The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, September 8, 2021

VOLUME 106, ISSUE NO. 3 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

‘CLB’ is a good listen but nothing new JACOB PELLEGRINO

THRESHER STAFF

Classes with over 50 students expected to remain virtual unless petitioned ILLUSTRATION BY CHLOE XU

BONNIE ZHAO

ASST NEWS EDITOR

Rice University announced last week that classes with over 50 students are expected to be delivered remotely unless instructors of those classes successfully request an exemption to teach face-to-face, according to an email sent by the Office of the Provost.

Christopher Johns-Krull, the speaker of the Faculty Senate, said that the decision to have larger classes held online was to provide an extra layer of safety against potentially large COVID spreading events.

“We have no indication that the classroom has spread the disease, we don’t know for sure,” Johns-Krull said. “But we know that the Delta variant is more transmissible. So we’re trying to watch out for safety as best we can given the information that we have.”

Provost Reginald DesRoches said Rice uses dynamic risk assessment to adjust the strictness of their public health policies strategy.

“While we have no evidence that classes greater than 50 would be less safe, we are

acting out of an abundance of caution as the population dynamics of [the delta variant] remain poorly understood and the number of cases in the Houston area remains high,” DesRoches said.

DesRoches said that the longevity of the policy depends on the COVID-19 conditions on campus and in the surrounding

We have no indication that the classroom has spread the disease, we don’t know for sure. But we know that the Delta variant is more transmissible.

Christopher Johns-Krull

SPEAKER OF THE FACULTY SENATE community.

“The Crisis Management Advisory Committee meets multiple times a week to assess the latest surveillance data and adjust university policy to achieve the best

balance of health and safety safeguards and [meaningful] in-person learning experience,” DesRoches said.

Johns-Krull said there is a possibility that this policy may be for the full semester, but that it also may be temporary depending on the situation.

According to Johns-Krull, professors that believe the nature of their material works better in in-person format are encouraged to talk with their deans, their department chairs, and the provost to come to the best solution for a given class, depending on its particular needs.

“We do recognize that classes, and some classes more than others, really don’t function as well online as they do in person,” Johns-Krull said. “So [it’s] a balancing act to try and preserve both the educational experience and the overall safety [of our community]. Trying to strike that right balance is a little uncertain.”

Noah Spector, a Baker College freshman, created a change.org petition in response to the policy, calling for the administration to give professors the choice to teach in person.

SEE VIRTUAL CLASSES PAGE 3

On “Certified Lover Boy,” Drake continues to prove that consistency is key — at least for him. Essentially delivering the same type of music that he has for years, Drake created a highly polished and enjoyable listen, even if he doesn’t really do anything new. “CLB” is drenched in Drake’s perennial themes of heartbreak and braggadocio, along with the strong features and glossy production typical of his work.

Although “CLB” was heavily delayed throughout the past year, Drake continued his release strategy from “Scorpion” by dropping a second “Scary Hours” EP to help satisfy fans as they waited for new music. After the album’s release, the release cycle of “Scorpion” further repeated itself as Drake broke his own streaming record for an album debut, becoming Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day.

The album cover features twelve pregnant women emoji with different skin tones, hair colors and shirt colors. After Drake posted the cover artwork on his Instagram, fans were surprised to learn that it was, in fact, the official album artwork and not just a promotional image.

After albums primarily featuring himself on the cover, Drake’s choice of the emoji cover seems odd and out of place. Along with the title, “Certified Lover Boy,” the cover seems like an immature dedication to promiscuity, a sign of the 34-year-old rapper’s lack of growth.

Drake consistently crafts strong intro tracks, and “Champagne Poetry” on “CLB” is no exception. Using the beat from Masego’s “Navajo,” which samples The Beatles’ “Michelle,” Drake raps about fatherhood, his success, social justice and the pressures of fame. The looping production and pitched-up Beatles sample create an entrancing sound that enhances Drake’s long verses.

Recent scrutiny of Drake’s actions — from being called out for displaying his wealth in a music video released during the COVID-19 pandemic to criticism for not using his platform to help when a friend was killed —is explored on the song.

Drake also addresses the “charges being laid” and what he sees as “sweetheart deals” from judges in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests and unrest in response to police brutality and the loss of Black lives in the United States over the last year.

Another highlight of the album is the Travis Scott feature, “Fair Trade,” SEE CERTIFIED LOVER BOY PAGE 8

The Bayou Bucket: The story behind the ‘ugliest trophy in sports’ DANIEL SCHRAGER

SPORTS EDITOR

David Bailiff cherished the two times that he won the Bayou Bucket during his tenure as the Rice head football coach from 2007-2017. But that doesn’t mean he has any misconceptions when it comes to the trophy’s appearance.

“The trophy is as ugly as can be,” Bailiff said. “But it’s so valuable when you win it.”

When the Rice football team hosts the University of Houston this Saturday, the two teams compete for the right to lift the Bucket, a 47-year-old dented piece of metal mounted on a trophy that has been awarded to the winner of every Rice-UH football game since 1974. The trophy is overseen by the Touchdown Club of Houston, a local organization dedicated to football-related causes in the city. According to Neal Farmer, executive director of the Touchdown Club, the trophy began as an idea in 1974.

“For years, the Touchdown Club had a luncheon [for the University of] Texas, [Austin]-Texas A&M [University game],” Farmer said. “In 1974, some of the guys [at] the Touchdown Club said ‘well if we do something for Texas-Texas A&M, we need to do something for Rice-Houston.’

So they got [together] with the two coaches, [Al] Conover and [Bill] Yeoman, and they agreed to have a luncheon before the game.”

Once the coaches were on board, the club had to find a way to draw attention to their event, according to Farmer.

“They sat around and one of the guys [there] said ‘how can we promote this?’”

Farmer said.

Inspired by the Old Oaken Bucket given to the winner of the game between Purdue University and the University of Indiana, the Touchdown Club’s board decided to create a trophy for the game made out of a bucket. But they still needed a name.

“It took them two meetings,” Farmer said. “Finally [former Texas football player Delano Womack asked], ‘what’s

It took them two meetings [to come up with a name]. Finally [Delano Womack asked], ‘what’s Hoston known for?’ and [Fred Curry] said, ‘dirty bayous.’”

Neal Farmer EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TOUCHDOWN CLUB OF HOUSTON Houston known for?’ and [former Rice football player Fred Curry] said ‘dirty bayous.’”

From then on, the trophy was known as the Bayou Bucket. According to Farmer, Curry stumbled upon the perfect bucket for the trophy one day while out shopping with his wife in New Braunfels.

“They found this old beat up bucket.

So he bought the bucket and had a guy he knew put it on a trophy, and that’s how the Bayou Bucket came [to be],” Farmer said.

Between buying the bucket and getting the trophy made, the Bayou Bucket cost the Touchdown Club a total of $179. The trophy was first awarded in the 1974 meeting between the two teams at Rice Stadium, a 21-0 UH win. In the two teams’ 39 games since its inception, the trophy has seen its fair share of college football history.

In 1989, UH beat Rice by a score of 640. According to Farmer, just moments after lifting the Bucket, Houston quarterback Andre Ware found out that he had won the Heisman Trophy.

SEE BAYOU BUCKET PAGE 11

2 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

THE RICE THRESHER

NEWS

Houston hospitals near capacity as delta variant spreads

Percent of ICU beds occupied 80

85

90

95

100

Percent ICU beds occupied at selected TMC hospitals

96.0%

Memorial Hermann

100%

Houston Methodist

78.8% Baylor St. Luke’s

88.6%

Texas Children’s Hospital

97.6%

Texas Medical Center & Rice University

Harris Health System INFOGRAPHIC BY PRAYAG GORDY

HAJERA NAVEED AND PRAYAG GORDY

be another 100,000 to 200,000 deaths from COVID-19 by the end of the calendar year.

The rising number of COVID-19 cases “Just because [the cases are] not going at Rice so far this school year reflects up doesn’t mean it’s good,” Klotman the severity of the latest surge of the said. “I think we have a long haul over pandemic within the Houston area. the next month or so as we come down According to data provided by the Texas off of the peak, assuming that’s what it Medical Center, August saw a record-high is.”

Rice has recently seen a rise in people number of COVID patients hospitalized at the Texas Medical Center, along with testing positive for COVID-19, with more 69,174 confirmed cases countywide than 100 cases since Aug. 13. The majority — second only to the 71,996 cases in of infected people had mild symptoms January, when less than 3 percent of and none were hospitalized, Kevin Harris County residents were vaccinated. Kirby, chair of the crisis management Rice hosted a COVID-19 panel advisory committee, wrote in a Sept. 7 composed of university administrators campuswide email.

Klotman said that Rice’s positivity and infectious disease professionals from the Texas Medical Center on Aug. rate is expected because of the vaccine’s 18 to address the community’s concerns 80 to 90 percent efficacy against the regarding the Delta variant and Rice’s Delta variant. He said that the vaccines are working exactly as predicted by response.

Paul Klotman, president of the Baylor dramatically altering the course of the illness and the College of outcome.

Medicine, said “People are in the panel that forgetting that within about six Just because [the cases breakthrough weeks the Delta are] not going up doesn’t infections happen all variant has mean it’s good. I think we the time. I’ve had the become about flu two years when I 90 percent of have a long haul over the have been vaccinated the viral strain, next month or so as we against the flu,” because it is come down off of the peak, Klotman said. “The much more difference is a two infectious than assuming that’s what it is. day illness instead of the original Paul Klotman a ten day illness and strain of BCM PRESIDENT dying.”

COVID-19.

He Klotman said the Rice student said that the number of cases continues body should encourage unvaccinated to rise steadily.

“We are hopeful that this peak will be students to get vaccinated. 96 percent steep up and steep down,” Klotman said of undergraduate students reported in the panel. “The worst case scenario is being vaccinated according to Aug. 22 if people don’t wear masks and mobility survey data, with an overall community around the country returns to pre- vaccination rate of 91 percent.

“You wouldn’t want to be in a pandemic levels, then the peak can go dormitory with somebody who wasn’t out to late September or early October.”

In an interview with the Thresher, vaccinated against meningitis, believe Klotman said that the Texas Medical me,” Klotman said. “I wouldn’t want Center is still in the midst of a peak with to live in a dorm with people who are a large caseload and high hospitalization unvaccinated from coronavirus. How do rates. He also said he predicts there will you escape getting infected from them?”

ASST NEWS EDITOR AND SENIOR WRITER

Yousif Shamoo, vice provost for research, “I don’t have a problem with a small said that the existence of vaccinated, group of people in their dorm having asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 presents dinner together,” Klotman said. “If it’s its own sets of challenges within the Rice a large gathering where you don’t know community. what the vaccination status is … so you “When the vaccines came out, the popular don’t know if the person next to you prediction was that is unvaccinated, even if the vaccine I would be did not completely uncomfortable.” s u p p r e s s It turns out people Shamoo said production of the who are vaccinated that Rice often virus in the host, makes decisions out can still produce very the amount of virus of an abundance produced would be large amounts of virus of caution, even greatly reduced,” comparable to somebody if some policy Shamoo, who decisions may not without a vaccine, and conducts research be received well in antimicrobial they can be asymptomatic. by the student resistance, said. “It Yousif Shamoo body, such as the turns out people decision to ban VICE PROVOST FOR RESEARCH who are vaccinated indoor drinking. can still produce very large amounts of virus Klotman said that while the existing comparable to somebody without a vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine cannot fully prevent and they can be asymptomatic.” infection from the Delta variant, they are Shamoo said that Rice continues to update vital for reducing the severity of illness its COVID-19 policies to adapt to the most and associated symptoms. Since the roll recent scientific data regarding the virus. He out of vaccines, only 0.2 percent of people said that Rice tries to interact with as many hospitalized with COVID in Texas have pre-published data and as much advice been fully vaccinated. from experts at the Texas Medical Center During the panel, Kirby reminded the as possible when making COVID-19 policy community that the vaccine survey is decisions. required for all Rice community members.

“I know folks sometimes get a little bit Jerusha Kasch, director for institutional frustrated with science sometimes, because crisis management, also said in the forum as we learn things we change our mind about that she urges students to fill out the things,” Shamoo said in the forum. “But public health form if exposed to COVID-19 that’s the nature of epidemiology, you have and to be cooperative with the contact to respond to what the virus is telling you and tracing team. act accordingly.”

“I can tell you that when people Klotman said that colleges across the willfully disregard the public health country are facing a surprising number of policy that we have put in place, the outbreaks and making policy decisions to consequences are severe, and we have prevent this is difficult. taken action against people who we have “Every university is struggling with this,” found to violate our policies,” Kirby said.

Klotman said. “There are no right or wrong Rice Emergency Medical Services answers to this. I know the administration is Director Lisa Basgall encouraged trying to protect the students and protect the students to monitor their health regularly teachers so they are doing everything they and call Student Health Services or REMS if assistance is needed. Basgall also said can.”

Klotman said he would be uncomfortable that many Texas Medical Center facilities eating indoors without knowing the offer 24/7 telehealth services for students seeking medical care. vaccination status of everybody in the room.

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • 3

Guest swipe program donations to return this semester JULIANA PHAN

THRESHER STAFF

The Guest Meal Swipe Donation program will return to Rice this semester as a collaborative effort between the Student Association, Student Success Initiatives and Housing and Dining. The program allows undergraduates with a Type A meal plan, required for all oncampus students, to donate some or all of their five meal guest swipes to offcampus students facing food insecurity.

According to William Tsai, the SA Senator at Will Rice College, the program collects donations of guest swipes at the beginning of the semester that are then redistributed by H&D and SSI as packages to eligible students. Tsai, who began working on the program last year alongside then-SA President Anna Margaret Clyburn, said that student eligibility was determined through an application and their financial aid information.

Shelah Crear, the director of SSI, said that last semester, a total of 31 students were able to receive 45-meal packages.

According to Crear, the program started the donation and application process earlier compared to last year so that students CHANNING WANG / THRESHER have more time to use their meal swipes.

This semester, students are able to The Guest Meal Swipe Donation program will return to Rice this semester. The program collects donations of guest swipes at the beginning of the donate their guest swipes through the semester that are then redistributed by H&D and SSI as packages to eligible students.

Swipe Donation Form until Sept. 10. of it, but we are still going to try our Students can request to receive swipes Castillo, a McMurtry College junior, said. more of their guest swipes were unused.

Dean of Undergraduates Bridget through the program by filling out a form “My role last spring was mainly to best to push the program and get those Gorman previously said not enough advertise the program to the greater guest swipes donated for the people that with the SSI, due Sept. 13.

Jazmine Castillo, vice president students participated in the program student body, because … it’s a program need it,” Tsai said. “[Last semester], of Rice Questbridge, said while she during the fall 2020 semester, preventing that not many people know about,” Tsai the [donated swipes] were all used, so thinks the guest swipe program is an the full implementation of the program. said. “We really wanted to push those we actually had a shortage at the end …

By spring of 2021, donations and make sure that students And so that’s also a motivation for us to extremely valuable H&D Director who knew they weren’t going to use those continue building off of that and make resource, it could sure that everyone who requests a swipe be better promoted David McDonald swipes could donate them.”

Ben Firullo, a senior at Lovett College, hopefully gets one and gets the food that said that a total of and advertised. This is a recurring issue 1,443 meal swipes said that he knows very little about the they need.”

Q u e s t b r i d g e that I’ve seen this year as Thomas Kovac, a junior at Wiess is a national were donated program and if it would be accessible well, that many students, College, said that he does plan to donate organization and reallocated enough for him to participate.

“I don’t know much about the guest swipes but would also like to see through the that partners especially FGLI students, r e i n s t a t e d program, but I think I’d [donate] if it were an expansion of the existing program, with colleges don’t hear about resources automatic, and at the end of the semester such as allowing for donation of unused program. and universities like the guest swipe Tsai said he my leftover guest swipes just got carried swipes. to provide “I don’t always get breakfast, so attributes some over and donated,” Firullo said. e d u c a t i o n a l initiative... without hearing Castillo said she would prefer for instead of wasting those swipes I’d like of that success to opportunities for about it via word of mouth the realities of the rollover of donated swipes to the next to see them go to other students,” Kovac f i r s t- g e n e r a t i o n from other students. ongoing COVID-19 semester since they are allocated relatively said. l o w- i n c o m e Castillo said the program has helped pandemic as late in the semester. students.

Jazmine Castillo well as expanded “This is a QUESTBRIDGE VICE PRESIDENT With the loosening of COVID-19 take stress off her shoulders by allowing advertising efforts. restrictions, Tsai said that he thinks her to have reliable access to meals at the recurring issue that I’ve seen this year as well, that many Compared to fall of 2020, when the the program may receive fewer donated servery. students, especially FGLI students, don’t program was first established by Clyburn, swipes than last semester as more “[It] also relieved some of the social hear about resources like the guest swipe Tsai said more students knew they would students bring guests to campus. barriers of being an off-campus student initiative ... without hearing about it via invite fewer friends and families to visit “I’m assuming that the numbers will with on-campus peers during meals,” word of mouth from other students,” campus because of the pandemic, so even go down this semester, just by the nature Castillo said.

FROM PAGE 1

VIRTUAL CLASSES

According to Johns-Krull, the original policy already gives professors the option to teach in-person.

“They do need to file a petition with the Provost, in large part to make sure everything is tracked in our records properly,” Johns-Krull said. “But faculty do already have this choice.”

Spector said that he was prompted to create the change.org petition after he was told that ECON 100, a class with nearly 600 students and broken into sections, will remain online. “[We] were so excited about getting back in the classroom … [and our professor] was so excited about getting back in the classroom,” Spector said. “It was completely devastating to hear him say ‘Nope, sorry’ and have it completely pulled out from underneath him.”

Spector said that a large reason for creating the change.org petition was to inform the administration of how much students care about in-person education.

Shortly after the change.org petition was created, James DeNicco, the professor for ECON 100, successfully petitioned to teach the course face-to-face.

DeNicco said that the rest of his those requests come to me and are routed classes have also been approved to be in to Davide Tenney to ensure that the registrar notes that the classes are now person now.

“I’m very happy about it,” DeNicco going to be in person.”

DesRoches said that the said. “ I’m going to treat the class almost as a hybrid so those that are not administration will continue to review comfortable in class don’t need to be petitions and make decisions based on what’s best for everyone’s health, safety there.”

According to DeNicco, the process to and academic success.

Teddy Hubbard, have his petition a Wiess College approved was very freshman, said fast and easy. that he was “I am not sure, The overwhelming disappointed to but it basically response that we’ve gotten receive the news seems like it is up that three of his to the instructor’s from students is they classes will remain d i s c r e t i o n , ” very much want to be in online.

DeNicco said. the classrooms. So we’re “I know it’s DesRoches trying to tread a very thin necessary and said that the it’s probably the administration has line and may have to make best move, but I received around 55 adjustments along the way. can’t help but be petitions thus far, bummed about all of which were Christopher Johns-Krull it,” Hubbard said. approved.

SPEAKER OF THE FACULTY SENATE “It’s a lot harder “We have two types of petition requests. One for larger to connect with people over Zoom, and classes that request to be in person, and it’s easier to let your mind wander during for smaller classes that request to be online class.”

Riley Meve, a Will Rice College online,” DesRoches said. “The [latter] is based on having underlying health junior, said that she feels bad that issues or someone at home with those underclassmen are still unable to issues and goes to HR. For the former, experience a normal semester.

“Fortunately, I’m a third year humanities student with all classes under 50 students … Upperclassmen with less popular majors are the most privileged in this situation,” Meve said.

“I understand why we should not have students on top of one another in lecture halls with the Delta variant spreading.

On the other hand, I doubt COVID will easily spread in classes in which all students are masked.”

President David Leebron said the administration knows students value in person classes and makes decisions recognizing that fact.

“Our campus has been, and remains, much safer than appeared when we made the decision on the basis of available information to delay in person classes for two weeks,” Leebron said. “We will make further adjustments rapidly as is appropriate in light of the data.”

Johns-Krull said that the university is trying to do its best to both balance the very real concerns about safety and also the very real concerns about students wanting to be in the classroom.

“The overwhelming response that we’ve gotten from students is they very much want to be in the classrooms,” Johns-Krull said. “So we’re trying to tread a very thin line and may have to make adjustments along the way.”

NEWS

4 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

Local organizations prepare to welcome thousands of Afghan refugees

Photo COURTESY 123RF

Houston, which from 2017 to 2018 resettled more refugees than any other U.S. city besides Atlanta, is already welcoming new Afghan refugees.

PRAYAG GORDY

SENIOR WRITER

Thousands of Afghan refugees are set to arrive in Houston after fleeing the Taliban’s recent takeover of Afghanistan. Houston, which from 2017 to 2018 resettled more refugees than any other U.S. city besides Atlanta, is already welcoming new Afghan refugees, according to Elena Korbut, the community engagement manager at Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston.

Interfaith Ministries is one organization in the Houston Refugee Consortium, along with four other resettlement agencies and the Bilingual Education Institute. Student organizations, like the Rice chapter of the Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees, work with some of these and other organizations in Houston, according to Rishi Vas, the Rice PAIR president.

PAIR plans to host an expert panel later in the semester to share news and information

about the refugee crisis, according to Vas, a senior at McMurtry College.

Lower numbers of refugee resettlements during Donald Trump’s presidency has diminished some of these Houston organizations’ funds, according to Kelsey Norman, a fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute.

“This resettlement sector, while strong in Houston, has been really gutted over the past four years, because the Trump administration was resettling so few refugees,” Norman said. “A lot of the organizations that do this work normally lost so much of their funding, because it depends on how many people you’re resettling each year … It’s just not a great time to suddenly be told, ‘Now you’re going to have all these people suddenly coming; manage.’”

Some Afghans are arriving as humanitarian parolees, which means they will not be eligible for all of the formal benefits other Afghan refugees will receive, Norman said. Organizations will have

to rely on private donor funding to cover many of these parolees’ needs, according to Norman.

“It’s really critical at this point for the Houston community to step up and help these organizations that are going to be doing that firsthand work to help people get settled here,” Norman said.

Craig Considine, a sociology professor at Rice, said that empathizing with refugees is the first step toward helping them. “[Rice students] have to find themselves in these crises that people are facing,” Considine said. “I understand that my ancestors went through this before or something similar to this, and it would be disrespectful and dishonorable to them if I turned my back on the people who are going through it now.”

Considine said the next phase is to become more knowledgeable of what’s happening.

“Read the news, be critical of the news, read a lot of news, read scholarly works, meet with professors on campus who have dedicated their lives to exploring such issues,” Considine said.

Considine said Rice students can then participate in the resettlement process.

“Once you’ve done that, I think perhaps you can prepare yourself to enter into society and you can start trying to make a difference, through service, even through employment, through research,” he said.

“There’s so many different avenues to chip away at this problem.”

Korbut said that community support is essential as Interfaith Ministries prepares to resettle and assist Afghan refugees.

“We’re ready to welcome these individuals,” Korbut said. “Obviously, this cannot happen without the support of institutions like [Rice], because volunteers are absolutely crucial in any nonprofit organization … but in particular in the work that we do.”

Interfaith Ministries is seeking donations, both monetary and through their Amazon wishlist, along with volunteers for office work and for their existing programs, Korbut said.

“We’re still operating our settlement program as is, and we’re still running things like the women’s empowerment group, the youth program and these kinds of programs that typically need volunteers,” she said.

“Maybe some of the Rice students have a few hours in the morning or in the afternoon … to help sort through the phone calls that we’re receiving and process donations that we’re receiving in the office.”

Rice has worked with Interfaith Ministries before, according to Korbut, through the Center for Civic Leadership and the Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance.

“We actually have a really great relationship with Rice,” Korbut said. “To have somebody that’s close to the age of refugee youth that is on this successful educational and career path truly makes the world of difference for somebody who’s coming and who can really use that push that volunteers can give.”

PAIR also facilitates volunteer opportunities with young refugees resettled in Houston, Vas said.

“We go to our local middle and high schools, and we help them with immersion into American culture, helping them with their English, their homework,” Vas said.

“The main thing is giving them a safe space for them to bond with people who look like them, who speak the same language as them.”

According to Norman, Houston’s society and culture have benefitted from decades of resettled refugees.

“We think of Houston and we think of a vibrant, multicultural city,” Norman said.

“A lot of that has to do with refugees who came here from various countries ... who really helped create what we know and love about Houston.”

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • 5

THE RICE THRESHER

EDITORIAL

OPINION

Unused meal swipes should Be patient with each other as automatically be donated we adjust to in-person classes The Guest Meal Swipe Donation Form For three semesters now, the Student Association has implemented the Guest closes on Sept. 10, yet many students may Meal Swipe Donation Program where not know about the program. Along with Rice students on the Type A meal plan low visibility of the program, changes in can donate up to all five of their guest COVID-19 restrictions such as removing meal swipes for off-campus students restrictions on who can visit residential facing food insecurity to use. The colleges may lead students to donate SA’s efforts have helped many and fewer guest swipes in anticipation of will continue to do so this semester. using them for guests. The program However, food is such a basic need that already could not cover all of the off-campus students can struggle to students who wanted to utilize it in the access, meanwhile on-campus students last two semesters. With the possibility of have an abundance of food available to receiving fewer donations this semester, them. Given the plethora of meal swipes it is imperative that the administration that go unused by on-campus students step in and pursue additional routes each semester, the administration for addressing food insecurity for offcampus students. should consider O t h e r allowing those initiatives like the unused swipes to Student Success be automatically Initiatives Food donated to those The food is already made Pantry are not who are food and paid for; there is no visible insecure. reason not to donate these nearly enough to cover If you are a all of the food student living on excess swipes to those insecurity that campus, you are who need them. the Guest Swipe automatically enrolled in the Type A meal plan Program may not be able to address. providing 20 meals per week and cannot Additional resources for monetary choose a meal plan with fewer meals per assistance (such as the Access and week. This results in many swipes — paid Opportunity Portal and magisters’ for by students’ tuition payments and funds at the residential colleges) are financial aid from Rice — being unused not sufficient. Funds are often limited, every week when students choose not to securing funding through AOP requires eat some meals at the serveries. There is an interview process and resources are no possibility of using the swipes once not well-advertised to students through the week ends, yet they are paid for just official channels.

The SA, SSI and other programs as guest swipes are. The administration should find a way to automatically cannot fully tackle the issue of food donate unused swipes each week to the insecurity. Rather than rely on these fund for off-campus students. The food avenues, the administration should put is already made and paid for; there is to use the many unused meal swipes no reason not to donate these excess each week to make food available to everyone who needs it. swipes to those who need them.

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

This week, we transition to (mostly) participation should weigh the next in person instruction after one and a half few weeks far less, if not completely years of largely doing classes online. disregard this week when counting Half of the undergraduate population at participation points.

At the same time, we as students Rice has never experienced traditional in-person classes here, and for the must understand that instructors are other half, that experience is a distant transitioning as well: to dual delivery.

Dual delivery is a new concept for many, memory.

The same can be said for instructors one that our editorial board encouraged who had to adopt a completely new instructors to adopt given its accessibility, method of teaching and now are trying especially as COVID-19 continues to to mix the two. Just as we had to adjust affect students. Many professors taught to online classes, we must adjust to in- solely online rather than dual delivery person instruction after such a long last year, as the maximum class size was 25 in the fall 2020 time without semester and 40 in it.

Students spring 2021. and professors Now it is 50, alike must be with some classes u n d e r s t a n d i n g Half of the undergraduate having more of the challenges population at Rice has not students each face in this experienced traditional in- that given than that new chapter and larger classes have continue to be person classes, and for the petitioned to be in flexible with one other half, that experience person. another. is a distant memory...

For professors In-person Just as we had to adjust who choose to classes at Rice do so, keeping are unfamiliar for to online classes, we accessibility in some students must adjust to in-person mind while also and distant for instruction after such a trying to deliver others, but can the in-person be daunting for long time without it. instruction they all this semester.

Freshmen have varied experiences in desire may be difficult to navigate, and terms of the delivery method of classes students should be patient as professors in their senior year of high school, and try to handle in-person and online all went through two weeks of online components of the class all at once. This classes at Rice and may have many is especially true for students who will large classes still online. Sophomores be attending class online synchronously had a year of online classes with few or watching recorded lectures later. dual delivery ones. Juniors and seniors Be mindful that it may be difficult for have spent just as much if not more time professors to set up a Zoom while in the online than in person, and getting back classroom and remember to check in on into the old way of teaching will surely online students while teaching, or to get lectures posted in a timely manner take some adjusting.

Professors must be understanding while having in-person responsibilities and flexible in how they run their to juggle.

Let’s be excited about this new start classes for the next few weeks. It may be difficult for students to manage all but bring with us the flexibility we’ve of their in-person responsibilities and exhibited throughout the pandemic. continue to keep up with deadlines. Through patience and consideration, we Professors should be more lenient with as an academic community can make the deadlines and granting extensions as transition back to in-person instruction students navigate the different workload productive and successful. associated with in-person classes.

Another important factor to consider is graded participation. There is no Nayeli Shad longer the Zoom chat or “raise hand” OPINION EDITOR feature to make it easier for students BROWN COLLEGE to participate. Being in a physical SOPHOMORE classroom with up to 50 — or possibly more — students can be intimidating.

Instructors who do employ graded

Correction Priyansh Lunia, not Channing Wang, took the photo for the Thresher for “SA Diversity and Inclusion Committee plans for several initiatives.”

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 Katherine Hui Asst. Photo Editor Yifei Zhang Illustrator Chloe Xu Illustrator Ndidi Nwosu Illustrator DESIGN Robert Heeter Art Director, Opinion/ Backpage Designer Anna Chung News 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, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

FEATURES

New Wiess magisters embrace the unexpected Apple Li / THRESHER

“It’s challenging because things are changing constantly,” Alves dos Santos said.

“We are trying to be flexible and adapt and make sure the students are safe. We are trying our best to make things work.”

Balancing what students want with the safety expectations of the university has been especially hard, according to Cunha.

“We understand that [the students] need leisure, as that’s an important part of the college experience, but we need to do so in a way that respects COVID-19 policies,” Cunha said. “We are in a situation of flux and the policies are changing everyday. Plans that have been made need to be readjusted.

This is the part that is not easy; it’s stressful, actually.”

To manage that stress, Alves dos Santos likes to walk their dalmatian, Lolla Blue, and Cunha likes to play soccer and volleyball, they said. Cunha said he hopes to play more sports with Wiess students once the pandemic stabilizes, while Alves dos Santos said she is considering getting a sister for Lolla Blue.

Cunha and Alves dos Santos said their primary goal as magisters is to support Wiess students and the student-run college government.

“We are trying to have this very close relationship with the student government,” Alves dos Santos said. “We go for lunch and dinners most days [at Wiess] and sit at a Cunha table outside and some students come and said that sit with us and we hear their stories. I think after years the job is about being there and that’s what of teaching, we’ve been trying to do.”

Cunha and Alves dos Santos, who went he wanted to more personally to college in Brazil, said they are fascinated connect his research in by the United States’s university system human capital formation to and the diversity it fosters.

“I think that the only real university students. system in the world “From is the United States the time I’ve system,” Cunha said. arrived at Rice I’ve “It’s the only one that always wanted to really looks at much [be a magister],” Wiess was here before we more than test scores Cunha said. “As an were born; Wiess is going on an entrance exam. instructor I spend a to be here after we are In Brazil, they didn’t lot of time teaching take into account people academic dead. We are just one set anything else — our stuff but don’t have of people that are going to background, where the time to inspire be here for five years. we came from, who them in other ways our parents were, our or help them figure Flavio Cunha experiences and so out things they want WIESS COLLEGE MAGISTER forth.” to do.”

Cunha said he Yet for most of their time at Rice, the magister roles were likes Rice’s implementation of the residential not feasible, Alves dos Santos said. Cunha college system in particular because it was traveling 150,000 to 200,000 miles a best capitalizes on the uniqueness of U.S. year for academic presentations while Alves universities.

“What I love about Rice is that students dos Santos was regularly visiting Brazil to continue working as an architect and urban are randomly assigned to a college, which planner. She said her last big project was an means that every college is representative accessibility redesign of subways for tourists, of what university is,” Cunha said. “It’s the blind and wheelchair users ahead of the going to be very difficult [for students] to find another situation where they will 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Alves dos Santos said it was not until have so many interesting people from so the rise of videoconferencing and other many different backgrounds. This is an changes brought about by the pandemic that amazing opportunity.”

After looking at old pictures of Wiess they realized they would be able to become college, the magisters said they want to magisters.

“When we had this whole COVID thing respect Wiess’s long history. ”Wiess was here before we were born; starting and we were spending a lot more time at home, we figured out we could do Wiess is going to be here after we are dead,” this. I was very very attracted to the idea,” Cunha said. “We are just one set of people Alves dos Santos said. “We are looking that are going to be here for five years. We need to respect that college’s traditions forward to these next years.”

Still, beginning their term during the and the college’s cultures and find ways to pandemic has not been easy for them, make that culture and tradition evolve in the ways the students believe they should.” according to Alves dos Santos.

Flavio Cunha, an economics professor, and Fabiana Alves dos Santos, an architect and urban planner, are the new magisters at Wiess College.

TOMÁS RUSSO

SENIOR WRITER

Wiess College Magister Flavio Cunha had a plane ticket to Chicago when he met a girl in Ipanema, the famous beach in Rio de Janeiro. Cunha, who had already continued working as an architect and made plans to leave his home country of urban planner in Rio de Janeiro, Cunha Brazil to begin a Ph.D. in economics at the began his economics Ph.D. program in University of Chicago, had no interest in Chicago. Eventually, Alves dos Santos sparking a relationship with a girl in Brazil moved to the United States to be with — but that was before he met his future Cunha and would commute back and forth to Brazil for work. The couple wife Fabiana Alves dos Santos.

“It was something quite coincidental; relocated to Pennsylvania when Cunha one night we were dragged to an event became a professor at the University of by separate people,” Cunha said. “I knew Pennsylvania.

Cunha said that he and other University I was coming to the United States, [so it of Pennsylvania wasn’t] like I was e c o n o m i c s trying to find a professors came girlfriend in Rio de to Rice seven Janeiro.” years ago as part Looking back, We go for lunch and of an initiative Alves dos Santos dinners [at Wiess] most to strengthen said she is amazed days and sit at a table the economics at how fortunate their chance outside and some students program. At Rice, Cunha teaches meeting really was. come and sit with us and courses and “It was the we hear their stories. I supervises research serendipity,” Alves in economics, dos Santos said. think the job is about social policy and “We thought the being there and that’s data science. relationship would what we’ve been trying to “My research is not go ahead but do. on human capital here we are 21 years formation, how it after.”

Fabiana Alves dos Santos relates to inequality Things weren’t in the labor market easy at first, WIESS COLLEGE MAGISTER and how it promotes according to Alves dos Santos. The couple said they endured long run economic growth,” Cunha said. three years of a long-distance relationship, “Especially now in this time of climate back in an era before the availability of change, economic growth is not only video communication and inexpensive including people in higher living standards international calls. While Alves dos Santos but also respecting the environment.”

FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • 7

Design, cryptocurrency and crochet: Student instructors talk college courses SHIYU MIAO

in society. Bullock said she hopes that the course can counter the existing notions that crocheting is only for grandmas or old ladies.

“We called the class ‘Not Your Grandma’s Crochet’ because there [are] a lot of stereotypes around crocheting,” Bullock said. “A large part of our class is just showing the place that crocheting has in modern society … Cool people can crochet.”

Bullock said she is blown away by the popularity of their course, which has 17 students on the waitlist as of publishing.

“I’m very honored that there are a lot of people on our waitlist,” Abojaib said.

“Unfortunately, we can’t special register people into our classes because they’re capped at 19 people ... I totally would have loved to teach more.”

THRESHER STAFF

Rice students have the chance to teach other students in college courses. The Thresher talked to four current student instructors to learn more about their courses and their experiences. Students can still add COLL courses — exploring topics like deep listening, cooperative storytelling, and Cleopatra — to their schedule before the add deadline on Friday, Sept. 10.

COLL 113: Not Your Grandma’s Crochet When Wiess College senior Leenah Abojaib stepped into COLL 300: Pedagogy For Student Instructors last fall, she was excited to find another student who wanted to teach a college course on crocheting.

Since then, Abojaib and Will Rice College senior Avery Bullock have made their vision a reality: they are co-teaching COLL 113: Not Your Grandma’s Crochet.

“Both of us were interested in crocheting, and we were like, ‘Perfect!’”

Abojaib said. “[I thought,] ‘I don’t want to teach this on my own and have another person teach this on their own. It’s better if we collaborate.’”

Not Your Grandma’s Crochet focuses on both crocheting skills and the cultural position of crocheting, according to the course description. Students start with the fundamentals of stitches and create their own crochet project in the end.

According to Abojaib, she wants students to become comfortable with crocheting stitches, incorporate crochet in their lives as a stress-relieving hobby and understand its prevalence and value

COLL 102: Intro to Crypto — A Future of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Baker College sophomore Charlie Lockyer said that his course COLL 102: Intro to Crypto — A Future of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency is meant to teach people how society and the future of finance are affected by cryptocurrency.

Students do not need any technical background to enroll in this course, according to Lockyer.

“I’m teaching this class more as a high-level description [of] the impacts of cryptocurrency on society, how it works from the perspective of someone who isn’t a [computer science] major, and then how it’s going to affect their daily lives in the future,” Lockyer said.

This story has been condensed for print. Read more at ricethresher.org.

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1 Hawaiian fish dish 5 Cheers 9 Darth Vader or Darth Maul 13 Rapidly disappearing sea in Central Asia 14 Super Smash Bros. _____ 15 Taj Mahal locale 16 Dalai ____ 17 Like the Inner Loop at night 18 Lyft competitor 19 Planetary walkers of Star Wars 20 Fantastic Four enemy Dr. ____ 21 Do penance 22 A-lister, perhaps 24 Largest city in Madhya Pradesh 26 European NASA counterpart 27 Designate, in a budget 29 Clean air org.

32 The Krusty ____ 34 Days of yore 35 Pizzazz 36 Semitic language of Ethiopia 39 Key holder 41 Pb, on the periodic table 42 Beaver abode 44 Common pet food brand 45 Author Amy of “The Joy Luck Club” 46 Remembers 48 One of three in a tbsp 51 Beloved owl of Harry Potter 52 Meat from cow stomach 54 Bedouin or Khoisan 57 Burden 59 Old timey “No way!”

60 Australian gem 61 Apply, like peanut butter 62 Layered mineral 63 Actor Michael of “Ant-Man” 64 Rakes in 65 Lucy Liu’s “Kill Bill” character ____ Ishii 66 Alkene with hydroxyl group 67 Feature of Saturn’s rings 68 Common social sciences minor at Rice, abbr.

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1 Like Buckingham or Topkapi 2 Speaks eloquently 3 Ms. Marvel, by another name 4 Thrill 5 French artist of “Luncheon of the Boating Party” 6 2018 Devin Dawson hit 7 Operator of Asgard’s Bifrost 8 Part of a volleyball game 9 Pan-fry 10 Nigerian ethnicity depicted in “Things Fall Apart” 11 Chihuahua choo-choo 12 Fabled tortoise opponent 14 Messy type of wrestling 23 Honey hunter 25 Make a priest 28 Waited patiently 29 Supermom in “The Incredibles” 30 Average, in golf 31 Intel rival 33 “Sick!”

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THE RICE THRESHER

8 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Review: “Candyman” provides resonant social commentary in the slasher genre JACOB PELLEGRINO THRESHER STAFF

Nia DaCosta’s reimagining of “Candyman” provides strong visuals, sound and social commentary for an excellent viewing experience. “Candyman” follows artist Anthony McCoy as he learns more about the legend of the Candyman, a monster that appears and kills people who say his name five times while looking in the mirror. The movie is a sequel to the original 1992 “Candyman” movie and ignores the two initial disappointing follow-up films, finally providing a worthy successor to Bernard Rose’s visionary original.

Whereas the original film focused on housing inequality and living conditions of Black Americans, DaCosta’s movie shifts the primary focus to police brutality and gentrification. Especially after the past year of social unrest, protest and injustice, the topic’s relevance is clear throughout “Candyman.” Rooted in real events, the changes seen in Chicago are reflected directly in the movie as Cabrini-Green was destroyed in 2011 to give way to gentrified housing that pushed out the older residents. The real events lead directly into the commentary on gentrification, which can be seen through a newly increased police presence due to the increase in white and wealthier residents in contrast to the remaining row houses left from the project, the last vestiges of what the area once was. The process of gentrification and how it pushes out Black Americans in particular is laid bare throughout the film with both expository dialogue and interactions between characters.

Throughout the movie, it is revealed how central police brutality is to the story being told with the story of a new Candyman, Sherman Fields, who gave out candy to children. One day a razor blade turns up in a white girl’s Halloween candy, and Fields was held culpable. When finally found, Fields is beaten to death by the police despite not fighting back. But razor blades continue to show up in candy; Fields had been innocent. The twin Candyman characters across the films explore the injustices faced by the Black community by structures of power and white supremacy throughout history. Nia DaCosta’s storytelling makes a strong and effective statement that stays with viewers after the credits roll by tying social issues directly into the plot of the film.

“Candyman” captures the audience’s eye with engaging shots and is not shy when it comes to depictions of gore.

For its exposition, the movie includes segments illustrated with animated paper puppets enacting the scenes as they are narrated. The effect is not only effective from a storytelling perspective but is a unique aesthetic that really adds to the movie. Similarly, the art direction for McCoy’s paintings adds texture and a realistic feeling to the film while echoing the original Candyman’s origin story as an artist. Lingering shots of the city of Chicago, often from unconventional angles, create an engulfing cityscape that pulls audiences into the world of the film.

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe’s use of human voices throughout the soundtrack creates a discomfort that he says “is representative of the multiplicity of voices, not only deeply cemented in the folklore of Candyman, but of the characters navigating the space in real time.”

The movie is also filled with a talented cast that portrays a real sense of the emotions associated with the idea of Candyman along with human emotions from relationships and the issues addressed in the film. Yahya Abdul-Mateen

II’s acting throughout his character’s exploration of trauma in Cabrini-Green and the legend of Candyman is superb, as he slowly descends into an obsessive state as an artist of chasing his inspiration and creating from it. Similarly, Teyonah Parris’ portrayal of McCoy’s girlfriend feels real as she reacts to his irregular behavior with fear and disbelief while working as an art curator and supporting McCoy financially and emotionally. Although their performances are really at the center of the movie, the acting was strong across the board and lent the movie a realistic and emotionally resonant tone.

“Candyman” reframes its namesake while continuing the spirit of social commentary within the slasher genre: moving from a look at race and class divisions in living conditions to a graphic depiction of police brutality in Black communities. Both entertaining as a horror movie and deeply meaningful in its depiction of the difficulties facing Black Americans, “Candyman” is worth the watch.

This story has been condensed for print.

Read the full article on ricethresher.org.

PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES

FROM PAGE 1

CERTIFIED LOVER BOY with the strong chorus “I’ve been losin’ friends and findin’ peace,” a testament to the power of disconnecting from fake friends.

The song also samples Toronto singer Charlotte Day Wilson’s 2019 track “Mountains,” further showing Toronto-born Drake’s support for his hometown. Drake and Travis Scott’s first collaboration since “Sicko Mode” does not disappoint. The track “No Friends In The Industry” features similar themes of isolation and keeping a tight circle. The song addresses his beefs with Pusha T and Kanye West, claiming that other rappers are “so offensive knowin’ they don’t have no defense.”

Despite these and other highlights, the album fails to broach new ground and has tracks like “Way 2 Sexy,” which samples Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy.” While the original track is an ironic send up to self centered bodybuilders and high fashion, Drake seems to, at least in part, mean it. The satire that made the original “I’m Too Sexy” so entertaining is not as apparent in Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy” with Future and Young Thug. It was only on viewing the over-the-top music video that the humor that should take center stage in the song became more apparent. As a stand alone track, “Way 2 Sexy” seems to be an empty expression of ego.

Drake described his album as “a combination of toxic masculinity and acceptance of truth which is inevitably heartbreaking.” The most heartbreaking part seems to be that Drake has not grown over the course of his career. His themes have not evolved as the album maintains the singular self-pity and lovesickness that is almost synonymous with Drake’s discography. Songs like “Papi’s Home” work on pure self-aggrandisement while “Girls Want Girls” has sparked debates from listeners about whether the song fetishizes queer women and features confusing lyrics where Drake claims “Yeah, say that you a lesbian, girl, me too.”

“Certified Lover Boy” is a continuation of the past few years of Drake, seemingly stuck in a creative loop: a good listen but nothing new.

WEEKLY SCENES AND SCREENS SAMBA CLASS Learn how to samba on Sept. 9 from 7-9 p.m. in Midtown Park. The class is free and open to all skill levels with instruction provided by the Brazilian Cultural Institute.

MENIL OPENING Attend the public opening of “Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s” at The Menil Collection on Sept. 10 from 6-8 p.m. The exhibit will be available for viewing afterwards during the Menil’s regular operating hours.

GATSBY MUSICAL Watch the world premiere of musical based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” at artFACTORY on Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available for purchase online.

OUTDOOR MOVIES Watch Outdoor Movies at the Gordy from Sept. 10-12. With Shakespeareinspired ’90s movies, food trucks, lawn games and more, O.M.G. Festival! begins with festival activities at 6 p.m. and films at 8 p.m. Wristbands are $10 and available for purchase online.

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2019 • 9

Sip & Study: Here’s our four favorite coffee shops in Houston SAVANNAH KUCHAR AND IVANKA PEREZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND SENIOR EDITOR

While the Rice campus has its share of high-quality coffee options, including Rice Coffeehouse and Audrey’s Cafe, it’s also worth sometimes going beyond the hedges for your caffeine fix. So if you’re looking to switch it up from your usual Nutty Bee — which, let’s face it, is hard to beat — there are plenty of options outside the Rice bubble.

Last year, while struggling with virtual classes, the two of us made it our mission to find the perfect spot to study in Houston.

Tried and true, these coffee shops are some of our favorite places to study, or procrastinate, with a cup of coffee in hand.

Slowpokes

Retrospect Coffee Bar

Roast & Brew

Fellini Caffè

Although Slowpokes isn’t walking distance from Rice, it’s a short eightminute drive from campus — and offers validation for threeh o u r parking in the garage next door. As Houston drivers, we’d rank Slowpokes as our favorite based on the abundant parking alone; when you just want to get to the shop and knock out some work, nothing is worse than wasting precious time desperately trying to find a decent spot for your car.

Located just across the street from Levy Park, this sunny spot offers a great getaway for studying. With their trademark animal portraits and front doors that stay wide open, the warmtoned, bustling space will invite you in immediately. This shop offers a wide variety of food and drink options — their empanadas are a must-try, as are any of their espresso drinks.

If you’re looking to avoid indoor spaces in Houston, look no further than Retrospect Coffee Bar. The breezy spot only offers outdoor seating, but if you hate the Houston heat, fear not — the tables are shaded under a tent, with fans at the ready. Despite being outdoors, this study space is laptop-friendly, with WiFi accessibility and outlets nearby. Like Slowpokes, Retrospect also has plentiful parking, a rarity in Houston.

Any of their lattes are worth a try, though their specialty stroopwafel coffee was ultimately nothing more than a more expensive version of a caramel latte. This spot is best for the morning studiers out there, as it closes at 2 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m.

Friday through Sunday. The promise of their blueberry muffins or sweet crepes for breakfast, though, make for an excellent motivator to wake up early to work.

If you’re willing to venture up to the Heights, the secluded Roast & Brew is worth a visit. Although the ivy-covered roof above the outdoor seating won’t protect you from the rain — trust us — the shop’s vast array and variety of seating makes it one of our top coffee shops in Houston.

The terrace wall behind the outdoor seating makes for a picturesque study spot — or background for your next Instagram story.

Open until 11 p.m., Roast & Brew is a great late night study spot — but also a great place to grab a meal with a friend. Unlike many coffee shops, Roast & Brew has a thorough food menu, offering meals at all times of day. We split the pesto flatbread, and the warm bread, melted cheese and fresh vegetables were perfectly accompanied by their well-made lattes.

Located in Rice Village, this shop is walking distance from Rice, perfect for anyone without a car or who just wants to be spared the hassle of parking. There are a few options for seating outside, though for studying, the indoor spots tend to be best, where the quieter ambiance can aid in your more serious work sessions.

The Italian joint features a full espresso bar, along with a variety of gelato flavors to pair with your coffee. (Pro tip: the sweet treat can also double as a self-reward for getting through a particularly tough essay or problem set). Although their coffee was not a stand-out to us, there are several locations in Houston if you want to venture further into the city. Open until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, their desserts are also great to follow a dinner out in R i c e Village.

Big Red Machine’s ‘How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?’s promises meander into less than the sum of their parts JACOB TATE SENIOR WRITER

The last two times we heard the critical darling duo that is Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon, they helped Taylor Swift meditate on throbbing emotional pain over a simple piano instrumental. Reuniting again under their Big Red Machine moniker, Dessner and Vernon pursue a more sprawling, maximalist approach in their latest album “How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?” The sheer talent represented means the album can strike gold, but the overall project drags out, cuts its euphoric moments short and makes the listener wait for the duo to return to the bread and butter compositions that just work.

Vernon and Dessner boast the accolades most white guys with guitars can only dream of. With Bon Iver and The National respectively, they’ve earned continuous goodwill within the indienet through clever production, turns of phrase and a general fascination with depressive malaise. The collaboration, to some extent, makes perfect sense. Vernon has continued to experiment with new sonic backgrounds over which to cryptically remark and recount. Dessner has experience providing the space for iconic vocalists to do their thing.

Disappointingly, they pull each other in different directions. Dessner’s production on

this project pushes towards indie acoustic maximalism, throwing lots of instruments and tones in songs and leaving Vernon’s voice to fight for frequency space. Meanwhile, Vernon, accustomed to glitchy minimalism, doesn’t tone down his vocal power into a more production-appropriate direct narrative.

The addition of guest vocalists, as talented as many of them are, only makes this divide worse. They either add another voice to an already crowded mix or highlight how much better this album could be with a different primary vocalist.

For example, the third track “Phoenix” sees overpowering Bon Iver vocals clashing with Anais Mitchell and Fleet Foxes over maximalist production. There’s just too much at play in these songs, and all parties involved are too talented to give any. Meanwhile, lead single “Renegade” features a calmly brilliant Taylor Swift demonstrating what to do with layered, complex production: keep it simple.

A stoic main vocal line throws out brutal lyrics like “let your damage damage me” while Bon Iver harmonizes in the background.

Perhaps we should cut the duo some slack — this is a fun passion project, after all. But, it does mean that the album comes with all the pros and cons of a jam session.

Long songs create gorgeous soundscapes that you can drown in, but the length becomes exhausting and frustrating over the course of the album. Experimentation delivers brief moments of brilliance like the bridge in “Easy

to Sabotage” and the layered arrangement on “Hoping Then.” At the same time, the brilliance lasts less than half a minute and the rest of those two songs sound unfocused and loose.

Unfortunately, the star songs of the album remind us what is lost in the experimental, jam band format. “The Ghost of Cincinnati” and “Magnolia” are simple, clean and evocative tracks that outpace just about any other song on the album. Poignant lyrics and understated production show how beautiful the album could’ve been if it had simply combined the minimalist qualities of Dessner and Vernon. I expect these two songs to become mainstays in my fall rotation, but I doubt I will suffer through the album for them again. Honestly, “The Ghost of Cincinnati”

sounds better when divorced from the cacophonies on the album. We’re given little time to enjoy this bliss, as we move into the compositional clashes of “Hoping Then” and “Mimi.”

It feels brutal to say that I’d rather hear each artist on this album on their own projects, but it’s true. Almost every track feels like a cut below what it could be if made solely by one of the artists on it. Maximalism, both in production and in length, doesn’t suit the incredibly talented team of artists assembled for “How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?” It hurts to come out of an ostensibly good album frustrated, but I’m left with no other word to describe my mix of emotions throughout. Big Red Machine’s latest album is good but woefully inessential.

“How long do you think it’s gonna last” album cover PHOTO COURTESY JAGJAGUWAR

THE RICE THRESHER

10 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

SPORTS

Owls fall to Razorbacks 38-17 after fourth quarter collapse PAVITHR GOLI

SENIOR WRITER

The Rice football team lost their first game of the season in a 38-17 defeat to the University of Arkansas. Playing away from home at Razorback Stadium in front of over 64,000 fans, the Owls kept up with the SEC team for a majority of the game, holding the score to a 17-17 tie at the end of the third period. However, at the start of the fourth quarter, the game shifted in the favor of the Razorbacks as they were able to capitalize on several Rice turnovers to run away with the game.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren acknowledged the disappointing defeat

We had our chances, but we just didn’t get it done. It’s as simple as that.

Mike Bloomgren HEAD COACH but held out praise for the way the team executed throughout most of the game against an SEC team.

“I am heartbroken for the way that it turned out,” Bloomgren said. “We were exactly where we wanted to be with a team from the SEC West. We had our chances, but we just didn’t get it done. It is as simple as that. We did everything that we wanted to do.”

Despite the loss, redshirt sophomore quarterback Wiley Green said the game proved that the Owls can compete with some of the top programs in college football.

“We can play with anybody,” Green said.

“When we execute and we play physically and tough, we can play with anybody.”

Green, who split time with redshirtfreshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey, threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter, after a turnover-free first three quarters. After the game, Green said that he needed to cut back on the turnovers to give the Owls a shot to win.

“I think that we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times,” Green said. “Obviously, you looked back at the tipped pass for an interception and an interception at the sidelines. We can’t have those. I’ve got to play better from an overall standpoint. The guys expect more from me and I expect more from myself. Ready to move on and get some good film on this, get better from it, and move on.”

The game gave the Owls little clarity in their ongoing quarterback competition.

Green, who started the game, completed 12 of his 25 passes, for 152 passing yards including a 41-yard touchdown to redshirt sophomore receiver August Pitre III. After the game, Bloomgren was quick to affirm that he and his staff have not lost faith in Green, despite the turnovers.

McCaffery, on the other hand, ended the game five of ten for 75 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. McCaffrey led two drives deep into Razorback territory, but one resulted in a missed field goal and the other stalled on a failed fourth-and-one attempt. After the game, Bloomgren was noncommittal on who will start for the Owls next week.

“We’re going to watch the film and talk about [whether or not Wiley Green will start next week] [as] a staff,” Bloomgren said.

“These guys both know that [the quarterback situation] could stay the same or could change. There are no guarantees. It is just going to be who gives us the best chance to score points and win games week-to-week.”

One area, however, that Bloomgren was confident in was the performance of his defense. Despite giving up 38 points and 373

COURTESY David Beach - RICE ATHLETICS

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Wiley Green attempts a pass in Rice’s season opener against the University of Arkansas. After a strong start, the Owls lost to the Razorbacks 38-17.

total yards of offense, the head coach said he was proud of the strong performance that the defense had in the first half, where the Owls gave up only seven points and forced five punts.

“We played really, really [well] in the first half,” Bloomgren said. “We had five threeand-outs in the first half. That is a dominant defense. We knew that they’d be good, it was a really good performance by them ... but that first half was a thing of beauty.”

While the defense allowed 31 points in the second half, Bloomgren attributed that to the turnovers by the offense.

“In the second half, the turnovers put [the defense] in horrible situations deep in [our] territory,” Bloomgren said. “There will be things that we need to improve on [from this] game and we will. We are going to make some corrections and have some tough conversations and learn from this film on Monday.”

Junior linebacker Antonio Montero, who had a total of 11 tackles and one sack,

believed that the defense showed flashes of their potential in the first half and was optimistic about the performance of the younger players on the defense.

“For the most part, we knew what they were going to run and we played it well, especially in the first half, so we are optimistic about that,” Montero said.

“The young guys all played very well and I’m optimistic about how they are coming along.”

According to Bloomgren, the Owls did a lot of things well, but need to clean up their costly mistakes going forward.

“There is no need to panic,” Bloomgren said. “We are going to stick together and we are going to make these corrections. We are going to take the critical coaching because we are too good to let this game beat us again. We are going to watch this film and see opportunities all over. ” Next Saturday, Sept. 11, the 0-1 Owls will face off against the University of Houston (01) in their home opener at 5:30 p.m.

Owls split on the weekend, get first win of the season in front of fans CADAN HANSON

THRESHER STAFF

Last week, Rice volleyball hosted the University of Oregon and Southern Methodist University in the Adidas Invitational I. On Thursday, the Owls fell to the No. 13 Ducks in four sets, their first game with fans in attendance in nearly two years. Later that weekend, the Owls recorded their first win of the season against SMU. The matches over the weekend brought the Owls record to 1-3 on the season.

In the first game of the invitational, the Owls faced their second ranked opponent of the season in Oregon. The Owls lost a close first set but rallied back to take the second, led by strong offense from sophomore outside hitter Ellie Bichelmeyer and senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon, who recorded 13 and 20 kills respectively

over the course of the game. The Owls took an early lead in the third set but lost momentum as the Ducks came back to win sets three and four, ending the game.

Despite the loss, four Owls ended the night with double-digit kills and three picked up double-doubles. Freshman libero Nia McCardell led the Owls defense with a game high 26 digs and junior setter Carly Graham helped run the Owls’ offense, adding 48 assists.

For the first time in over a year, the Rice Owls entered Tudor Fieldhouse with fans in the stands, cheering them on. After the long hiatus due to COVID-19, the fan presence was felt by both coaches and players. Head coach Genny Volpe said she was thrilled to be back in front of fans and expressed her gratitude for the Rice faithful.

“It has been so awesome for us to play in front of our fans again,” Volpe said.

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle attempts a kill against No. 13 Oregon. The Owls lost to the Ducks on Thursday before securig their first win of the season on Saturday against SMU.

“The team has been waiting for this for such a long time and the fact that we had some really great crowds has made the home atmosphere incredible. We

It has been awesome for us to play in front of our fans again. The team has been waiting for this for such a long time.

Genny Volpe HEAD COACH want our fans to continue to come out and see how this team will continue to battle, grow, and fight hard for the blue and grey.”

Likewise, junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle said that playing last season without fans made her realize just how much playing in front of a packed crowd helps the team.

“It’s always a great feeling to play at home but this season the feeling is a little different,” Adekunle said. “Not having fans last year has really made me appreciate and miss that energy they bring to the game.”

On Saturday, the Owls rallied back after losing the first set, to claim their first win of the season, defeating SMU in four sets (25-27, 25-17, 25-22, 25-22). Volpe said that she was pleased with how the

team responded to the deficit and came back strong but knows that the team still has work to do to play at the high level that they can.

“Today we didn’t start well but really battled back,” Volpe said. “We need to improve our efficiency when we are in trouble and receive at a more consistent rate. Once we clean those things up I know we can execute at a higher level.”

Adekunle stepped up for the Owls in their win on Saturday. The Humble, TX native recorded a career-high 28 kills and five blocks. Volpe spoke very highly of Adekunle’s strong performance after the game.

“Once we were able to get Anota going, things started to change in our favor,” Volpe said. “It was definitely Anota’s day to shine. I’m so proud of how hard she worked to get open and be available to score.”

After the game, Adekunle credited her teammates for elevating her play in the win.

“This was a great team win,” Adekunle said. “Going into the game one big thing we talked about was to improve our serve and pass. I think we executed really well in that area, which was a big reason as to why I was able to be successful today.

My setter [Graham] also played a big part in my success, I always have faith in her that she’ll set me up to be in the best position possible to kill the ball.”

The Owls will host the second leg of the Adidas Invitational this weekend at Tudor Fieldhouse, with games against Louisiana State University and Sam Houston State University.

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • 11

Soccer draws with UT, stays undefeated DANIEL SCHRAGER

SPORTS EDITOR

Two overtime periods proved not enough to decide a winner between the Rice soccer team and the University of Texas, Austin on Sunday night at Holloway Field. The game went the full 110 minutes, but after the teams traded goals early in the second half, neither team was able to break the 1-1 tie. After the game, head coach Brian Lee said that he was happy with his team’s ability to go toe-to-toe with a strong Texas team.

“It was a really fun college soccer game,” Lee said. “I think Texas is a very good team with some elite players. We created chances, they created chances, we defended really well and overall [I’m] very pleased.”

The game opened up slowly for both teams. Texas controlled possession for most of the first half, while Rice threatened on the counter-attack, but neither team was able to consistently create quality chances, as the teams combined for only six shots on goal in a scoreless first half.

The action picked up in the second half, when just minutes in, the Owls managed two shots from well inside the Longhorn’s penalty box, but both were denied. Then, in the 63rd minute, Texas scored off of a corner kick to take a 1-0 lead. The Owls responded quickly, when freshman midfielder Mariana Elizondo tucked a 25-yard strike into the bottom right corner of the net for her first collegiate goal. According to Elizondo, scoring her first goal for the Owls at such a crucial moment made it that much more meaningful. “[It] was very important for me and my family, my friends and my teammates, [especially] in this game, which was very important for us,” Elizondo said. “I hope it’s the first of many.”

The Longhorns had a chance to take the game in the 71st minute when a strong shot from distance hit the right post. However, the best chance to put the game away belonged to the Owls. In the 85th minute, freshman forward Vyviene Spaulding connected with a corner at the back post to head the ball past the goalkeeper, but a Texas defender stepped in the way of the ball as it was hanging over the goal line to keep the game even.

FROM PAGE 1

BAYOU BUCKET “Andre Ware was sitting in the locker room [at] Rice Stadium, and that’s when he found out that he won the Heisman.”

Farmer said.

Six years later, the Cougars again lifted the trophy after beating the Owls 18-17 in the final game in the history of the Southwest Conference, the conference that Rice and UH had been a part of, along with Texas, Texas A&M and others, for decades.

“It came down to a field goal attempt that Rice missed,” Farmer said. “Rice lost the last [SWC] game ever, but they could have won it at the last second.”

Overall, Rice has captured the Bucket just ten times, while the Cougars have won it 29 times. But according to Bailiff, who is now the head coach at Texas A&M University–Commerce, the trophy has meant a lot to the Owls on the handful of occasions that they have won it.

“All wins are special, but that one is really just more special [than the others] because it’s a trophy that represents the entire city of Houston,” Bailiff said.

“When we would beat Houston, the kids after the game would spend hours in there taking pictures with it. We took it to the president’s office, we took it to the Board of Trustees, the kids all acted like they were drinking from it.”

Mike Pedé has been on both sides of the rivalry. Pedé, a UH grad, spent 13 working

courtesy rice athletics

Freshman midfielder Mariana Elizondo celebrates with teammates after scoring her first colllegiate goal in Rice’s 1-1 draw against Texas on Sunday. Elizondo’s goal tied the game for the Owls, but neither team was able to score in two overtime periods, leaving the game tied.

The Owls got off the first two shots of the first overtime, but were unable

[Scoring my first goal for Rice] was very important for me, my family, my friends and my teammates, [especially in this game which was very important for us...

I hope it’s the first of many.

Mariana Elizondo FRESHMAN MIDFIELDER

to manage another shot for the rest of the period, while Texas was unable to years in the Rice athletic department before returning to UH as the associate vice president for alumni relations.

According to Pedé, the players from both schools are always eager to lift the trophy.

“You’d better get out of the way,” Pedé said. “Whoever wins it, they don’t even wait for the presentation, they just storm the other bench and take it. We’ve tried for years to have a formal presentation, I think we’ve maybe pulled it off three times.”

Over the years, Pedé said that he has seen players get creative with the trophy.

“It makes the rounds after you win,” Pedé said. “I’ve seen people eat crawfish out of it. I’ve seen people drink out of it.

I’ve seen people put beer on ice in the top of it.”

This year, the Owls will look to bounce back from a 38-17 loss to the University of Arkansas, and claim the Bucket for the first time since 2010. The Rice defense held strong against the Razorbacks for three quarters, before a fourth-quarter collapse, while the offense struggled to find a rhythm while rotating between quarterbacks Wiley Green and Luke McCaffery. UH meanwhile, is also looking for their first win of the season, after dropping their opener to Texas Tech University. The Cougars will enter the game as eight-point favorites according to the Ceasars Sportsbook.

Saturday’s winner will have bragging rights over their crosstown rivals for the next year, and the game’s final score will be etched into the trophy for good. Over

find the net on five attempts. In the second overtime, Texas took control, outshooting the Owls 5-0, but none of their attempts amounted to anything and the game ended in a tie.

According to Lee, the Owls spent most of the game letting Texas control possession, while they sat back, played defense and looked to threaten on the counter attack. At the end of the second overtime period, the Longhorns had taken 35 shots compared to just 10 from the Owls. However, the teams were much more even when it came to shots on goal, with the Owls managing eight and the Longhorns managing 12. According to Lee, this was equal parts a result of the Owls game plan and the Longhorns’ talent.

“We were trying to do certain things to force them to shoot from long range and push the ball wide [to] keep it away from their key players,” Lee said. “We’re a good

transition team, so we’re comfortable playing that way. But [it also] had a lot to do with Texas. They’re just good, so they had us on our heels.”

The Owls will now turn their attention towards the undefeated University of Houston on Thursday, before taking on Southern Methodist University on Sunday. According to Lee, these games will provide the Owls a chance to test themselves against strong competition before beginning their conference schedule the following Thursday.

“We’ve lost one time in our last [18] games, to Virginia in the sweet sixteen last year,” Lee said. “But [19] games ago we lost to Houston, so we’ll have our hands full. SMU is a traditional power and one of the best teams in the AAC as well. So it’s a good step up but it’s what we need right now.”

The Owls will host the 5-0-1 Cougars on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

The Rice football team celebrates with the Bayou Bucket trophy after beating Houston 34-31 in 2010. The Bucket has been given to the winner of every Rice-UH game since 1974.

the years, the trophy has come to mean a lot for both schools, as well as the city of Houston as a whole, according to Pedé, but as much as he loves the trophy, he

isn’t mistaking it for a work of art anytime soon.

“It might be the ugliest trophy in sports,” Pedé said.

12 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

BACKPAGE

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The Backpage is the satire section of the Thresher, written this week by Ndidi Nwosu and Timmy Mansfield. For comments or concerns, please email dilfhunter69@rice.edu.

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