VOLUME 101, ISSUE NO. 10 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016
Election
Vote Tuesday, Nov. 8 in the RMC
2016
Harris County ballot snapshot, p. 3
Balancing Act
Body image issues, student apathy, demanding schedules leave some student-athletes feeling unsupported
Andrew Grottkau Sports Editor
In the early hours of the weekdays, when most students are still asleep, Rice student-athletes are already training. Athletes arrive at the soccer field, track and football field or the pool as early as 7 a.m. and often return to do further conditioning after classes. Many athletes keep up this commitment for the duration of their time at Rice. Some, however, find the requirement too extreme. The grueling schedule, stressful culture and perceived lack of support from other students make the Rice athletic experience difficult and even harmful for some student-athletes. 0see ATHLETES, page 14
illustration by jennnifer fu
Rice Engineering Alumni donates $50k for MECH laboratory improvements Drew Keller News Editor
anson tong/thresher
The MECH department once offered a laboratory class centered around the study of a Toyota car engine, above, but the class has been canceled in recent years. Rice Engineering Alumni has donated $30,000 to restore the lab class.
Rice Engineering Alumni has committed $50,000 to improving laboratory classes in the mechanical engineering department. The funding comes in response to student concerns regarding outdated curriculum and facilities. The financial commitment spans three years: This year, $30,000 will restore the department’s internal combustion engine lab as a class, according to department chair Laura Schaefer (Wiess ’95). Following the lab’s completion by the end of the year, the REA will contribute $20,000 over the next two years for new labs covering robotics, HVAC [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] and power generation. The ICE lab, which used a Toyota car engine, was once a valuable offering in the department, Schaefer said. Over time, the engine fell into disrepair and necessary equipment for the lab was removed, according to Schaefer and REA student liaison
Nicholas Sepulveda, leading to the class’ cancellation. Schaefer said the return of the class, tentatively as a senior lab elective, would supplement the curriculum by integrating topics from core MECH classes. American Society of Mechanical Engineers chapter president Fariha Rashid said adding these labs will improve career prospects for MECH students, especially in underrepresented industries such as aerospace. According to Schaefer, five students will enroll in a course next semester to prepare the ICE lab, in which they will gain experience with issues such as regulatory guidelines and purchasing. MECH advisory board member Preston Hill said student involvement will set this lab apart from others. “Other labs are often boring or uninvolved,” Hill, a Duncan College senior, said. “The department has heard those complaints and tasked undergraduates with designing the [ICE] lab. This part is more important than the gift itself.” Schaefer said the department has
raised some money for improvements, but with so many potential projects, more funds were needed. “There’s no money from the university or the school for improving laboratory facilities,” Schaefer said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re turning to groups like the REA.” Schaefer said the initial impetus for the donation came when students approached the REA last spring following the MECH town hall meeting. REA President Wendy Hoenig (Brown ’86) said the group’s leadership then reached out to Schaefer and agreed on the ICE lab as the first project. Drew Petty, last year’s ASME president, said students appreciate the REA’s support. “[Students] feel we have already helped make a difference,” Petty, a Duncan College senior, said. “We’re very grateful that the REA heard our concerns and were generous enough to make a donation in under six months.” The REA, currently located off campus, will be moving into the new administration building under 0see DONATION, page 4
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NEWS
2016
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
the Rice Thresher
Democrat Republican Libertarian
HARRIS COUNTY ELECTIONS
County Attorney
District Attorney
incumbent
Tuesday, Nov 8 As Election Day approaches and students head to the polls, most are likely familiar with the presidential race. Voters in the Rice precinct, however, will also be making selections in a number of local and state races. The Thresher has compiled a preview of some of the choices voters at Rice will see on the ballot, from local attorneys who oversee criminal prosecution priorities to state and national legislators. Some state Supreme Court justices and local judges are also up for election, as is a measure to
legalize off-premise sales on alcohol in the Houston Heights and a Houston Independent School District measure on whether to send local school tax dollars out of the district. Center for Civic Leadership Associate Director Morgan Kinney emphasized the importance of student engagement with local issues, although she acknowledged staying informed takes effort. “Voter turnout is a huge issue in Texas and young, energetic and engaged people such as our students here at Rice have the power to shift that culture,” Kinney said.
Texas voters registered in Harris County can vote at the Rice Memorial Center on Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Legal ID such as a Texas driver’s license or U.S. passport is required; out-of-state driver’s licenses will not be accepted. Read more the weekend before Election Day at ricethresher.org. Images and information courtesy campaign websites and ballotpedia.com.
VINCE RYAN
KIM OGG
Party: Democratic Hometown: Houston Profession: Lawyer, politician Platform: - Combat corporate pollution - Fight gangs, sex traffickers - Support same-sex marriage
Party: Democratic Hometown: Houston Profession: Attorney Platform: - Divert low-level drug offenders, focus on violent crime - Strengthen rape laws
incumbent
JIM LEITNER Party: Republican Hometown: Houston Profession: Attorney Platform: - Support death penalty - Standardize policies, lessen office’s use of outside lawyers
DEVON ANDERSON Party: Republican Hometown: Waco, TX Profession: Attorney Platform: - Prosecute human traffickers, gangs, money launderers -Added 100 positiions to office
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
US House of Representatives
NEWS
the Rice Thresher
Texas House of Representatives
Texas State Senate District 13
Texas Supreme Court
place 3
MIKE WESTERGREN DEBRA LEHRMANN PAT BRYAN
BEN ROSE
Party: Democratic Hometown: Houston Profession: IT technician Platform: - Raise minimum wage to $15 - Reduce H1B visas, legalize undocumented immigrants
BORRIS MILES
Party: Democratic Hometown: Houston Profession: Lawyer Platform: - Anti-flooding infrastructure - Restore public school funds - LGBT rights, pro-choice
Party: Democratic Hometown: Houston Profession: Business owner Platform: - Provide more jobs for youth - Support working class - Fight police brutality
i
place 5
DORI GARZA PAUL W. GREEN
i
place 9
SAVANNAH ROBINSON EVA GUZMAN i Proposition 1
incumbent
TED POE Party: Republican Hometown: Houston Profession: Judge Platform: - Reduce foreign aid - ‘All-of-the-above’ energy policy, lower corporate taxes
incumbent
SARAH DAVIS Party: Republican Hometown: Houston Profession: Attorney Platform: - Fiscal conservatism - Local control over education - Immigration enforcement
JOSHUA ROHN Party: Libertarian Hometown: Rural Florida Profession: Educator Platform: - End war on drugs, death penalty, police brutality - Fewer small business laws
A yes vote is a vote in favor of lifting the ban on the sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption in the area formerly known as the City of Houston Heights. infographic by samantha ding
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NEWS
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
the Rice Thresher
RUPD continues to bolster active shooter protocol Ana Paula Pinto-Diaz For the Thresher
hope zhou/thresher
NOD Bod in the Quad
Will Rice College junior Angela Zhang expressed appreciation for her body at an event hosted by the Rice Alliance for Mental Health Awareness on Oct. 28. The event was part of RAMHA’s body positivity week in preparation for Night of Decadence on Oct. 29. Over 100 students participated in the photo campaign.
REMS creates endowment in celebration of 50th anniversary Anna Ta
For the Thresher
In celebration of their 20th anniversary, Rice Emergency Medical Services announced the establishment of the Rice University EMS endowment, which will benefit one outstanding graduating REMS senior pursuing further medical education, according to REMS Director Lisa Basgall. REMS hosted a gala to raise funds to permanently establish the endowment on Oct. 23, bringing together alumni, students and contributing community partners. Each ticket cost $175, and a full table of 10 seats cost $1,500, with all proceeds going toward the endowment fund. The goal of the gala was to double the initial $25,000 given by REMS founder and former medical director Mark Escott (Jones ’96) as a parting gift as he left the position this fall. “My wife and I have been inspired by the hard work we have seen in these young men and women over the years, in the students who give up their free time year-round in dedication and service to others in the Rice University community,” Escott said. “We felt it was time to create a new vision, one that gives back to those who give so much.” Twenty years ago, REMS consisted of 23 students, faculty and staff who were certified to respond to on-campus emergencies. Last year, the organization consisted of 51 undergraduate volunteers alone and answered 637 emergency calls. Will Rice College freshman Smeet Madhani is currently training to joins REMS in the basic Emergency Medical Technician course. “The fact that REMS is in its 20th year and now has an endowment is a testament to how far it has come and how much it has developed in its 20 years at Rice,” Madhani said. “It’s grown from being an organization one student started to something that now has such a large presence on campus.” REMS was originally founded with the purpose of addressing lengthy response times for emergency services to campus and shortened response times to on campus emergencies to an average of two minutes within the first year of its operation. “REMS has come a long way in 20
years,” REMS Captain Will Letchinger said. “Some changes are more visible, such as upgrades in our equipment. Other changes are administrative in nature, with a rapid expansion in our membership, leadership and education team.” Letchinger, a Sid Richardson College senior, said the changed allowed REMS to offer more CPR courses, cover more events and expand its AED program, which now has 46 AEDs on campus. Through the program, students can now join and receive medical field experience. “EMS is an incredible opportunity to get involved on campus,” Letchinger said. “Few organizations give students the chance to be so involved in their campus community while also learning critical skills.” In particular, Letchinger said members benefit from early exposure to the medical field and access to physicians and medical students.
The fact that REMS is in its 20th year and now has an endowment is a testament to how far it has come. Smeet Madhani Will Rice College freshman According to Letchinger, in the future, REMS hopes to expand membership and continue growing education programs and resources across campus. Cameron Decker, REMS medical director, said the organization will continue to excel in coming years. “The next 20 years will see Rice EMS continue to provide its members with opportunities students can’t get anywhere else on campus: an excellent medical education, the ability to work as a community toward a noble mission and an unparalleled leadership experience,” Decker said.
In light of recent violent events in the nearby Houston area, including an armed robbery on campus in October and a mass shooter in the area in late September, members of Rice University Police Department responded to questions about Rice’s protocol for gunmen near campus with assurances that response plans have been well prepared. RUPD Captain Paul Cordova said officers are not only well armed and trained both offensively and defensively, but they are also trained in first aid and may carry specialized medical equipment. Additionally, he spoke about recently implemented training procedures.
The new style of class that RUPD is offering is much more effective than any other training I’ve encountered. Santiago Avila Brown College President “This past June, two members of RUPD received ALICE [Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate] training, which is recognized as the most progressive training in dealing with active shooters,” Cordova said. Cordova also spoke about the active shooter response training class that RUPD provided for students and staff early this semester. “On Aug. 27, RUPD rolled out these more advanced techniques to students in the first-ofits-kind partnership with residential colleges,” Cordova said. “Approximately 40 students attended and most found it useful and said it built their confidence in being able to effectively deal with such emergencies.” The training class was originally sponsored by Brown College and led by Hanszen College to sponsor another class to take place on Saturday, Nov. 12. Brown College President Santiago Avila said
0DONATION FROM PAGE 1 construction near Lovett College, Sepulveda said. Hoenig said the REA is currently focusing on MECH, since limited funds only allow them to take on one financial commitment of such a size at a time. “The REA is very organized — they’re just not connected to student outlets, but I don’t think it’s their fault,” Sepulveda said. “The REA will go heads over heels just about anything for engineering students. They’ll come here on weekends — they’re very dedicated.” While they were happy with the planned lab improvements, Hill, Sepulveda and Petty all said the biggest challenge facing the department is still a lack of faculty. “Consider the following analogy — I am not a sports person, but here goes: In a football team with nine players, no one criticizes the players’ ability, only their lack of teammates,” Hill said. Hill said Schaefer and the other department heads are aware of the need for more faculty. “The department administration knows there is a problem, and is trying to fix the problem on all fronts,” Hill said. “Meanwhile, working with the university administration and the dean of engineering is far less transparent.” Schaefer said mechanical engineering
he believes active shooter response training is an essential skill, especially considering recent events and the state of today’s society. Avila, a junior, who attended the training, evaluated the class in more detail and explained why he thought it worked so well. “The new style of class that RUPD is offering is much more effective than any other training I’ve encountered,” Avila said. “Actually running through scenarios take it to the next level. I think people were more engaged and feel better prepared.” Avila also expressed hope that the program will be carried out in a similar way in the future. “I made the training mandatory for my cabinet at the beginning of the fall semester and hope that this continues to be the case in the future,” he said. Addressing general concern for campus safety, RUPD Chief Johnny Whitehead emphasized the importance of Rice’s emergency notification system. While a notification was not issued at the time of the Sept. 26 shootings that took place nearby at Weslayan Street and Bissonnet Street, Whitehead explained that the situation was carefully monitored and not deemed a threat to campus security. “The scene of this crime is nearly five miles from campus, which is not in the vicinity of campus,” Whitehead said. “However, members of RUPD did monitor the situation and considered whether a notification to the campus was warranted, but we concluded there was never any threat to our community.” Cordova also emphasized the competency of Rice’s emergency procedure, especially noting RUPD’s useful communication system with other police departments in the area. “RUPD enjoys a good relationship with area law enforcement agencies,” Whitehead said. “In the event of an active shooter on campus, we could readily call for assistance from neighboring agencies if we need additional personnel.” Whitehead affirmed RUPD’s overall preparedness and commitment to campus safety, both within the context of active shooter threats and outside of it. “We take seriously our responsibility to keep the Rice community safe,” Whitehead said. “We carefully monitor incidents that may impact our community and make decisions to ensure your safety.”
is a rapidly growing major both at Rice and nationwide, noting that many international students study MECH or computer science. “When I was a student here, we had a little less than 30 people per class in mechanical engineering,” Schaefer said. “With the incoming class, we have 75 or 80 people per class.” Schaefer said the department has considered but for now rejected taking measures to cap the number of students. “This goes against all Rice tradition, but should we limit the department enrollment?” Schaefer said. “Should we have [an introductory] class that weeds people out? None of our hearts are in doing anything like that. We love our major; we love people participating in the major.” According to Rashid, the MECH student advisory board that launched this semester has planned another town hall next Friday, Nov. 11. Schaefer said a survey has been sent to MECH students regarding issues to be raised at the event. Schaefer said she is working towards improvements beyond the lab facilities, including better student mentorship, more faculty, more space for classes and reducing the size of laboratory groups. “I’d like [MECH] to keep growing, but I’d also like our resources to keep growing,” Schaefer said. “Or to begin growing.” This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version at ricethresher.org.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
the Rice Thresher
NEWS
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Letters to the Editor:
Listen to and accomodate student-athletes For some, the Thresher’s coverage of the the challenges student-athletes face (see p.1) may only confirm what they already knew. However, far too often, the conversations surrounding life as a student-athlete simply end when we acknowledge the problems athletes confront within the Rice community. Instead, these findings should mark the beginning of a broader discussion on how to better improve the experiences of an important segment of our student body. It is discouraging for athletes to face apathy from other students, ranging from low attendance at game to malicious questions about why athletics even belongs at Rice. The logical conclusion to such claims is that the humanities or the arts have no place here either. Such arguments are short-sighted, elitist and dismiss the range of talent that enrich our community. It is difficult to balance athletics with other aspects of social life, ranging from participation in Orientation Week to on-campus organizations. Those who are not student-athletes cannot change the demanding nature of athletics, but they can examine their residential colleges and campus organizations and make a conscious effort to ensure that student-athletes have an inclusive and welcoming experience. Perhaps this signifies the need for the Student Association to conduct a survey on the experience of student athletes. In order to move forward with tangible changes addressing the issues the athletic community may face, we first need more tangible data from athletes themselves on their challenges and proposed solutions, to help understand the scope of the problem and know what would help them most. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece’s author.
Humanities majors not useless To the Editors, Your article on new minors, published on Oct. 26, concludes with a student expressing her sense that the new cinema and media studies minor is “useless.” People often say that humanities majors and minors are not practical in the real world. Yet real world employment data show otherwise (e.g. Penelope Wang, “Busting the 5 Myths of College Costs,” Time, Aug. 23 2013; Derek Loosvelt, “Do Liberal Arts Majors Earn More in the Long Run?” Vault blog, Sept. 12 2016). This minor’s practicality should be gauged against the prominence of moving images on screens in our lives. Look at a screen much? Consider the dozens of job titles held by the people who create, curate, buy and sell and strategize about the images we all see there. Will these jobs disappear anytime soon? A direct match between major and postgraduation career is just one scenario.
The employment data sampled above also include people whose careers do not closely match their undergraduate majors. There is the Rice double major in history and visual and dramatic arts specializing in theater who designs theater costumes, a direct match he made before even graduating. There is also the Rice art history major who designs software for nonprofits, including the Houston 311 website — not a direct match, but a successful career. And for those who want to make really big money, the business world is the place to go. All kinds of majors thrive there — the more distinctive the better, as outside of Rice, business majors are as common as sand on a beach. For all students, the most practical use of a college degree is to excel at what you love to do, and to be ready to tell an employer all about that. Lora Wildenthal Associate Dean of Humanities
Media studies minor relevant today To the Editors: While we were happy to read Huizi Yu’s report on the new minor in cinema and media studies published on Oct. 26, Ruby Pan’s comment that the minor “seems useless in the real world” was an unfortunate conclusion to the piece. While there are certainly many careers (director, critic, media executive, historian and designer, to name a few) that relate directly to media studies as a field of study, the program is most urgently relevant for our broader experience as citizens. In an era in which many people spend more time
looking at screens than live human faces, and in which a reality TV star is a major-party candidate for president, the need for deep critical thinking about media has never been more pressing. We invite Ruby to visit our courses and reconsider her ideas about the kinds of skills and knowledge that are useful in today’s world. Gordon Hughes Associate Professor of Art History Lida Oukaderova Assistant Professor of Art History
ASK THE STAFF What won’t you shave this November? “The luscious locks on my head.” – Yasna Haghdoost, Editor in Chief
“I’m gonna start braiding my chest hair.” – Walden Pemantle, A&E Editor
“My nonexistent chest hair.” – Justin Park, Art Director
“I’m going to take a break from shaving all the cute lil’ anoles on campus. #NaturalLizardBeauty.” – Charlie Paul, Web Editor
“My majestic nose hairs.” –Sam Ding, News Designer
“My President Leebron chia pet.” – Andrew Grottkau, Sports Editor
“My co-editor, any longer. :(” – Lenna Mendoza, A&E Editor
“Walden’s beard.”
– Juan Saldana, Business Manager
“Time off my mile.”
– Anita Alem, Managing Editor
“My pet rock.”
– Emily Abdow, Assistant News Editor
“Your mom’s chest hair.”
– Julianne Wey, Copy Editor
“My neck beard. Keeps me warm when short-sleeved button downs don’t.” – Drew Keller, News Editor
“Paragraphs.”
– Amber Tong, News Editor
“My sense of youth.”
– Mitch Mackowiak, Opinions Editor
“Stress for my architecture final review.” – Sirui Zhou, Photo Editor
“Those f---ing hairy caterpillars.” – Jasmine Lin, Copy Editor
“Time off from watching Netflix.” – Christina Tan, A&E Designer
“But who will shave the barber?” Too sober for security.
STAFF Yasna Haghdoost* Editor in Chief Anita Alem* Managing Editor Juan Saldana Business Manager news Drew Keller* Editor Amber Tong* Editor Emily Abdow Asst. Editor
opinions Mitch Mackowiak* Editor sports Andrew Grottkau Editor arts & entertainment Lenna Mendoza Editor Walden Pemantle Editor design Justin Park Director Samantha Ding News Designer Katrina Cherk Sports Designer Christina Tan A&E Designer Jennifer Fu Illustrator photo Sirui Zhou Editor
copy Jasmine Lin Editor Julianne Wey Editor backpage Riley Robertson Editor business operations Shannon Klein Ads Manager Sean Kelley Distribution Manager online Charlie Paul Editor Alex Kim Editor *Editorial Board member
cartoon by jennifer fu
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.
– Riley Robertson, Backpage Editor
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 and CMBAM © Copyright 2016
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
OP-ED
the Rice Thresher
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New deputy treasurer poses no conflict of interest As the role of the treasurer has expanded in recent years, the idea of a deputy treasurer has been discussed extensively and the Executive Team and the Student Association Senate determined it would be invaluable for the SA to add a deputy treasurer to allow the organization to function more efficiently. When considering applications, my foremost criterion was to find a candidate who was professional and capable. Ameesh Shah’s experience as treasurer of Rice Program Council and conduct during his interview proved he was the ideal student to fill the role. The Thresher brought up the issue of a potential conflict of interest in their editorial last week. While their concern is reasonable the SA Constitution also specifies the president shall seek to eliminate any “reasonable appearance” of a conflict of interest. A reasonable appearance should be based on a well-informed
understanding of what the deputy treasurer does and what would constitute a conflict of interest. While Ameesh’s positions as treasurer of RPC may seem to create a conflict of interest, in reality there is no time where his joint holding of both positions will imperil his ability to do both jobs effectively. The deputy treasurer will be involved in the creation and management of the SA budget, sit on the Blanket Tax Committee as a nonvoting member and aid the treasurer in performing tasks such as getting food for SA Senate meetings. Therefore, Ameesh would only encounter a conflict of interest while serving on the Blanket Tax Committee. However, my standard for the deputy treasurer will be the same as for the rest of the committee in that they recuse themselves when we discuss an organization in which they are directly involved in as an officer or active member. This standard, as laid out in the SA
Constitution in section X.B.6.f., will prevent even the appearance of a conflict of interest. While I understand the Thresher’s concern about the creation of a “leadership pipeline”, my goal is not to feed into or dismantle such a system. My foremost concern was picking the candidate best-suited to aid the Student Association immediately. Ameesh’s experience and professionalism made him a clear choice for the position. In addition, I offered three of the candidates who were not selected the opportunity to serve on the Student Activities President’s Programming committee to give them another avenue to get involved in campus decision making. It’s important to make clear that leadership isn’t a quality distinguished by title or position but by action. Any student with a vision or plan to improve our campus will be supported and empowered by the SA to be a leader. The ability of the Student
Association to empower and represent students effectively is however predicated on a well-run and effective executive branch. The Senate approved Ameesh to serve as deputy treasurer after they understood how qualified and competent of a candidate he is and we look forward to welcoming to him to our team.
Maurice Frediere is
the SA treasurer and a Duncan College junior
Rice must at least make STI testing less expensive
Dialogues regarding sexual health and wellbeing at Rice and at college campuses across the U.S. often neglect one important issue: STI testing and accessibility. STI testing should be a routine part of any sexually active college student’s life, and the sexual health resources available to Rice students should reflect this need. While Rice Student Health Services offer STI testing, these screenings are expensive. A Rice student can expect to pay $99 to get tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV/AIDS and syphilis at the Health Center, which poses a significant financial barrier for some students and discourages routine testing. At Rice, we are often under the impression that a safe environment, where most students are aware of the risks that sexual activity poses, excludes us from the consequences of sex. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, young people acquire half of all new STIs, and one in four sexually active females have an STI. Assuming Rice at least marginally correlates with this national average, STIs are one of the most common health issues facing our student body. As such, providing affordable options for students seeking STI testing
should be a primary responsibility of the student health center. Some efforts have been made to provide students with free testing on campus. In 2012, Rice Health Advisors from Hanszen and Brown Colleges worked with well-being specialists and staff at the Health Center to provide free testing for HIV and syphilis. This was a response to National College Health Assessment surveys that revealed while over 50 percent of Rice students had a sexual partner, only 12 percent had been tested for HIV and less than 70 percent used a barrier method. While these numbers are dated, they reflect Rice students’ apathy toward STI testing. Numerous public health agencies recommend routine STI screenings for adolescents ages 15 to 24, yet the price tag is discouraging Rice students from getting tested at a time when screenings are most important. In many cases, STIs are also asymptomatic, which means that many who have STIs will be less likely to get tested, especially if they do not experience any symptoms. Recognizing the significant cost of STI testing, many universities have found alternative to
R2
accommodate student financial needs. Harvard University, for instance, provides all students with free STI testing at the student health center. University of Texas, Austin does not provide free testing, but accepts the majority of student health insurances to cover the cost of testing. At Vanderbilt, student health insurance covers many of the STI tests, with the co-pays ranging from $0 to $8 per test. While Houston health centers like Planned Parenthood provide low-cost or even free STI testing with insurance, many students do not have access to reliable transportation. Even for those who do, the time it takes to make an appointment and drive to an off-campus site discourages students from pursuing these alternative options. The Health Center is by far the most convenient site for STI testing for all students but not the most affordable. We understand that overhauling the payment system in place at the Rice Student Health Center would be a lengthy bureaucratic process. We understand that there are reasons the health center does not accept insurance that are out of
our control. However, the cost of STI testing at the Health Center discourages sexually active students from routine screenings and poses a risk to the sexual health of our student body. With all the barriers that might prevent students from STI testing — including cost, time and possible stigma — Rice should be doing all it can to encourage students to meet their sexual health needs. We believe this is best accomplished when students work together with the health center to find affordable solutions for our community.
Danya Kachkou and Sophie Newman are Hanszen College seniors
RICE WRITES
Editor’s Note: While we received a number of extremely high quality submissions this month, the committee voted this piece as the winner almost unanimously. In her comments, committee member Indigo Villanueva described this piece as “beautiful and powerful and painful and honest and hard to read but impossible to put down ... the ending as the “we’re all in pain but all trying to hide it” theme, but presents it in a concise, painful, and relatable way.” I think Indigo’s statement perfectly encapsulates the alluring quality of this piece; we hope its haunting take on the prompt draws you in the way it did for us! — Bailey Tulloch, R2 Managing Editor A Specimen of Bulimia Nervosa, Observed in Captivity by Sonia Hamer Vomit is curling in the toilet, on my hands, in the corners of my aching mouth Why have I done it? Again. American Standard, my steady friend in ready font. How long have I looked At those words? Shame and relief triumph, and my body shakes, cleansed of nothing. The bruises in the back of my throat —it hurts to swallow. Tomorrow, it will hurt to eat. It is dangerous, to eat. To bring myself to the edge of compulsion. The long-handled spoon trembles in my hand. My face is pointed at what I have done, chin resting on the steady lip of the porcelain seat. I have to move. Wash my utensil, my gleaming instrument of self-hate. Rinse my hands, wipe the seat. Flush— flush again. All gone. It is as if I never ate until my stomach hurt, until it was so distended I had to crawl towards the next step, aching. Except nothing can erase the shame of that. Or the terror that lingers of an expanding gut, a spreading waist. Why do I do this? Hurt myself? Waste, when there is so little in the world? Impulse is not good enough. But then, that thing rises in me: a clog of anxiety and panic and dissociation. Then I don’t care. I have to escape the wrongness that keeps me wallowing, clinging to each misstep, feeling as if it was a piece of gum stuck on a shoe—schlick, schlick, schlick—until it drives me into the kitchen, into the bathroom. ‘American Standard’. Self-hate is addictive, a substitute for the love of that same self. But when did I make the exchange? I was young. Too young to know that my parents were lost in their own swamps, battling their own monsters. Too young to know that what I saw on the television what I saw reflected in the eyes of women and men was not love, but desire, a desire to be desired. Looks like that would not make me love myself. Cliché told me that, but I didn’t listen. Just a little more, I said. Just a little (flatter, smoother, thinner). I want to be (beautiful, loved). I want—but now the toilet is flushed. I stand up, wash my hands. Again. Brush my teeth, wipe my face. I look into the mirror and I smile.
And then I smile.
The piece, a colored pencil drawing on wood, is untitled, and deals with mental illness. In his submission, Justin Bishop, the artist, described the project as “meant to expose people to the reality of people’s internal struggles, to provide a visualization of what it feels like to deal with different types of mental illnesses. Monsters of the mind, you could say.” We chose this piece unanimously as this month’s winner because of how striking it is, visually and conceptually. An added bonus was that the color palette fit a fall, Halloween mood. November Monthly Contest: Indulgence Want to see your writing and/or art here next month? Submit your work to our November contest! Email a short story or poem up to 400 words in length to r2ricereview@gmail. com. Word or Google doc for writing, and jpg/png for art. Winners will receive a prize! Submissions due Monday, Nov. 28.
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For ‘Spring Awakening,’ heart overcomes its technical pitfalls Cannon Lewis Thresher Staff
If you are anything like me, your first experience with sexuality was not the suave, controlled, balletic interplay of gleaming flesh and whispered confidences that is so often presented as the norm in popular culture. For most of us, that inaugural moment of physical — if not mental or emotional — maturity is marked not so much by sensuous rhythm as by awkward fumbling, too much of some things, and far too little of others. It is difficult to feel proud of or reminisce fondly about these experiences. And yet, there is an honesty inherent to this lack of polish, an earnestness that diminishes as we become more confident — or simply better at hiding how confusing relationships can be. The production of “Spring Awakening” by Sid Richardson and Will Rice Colleges shares many of these qualities with its subject matter; though the production makes some missteps and is marred by myriad technical issues, it attains an earnest, stripped down quality which makes the play thoroughly enjoyable. “Spring Awakening,” adapted by Steven Sater from a play of the same name by Frank Wedekind, deals with teenage sexual discovery in 19th-century Germany. The adapted version takes the form of a Broadway rock musical, featuring raucous songs such as “Totally Fucked” and “The Bitch of Living” that confer a bohemian, modern feel to what is otherwise a fairly moralistic story about the difficulties and consequences of sexual exploration. In fact, the songs may be the most fun part of “Spring Awakening,” as they are for the most part anthemic and full of sexual innuendos that leave one grinning. Despite these lighter moments, the play as a whole is quite dark, and the
second act disproportionately so. Though its ultimate message is one of hope, “Spring Awakening” only barely manages to reverse the tragic spiral before its end, marring the authenticity of this positive turn.
The songs may be the most fun part of “Spring Awakening,” as they are for the most part anthemic and full of sexual innuendos that leave one grinning. The primary characters are Wendla, played by Lovett College junior Sarah Grace Graves; Melchior, played by Will Rice freshman Will Grimme; and Moritz, played by Martel College sophomore Jake Reinhart. Of these three, Grimme is the true standout, displaying a tremendous range of emotion and a talent for both singing and acting. Graves is quite clearly a capable singer, but is so quiet and given so little to do otherwise that her character almost disappears into the background during many scenes. In contrast, Reinhart performs an incredibly arresting interpretation of Moritz, but his singing leaves much to be desired. The rest of the cast is capable; though no one steals the show, there are also no significant failures in acting or singing. Of note are Sid
Rich junior Meg Brigman and Jones College senior John Paul Peng, who play all of the adult roles. Though these various personas are slightly differentiated, it is at times difficult to discern which adult character is being portrayed, leading to some confusion as the events of the play unfold. The biggest problem with the Sid Rich and Will Rice production of “Spring Awakening” is the technical setup. The production is staged in the Sid Rich basement, and perhaps due to the acoustics of the space, its sound production leaves much to be desired. To the play’s credit, it does feature a live orchestra, but the choice to mic actors at certain points and not at others is disastrous for the audience experience. The effect of this, in short, is that the play is deafening at one moment, then far too quiet at the next. Comprising only a few risers and some paper mache leaves, the production’s set also leaves much to be desired, passing the realm of minimalism and proceeding to boring.
This set design has many impacts, not the least of which is limiting actors’ blocking to combinations of jumping, standing in place or sitting down in arbitrary spots on the blank stage. However, these problems do not subsume what is genuinely great about “Spring Awakening”: its authenticity. It is clear that everyone on stage is having a good time and doing their best at all points, and one cannot help but enjoy this sincerity. Though the acting, singing and technical aspects of the production are uneven and could use improvement, they are enough to convey the core points of the play. This is, after all, college theater; though “Spring Awakening” is not a match for the more polished productions put on by the visual and dramatic arts department or the Rice Players, it certainly manages to entertain. Putting on a musical like “Spring Awakening” was an ambitious goal for Sid Rich and Will Rice, but the result is a joy to watch.
Shots from Sid Richardson and Will Rice Colleges’ production of ‘Spring Awakening.’ From left to right: Lovett College junior Sarah Grace Graves, Sid Rich junior Carlos Correa, Sid Rich senior Matthew Greene, Will Rice freshman James Suffolett, Matthew Greene, Will Rice freshman Will Grimme, Wiess College freshman Blaine Schmidt (Wiess ’20) and Carlos Correa.
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THE WEEKLY SCENE The editors’ picks for this week’s best events. Time to explore the wonderful world of Houston.
LETTUCE
STRFCKR
ERIC DYER
MONICA YOUN
Looking for an excellent jam band to see for cheap? Lettuce suggest Lettuce. The renowned Boston funk band is known for putting on shows full of skanky solos and off-thedome improvisation. They come to Warehouse Live this Thursday for a show with Michal Menert. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets start at $21.
If you’re not too partied out after Lettuce, head back out Friday evening for indie-electro crowd-pleasers, STRFCKR. This band is also known for high-energy live shows, including costumed dancers and crowd rafting. Tourmates Gigamesh and Psychic Twin both add appeal to show. Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets start at $18.
With a combination of filmmaking, animation and visual art, Eric Dyer seeks to experiment with the zoetrope — a primitive kind of animation. On Saturday, Nov. 5 from 7 to 10 p.m., he will debut his latest iteration, a 17-foot interactive installation that animates at the turn of a crank.
National Book Award finalist Monica Youn is coming to Brazos Bookstore this Friday at 7 p.m. in support of her new collection, BLACKACRE. Youn’s poems address nature through the unique lens of a writer who splits her time between poetry and working as a lawyer. The reading is free to the public.
Warehouse Live 813 St. Emanuel St. warehouselive.com
White Oak Music Hall 2915 N. Main St. whiteoakmusichall.com
Aurora Picture Show 2442 Bartlett St. aurorapictureshow.org
Brazos Bookstore 2421 Bissonnet St. brazosbookstore.com
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
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HOUSTON WELCOMES FIRST CHEESE FESTIVAL IN HERMANN SQUARE Lauren Heller Thresher Staff
The Cheese Fest Nov. 4, 5-10 p.m. Hermann Square, 900 Smith St. Tickets sold online for $35 at thecheesefest.com/events/houston
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Photography, tables and cameras made by Garrett Marsh are on display at the Rice Media Center until Dec. 1. Marsh uses cyanotype long exposures to capture natural landscapes, lending his work a dreamy, surreal tone.
‘Sunprint Landscapes’ reimagines nature photography Ana Paula Pinto-Diaz For the Thresher
Garrett Marsh is a lover of nature and a lover of art. With his photography exhibit “Sunprint Landscapes: Photographs of Honey Creek Ranch,” Marsh brings his little corner of nature to Rice University for us to see in all its cyan-toned dreaminess. The exhibit, which opened at the Rice Media Center last week, specializes in long-exposure cyanotype photography that faithfully reflects Marsh’s appreciation of the world around him. Marsh spoke to students before his show’s opening and described his artistic process, inspiration and experiences. He also discussed his relationship with nature — especially at Honey Creek Ranch, his family’s property and a place he grew up going to — which similarly developed throughout his childhood. “[Honey Creek Ranch is] this space that, as a kid, I fell in love with nature and it kind of changed the way in which I see the world,” Marsh said. “It was the first time I was able to watch the four seasons pass through in a single space and nothing changes ... It was the first piece of land that I felt like I had a grasp of, or felt like it kind of showed me something.” Marsh then recalled a story from childhood, when, around age 13, he and his best friend survived in the wilderness for several days on their own, refusing to eat when they returned home to a barbecue to “prove a point.” Winningham, a close friend of the Marsh family, recalled something Marsh’s father had told him. “[His] dad told me that he thought, actually, that [Garrett] could be put down by helicopter at any point on the earth’s surface, and [he’d] not only survive, but [he’d] be happy,” Winningham said. And, indeed, to really understand Marsh’s work and the passion behind it, one has to understand the deep connection he has with the natural world. Encouraged by this creative and adventurous upbringing, Marsh later attended the California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. It was there that, during his sophomore year, he began the project that would become “Sunprint Landscapes.”
“I had an assignment where I was supposed to integrate myself into a social sphere — and I really didn’t want to,” Marsh said. “So, since I didn’t really like that assignment, I decided that it would be funny to become a tree. I made all these little matchbox pinhole cameras that took two-week-long cyanotype exposures, put them all around the city. They were these little terrible pictures, and I guess that was the start of making cameras and playing with cyanotypes in the cameras.”
As a kid, I fell in love with nature and it kind of changed the way in which I see the world. Garrett Marsh Photographer Today, Marsh’s photographs are of an otherworldly nature. The negatives appear purely in white and a blue that is intense, yet pleasing. The positives take forms like shadows, mystic and earthy. In both, the silhouettes of trees caress the page like veins of the earth, arranged as unpredictably and as eccentrically as nature itself. Because Marsh’s cyanotypes are made on paper coated with a light-sensitive cyanotype emulsion that requires extremely long exposures ranging from days to weeks, the images appear slightly blurred, like sunbathed watercolors. At the Rice Media Center, Marsh’s photographs hang on dark wooden frames carved by the artist himself. Most are the original negatives, while some are carefully reprinted positives. Some frames hold the same image in both forms, mounted side by side, and others hold one single image suspended in the center. In addition to the photographs, the exhibit also displays three of Marsh’s own hand-
built cameras. Of these, one even appears to be made of an old wine box: “Handle with care” appears boldly printed on the bottom right corner below the camera’s lens. Marsh even built the tables on which the cameras are displayed, and the three of them stand beside the largest of his prints, which draws the viewer’s attention immediately. Spanning several feet in each direction, this print contrasts sharply with the others, which are only inches wide. And yet, the photographs’ thematic material, as well as their shared tonality, allows all of the pieces to appear in harmony. Marsh explained why he became attached to such a complicated medium in the first place, and recalled the exact moment he created his favorite photograph — the one that began it all. “[T]he first interest was in all these little matchbox pictures, everything that was moving was gone, because it’s such a long exposure that it just disappears,” Marsh said. “Then I started messing around with that and I started building these cameras.” Years later, Marsh described this new show as a “redone” version of his college project, which became his senior thesis. Now, with more time and better, larger cameras. Marsh also spoke of a deeper gratification, a type of drive, that cyanotype photography has brought to his life. “[T]he photograph begins to replace the photographer’s memory,” Marsh said. “I was experiencing the world only through this lens.” Walking through Marsh’s exhibit is a walk into another universe where trees are white and even the air is blue. The works are almost impressionist, but naturally so, seeming to capture bits of time in the fibers of the paper and the emulsion’s blue tones. In his artist statement, Marsh gives thanks to his parents for encouraging him to explore and be inspired by the world. “Their lives led me to a deep fascination of a time and a landscape that I still dream of,” Marsh wrote. And, after falling into this world through Marsh’s photographs, I find that I am left dreaming of it, too.
Do you like free — well, not technically — samples? Do you like fine meats and cheeses? Do you like grilled cheese and/ or mac and cheese? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Houston’s first Cheese Fest may be your ideal event. On Friday, Nov. 4, the Cheese Fest is coming to downtown Houston. For an entry price of $35, guests will get unlimited samples of artisan cheeses, fine foods, mac and cheese, grilled cheese and a drink ticket, on top of live music. For $75, a VIP ticket will get you access to all that in addition to a choice between wine and cheese, beer and cheese, or bourbon and cheese tasting. While all of these samples are included in your ticket price, there will 0see CHEESE, page 10
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0CHEESE FROM PAGE 9 also be opportunities to purchase the items you try. Around 50 to 60 different producers are providing samples, including some of my personal favorites such as Cypress Grove (chevre goat cheese) and Point Reyes Farmstead (blue cheese). Although the event is titled the Cheese Fest, it also features complements to cheese such as crackers and olives. Creminelli Fine Meats and other producers of charcuterie, sausage and prosciutto are also attending, providing protein to your balanced meal of samples. In addition, there will be jams, cheese spreads and varieties of honey to taste, along with some sweets like chocolate for dessert. The main course of samples will be comprised of grilled cheese and mac and cheese served by local restaurants competing to be the winner of the “Meltdown” and “Macdown.” There are currently three local restaurants — the Cheese Course Bistro and Cheese Market, Shade and the Cheese Bar — vying for the trophy, but the organizers of the Cheese Fest are still in the process of finalizing the list and expect at least one more restaurant to join each competition. As a guest, you get to be the judge, which means you have the privilege of trying the contenders — as many times as you want, of course — before casting your vote. The Cheese Fest is an outdoor event that will be held rain or shine at Hermann Square, the park right outside Houston City Hall. A Colorado-based band called Thunder and Rain will be playing bluegrass music throughout the night. Finally, logistics: You can take the Metro light-rail, which has at Main Street Square about four blocks from Hermann Square, so you don’t have to worry about driving through rush-hour traffic downtown to get to the event. General admission tickets are sold online for $35 up until the event starts, but they are not sold at the door. You can find more information at thecheesefest.com/ events/houston.
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Kinda Sketchy
Will Rice College juniors Danial Syed and Michael Devine work through Donald Trump’s daddy issues in Kinda Sketchy’s preNOD show, ‘Kinda Sketchy Votes for Donald Trump (and Other NOD-y Things).’
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
the Rice Thresher
courtesy avclub
‘AMERICAN HONEY’:
A love letter to the adventuresome restlessness of American youth Maddie Flavin For the Thresher
American pop culture often simultaneously depicts youth as the best of times and the worst of people. In this light, Andrea Arnold’s coming-of-age road movie “American Honey,” starring newcomer Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf, isn’t for the settled down, over30 crowd. But, for the 21st century’s lost children, it’s one exhilarating journey down untraveled roads. The film introduces its protagonist, an Oklahoma teenager named Star (Lane), as she dumpster dives for food to feed her dysfunctional, impoverished family. When a van carrying an eclectic team of societal outcasts selling magazine subscriptions rolls into town, Star uses these free spirit Neverlanders as her escape ticket. Seduced by the slick yet sexy Jake (LaBeouf), Star’s new life of constant motion and daily hustling is not “easy,” but it sure beats the dead-end life she leaves behind. Lane delivers a sparkling debut performance: A human firecracker of equal parts on-her-feet resourcefulness and
gripping vulnerability, her boundless energy levels carry the story’s lengthy trajectory. LaBeouf gives an Oscar-worthy, career-best performance as Jake. His charisma elevates Jake’s already sleek charm as a fast-talking businessman. In spite of significantly less screen time, Riley Keough intimidates as Krystal, the magazine crew’s icy manager. Though little is learned about the rest of the crew, their interactions with one another display a blood-bond spirit of camaraderie. Arnold shoots the film like a documentary, which gives the scenes, their pacing, and their cinematography a raw, improvisatory fluidity. It’s beautiful because it feels real, knows it’s alive and captures a moment, in the moment. The film also has one of the year’s most zeitgeisty playlists, one that allows the rebelliousness to break through the screen’s fourth wall and reverberate through the speakers. The Calvin Harris/Rihanna hit “We Found Love” begs to be danced along to, up and down the rows of cinema seats. Just as the stars in the night sky are infinite, so are the dreams of the young. In “American Honey,” life is a highway that belongs to the misfits, where freedom is the reason to live.
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Junior setter Madison McDaniel sets the ball during Rice’s 3-0 sweep of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte on Sunday at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Owls rose to 9-2 in Conference USA with the win and have just three matches remaining before they host the C-USA Tournament later this month.
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Volleyball riding hot streak nearing postseason Madison Buzzard Thresher Staff
With the Conference USA tournament rapidly approaching, the Rice University women’s volleyball team has hit their stride with three consecutive victories over conference opponents. The Owls defeated University of Texas, El Paso, the University of North Texas and the University of North Carolina, Charlotte over the span of eight days. Rice is now 17-9 on the season and 9-2 in conference play, good for second place in C-USA behind only Western Kentucky University. Head coach Genny Volpe said her team played impressively in Friday’s hard fought four-set victory over University of North Texas. “It’s always our serving and our passing game,” Volpe said. “If we have that pretty solid, we always do a good job of taking care of the ball. Our hitting percentage all year has been solid. The beauty of our team is that we have so many pieces and they work well together.”
Three games remain on the Owls’ regular season schedule, all against opponents with overall and conference records above .500. According to Volpe, the rest of the schedule poses a difficult challenge for the team. “The entire conference, every night, is a threat,” Volpe said. The last marquee matchup of the Owls season comes against No. 21 Western Kentucky University. Last year, Rice beat the Hilltoppers, who were ranked at the time, in a five set thriller at Tudor Fieldhouse. This year, the Owls will be on the road as they look to take down a top 25 team for the first time this season. Once the Owls finish their season against the University of Texas, San Antonio on Nov. 12, they will gear up for the C-USA championship, held at Tudor Fieldhouse, starting on Nov. 18. The C-USA championship pits the top eight teams in the conference against each other in single elimination format, with the top four seeds receiving byes. The winner of the
tournament receives an automatic bid into the NCAA championship.
It’s always our serving and passing game. If we have that pretty solid, we always do a good job of taking care of the ball. Genny Volpe Volleyball Head Coach During Volpe’s tenure as Rice head coach, the Owls have earned berths in the NCAA
Tournament in 2004, 2008 and 2009. According to Volpe, this year’s team resembles the 2009 squad that won the C-USA Tournament. “We have some similarities to the ’09 team, within our rotations,” Volpe said. “We have some defensive specialists who play similar[ly]. Talent-wise, we definitely have what it takes to win.” Volpe said that the team must find a way to win at all costs at this point in the season. “Each of our teams has had grit,” Volpe said. “I see that in this year’s team. Each team that has had success has not always been pretty. We don’t have to go undefeated all season. We just have to go on a run at the right time.” The Owls will rely on the play of junior setter Madison McDaniel to make a late season push into the postseason. During the game against University of North Texas, McDaniel registered her 2,000th assist, becoming only the 10th player in Rice history to do so. 0see VOLLEYBALL, page 15
Wednesday, November 2, 2015
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Soccer clinches 2nd seed in C-USA Tournament Michael Kidd Thresher Staff
courtesy louisiana tech athletics
Junior running back Jarred Craft dives forward during the Bulldogs’ 61-16 victory over Rice on Saturday night. The Owls surrendered 735 yards in the game and trailed by 41 points at halftime.
Football blown out in 61-16 loss to La. Tech Aniket Tolpadi Thresher Staff
Seeking to build off its first win of the season against Prairie View A&M University last week, Rice University was instead crushed on the road, falling 61-16 to Louisiana Tech University and bringing its record to 1-7 on the season. Rice took the ball to open the game and began a half where it was outgained 446 to 118. The Owls had eight offensive possessions in the half, which produced five punts, a fumble, an interception and a missed field goal. On the other hand, Louisiana Tech scored touchdowns on each of its first four offensive possessions and came away with points on seven of its first eight drives overall. The Bulldogs took a 41-0 lead into the half and allowed them to rest their starting quarterback, senior Ryan Higgins, for the entire second half. With the Bulldogs pulling some starters and easing up in the second half, the Owls ultimately put some points on the board. Needless to say, it was too little, too late.
The enthusiasm of our fans is going to be based on a sense that there’s hope in the future. I think we need to have a sense of hope and optimism at the end of the year. Joe Karlgaard Rice Athletic Director For Rice, this game presented some unique circumstances as the team was ravaged by the flu in the week leading up to the game. In total, 27 players ended up missing the game due to illness while others played despite being sick. That said, this type of performance fell in line with what we have seen from the Owls throughout this
year. The team lacked offensive rhythm, failing to establish the run game or throw the ball down the field. Though they showed some signs of progress a week ago by scoring 65 points against Prairie View A&M University, an admittedly weaker opponent, Rice was unable to sustain drives against the Bulldogs and scored only two touchdowns. Defensively, the Owls were decimated by the big play: Rice gave up four plays of 70 yards or more, allowing a whopping 735 yards in the game. Among Division I college football schools, the Owls rank last in yards allowed per game (545), second-to-last in passing yards allowed per game (337) and eighth-tolast in points allowed per game (40). At the postgame press conference, Bailiff said he blamed himself for the loss — something he has repeated numerous times this season. “I’ve got to do a better job [and] coaches have got to do a better job,” Bailiff said.”[Louisiana Tech head coach] Skip Holtz had his team ready to go and he outcoached me.” Rice athletic director Joe Karlgaard, however, said fans should be patient with both the team and Bailiff. “I think the enthusiasm of our fans is going to be based on a sense of that there’s hope in the future,” Karlgaard said. “I think we need to have a sense of hope and optimism at the end of the year.” The expectation this season was that, with the team not having lost many players from last season’s squad and teams like Louisiana Tech losing seven players to NFL rosters, this year presented an opportunity to make a leap forward and return to bowl contention. That has not come to fruition, as the team is being outscored by over two touchdowns per game. With many key seniors preparing for graduation — including linebackers Alex Lyons and Tabari McGaskey, quarterback Tyler Stehling, running back Jowan Davis and others — the Owls will have to replace much of their current roster next season. As the team continues down the homestretch of their season, it will face off against Florida Atlantic University at home next week in a matchup of two teams seeking their first C-USA win of the season. In this duel of 1-7 teams, which ESPN dubbed “the pillow fight of the century,” both sides will be looking for positive momentum to get a rare win. Rice will take on the Florida Atlantic Owls at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Rice Stadium.
The Rice University soccer team has not lost since September. Following a 1-2 start in Conference USA, the Owls had every right to be discouraged. However, as head coach Nicky Adams and multiple players will tell you, they have turned those early season frustrations into the motivating force behind the longest win streak a Rice soccer team has ever seen. With a school record seventh consecutive win on Sunday night versus Florida Atlantic University, Rice clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Conference USA Tournament and will face the No. 7 seed, the University of Texas, El Paso, on Wednesday, Nov. 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina in the opening round of the 2016 C-USA Women’s Soccer Championship. The two teams met back on Oct. 9 at El Paso, where Rice came away with a 3-0 victory. The Owls dictated the pace with a 13-4 shot advantage in the first half and a 5-0 corner kick advantage. They received goals from junior forward Nia Stallings as well as the sophomore duo of Marissa Topolski and Annie Walker. Since that match, Rice has outscored its opponents 7-1 and is undefeated. Rice comes into the tournament as one of the favorites. One of the sparks on the team as of late has been sophomore forward Annie Walker. Walker scored the game-winning golden goal against FAU in the 97th minute to extend the Owls’ winning streak to seven games. She said the match against FAU meant a lot to the team going forward. “We were not only able to keep up but to play calm and confident especially when it got to overtime,” Walker said. “Those are the games that we play for and it’s nice to go into the conference tourney with the morale really high.” Junior midfielder Samantha Chaiken, a captain for this 2016 squad, said her team is unified in its quest for a conference championship. “We are really driven and so ready for this both physically and mentally, and the end goal is, [of course] to win a conference championship,” Chaiken said. “Right now, the whole team is clicking and we are finding a way to win and that is something we are really excited about going into the conference tournament.” The Owls will head to Charlotte with an undefeated record at the tournament’s host site.
Owls on Stage
Since the University of North Carolina, Charlotte joined Conference USA, Rice is 4-0 on the road against the 49ers. Adams has some good feelings heading into this conference championship for a few reasons. She said the team should have all the momentum it needs entering the tournament. “The whole point of getting to the C-USA tournament is its new life for some teams, [but] this team is playing spectacular,” Adams said. “I really like our odds this year.”
We truly want to hold up a trophy the end of the week. We are ready to go. We are hungry for this. Nicky Adams Soccer Head Coach Since a loss to Western Kentucky University at the end of September, Rice has not been defeated. Adams said this game was a turning point in Rice’s season. “I haven’t seen a team truly devastated like what I saw after Western Kentucky,” Adams said. “It was like that from that point forward, this team pretty much promised each other that we aren’t [going to] lose.” The Owls last won the conference title in 2014. Last year, the University of North Texas won the championship. Rice and the Mean Green are the top two seeds in this year’s tournament and could be primed for a showdown for the conference championship if both teams advance far enough in the tournament. Adams said she believes the Owls have a chance to win it all. “[In] watching our momentum and how determined this team is, we don’t want to get to Charlotte just to show up,” Adams said. “We want to hold up a trophy the end of the week. We are ready to go. We are hungry for this.”
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The SAAC hosted Owls on Stage last Wednesday, a talent show for athletes. Swimmer Julie Litver, pictured, and pitcher Brent Schwartz won the contest.
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0ATHLETES from page 1 Scheduling According to senior runner Ellen Diemert, who is also the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, athletics takes up a significant portion of her time. “It’s like another course,” Diemert said. “It adds an extra challenge. Making it to [academic] meetings and activities and things like that is challenging.” Although seasons last only a couple of months, teams usually practice year-round. A typical in-season weekly practice schedule consists of 7:30 a.m. practices six days per week in addition to afternoon weight training. Hanszen College junior Louis Noel, a former member of the men’s track team, said the early practices led him to establish a regimented schedule. “It led me to have a very organized lifestyle,” Noel said. “I would make sure to go to bed on time and keep up a very healthy diet.” For some, such a schedule can become impossible to maintain. Caitlin, a sophomore athlete whose name has been changed for anonymity, said her athletic commitment is affecting her health. “[Rice] expects you to have a really high GPA and train a lot,” Caitlin said. “We don’t get any extra perks from professors and a lot of people on the team are engineers or pre-meds, which is hard enough as it is. I’m permanently tired.” The early morning practices force athletes to adjust their sleep schedules so that they go to bed as early as 9 p.m. According to Rita, a senior and former athlete whose name has also been changed, the early bedtime creates a barrier between athletes and the rest of the Rice community. “Rice kids, for some reason, always want to do stuff late at night,” Rita said. “Everyone is trying to have meetings and study breaks at 10. We were in bed at 10. We woke up at 5. There were things that were very hard to get involved in because of that.” Ultimately, the difficulty of balancing athletics, academics and extracurriculars led Noel to leave the track team. He said athletics prevented him from participating in clubs and activities.
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the Rice Thresher “I knew I would have to maintain that very organized, strong work ethic towards school and track at the same time, and I wanted to diversify my extracurricular experiences,” Noel said. “I made a lot of really great friends on the team, but it wasn’t really conducive to what I wanted to gain from college.” There is little the athletic department can do to change the early morning practices, according to Senior Associate Athletic Director Bryan Blair. During the day, athletes are attending class and in the evening, dinner and labs get in the way of full team activities. Blair said practice times for the entire team are hard to set.
[Rice] expects you to have a really high GPA and train a lot. We don’t get any extra perks from professors and a lot of people on the team are engineers or pre-meds, which is hard enough as it is. I’m permanently tired. Caitlin Student-Athlete “Our coaches have a very difficult job in trying to schedule a practice that fits everybody’s schedule,” Blair said. “There are small windows where you can get a full team of various majors, various years and various degrees all together at one time. That’s one of the hardest things our coaches face every year.” The early practices, however, are not the only obstacle athletes face in their schedules. During the season, road trips force athletes to leave campus for up to five days at a time, causing them to miss classes and other campus events. Rita said the road trips are particularly
difficult for seniors. “Now that I’m a senior, I have to be [on campus] to interview for jobs,” Rita said. “I can’t be gone Thursday through Monday because I have to be here for job interviews. When you’re on a schedule like that, you can’t tell your coach you can’t go on a road trip because you have a job interview. They’ll tell you to move it.” Rita eventually left her team in order to devote time to other commitments, including job interviews. Mental health Both Caitlin and Rita noted that beyond the issues athletes face regarding their schedules, some struggle with mental health. Given their commitments, they find they have little time to focus on homework and social lives outside of their teams. Additionally, the NCAA recognizes on its website that student-athletes are at higher risk of eating disorders. According to Caitlin, eating disorders are prevalent in the Rice athletic community. “There are a lot of body image issues with female athletes,” Caitlin said. “[Our bodies are] on display all the time. There are definitely a lot of eating problems on our team right now, and it’s hard to eat well and stay healthy when a lot of my teammates don’t.” Rice Athletics has a system known as the “bod pod,” which is a device that scans student-athletes’ bodies and measures their fat content. It is not uncommon for college athletic programs to use this system and systems like it. Athletes take baseline tests throughout the year, but the device is intended primarily for the purpose of helping athletes track their rehabilitation after injuries. Despite its intended use, the device’s readings are available to student-athletes and coaches regardless of injury status. Caitlin said the device led her to be overly conscious of her eating habits. “If you have a body fat percentage of 20 percent, the coaches will tell you to get it down to 15 percent by the next time you take the test,” Caitlin said. “Every time you eat a meal, you check how much fat is in it and it takes over your mind.” Rita took a more direct stance on the bod pod tests. She said the tests are detrimental to the health of student-athletes. “Giving student-athletes a graph, a numeric
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tracker, of how their body looks is wildly unhealthy,” Rita said. “There are a lot of girls on the team who have struggled with eating disorders.” Outside of eating disorders, student-athletes face pressure to succeed from themselves and their coaches. According to Caitlin, the stress of achieving that success creates a negative attitude surrounding the teams. “If you don’t perform well, people won’t talk for the next week because they’re that upset,” Caitlin said. “It’s a difficult environment for failure. It’s a pretty shitty environment.” Rice community It is no secret that Rice Athletics struggles with low attendance and student apathy regarding sports. This is an issue that has been discussed at length both within the athletic department and in the Thresher. In the athletic community, according to Rita, it is a sore subject. “For a lot of the athletes, especially the football players, I think they’re annoyed by it,” Rita said. “It’s not like Ohio State [University] or [Texas] A&M [University] where they’re celebrities. No one here really cares.” Rice football recently set a 10-year high in student attendance when about 1,800 students watched Rice host Baylor University earlier this year. While the achievement was celebrated, attendance was still less than a third of the student body. Diemert said Rice students should take advantage of their free admission, especially with regard to football games. “Looking at big state schools, where their football programs are huge, everyone goes to the games,” Diemert said. “That’s really cool. That would be awesome if Rice could be like that too.” Football is often used as a benchmark for attendance, but other sports struggle even more to draw fans. According to Caitlin, female student-athletes feel neglected because of the lack of student support.
Giving studentathletes a graph, a numeric tracker, of how their body looks is wildly unhealthy. There are a lot of girls on the team who have struggled with eating disorders. Rita Former Student-Athlete “Everyone says they feel unsupported by the Rice student body,” Caitlin said. “Nobody comes to watch. There’s like five or 10 people there, but usually they’re best friends or roommates or boyfriends. And nobody knows what’s going on with the teams. Nobody asks.” Rita said both athletes and non-athletes contribute to the divide. “The separation comes from both sides,” Rita said. “Both groups need to realize we are all here. We are all Rice students. I think athletes say, ‘Screw these kids, they think I’m stupid,’ and nonathletes say, ‘Well, you don’t deserve to be here,’ which I think causes a lot of tension.” The Student-Athelete Advisory Committee works to facilitate interactions between the athletic community and the wider Rice community. Recently, the SAAC hosted Owls on Stage, a talent show in which athletes showcase their skills outside of sports. Such events, according to Diemert, are designed to bridge the divide between athletes and the rest of the university. Diemert said while the divide exists, it is a problem that can be resolved. “It’s a relationship and the relationship has to go two ways,” Diemert said. “I think it can be fixed. We need to appreciate everything each group has to offer.” While Diemert said she is happy to be part of Rice Athletics, Caitlin, who still competes for her team, is not. Because she is on scholarship, she cannot leave her team without her financial support being revoked. Caitlin said due to the scholarship money and her obligations to the team, she continued to compete for Rice Athletics even during her worst times. “I didn’t want to be here,” Caitlin said, “I didn’t want to be at Rice. I wanted to leave.” Thresher Staff member Craig Broadman contributed to the reporting of this article.
Wednesday, November 2, 2015
SPORTS
the Rice Thresher
15
0VOLLEYBALL from page 12 According to McDaniel, the team’s recent stretch is indicative of the success it can have moving forward.
We don’t have to go undefeated all season. We just have to go on a run at the right time. Genny Volpe Volleyball Head Coach
courtesy rice athletics
Cross country wins C-USA championship
The Rice women’s cross country team won the Conference USA chamionship over the weekend for the second consecutive year. The Owls placed five runners in the top 15, led by senior Cali Roper’s fifth-place finish in the 5K. Head coach Jim Bevan took home coach of the year honors for the league.
“It was nice to come back with a win,” McDaniel said. “Hopefully we can keep this roll going, all the way to the conference tournament, giving us a little bit of momentum.” Moving forward, the Owls are unlikely to make any significant changes. According to Volpe, the team will succeed as long as it remains confident and consistent. “I don’t know if there is anything we need to fix,” Volpe said. “I think we have the pieces. We have 16 players who are ready to play. We just need to get more consistency. That is the key to a championship run.”76948
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16 BACKPAGE
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
the Rice Thresher
As we’re sure you know, the Backpage typically steers clear of political stuff. Partially because we prefer to focus on more Rice-specific content and partially because we are entirely uninformed and uninterested. However, we’ve decided to shake things up a bit this week and throw our two cents in the current American political stage. So take a gander, but remember to take everything with a fist of salt.
Trump stars on an episode of Ashton Kutcher’s “Punk’d” where he announces his candidacy for the Presidency of the United States of America.
America begins
Nov. 8, 2016, Election Day. Everything will be revealed. We’re still crossing our fingers that Ashton Kutcher will pop out from somewhere.
Hillary’s emails
Snoop Doggy Dogg releases debut studio album, “Doggystyle.”
God separates light from darkness / Gaea alone births Uranus and Uranus wifes that up / Dayuni'si dives into the world of water and retrieves some mud which expands eternally to form Earth / etc.
Trump says something dumb.
Everyone says everyone sucks.
You realize that if you mixed Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump you’d get Ursula from “The Little Mermaid,” and you weigh the merits of writing in Ursula for president.
We stop trying to come up with other references for this timeline, realizing it doesn’t really matter because we all know that everything about this election is BS and our nation has become a bit of an international joke, and you know it, and we know it.
This is Corey Spondant reporting from Plaza Mayor in Spain’s capital of Madrid. I must say, the Mexican problem here is far more extreme than in the USA. In an effort to confront this migrant population head on, I attempted to interview some of these Mexicans that seemed to blanket every part of this country. Every last one of them tried to correct me, claiming that they were “Spanish” not “Mexican,” but I didn’t fall for that PC booby trap. I’ve been to enough diversity workshops at Rice to know that Spanish is a language, not a nationality. As such, it seemed my worst fears were confirmed: Donald Trump must have done his research when he said that Mexicans are liars, because every last one I met in Spain could not stop denying their Mexican-ness. And the fact that they could get to Spain so easily makes me reconsider what I originally thought about Trump’s wall. But why stop there? If Mexicans are swimming the Atlantic, what’s to say a wall’s gonna do any good? Let’s build a moat. No, no, a lava moat. And we can put in some crocodiles or something cool like that. Oh it’ll be so badass. But there’s gotta be someway to get through, like a special American secret passageway where you pull a book from a shelf and a door opens up, so that my buddy Chris can keep going down there to buy drugs on the cheap and sell them to me. But anyway, that’s what’s happening here in Spain. This is Corey reporting, as always, only the facts. This is the Honorable Sir Walter Cuthbertson IV, Esq. writing from Bologna, Italy. I’ve escaped my native England for, at least a little while, a warmer climate, a more politically charged move even than a meteorological one. Things have changed since Brexit, and the rise of the Trumpian menace in the West. They have officially sealed off Essex, renaming it “Brexico,” no doubt in reference to the backward inferiors who supported the referendum earlier in the year. Good riddance, I say. Any more of those chumps in our civil society and you would think we Brits are as bad as the bloody Americans.
There’s certainly a lot to digest with this election. We did our best to hit the high points here, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions. Who will be our next president? How long until the wall goes up? What’s an Essex? Bike chair, mini elliptical or standing desk? In this time of turmoil, it’s important for all of you to get informed and then go out and vote. Put in the time to really do your research and thoroughly grapple with all of the complex issues that our country faces. That’ll definitely take some time and effort, and it’s unlikely that you’ll ever enjoy the fruits of these labors. Also, it seems obvious that your vote alone makes no difference. Anyway, do what you will with all of that. We’re going to Mexico for some drinks with small umbrellas in them until things blow over a little bit here. The Backpage is satire and written by Riley Robertson. This week, international correspondents Joey McGlone and Isaac Schultz contributed. For comments or questions, please email thirsty@rice.edu.
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