.”

In preparation for Take Back the Night, the RWRC held a poster-making event April 10 in the RWRC office at the Rice Memorial Center.

According to Kubik, the poster-making event was new idea this year intended to encourage participation for the march.

Supplies were also available immediately before the march for participants to make extra signs.

“We thought that if we got people to come out and incentivized them with snacks and art and a relaxing activity at a stressful time of year with the poster making, that it might also might encourage more participation for our actual event,” Kubik said.

According to Kubik, although Rice usually excels as a community at supporting students and preventing violence, it isn’t immune to issues of sexual and domestic violence. She said it is important to continue discussing these issues.

“I feel like the worst thing that could happen on our campus would be that the student body would be overcome with a sense of immunity to an issue, and then I think all that does is silence survivors, so this gives us a platform to make that pretty public,” Kubik said.

NASA admin returns to Rice at space symposium SAVANNAH KUCHAR SENIOR WRITER Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator (Lovett College ‘97), addressed NASA’s recently-announced goal of returning to the moon by 2024 and said NASA will put a woman on the moon during the Owls in Space Symposium on Saturday.

Students also had the opportunity to speak with Peggy Whitson, who received her doctorate from Rice in 1985 and is NASA’s most experienced astronaut to date and the first woman commander of the International Space Station.

According to Bridenstine, while the original plan was to return to the moon in 2028, the new plan to reach the moon four years sooner is largely because past projects have lost government funding because they took too long.

“The vice president, [Mike Pence], said we don’t want to go in 2028, that’s too long,” Bridenstine said. “If you want to reduce the political risk, you go, and you go quickly.”

Bridenstine promised that in this newly announced expedition, NASA would put a woman on the moon for the first time.

“The first woman on the moon will be an American and the next man on the moon will be an American,” Bridenstine said.

Bridenstine said that returning to the moon is a part of a larger plan to someday put humans on Mars.

“Why do we go to the moon?” Bridenstine said. “Because ultimately, it’s a proving

ground for how we’re going to live and work on Mars, that’s why we do it.”

According to Bridenstine, the symposium, hosted by Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, allowed him to share a glimpse into NASA’s plans and research with Rice students enthusiastic about space.

“There’s no shortage of talent and intellect here at Rice University; of course, I’ve seen that firsthand as a graduate,” Bridenstine said. “Students here are as bright today as they ever were. We had some great questions and a good dialogue and it’s always great to be here at Rice.”

Whitson attended the event as well and spoke with a group of students during lunch.

Whitson said that this was a chance to come back to Rice and share her experiences as an astronaut with interested students.

“For me, it’s just fun to see enthusiasm and excitement for space still exists and so I like to share a little of it,” Whitson said. “I think the biggest thing about being a role model is just to encourage all of the young ladies and women out there to find their passion, find what it is that really drives and makes them want to keep going to work every day and be really exceptional at it.”

Tori Joshi, one of the students at Whitson’s table during lunch, said that it was exciting to talk to the record-breaking astronaut who inspires Joshi’s own interest in space exploration.

“It was really to cool to actually finally talk to her,” Joshi, a junior at Martel College, said. “I was like two feet away

from her for that entire conversation, which was insane, especially the fact that she’s done so much as a female astronaut, and also just spent so much time on the [International Space Station].”

Ryan Udell, president of SEDS Rice and the organizer of the symposium, said that the club and the event were inspired by Rice’s history in the space industry, from President John F. Kennedy’s speech at Rice

Stadium to the creation of the world’s first space sciences department.

Udell said that SEDS intends to have annual symposiums in the future, along with other events to connect more students with the world of space exploration.

“SEDS Rice stands on the shoulders of giants and through the symposium, we are creating the new space development group at Rice to stay,” Udell said.

stephany marchany / thresher

NASA adminstrator Jim Bridenstine (Lovett College ‘97) speaks at the Owls in Space Symposium, organized by the Students for Development and Exploration of Space, about NASA’s goal of returning to the moon by 2024.

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 • 3

Two years later, effects of Harvey linger at Rice ELIZABETH MYONG SENIOR WRITER Two years after Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston, the Rice community continues to find ways of documenting the experiences of those affected and creating spaces where students, policymakers and scholars can learn from each other.

The Hurricane Harvey Registry’s initial report, which was released in February, found that Houston residents continue to suffer from the aftermath of Harvey. The report details the needs of 29,000 Houstonians in terms of displacement, debris and physical and mental health.

Data from the report shows that 46 percent of surveyed residents were displaced for an average of 20 weeks following the storm.

Research shows that displacement has longterm negative effects on mental health even after residents return to their homes. There is also a persisting danger of toxins like lead, asbestos and arsenic in flooded homes especially older buildings.

Lisa Spiro, co-director of the Harvey Memories Project, said the act of remembering is essential to processing events like Harvey.

“By remembering, we often can begin to make sense of and recover from traumatic events like natural disasters,” she said.

Spiro said she encourages the Houston community to not forget the ongoing recovery efforts for many communities and the lessons that were learned in the wake of the disaster.

“We need to be aware of how many people continue to suffer from the effects of Harvey, particularly in economically vulnerable communities,” she said. “Ultimately, we should look forward to consider how we can both prevent and prepare for future disasters.”

Headaches, runny noses, problems concentrating, shortness of breath and skin rashes were among the reported health problems linked to the storm as a result of exposure to mold and bacteria. According to the data, 50 percent of respondents reported runny noses and 26 percent reported headaches.

Andrew Huang, a Baker College senior, said the mold after the storm posed a health threat by triggering his “chronic inflammatory response syndrome, commonly caused by longterm exposure to biological toxins.”

He said he experienced worsening symptoms including fatigue, insomnia, light sensitivity and brain fog that forced him to find a “mold-free apartment” and cleaner air.

“Even with a good apartment, life is difficult,” he said. “I can spend days without talking to a human being, since the mold in the outdoor air and in almost every building in the city damages my health. I cannot even go to a grocery store to buy food, since every store I have tried (over a dozen) is moldy.

I have to spend a large amount of time and money on various treatments just to keep functional.”

The report also emphasizes the long-term mental health effects of Harvey that can continue for years after the storm, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Psychological reactions to natural disasters occur in waves of emotional highs and lows that take place well beyond the one-year anniversary of an event,” the report read.

When it comes to Harvey recovery efforts, Jim Blackburn, co-director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center at Rice University, said that the Houston area has a long way to go.

“Any city that flooded like we did in Harvey is going to struggle,” Blackburn said.

Less than three months after moving into a new home with her mom and stepdad, Briana Farias, a McMurtry College junior, lost all her personal belongings when Hurricane Harvey hit. Her pajamas were all that she had when she went to her dad’s house for the weekend.

“I was so devastated when I woke up to just photos of our kitchen and their

bedroom underwater with our dogs atop the floating mattress with no words,” she said.

Farias said her family didn’t even have time to grab their naturalization papers, but afterwards they were overwhelmed by the support of their church and Rice community. She said she her coworkers gave her a gift card to buy new clothes and a Rice Harvey team helped gut and clean her house for two days.

We need to be aware of how many people continue to suffer from the effects of Harvey, particularly in economically vulnerable communities.

Lisa Spiro HARVEY MEMORIES PROJECT “My parents and I were able to lean on each other and I became so much more grateful for the intangible things in my life,” she said. “While I miss the fleeting materialistic things, I value the experience of Harvey because of the strengthened relationship and ties I feel to my Houston and Rice community.”

Isabella Gandara, a Hanszen College senior studying civil engineering, said that Harvey helped her discover what career path she wanted to pursue. She plans to work

to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency with working on remapping the floodplains.

She said Houston is still struggling with recovery efforts in some of its low-income neighborhoods.

“We drove into these neighborhoods and you still see these piles of debris everywhere where there hasn’t been a lot of rebuilding or growth in some of these low-income areas,” she said. “It’s been two years after the flood, so people have moved on. A lot of people have recovered from it, but you still have these people that are still being affected.

It’s like these initial stages of recovery that should have happened a month after the flood are happening a year later.”

Connor Rothschild, a Martel College sophomore, and his teammate Sapna Suresh (Martel ‘18) won the Houston-Centered Policy Challenge for their multi-home buyout proposal. Rothschild said the proposal was meant “to encourage homeowners in the Meyerland community to engage in home buyouts with their neighbors.”

Rothschild and Suresh were featured in a Houston Public Media article in February 2018. Though experts like Blackburn have insisted that buyouts are a key part of recovery efforts, the proposal by Rothschild and Suresh has yet to be implemented.

Blackburn said Houston is capable of fixing the flooding problem, but in order to do so the city will have to take quick, decisive action.

“We’re either going to become the leader of resilience planning or we’re going to fail,” he said. “There’s not much in between.

We gotta get this right, but it’s a very, very difficult problem.”

illustration by esther tang

NEWS

4 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 LEASES FROM PAGE 1 “If the deposit got deducted, we list in detail what’s the cause,” Reynolds said.

“We’ve never gotten complaints about [having the deposit deducted].”

Losey said he and his housemates repeatedly asked in 2017 to see the forms documenting the condition of the house that they had filled out upon moving in, but Mark Bahorich refused their requests.

Another clause Riddle said he found concerning was the inclusion of a “nondelivery of possession clause,” which stipulates that if a property is not available upon the commencement of the lease term due to renovation or other issues, the Bahoriches would have 30 days to deliver the property to the tenants before the tenants have the right to terminate their lease.

Because Owl House Properties currently has several properties under renovation, according to Ben Bahorich, he said he “guesses [the clause] could” come into play when the lease dates for those properties come around but that it is very unlikely. He said that he would be open to changing this clause in the future.

The Bahoriches deducted money for things like “dusting.”

Colin Losey MARTEL COLLEGE ‘18 Although tenants can feasibly avoid trouble under the lease, Riddle said he would still advise against signing onto it.

“I just think that the mentality that this lease reflects is off-putting to me, and I would discourage anybody who is my client from doing business with someone who offers them a lease of that nature.”

Alessi Armengol, an off campus representative at Lovett College, said Owl House Properties asked her on April 10 to promote their properties in her college.

Having read their lease and heard stories from people who had rented from them, she refused and told them she would reconsider if they redrafted their lease to be “ethical.”

“It is frustrating to see a company take advantage of young college students who are likely renting a place for the first time and who don’t understand what a good lease looks like,” Armengol, a Lovett College junior, said.

MAINTENANCE AND PEST ISSUES The primary complaint among the tenants who spoke to the Rice Thresher, several of whom are still leasing from Owl House Properties and thus were granted anonymity, was the landlords’ failure to address maintenance requests.

Ariana Engles, a Lovett junior, said she moved into the attic unit of 1719 Bolsover Street, which is managed by Ben Bahorich, in the summer of 2018 as a subleaser before her lease started in the fall. She said that in addition to multiple broken appliances, the walls of her room would become “sticky, dripping wet” when the air-conditioning was turned too low, which eventually led to mold growth on the walls.

Engles said after she noticed that she was getting sicker more often, she emailed Reynolds about the issue. Reynolds then told her to put bleach on the mold.

“I ended up having to get steroid shots to treat how sick I was getting,” Engles said. “I was getting full body hives.”

Engles, who had been serving as Student Association president at the time, said the repeated maintenance issues consistently caused her to miss meetings. She moved out from 1719 Bolsover in December of 2018 and said she got her full deposit back.

“A good landlord actually takes care of you,” Engles said. “My landlords at my house now, because they heard I was sensitive to mold, had replaced all of their ventilation systems so that there was no mold in the house.”

Ben Bahorich said he apologizes to students for any maintenance issues and has since introduced a process of having three different contractors to call at any time.

Monthly air filter changes have also recently been implemented at 1719 and 1721 Bolsover, according to Bahorich.

“There’s been growing pains with us, being a relatively new company,” Bahorich said. “We didn’t major in leasing or property management. I think there’s been a learning curve. Because we’ve scaled up quickly recently, I think there’s probably been some things that have taken longer than they should, and so that’s why I apologize up front.”

Engles said she counted “over 10 times” when handymen came without tenants being notified, including replacing a roof during fall semester without prior warning. “[Contractors] just started working one day and woke everyone up at six in the morning,” Engles said. “My unit was at level with a lot of the roof, and [once] when I was changing clothes, I saw that one of the workers was staring at me.”

An anonymous source, who said they have been renting from the Bahoriches since August 2017, said that a rat lived in their unit for three months and that Ben Bahorich failed to address the issue in a timely manner.

“We all left for winter break with Ben saying that the exterminators would take care of it,” the source said. “When I came back before any of my roommates, I found that the rat had had free range of our home for three weeks. It took me calling him at 10 p.m. one night crying when I had heard the rat to promise to send exterminators to patch up any holes.”

Bahorich said the tenants notified him on a Friday and that he immediately scheduled pest control to come the following Monday.

Clair Hopper said she has been renting 1702 Bolsover, which is owned by Mark and Lauren Bahorich, since spring of last year. She said the month-long process of coordinating the repairs of broken appliances with Reynolds was “one of the most stressful and antagonistic interactions I have ever had.”

Hopper said Reynolds would consistently confuse the dates of contractor appointments and tell her the appliances were fixed when they were still broken.

“She kept saying weird things, like telling us that the upstairs dishwasher was fixed, even though we only have a downstairs dishwasher,” Hopper, a Martel College senior, said. “After struggling with it for weeks, the contractor finally arrived. Ronnie had sent him to three different apartments on Bolsover, thinking that they were ours.

Not only that, but all the dishwashers in all of those apartments were broken, so he fixed all of them.”

Hopper recounted a separate incident in which one of her roommates noticed the smell of gas by their dryers and contacted Reynolds about a potential gas leak, after which Reynolds made an appointment with a contractor. When one of the housemates returned home, the contractor had arrived earlier than anticipated and was in the process of dismantling the stove.

“He said that Ronnie told him to check it for a gas leak,” Hopper said. “He was adamant that Ronnie only told him to check the stove.

He kindly agreed to check the dryer, and there was indeed a gas leak there. Ronnie’s miscommunication could have caused a lot of direct harm if Kaarthika hadn’t caught it.”

Another anonymous source said the company’s lack of professionalism was troubling to them. They said the account to which they paid their security deposit was called “Li’l Sebastian Memorial Fund, LLC,” a reference to an episode of the popular TV show Parks and Recreation. They also said Reynold’s casualness in emails made them uncomfortable.

“It’s hard to feel confident that our money is landing in safe hands when she uses words like ‘pleazzzz’ and winking emoticons in her emails,” the source said.

In what Ben Bahorich called a “classic example of growing pains” earlier this year, Owl House Properties bought a property previously owned by a different landlord.

Reynolds leased the property to a different party for the next year without notifying the current tenants, although they had an email agreement to extend their lease, according to Ella Feldman, one of the current tenants.

Feldman, a Baker College sophomore, discovered that her unit was being leased out to another party through an offhand conversation with a friend of one of the newly signed tenants.

Ben Bahorich said the miscommunication was the company’s fault. In order to remedy the issue, Reynolds said she made arrangements for the current tenants to sign a lease for a neighboring property at a reduced rate.

We’re a family company, we’re Rice grads. We’re not trying to set something down from on high.

Ben Bahorich OWL HOUSE PROPERTIES “Legally, what we would’ve had to have done is to send them notice now, and they would’ve had to move out by their move out date anyway,” Ben Bahorich said. “It wasn’t a legal thing for us. We just wanted to call them and say, how do we make it to where you’re happy with the situation?”

Feldman said that although at first she was grateful for their efforts to remedy the situation, she later discovered an old listing of the neighboring property that was already priced at the “reduced rate” Reynolds had offered.

“In reality, there was no reduced rent, it was just a cheaper rent than the place we’re living in now, because it’s not as nice of a place,” Feldman said. “That was really frustrating to uncover, because yet again, it seems like they lied to us.”

Feldman said she appreciated their apologies, but that “frankly, they should not be in this business” with their current level of disorganization.

“As they put it, they’re a young organization, they’re young people, they’re still figuring it out, but the people that they are catering to are even younger [and] even more vulnerable,” Feldman said.

Engles said that despite issues with their landlords, there is a close community of offcampus Rice students on Bolsover Street.

“We’re really tight knit, and honestly Ben and Ronnie have given us a lot of reason to band together,” Engles said. “For some of us, this is like our second college.”

FROM PAGE 1

BROWN RA “The post was hurtful to the Brown community,” Brown magisters B.J. and Shirley Fregly wrote in a joint email statement sent out to the college.

“We were impressed by the maturity demonstrated by many students to enter into an extremely difficult dialogue about a sensitive heartfelt issue.”

During the search process to fill two RA positions, the RA search committee held an open house with interested candidates, including those nominated by students, and invited students to meet them. Hart was chosen from those candidates along with another White couple, Chris and Jamie Mize, who filled the other open RA position.

I vividly remember a lot of people of color and it was cool talking to them because it seemed like Brown was finally choosing a diverse team.

Blake Coleman BROWN COLLEGE SOPHOMORE Blake Coleman, a Brown sophomore, attended the open house and said he talked to many candidates there, most of whom he said were people of color.

“I vividly remember a lot of people of color and it was cool talking to them, because it seemed like Brown was finally choosing a diverse team,” Coleman said. “It was pretty disappointing when the selection was announced.”

The magisters’ joint statement also addressed “misunderstanding” which they felt surrounded the RA selection announcement and following events.

“Some of the misunderstanding is the result of misinformation about the Brown RA search process that was circulated on social media,” they wrote.

“While informed criticism is part of a healthy community, the spreading of misinformation causes confusion, undermines trust within the community and can lead individuals in the community to incorrect conclusions.”

Robyn Maddux, a Brown junior who served on the RA search committee, said the committee considered characteristics including diversity, trustworthiness and approachability among others, which were drawn from student feedback and a survey sent out to the college.

“This process was run entirely

by Brown students from start to finish,” Maddux said. “We considered candidates of a diverse background in every step of the process, and the candidates that advanced were a strong balance of many aspects important to the community and to the role of an RA.” Brown has now begun the search for another candidate to fill the position once the term begins next fall, according to the magisters’ statement.

“The last week has been a difficult one for the Brown community,” the statement read. “Nonetheless, we are hopeful that we will continue to have conservations at Brown about difficult yet important issues.”

THE RICE THRESHER

5 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

OPINION STAFF EDITORIAL

New RMC must have media space

The impending Rice Memorial Center renovations are a potentially exciting new development for Rice’s campus. Upgrades could transform the RMC into an even more welcoming hub of campus life with renovations to Rice Coffeehouse, the Rice Multicultural Center and study spaces.

These renovations, however, must not neglect the other spaces that rely on the current RMC to function, namely the Office of Student Media.

The Office of Student Media, which contains the workspaces of The Campanile, ktru and the Rice Thresher, operates in the upstairs of the RMC above Coffeehouse. On Monday nights, over 30 Thresher staffers crowd into a conference room and lay out that week’s paper, sharing just six desktop computers among us. It’s a struggle to find enough seats for everyone, and while it is fun to cram together as a staff, it is hardly convenient. Student media’s space is already tight, and it’s straining our organizations.

Given Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby neglected to mention the Office of Student Media in his list of features important to the new building, there is reason to be concerned that it will be losing space in the renovations.

This is dangerous for a few reasons.

As a newspaper, we frequently discuss sensitive issues including pieces featuring anonymous sources. Because of this, we cannot operate in shared spaces, which Kirby said there would be an abundance of in the new RMC. Anybody using the shared space who overhears potentially harmful information could spread that information, and it is our duty as an organization to protect these individuals. Additionally, both the Thresher and Campanile require special software to produce the pages for our publications, software that is too expensive for staffers to purchase on personal computers. There must be enough computers in this future space to support all of our staffers.

Perhaps most importantly, ktru requires a specialized space to run its radio station, and it must have a place to operate constantly even while renovations are in progress. A future space must be able to accommodate all of the necessary technology to run the station. ktru lost its tower when the university sold it in 2010, greatly limiting the station’s range. To once again neglect the station’s needs would be embarrassing.

Renovating the RMC is a valid and worthwhile goal. But let’s make sure that Rice is not leaving its media students stranded in the process.

Corrections Last week’s article entitled “HACER abstains from Pence protest” incorrectly stated that Amanda Perozo and Alejandra Gutierrez were in conversation with HACER before HACER decided not to sponsor the protest.

Additionally, “Impending Media Center Teardown clouds VADA future” included a quote from Geoff Winningham that said the Media Center had a “pyramid beam” foundation.

Winningham actually said that the center has a pier and beam foundation.

OP-ED

Pigeons belong at Rice In my opinion, Rice presents itself as a laid and carefully tended to eggs. Much of very liberal institution: pro-people, pro- the recreation center staff were cheering poor and disenfranchised, pro-animals and the pair on and anxiously awaiting the pro-nature. However, recent events have hatchlings’ arrival.

Pigeon eggs take 17 to 19 days to hatch, made me question this perception.

The following was taken verbatim from and this nest was about that old when FE&P the Rice University Facilities Engineering came to remove and destroy it. The message given to the staff by workers sent to do the and Planning web page.

“Rice seeks to create a replica of a natural deed was simply, “We have to.” Meanwhile, the dead nest was left system once widespread in plain view not 10 feet in the Houston area. As away falling apart and a designated arboretum, full of broken eggs.

Rice’s primary mission Are pigeons What message is to maintain the not part of the does this send to the environment and Rice community? Do landscape that currently current campus we snuff out life if exists on campus.” environment? Why it is inconvenient or The issue — two was the removal a bit messy? Again: pigeons have been and destruction of “Rice’s primary making their home along mission is to maintain the walkway between the nest not delayed the environment and the Gibbs Recreation until the hatchlings landscape that currently and Wellness Center had flown? exists on campus.” and its administration Are pigeons not part of the current building for a while despite numerous attempts to discourage them, including campus environment? Why was the removal the installation of spikes on all beams and and destruction of the nest not delayed until ledges and the addition of scarecrow owls the hatchlings had flown? Or if it had to be flapping in the breeze. Against all odds, this done, why when the eggs were ready to pigeon pair built a nest in January 2019 and hatch instead of early in the nesting process? laid eggs amid the spikes. They abandoned Why was the abandoned nest not removed the nest shortly after, but built a second when it was first built or even when the nest amongst the spikes, where the pair live nest was removed? This is something

some might accuse the Donald Trump administr ation of doing. Because someone important doesn’t like it, it’s gotten rid of no matter the cost!

I commend FE&P on maintaining a large, green campus and keeping it clean and neat all the time. I’m sure the workers who did this were simply unders orders to do their job. The supervisor who gave the order was likely following set policy. What kind of policy would cause this to happen this way? Can we not use good judgement and common sense? Can we even, dare I say, include some compassion for all life even if it is inconvenient or not 100 percent popular? Maybe we should take a second look at our policies and how we put them into practice. I hope, in the future, incidents like this do not happen as a matter of policy.

JILL BANTA

LIFETIME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM INSTRUCTOR

cartoon by dalia gulca

STAFF Emily Abdow* & Andrew Grottkau* Editors-in-Chief NEWS Anna Ta* Editor Rishab Ramapriyan Asst. Editor Amy Qin Asst. Editor FEATURES Ella Feldman Editor Ivanka Perez Asst. Editor SPORTS Michael Byrnes* Editor Madison Buzzard Asst. Editor OPINION Eric Stone* Editor

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Christina Tan* Editor & Designer Katelyn Landry Asst. Editor BACKPAGE Simona Matovic Editor & Designer 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 Business Manager 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.

First copy is free. Each additional copy is $5.

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

OPINION

6 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 OP-ED

Learn from Brown’s RA search Rice is often praised for its unique ability to foster community through the residential college system. As a key site of interaction for students and faculty, residential colleges allow students to build relationships with adult members of the Rice community including associates, college coordinators, magisters and resident associates. As individuals that students tend to interact with on a daily basis, RAs hold arguably the most crucial role on the administrative team. Their role, as outlined by Rice University Office of the Dean of Undergraduates, is to serve as both “positive community facilitator[s]” and “role models” while providing “guidance and leadership to college members.”

Information that recently surfaced regarding a newly selected Brown College RA, who has since withdrawn from consideration, makes it important to refresh ourselves on the role of an RA, and what it means to effectively foster a positive and inclusive community at Rice. Just days after it was announced that she received one of the RA positions for next year, Haley Hart re-shared a photo originally posted in 2010 of a man proudly holding a Confederate flag captioned “yes that’s a mexican with a confederate flag … haha.” This was not the only troubling post that students found on her social media, bringing into question her ability to serve as a support system for students of color, nevermind as a role model.

Haley then dropped out of the RA position after an open forum where students from Brown posed questions to her, and students were notified April 16 of her withdrawal.

However, this is an important lesson for Brown and other colleges’ RA searches.

While interactions with students are bound to teach RAs invaluable lessons regarding the reality of different student experiences, students should not be burdened with the task of educating their college’s adult leadership team. Being an effective ally, or at the very least, being sensitive to diversity issues should be prerequisites for individuals tasked with serving and supporting students. When an individual fails to exhibit a basic understanding of the gravity, such as sharing a photo of the Confederate flag, or the insensitivity that joking about it entails, then they lack the ability to serve as a support system for students of color.

With a new college coordinator and team of RAs to start next school year,

Brown is undergoing a near-complete transformation. This means that new relationships with our adult leaders are crucial in maintaining a sense of community at the college. Brown’s RA search committee may not have been able to foresee Hart showing her true colors via social media. Regardless, a lesson should be learned regarding the importance of diversity and representation in the selection of adult leaders.

Haley’s withdrawal from the position allowed Brown to avoid setting a dangerous precedent. However, Brown’s decision regarding her replacement is more important than ever. It is crucial that Brown’s RA search committee keeps in mind one of the pillars of the Brown to the Future initiative: diversity and inclusion.

Although Haley will not serve as an RA for Brown, we should not ignore the fact that she was still chosen. Brown is not a place for faculty and staff to learn the basics of diversity and inclusion; it is a place where diversity and inclusion are appreciated and respected. As an RA, chosen individuals should be representative of the college and their values, not gradually learning what those values are. If a candidate needs time to learn and grow about these sensitive topics, then they are not suitable to be in a position that requires being a mentor, role model and an advocate for students.

We hope with the controversy regarding Brown’s RA search has taught the college — and other colleges — a productive lesson.

Future search committees should better emphasize diversity, especially in trying to recruit people of color for this position.

With this, we hope to share the some of the thoughts and concerns students had during the process and to help Brown with its future decisions. We hope our thoughts and concerns are addressed in the upcoming decisions Brown has to make, and we look forward to hearing who the replacement RA will be.

GABRIELLE HUMPHREY

BROWN COLLEGE JUNIOR

BLAKE COLEMAN

BROWN COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

You asked, we answered does one start dating? Like, when is it time to let someone Q: How know you like them and would like to date them? of the worst things you can do is sit on your feelings, A: One obsessing over someone and annoying all your friends with

rants about how cute their hair looks. You can literally just tell them and either they 1) reject you, you listen to some Mitski, stop wasting your time and move on to someone else or 2) you have a whole summer to come up with a disgustingly cute Esperanza ask to win those #freetickies. But don’t do it through a missed encounter. They’re flattering to get but … anonymous. This isn’t a Netflix movie.

For those of us with the confidence to ask someone out but the perfectionist anxiety of doing it absolutely right, don’t wait too long. No one likes to be led on — even if you do eventually decide to go for it, they might’ve already given up on hope that you’ll finally do it. The thought that if you wait, they’ll catch feelings for you too is just a path to pain.

through a breakup recently, any suggestions for how to Q: Igetwent over it? take time. Lots and lots of time. Before your ex, A: Relationships you filled that time in other ways, whether it was working on

a passion project, shooting hoops at the Rec or keeping up with the Kardashians. Now is the time to remember, or even redefine, who you are as an individual. You might have a hole in your heart right now, but you are a whole person on your own. The ability to do whatever you want whenever you want is a blessing of singledom so seize this time to do just that.

Another way to keep moving forward is to realize all the other romantic (or hookup) possibilities out there. Swiping on a dating app is a beautifully refreshing reminder that other people are into you and that, whenever you’re ready, you might just be into them too.

Lastly, don’t beat yourself for not moving on “fast enough.”

None of us do. You’re sad because you experienced something meaningful. Even though it’s over, there are memories you will carry with you and lessons that will shape you, and that’s a beautiful thing.

Q: Is it true that if you write for the Thresher, you’re a virgin? to a scientific poll, the average Thresher editorial A: According staff purity score is 38.67 (n = 15). Do what you want with that information.

OP-ED

Response to Saliba: Bipartisanship requires cooperation Conservative students are a minority at Rice, like they are on many other college campuses. This can make it difficult to facilitate equally weighted political dialogues. That being said, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have constructive discussions with differing viewpoints. As the only undergraduate student association affiliated with the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, the Baker Institute Student Forum is a nonpartisan organization that provides opportunities for Rice students to gain exposure to and explore current policy issues, with the goal of encouraging all students to contribute their voice to our nation’s discourse.

In response to Anthony Saliba’s statements about the BISF debate in his oped, we would like to discuss our process in organizing these types of events and address why it can be difficult to facilitate these opportunities on campus.

On Feb. 4, we reached out to the Rice University College Republicans and Rice University Young Democrats to begin preparing for the March 19 debate. Juliette Turner (chairwoman of College Republicans), Franz Brotzen (president of Young Democrats) and Annie Chen (BISF director of events) scheduled a meeting Feb. 15 to specify a topic. Despite proposing the meeting, Turner did not attend. As such, after brainstorming with Brotzen, Chen proposed a list of topic suggestions to both clubs related to energy

and environmental policy. The College affirming. At the time, Saliba used a GIF Republicans did not respond until March to express his discontentment with the 4, when they informed us that they were topic; however, he still chose to voluntarily unwilling to defend the Republican party’s participate in the debate.

BISF acknowledges that the debate itself stance on fossil fuel subsidies.

Our debates are meant to facilitate did not appropriately demonstrate the civil discussions on the parties’ nationwide stances political discourse we strive for and have on policy issues, seeing as our debaters are had in our events. However, since two of from student organizations that represent the College Republican debaters ignored the determined topic and the Republican and debated the benefits of Democratic parties. nuclear energy subsidies and We firmly uphold this constitutionality of subsidies tenet, and we made an We firmly believe instead, we understand why effort to communicate that there is room this caused tensions between that we are focusing on this campus to the teams. Both of these on the stances of two debate topics were valid major political parties, have productive and would have contributed not the personal policy discussions to an informative policy opinions of students. in which people discussion; however, neither BISF stands by an express differences was the topic that the clubs individual’s right to chose to debate. have policy opinions of opinion and Finally, BISF conducts that diverge from a ideological stances. this event every semester, party stance; however, in the spirit of the debate, we decided to and in the four years that we have been consider other clubs on campus and gave involved in this club, we have frequently the College Republicans an opportunity to struggled to get the College Republicans and choose a new topic. Fortunately, after more Young Democrats to agree on a topic. We are negotiation, Turner and Brotzen were able constantly looking for the Republicans’ input to come to a consensus on the following and participation in our events but cannot be resolution: The U.S. federal government responsible for their lack of communication, should more highly subsidize renewable and we suggest that they communicate energy than it does fossil fuels, with the appropriately with us to arrange events with Republicans negating and the Democrats balanced political discourse.

We firmly believe that there is room on this campus to have productive policy discussions in which people express differences of opinion and ideological stances. This is why students founded BISF 15 years ago, and this is why BISF organizes events like our semesterly debates.

We still put hours of effort into planning the debates because we feel that they can be valuable for the debaters, club members and the audience. We want to be an open forum where students can analyze vexing policy challenges, articulate diverse perspectives and contribute to future solutions. We want to create spaces where people with different policy stances can have meaningful conversations, like we did with our February Students For Fair Admissions v. Harvard panel featuring Roger Clegg, Raj Salhotra and Cecil Fong.

We just ask that our participants be willing to engage in a manner that is cooperative, responsible and respectful in order to continue holding these types of events on campus.

CATHERINE KIRBY

BAKER COLLEGE SENIOR

JULIA WANG

BAKER COLLEGE SENIOR

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 • 7

OP-ED

Rice insurance plan should cover elective abortions At the beginning of this year, the Rice Thresher received a tip that the Rice student health insurance policy, Aetna, only covers abortions in the event of rape, incest or the endangerment of the life of the mother. An examination of the policy confirmed this tip to be factual.

This spring, 2,491 Rice students including undergraduate and graduate students relied upon the Aetna student health insurance plan, according to student benefits specialist Jazel Dingong.

The fact that it includes a seemingly archaic restriction on abortion coverage prompted me to dig deeper with the hopes of writing a news story.

I began by researching peer institutions’ policies to find out if Rice lags behind in failing to cover elective abortions. The answer: We do.

At Yale University, the basic health plan is not only available to students free of charge, but also covers abortions.

A page on Harvard University’s Health Services website titled “Ending a Pregnancy” informs students on the university’s student health insurance plan that they will receive $350 to cover a voluntary termination of pregnancy. And at Princeton University, the student health policy covers 80 percent of the expenses incurred for an elective abortion.

Right now, Rice is relegating the students who rely on them to pay out of pocket for an abortion procedure, which costs $550 at the Houston Women’s Clinic for a first trimester abortion, $850 after 12 weeks and $950 after 14 weeks, according

to Jeana Nam, who worked at the Clinic as a patient counselor.

Armed with these facts, I reached out to Dingcong. Dingcong said the student insurance committee will consider adding additional coverage to the Aetna plan if an item is “widely requested” — however, only if they conclude that the additional cost is worthwhile to students. Dingcong also said there has been no request to add elective abortions to Aetna’s coverage.

Right now, Rice is relegating the students who rely on them to pay out of pocket for an abortion procedure, which costs $550 at the Houston Women’s Clinic for a first trimester abortion.

“More often than not, the proposed additional coverage is rejected due to the additional cost,” Dingcong wrote to me in an email, citing how, in the fall, the committee had overturned graduate students’ request to add dental care to their coverage plans.

I next made a Facebook post on the Thresher page and emailed Listservs to hear about the experiences of students who had received abortions. I received one response from an alumna, Nam. Nam

ASK THE STAFF What would you put in the new RMC? “Two-story Chaüs”

– Sydney Garrett, Art Director

“Space for the VADA department” – Charlie Paul, Web Editor

“An inflatable dome”

– Andrew Grottkau, Editor-in-Chief

“A Trader Joe’s”

– Ella Feldman, Features Editor

“Dorms for Hanszen students” – Emily Abdow, Editor-in-Chief

“Pokéworks”

– Charlene Pan, Photo Editor

“Pigeons”

– Eric Stone, Opinion Editor

“Student media spaces, pretty pretty please, I’m begging you” – Christina Tan, A&E Editor, incoming Editor-in-Chief

told me about the abortion she’d received during a semester off from Rice. The experience led her to begin working at the the Houston Women’s Clinic.

“Part of my goal in telling my story is to reveal this truth,” Nam said. “Abortion is really, really normal, and you can feel however you want about it.”

Nam’s statement is normal is supported by the numbers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the overall abortion rate in 2015 was 11.8 per 1,000 women, with women in their 20s accounting for 58.7 percent of abortions. For women between 20 and 24, the abortion rate was 19.9 abortions per 1,000 women.

And yet, I struggled to find a single current Rice student to speak on the experience of having an abortion. My inability to locate a current student source suggests either that women at Rice aren’t having abortions or that they are, and no one is talking about it.

My fear is this: Abortion is still a largely taboo topic, especially in Texas, and even at Rice, where we skirt around the topic of contraception in our Critical Thinking in Sexuality classes.

The student health insurance committee will only consider adding elective abortion coverage if it is “widely requested.” But when it comes to abortion, women stay silent to avoid the stigma surrounding it.

“The whole experience was incredibly isolating emotionally,” Nam told me in our interview. “I had this thing that

happened that I felt very deep down, ‘I can’t tell people about this.’”

Stigma aside, women don’t know in advance that they will need an abortion.

When they do need one, there is no time to petition the Student Insurance Office for a policy change that may or may not happen. There is only time to seek help from the resources that offer it.

The only way for Rice to be a resource in the realm of reproductive rights is to offer coverage for elective abortions. But the addition of this coverage is ineffective if students don’t know about it. That’s why Rice should inform students about this coverage as well as the resources Student Health Services offers, including contraception and pregnancy tests, as part of CTIS. As Rice rushes to rival its peers by offering premier financial aid, it should also do so in its health care coverage.

Adding elective abortion coverage to the Aetna student health insurance plan is a change that should occur without a rallying cry from the student body. But if such a cry is needed, my hope is that this opinion piece can serve as one of many calls for change.

EMILY ABDOW

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

From the editors’ desk: Farewell For the last four years, we have spent every Monday night upstairs in the Rice Memorial Center, neglecting schoolwork, social events, friends (as our suitemates can attest) and even our own birthdays to produce the weekly newspaper that shows up in your college’s commons every Wednesday.

Don’t let us make it sound like some kind of big sacrifice for the good of the university or any other holier-than-thou bullshit. We did this for one extremely selfish reason: because we loved it.

But, just like how we imagine parents feel about their children, loving it didn’t mean we always liked it. Being part of the Rice Thresher has placed us in difficult situations, sometimes where there’s no clear right answer. It’s required us to investigate issues people did not want brought to light, which inevitably led to friction between us and those we covered. It sucks sometimes when people at your college or in your classes think you’re out to get them, and it’s not easy to wake up to a storm of angry Facebook comments on a Wednesday morning.

Nevertheless, we continued to ask the difficult questions and delve into issues people preferred to hide. Because in the immortal words of former Thresher Editorin-Chief Yasna Haghdoost, journalism isn’t about being nice. It’s not a popularity contest, nor should it be. We strive for the

trust of our readers and the respect of those we cover, but we can’t afford to compromise our coverage by caring if you like us or not.

The world is full of gray areas, and the Thresher has taught us to how to analyze, question and come to decisions in the midst of complexity and in the face of pressure from authority figures. It’s a lesson that’s hard to learn inside the classroom, where the biggest consequence is usually a less than ideal grade that only affects our own GPA. We joined the Thresher because we liked writing and, in Andrew’s case, sports.

We stayed because no other experience has pushed us to the level of growth we’ve experienced over the last four years. Leaving is bittersweet, and we joke about failing a class to stick around another year, if only tuition didn’t keep increasing. We take with us a greater ability to question the world around us and our own role in it and we urge anyone reading this who has ever considered joining the Thresher to do it. It’s been the experience of a lifetime, and we promise you won’t regret it.

ANDREW GROTTKAU EMILY ABDOW

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Thanks for a great year, Rice As a nontraditional student, it can be difficult to integrate yourself into the Rice experience, but here at the Thresher, I feel like I’ve found a home.

In one of the student media department’s Media Minute seminars, Houston Chronicle Deputy Opinion Editor Evan Mintz outlined what he thought any good opinion section should do: provide a voice to the voiceless. That idea has driven what I’ve done here at the Thresher. I hope the next editor will continue to highlight perspectives that people may not have heard. I vehemently disagree with some of the opinions that have appeared in this section, but I fully believe in the power of respectful, goodfaith dialogue.

While I won’t miss getting home at 1 a.m. after the Thresher’s production night on Mondays, I’ll miss the friends and colleagues I spent those Monday nights with. I’m humbled by the depth and passion with which Rice students discuss the issues closest to their hearts.

To everyone who submitted an opinion piece this year: Thank you for sharing your opinions with me and the Rice community.

Keep those hot takes coming, y’all.

ERIC STONE OPINION EDITOR

8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

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THE RICE THRESHER

9 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

FEATURES @

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ELLA FELDMAN FEATURES EDITOR

After Gabrielle Falcon, who goes by Gabby, announced on Facebook that she was chosen as a 2019 student director of Orientation Week, she got a call from her grandmother.

“She called me in tears and was like, ‘I would’ve never imagined my granddaughter would be the head of anything at a White institution,’” Falcon, a Martel College junior, recalled. “I’m really proud to come from a background with [race-related] struggles, because it makes those wins so much more sweet.”

But sometimes, Falcon’s reality of being biracial is sour.

Falcon is originally from Lafayette, Louisiana. She was born to a Black mother and a White father, both of whom are also Cajun. She spent a lot of time with her maternal family in Louisiana when she was young, which made her feel closer to her Black culture.

This changed after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, where Falcon’s family was living at the time. They evacuated to Orlando, Florida and moved to Fort Worth, Texas when she was 11.

North Texas, according to Falcon, is the peak of White culture.

“Like, cowboy, yee-haw, yee-yee kind of situation,” Falcon said.

Falcon and her two brothers attended a majority White Catholic high school.

“There were days that I prayed I was White,” she said of her time in high school.

“You’re the stereotypical Black friend, and you’re the sidekick, right? And my personality isn’t a sidekick.”

Despite often feeling like an outsider, Falcon said she managed to thrive in high school. She was a successful competitive singer, participated in many clubs and was elected homecoming queen her senior year — the first Black homecoming queen her high school ever saw.

Falcon was also academically successful, but often felt this success was just luck.

Because of this feeling, she only considered

state schools in Texas and Louisiana at the about race, Falcon said she’s also noticed start of her college application process. It more and more how far away Rice is from wasn’t until one of Falcon’s cousins visited truly including its students of color.

A major issue Falcon said she encounters Rice that she even considered it an option.

“She was like, ‘I think you’re gonna love it on campus are microaggressions, which are small and often unintentionally hurtful here. I need you to apply.’” Falcon said.

Still, Falcon didn’t want to. She said she comments that marginalize individuals.

“They happen all the time,” Falcon said. feared she wouldn’t get in and that it would hurt. Ultimately, it was her mother who “Multiple times a day, at least.”

For example, Falcon said people often got her to go through with the application.

Falcon said her mother grew up without a lot comment on her hair or try to touch it. She of money, and although she was admitted to also hears racial slurs, which she said is Duke University, was unable to attend due “really, really painful.”

“People on this campus love saying the to finances.

“My mom was like, ‘We built a life for you N-word,” she said. “I know J. Cole songs are really fun and they’re where that if you get into something you feel really this place, we can afford cool singing in a group it. We can sacrifice for you of your White friends, to come here. We need You’re the but you cannot say the you to take a chance,’” stereotypical Black It’s not meant Falcon recalled. friend, and you’re the N-word. for you and it was created So she applied. When by someone like you to she was notified of her sidekick, right? And acceptance a few months my personality isn’t a demean Black people.”

Whenever Faclon later, Falcon said she sidekick. encounters such crumbled on the ground microaggressions, in front of her stairs. Gabby Falcon Falcon said she faces the Her mother rushed to MARTEL COLLEGE JUNIOR challenge of deciding her side, and when she realized what had happened, they both whether she wants to correct people and risk being stereotyped as an angry Black woman, started to sob.

Rice was a huge change from Falcon’s or let people off the hook at the expense of her majority White high school. She said the own well-being. When she does challenge diversity within and support from her O-Week people’s microaggressions, Falcon said she’s group made her more comfortable with her often challenged back.

“One time I literally had to look up research biracial identity from day one.

“They put a mirror to my face, and were to prove to this person [that Black women are like, ‘This is who you are. You should be discriminated against in the workforce],” Falcon said. “As if my experience wasn’t proud of it,’” Falcon said.

Overall, Falcon said she’s loved her time enough, I have to now go on to Google Scholar at Rice and has spent her last few years and find something that a White person wrote becoming extremely involved in the Rice about my existence so that it’s proven to you.”

On a Black experience panel hosted at community. At Martel, she served as the chief justice from 2017 to 2018 and as O-Week Martel, Falcon shared that every time she’s coordinator last summer. She’s continued pulled over by the police, she starts recording her passion for singing with Rice Nocturnal, on her phone. Some audience members works at Coffeehouse and is pursuing degrees started to cry.

“This is the reality for Black people in in political science and policy studies.

But as she’s become more comfortable America,” Falcon said. “I know we all go with her Blackness and has learned more to Rice and it seems like everyone here is

privileged. But after we remove that we’re all from the same institution, we fall back into the structure of this society. And when I get pulled over, that structure means I have to start recording on my phone.”

Another issue Falcon said she sees at Rice — and more largely in society — is an inability for people to grasp the complexities of race. This has made Falcon sometimes feel like she’s not “enough” for either her Black or White identity.

“Until the concept of race is progressive enough to recognize that people live in the margins of race, people who are of multiple races have to choose one to identify with for the ease of other people,” Falcon said.

An important step Falcon said she’d like to see the Rice community take is to make conscious efforts to put people of color in positions of power.

“Representation is basically the foundation of success for people of color,” she said.

Falcon also thinks Rice students should hold themselves to higher standards when it comes to understanding the nuances of race in America.

She said that personally, having friends that go out of their way to educate themselves on such issues has made her experience much better.

Falcon speculated that if everyone at Rice acted as such, students of color would feel much more comfortable and confident in their own skin.

“Whenever I’m upset about a microaggression or getting in an argument about discrimination with someone who doesn’t believe in it and I’m just crying, I never have to explain myself [to my friends],” Falcon said. “If I had that as a widespread experience on this campus, I think I’d be unstoppable.”

Although Falcon’s experience continues to be both sweet and sour, she feels miles away from who she was in high school. Now, she never wishes she were just White.

“Being Black is both my greatest strength and my greatest pain,” Falcon said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

FEATURES

10 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

PERFECT PAIRS: Roommates who’ve lasted all four years IVANKA PEREZ ASST FEATURES EDITOR

Random roommates. It’s a struggle that almost all new students at Rice have to deal with. But sometimes these pairings work out surprisingly well, leading to great friendships and pairs who end up living together all four years.

This was the case for Lovett seniors Tess Gabert and Meghana Gaur.

“I love Meg a lot,” Gabert said. “She’s a really special person in my life.”

When Gabert first received Gaur’s roommate questionnaire in the mail, she was nervous. From Gaur’s mathematical economic analysis major to the specific instructions for how to pronounce her first name, Gabert thought Gaur would be intimidating.

“I also have terrible eyebrows, and her eyebrows were also intimidating,” Gabert said.

McMurtry seniors Carlin Cherry and Simone Bergsrud hit it off quickly.

Initially, Bergsrud worried they wouldn’t get along because Cherry was quiet when they first met, but several hours later, the roommates had bonded.

“We told [each other] all of our secrets the first night,” Bergsrud said.

For McMurtry seniors Ben Rieden and Craig Broadman, however, the connection took time to form.

“We didn’t really talk a bunch at first,” Rieden said. “I think it took maybe a few weeks or maybe a month before we really clicked.”

Eventually, their proximity brought them together. After a night of studying, Rieden returned to their room to find Broadman shooting a ball into their trash can. They spent the rest of the night recording trick shots on-camera.

So much of our friendship has developed in weird moments where we’re brushing our teeth or randomly going to bed at the same time.

Tess Gabert LOVETT COLLEGE SENIOR “That was definitely the moment that our friendship went to the next level,” Broadman said.

They soon began to embrace their common interests and similarities, discovering that they had the same sense of humor and similar taste in TV shows and music. Broadman and Rieden also shared a love of sports, which was so strong that they signed

Carlin Cherry and Simone Bergsrud

up for every single intramural sports team at McMurtry.

“We signed up for billiards when we had not ever been good at that,” Broadman said.

Bergsrud and Cherry also bonded over common interests, and they still do the Thresher crossword puzzles together every Wednesday. Each week, they start it as a competition to see who can finish first but always end up helping each other out. It works out well — each one usually has the answers to the hints that the other does not.

“We have similar interests, but also complementary interests,” Bergsrud said.

Gaur and Gabert became such close friends that their friends assume they are always together.

“People are like, ‘Where is your other half?’” Gabert said. “I get asked that question so many times.”

However, they aren’t sure they would have been close friends if they weren’t roommates.

“So much of our friendship has developed in weird moments where we’re brushing our teeth or randomly going to bed at the same time and we can’t sleep so we’re murmuring at each other,” Gabert said.

Ultimately, all three pairs value their time as roommates.

“I’m grateful to Rice for giving me my best friend,” Gabert said.

courtesy simone bergsrud

Meghana Gaur and Tess Gabert

courtesy meghana gaur

Craig Broadman and Ben Rieden

courtesy craig broadman

THE EMPIRES STRIKES BACK Crossword by David Serrato and Joseph Samara

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Founder of the Roman Republic Abbreviation for “Lieutenant” First Chinese dynasty Early Mesopotamian civilization Hawaiian party Prefix meaning “one” Synonym to shabby A canoe sibling Expanded the Russian Empire into Alaska Dynasty which China is named after “As soon as possible” A division of the psyche Portuguese first-person singular pronoun Italian river valley Man who conquered the Aztecs Former Portuguese colony Vowelless Welsh instrument

Answers will be posted on ricethresher.org.

Bolded clues correspond to the theme.

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Shorthand for prescription “Black Gold” Empire founded by Chandragupta Current world superpower Island in the Indonesian archipelago 40-day Christian holy period City that fell to a wooden horse A witty remark Neutral affirmative Counterpart to a base “I’m __ the party” Language of Cambodia Third-person present singular form of “to be” To sleep for a brief period A unit of geologic time Last Chinese dynasty Abbreviation for “Coordinated Universal Time” 20th element on the periodic table Room in a hospital where patients require immediate attention Direction found between south and west on a compass

THE RICE THRESHER

11 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

Donald Glover’s Guava Island: Glover expands his creative repetoire with Guava Island, a feature film starring Glover and Rihanna.

See more on ricethresher.org

CAMPUS ART

Rice Public Art brings alternative birdsongs

STUDENT ART

CREATIVE CARNIVAL

MOSES GLICKMAN

THRESHER STAFF

Nina Katchadourian’s Please, Please, Pleased to Meet’cha, a temporary art exhibition occurring under the auspices of Rice Public Art, is a tad more unconventional than other site-specific art pieces. It consists, in a literal sense, of a handful of speakers tied up high in the trees of a grove outside Brochstein Pavilion.

The title of the exhibition comes from a passage in the naturalist Peterson Guide describing the call of the chestnutsided warbler: “Please please pleased to meet’cha, penultimate note accented, last note dropping.”

This inexact description of birdsong might seem like an unlikely title for an exhibition, but, walking through the grove, one hears the faint noise of what would generously be called inexact birdsong — the sound of human voices saying “Oh-ka-lee,” “khsheeee” and, yes, “please please pleased to meet’cha.” Nearby plaques inform the listener that the voices are those of eleven United Nations translators, each enlisted

by Katchadourian in the summer of 2006 to imitate bird calls. None had ever heard the birds they imitated; their only tools were a set of field guides with written descriptions of birdsong.

This unorthodox sort of exhibition is not new to Katchadourian. Her most famous exhibition, Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style, consists entirely of selfies taken in airplane bathrooms.

Katchadourian is not terribly concerned whether her audience is aware that they are engaging with an intentional work of art; in fact, she seems enthused with the possibility that they are unaware.

“I want people to be a little puzzled about what they’re hearing,” she said, in an interview with Rice News. “You can explain that sound to yourself in all kinds of crazy ways, and there’s a lot of freedom — mentally and conceptually — in the thinking that we do in those moments when we aren’t quite sure what’s going on.”

This sense of unexpected encounter with art is a recurring theme within some seemingly disparate portion of Katchadourian’s oeuvre. In 1994, she sorted cars by color in 14 different parking lots; in 2006, she installed a telescope on the Manhattan sidewalk, pointing directly at the office of a local lawyer. Like both these pieces, Please, Please, Pleased to Meet’cha is public even by the standard of public art; it seems to require the viewer’s confusion to fully exist.

Please, Please, Pleased to Meet’cha is on display outside Brochstein Pavilion until Sept. 30.

yi luo / thresher

McMurtry College freshman Jiin Rhew walks during Rice U Creative Carnival’s fashion show. The show was a part of the overall event, co-hosted by 6100 Main and Rice Program Council. Other activities included photo booths and do-it-yourself stations.

CAMPUS EVENTS

28th annual ktru Outdoor Show to feature diverse music, art installations ANDREW GROTTKAU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The 28th annual ktru Outdoor Show will feature a diverse array of performances, art exhibitions and, as always, free beer when it takes over the Central Quad this weekend.

Show director Angelo Ragan said they are excited about the lineup of musical acts scheduled to perform at this year’s show.

The acts represent a wide array of styles including rap, electronic pop, indie rock and synth pop. Ragan said they sought to schedule acts that would appeal to a variety of people.

“I like to cultivate a diverse sound,” Ragan, a Brown College junior, said. “Every year we try to get a little bit of everything.

As the director, it’s been really cool to speak with people in ktru and on campus to see what kind of music people are listening to.”

The two nationally recognized acts are Kilo Kish, a rapper who has worked with Vince Staples, and Diet Cig, a duo whose style Ragan describes as indie rock. But Ragan said they are most looking forward to Coco & Clair Clair, a rap duo from Atlanta, because of their upbeat style.

“The rap genre, a lot of times, can talk about frivolous subjects like money and all that,” Ragan said. “[Coco & Clair Clair] talk about moisturizing and staying hydrated.

It’s really cute in a really unique style.”

The show will also feature local acts such as electronic pop group Wrestlers, synth pop band Sasha and the Valentines, rapper OG Shyne and pop artist Britt.

The diversity of the acts is not limited to the music itself. Ragan said as organizer, they make sure to reach out to performers representing different cultures and backgrounds as well.

“I want to make sure there’s a variety of music and a diverse group of faces being represented,” Ragan said. “I make a concerted effort to reach out to queer and femme identifying artists because in the concerts world especially, there’s a lot of misogyny that exists.”

The music lineup will also feature an act selected from ktru’s Battle of the Bands.

The band Five Foot Five, is comprised entirely of Rice undergraduates and graduates — two from the Class of 2017 and two from the Class of 2019. Luke Conners, the band’s trumpet player, said he would describe the group’s style as folk punk.

“We all like to get as much performance experience as possible because it’s a good time to play in front of a live audience,” Conners, a Martel College senior, said.

“There’s that connection you get with a live SEE KTRU

ODS PAGE 12

THE WEEKLY SCENE

CAFÉ BUSTELO

UNDER[GALLERY]

Head to Montrose to check out Café Bustelo’s pop-up cafe, a bright yellow temporary building open from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. until May 25. The cafe offers drinks like cafecitos and café con leches as well as food like empanadas.

The Moody Center will host “Under[gallery]: A one-night interactive installation” tonight from 6 - 9 p.m. The event will explore underground spaces, combining design and digital modeling.

Free drinks and food will be served.

3615 Montrose Blvd.

Moody Center for the Arts

VADA SENIOR SHOW

DFA FINAL REVIEWS

Join the graduating visual and dramatic arts seniors for their senior show on Thursday from 8 - 10 p.m. The event will showcase the efforts of the seniors’ yearlong studio. Free Tacos A Go Go, boba and cider will be served.

Six Design for America teams will present the results of their semester-long collaborative works, which feature topics ranging from urban harvesting to safe cyclist behavior. The event is on Saturday from 1 - 3 p.m.

Sewall Hall 4th Floor

McMurtry Auditorium Duncan Hall

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

12 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

HACER celebrates tradition, history with Quinceañera KATELYN LANDRY ASST A&E EDITOR

The Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice (HACER) made Victoria Saeki-Serna’s fantasy quinceañera a reality on Saturday at Quinceañera 2019.

Every year, HACER collects applications from Rice students of all backgrounds and genders who dream of having a quince.

This year, Saeki-Serna was the lucky chosen applicant whose quinceañera was brought to life by her Rice community.

“I didn’t have a quinceañera on my actual 15th birthday for a number of reasons, and looking back on that period of my life, that was my biggest regret,” Saeki-Serna, a Baker College freshman, said. “In all honesty, however, I think that having my quinceañera here at Rice was much more special, as I had many more and closer friends come.”

A quinceañera is an honored tradition in many Hispanic cultures. The extravagant party celebrates a girl’s 15th birthday, which signals her transition from childhood to womanhood. Quinceañeras usually take months to plan and infamously necessitate large amounts of money; however, a girl’s family and friends will often pitch in to make her dreams a reality.

From the dress to the traditional ceremonies, HACER works hard to replicate a quinceañera for Rice students every year. The celebration increases the Rice community’s awareness of the honored tradition and increases visibility of Hispanic culture on campus, according to Brenda Venegas, head of the 2019 Quinceañera organizing committee and HACER Socials Chair.

“Given that Houston has such a strong Hispanic community, it is no surprise to see quinceañeras taking pictures on campus,” Venegas, a Sid Richardson College junior, said. “However, most Rice students may

not be familiar with the background and elements of the quinceañera.”

McMurtry Commons served as a spacious venue for the celebration, complete with pink balloons and sparkly centerpieces.

In accordance with tradition, there was a special table front and center reserved for the quinceañera and her court. A court traditionally consists of seven of the girl’s male friends or family members, called chambelanes, and six female friends called damas. Saeki-Serna assembled her court with friends from all over Rice campus who agreed to celebrate her special day alongside her.

The court’s main task in preparation of the event was nailing down choreography for the traditional group dances. Samantha Ledesma was one of the people in charge of choreographing la baile sorpresa, or surprise dance.

“We had several practices that lasted up to three hours sometimes because there was a lot of choreography to learn,” Ledesma, a Hanszen College sophomore, said.

At the party, the court proved that practice makes perfect by executing an elegant waltz and a fierce Jennifer Lopez routine. SaekiSerna then grabbed the spotlight to showcase her talent for ballet, sending the crowd into thunderous applause.

Another tradition honored was the Quince video, which features a montage of pictures of the quinceañera to celebrate special moments in her life and transition into maturity. Saeki-Serna’s video was produced

by Karina Cavazos Gonzalez and featured photos from Baker O-Week 2018, showcasing Saeki-Serna’s transition to college life and giving the celebration what Venegas called a “special Rice twist.”

Following the traditional showcases, the crowd joined Saeki-Serna and her court for more dancing and eating to celebrate her big day. Even though the party wasn’t actually

stephany marchany / thresher

Victoria Saeki-Serna’s court dances in the McMurtry Commons as part of her “quinceañera” celebration. The quinceañera event is hosted every year by HACER as an opportunity for one student to experience their missed traditional fifteenth birthday celebration.

celebrating her birthday, it still succeeded in honoring and celebrating the life and growth of a young woman.

“I was surprised by how happy it made Victoria,” court member Eunice Aissi said.

“Even afterwards, she was full of joy and gratitude, and honestly I was touched by how much this meant to her.”

HACER’s Quinceañera provides a valuable opportunity for Rice students to experience an enriching cultural tradition according to Venegas. Saeki-Serna explained that Rice’s rendition of the honored celebration is significant both personally and historically for Latino students.

“I have always been taught a quinceañera is symbolic of a new beginning in life. For me, it was special to have the quinceañera as a freshman, as this symbolism matches up perfectly,” Saeki-Serna said. “As a history student, however, I also think

of it as a unique tradition which shows the blending and continuation of Latin American traditions from the pre-Hispanic era to modern day. It is not just an occasion to celebrate a new stage of life, but also my pride in my Mexican heritage.”

Cavazos Gonzalez said she particularly appreciated participation from non-Latino Rice students.

“My favorite part of the Quinceañera was seeing individuals outside the Hispanic/ Latin[o] community coming out to support the event and learn more about a tradition that is so valuable to [Latinos],” Cavazos Gonzalez, a Martel College freshman, said.

Quinceañera is one of many events organized by HACER that highlight Hispanic culture on campus. Other events presented by HACER include their annual Latin night at Willy’s Pub and their showcase event, “¡Ritmo!”

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FROM PAGE 11

audience, they’re feeding off your energy and you’re feeding off their energy and it makes you feel a bit like a superhero to influence people like that.”

Ragan said they are hoping this year’s event will be more interactive than in the past. To that end, organizers have recruited local performance artist Bao Pham to create a graffiti wall during the event, and there will be a sculpture garden for visitors to experience as they enjoy the musical acts.

One of the areas of the sculpture garden will feature used bathroom equipment, such as toilets and sinks, that members of ktru have painted or collaged. Ragan said this exhibition showcases some of the unique traditions of ktru.

“We have a lot of themes we build on [for the Outdoor Show],” Ragan said. “In the past we’ve had the toilets, and we’ve also had bunnies and pineapples. They’re all little quirky ktru things. We’re trying to take past ideas from Outdoor Shows and see how we can change them each year to give it its own different spin.”

The sculpture garden will also include “Telefrag,” a piece created by student artist Julia Casbarian, that was recently featured

at Rice Media Center for its 2019 Mavis C. Pitman exhibition At least i have you, egg.

She said she is looking forward to displaying the work outside of a gallery context.

“It’s made to be interacted with,” Casbarian, a Baker College junior, said.

“It’ll be really cool for the people at the Outdoor Show to walk inside of it while they listen to the music.”

Ragan said they hope the Outdoor Show can return outdoors, remembering last year when rain forced the show into the Rice Memorial Center. They also want Rice students to use the event as a way to destress before finals.

“It’s ktru’s biggest platform to reach out to the community and provide something that is accessible for a multitude of people, both in the Rice community and in the Houston community,” Ragan said. “What it really means for ktru is sustaining the legacy of our place in the Houston music scene and providing a space for people to come out and enjoy themselves.”

The show will take place Saturday, April 20 from 3 - 11 p.m. Admission is free and there will be free beer for Rice students who are of age.

Disclaimer: Opinion Editor Eric Stone is the drummer of Five Foot Five.

THE RICE THRESHER

13 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

SPORTS

EDITOR’S COLUMN: BUZZWORDS

Athletics should include transgender competitors

charlene pan / thresher

Will Rice College men’s runner Eugenio Mesta trails Duncan College men’s runner Preston Quine while running a lap during the men’s Beer Run, which took place due to inclement weather conditions in place of a bike race. Will Rice initially placed second in the men’s run behind McMurtry College, but after Mesta drafted a petition which was filed to Rice Program Council, RPC granted Will Rice the victory.

BEER BIKE

FROM PAGE 4

Jones men’s bike captain Will Yarinsky filed a petition questioning the seven pit crew penalties assessed to Jones’ women’s team. Yarinsky said he believed the results of the women’s bike race are “dubious” and have “no basis.”

“RPC did not prove anything about their penalties and refuses to clarify what they were beyond maybe something in the pit area,” Yarinsky said. “They also have admitted to messing up and reducing our penalties from 70 seconds to 50 seconds, but 50 seconds still conveniently puts us in fourth place by 0.2 seconds. They also refuse to meet [us] in person so [we] can better understand the situation.”

According to Jones women’s bike captain Rabea Tzenetos, Jones did not deserve to receive any penalties.

“Our pit crew is very experienced, well-trained and knowledgeable about pit rules,” Tzenetos said. “Given that there were no

complications or crashes in our race that would’ve caused anyone to cross lines in the pit, we don’t know where the penalties come from. To my knowledge, no college complained about us interfering with their race or team in any way. It’s the word of our assigned judge against ours that invalidates our official victory.”

Lovett also submitted a petition after the college’s women’s team received a ten-second pit penalty despite not participating in the race.

Peng and Artall said this penalty arose from interference by members of Lovett College.

“This penalty is not as unlikely as one may think as a pit penalty includes members of a college ‘spilling into’ and crossing the line into the pit from the chug stand area,” Peng and Artall said in response to Lovett’s petition.

In regard to the Jones petition, Peng and Artall said their mistake was misappropriating the judging grades, but the final results are fair.

“Pit interference judges were assigned to watch a set number of colleges,” Peng and Artall said. “The Jones’ pit interference judge marked five infractions. Another judge also marked two infractions. Originally we included these, but as Jones was not in this other judge’s jurisdiction nor do we want to potentially double count penalties, we decided to only count the penalties from the assigned judge.”

According to Peng and Artall, during the quick switch from a men’s bike race to a men’s run, organization of judges became a problem.

“In the future, we would recommend practicing with the judges, specifically the finishline judges, the morning of Beer Bike to make sure everyone’s responsibilities are fresh in their mind and to answer any last minute questions,” Peng and Artall said. We also suggest having multiple people on the campus-wide committee check the results.”

Title IX is the bedrock of anti-sex discrimination law in the U.S. It requires universities that receive federal funding to prove equality of opportunity for female student-athletes compared to male student-athletes.

At Rice, the impact of Title IX is simple to see: We offer seven men’s sports teams and seven women’s sports teams and we provide a proportionate number of scholarships to female student-athletes in regard to our student body population.

But Title IX is limited to the binary concept of gender.

Sure, Title IX permits female athletes to try out for men’s sports teams, but what if a transgender student-athlete wants to participate on the team of their gender identity, specifically at Rice? According to the Rice studentathlete handbook, a transgender male student-athlete is allowed to participate on either a women’s or men’s sports team so long as he has foregone testosterone therapy. But if a transgender female student-athlete seeks to play on a women’s sports team, she must have undergone “one year of testosterone suppression treatment or one year of post-surgical intervention related to “diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder or Gender Dysphoria and/or Transsexualism.”

Before you become flippant at our university’s archaic application of the term “Gender Identity Disorder,” note that Rice derives its transgender studentathlete eligibility rules from the NCAA’s guidelines for transgender athlete inclusion, which uses the same terminology. However, since Rice’s athletic department is not legally required to abide by NCAA guidelines, choosing to exclude a term which was revoked from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition in 2013 should be common sense.

Nonetheless, a larger issue is at stake here.

We must permit all transgender female studentathletes to play on women’s sports teams. If Rice’s athletic department revises its student-athlete handbook policy to reflect this change, our university will better foster inclusion, participation and fairness for student-athletes.

No athlete has ever come out as transgender at Rice.

In fact, the first NCAA Division I athlete to come out as transgender was Kye Allums in 2014. But in the fight to ameliorate social stigmatization of transgenderism, Rice should acknowledge a right of participation in sports in accordance with gender identity.

By mandating transgender female athletes undergo testosterone suppression to play on women’s sports teams, our university is denying the uniqueness of sex and gender. In doing so, we unfairly burden transgender student-athletes to alter their biologies.

Once we acknowledge that transgender females are women, we can ignore the argument that permitting transgender female student-athletes to play on women’s sports teams hinders athletic opportunities for women.

Allowing transgender male student-athletes to play on men’s sports teams and transgender female student-athletes to play on women’s sports teams is not a harm to fairness in sport. Most commonly, detractors of transgender inclusion in sports will point to the inherent athletic advantage of transgender female athletes over their cisgender female counterparts.

But consider that even on women’s sports teams, there is parity in talent and athleticism. There are even differences in testosterone levels among female athletes. We ought not assume transgender female student-athletes emanate unfairness in competition.

Currently, our university does permit transgender athletes to use their preferred locker rooms, toilets and showers. Moreover, during away games, our athletic director will request for gender-neutral bathrooms or private facilities to be made available. We are already satisfying a fundamental step on the path to equality for transgender student-athletes.

More can be done, and as a student body, we should expect our athletic department to recant outdated and offensive terms. To achieve full integration of studentathletes, we should merely reassess our philosophies.

MADISON BUZZARD ASST SPORTS EDITOR WILL RICE JUNIOR

SPORTS

14 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

From Professional to Amateur: Moroccan Diae El Jardi “I’m gonna be honest, [Rice] wasn’t how I expected it at the beginning,” El Jardi said.

“But my transition was pretty good. I got used to it pretty quickly, so I’m happy about it.”

According to El Jardi, when she feels overwhelmed, she goes beyond the hedges.

I’m gonna be honest, [Rice] wasn’t how I expected it at the beginning. But my transition was pretty good. I got used to it pretty quickly, so I’m happy about it.

Diae El Jardi WOMEN’S TENNIS FRESHMAN courtesy rice athletics

Freshman Diae El Jardi stretches for a forehand volley during her first practice with women’s tennis after being recruited to Rice in January. El Jardi spent six years playing professional tennis in Casablanca, Morocco before joining the Owls.

SPENCER MOFFAT SENIOR WRITER

Freshman tennis player Diae El Jardi began playing tennis at the age of six with her father on the clay courts in Meknes, Morocco.

According to El Jardi, the rigors of daily practice fostered a bonding with her father.

“My dad used to take me to the club when I was way younger and I would watch him play tennis,” El Jardi said. “He was the one who first taught me how to play tennis and he was my coach until I was 12 years old.”

According to El Jardi, her desire to play against elite competition at an early age forced her and her family to move to Casablanca, where she played in competitive tournaments until the age of 14.

“We had to move so I could practice more and learn from better coaches,” El Jardi said.

“I didn’t go to a high school. I studied online so I could travel all around the world so I could play in professional tournaments.”

During her time as an international player, El Jardi established an impressive resume as she not only rose to No. 38 in the world in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings.

She also represented Morocco twice at the Fed Cup where she posted a 2-7 record in her two appearances. El Jardi said it was an honor to represent her country at the Fed Cup. “It meant a lot to me because playing for my country was a very beautiful feeling,” El Jardi said. “I really love it.”

According to the ITF’s website, El Jardi is 74-57 in singles and 71-51 in doubles during her professional career.

For two years, El Jardi competed as a member of the ITF/Grand Slam Development Fund team, which provides players with the opportunity to take part in top international competition as well as gain invaluable experience traveling abroad as part of a team under the guidance of an ITF coach.

When she came to Rice this January, El Jardi said she struggled to balance athletics and academics. And since she was recruited in the spring, El Jardi said she missed out on opportunity to fully integrate herself on campus. She did not get a chance to participate in Orientation Week, normally a requirement of all incoming Rice students.

“I found a way to organize my time,” El Jardi said. “Usually if I feel a need to relax, I’ll go for a walk with my friends or go off campus for dinner or maybe just relax in the [Hanszen College] quad. When I was back home, I used to go surfing, but now I don’t have the time.”

But on the court, El Jardi has demonstrated success. She is 4-4 in singles play during dual matches and 4-2 in doubles matches. El Jardi has already played doubles with every player on the roster except senior Fernanda Astete.

According to El Jardi, she is comfortable switching doubles partners.

“We [each] practice with a lot of girls,” El Jardi said. “So I’m kind of used to playing with everyone else on the team.”

Moving forward, El Jardi said her goals are to continue to develop her game against collegiate opponents and establish a rapport with her teammates before Rice hosts the Conference USA Championships.

Strategic plan calls for improved competitiveness, fundraising ANDREW GROTTKAU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Rice Athletics released a five-year strategic plan on Thursday detailing objectives such as implementing a more scientific approach to maximizing athletic performance and improving recruitment and retention of top athletes.

The plan, titled the Vision for Victory, includes 10 specific goals that Director of Athletics Joe Karlgaard said will help to guide him and his department through the 2023 athletic season.

“I really think the endgame here is to create an unbelievable experience for our student-athletes where they look back and say ‘It couldn’t have been any better,’” Karlgaard said.

The document includes the department’s vision “to be the institution of choice for elite student-athletes who become champions at Rice and beyond.” According to Karlgaard, the goal is to leverage Rice’s value as an academic powerhouse to attract top athletes to the school.

“Certainly, we aspire athletically to be on the same plane as the rest of the university is on the academic side, and we want to position those two things as a somewhat unique value proposition,” Karlgaard said. “But I think that the extra sauce in there is we believe our size and network and the intimacy of the institution is a differentiator for us even among those schools that do both very well.”

This strategic plan follows one that Karlgaard drafted largely by himself soon after being hired as athletic director during the 2013-14 athletic season. Since then, Rice has celebrated 19 conference championships across 11 of 16 varsity sports, ranked among the top-10 graduation rates in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and seen ticket revenue grow by 45 percent, according to the document.

The football team is also going to begin President David Leebron said he is impressed by the athletic department’s using force plate technology, which creates achievements since introducing the movement signatures for individual original plan, titled the New Vision for athletes to analyze their strength and Rice Athletics, and is looking forward to flexibility, according to Karlgaard. He said the implementation of the department’s the team will take baseline measurements when athletes are healthy and will use the new strategic plan.

“I’m pleased with all that the athletics force plates to track players’ recovery from department has accomplished over the injury by comparing to those baseline past five years,” Leebron said in a press measurements.

“I think it naturally flows from our release from Rice Athletics. “We have had many successes on and off the field, and DNA that we would be using data-capture I’m confident that the new strategic plan devices and analyzing data to train our provides the guidance for the next steps to athletes in a more systematic way,” Karlgaard said. the department’s continued growth.”

The strategic The specific plan says that the objectives listed department plans in the Vision for to renovate stadium Victory, which seating, with the was developed Ultimately, if we don’t football stadium alongside the Boston align with a different as the first priority.

Consulting Group set of peers, we want to Rice is looking at and featured input renovating seating from over 1,300 continue to be highly behind the south Rice constituents, successful. end zone, which is are organized into currently covered three subcategories: by a tarp, because it supporting student- Joe Karlgaard is naturally shaded athlete development, RICE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR by the R Room improving athletic structure, according competitiveness and promoting the Rice Athletics brand. to Karlgaard. He said he expects the Each subcategory includes more specific department could raise funding for the goals such as fostering student-athlete renovations in as little as 18 to 24 months.

“We’re looking at opportunities … participation in the Rice community, attracting and retaining elite coaches and [to] create some experiences both for staff and enhancing the fan experience, our students and our season ticket holders there to have a club setting, among others.

One objective listed in the document better concessions, more comfortable is to use a more scientific approach to seats, to have some patio elements to it,” maximizing performance. Karlgaard said Karlgaard said.

The plan highlights football, Rice is already implementing the use of biofeedback technology ranging from basketball and baseball as the sports in heart rate monitors and Fitbits to a device which Rice must achieve more consistent called the WHOOP, which measures heart athletic success in order to generate the rate variability to evaluate recovery from resources necessary to support the rest of the department. Karlgaard said if Rice stressors such as workouts or exams.

is hoping to align itself with different schools by moving to a new athletic conference, success in those sports will be an important factor.

He said fans’ desire to move to a more prominent athletic conference stems from Rice’s days as a member of the Southwest Conference, which disbanded in 1996, alongside schools like the University of Texas, Austin and Texas A&M University.

He said that ideally, Rice would join a conference composed of nationallycompetitive private schools that approach athletics in a similar manner.

“It’s not an end goal in the sense that conference realignment, if we were to align with a great set of peers, would we stop,” Karlgaard said. “Ultimately, if we don’t align with a different set of peers, we want to continue to be highly successful.”

Vision for Victory 1. Support academic excellence 2. Provide opportunities for professional and personal growth 3. Foster student-athlete participation in all Rice offers 4. Optimize performance through a holistic, sciencebased approach 5. Attract and retain elite coaches and staff 6. Identify, recruit and retain top prospects 7. Expand community outreach 8. Engage former studentathletes 9. Enhance the fan experience 10. Increase self-generated funding infographic by tina liu and andrew grottkau

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 • 15

BACKPAGE

16 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

The Backies The Backpage has a tradition of finishing up the year by announcing the winners of the esteemed Backies. This year is no different, except that it’s been such a thicc news year that the appearance of the Baccie awards has been altered to reflecc this thiccness.

The Game of Thrones Award For Exceptional Achievement in Getting Killed Off Even Though No One Wanted That Winner: Non-tenure Track Professors for not having contracts reviewed for the fall despite greatly impacting the Rice student body because they care about teaching more than research Honorable Mention: The Rice Media Center for the creation of plans to tear it down preceding plans to provide somewhere permanent to replace the already-limited spaces for art

The Tinnitus Award For Exceptional Achievement in Bothersome Noises that Won’t Go Away Winner: The Fake Bird Noises Art Installation for being spooky as hell when walking past Brochstein at night and annoying in daylight Honorable Mention: Construction on Campus for perpetual background noise with a special shoutout to the multimillion-dollar opera house because more people may listen to it being built than will listen to performances there

The “Intellectual” Book You Keep Out On Display Award For Exceptional Achievement in Not Reading Winner: The Comments Section on the Rice Thresher’s Facebook for providing an endless stream of questions and complaints that could often be answered by reading the article in question, another published article addressing the issue being brought up or by gaining a basic understanding of different sections of the Thresher having different purposes — like, how viewpoints in opinion pieces aren’t endorsed by the Thresher Honorable Mention: Your Texts to Your Crush for them being too nice to leave you on “read,” but not being nice enough to continue the conversation they have no interest in — some things are better left unread

The Middle Child Award For Exceptional Achievement in Not Getting as Much Attention as They Should Winner: The Toxic Cloud from the Petrochemical Fire at Deer Park for being a national news story with serious environmental impact that Rice students largely ignored Honorable Mention: Women’s Swimming for their facilities being poorly maintained (pools going unheated and locker room overcrowding) despite being one of Rice’s top performing sports

The Rough Draft Award For Exceptional Achievement in Requiring A Little More Effort to Be Considered Finished Winner: The RPC Beer Bike Committee for initially releasing official Beer Bike results that required some edits Honorable Mention: The Girl You Hooked Up With for ultimately never receiving the extra effort from you to finish

The U.S. Government This Past Winter Award For Exceptional Achievement in Shutting Down Winner: International Students for the prospect of financial aid being extended to them, too, with the Rice Investment getting shut down completely Honorable Mention: Freddy Cavallaro for his extensive attempt to dismantle the SA

The Backpage is satire, written by Simona Matovic. The butts were added to the Oscars by her designer, Simona Matovic. For comments or questions, email JamesJoyceLovesFarts@rice.edu

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