The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, November 9, 2016

VOLUME 101, ISSUE NO. 11 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016

TRUMP?!

In a stunning upset defying most polls and predictions, Republican Party nominee Donald Trump appeared to be headed for victory throughout Election Night. Students reacted to the voting results at the Election Watch Party cohosted by various campus organizations and the Center for Civic Leadership.

jiayi lyu & vidya giri/thresher

College masters recommend change to title, SA seeks student input Amber Tong News Editor

Following the announcement of the Committee of the Masters’ recommendation to change the title of “college masters,” the Student Association is soliciting student opinion on the proposal, according to SA President Griffin Thomas.

The collection of student feedback came at the request of Rice University President David Leebron, Provost Lynn Miranda and Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson, with whom the decision ultimately rests. Hutchinson

said they hope to make a decision by the end of the semester.

According to a March 29 memorandum addressed to Hutchinson, the Committee has engaged in a sustained discussion on whether to change the title since fall 2015. By a vote of 7-2, with two colleges abstaining, the masters voted to recommend the change.

In the memorandum, the masters said discussions originated within the committee and were not prompted by students or administrators.

Those in favor of change cited multiple concerns against the current tile, spanning from its irrelevance to

yvonne carillo /thresher

the negative historic connotations of the term. Consequently, some also reported feeling embarrassed and having trouble explaining their role to people outside of Rice.

“Many argued that the title ‘master’ fails to capture the complex set of duties and roles expected of us,” the memorandum stated. “Some believed that the title’s association with a history of slavery and racism in the United States could make it unnecessarily alienating to people of color and interfere with the colleges’ goals of creating an inclusive environment.”

Those who opposed changing the title pointed to its positive associations with historic institutions of higher learning as well as other fields.

Baker masters Ivo and Rose van der Werff voted against the change. They said Rice has a different history than other universities that have changed the term, who have strong connections with the slave trade.

“The term ‘master’ only has a positive history at Rice, it is a term that distinguishes nicely those faculty who are in charge of a residential college from those faculty who hold more academic positions such as the deans of the various schools,” they said.

Having spoken to many students, Ivo said he has not talked to any who finds the term insulting or negative.

0see MASTERS, page 4

Architecture teams reimagine Coffeehouse Elizabeth Rasich Thresher Staff

Changes are coming to Rice Coffeehouse. A three-day architecture design competition, or “minicharrette,” organized by Architecture Students at Rice and Coffeehouse culminated Friday with the announcement that one team would see their design, “Coffee, Break,” constructed and implemented.

“Coffee, Break” is a set of wooden block units of varying heights connected with hinges. The hinges allow the blocks to be rearranged into different configurations while Coffeehouse customers wait for their drinks.

“It’s supposed to be very interactive,” Esther Tang, a McMurtry College sophomore on the winning team, said.

“We were thinking of having very simple units that can be used as tables and chairs,” XingYue Wen, a Martel College sophomore on the team, said.

“They can also be turned to different configurations so it’s really flexible.”

In their presentation, the team said the blocks would promote social interaction. The competition prompt asked teams to try to reduce Coffeehouse congestion and “encourage users to pay more attention to their surroundings and

each other in the present moment.”

“What kid doesn’t like blocks they can configure and reconfigure?” architecture professor Nonya Grenader said during jury review. “It could be quite interesting,” The set of blocks will be located in the waiting area at the front of Coffeehouse. One of the higher blocks will be used as the drip coffee station, and the coffee condiments will be relocated to the side, near the employee storage area.

“It was a very different prompt from last year, but it created a more interesting challenge,” Tang said.

The recently constructed Hangout hammock space outside of Fondren Library is the result of last year’s minicharrette, which challenged teams to create outdoor study spaces.

The competition is not restricted to architecture students; in fact, each team has to include at least one nonarchitecture student.

“People are amazed when you say you’re an archi but they don’t really know what you do,” mini-charrette organizer Ali Edelson said. “It’s great to have non-archis participate in something similar to what we do and understand what happens within the walls of Anderson.”

Melisa Pekiyi, a Sid Richardson College sophomore, and Eric Cheung, 0see CHARRETTE, page 4

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NEWS

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

the Rice Thresher

Rice’s Emissions

Net carbon footprint within city limits:

Among a group of universities representing more than 1/3 of higher education nationally:

33 million tons / year

Typical target carbon neutral date: 2045-2050 70 institutions have set target no later than 2025 Rice's carbon footprint is equivalent to

23,400 cars

metric megatons of CO2

Rice’s gross greenhouse gas emissions by fiscal year 110,000

100,000

0

120,000 110,000

70,000

1999

2010

2014

2015

Year

According to Office of Sustainability and Energy Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Green Houston.

On-campus emissions are equivalent to

~25,000 megatons are produced at Rice facilities and by Rice vehicles (no increase since 1999) Over 1/2 of current emissions are indirect; they result from production of purchased electricity 7% of needs are covered by solar energy

5,300 cars

= 1,000 cars infographic by samantha ding/thresher

Rice history closely tied to energy industry Alice Liu

For the Thresher

Just as Stanford University is affiliated with Silicon Valley’s tech industry and New York University’s Stern School of Business with Wall Street, Rice is impacted by its location within Houston’s energy and oil driven economy.

The Rincon Oil Field functioned as Rice’s very own Spindletop, heralding an era of economic prosperity that allowed for expansion into the university we know today. The impact of the industry is still prominent on campus, even as students launch environmental career initiatives and a professor calls for a change in perspective to fit the current climate crisis.

Past By the 1930s, a combination of overcautious endowment investment strategies and the struggling post-Depression economy had landed Rice in a precarious financial position. Edgar Odell Lovett’s founding vision of a “university of extensive proportions” was stifled by Rice’s lack of funds. With no money leftover for critical expansions, enrollment and capital investments both came to a standstill, as existing facilities became outdated and overcrowded.

Salvation came in the form of the purchase of the Rincon Oil Field, located in the Rio Grande Valley. The transaction, initiated by county judge and alumnus Roy Hofheinz, was spearheaded by contractor and alumnus George R. Brown and oil mogul Harry Wiess. After over a year of discussions and legal negotiations, the $1 million purchase was finalized December 1942.

In a 1944 Houston Chronicle article, the estate’s manager C.A. Dwyer hailed the Rincon transaction.

“The purchase has been one of the most fortunate deals ever made by the institute trustees,” Dwyer said.

By 1944, Rincon’s 148 wells were generating $100,000 in monthly income. By 1978, the Rincon field had earned the university $42 million in net assets, a large increase on Rice’s $13 million endowment at the time of purchase.

The revenue allowed Rice to preserve William Marsh Rice and Edgar Odell Lovett’s initial visions for a major research university.

At the same time, oil revenue ushered in a tangible new era, one of growth and increased academic momentum. From the late 1940s-50s, construction surged across campus. Fondren

Library, Anderson Hall, the Abercrombie Engineering Laboratory and the football stadium were all completed between 1949 and 1950.

A large number of Rice’s faculty, staff and alumni network have historically been affiliated with the fossil fuel industry. Harry Wiess was a one-time president of Humble Oil, now known as ExxonMobil. George R. Brown developed an oil platform design that earned him the Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement from the American Petroleum Institute.

In a 1942 Houston Press article, Harry Hanszen, former vice president of Mexican Gulf Oil Company, encouraged further investments in oil royalties.

“Situated as the institute is in the heart of a great oil producing area, [oil] would be one of the most productive sources of revenue now open to [Rice],” Hanszen said.

I do not consider blanket divestment to be the solution.

Allison Thacker Chief Investment Officer Present day Over 70 years later, as shown in the annual endowment stewardship update report for fiscal year 2015, investments in energy and natural resources currently account for 10 percent of Rice’s asset class, and investments in timber account for 2 percent, equaling a total of $600 million out of the $5.6 billion endowment.

Energy and natural resources include oil, gas and agriculture.

More specific data regarding the exact value of fossil fuel investments has been difficult to obtain due to the Rice Management Company’s confidentiality policy. According to manager Allison Thacker, the company does not discuss its investment strategies publicly.

Thacker said the endowment is critical to Rice’s future. The management team currently has no intention to shift investment away from fossil fuels.

“I do not consider blanket divestment to be the solution for sustainability in the future,”

Thacker said. “We have a policy stating that Rice does not endorse nor boycott products. We have successfully invested in fossil fuels and natural resources and have collaborated with the energy industry in other ways as well.”

Rice Environmental Club President Jordan Bulanda said though she recognizes the important fiscal role oil revenues play at Rice, she is disappointed with the overall apathy toward the environmental repercussions of these investments.

Bulanda, a Duncan College junior, said she would like to see a change in attitude among not only the endowment team but the university as a whole.

“Yes, oil and gas companies have a lot of money, but we need to stop idolizing them,” Bulanda said.

In 2014, a fossil fuel divestment movement at Rice, a subset of a national movement involving many private universities, failed to gain traction among the student body.

Environmental Club member Su Chen Teh said Rice’s lukewarm response to the movement could be because some students deliberately choose Rice for its numerous affiliations with the industry.

In addition to contributing to the endowment, the fossil fuel industry provides students with internships, research opportunities with the Shell Center for Sustainability and jobs, as showcased by the prominence of energy giants at the yearly Career and Internship Expo.

Jessica Campbell, associate director of employer relations at the Center for Career Development, said around 15 percent of the companies attending the Expo this September were from the oil and gas industry. Campbell said these companies’ high recruitment rates and ability to forecast hiring needs in advance make it an efficient process for both the companies and the students.

“Given our location in the energy capital of the world and the talent of Rice students across majors, it’s not surprising that oil and gas companies are eager to hire our students,” Campbell said. “[These] job opportunities aren’t just for engineers. There are careers in business, finance, marketing, technology, human resources.”

This story has been condensed for print. To read more about professors’ outlook on Rice’s future plan and students’ initiative to bring green jobs to Rice visit ricethresher.org.

Rice pays $20k for late Clean Air paperwork Emily Abdow

Assistant News Editor

An Environmental Protection Agency website lists Rice University as in violation of the Clean Air Act for the last 12 quarters and the Safe Drinking Water Act from October 2013 to June 2014.

Hugh Ton-That, director of plant operations and university engineer, said the violations are a result of administrative errors.

“We did have a violation but it’s not because we’re not doing our job,” Ton-That said.

According to Ton-That, Rice’s central plant operates under Title V of the Clean Air Act, which requires Rice to submit a Permit Compliance Certification to the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality twice a year.

Ton-That said Rice was supposed to renew the PCC in January 2011, but TCEQ did not send the permit until July 2011, leading Ton-That to believe the permit was not due to TCEQ for an additional six months. Ton-That submitted the permit to TCEQ in January 2012 along with two letters seeking clarification about the deadline for the permit. When TCEQ failed to reply, TonThat and his team continued to submit the PCC in January for 2013 and 2014, unaware the deadline was in July of each year.

We did have a violation but it’s not because we’re not doing our job.

Hugh Ton-That Director of Plant Operations Ton-That said he had no contact with TCEQ until 2013, when the Commission placed Rice in violation of the CAA and fined the plant for the three years it missed the deadline.

While the EPA website reports Rice has amassed $46,800 in penalties as a result of CAA violations, Senior Director of News and Media Relations BJ Almond said the fines paid by Rice for the three years amounted to about $20,000.

“If I had been fined that much, I’d probably be out of Rice a long time ago,” Ton-That said.

The EPA website also shows high-profile violations of the CAA beginning in quarter two which started Oct. 1, 2013 and occurring as recently as quarter twelve, which began on Oct. 1, 2016 and ends Dec. 31, 2016. In response, Ton-That said Rice received a letter from the TCEQ in February stating it is in compliance with air quality standards as of January 2016.

According to Ton-That, the SDWA violations also arose because Rice was unaware of the TCEQ’s revised procedures.

In 2013, TCEQ stopped sending Rice kits to conduct the Lead Copper Report, which is due once every three years and required Rice to hire a third party to conduct tests. Ton-That said he thought the third party would send the LCR report to TCEQ and did not realize this was the responsibility of the plant. When he received a letter of violation, he sent the report immediately. The EPA cited Rice in violation of the SDWA but Rice was not fined.

As a result of the violations, Ton-That attends TCEQ seminars on an annual basis to stay up to date on procedures and has worked with the Director of Compliance Ken Liddle to create a compliance program.

“We have a schedule when [reports are] due, so we just follow the schedule address all the compliances,” Ton-That said.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

NEWS

the Rice Thresher

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Rice’s energy efficiency changes prove to be cost effective Emily Abdow & Zac Odermatt

Assistant News Editor & Thresher Staff

With energy efficiency playing a central role in both environmental and economic discussions, Rice University has been taking steps to limit both its carbon footprint and the economic toll of inefficient energy usage.

Director of Sustainability Richard Johnson said Rice takes part in voluntary programs that reduce electricity output during key times, which have totaled $399,405 in revenue and savings.

One of these programs, the Emergency Response Service-30, calls Rice from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas during high amounts of energy use and allows 30 minutes for Rice to reduce usage by typically three megawatts.

Another program, Load Share, focuses on reducing energy during the summer months, and the Four Coincidental Peaks Program assigns Rice peak charges during those summer months.

“The incentive to customers like Rice is to anticipate when peaks will occur and to do everything possible to lower consumption,” Johnson said. “This is a challenge, but guessing correctly for even one month means a savings of tens of thousands on next year’s electricity bill.”

According to Johnson, the largest money saver came when the Administrative Center for Energy and Sustainability shifted from purchasing electricity per kilowatt-hour at a flat rate to a model where price varies in accordance with

Rice’s electricity consumption. A recent study revealed that during an 18-month period, this model saved Rice $1.6 million.

Director of Plant Operations Hugh TonThat said Rice has been working to improve its sustainability by upgrading energy sources such as the solar turbine.

“This year my goal is to reduce another 4 percent on the electrical and natural gas usage by just tweaking equipment,” Ton-That said.

Ton-That said central plant’s decision last year to warm the boilers, the largest source of emissions, just once a week as opposed to every day has saved up to 50 percent on natural gas use.

Cogeneration, in which power and steam are produced simultaneously, is another recent addition to Rice’s energy saving practices.

Cogeneration reduces the power produced by Rice to 20 to 25 percent of what is needed for the university and prevents steam from being wasted.

A group that helps measure facilities use, Sightlines, recently compared Rice to similar universities in terms of climate, institution size, and levels of lab research. They found Rice consumes 12 percent less energy per square foot than the average of its peer universities.

Despite this, Johnson said there is much more to be done. One area currently under scrutiny is air conditioning schedules. By identifying when Ryon Lab was less likely to be occupied and placing the air conditioning in setback mode at 0see FOOTPRINT, page 4

amber tong/thresher

Leebron says Rice’s increasing diversity shows its strength at State of the University Senate meeting

Rice President David Leebron presented his State of the University report to the Student Association Senate meeting Monday evening.

Leebron said the university has grown stronger over the past decade, evidenced by the more than doubling of the number of applicants and the increased diversity of the student body. While the enrollment in the school of engineering has doubled over the past 10 years, that of other schools has been constant.

The town hall ended with a question-and-answer session, during which Leebron responded to questions from the crowd regarding topics such as sustainability, the relationship between the 76985 student body and Student Judicial programs and undergraduate teaching.

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NEWS

0CHARRETTE FROM PAGE 1 a Baker College sophomore, both architecture students, were also on the team. Tejas Kumar, a Sid Rich sophomore, was the only non-architecture student on the team as a biochemistry and visual and dramatic arts double major.

“It was kind of intimidating,” Kumar said.

“Everyone had their little sketchbooks with designs in them and I was just like, ‘I pinned some things on Pinterest.’”

The prompt was handed out the night of Thursday, Oct. 27 and the final design was due Sunday, Oct. 30. The winning team worked up until the deadline Sunday night, turning in their design with only nine minutes to spare.

This year, there were an unprecedented number of entries: 35 students and seven teams.

Edelson, a Brown College senior, attributed the high level of interest to the fact that the design

the Rice Thresher

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

competition was centered on Coffeehouse.

Both the current and incoming Coffeehouse general managers Harrison Lin and Mandy Weaver sat on the jury.

“I loved hearing the perspectives of each architecture professor,” Lin, a Brown junior, said.

“Hilariously, they’re all absolutely savage. They get their critiques across unapologetically and speak their mind fully.”

Weaver and Lin advocated for “The Ribbon,” a design which received runner-up. “The Ribbon” was a custom piece of metal delineating a path through coffeehouse while rising and falling to form a coffee station and to interact with furniture.

“While we did vote for ‘The Ribbon,’ I think the open-endedness of ‘Coffee, Break’ will make it easier to mold to Coffeehouse’s needs,” Weaver, a Martel junior, said.

Edelson said she predicted “Coffee, Break” might be completed next semester, but there is no guarantee. The Hangout took an entire year to construct after winning last year.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Tang said.

courtesy coffee, break team

A rendering of ‘Coffee, Break,’ the winning design at this year’s Architecture Students at Rice mini-charrette. ‘Coffee, Break’ may be implemented in Rice Coffeehouse next semester.

0MASTERS FROM PAGE 1 “One African student did say she thought it was strange but, on seeing what the college masters do, and getting to know us, had no issue with the term,” Ivo said. “There is a small group who have very strong feelings about this and we must respect them but, again, how far do we go?”

Thomas, a Lovett College senior, said the recommendation should be understood not as an isolated incident but as part of a larger effort to make Rice more accessible.

“Students, faculty and administrators have been working to address serious and problematic undercurrents of the university’s culture for some time and this recommendation is part of this trend,” Thomas said.

Thomas said problems with the title have come up on both the college and university level.

“While it may seem like only a semantic

0FOOTPRINT FROM PAGE 3 those times, Johnson said between $20,000 and $40,000 are saved per year.

Another challenge Johnson faces is making old systems more environmentally friendly.

“If an efficient building is like driving a new car, these older buildings can be like steering a bumper car,” Johnson said. “Replacing this old equipment can be costly. We have buildings designed when energy conservation was not a big consideration.”

Ton-That said the recent growth in size of the student body increased our energy output.

“They’re going to require more air conditioning, more heating of the building and they use more water,” Ton-That said. “So we’ve seen an increase the last 10 years in the increased energy consumption by the larger student body.”

According to Johnson, the best way for students to limit their environmental and financial impact

change to some, the term is deeply offensive to many in our community and thus the change has significance to them,” Thomas said.

James Carter, a former Orientation Week coordinator and Brown College senior, said he believes the change is overdue. While he doesn’t think his experience is atypical of other Rice students, saying “my masters” to those unfamiliar with Rice elicits strange looks, Carter said.

“I remember very distinctly being pulled aside by a pair of black parents on move-in day and being asked ‘What’s the deal with this “master” term?’” Carter said. “I honestly didn’t have a good answer and I still don’t. I just don’t see the value in having a term that has the potential to polarize a substantial population of students.”

Hutchinson is seeking feedback from faculty.

“These discussions provide an opportunity to consider how the college system may continue to provide that high value,” he wrote in an email.

The survey can be found on the SA’s Facebook page. It is open until Nov. 11.

is to manage their air conditioning use.

“Every degree below 74 for cooling costs us about 4 percent more, so if someone sets their air conditioner to 68 degrees, it will cost nearly 25 percent more,” Johnson said. “That expense is built in to future housing costs, which the students pay for.”

In addition to efforts at the administrative level, Rice students are engaged in initiatives to lessen the campus impact on the environment.

Jordan Bulanda, president of the environmental club, said the club’s recycling efforts include installing permanent bins at athletic facilities and creating a contact for Rice students to report any instances where Housing and Dining is inconsistent with recycling policies. In addition, the club will host a Food Waste Competition with a social media competition aspect next week.

Looking forward, Ton-That said Rice’s focus is on utilizing numbers to continue to conserve.

“We collect and have a lot of data, but we don’t know how to best use the data to do our job,” TonThat said. “We’re trying to use the data to do our job better, more efficiently.”

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Letter to the Editor: Lovett is not a toaster ‘Masters’ title change not a threat to free speech With most college masters in support of changing their title (see p.1), it does not seem reasonable to invalidate their concerns and their desire for a title more fitting for their roles within the residential college system.

Opponents of the change often cite the academic sense of the term “master.” However, consider Rice’s context: William Marsh Rice was a slave owner and used his riches to found the school. The same man stated only white students may attend Rice, so it is only last year that Rice celebrated the 50th anniversary of black students on its campus. The ramifications of slavery will never cease to exist here. Facetious arguments claiming we must now change the title of “master’s degree” create illogical comparisons: Unlike an academic degree, college masters are in a position of authority over students which implies an inherent power imbalance.

Others say the change reflects an overly sensitive culture of political correctness that could lead to a slippery slope of increasingly restrained freedom of speech. However, this notion suggests either we keep the masters title and our liberties intact, or we change the name and risk crumbling the foundations on which our freedom rests, an argument that leaves no room for nuance. Thus, criticism of changing the term reflects a lack of deeper critical thinking about the connotations of the college master title within the appropriate historical context.

As a newspaper, we ourselves are deeply concerned with freedom of speech, and any restrictions thereof. Yet we do not see how changing the title of the college masters to something more thoughtful will inevitably lead to a culture of speech silenced and repressed.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece’s author.

To the Editor, Being a Bakerite, it never really bothered me that Lovett College looked like a toaster (which it does from some angles). However, now I know a current student at Lovett, and I could tell that “Toaster College” was not their favorite nickname.

So before I tease them any more about it, I decided to check whether it is true or not.

I have a toaster. I can measure the dimensions. I can estimate dimensions for Lovett College. Nope, not even close, Lovett is much (much) larger. However, they are both

shaped like rectangular prisms, with length, width and height, so maybe the proportions of those dimensions are the same (or similar) which is why Lovett might look like a toaster.

For a good comparison, I reduced the smallest dimension to 1.00 and divided the other two dimensions by the smallest dimension to keep them proportional. After this simplification, My Toaster: 1.00 x 1.26 x 1.80 Lovett College: 1.00 x 1.40 x 3.00 Lovett does not look like a toaster, but

Errata

surely it looks like something.

Cheese Grater: 1.00 x 1.00 x 2.25 Shoebox (men): 1.00 x 1.40 x 2.70 Lovett looks more like a shoebox, or maybe a 4-slice, extra tall for bagels, toaster.

Maybe you have a different shape of toaster, or box of crackers or even a breadbox. Maybe out there is something that has the exact Lovett proportions.

Robert Duffield Baker College ’87

cartoon by jennifer fu and riley robertson

In last week’s Nov. 2 issue, the headline for “REMS creates endowment in celebration of 50th anniversary” misstated the year of the anniversary. It is REMS’ 20th anniversary.

Masters of none.

Students should express when SA actions fulfill needs While the Student Association exists to hear student needs and take action to fulfill them, students in turn need to clearly express feedback when these changes based on student need are made. A lack of this feedback is threatening the continuation of recent changes to our meal plan.

Years ago, the serveries stopped providing Saturday dinner to get students out of the library, get their heads out of their books and send them to explore Houston and find dinner. Today, the inaccessibility of off-campus dinner options overshadows this purpose. Student Association President Griffin Thomas’ Student Access and Success Report mentions Saturday dinner with friends as an inaccessible opportunity due to the financial cost.

In response to that report and surveys at the university and college levels, I worked with Housing and Dining to implement a more flexible and accessible meal plan which includes later

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

dinner hours, earlier breakfast times and Saturday night dinner. Even though students seemed to want all these changes, some are underutilized.

Early breakfast and late dinner have a steady but small usership, while Saturday dinner is barely used. Last week, only five students went to Saturday dinner.

Saturday dinner currently does not seem used enough so it may be removed as an alternative option.

opinions Mitch Mackowiak* Editor sports Andrew Grottkau Editor arts & entertainment Lenna Mendoza 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 Charlene Pan Asst. 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

Reintroducing Saturday dinner seemed a logical step for a university whose student body has grown by about 1,000 in the past 12 years with students of varying needs and backgrounds.

Maybe you wanted to avoid going off campus for food the weekend before a big exam, or wanted a more affordable alternative to eating off campus.

Student survey data, conversations with peers and discussions with administrators also indicated students liked the idea of Saturday dinner.

However, the execution did not fit the idea.

Students complain that, for the cost in Tetra of Saturday dinner, they may as well eat off campus.

Others do not even know this option exists. These responses confuse Housing and Dining because they are trying to meet a student need that exists on paper but apparently not in practice. Although a culture shift may make Saturday dinner normal one day, it currently does not seem used enough so it may be removed as an alternative option.

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.

I am asking you all to help the SA do our job and meet your needs. Tell us what you want through constructive feedback (you can reach me at saevp@rice.edu) and attendance. Having Saturday dinner on campus does not mean you will never eat off campus again. However, I think it could be time for us to have a choice. If you agree, check out Seibel Servery from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday nights through the end of the semester.

Hannah Todd is the Student Association External Vice President and a Wiess College junior

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

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Fall television HIGHLIGHTS

New ‘Black Mirror’ season redelivers

courtesy factmagazine

Ryan Lee Thresher Staff

‘Atlanta’ is a punchy slice of life courtesy fxnetworks

Michael VerMeulen Thresher Staff Donald Glover is without question one of the most talented men in show business. A writer, stand-up comedian, rapper who goes under the nom du guerre Childish Gambino and actor, Glover succeeds in whatever area of the entertainment industry he dabbles in.

For his next and most ambitious project to date, Glover created the FX television show “Atlanta,” which he stars in, writes, directs and produces to fantastic effect. “Atlanta”’s first season proves the series to be one of the most surreal, atmospheric, real-to-life comedy shows to air on television in a long time, a new stand-out in our current Golden Age of TV. “Atlanta” follows the life of Princeton University dropout Earn (Glover) as he attempts to manage the up-and-coming rap career of his cousin Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), get along with Paper Boi’s stoner best friend Darius (Keith Stanfield) and sort out his relationship with Van (Zazie Beetz), the mother of his child. Glover describes the show as “‘Twin Peaks’ with rappers,” and that description certainly does apply to similar surreal undercurrents and oddball side characters of both shows.

Nevertheless, while the best episodes of “Twin Peaks” were those that delved into that show’s central murder mystery to go along with the development of its absurdist characters, “Atlanta” is unafraid to eschew season-long plot structure in favor of focusing on singular stories that cultivate the show’s unique atmosphere. For example, the season’s seventh episode is entirely dedicated to Paper Boi’s appearance on a BET-esque talk show as well as the

THE WEEKLY SCENE The editors’ picks for this week’s best events. Time to explore the wonderful world of Houston.

fake advertisements that air during the talk show’s commercial breaks. This episode, especially its fake advertisements, feels more similar to the shows on Adult Swim rather than the “prestige comedy” shows on networks like HBO to which critics are comparing “Atlanta.” In this case, the series is all the better for it.

In these ways, ‘Atlanta’ doesn’t seem to be working hard to make its characters and their stories relatable.

It just feels natural.

Another fantastic aspect of the show is its authentic feel. The series’ actors contribute greatly to this, with captivating performances coming from each of the four main cast members that all play well off of each other. The standouts are Henry as Paper Boi and Stanfield as Darius, with their respective annoyed and spacey personalities complementing Glover’s straight man to powerful comedic effect.

“Atlanta”’s writing and setting also contribute to the show’s lived-in feel. The decision to shoot the show entirely in Atlanta, with absolutely gorgeous cinematography to boot, makes the locations all the more believable, but the situations that the characters are placed in sets this series apart from other television shows.

HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS FESTIVAL The eighth annual Houston Cinema Arts Festival kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 10, and runs at various locations through Thursday, Nov. 17.

Be sure to look out for the debuting Jackie Kennedy biopic “Jackie.”

Student tickets range from $8-$22 depending on the type of event.

Various locations hcaf16.org

Whereas other popular shows like “Friends” or “Modern Family” claim to portray the lives of “regular” people, these shows’ characters actually have lifestyles that are much more in line with those of the wealthy upper class.

In “Atlanta,” the characters are struggling to merely get by, just as many regular Americans have to. In one episode, Earn realizes he is so broke he might not even have the cash to pay for a nice meal during a date with Van without completely emptying his bank account. Rapper Paper Boi, who under a different creative vision might be portrayed as glamorous and wealthy beyond belief, has to resort to selling drugs to make money. “Atlanta” doesn’t merely highlight real economic woes though, as its exploration of modern black culture provides social commentary worthy of the finest dramas while also mixing in its distinct absurdist humor.

From the inadequacy of inner city public school systems in the form of a white-face wearing black boy to the brutality of police against African-Americans in the form of unwarranted violence against a chocolate cereal mascot, the show sends important messages while retaining its entertainment value. In these ways, “Atlanta” doesn’t seem to be working hard to make its characters and their stories relatable. It just feels natural.

“Atlanta” is funny, thought-provoking, strange and incredibly original. Glover’s grandest experiment yet has paid off in every way, as his show deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as other shows in the upper echelon of modern television achievement. I would highly recommend watching “Atlanta,” for if its first season is anything to go by, we may have a new modern classic on our hands.

Watch it on: FX, When: Tuesday 10 p.m.

EST, Running Time: 23-26 minutes

VERY PLEASANT TRANSIT CENTER As a part of VADA’s Comic Art Teaching and Study Workshop, this exhibition features art from Sarah Welch’s comic book of the same name.

The series focuses on two female protagonists living in an exaggerated version of the Gulf Coast’s swamps. The exhibition opens 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 and stays on display until Nov. 30.

Emergency Room Gallery arts.rice.edu

“Black Mirror” is often blurbed as the “Twilight Zone” for the 21st century, and it is an apt elevator pitch. Created by Charlie Brooker, “Black Mirror” is an anthology series about how technology relates to our society, privacy and politics. With such heavy emotional turns and intense subject matter, “Black Mirror” is best watched in small doses. This was not a problem until the current season, in which Netflix promptly doubled the number of episodes resulting in a whopping runtime of seven hours. Thankfully, the full season three experience is still possible if one is selective about which episodes to watch. Following, I’ll be reviewing my three standout episodes.

FIRST UP: ‘SHUT UP AND DANCE’ Although it is the weakest of the three I am recommending, “Shut Up and Dance” is an important episode with which to begin. I have learned from past seasons it is not a good idea to start off with the best episode, but rather with one that sets up the right expectations.

In this episode, faceless hackers extort a teenage boy to their bidding by threatening to release footage of him masturbating. Indeed, “Black Mirror” is hardly comfort food, which makes it all the more important to prime our expectations. One of these expectations is to suspend our disbelief. It is frustrating because the villain of the day is either a lone wolf so unbounded in his capabilities that he is effectively God incarnated, or an institution so efficient it is not beholden to the inertia of bureaucracy. With logistics out the window, it is best to think of each episode as a visualization of a Brooker thought experiment.

Ethicists ask us whether we would push a fat man in front of a train to save the lives of children. With “Shut Up and Dance,” Brooker shows us what that would look like.

NEXT UP: ‘NOSEDIVE’ The standout episode of the season, “Nosedive” imagines a future where people rate social interactions using a five-star system on an app. I love this episode because it shows how the hands puppeting our lives belong not to some conspirator but to the crowd. The characters look like they crawled out of an Instagram feed. Every detail is mesmerizing, from the way our protagonist even takes surgically perfect bites of a cookie to how acquaintances research each other’s profiles to find the most meaningful small talk topics.

0see MIRROR, page 8

SHARON OLDS

THE GLASS MENAGERIE

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Sharon Olds will read from and talk about her newest book “Odes,” which features only the titular poetic form.

She is known for her focus on intense emotionality, family and the erotic.

Tickets are $26.95 for the reading on Tuesday, Nov. 15. at 7:30 p.m.

The Rice Players are putting on their adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ classic American play that mediates on family, love and hope. The play runs two weekends: Nov. 10-12 and 17-19 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for Rice students and $8 for faculty, alumni and staff.

Christ Church Cathedral 1117 Texas Ave.

Hamman Hall Rice University arts.rice.edu

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

the Rice Thresher

A&E

7

WESTHEIMER SPOTS MAKE ART OF DESSERT Lauren Heller Thresher Staff

Amorino 4444 Westheimer Rd Price range: $$ Standout: Gelato

Sleek Chocolatier 5868 Westheimer Rd Price Range: $ Standouts: Chocolate crepe, chocolate waffle lauren heller/thresher

Many would argue the best part of any meal is dessert. As a result, this article will not focus on restaurants but rather cafes solely specializing in indulgent sweets, both cold and hot.

Our first stop is Amorino, a gelato shop in the new luxurious River Oaks District. If you go to its neighbor Hopdoddy first, you could have an affordable meal in a wildly unaffordable mall. Started by two Italians in the heart of Paris in 2002, Amorino has locations spanning the globe, which is showcased by the ingredients used to make its products.

While Amorino offers a wide variety of desserts including crepes, macarons, coffee and iced drinks, my friend and I opted for the gelato and sorbet. The flavors hit a proper balance of quantity versus quality; we did not find the crazy unique options of ice cream shop Cloud 10 Creamery, but every flavor we did try was absolutely spot on. However, one major differentiator for this gelato shop is the presentation: If you order a cone, the server will arrange your gelato scoops to look like flower

Triple chocolate crepe from Sleek; dulce de leche, chocolate hazelnut and mango sorbet petals from Amorino; chocolate waffle from Sleek petals, with the finished product in the shape of a rose.

Although you can include up to five flavors in a cone, I decided to stick with the chocolate hazelnut and dulce de leche gelatos and the mango sorbet. As you could probably guess, the chocolate hazelnut and dulce de leche flavors were just richer versions of Nutella and caramel, respectively. However, the unassuming mango sorbet really blew me away with its creamy texture and full flavor that are so hard to find in sorbets. Each smooth bite was reminiscent of the gelatos of Spain and Italy.

Amorino is more expensive than your average Baskin Robbins, but falls within the category of high quality ice cream shops like ice cream shop Cloud 10 Creamery and Fat Cat Creamery, at a price of $6 per cone. The splurge is well worth it.

Our next stop, further down Westheimer, is Sleek (sometimes spelled Slik) Chocolatier.

Chocoholics, this one is for you. The Houston

Like Amorino, the presentation was incredible. We’re talking chocolate art incredible. Both dishes came out completely drizzled in warm white, milk and dark chocolates. outpost is actually the first U.S. location of this Syrian brand and you can easily recognize its Middle Eastern roots in menu items such as shawarma.

Given that this is solely a dessert place, my friend and I were a bit confused about what the shawarma would be, so we decided to get a chocolate waffle and triple chocolate crepe for $6.99 each. Like Amorino, the presentation was incredible. We’re talking chocolate art incredible. Both dishes came out completely drizzled in warm white, milk and dark chocolates. While the crepe and waffle themselves were nothing special on their own, each chocolate-covered bite was melt-in-yourmouth good.

In addition to shawarma, crepes and waffles, the menu offers many other items such as a hot chocolate shot. Also, next to the cash register are large glass display cases of handmade chocolates that run the gamut of flavors. Overall, Sleek is a chocolate lover’s dream at a reasonable price.

To sum up, if you and your friends are planning a Treat Yo Self Day, be sure to include Amorino or Sleek on the itinerary.

8

A&E

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

the Rice Thresher

0MIRROR FROM PAGE 8 It is a future where entire industries are built around this social currency, but no one has figured out how to cure cancer. As a bonus, the episode has the most cathartic ending one can expect from the show.

WRAP UP: ‘HATED IN A NATION’ This episode is quite the mixed bag.

Again, the problem in “Hated in a Nation” comes from the sheer amount of handwaving the script performs to procure its agent of chaos. Here, not only does the villain achieve omniscience in surveillance, but also omnipotence in execution. It is almost hard not to watch this episode as if it were wrathful divinity casting a plague upon the land. However, the episode captures so well the small but vocal witch hunting culture found in social media platforms. Brooker fully understands both the evil of the crowd and the innocence of its members. It is a tough act to pull, and for that I can look past its contrivances.

I love this episode because it shows how the hands puppeting our lives belong not to some conspirator but to the crowd.

Brooker has said “Black Mirror” is a description of what our devices look like when they are turned off. It is such an operative metaphor that it perhaps makes it my favorite title for a television series. Yes, the show is cynical and even nihilistic, but I take relief from any reminder that the real world is not as abysmal as it can be. Then again, the best science fiction are said to be those that hold a mirror to society.

Watch it on: Netflix, Running Time: 5289 minutes

courtesy avclub, ign, screencrush

‘Moonlight’ expertly captures identity struggles Michael Robinson For the Thresher

Every year, you hope to see some sort of film that leaves you feeling profoundly changed. Most years yield disappointment, with films holding high aspirations only to go so far, but not quite far enough. This year, we’re lucky enough to get a film to make up for the previous disappointments: Barry Jenkins’s “Moonlight.”

Adapted from an unproduced play titled “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue,” “Moonlight” tells the story of Chiron (Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes), a queer black man, in three parts, highlighting sections in his childhood, teenage and adult years. As the film progresses, viewers watch the various ways in which Chiron navigates crises in his own identity, an identity at odds with the required performance of masculinity. The actors in his life change throughout, with new faces coming and going while he attempts to answer the simple question, “Who is you?” This is a vast oversimplification for a movie wrought with complexities. Each chapter articulates new moments of clarity and confusion for Chiron as well as each of the members of the incredible supporting cast of characters in his life.

The production of the film is unlike anything currently being done, with incredible performances by the entire cast, which has already earned a Gotham award for best ensemble.

Naomie Harris’ performance as Chiron’s mother is particularly fantastic, arresting the screen every time she appears. She empathetically portrays a mother struggling with her own tribulations while also trying to take care of a son who needs more than she can give.

Chiron is played by three actors, each with a distinct interpretation of the character that never feels splintered. While each individual performance is noteworthy, the best moments come from watching how the characters interact and what manifests between them, from the dinner table scenes between Chiron and his surrogate father figure to the gut-wrenching conversations of Chiron and his mother.

Moments of silence permeate the film as Jenkins allows for chemistry between the actors to speak for itself. Through elegant lyricism, “Moonlight” transforms from a melodrama to a deeply personal narrative, utilizing dreamlike gazes and burst of orchestral cacophony rather than direct dialogue. Instances of fantasy and surreal states recur, drowning out the surrounding world and leaving the audience to witness the isolation and melancholy of Chiron. “Moonlight”

isn’t a painful experience, nor is it pessimistic about its characters. The beauty of the film comes from the careful love given to each character.

It’s clear that Jenkins understands each of the characters to a core, allowing an incredibly fleshed out world to form within the first five minutes of the film.

While each individual performance is noteworthy, the best moments come from watching how the characters interact and what manifests between them.

The editing, too, allows for states that transcend and mesmerize, conveying the effect and emotional weight of each instant. The camera vigorously shakes when Chiron runs from bullies and cuts intensely between static shots of his mother when she is suffering from withdrawal.

The aesthetic implications of the film merge with the content, moving beyond typical narratives to form something that only film can do.

There is so much more to this film than any review can touch on, from the sweeping soundtrack to the thoughtful dialogue to the tantalizing cinematography. Beyond all of these lies a crew who have accomplished something that so many filmmakers dream of. No matter how much money the film makes or how many Oscars it takes home in March, the journey of Chiron will be remembered well beyond any other film this year.

Moonlight Running time: 110 minutes Showing at: Sundance Houston, Edwards Greenway 24 Directed by: Barry Jenkins

9

Freshman guard Jazz Taylor cuts inside during Rice’s 101-46 victory over Concordia University in a preseason contest Friday night at Tudor Fieldhouse.

The Owls took a 40-22 lead into halftime before scoring 30 and 31 points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, to run away with the win.

sean chu/thresher

Senior forward Goodwine improving with age Craig Broadman Thresher Staff

With less than a second remaining in the first round of the Conference USA playoffs, and Rice clinging to a 61-60 lead over Louisiana Tech University, senior Jasmine Goodwine fouled Brooke Pumroy on a fadeaway jumper, sending the Lady Techsters’ shooting guard to the free throw line with a chance to win the game. It was a potentially season-ending mistake for Rice, as Pumroy had an 88 percent free throw percentage at the time. Goodwine said she thought she had lost the game for her team.

“I was so devastated at that moment,” Goodwine said. “I got really down, but my teammates and some of the coaches were like, ‘No, keep your mind in the game. It’s not over!’”

Pumroy made her first free throw and narrowly missed on her next, sending the game into overtime, where Rice took control.

With the score tied at 66 apiece, Goodwine converted consecutive layups and Rice never looked back en route to a 72-67 win. It was a storybook ending for Goodwine, who

erased her mistake with a clutch overtime performance.

When reflecting on her athletic career to date, Goodwine said she doesn’t pinpoint the go-ahead layup as her most memorable moment at Rice, but rather the support she received after committing such a crucial mistake.

“It was a huge moment for my teammates and my coaches to still have confidence in me after a mistake like that,” Goodwine said. “It meant so much to me. The fact that we were able to come together, win the game, and move on to the second round — that probably was my most memorable moment here.”

The fact that she credits her teammates’ support as her most memorable moment at Rice speaks volumes to the type of person Goodwine is. Never striving for the spotlight, Goodwine said she tries not to think of herself, but rather what the team needs.

“My goal is to be the best teammate I can be, whether it’s scoring, rebounding, talking or encouraging,” Goodwine said, “I just think putting other people before [my own] goals and serving other people first is how I view [my role].”

As much as Goodwine refuses to talk about it, she is a force on this Owls team, leading in scoring (12.5 ppg), rebounding (6.1 rpg) and blocking (0.6 bpg) while recording three double-doubles and playing in all 31 games last season.

My goal is to be the best teammate I can be, whether it’s scoring, rebounding, talking or encouraging.

Jasmine Goodwine Senior Forward Goodwine’s unselfish attitude and strong play are major reasons the Owls had

such a smooth transition when changing head coaches. Although there is no official captain, Goodwine said she takes pride in her leadership skills.

“I consider myself a leader because I’m a senior and I’ve been in this program for two years with the new coaches and the new systems,” Goodwine said. “As a team, we try not to label people as captains but I try to lead as much as I can.”

This season, Goodwine will be looking to lead her team back to the Conference USA playoffs in her final year on the basketball team, while savoring every minute of this season.

“It feels weird that this is my last season,” Goodwine said. “I’m really just appreciating every single day that I have now.”

However, Goodwine has acknowledged that her post-graduation life will ideally involve basketball in some way. Ever since her elementary school days, when her grandmother, then a high school basketball coach, brought her to watch practices, Goodwine has acquired a love for the game that she said will probably never go away.

10 SPORTS

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

the Rice Thresher

Lott’s return adds top-tier talent to men’s basketball Madison Buzzard Thresher Staff

After suffering a season-ending knee injury before the start of last year, freshman guard Chad Lott is ready to begin his Rice basketball career.

Lott, a 6-foot-3-inch shooting guard from Shreveport, Louisiana, was a three-star recruit and nominee for McDonald’s All-American as a Byrd High School senior. He was part of an impressive recruiting class, which included sophomore guard Marcus Evans, sophomore guard Connor Cashaw and sophomore forward Harrison Brown.

Lott was more highly touted as a recruit than Evans, who was the leading freshman scorer in Division I college basketball last season. Lott offered head coach Mike Rhoades increased depth and positioning on the wing and as a result, his knee injury forced several players to play more minutes than originally planned. According to Rhoades, having Lott on the court is beneficial for the entire team.

We are capable of making the NCAA Tournament, which is our ultimate goal.

Mike Rhoades Basketball Head Coach “Having [Lott] back now is crucial for our depth and positioning,” Rhoades said. “He offers our team leadership and toughness. We need him fully healed.”

Thankfully for Rhoades, Lott appears to have recovered and now possesses full range of motion in his knee. According to Lott, the rehabilitation process has paid off and he will be ready for the start of the season.

“My rehab was incredibly intense,” Lott said.

“I took rehab as seriously as I take practice and games. I feel back to 100 percent.”

While sitting out an entire season can wear on an athlete, the benefits it can offer a freshman are apparent in Lott’s development. According to Lott, time on the bench allowed him to adjust to the pace of the college game.

“I just watched that whole year, watching the speed of the college level,” Lott said. “That was big for me. I looked at [my teammates] to see how I should play when I got back.”

Cashaw in particular was crucial in Lott’s rehabilitation process. Lott said Cashaw helped him remain motivated throughout a painful and frustrating time.

“We built our friendship all of last year,” Lott said. “He got me through what I thought was the hardest time of my life. Him being with me was really helpful.”

As Lott sat out the entire 2014-15 season, Evans earned national attention by scoring 21.4 points per game and playing nearly 40 minutes a night. This season, in order to allow Lott to play his natural position of shooting guard, Rhoades is shifting Evans into a point guard role. According to Lott, he and Evans will coexist on the floor well together, no matter what position they play.

“Marcus and I play great together,” Lott said.

“We are both competitive and defensive minded.

We are going to work really well.”

Although Lott did not play last season, Rhoades left an impact on him during his first year at Rice.

According to Lott, Rhoades is the ideal coach for him and his team.

“I love coach Rhoades,” Lott said. “He is not only a coach but also a mentor. I love his competitiveness, and how he is just as intense about games and the process of basketball as I am.”

This week, Rhoades went on a tour of the residential colleges to encourage students to come to basketball games. According to Lott, Rice has a number of reasons to be optimistic about the upcoming men’s basketball season.

“I feel as though we have the potential to do whatever we want to do,” Lott said “We can make some noise in the tournament. We are capable of making the NCAA Tournament, which is our ultimate goal. We have a lot of young guys who work hard and older veterans. Our team is definitely looking really good.”

sean chu/thresher

Freshman guard Chad Lott takes the jump shot in Rice’s 96-86 preseason victory over Our Lady of the Lake University. Lott scored 7 points in his return from an injury that caused him to miss last season.

Thresher C-USA basketball preseason poll With basketball season approaching, Thresher Sports is releasing its first annual Conference USA men’s and women’s preseason basketball predictions. After our football predictions went so well, we had to provide a sequel. Last year, both the women’s and men’s basketball teams finished tenth in the conference. This year, we predict modest improvements for both teams.

WOMEN

MEN Change from Last Year

1. Western Kentucky +1 2. Old Dominion

+3

3. Middle Tennessee –

Change from Last Year

1. UAB

–

2. Middle Tennessee

–

3. Old Dominion

+1 +4

4. UTEP

-3

4. Western Kentucky

5. Charlotte

-1

5. Marshall

–

6. Rice

+4

6. Louisiana Tech

-3

7. UTSA

+5

7. Rice

+3

8. Southern Miss

+1

8. UTEP

-2

9. North Texas

+4

9. Charlotte

-2

10. UAB

-2

10. FIU

+1

11. Marshall

-5

11. Florida Atlantic

+1

12. Louisiana Tech

-5

12. North Texas

-3

13. Florida Atlantic

-2

13. UTSA

+1

14. FIU

–

14. Southern Miss

-1

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

SPORTS

the Rice Thresher

11

Senior running back Jowan Davis runs the ball up the middle during Rice’s 42-25 loss to Florida Atlantic University. Davis finished with eight carries for 31 yards as Rice lost its fourth home game of the season and its eighth game overall. The Owls remains winless in C-USA due to the defeat. sean chu/thresher

Football plagued by big plays in 42-25 loss to FAU Andrew Grottkau Thresher Staff

Rice University football again failed to protect its home turf as it fell to Florida Atlantic University 42-25 on Saturday for its fourth home loss of the season. The loss dropped Rice to 1-8 on the season and 0-6 in Conference USA. Prior to the game, ESPN ran a story referring to the game between the Conference USA rivals as “The Pillow Fight of the Century� because each team came into the game with just one victory. Rice’s only win was a 65-44 victory over Prairie View A&M University and FAU’s only victory came against Southern Illinois University in its first game of the season.

Rice got o to a hot start after receiving a short punt from FAU. The home team drove 56 yards down the field to score the game’s first touchdown, a 13-yard pass to freshman receiver Kylen Granson. The 7-0 advantage was Rice’s only lead of the game. After a pair of punts, FAU got its oense moving. Two deep balls from

sophomore quarterback Jason Driskel put the visiting Owls at the Rice one yard line, and a short touchdown run tied the game at 7. Then, when a short Rice punt gave FAU the ball at midfield, the visitors took just one minute to add another touchdown, this time on a 33-yard pass.

Rice tied the game again in the second quarter, but FAU responded with a 67-yard drive to retake the lead 21-14. The visitors retained the advantage for the remainder of the game. FAU relied on big plays in the second half, scoring on an 84 yard pass and a 66 yard run. Rice managed a touchdown and field goal of its own, but the Owls never came within ten points after the midpoint of the third quarter.

According to head coach David Baili, the defeat was a crushing one. “It was a disappointing loss once again,â€?

Baili said. “It was a game that we thought if we played well, we could win.â€?

For the sixth time this season, the Owls allowed more than 40 points in a game. They have allowed fewer than 30 points just once

this season. Baili said the defense has been particularly hurt by injuries this season.

Our biggest issue there is depth right now.

We’re just beat up. We had some new guys playing new positions.

David Bali Football Head Coach “Defensively, there were too many mistakes and too many big plays,â€? Baili said. “Our biggest issue there is depth right now. We’re just

beat up. We had some new guys playing new positions. They did the best they could do on a short week.�

Rice currently has 14 players out for the season with injuries and 11 more missed Saturday’s game due to short-term ailments.

The team has started eight dierent oensive line combinations in nine games this season, leaning on players with little experience against Division I competition to protect senior quarterback Tyler Stehling. According to Baili, the team’s health problems have greatly aected its performance. “We’ve had a hard time being consistent and we’ve had a hard time staying healthy,â€? Baili said. “Those aren’t two things that help you.

We’re all doing our best. We’ve won one game this year. We’re a better football team than that.�

Rice will look to prove Baili right when it travels to Charlotte to face o against the University of North Carolina, Charlotte on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will not be broadcast on television.

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12

BACKPAGE

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

the Rice Thresher

Life is hard. You’re still recovering from your election watch-party hangover, and now you have to worry about choosing classes for next year? As always, we’re here to help. PAAs and others can give you advice on what you must take, but you can be sure that the best advice on what you should take comes from the Backpage. In particular, we’ve decided to focus on some of the hotter up-and-coming college courses being taught this spring.

COLL 151: INTRODUCTION TO RUNNING SHIT LIKE A BOSS Instructor: David Leebron Learning objectives: Students will get to see firsthand what it’s like to put their big boy pants on to get some shit done. Topics covered will include: the art of the deal, with a special study on the sale of KTRU; how to work a crowd, for which students will review footage of every speech Leebron has given over his Rice career; the handshake; and how to find a powerful and influential spouse, time permitting.

COLL 160: IMPLEMENTING TOTALITARIAN REGIMES Instructor: Lisa Zollner Learning objectives: Do you want to see a beautiful institution descend into mediocrity at the hand of your own dark and twisted vision, but you just don’t know how to do it? Well, look no further. Upon completing this course, students will be proficient in relevant skills for exerting control and maintaining the fear of god in a group. As an added bonus, there will be a guest speaker lecturing on how to make people cry (spoiler: the guest speaker is an onion).

COLL 100: THE ART OF KICKING BACK

Instructors: All of the Rice professors who are “suuuper tenured,” pretty bored and trying to hang Learning objectives: Objectives? Most of us lost our “objectives” awhile ago. At this point, we really just want to add some new people into the group. You see, those of us who have been tenured too long to care anymore usually meet up on the roof of Lovett Hall once a week to let off some steam, have a couple of brewskis, lure squirrels to join us and try to hit anyone wearing a suit with a water balloon. We decided it’d be cool to add some youth to the group, so we’re “teaching” this “course.” If you wanna come by and chew the fat, this course if for you. Only rule: NO SCHOOL TALK.

COLL 420: BIG BLUNT BURNIN’ Instructors: Backpage staff Learning objectives: This course is a multidisciplinary approach to blazing. We will cover historical, biological and spiritual aspects of smoking jah herb. Students will complete the course with a less uptight disposition, slightly relaxed ambitions and a newfound appreciation for life, nature and especially plants. Due to the illicit nature of this course, lectures will be announced in secret most weeks, and there is a strict policy that no narcs may enroll, for obvious reasons (narc-hood is determined by the Backpage using a standardized scale running from “pretty chill” to “total narc”).

The Backpage is satire and written by Riley Robertson. For comments or questions, please email thirsty@rice.edu.

CLASSIFIEDS WANTED

TEACH FOR TESTMASTERS! Dynamic and Energetic teachers wanted. Starting pay rate is $20 to $32 per hour. Flexible schedules. We provide all training, all training is paid, and we pay for travel. Email your resume to jobs@testmasters. com.

RICE ALUM WANTS TUTORING for python web scraping and simple data manipulation, 6 to 10 hrs/month. Can meet you on campus or nearby. Send infor about yourself and required price to olddogtx@hotmail.com

RICE ALUM HIRING tutors for Middle & High School Math, Natural & Social Science, Foreign Language, Humanities, and SAT/ACT prep. Reliable transportation required. Pay is based upon a variety of factors. Contact 832-428-8330 and email resume to siyengar777@gmail.com

DUPLEX UNIT FOR RENT. Newly renovated home with modern touches. Fully furnished 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom. Walking distance from Rice University. Perfect for students or faculty.

Short and long term lease available. Please contact Ryan at 1713albans@gmail.com

TREE HOUSE ARTS + CRAFTS seeking holiday camp instructors! Seeking outgoing and responsible college-aged girls who love kids! Camp dates November 21-23+25 and December 19-23+26-30, 8:45 am-12:15 pm, pay $10/hr. Contact Annie Polasek at treehouseartsandcrafts@gmail.com

OLD SCHOOL TUTORING is looking for Rice students to fill open positions: Mandarin Chinese tutor and Math/Science tutors. Offers schedule flexibility and starting pay at $12.

Located across from Rice! Contact Bob Schmitt at OldschoolASC@gmail.com

The Thresher reserves the right to refuse any advertising for any reason. Additionally, the Thresher does not take responsibility for the factual content of any ad. Printing an advertisement does not constitute an endorsement by the Thresher.

First copy free, second copy $5.

Cash, check or credit card payment must accompany your classified advertisement, which must be received by 12 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication.

Shannon Klein Advertising Manager thresher-ads@rice.edu P.O. Box 1892 Houston, TX 77005-1892 (713) 348-4801