The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, August 25, 2021

VOLUME 106, ISSUE NO. 1 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021

[

Orientation Week for new students quickly shifted Orientation Week activites after reports of many new COVID cases. quickly shifted Above: students party byafter night andreports advisors meet by day in Hanszen’s college commons. ofBelow: many a newnew studentCOVID gets tested atcases. the PCF tents.

Rice reports ~50 students as positive due to COVID-19 testing error, disrupts O-Week

TALHA ARIF

NEWS EDITOR

Rice reported around 50 cases that were mistakenly detected by a specific testing site as positive for COVID-19, according to an announcement sent by Kevin Kirby, chair of the Crisis Management Committee. This situation led to several students unnecessarily isolating or quarantining during Orientation Week.

Following the news that these positive cases were due to a testing anomaly, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman sent an email to the Rice community on Aug. 24 announcing that consumption of alcohol was now permitted on campus and students can resume indoor dining at reduced capacity. Cross-college events that include alcohol are still prohibited.

The first two days of classes were canceled amidst this testing error.

According to Christopher Johns-Krull, chair of the academic restart committee, there is no plan to extend the semester or shorten breaks as a result.

Kirby said Rice ran over 150,000 tests over the past year distributed across their three providers. Initially, results from Rice’s providers this past week showed around 80 positive cases, with one cluster at a specific college, according to Kirby.

“That’s one of the reasons that we really wanted to dig into the data, because these [false] positives were popping up everywhere,” Kirby said. “It was in faculty, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students, all different parts of the campus.”

Unlike the test contamination issue in September leading to 17 false positive cases, Kirby said this situation resulted from a protocol change in how the tests were conducted at one of the sites.

“This wasn’t a case of false positives — it was [an] interpretation of the results, using a new and different test that we had

not been using,” Kirby said. “These weren’t false positives in the classic sense.”

The Institute of Health Metrics at the University of Washington predicts the United States as a whole should see cases peak in the next two to three weeks. The Texas Medical Center reported 9,217 positive cases in the greater Houston area on August 22, compared to 1,069 new cases per day one month ago. Rice’s COVID dashboard reported 29 positive tests since Aug. 13.

Kirby said he expects to see a drop-off in infections in the Houston area, which will affect Rice’s community in tandem, by mid-to-end September at the latest.

“Then, what we’ll do is roll back everything. We may roll back our indoor mask requirements, change the testing requirements, gathering size, all of that,” Kirby said. “You’ll start to see us roll those back once we have a good understanding of our campus and once we start to see [Houston] improve, and we expect to see both of those in much better condition a month from now.”

O-Week Adjustments Araceli Lopez, associate director of First Year Programs, said Rice approached each positive test report during O-Week on a case-by-case basis.

“The Dean’s office, [O-Week] Coordinators and Core Teams were all very thoughtful and strategic on how we moved forward,” Lopez said. “They were constantly thinking of others and adjusting to keep students safe while they assessed their situations while keeping the spirit of O-Week alive.”

Ishaan Rischie, one of the campus wide O-Week coordinators, said decisionmaking was a team effort between the administration and student leaders.

SEE FALSE POSITIVES PAGE 2

Going for gold: Lettenberger’s path to Tokyo REED MYERS

hit me at that moment, and I knew that all the hard work had paid off.”

Making it to Tokyo is a dream come For some, swimming is just a hobby. But for junior swimmer Ahalya true for Lettenberger, a dream that has Lettenberger, it is much more than that; been on her mind since 2013.

“Competing in the Paralympic Games it is her freedom. Lettenberger, who was born with arthrogryposis amyoplasia, means everything to me,” Lettenberger a muscular-skeletal condition in her said. “It has been my dream since I attended my first legs, will fulfill para meet in 2013, a lifelong goal and to have it as she competes finally come true is in the Tokyo When I’m swimming, I something I can’t 2020 Paralympic even describe.

Games in the don’t feel different. I’m just an athlete. Swimming I’m just so excited coming days. and honored to Going into gives me a freedom and represent the USA the Games, sense of belonging that I and to compete in Lettenberger is a competition that ranked third in can’t find anywhere else. truly showcases the world for Ahalya Lettenberger diversity and the 400-meter disability.” freestyle in the Paralympic athlete According to S7 classification.

Her race, which is set for Sunday, will Lettenberger, it was that 2013 para meet be the culmination of a journey that that showed her what was possible in the sport of swimming.

Lettenberger has been on for years. “[The meet] was a smaller meet “I walked out [during the opening ceremony] with my best friend, who where younger swimmers could meet is also at her first Paralympics, and Paralympians. I met so many swimmers our jaws just dropped,” Lettenberger with all different kinds of disabilities, said. “There are really no words to and it made me realize what was describe it, just awe and gratitude. possible. Swimming became a happy That’s when I think it really sunk in that place and something that made me I made it to the Paralympics, and that embrace myself, differences and all.”

I get this incredible opportunity to be This story has been condensed surrounded by so many amazing people for print. Read the full article at from all over the world. Everything just ricethresher.org SENIOR WRITER

THE RICE THRESHER

2 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021

NEWS Rice welcomes largest class, with highest yield rate

Students walk through sallyport during the 2021 matriculation ceremony. brandon martin / public affairs

HAJERA NAVEED ASST NEWS EDITOR

Rice’s incoming class had a record high yield rate, which represents the amount of students who choose to enroll after being admitted, at 44 percent compared with 39 percent last year, according to Vice President for Enrollment Yvonne Romero da Silva. Romero da Silva said 37 percent of students in the incoming class are from Texas, 50 percent are from out-of-state, and 13 percent are international students.

Rice’s incoming class had a 53 percent increase in its international student presence in comparison to previous years, according to Romero da Silva. The class of 2025 is also more internationally diverse than previous classes, with larger representation from countries in Latin America, Africa and Europe.

Romero da Silva said that the testoptional policy Rice implemented for the class of 2025 encouraged more international students to apply. 25 percent of the entire incoming class applied without submitting a test score. In past years, da Silva said that the lack of a test-optional policy limited the types of students that would apply.

“By having [standardized tests] as a requirement for the international population, we were really limiting access to some really spectacular students who

simply didn’t have the chance to [test],” Romero da Silva said. “Maybe [they] didn’t know they were applying to a US school or they are unfamiliar with that kind of assessment, because it’s very different [from] what many students internationally will be exposed to in terms of testing.”

Will Rice College freshman Arjun Kannan, an international student from India, said he did not face issues of accessibility to take the SAT, but he understands how it may be an issue for students in other countries, where the U.S. is not a popular destination for college.

“I think people would have been more confident when applying because of the test optional policy, since they didn’t have to submit test scores,” Kannan said.

“I heard that Rice got a large number of applicants, so I really think that [the test optional policy] was one of the factors, but it wasn’t a factor that affected me personally,” Kannan said.

This year’s class also has a greater percentage of women than men, at 51 and 49 percent respectively, while in the past Rice’s enrolled class was majority male, according to Romero da Silva.

Rice’s office of admissions saw a record number of applicants this year, with just over 29,500 applications, and an enrollment of 250 more students than last year, according to Romero da Silva.

FROM PAGE 1

FALSE POSITIVES “While all official decisions and mandates regarding COVID-19 policies were implemented campuswide by the Rice administration, student leaders did have the freedom to encourage stronger precautions within our own colleges,” Rischie, a Jones College senior, said. “Student leaders, particularly the college presidents, were also involved in shaping Rice’s COVID-19 policies in response to what we were seeing at the residential colleges.”

Student Association President Kendall Vining said she would have liked better communication from the administration. Vining’s platform as SA president emphasized a main focus of transparency with the student body.

Vining said student leaders communicated these frustrations to the administration and they have been well received over the past week.

As a result of COVID-19, the Office of Admissions was unable to host in-person recruiting events for prospective students.

Romero da Silva said this situation forced Rice to be innovative in how to communicate with prospective students.

Rice held virtual information sessions and application advice workshops for students interested in the school.

Wiess College freshman Allison He said that Rice held virtual webinars that they encouraged students to attend to show demonstrated interest in the school.

She said the webinars were helpful for career related information and to provide a general overview of Rice.

“I think I was always super interested [in Rice], so I am not sure if it made an impact on my [decision to apply],” He said. “But every time I would leave a webinar, I wouldn’t leave disappointed.”

Romero da Silva said that through a focus on online marketing, there was a significant increase in the amount of students outside of Texas who demonstrated interest in Rice.

“As we move forward, we imagine a world where our offerings are going to include both virtual and in person [events] once we have the chance to do more inperson travel once again,” Romero da Silva said.

Romero da Silva said that she believes Rice’s response to the COVID-19 crisis

“Already, we are seeing immediate differences in how they communicate with us presidents, and I am sure that will also reflect in future communication from [the] administration to the student body,” Vining said.

Rischie said adapting events in the moment was a stressful process, but he could not be prouder of the efforts to do so.

“It really is a testament to how incredible our student leaders are ... and they deserve the world,” Rischie said.

O-Week Student Experiences Mezthly Pena, a co-advisor at Sid Richardson college, said she chose to self-isolate during O-Week after her friend she had been in contact with tested positive.

“Out of concern for the advising team and my New Students, I chose to self isolate even though Rice policy stated that I did not have to,” Pena, a Duncan College senior, said. “I received an email about two days after the exposure notifying me that I had been exposed, even though I had been isolating for a while at this point in time.”

last year and the positive experiences of students showed prospective students that Rice is a community of people who look out for each other.

“This is not just an education for one person. It’s coming to a school that has a community of people who are looking out for each other. It was evidenced tremendously in the student response to the COVID restrictions and the protocols that were in place, and that was a very different story than what you were hearing play out at other campuses,” Romero da Silva said.

While last year’s incoming class had around 50 students deferring enrollment, due to uncertainty about class delivery amidst the pandemic, this year’s incoming class had around five deferrals which is average for Rice, Romero da Silva said.

Kannan said that his experience during Orientation Week exceeded his expectations of the university, based on his research when applying to Rice.

“I came here thinking about the Rice culture of care, and I read a lot about it.

For someone who was looking at Rice University from the outside, they may think it’s superficial ... but once you are actually here you understand that there is a genuine care for each other, and people are actually helpful and kind to you,” Kannan said.

Lopez said it was not too difficult to adapt to virtual events during the week since a number of events were already virtual, just hosted in an in-person location, and last year provided a framework for this year.

Pena said it was very difficult to miss O-Week activities and said she was barely able to interact with her group during isolation since there were not a large amount of online events.

“Even when I was present at O-Week events, it was quite isolating since I was the only person online,” Pena said. “It felt like I was watching something happen rather than being a part of it. It was very discouraging and emotionally and mentally draining, and the other advisors in isolation with me seemed to have the same kind of sentiment.”

Once students were notified that the tests were falsely detected as positive, Pena said she was able to leave immediately. She had received a negative PCR test and performed a rapid test on herself before leaving.

This story has been condensed for print. Read the full article at ricethresher.org

AD

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021 • 3

NEWS

4 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021

New students struggle to enroll in core classes amidst class expansion

HAJERA NAVEED

According to DesRoches, students had difficulties registering for classes such as MATH 101, COMP 140 and PSYCH 101, During Orientation Week registration, all of which serve as prerequisites for higher level classes many new students within specific majors. faced difficulties DesRoches said the securing seats in administration plans select core classes, This means that we to continue monitoring according to have less flexibility to and Provost Reginald move classes to different enrollment waitlists to ensure that D e s R o c h e s . classrooms, and that students get into their This issue was a required classes this result of a larger also puts pressure on fall and in the future. than expected how many students can Registrar David enrollment for be be registered for a Tenney (Sid Richardson the Class of 2025, College ’87) said that the according to specific class.

Office of Registration DesRoches.

David Tenney faced issues with The new class REGISTRAR classroom assignments has 1,256 students, according to Vice President of Enrollment due to the increased number of sections.

“This means that we have less flexibility Yvonne Romero da Silva. This was about 50 more students than the target of 1200 that to move classes to different classrooms, and that also puts pressure on how many Rice had for this year’s class.

ASST NEWS EDITOR

processing,” Tenney said. “Adjustments and tweaks are still being made.”

Scott Rixner, a professor for COMP 140, said that they will be offering five sections of the class this fall, with an enrollment of more freshmen than ever before. He said they are continuing to do everything they can to let in every freshman who has contacted them while still ensuring a high quality classroom experience.

Madeleine Cluck, an O-Week Peer Academic Advisor, said that many of her new students had difficulty getting into the in-person COMP 140 class. Students also had difficulties getting into a lot of classes that advisors had recommended they take during academic advising sessions, Cluck said.

“The new students were especially stressed when add/drop started because so many of them only got one or two of their classes,” Cluck, a Wiess College junior, said.

“Many were upset [that] they couldn’t take classes a lot of the advisors recommended for freshman, like BIOS 300 and PSYCH 101, because they filled up so quickly.

Cluck said she feels there was a huge mismatch between professors telling new students to explore new academic areas during O-Week and limited class sizes preventing them from doing so.

DesRoches said that when the ILLUSTRATION BY CHLOE XU administration made the decision to expand enrollment last year, several students can be registered for a given departments were provided additional class,” Tenney said. resources to add sections or increase According to Tenney, departments the size of sections to accommodate the have made and are continuing to make increase in the number of new students. adjustments to their enrollment limits Wiess College freshman Edwin Munoz and number of class sections. The office said that he was only able to get into one of registration out of five classes contacted some that he registered for. departments prior to Munoz said he was O-Week registration The new students were unable to get into to inform them especially stressed COMP 140 which was of certain classes required for his major, that might need when Add/Drop started so he was forced additional seats because so many of them to take the online based on past only got one or two of version.

O-Week registration “Although I was their classes. data and the able to get into expected 20 percent Madeleine Cluck the online version increase in new WIESS COLLEGE JUNIOR of COMP 140, I’m student enrollment, still worried about according to Tenney. other people that are trying to pursue a “Throughout this process some [computer science] major but were not departments took action at that time able [to] get into the [introductory] class while others waited until after the request at all,” Munoz said.

Honor Council receives 64 cases in the spring 2021 TALHA ARIF NEWS EDITOR

The Rice Honor Council has received an elevated number of accusations for the past three semesters, ever since the majority of classes shifted to a virtual format. They pursued 64 cases of academic misconduct last semester, according to Honor Council Chair Kaitlyn Crowley. Seventy-one cases were received for the fall 2020 semester and 78 for the spring 2020 semester.

Comparatively, the 2019 fall semester had 28 cases and the semester before that had 35; classes and exams became virtual during the spring 2020 semester. Originally, there was to be no specific guidance from the academic restart committee related to whether exams should be online or in-person for this fall and the decision was the instructor’s, according to Christopher Johns-Krull, chair of the academic restart committee. Johns-Krull said he is unsure now whether anything will change.

“We simply have not had a chance to discuss it now that classes are going online for the first 2 weeks,” Johns-Krull said.

Crowley said she would not attribute a rise in case numbers to a specific reason, since it is hard to extrapolate that information.

“The Honor Council’s job is to procedurally take in cases, adjudicate them fairly,” Crowley said. “We don’t necessarily try to figure out why there are certain cases or

ILLUSTRATION BY CHLOE XU

if the case numbers have increased.”

Nine case abstracts from the spring semester are publicly available on the Honor Council website; of those, six resulted in finding the student in violation. According to Crowley, abstracts that are not publicly available have not been heard yet or involved an alternative resolution. An alternative resolution entails choosing a separate outcome, still documented as a violation, rather than proceeding to a hearing.

The Honor Council did not hold cases over the summer, unlike last year. According to

Emily Garza, director of Student Judicial Programs, last summer was the only summer the Honor Council held hearings and investigative meetings, because members were available due to widespread cancellation of internships and other opportunities.

“It is important to remember that the Honor Council is made up of students, students that have other responsibilities and opportunities during the summer break,” Garza said.

Garza said the Honor Council will continue to conduct virtual meetings and

hearings this fall, and said she sees many benefits to virtual hearings.

“Scheduling for the number of panel members and the accused student is much easier, accused students are able to be present for the hearing, but in a place that feels comfortable to them, and the obvious elimination of potential COVID exposure,” Garza said.

Crowley said the Honor Council will resume cases from the spring starting next week, and that it is normal for cases to be carried over from the spring to the fall.

In addition to adjudicating cases, Crowley said the council holds information sessions to prevent violations and works to educate professors and students during the year.

“Last year, several of our officers worked with some professors for a coding class to rewrite their syllabus and explain why their syllabus might have been worded unclearly, which would make students confused about what was allowed and what was not,” Crowley said.

According to Crowley, the Honor Council is also focusing on ensuring that students in leadership and mentorship roles know how to encourage and guide students in following the Honor Code amidst the changes to a virtual environment.

“It’s definitely something we’re focusing on to make sure people know that there are resources and people to ask questions to for clarification,” Crowley said.

THE RICE THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021 • 5

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Entering a transition period with the Rice Thresher, in print & online! submit a draft to thresher@rice.edu

EDITORIAL

The crisis is not over On May 24 of this year, Chair of the Crisis necessary testing infrastructure to test Management Advisory Committee Kevin everyone upon arrival to campus. There Kirby sent an email to the Rice community, was also a shortage of isolation housing informing everyone that the Crisis due to the volume of students returning to Management Team would “cease its formal campus this fall. Because of this, they were COVID-19 organization and operations” then forced to respond to what appeared to by the end of that week. This came exactly be an influx of positive cases in the midst one week after the Crisis Management of O-Week and quickly reinstate many Team had lifted the indoor mask mandate restrictions.

It was the decision to fully disband CMT for vaccinated individuals, essentially returning campus activity to normal. and reduce testing capacity that created Almost two months prior, President David the reactive situation we found ourselves Leebron had penned a letter signaling the in throughout the month of August. administration’s intent to proceed with a Without the infrastructure to identify and isolate positive relatively normal cases, which fall semester. could have been All in all, it was anticipated due clear that Kirby’s to the prevalence email regarding It was the decision to and higher the cease of CMT fully disband CMT and transmissibility of operations was reduce testing capacity the Delta variant, the culmination of Rice took many a year-long effort that created the reactive steps back to to return a sense situation we found retroactively hinder of normalcy to ourselves in throughout the spread of the campus. the month of August. virus.

The summer To be fair, proceeded without a hitch, with COVID-related indoor- implementing two weeks of remote gathering restrictions being removed on instruction, while reactionary to what June 21. But on Aug. 3, Kirby sent another turned out to be false positives, does email, which stated that, due to the surging provide time to get everyone tested and Delta variant, further restrictions – like allow CMT to determine what restrictions indoor masking except for when actively are needed moving forward. Assuming eating or drinking – would be put in place. everything goes according to plan, and The Aug. 3 email also announced the cases in the Houston area decline as expected, we may see a return to semireactivation of the CMT. Following an apparent surge in normalcy in the next month or two.

But what both Delta and the falsecases during Orientation Week, the administration implemented some positives debacle proved is that things temporary changes: As of Aug. 19, the start rarely go according to plan. Even if the of classes were pushed back two days and situation is better a month from now, and the first two weeks of instruction were now the university is able to roll back most restrictions, we ask that administration not virtual.

Throughout last year, the Rice make a premature decision to disband the community prided itself on staying ahead infrastructure that allows us to contain and of COVID, and never letting the virus combat the spread of COVID-19 on campus. gain any sort of foothold on campus. But As long as the rest of the world is still from Aug. 3 onwards, the administration battling the pandemic, we cannot fully let has been reactive instead of proactive. our guard down. Otherwise, each August They responded late to the Delta surge, will see as chaotic a return to campus as we not providing proper time to set up the witnessed last week.

EDITORIAL STAFF * Indicates Editorial Board member Savannah Kuchar* Editor-in-Chief Ben Baker-Katz* Managing Editor Ivanka Perez* Senior Editor NEWS Talha Arif* Editor Hajera Naveed Asst. Editor Bonnie Zhao Asst. Editor OPINION Nayeli Shad* Editor FEATURES Nicole Lhuillier* Editor

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Morgan Gage* Editor SPORTS Daniel Schrager* Editor BACKPAGE Timmy Mansfield Editor COPY Bhavya Gopinath Editor ONLINE & VIDEO Brandon Chen Web Editor Jasmine Liou Video Editor PHOTO & ILLUSTRATION Channing Wang Photo Editor

Last year, for their welcome letter, our from small details ingrained in the design editors-in-chief gave insight into what it of our text to larger procedural policies looked like as they navigated leading a that we practice as an organization.

The pandemic has highlighted newspaper in the midst of a pandemic.

This year, we’re looking forward to the importance of access to reliable having people back in the office, being information, and our goal at the Thresher together for our weekly meetings in the Rice is to be that source for the Rice community.

This didn’t start for Memorial Center us with COVID-19: and on Tuesday it’s what we’ve production nights been doing for over — just as the Just like every a hundred years Thresher operated organization on campus, now, and whenever two years ago. the world does A year later, the Thresher is still in a return to “normal,” the pandemic transition period as we the Thresher and its continues, though figure out how to navigate staff will continue in many ways the to serve Rice in this c i r c u m s t a n c e s bringing our staff back way. have improved. For together while keeping I started instance, this week everyone safe. working with the our staff was able to be back together in-person to put together paper my freshman year, pre-COVID our first issue, something we sadly never times, as a news writer. I came to Rice had the chance to experience last year. But knowing I wanted to join the Thresher as everyone at Rice knows, the crisis isn’t as soon as I matriculated, after having over. Just like every other organization on toured campus as a high school senior campus, the Thresher is, at best, still in a and reading my first issue in Lovett Hall transition period as we figure out how to (I still have that paper sitting in my closet navigate bringing our staff back together at home). This year, I have the privilege of getting to lead the paper. Simply put, I while continuing to keep everyone safe.

As a member of the last class to have love the Thresher and the people who are experienced a full normal year, I’ve heard a a part of it. I’m excited for all of us on staff lot about the institutional knowledge that to come back together for this next year. our class holds — something I’ve noticed recently at the Thresher as well.

At our first meeting this week, the icebreaker question as everyone filed Savannah Kuchar into the conference room was, “have you EDITOR-IN-CHIEF HANSZEN COLLEGE SENIOR ever been in the office before?” with an overwhelming response of “no.” Last year, we missed out on a year of bonding, as well as learning journalism practices — ranging

ask the

What is your favorite part about being back on campus?

“Bumping into friends and talking until I’m running late”

“Losing my room key during my first week”

MORGAN GAE

SENIOR EDITOR

IVANKA PEREZ

A&E EDITOR

“I missed the water chicken” TALHA ARIF

“Spending all my money at Chaus” BHAVYA GOPINATH

NEWS EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

“Walking into air conditioned buildings”

“Forgetting things are in-person”

BEN BAKER-KATZ

BRANDON CHEN

MANAGING EDITOR

WEB EDITOR

Katherine Hui Asst. Photo Editor Yifei Zhang Illustrator Chloe Xu Illustrator Ndidi Nwosu Illustrator DESIGN Robert Heeter Art Director Anna Chung News Designer Robert Heeter Opinion Designer Katherine Chui Features Designer Ivana Hsyung A&E Designer Katherine Hui Sports Designer BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Karoline Sun Business Operations Deema Beram Social Media Amanda Mae Ashley Distribution

The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper of 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 right to edit letters for content and length and to place letters on its website.

Editorial and business offices are located on the second floor of the Ley Student Center: 6100 Main St., MS-524 Houston, TX 77005-1892 Phone: (713) 348 - 4801 Email: thresher@rice.edu Website: www.ricethresher.org The Thresher is a member of the ACP, TIPA, CMA, and CMBAM. © Copyright 2021

THE RICE THRESHER

6 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021

FEATURES

SA President Kendall Vining talks diversity, pandemic

PHOTO COURTESY KENDALL VINING

NITHYA SHENOY SENIOR WRITER

Before coming to Rice, Martel College senior Kendall Vining was part of the student government in her freshman year of high school. Vining said she didn’t enjoy her role there because students couldn’t do anything. At Rice, however, she found that that was not the case.

“I loved that when I came to Rice and talked to people in the student government, [they] said, ‘We make actual changes,’” Vining said.

She applied for and eventually became a Martel New Student Representative in the Student Association. Vining said she had a great experience as a NSR and later decided to run for Martel SA senator, a position which she ultimately didn’t obtain. Though she was initially upset about losing the senator race, she realized that the loss gave her time to understand what students really need from the student government, she said.

Crossword

First Day

JAYAKER KOLLI AND NIKHAZ OMAR CROSSWORD WRITERS

“I took that year to see what was going on,” Vining said. “I got to have that other perspective that wasn’t coming from a student government lens.

I got to see how disconnected you can be from student government and what’s happening on campus.”

Vining decided to run for Internal Vice President in the SA and ended up winning the position in 2020. However, Vining’s term did not go as predicted. Soon after winning the position, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and derailed plans for the rest of the semester. Vining said she spent most of her time as IVP dealing with the shift from in-person to virtual activities. Last year, she said, was a blur.

Vining said her concern about diversity and inclusion on campus eventually led her to consider running for SA President.

According to Vining, her experience as a Black student at Rice led her to take part in diversity-related projects, such as a list of Black students’ demands.

“Rice has an issue with making Black students feel comfortable and welcome,” Vining said. “When I thought of running for President in the spring, I thought, ‘Rice honestly needs someone like me right now.’ They need someone to hold them accountable for the issues they are having [when it comes to] meeting the bar.”

After winning the SA President election last spring, Vining set out to work on both pandemic-related and nonpandemic-related initiatives. Vining said that as SA President she will ensure that the Rice community discusses diversity, equity and inclusion.

This story has been cut off for print. To read more, visit www.ricethresher.org.

New Students on O-Week O-Week was one of the strangest experiences of my life, and one of the best. While I groaned through mandatory dance-offs and scavenger hunts at 10 p.m. when I was undercaffeinated, it also feels like I have been on campus for years and have made such a good social network. It's a strange type of indoctrination that I think has made my experience immeasurably better."

Information [about the COVID-19 situation] was limited, delayed and often felt sugar-coated. While I’m very glad that Rice took drastic steps to prevent an outbreak, I can’t help but feel frustrated that my once-in-a-lifetime experience was taken from me."

Katherine Jeng HANSZEN COLLEGE FRESHMAN

Alexander Janssen MARTEL COLLEGE FRESHMAN

To see each person that I’ve spoken to and connected with online was just a movie moment. O-Week left me feeling like the main character … Whether good or bad things happened this past week, I say it was good for the narrative."

Zeisha Bennett BAKER COLLEGE FRESHMAN

Many of us were worried about the ongoing Covid-19 cases appearing across campus, and many activities were actually scratched because of them, but the coordinators made sure to continue to provide a fun, and safe, environment."

Diego Palos Rodriguez WILL RICE COLLEGE FRESHMAN

ACROSS

DOWN

1 Lion King antagonist 5 Construct a building 10 Acting degs.

14 Part of the ear or liver 15 M1 Macs, as compared to Intel Macs 16 Course code for the spiritually inclined 17 Idris of “The Wire” 18 “What are _____?!”

19 Precedes Man or Giant 20 Siesta?

22 Christmas beverage 24 One from Belgrade 25 The R in EOLRRF 26 Shocked reactions 28 Drive to Austin, for many Rice students 32 Piece of broken glass, or a London building 33 Diminish 35 ___ and outs 36 Bread or pasta, to a gym bro 37 Hydrochloric and sulfuric 38 Nick show with protagonist Aang 39 Result of the TCA cycle or glycolysis 40 Juice joint 41 Goat cry 42 After-school preschool?

44 Adept with a paintbrush 45 Sum 46 Fox musical show starring Jane Lynch 47 Train tech common in Japan 50 Zone out during a midweek exam 54 Bollywood actress Bhatt 55 Molecule components 57 Lawyer Woods of “Legally Blonde” 58 All-around champion Olympic gymnast Lee 59 HACER’s cultural show 60 Compel into 61 Reddit Q&As 62 Somali-Canadian rapper of “Wavin’ Flag” 63 Where an Owl might get help with their F-1 visa

1 Snow day ride 2 Southern soda 3 Houstonian Govindan of Twitter fame 4 Sponge up again 5 Exits the wrong way?

6 Knee treatment after an ACL tear 7 Hostile teddy bears of Endor 8 Las Vegas tech expo 9 Rodents often found on Rice campus, hatefully 10 Sharp 11 Silver plant of New Zealand 12 Potato, in India 13 2016 animated musical film with ensemble cast 21 Consumed, as a novel 23 Singer Marvin of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" 26 TX fast food chain, home to the HBCB 27 Greek monster that's half-bird, half-human 28 Art movement of Duchamp and Höch 29 Bat mitzvahs and quinceañeras 30 Set jewels into a crown 31 HS National Merit Scholar exam 32 Ga. visual art college 33 Corporate supplier of Wile E. Coyote 34 Rib-eating accessory 37 First animal in the dictionary 38 Natasha Romanoff, for Black Widow 40 Mineral valued in East Asia and Mesoamerica 41 Raised, like cattle 43 French locale across the channel from Dover 44 Stoner of "Camp Rock" 46 Radiation that created the Hulk 47 Dough used to make corn tortillas 48 Graduated Owl 49 Torres of "Suits" 50 LoL competitor, virtually 51 Opposition of the Morlocks in "The Time Machine" 52 Word that often follows a sigh 53 Rx items 56 Foil material

AD

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2020 • 7

Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures ENGAGED. CHALLENGING. GLOBAL.

“Thinking is dangerous,” the political philosopher Hannah Arendt said. In Rice’s Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures, thinking is what our students do across six programs and in at least six languages, covering nearly 3,000 years and across the world, from ancient Greece to modern Europe, the Caribbean and Global Latin America.

We are the only department at Rice in which students can take courses on French citizenship, the Mexican Revolution, German film, Spanish Baroque drama, the literary culture of the Roman Republic and Greek tragedy — all at the same time and in the same semester.

Courses are taught by renowned faculty and study abroad opportunities include Athens, Rome, Paris, Madrid, Leipzig and Berlin and Cuba.

Our students travel the world. They intervene in the world. And they change the world.

CULTURES.RICE.EDU

MAJORS

Classical Studies European Studies French Studies

MINORS

German Studies Latin American Studies Spanish and Portuguese

Classical Civilizations French Studies German Studies

Greek Language and Literature Latin Language and Literature Spanish and Portuguese

THE RICE THRESHER

8 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Rice Dance Theatre revamps their routine

Late Night Bites SHIYU MIAO THRESHER STAFF

Like any other college student, Rice Owls are eager to feed their latenight food cravings. You could buy Cheetos from the vending machine or if you’re looking for something more satisfying, worry no more!

This guide offers the best late night food options close to campus.

oto Courtesy ph

Gogi! st St Oh My250 4 Amher Address: . - 12 a.m.

Hours: 8 p.m

photo courtesy PIN LIM

EMILY MA SENIOR WRITER

The fall of 2021 marks the first semester in which Rice Dance Theatre will have professional dance teachers leading every class. Founded in 1970, RDT is the only organization on campus that trains students in modern dance technique and choreography. In the past, it has occasionally invited professional dance teachers from the greater Houston community to host classes, with fellow students leading the majority of classes.

“This is the only opportunity students have on campus to really train, since Rice doesn’t have a dance major or dance program,” Lindsey Schirn, co-president of RDT, said “We really focus on student choreography, as well as connecting the Houston dance community to the Rice dance community, and that’s a really big part of what our revamp has been.”

Schirn, a Martel College junior, said RDT reached out to several professionals in the Houston community to cover a variety of different dance styles.

“We cover everything from ballet, jazz, modern contemporary to a few fun categories [like] burlesque, street jazz [and] hip-hop,” Katie Kirkpatrick, treasurer of RDT, said.

Altogether, RDT will welcome five instructors for the fall semester: Alex Pandiscio, Joshua Manculich, Alissa

LaVergne, Lori Yuill and Lindsay Cortner.

Given that each has a unique background and style, RDT dancers anticipate receiving a well-rounded dance education.

“One thing that we love is choreographing different styles of dance for our showcases, and learning different styles of dance through our classes,” Kirkpatrick, a Sid Richardson College junior, said. “Everyone was really excited about having professional dancers—who have choreographed and taught for other companies—coming to work with us. In the past, most of the classes were taught by students. It is fun as a student to be able to teach classes, but I think that as a student taking a class from another student, we don’t get to learn as much. ” One of these teachers, Alex Pandiscio (Sid Richardson College ’14), will be stepping in as RDT’s resident ballet master. While the other instructors plan to teach on rotation, Pandiscio will hold a regular session every Sunday. Drawing from his experience dancing in prestigious companies including the Houston Ballet and San Francisco Ballet as well as teaching students in his own ballet school, the Bayou City Ballet School, Pandiscio hopes to integrate RDT dancers into the larger world of classical dance.

“I hope to spark a love of ballet, since that’s my profession and my passion,” Pandiscio said. “Classical ballet teaches a certain focus and discipline from a young

age [and] gives you an outlet for expression, which I think can be very healthy.”

Additionally, as a kinesiology major during his time at Rice, Pandiscio aims to teach the dancers how to gain a better awareness of their bodies in movement by exploring the connection between the body and mind.

“With ballet technique, I want them to be aware of their alignment and posture, to hopefully reduce dance related injuries. That’s an emphasis I have in my ballet teaching: to create healthy joint articulation, and to look at dance technique as a form of injury prevention, so that it can be a nice lifelong activity,” Pandiscio said. “I love dance, because it uses all parts of the body and mind. Not only is it physically strengthening, but it’s intellectually very stimulating.”

RDT’s overall mission remains to connect the Rice dance community with the greater Houston dance scene. With the added help of regular professional dance instruction, this semester will be a new leap in the right direction.

“This is really exciting that we’re forming this bridge between Rice and the Houston dance community,” Schirn said.

“Having this space to look forward to the end of the day — you come back from classes, it’s hard, you’ve had a bad day, to think, ‘I get to go take this class with these amazing dancers and with these incredible teachers.’”

Tiger Noodle

courtesy ph oto

House Address: 2424 Rice Blvd.

Hours: 11 a. m. - 12 a.m.

oto Courtesy ph

ms Ice Crea Amy’s 38 St. am h rn Fa 16 Address: m.

0 a.m. - 12 a.

Hours: 11:3

WEEKLY SCENES AND SCREENS OPEN DANCE PROJECT

PUBLIC POETRY

PRISMATIC TAIWAN

Visit the Moody Center for the Arts’ YouTube channel on Sept. 4 at noon CST to witness a performance by Open Dance Project, a Houston dance company, a response to Erin Curtis’s public art installation “Light Shift” accompanied by live music.

Join Houston Public Library for its final Public Poetry summer series event this Saturday, Sept. 5 at 2 p.m. via Zoom.

Enjoy free live readings from acclaimed poets January O’Neil, Khaya Osborne, Aris Kian and Alexis Mercedes.

Celebrate the past and present of queer Taiwanese cinema during Prismatic Taiwan, a virtual, six-film series.

All films will be available for streaming in the U.S. from Sept. 4 to Sept.

13. Presale series passes are available at a discounted price until Sept. 3, so don’t delay!

Tune in at youtube.com/moodycenterforthearts.

Register online at houstonlibrary.org/ learn-explore/library-events/public-poetry.

Purchase your tickets online at aaafilmfest.org/prismatic-taiwan.

AUDRE LORDE DOCUMENTARY As part of the Goethe Institut’s “Queer as German Folk” exhibit, the documentary film “Audre Lorde — The Berlin Years 1984 to 1992” will be available to digitally stream for free from Sept. 4 10 a.m. CST to Sept.

6 12 a.m. CST. To receive the streaming link by email, register at https://bit.ly/34Jhytn.

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021 • 9

End of an era: Summer Music in Review

JACOB PELLEGRINO

THRESHER STAFF

“HAPPIER THAN EVER”

“THE HOUSE IS BURNING” Isaiah Rashad

Nas

“KING’S DISEASE II”

“BO JACKSON”

“Happier Than Ever” is a stylistic embrace of Billie Eilish’s inimitable vocal performance and more melodic past songs. The “bad guy” singer abandons the heavier sound of many of her previous hits and focuses on an introspection inspired by her single “my future” from 2020. “Happier Than Ever”’s has variety that keeps the listener engaged and allows the album to be interesting on multiple listens.

The album begins with the song “Getting Older,” a reflection on aging from a young musician who has spent many of her formative years in the spotlight after the success of “ocean eyes.” It features reflective lyricism and slower vocals that compliment the deep melancholy of the track.

Songs like “NDA” are closer to the “bad guy” style of Billie’s music and utilize vocal effects to create a haunting atmosphere. However, although the musical style is similar, the lyrics are much more tied to issues with notoriety and personal relationships than the bravado of songs like “bad guy.”

Buoyed by powerful lyricism and a more toned-down production, Eilish’s emotions and personal experiences take the front seat on “Happier Than Ever.”

Starting with the contrast between the cover, a close up of Billie Eilish crying and the positive title, the album is a meditation on unmet expectations and dealing with the pressure and stress of being a public figure.

Almost five years after his proper debut album, Isaiah Rashad returned reinvigorated and refreshed with “The House Is Burning.” Rashad’s debut “The Sun’s Tirade,” was released to widespread acclaim, but shortly after its success, Rashad struggled with addiction. After checking into rehab, Rashad was able to find his way back to stability and recover his ability to record music and form meaningful relationships. This is the Isaiah Rashad that we see on “The House Is Burning.”

The album is a “passion project” for Rashad that he compared to the movie The Hateful Eight and Blade Runner as, “You really have to like the premises of those two movies to get into them.”

The album draws heavily from Southern rap and includes a range of sounds with some more energetic songs and other slower ones. The first single for the album, “Lay Wit Ya,” features a dirty south inspired beat with smooth vocals that see Rashad collaborate with fellow Tennessee rapper Duke Deuce.

Another higher energy cut is “From The Garden” with Lil Uzi Vert. Rashad’s jagged, staccato flow gives the song a sense of movement that is buoyed by horns in its introduction.

On “The House Is Burning,” Isaiah Rashad delivers a varied interpretation of Southern rap. Rashad’s lyricism and smooth vocal delivery create an opportunity for listeners to connect to his healing journey after a difficult year.

Nas released “King’s Disease II” on August 6th, a follow up to the 2020 Grammy winning “King’s Disease,” the album sees Nas in peak form continuing the success of the original.

“King’s Disease II” keeps up Nas’ strong lyricism and production in a longer album that can truly satisfy fans.

Nas’ lyrical storytelling has always been one of the things that makes him an engaging artist to listen to. At his best Nas’ songs tell complex stories and convey a range of emotions not often seen in music. One of the most notable stories on “King’s Disease II” is told on “Death Row East.” Nas recalls ending his beef with Tupac Shakur and the attempt to start Death Row East, an east coast branch of Los Angeles’ Death Row Records. However, the untimely shooting of Tupac in Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996 ended these plans.

The album also features the return of Hit-Boy’s production for Nas, a strong contribution started in “King’s Disease.” Hit-Boy lends a sense of consistency throughout the album and his beats cater to Nas’ storytelling and rapping to elevate the album.

Nas’ “King’s Disease” series has shown consistent quality throughout 2020 and 2021, with “King’s Disease II” an improvement over the already noteworthy original. The combination of Nas and producer Hit-Boy showcases the peak of their abilities and a rare synchronicity between producer and rapper.

Boldy James reunites with producer The Alchemist on “Bo Jackson” to bring his tales of struggle together with meticulously crafted instrumentals.

James and The Alchemist began working together all the way back in 2013 on “My 1st Chemistry Set,” a partnership that was rekindled on 2019’s “Boldface” EP and solidified on the superb 2020 album “The Price Of Tea In China.”

With “Bo Jackson,” Boldy provides vivid imagery and creates vignettes to inhabit, if only for a moment.

Production-wise the album benefits immensely from The Alchemist’s intense attention to detail that allows the lyrics to shine and creates unique and engaging soundscapes.

Another highlight is “Photographic Memories” a track that also includes features from rappers Earl Sweatshirt and Roc Mariano. Much of Alchemist’s best work utilizes looping vocal samples to create a dense baseline that draws listeners into the world of the music. The soaring repetition of the beat creates a trancelike effect that enhances the verses above it.

Like Nas and Hit-Boy, Boldy and The Alchemist amplify each other and work off of one another’s cues to create work that lasts and rewards repeated listening.

“Bo Jackson” is no exception to that rule.

Billie Eilish

REVIEW: PRESSURE MACHINE ADRIAN ALMY

FOR THE THRESHER

Genre: Folk-rock Top Track: “Cody”

Likely most well known for their first two albums, “Hot Fuss” and “Sam’s Town” which include hits like “Mr. Brightside” and “When You Were Young,” the Killers had been staying in roughly the same lane until attempting to rebrand themselves with the high energy, almost delirious “Imploding the Mirage” last August.

As their second album in a little less than a year, it is hard not to view the Killers’ seventh studio album “Pressure Machine” as a continuation of the work they did on “Imploding the Mirage.” However, this is not the case. In fact, “Pressure Machine” is almost but not quite the antithesis of the Killers’ previous album. The high energy pop-rock sound is still present in places, but they move towards a more grounded sound that seems even more heavily influenced by Springsteen style countryrock than the band’s early work was with a Springsteen feature in “Dustland.”

“Pressure Machine” takes the listener on a journey through small town America through the eyes of the people who live there. Each song gives us a vignette painted with a level of detail that makes

it clear that lead singer and keyboardist Brandon Flowers has placed more focus than usual on the song’s lyrics. While this means that the album requires more active listening than the Killers often do, it is effective in portraying the town of Nephi, Utah, where the band’s frontman grew up.

Another facet of “Pressure Machine” that sets it apart is the interview audio clips placed at the beginning of most tracks on the album. Hearing the voices of people like those described in the songs talking about their towns lends the vignettes a level of credibility that they would not have otherwise had.

Over the course of the album, Flowers paints a tragic picture. He describes the many problems of small-town life from the intolerance implied in the audio clips before “West Hills” (“if you don’t fit their mold…”), to the effects of the opioid crisis (which appear throughout the album beginning with “Quiet Town”), to kids who feel trapped by the place they grew up in and the hopelessness that arises from “waiting for a miracle to come” as in “Cody.” Simultaneously, though, Flowers

emphasizes how good many residents feel their communities are both through the songs and the audio prefaces to them: “Families are tight / Good people, they still don’t deadbolt their doors at night,” “good place to live … we’ll be here forever.”

Frustratingly, but likely intentionally, Flowers makes no attempt to provide any sort of catharsis or resolution to these two contradicting narratives. He provides a score of problems but seems to be unable to identify any of their sources. At times, his depiction almost seems naive. In “Pressure Machine,” poverty, depression and drug abuse just exist as a feature of rural America with no signs of ever changing. It is hard to imagine this is the same band that, fifteen years ago, released an album as critical and disdainful of this same environment as “Sam’s Town” was. Perhaps Flowers has simply aged out of this mindset

Frustratingly, but likely intentionally, Flowers makes no attempt to provide any sort of catharsis or resolution Adrian Almy FOR THE THRESHER over time, but the dissonance between these two narratives frustrates listeners.

Aside from this, “Pressure Machine” is a very good addition to the Killers’ portfolio.

The more introspective lyrics work really well with the more country-rock instrumentals, especially in the album’s

Boldy James

This story has been condensed for print. Read the full article online at ricethresher.org.

title song, and when the band does return to their standard pop rock formula, as they do with “In The Car Outside” it provides an interesting contrast with the rest of the album. In addition, while some of the more narrative driven songs like “Desperate Things,” in which a cop murders the abusive husband of his girlfriend, come off a little bit forced, especially the tone change in the last two minutes of the song, it seems like a very promising route for Flowers to continue pursuing in the future.

While no particular song stood above the others to me, this was more an effect of the album being consistently good than it was the album lacking strong songs. If I had to pick a favorite however, it would likely be “Cody” which feels closer to R.E.M.-style classic rock than the rest of the album, which causes it to pull focus from the surrounding tracks. On the other hand, my least favorite track is probably the opening song “West Hills.”

On first listen, when expecting “Pressure Machine” to be more like “Imploding the Mirage,” it was interesting simply because it was surprising. However on subsequent listening, the lyrics seem like they are lagging behind the instrumental in an unsettling way that does not really fall in with the rest of the album. It perhaps would have worked if the song had not also maintained that speed for its entire almost six minute duration.

Ultimately though, “Pressure Machine” takes a rather surprising direction from the Killers’ rebranding less than a year ago, reminding listeners that they still have a lot of versatility left to explore.

“Pressure Machine” is available for purchase and to stream through all major platforms.

THE RICE THRESHER

10 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021

SPORTS After abrupt tournament exit, No. 23 volleyball looks to bounce back DANIEL SCHRAGER SPORTS EDITOR

The Rice volleyball team entered last season’s NCAA tournament on a tear. They were coming off of an undefeated conference regular season, ranked No. 24 in the country and just a few weeks removed from a win over No. 2 University of Texas, Austin. But just as they were set to take on the North Carolina A&T in the first round, they were met with some heartbreaking news. Due to a positive COVID-19 test within the team, they would be forced to drop out of the tournament. According to junior setter Carly Graham, the sudden end to their season was devastating for a team looking to prove itself among college volleyball’s best.

“To put it simply, it sucked,” Graham said. “We all knew the potential we had and how much we all wanted to compete in the NCAA tournament last year. We all really felt we were going to do something truly special.”

Now, the Owls are back and looking to rebound from last season’s heartbreak.

They enter the season ranked No. 23 in the country, and return every member of last year’s team. As they look towards their new season, Graham said that the team is turning last year’s disappointment into motivation.

“I think it 100% [made] us stronger and [lit] a fire towards getting another chance [to do] even more,” Graham said.

If the Owls want to get back to the tournament this year, they figure to lean heavily on a trio of first team all-conference selections in Graham, junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle, and the reigning Conference USA player of the year in senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon. Together, they powered an offense that ranked no. 17 in the nation in kills and no. 19 in hitting percentage last year. But according to Lennon, the key to their success this year will be the improvement of their young core. Last year’s team had nine underclassmen, out of 14 total

members, making them one of the youngest teams in the conference. With another year of experience under their belt, Lennon said that these players can elevate the team.

“Our players who were young last year now have extra confidence thanks to their experience,” Lennon said. “We have had many new leaders on our team emerge who did not necessarily hold [leadership roles] last season. I think that is the biggest improvement our team has made in our short time off.”

The team opens its season in Columbia, South Carolina, with games against No. 9 University of Pittsburgh, and the University of South Carolina on August 27 and 28, before welcoming No. 14 University of Oregon to Tudor Fieldhouse. Their slate of non conference games includes a handful of notable matchups, including one against No. 10 Baylor University, but perhaps none will be more highly anticipated than their September 22 bout against No. 1 Texas, whom Rice will look to knock off for the third straight season. According to head coach Genny Volpe, the team’s experience will be crucial during this tough stretch.

“We are starting this season with some pretty tough matches,” Volpe said. “The more experienced roster will definitely help.”

After that, the Owls will turn to conference play, which begins on September 25 against the University of North Texas. Their 12 game conference schedule concludes in early November, before the team gets set for the conference tournament. According to Lennon, winning the conference is one of the team’s goals for this season, after finishing as runner-ups two years in a row.

But the Owls will face stiff competition for the C-USA crown in the form of Western Kentucky University. The Hilltoppers, who enter the season ranked no. 16, have been the dominant force in C-USA as of late, winning the conference title in six of the past seven seasons and beating the Owls in the

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon attempts a spike during a recent scrimmage. Lennon and the Owls begin their season this week and are ranked No. 23 in the country.

conference final each of the past two years.

While they have their sights set on winning the conference, Volpe said that it would be a mistake to think the team is thinking that far ahead.

“Our goal this season mainly is to improve on a daily basis, and let the wins take care of themselves,” Volpe said. “We like to take one match at a time, and know that if we do that, and trust the process, good things will happen.”

While the team is focused on the season ahead, four months later, last year’s heartbreak still lingers. According

to Lennon, they have adopted “unfinished business” as their unofficial motto for the year. After not getting a chance to prove themselves in the tournament last season, Lennon said the team is motivated, and ready to take college volleyball by storm.

“We believe that we had the potential to go far into the tournament last year,” Lennon said. “Knowing that we return all the same players plus two more [incoming freshmen], we are extra motivated to show the nation what our team can do.

NCAA volleyball has no idea what’s coming for them.”

No. 23 soccer aims to build off of record-setting season PAVITHR GOLI SENIOR WRITER

The Rice soccer team kicked off their season on Thursday, less than four months removed from their run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament last season. After a season where they won the third Conference USA title in program history, the Owls entered this year ranked No. 16 in the country.

However, according to junior goalkeeper Bella Killgore, the squad sees this upcoming season as a fresh start, and isn’t dwelling on last season.

“I think we are trying to not think about last season and just start fresh and work hard everyday,” Kilgore said.

Instead, head coach Brian Lee said that team is focused on growing and progressing over the course of the season, “I am just looking forward to the opportunity to grow as a team and continue making progress on the field and in our team culture,” Lee said.

The team was faced with the challenge of improving despite a shortened offseason caused by both the coronavirus pandemic, which postponed their most recent season

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

The Rice soccer team celebrates a goal against Stephen F. Austin University. The Owls entered the season ranked No. 23 in the country and are off to a 2-0 start.

soccer team to play in until the spring last season, and their tournament run. While shorter than a normal offseason, the past few months have offered players the opportunity to grow as they also look to acquire new roles on the team.

Second year freshman midfielder Catarina Albuquerque said that she used the offseason to improve her skills as a player and also wants to apply her past experiences to continue her growth this upcoming season.

“Throughout the offseason, I just worked on fitness and going over my technical ability on the ball,” Albuquerque said. “I also want to apply the experience that I gained and the advice I received from the older players to this upcoming season.”

Kilgore, who was named first team all C-USA last season, hopes to utilize her experiences as a fourth year player (although technically still a junior due to pandemicrelated eligibility rules) to be a better leader on the team and help the younger players. “[As a fourth-year player], I want to show up everyday, work hard, and communicate on the field,” Kilgore said. “I hope to set a good example [to the younger players].

The team will have to replace five seniors from last year’s team who left the program.

However, the Owls do return 20 players, including fifth-year senior defender Mijke Roelfsema, who was one of 15 semifinalists for last year’s Hermann Trophy, given to the top player in women’s college soccer. Junior

midfielder Delaney Schultz, who was named to the Hermann Trophy watch list for this season, also returns.

Another difference from last season is the return of fans to Holloway Field, and a season that is nearing normalcy. Both Coach Lee and the players said they are being cautiously optimistic about the effect the pandemic will have on their season.

“Hopefully, at home, the return of students is a big deal. Student turnout is a massive part of home field advantage in college sports and it makes the game more fun for all the college athletes involved,” Lee said. “It is always a boost when you add the student body bonding with the student athletes.”

So far, the Owls are off to a strong start.

They have won each of their first two games to start the season, with a 4-0 victory against Sam Houston State University in their season opener and a 2-0 victory against Stephen F. Austin University this past Sunday. Their non-conference schedule is highlighted by a stretch of consecutive games against the University of Texas, University of Houston, and Southern Methodist University in early September.

They will begin their C-USA title defense against the University of Texas, El Paso on September 16.

The Owls will continue their season away against Houston Baptist University on Friday, August 27.

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021 • 11

Owls at the Olympics SHILOH MILLER FOR THE THRESHER

Many people might think that in order to become an Olympian, one must dedicate every ounce of time and energy to sport.

While reaching an elite level requires sacrifices, two Owl alumnae are shining examples that athletes can reach the Olympic level while excelling in outside pursuits.

Two Rice graduates, Erica Ogwumike and Ariana Ince, competed at the highest level in their respective sports at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer.

Ogwumike, a decorated member of the Rice women’s basketball program from 2017-20, was selected to compete in Tokyo with the Nigerian basketball team. Although she was born in Texas, Ogwumike was eligible to compete for Nigeria since her parents are natives of the country. Ince, a track and field alumna who graduated from Rice in 2011, represented Team USA in the javelin throw.

Ogwumike and Nigeria were unable to advance out of their bracket, going 0-3 in a challenging group made up of the United States, France, and Japan. Ogwumike contributed three rebounds and three assists across 15 minutes, but didn’t manage to get on the scoreboard. Ince finished No. 15 in Group B with a throw of 54.98m. While these may not be the results either Owl hoped for, they both felt proud to make Olympic rosters while balancing their work off the court or track.

Ogwumike attends University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, and in only her first summer as a medical student, she embraced the challenge of

managing multiple research projects while participating in the Tokyo Games.

This busy schedule is nothing new to Ogwumike, who was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA before starting at UT Southwestern. Her entire first year of medical school was spent hustling off of the court after workouts to attend lectures, studying in any downtime she had between meetings and training sessions, preparing and watching lecture videos in advance or even leaving practices early to attend classes.

Ogwumike documents her experiences on her YouTube channel, capturing her hard work and tightly packed schedule as she manages school and sport while preparing for and traveling to Tokyo. According to Ogwumike, her dedication paid off when she was able to realize her goal of being both a medical student and an Olympian.

“I am shocked, I am stunned that I am a freaking Olympian,” Ogwumike said in a video posted to her YouTube channel. “It’s just surreal to know that when you have a plan, you work at it, it can work out.”

According to Ogwumike, she hopes her Olympic experience will serve as proof that it’s possible to do multiple pursuits at a high level.

“I hope to be a small symbol of representation for those who have multiple passions,” Ogwumike said in the same video. “It is possible.”

It seems only fitting that Ogwumike returned from the Games with only a few days to spare before jumping right back into her second year of medical school classes.

Ince is another example that pursuing multiple passions at elite levels is possible.

COURTESY YIDI WANG

Former Owl Erica Ogwumike dribbles in a game during the 2019-20 season. Ogwumike and fellow Rice alumna Ariana Ince both participated in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

She is the current owner of m-erg, an ergonomic consulting firm based in Houston. Additionally, she works 40-hour weeks for California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund. When asked how she manages her own business, works as an ergonomist for the state of California, and maintains her training routine, Ince said that, going back to her days at Rice, she has always thrived when she is busy.

“I do better when I am a little bit busier,” Ince said. “I’ve always operated like that. I played six sports in high school.

At Rice, I was an engineering major. I was an O-week coordinator. I was on the track team. I was active in my college. It’s what I have always done.”

Now, at the age of 32 and one of the oldest first-time Olympians, Ince said that she approached the Olympics with the same balance that she approaches everything in her life. While she took everything in and enjoyed seeing her friends and competitors from other countries, she said that her mindset was also to focus on what she was there to do.

“I spent a lot of time focusing on technique stuff,” Ince said.“There would be moments in the village where I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m at the Olympics, this is crazy’.

But most of the time, I was just focusing on what I was trying to do. I was just kind of living in the moment. I’m not the type of person who takes a bunch of photos, so I was just walking around, talking to people, enjoying the experience, and now I have I think three photos from the Games.”

As for her next step, hopefully Ince can add to that photo collection at the next Olympics in Paris in 2024. According to Ince, her ultimate goal is to train through 2025, before transitioning away from her track and field career.

“For track and field, 2025 is a world championships year and that world championships is supposed to be held somewhere in Africa. My first international competition was a track meet in Africa.

So that feels like a really cool bookend to my international career and I just want to keep training through that.”

BACKPAGE

12 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021

TONIGHT ON OWL NEWS: COMMUNISM INFILTRATING AMERICAN EDUCATION? Is Rice University becoming a communist state? If you don’t know, Rice is a small left-wing extremist university known everywhere as a critical race theory reeducation camp. In the wake of unpatriotic socialist Joe Biden’s election, Rice has become even more radical in its corruption of the innocent American youth. Overpopulation, virulent diseases ravaging the populus, and the forced migration of students to Old Sid. Just last year, Rice catered to the snowflake generation by making the SAT optional, and now they’re going as far to drop arrival COVID testing.

Whatever happened to meritocracy and the American dream? Back in my day, we used to have to study to pass the coronavirus test.

Worse even, insider whistleblowers have leaked that corruption within the Deep Administration has led to a new plague being covered up as “false positives”. The brave patriots who dared to speak out about this conspiracy have been forcefully relegated to last year’s isolation housing, where their basic rights of privacy are being abridged.

The poor people of Old Sid have even resorted to jacking off in front of their windows as a cry for help. God save their souls.

Check in next week for updates on the new One Intro Course Policy, restricting New Students to taking only one intro course from their major to account for Rice’s rampant population growth.

The Backpage is the satire section of the Thresher. For comments or concerns, please email dilfhunter69@rice.edu.

CLASSIFIEDS

WANTED

FOR RENT: Studio garage apartment. 2340 McClendon near campus. Recently updated.

Free wi-fi and free electricity. Call Kathy Austin 713-252-6727. Email kathleenaustin@hotmail.com

ADVERTISING

We accept display and classified advertisements. 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.

Display advertisements must be received by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication.

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.

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