The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, September 29, 2021

VOLUME 106, ISSUE NO. 6 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

Electrical fire in Mudd Lab leads to campus phone and network outages BONNIE ZHAO

ASST NEWS EDITOR

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER ILLUSTRATED BY ROBERT HEETER Coffeehouse began to accept cash only on Monday due to network outages across campus.

ACL preview Lesser known artists

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Rice campus experienced phone and network outages due to an electrical problem in the Mudd Computer Science Laboratory building, according to B. Paul Padley, interim vice president for IT and chief information officer. At 11:04 a.m. on Sept. 27, an electrical fire was reported and the Houston Fire Department arrived on site, according to the Office of Information Technology Status Page.

Padley said that the problem was with a rectifier that supplies direct current power to some of the devices in the facility that provide services to the campus. The outages were announced to be resolved on Monday night at 8:40 p.m.

“I just want to thank everybody on campus for their patience,” Padley said.

“And I especially want to thank everyone in the Office of Information Technology for their hard work at quickly and efficiently

restoring service. They did exemplary work in a hectic situation.”

Padley said that OIT is going to conduct a thorough review studying exactly what happened in order to understand the best ways to prevent it from happening again in the future.

The Rice University Police Department phone also experienced a temporary outage during the day, and students were advised to dial 911 instead for serious, life-threatening emergencies, according to a Rice alert email.

Clemente Rodriguez, chief of police, said that RUPD has rarely experienced a complete phone outage in the past.

“But during those rare occasions when we have had an outage, we learned how important it is to have a backup system,” Rodriguez said.

According to Rodriguez, RUPD was able to manage the system during this outage by switching to their analog phone system, but the one drawback is the backup system is not able to handle multiple calls at one time.

“For this reason we asked for all emergency calls to be routed through 911 to ensure there would be no delay in responding to campus emergencies,” Rodriguez said. “We are not aware of any missed calls during the outage yesterday.”

Miguel Luna, the general manager of Rice Coffeehouse, said that the studentrun business could only accept cash as payment due to the outage. “[It’s because] Tetra and our [point of sales] system rely on wifi,” Luna said. “[We had] fewer customers since we announced that we’re doing cash only, and not many people have cash with them.”

Christopher Jermaine, a computer science professor, said that the outage affected his ability to record his COMP 330 class.

“I [record classes] for students who are ill, quarantined,” Jermaine said. “But honestly, it wasn’t a huge deal. I think we missed about 15 minutes of class time.”

page 8

‘Some call it Hell; I call it “Flue”’: A look back at the 1918 pandemic MORGAN GAGE

effective way in which the situation was handled,” E. Finley Carter (class of 1922) wrote. “With the onset of the epidemic one of In the history of the Rice Thresher, the the dormitories was converted to a hospital publication of print editions has been staffed with army doctors and nurses who suspended three times: last February in the cared for the many patients who were victims midst of a historic winter storm, in spring of influenza.”

Though Carter references a student dying 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 early on, before the pandemic in the threat the influenza United States and in played was evident, 1918 during World he wrote that, as War I — and the As the Spanish flu was tearing he recalled, there coinciding Spanish through Houston, we were in were no student influenza pandemic. fatalities regardless The last edition of the middle of a world war and of the many deaths the Thresher in 1918 that had to take precedence at “A&M and other was published May institutions.”

25. Thresher staff over everything else, and we Despite the lack wrote about the didn’t shut down. of fatalities, Carter establishment of the wrote that he himself Student Association Melissa Kean had a difficult time and the poor quality RICE HISTORIAN breathing to climb of food during wartime and published advertisements, the stairs of Lovett Hall after he recovered aimed at the student body of a militarized from the worst of the influenza.

In an interview with the Rice Historical campus, for military uniforms for sale.

By the time the Spanish influenza ravaged Review, Kean discussed some of the potential Houston in the fall, killing 2,100 Houstonians reasons why firsthand accounts from the by the end of October, the Thresher was not Rice student body are lacking.

“In the firsthand account, we see that printing; as a result, firsthand accounts of all the doctors and the nurses in the field the student experience are scarce.

A 2018 blog post written by former Rice hospital at Rice were military nurses and historian and graduate student Melissa doctors because the entire campus was Kean explored what was the only firsthand under military regulation as there was a war student account of the influenza pandemic going on,” Kean said. “As the Spanish flu that she had found, written 57 years later in was tearing through Houston, we were in the middle of a world war and that had to take 1975.

“Credit should be given to the Institute’s precedence over everything else, and we staff and to the Army Medical Corps for the didn’t shut down.”

A&E EDITOR

Kean also said that the pause on student publications, as well as the student body’s lower standards for personal safety, may have contributed to the lack of primary accounts.

Interspersed between advertisements for war savings stamps, military recruitment efforts and updates on the war, the Oct. 24, 1918 edition of the Houston Chronicle covered several aspects of the developing influenza pandemic. Rice University, known as the Rice Institute at the time, planned to play a practice football game that Saturday. The Chronicle wrote, “Influenza at Rice Institute has thrown the football squad for a loss, but the worst is over,” even as they reported that newspaper ads were being used to raise awareness for the public health crisis.

This same issue announced that the United States’ public health service sent

doctors to Houston influenza or pneumonia patients who were unable to reach their own physicians. Drug stores advertised miracle cures for the Spanish influenza and its aftereffects. The Houston Chronicle’s editorial called for the Houston community to respect the order banning public gatherings — an order that only lasted a few weeks.

However, while formal accounts from Rice students of the influenza pandemic in 1918 are non-existent, the threat of the disease did not evaporate at the start of the following year.

The Spanish influenza was still considered a threat into 1920, although deaths had slowed throughout 1919. In the Thresher, references to the influenza that was unusually deadly in young adults similarly continued.

SEE 1918 PANDEMIC PAGE 7

Thresher clippings about the influenza epidemic of 1918.

THRESHER ARCHIVES 1919-1920

2 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

THE RICE THRESHER

CHLOE XU / THRESHER

ILLUSTRATION BY CHLOE XU

Rice hires external agency to assist with contact tracing PRAYAG GORDY

“[They are] completely dedicated to other people’s children,” Kasch Rice has entered a contract with said. “That’s what’s unique about Rice Evergreen Contract Resources to support employees, they still show up.”

Lisa Lin, the leader of Rice’s contact tracing on campus, according to Jerusha Kasch, Rice’s director of institutional transportation demand management crisis management. Approximately five program, said she started volunteering employees from the external Houston with the crisis management team to company will work 36 hours per week as support the safety of the Rice community.

“I think it’s important, especially contact tracers at Rice, Kasch said.

Last year, many contact tracers were Rice for those who are still on campus and staff whose main roles were put on hold needing to come on campus, to make by the pandemic; now, those traditional sure that the campus environment is as safe as possible responsibilities have for them,” Lin resumed, according said. “I had the to Kasch, prompting privilege to work the contract with an We were not going into from home, so outside vendor. that was the least “We were not going the semester thinking I could do to get into the semester we’d have to respond to campus back to thinking we’d have to normal.” respond to [COVID-19] [COVID-19] again. Now Lin said her again,” Kasch said. [those contact tracers] role is to check in “Now [those contact on students who tracers] have other have other jobs. were already jobs.”

Jerusha Kasch isolated, which After two heavy occurred daily periods of contact DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL last year and tracing — first when CRISIS MANAGEMENT every few days a testing site falsely reported about 50 positive cases during for vaccinated students now. Lin said she Orientation Week, and then due to a real believes that contact tracers who make outbreak of COVID-19 partly fueled by an initial calls to students could be fatigued, on-campus gathering in late August — and said she anticipates that the new Kasch said her staff was tired, overwhelmed contract will alleviate some of the burden and weary. Many Rice contact tracers were on Rice staff.

“I think for those who are taking on working late into the night, she said, joining Zoom calls after putting their own children the bulk of the initial calls, I could see that being the case,” Lin said. “[The to sleep.

SENIOR WRITER

workload] has been steady, and I’m For instance, Moshiri said her contact happy to hear that there was additional tracer told her she needed a physician’s support with the additional contact clearance to leave isolation, while Student Health Services told Moshiri that tracers coming to join.”

Training of the new contact tracers has was never a policy.

According to Jessica McKelvey, been underway, according to Kasch, and a few of the new contact tracers are already director of student health services, a on the job. Kasch said this training physician’s clearance is not needed from includes a full day of presentations student health services and their role is to see students from multiple who are ill and Rice departments provide medical to explain their care.

According culture, followed to Moshiri, by learning on the her contact job alongside Rice [The workload] has been tracer later said contact tracers. steady, and I’m happy physician’s Ariana Moshiri, to hear that there was clearance was not a Lovett College required. sophomore who additional support with “At this falsely tested the additional contact point I’m not positive earlier this the first person semester, said she tracers coming to join. to be released believes that with Lisa Lin from isolation,” proper training, the Moshiri said. external contact RICE TRANSPORTATION DEMAND “[Rice] has been tracers will lead to MANAGEMENT LEADER dealing with an improved crisis COVID for a year.” management team.

Moshiri said that unclear “As long as the expectations and inconsistent rules protocol are clearly communicated and communication, consistent between everyone working and having to schedule multiple in contact tracing, there should be appointments affected her wellbeing a significant improvement in things during her quarantine.

“When miscommunication among moving more efficiently and reasonably crisis management puts us through with an increase of hires,” Moshiri said.

Moshiri said she feels that crisis unnecessary steps that don’t align with management did not adequately handle [what] they actually need to do based off her case, as she said she received minimal of the protocol, it affects us more than and at times contradictory instructions. they think,” Moshiri said.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • 3

NEWS

Annual global climate strike occurs Sept. 24, with low Houston turnout VIOLA HSIA

FOR THE THRESHER Sept. 24 marked climate marches that occurred across the country, including one scheduled to occur in Houston. Rice Climate Alliance, a club dedicated to advocating for and educating students on the current climate crisis, did not attend due to the Houston march’s poor organization, according to Clara Ursic, the Rice Climate Alliance treasurer.

Rice Climate Alliance planned to attend the climate march in front of Houston’s city hall, but it was eventually cancelled due to low coverage and poor anticipated turnout in the Houston area, according to Ursic. Comparatively, around 2,000 students attended the New York City march on Sept. 24, with thousands of other demonstrations occurring around the globe.

Over 1,300 climate marches were registered to happen on Friday around the world, as part of Fridays for Future, which started during the climate marches in 2019. Ursic said she was disappointed that the Houston march was canceled, especially since Houston is a big city.

“There wasn’t really an organized strike, or at least there was such little information that we could get and there wasn’t really a big movement in the city,” Ursic said.

According to the National Oceanic and the Thresher that he believes the planet Atmospheric Administration, 2020 was is currently approaching a turning point, climate-wise. a historic year of “Experts weather extremes, suggest that with a record of 22 once we hit 1.5 separate billiondegrees Celsius dollar weather – in other disasters in the Be energized by the thought words, when United States that we collectively have the we add just alone. with current another half changing weather opportunity to remake the degree Celsius patterns attributed world for the better. It’s not of warming on to climate change, the situation we asked for, of the one one being the but it’s the defining moment top degree that fact that on has already average, there that’s upon us. happened – are seven natural Richard Johnson things will disasters per year, truly go from evidence points to Rice Climate Alliance Sponsor bad to worse,” irreversible future Johnson, executive director of Rice’s consequences.

Richard Johnson, sponsor of the Rice Sustainability Program, said. “And at Climate Alliance, wrote in an email to 2 degrees Celsius – another full degree

of warming – we get into potentially dystopian scenarios. In short, we need to be deeply concerned.”

Johnson said that climate change can affect certain communities more than others.

“We need to be mindful that the impacts of climate change fall disproportionately on historically disenfranchised populations, and as temperatures continue to rise, this will only get worse,” Johnson said. “Now more than ever, we need to look out for each other.”

Ursic also said climate change impacts people disproportionately, such as lower-income communities. Ursic said the most glaring issue to her is the fact that future generations will not be able to have the same opportunities as people do now. “[Combating climate change is] about ensuring that as time goes on the Earth

CHLOE XU / THRESHER ILLUSTRATION

BY CHLOE XU is fit for future generations,” Ursic said.

Ursic said the Rice Climate Alliance has several projects planned for the upcoming semester to take action.

“I think as a university, we could do a lot,” Ursic said, “For example, one of our main projects is the Divestment Initiative. We’re trying to research a lot about divesting from fossil fuels and then reinvesting in renewables.”

Johnson said that all students are involved in the climate crisis, even if they are not associated with a particular cause.

“You’re already involved, regardless of whether you identify as being part of any particular climate cause or not,” Johnson said. “Be energized by the thought that we collectively have the opportunity to remake the world for the better. It’s not the situation we asked for, but it’s the defining moment that’s upon us.”

GSA president discusses servery dinner options for graduate students

PRAYAG GORDY / THRESHER SA President Kendall Vining leads the Sept.

28 SA Senate meeting. GSA President Mario Escobor discussed the lack of on campus dinner options for graduate students later during the meeting.

HAJERA NAVEED

ASST NEWS EDITOR At the Student Association meeting Monday Sept. 27, Graduate Student Association President Mario Escobor discussed the fact that there are no dinner options for graduate students on campus.

Escobor said the GSA wanted the input of the undergraduate population on this initiative.

According to Escobor, the GSA has been dealing with this issue for years, but the Rice administration had some concerns about implementing graduate student dinner access.

“The administration’s concern is that [the undergraduates] would be very very against the idea of us just getting food from the serveries,” Escobor said in the meeting.

Student Association President Kendall Vining said that she doesn’t believe that undergraduate students would be against this initiative.

Lily Sethre-Brink, the SA internal vice president, said she believes that this could be beneficial for Rice undergraduate students as it would allow for greater collaboration with graduate students.

“I don’t think there is really an argument for not allowing graduate students to be in the serveries,” said Sethre-Brink. “I don’t see there being a harm with having more connections between undergraduate and graduate students and in that social space as well.”

During the meeting, a student asked whether there could be a vaccination requirement for graduate students to access and eat food in serveries because of their lower vaccination rate. However, Skye Fredericks, the Jones College SA senator, said that this cannot be possible because of the state mandate against a vaccine requirement.

Jerry Templeton, Duncan College new student representative, said he believes that the serveries are already understaffed so there would have to be adjustments made if graduate students would have access to the serveries during dinner.

“What I witnessed at our serveries is that there are not enough workers there to even handle the undergraduate population,” Templeton said. “If we do invite more graduate [students], I would be all on board, but we would need more staff in the serveries because they can’t really handle more people at the moment.”

Escobor said that the GSA has discussed these implications with Housing and Dining, and they are fully aware that adjustments must be made in serveries if graduate students are to have access during dinner time.

4 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

NEWS

Moody Foundation donates $100 million to build new student center HAJERA NAVEED

ASST NEWS EDITOR Rice received a $100 million donation from the Moody Foundation which will support construction of the new student center as well as endowments to support some of the program components of the center, according to President David Leebron. This donation, along with the Welch Foundation grant, are the largest private donations in Rice’s history, according to Leebron.

Leebron said that the donation has allowed the university to realize the full vision of the new student center. The new student center has been designed by Sir David Adjaye, and reflects the inspirational and central role of the student center, according to Leebron.

“We are extremely grateful to the Moody Foundation for so generously supporting not only this transformative building, but the programs that are essential to student opportunity and success,” Leebron said in an email to the Thresher. “They’ve taken a broad and holistic view of the student experience, one that matches the distinctive culture and philosophy of Rice.”

Leebron said that a generous and impactful donation is always the product of Rice’s key needs and the donor’s interest.

“I believe the Moody Foundation was focused on assuring the quality of our student experience in a world in which the elements of that experience are changing, which was evident in the student survey undertaken by the Student Association a number of years ago,” Leebron said.

Leebron said that the new student center will better serve the expanding population of Rice, as the current student center was built when the population of students was less than 2000. The Rice Memorial Center was opened in 1958 and the Ley Student Center was added as an expansion in 1986. Leebron said that the gift will have a major impact on the university and promote student life.

According to Leebron, the Brown Foundation provided the initial $15 million grant to support the project and enabled Rice to keep it moving along as they looked for additional funding.

The n e w student center design was chosen through a design competition where stakeholders and end-users were able to give their input, according to University Architect George Ristow.

“Design competitions are a collaborative way to select an architectural design team for projects with a wide range of stakeholders, and for buildings that aspire to long-term significance as important destinations,” Ristow said. “They also allow compelling ideas from all participants to be considered for incorporation into the ultimate design of the facility.”

Miguel Luna, general manager of Rice Coffeehouse, said his main priority in the new student center is to have more work space for employees and more seating for customers. He also hopes that the new Coffeehouse space will include an outdoor component.

Luna said that he was able to meet with the project architects and convey his ideas for the new Coffeehouse space.

“I think all of my feedback was wellreceived and they know that our feedback is the most important because, as architects, they don’t know what it’s like to work there, or be these students constantly going there,” Luna said.

Ristow said that student input was an important part of the design process.

According to Ristow, the programming priorities used to determine space allocations throughout the planned student

COURTESY OF ADJAYE ASSOCIATES Rendering of the Multicultural Center in the proposed student center.

center are also based on student input from feasibility studies conducted over the last few years.

“We couldn’t do this project without a lot of help from students. Student leadership has been involved in the design of the new facility from the very beginning of the competition and it continues to be part of the project steering committee, which is the decision-making group,” Ristow said.

In a Rice press release, Elle Moody, trustee of the Moody Foundation and Rice University, said that the donation will not only support the new building but also is an investment in every student.

“As a Rice University alumna, I know this gift will have a profound and lasting effect on the campus and its students,” said Elle Moody to Rice News.

Construction will begin in early 2022, and the building is expected to be completed by late 2023.

The student center design steering committee has been working on helping guide the design and planning of the new student center building, according to Mario Escobor, Graduate Student Association president and representative on the committee.

The project steering committee includes the university architect, deans

COURTESY OF ADJAYE ASSOCIATES Rendering of the proposed student center to replace the Rice Memorial Center. The original RMC chapel and cloisters are planned to remain intact.

of undergraduates and graduate students, other student leaders, and university stakeholders, according to Ristow.

Escobor said that he hopes to implement changes to the GSA space in the new student center, and that the recent donation has encouraged him to continue working with the committee to ensure the plans are kept on track for the new building.

“I hope to see a more open and accessible space where graduate students can gather,” Escobor said. “The design of the space has focused on making the area functional for meetings while also being able to shift to a more casual environment.”

General managers of Rice Coffeehouse and The Hoot said they have been collaborating with designers to explain their vision for their spaces in the new student center.

Ryan Emelle, general manager of The Hoot, said that she has been able to attend meetings to discuss her vision and needs for the new spaces.

“The architects and the designers have been really welcoming and accommodating,” Emelle, a senior at Jones College said. “They have a lot of ideas for our spaces, as well as ideas that we didn’t even think of. So they’ve already been putting in a lot of forethought about how we need these spaces to be designed to better serve our businesses.”

Emelle said that she is excited for the future of The Hoot in the new student center.

“I am really excited about the donation because I think that means that whatever space we do get, it will be designed with a lot of intention to help our business grow and improve and function,” Emelle said.

Luna said that Coffeehouse is currently deciding on a temporary location for when the building is under construction but no decisions have been made. Emelle also said that no concrete plans have been made for temporary Hoot locations but one idea is running the business out of one of the campus serveries.

Adjaye Associates’ design is three stories, 80,000 square feet and includes a rooftop auditorium. An architectural rendering of the exterior features a vertical line pattern, windows and skylights and incorporates circular shapes in its design.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • 5

THE RICE THRESHER

EDITORIAL

Rice must clarify academic accommodations Four weeks ago, we wrote an editorial calling for the Rice campus to embrace a new normal when it comes to COVID policies and our activities on campus. Because we are arrogant enough to believe that everyone reads and takes guidance from our editorials each week, it seems that, by and large, the community has taken our advice as this semester has continued along in a relatively “normal” way. However, there is still work to be done in ensuring that courses are delivered in a uniform manner, allowing every student an equal opportunity to succeed in their classes while we continue through this pandemic.

In his email announcing the partial return to in-person classes on Sept. 2, the provost specified that “instructors of inperson classes must make preparations to accommodate students who may need to quarantine or isolate due to exposure to COVID-19,” without any

additional clarification as to what those accommodations might be.

Although several professors do voluntarily record and share their lectures, many do not. This is completely valid, due to genuine concerns about maintaining attendance. Some professors have adopted a mixed approach, in which they record lectures but only release them on request from quarantining or isolating students.

The burden should not be on these students, who are already facing the difficulties of isolation or illness, to determine whether a professor has recordings or whether they as students have a right to ask for them. Rather, the administration needs to provide tangible, concrete standards for professors and students to abide by, not the loose wording in the Provost’s email “encouraging” dual delivery or labeling class recordings as “sufficient.”

We also know that dual delivery classrooms and managing the technological side of the classroom while still trying to deliver quality instruction can be difficult.

To this, we encourage faculty who are not already to utilize resources like Tech TAs, students whose job it is to help with these Zoom difficulties so that the class can be more accessible to all students.

Almost one year ago today, we asked the administration to maintain the academic accommodations provided in the first semester that the pandemic began.

Now, we call for such accommodations to be solidified in an ever-changing environment. For both students and professors, specific guidelines on how to both teach and learn in our new normal will provide a much-needed sense of stability. It feels like we say this every week, but consistency and clarity are more important now than ever before.

Read more at

ricethresher.org

Less horny all the time, please The problem is ... the aphasic sexual aggression that Missed Connections often voice, which is, I don’t think it’s crazy to say, a little weird, and kind of a campus problem.

Colton Alstatt

LOVETT COLLEGE SENIOR

GUEST OPINION

Administration is prioritizing money and prestige over student well-being As last summer neared its close and I began looking towards the fall semester, I was more excited than I had ever been to start a school year. After a difficult year of online classes and social isolation, I couldn’t wait to finally see all the friends that I had missed for the last 16 months, as well as meet the underclassmen that I had been unable to interact with throughout my junior year.

Despite the rise of the Delta COVID-19 variant, with Chair of Crisis Management Advisory Committee Kevin Kirby’s email on Aug. 3 reassuring that, “We still intend to have as rich and vibrant a semester as possible and we want to avoid imposing the same level of constraints we had during the spring semester,” I was still filled with a strong sense of optimism about my final year at Rice. As a result, I had no qualms about paying my tuition. Unfortunately, it has since become clear that this optimism was misplaced, as was my trust in the Rice administration. By implementing policies that clearly contradict the expectation that administration had established for the semester, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman has failed in her responsibilities to prioritize the needs of the undergraduate community and shown that administration is placing its finances and prestige over the wellbeing of its students.

It did not take long for the administration’s intentions to become clear, as a botched start to the semester saw no requirement for arrival testing of students travelling from all over the country and dozens of false positive test results during Orientation Week. At this point, it was understandable when all classes were moved online, alcohol was banned indoors and cross-college events were prohibited. However, once the false positives were discovered and classes eventually transitioned back to in person, the topic of reopening social life on campus

EDITORIAL STAFF 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

was completely ignored without explanation. multiple colleges being prohibited. The sadly And while the COVID situation in Houston ironic result of this is that students who crave has worsened, Rice undergraduates are 96 a normal college social life are being pushed percent vaccinated as of Aug. 22, which affords off campus into the Houston community, substantial protection from serious illness which as of Sept. 27 was just under 53 percent resulting from COVID-19 as well as vastly vaccinated and had a 15.5 percent COVID-19 reduces the chance of transmission. The lack positivity rate over the past 14 days. This of communication around allowing social life compares to the Rice community’s positivity on campus to resume begs the question of rate of 0.22 percent over the past seven days, whether it was always the administration’s showing how driving students off campus intention to hit the panic button at the slightest does nothing but increase the risk of a sign of trouble. However, it doesn’t seem a COVID-19 outbreak among undergraduate coincidence that they waited to do so until students.

All of these draconian measures come at they had already secured an incoming class a time when mental of freshman and the health among tuition money of all college students undergraduates who has been negatively were left with few Students who crave a affected due to the options after such normal college social conditions caused a last minute policy life are being pushed by the pandemic. change.

Recent research has At most colleges, off campus into the found that 71 percent the steps that Rice of college students a d m i n i s t r a t i o n Houston community... report increased has taken would [this] does nothing but stress and anxiety not have a drastic due to the pandemic, effect on student increase the risk of a and that 86 percent life, as fraternities, COVID-19 outbreak among of these respondents sororities and clubs undergraduate students. identified a decrease with houses off campus would still provide opportunities for in social interaction as a contributor to this social interaction. However, as everyone who problem. For administration to so callously chooses to attend Rice knows, fraternities and disregard the mental health needs of its sororities are prohibited, and the residential students after accepting our tuition money is college system makes campus the center a blatantly self-serving attempt to bolster the of social life. Normally this fosters social endowment while avoiding further national interactions between people of different embarrassments such as the New York Times colleges, years and backgrounds, which is article covering the batch of false positive one of the best parts of Rice. However, under tests and the resulting online classes.

Adding to this anxiety has been the lack of the strict rules currently, social life has been drastically stifled with no publics being honest communication from administration allowed, Willy’s Pub being forced to remain about the social restrictions that have closed, and private events including people of negatively impacted undergraduate mental

* Indicates Editorial Board member SPORTS Daniel Schrager* Editor BACKPAGE Timmy Mansfield Editor COPY Bhavya Gopinath Editor Jonathan Cheng Editor ONLINE & VIDEO Brandon Chen Web Editor Jasmine Liou Video Editor PHOTO Channing Wang Photo Editor Katherine Hui Asst. Photo Editor

DESIGN Robert Heeter Art Director, Features Designer Anna Chung News Designer Siddhi Narayan Opinion Designer Katherine Chui Features Designer Ivana Hsyung A&E Designer Andi Rubero Sports Designer Lauren Yu Backpage Designer ILLUSTRATION Chloe Xu Illustrator Ndidi Nwosu Illustrator Andrea Gomez Illustrator BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Karoline Sun Business Operations Deema Beram Social Media Amanda Mae Ashley Distribution

health. To see the desire of students to return to some semblance of social normalcy, look no further than the rates at which we received the COVID-19 vaccination and filled out the Rice health form to report doing so. By Aug. 22, not only had 96 percent of undergraduates received the vaccine, but 99 percent had filled out the health form. Both of these results easily surpassed all other groups of the campus community, including faculty, staff and graduate students. It is not a surprise that undergraduates were the most motivated out of any of these groups considering the direct relationship that administration established between high rates of vaccinations and relaxed social restrictions such as to, “hold all classes inperson, to remove size limits on gatherings, drop our face mask requirements, and fully utilize our residential colleges.” This was all laid out in the “Planning for the Fall Semester” communication which set a 90 percent vaccination goal to allow for these changes, a mark which we have long ago surpassed.

With all of this being said, the simple answer to this problem is to continue weekly COVID testing efforts while beginning to reopen social life on campus, including allowing limited capacity indoor public and private events, as well for Willy’s Pub to reopen. It is past time that Rice administration prioritizes the needs of its students over profits and prestige. We as undergraduates should accept nothing less.

Cooper Bouton

WILL RICE COLLEGE SENIOR

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. on 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

6 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

THE RICE THRESHER

Waitz no more: Crowd level monitoring now available at Fondren

KELTON KECK / THRESHER The occupancy levels of study spaces at Fondren Library are now available for students to check online.

ZOE KATZ

popular open space study areas,” said Sandi Edwards, who works as an assistant university librarian for Research Services at Fondren Library.

Waitz currently displays crowd levels for the Basement, 1st floor, 2nd floor Mezzanine, 3rd floor and 6th floor of Fondren. According to Edwards, a librarygoer can download the app or use the Fondren website to check each location’s occupancy without setting foot on the floor.

Adel Iqbal, a Sid Richardson College sophomore, said he frequents the library once a day.

“Every time I go, I definitely use the information that’s available online as a metric for where I’ll be in Fondren,” Iqbal said.

Iqbal said that the crowd levels service has a big impact on his studying location.

“If [Waitz] says that it’s above 50, 60 percent capacity, then I will just completely avoid that floor,” Iqbal said.

However, not everyone is as aware of Waitz and the services it offers. Danny Zhang, a Lovett College freshman, says he goes to Fondren to study. However, he

FOR THE THRESHER When a student walks into Fondren Library, a lot of factors go into choosing their studying location — the amount of natural lighting, the comfiness of the chairs or maybe someone cute sitting nearby.

Recently, Fondren has started sharing another factor to consider before students even enter the building: crowd levels, posted online and at Fondren’s entrances.

Beginning this semester, Fondren partnered with Waitz Corporation, a company that informs users how busy a public place currently is, according to library staff.

Waitz measures Bluetooth and WiFi signals to quantify occupancy levels.

Custom ​​IoT sensors scan for the signals, which emit from computers, phones, smart watches and other devices. The resulting numbers are between 80 percent to 95 percent accurate, according to the FAQ on the Waitz website. “[The service is] a way of giving students real time occupancy data in some of our

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said he has never heard of the crowd level monitoring service. According to Newton Huynh, a Will Rice College sophomore, the service would have an impact on where he would study ­— he just wasn’t aware of Waitz in the first place.

“I would probably prefer to go to a place that has less occupancy,” Huynh said. “[Waitz’s services are] done in real time, so the numbers are always current,” Edwards said.

According to Iqbal, however, the numbers do not always seem to be correct.

“There are many times I feel like there is definitely a discrepancy in what or how that service portrays the crowd levels and what I see,” Iqbal said.

Edwards said that the service is not without its faults. In the near future, Fondren will have head counts for occupied floors and compare the results to Waitz’s occupancy levels, according to Edwards.

“They’re gonna be doing a recalibration of the numbers,” Edwards said. “It’s a way of testing if the numbers are accurate.”

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Edwards also said that Fondren has continued to use COVID capacity levels for the library’s floors. These may contribute to the accuracy issues that Iqbal found. “[The occupancy levels] that we are using are pandemic numbers,” she said. “They probably will stay that way for a while.”

The pandemic provided the inspiration to implement Waitz at Fondren, according to Edwards. She said that Fondren management hoped the crowd level monitoring would encourage users to socially distance.

Iqbal said he finds the service useful for his own COVID safety. “[It helps in] making sure I am able to social distance while studying,” Iqbal said.

Even after the pandemic recedes, Edwards said she sees a future for Waitz at Fondren Library.

“It will still be something we want to continue with. [Capacity levels] will change eventually, and they will affect the changing environment. I just don’t know when,” she said. “I see it as a longterm service.”

1 Piece maker, puzzlingly?

7 Residential care worker, for short 10 Short play?

11 Nine-digit ID issuer 14 Reachable at 713-348-600 16 World Heritage Site org.

17 USS, for the UK 18 Consumes adobo 19 Study meeting, slangily 20 Location between a rock and a hard place?

22 Ointment, for one 25 Prefix for eight 26 Loosen 27 Alexander Byrd, Rice VP of ___ 28 Sheep sound 31 Indian yogurt drink 33 Recorded, as a TV show 36 Maxima and minima 38 Predecessors of the Aztecs 40 Roll out of bed 41 Nigiri, for example 43 Pig genus 44 Italian diminutive 45 Country, in Colombia 46 Alpha Centauri, for one 47 Downgrades, in the office 52 Site of earthquakes, often 54 Oft-polished canvas?

55 Fashion designer Gucci 56 Chicago IATA code 57 Common symptom of carsickness 59 High schooler, typically 60 Director Anderson 61 Rigid 62 Umami ingredient, for short 63 Brand with namesake puffs and pieces

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1 Horseback duel 2 Balancing part of the ear 3 Animals grouped in gaggles 4 Malia Obama’s sister 5 UVA and Clemson conference 6 Controversial global commerce grp.

7 Type of roll 8 Shallow ocean events 9 Playground retort 11 Glows 12 Rice maj. with interns at the Rockets 13 Volcanic spew 15 LAMP testing building 20 Actress Thompson and ice dancer Virtue 21 Agenda that is checked twice?

23 Get there in no time?

24 Polite address 28 Plead 29 Stumper?

30 Outlooks 32 Start of Mario’s self-referential catchphrase 34 Richmond college which frequents the NCAA tournament 35 Blog feed format, abbr.

37 “Shoo” 39 Buckeye state 42 Turns over 46 Setting of “The Crucible” 47 Calamitous 48 Habituate 49 Watering hole in a desert, say 50 Sister’s daughter, perhaps 51 Thin wooden planks 52 ___ Bear Week 53 Where you go in limbo?

57 SA position for first-years 58 Had sashimi

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • 7

FEATURES

Turning a COVID year into a gap year: 6 students share their stories ARIANA MOSHIRI

THRESHER STAFF

There is no linear path to take in life and in college — no one-size-fits-all plan to success. Sometimes, the unexpected happens (say, a global pandemic). Or you simply decide to step back and re-evaluate what would be best for you, regardless of what others say you should be doing.

Taking a gap year is a choice that students make for a multitude of reasons.

The Thresher talked to six students who took last year off from school to learn more about the unique experiences they’re bringing back with them.

Samir Walji, freshman Samir Walji, a freshman at Lovett College, said he had always planned on taking a gap year, regardless of the pandemic. According to Walji, a gap year between high school and college was the only opportunity to explore his freedom from school and career demands without being financially responsible for it.

“I was lucky enough that my parents were able to fund me travelling and going on trips,” Walji said. “I felt like taking a year off to grow as a person, especially since I had a lot of goals for myself, would be very beneficial for me and let me [be able to] perform better in college and also just have a good time.”

While COVID didn’t influence his decision to take a gap year, Walji said that it did change his plans about what he would do. His altered plan included 6 weeks in Costa Rica, where he surfed, kayaked, camped, worked at an animal rescue center and helped with construction and farming in the local community through the Pacific Discovery program. His time in Costa Rica was followed by a road trip with his best friends from Dallas to New York.

“When else am I going to be able to live like that and not be stressing out about school or work?” Walji said. “People always talk about how you’re going to fall behind [if you take a gap year], but there’s nothing you’re falling behind from; there’s not one track that you have to stick to.”

Walji said that his gap year reinvigorated him for a new chapter in his life: college.

According to him, this experience left only positive effects on his mental health, social life and approach to work.

“I feel like throughout the gap year I became a lot more comfortable and confident with the person I am,” Walji said.

“I’ve grown up more and matured a lot, and [this] personal development makes me happy to be starting college as [who] I am now rather than [who I was] right after I got out of high school.”

Justin Lebeau, freshman Justin Lebeau, a freshman at Sid Richardson College, said that he preferred FROM FRONT PAGE

1918 PANDEMIC In the March 23, 1919 issue, a poem focusing on the symptoms of influenza was published under the name “Casey.”

The poem focuses on the experience of someone who was presumably a student.

“Sometimes, maybe, you get well,” Casey wrote after describing the symptoms.

“Some call it ‘Flue,’ I call it Hell!”

In the same issue, the Thresher reported on a comment that Mr. Caldwell, the History 300 instructor, made about the impact of the influenza on the young Rice Institute.

“We got about a half century behind during the influenza pandemic,” Caldwell said.

On May 1, 1919, the Thresher reported on the death of Ira South, the “first Rice boy to apply to the committee for withdrawal from school” and “the first Institute boy in the service.”. He was known as a literary scholar and had several poems published before his death from influenza. “[T]he Saturday Evening Post accepted a short woodsy sketch entitled ‘Gone.’ Before the publication of this little poem … [he] was

to wait a year to enter Rice as he hoped for a better start to college — one where he wouldn’t have to sacrifice much of the experience due to the pandemic. Lebeau said he spent two months working as a supervisor on the census for his county and then six months volunteering, teaching English as a foreign language and enjoying his opportunity to travel, mainly in Costa Rica (as well as in Colombia and Guatemala).

“It was a really good experience to grow and meet new people before coming to college … I think I definitely have changed and it’s for the better,” Lebeau said.

“Obviously a lot of people come right out of high school never having lived on their own and it’s a big adjustment to have to do that for the first time … but it was not as crazy, not as big of a shift [for me].”

Lieber-Kotz spent his fall finishing work for his remote summer internship, taking an online class from Rice and teaching in person at a Hebrew school for kids back home in D.C. But he said that it was his job at a co-op in the Colorado Department of Energy in the spring that made his whole year worthwhile since it provided a lot of experience in a field that he would certainly consider entering.

“It was just really great to live independently and get productive and valuable stuff done,” Lieber-Kotz said.

“I made some friends [in Colorado] and I really matured a lot when I was there on my own, doing the stuff you take for granted when you’re living on campus or with family … It made it easier for me to come back to Rice.”

KATHERINE CHUI / THRESHER

Matan Lieber-Kotz, junior Matan Lieber-Kotz, a junior at Lovett, said that if the pandemic hadn’t happened, there was no way he could have ever imagined himself taking a gap year in the middle of college.

“I felt like [online classes] weren’t worth paying tuition,” Lieber-Kotz said. “It wasn’t worth it to go to Houston just to sit in my room.” stricken with the influenza epidemic and was ‘Gone’ from his many friends,” the Thresher wrote. “Ira South died of pneumonia in the naval hospital at Portsmouth, October 11, 1918.”

The Thresher of 1919 may not have had a satirical Backpage cracking jokes about

THRESHER ARCHIVES

Amanda Suarez, senior Amanda Suarez, a senior at Martel College, also decided to take an unanticipated year off after classes went online due to COVID. According to Suarez, she had negative experiences with remote learning midway through the spring of 2020 and she felt that she was justified in taking a break to reverse the effects of burnout after working very hard for the previous three years.

“I didn’t have a program or anything previously planned because it was a spontaneous decision in July [2020] once they sent out that email [announcing some classes would be online],” Suarez said. “I just spent a lot of time focusing on my mental health. I also ended up doing a lot of things I never had time for, like learning digital art, doing a lot of running — I did a 10k — and doing some research for a few weeks.”

Throughout her gap year, Suarez also spent a lot of time working remotely with the Rice Marching Owl Band, or as she called it, her “social and mental health lifeline,” playing at dual-delivery MOB rehearsals and advocating for other remote members.

“What was really nice about the break, though, was that I really didn’t realize how burnt out I was until I had it. So just being able to come back and go to classes now refreshed has been really beneficial,” Suarez said. “It’s a lot easier for me to focus now because I basically rebuilt my mental health from the ground up. And it’s caused me to know my limits, when I need to rest, and when I need to push myself.”

Lieber-Kotz said that his experiences at Rice now feel different from those of other juniors because he feels recharged after his time off.

“I came back and it’s like I have a better attention span; I have way more appreciation for in-person classes than I ever did,” Lieber-Kotz said. “I’m doing a lot more of a workload than I was doing as a sophomore but I don’t feel overwhelmed or burnt out.”

Michael Ou, junior Michael Ou, a junior from Jones College, said he embarked on a gap year with the notion that things were not going to return to normal in the fall. Ou said that as an international student, he would be uniquely affected by this reality, and he was concerned about factors like time zone differences, student visas and internship opportunities available to him abroad. Once in-person activities shut down and all his suitemates left in spring 2020, he returned home to China, where he said he could live a relatively normal life — compared to his friends attending online classes at Rice — as COVID case numbers and restrictions were minimal there.

Ou spent his time traveling to Tibet, Shanghai and other Chinese cities. He also did an internship for a few months and worked on personal projects relevant to his future career as a computer science major. He said that the most important part of his gap year, however, was getting to spend time with his family.

This story has been cut off for print.

Read more at ricethresher.org.

COVID-19 tests, but it had sections of jokes submitted by students, some of them darkly tackling the ongoing pandemic. In a joke from the May 22, 1919 issue, St. Peter asks a young woman how she got to Heaven, and she replies, “I ‘Flue.’”

Several other jokes published by the Thresher referenced the pandemic.

A poem published Oct. 23, 1919 pokes fun at doctors preemptively diagnosing people with the flu. In 1920, a writer poked fun at a couple being confined to bed together from the “influenza” and at an outbreak at A&M. In the Jan. 22, 1920 Thresher, a Rice faculty member’s wartime activities as the National Secretary for the Red Cross are recounted, and a postponed trip due to him becoming ill with influenza is mentioned. The Feb. 5, 1920 issue ran an advertisement that encouraged a young man to buy flowers for his “girl” who was isolated with influenza. On Feb. 27, 1920, the Thresher reported that Texas University, now UT Austin,

awarded a new insignia, the “Flu T,” to 77 women at the university who followed influenza protocols.

Specific incidences of students catching influenza continue to be referenced in 1923 although Thresher coverage of influenza died down. The Spanish influenza’s impact was exacerbated by the World War that the Rice Institute played a role in as well.

In the 1920 senior edition of the Thresher, recognition was given to three members of the class of 1920 who would not be graduating because they had died.

Two men died in combat and another from influenza.

“Joseph Weldon Haycock, a victim of influenza while a member of the Training Corps, made a no less sacrifice than his two heroic classmates,” the Thresher wrote.

Firsthand accounts of this period are sparse, but we can form an idea of the student experience through jokes and tributes to fellow classmates. Maybe, in a century from now, Thresher writers will be uncovering our old articles, reading the Backpage and piecing together what it was like to be a Rice student during the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

THE RICE THRESHER

Lesser Known ACL: JACOB TATE

SENIOR WRITER

Keep in mind that you’ll be on your feet for most of the day — comfort is key, and you don’t want to ruin your favorite shoes with dirt, mud and sweat

Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and Rice students trying to assemble groups of friends to trek to Austin for the Austin City Limits Festival. As we’ve somehow almost gotten to the start of the October, the Thresher is excited to announce that we’ll be covering the festival throughout the next few weeks.

While we’re certainly excited for some of the bigger names, we know most of y’all have already made up your minds about which headliners to see. Instead, we wanted to recommend some lesser known artists that we’re hyped for.

Joy Oladokun

Song to try out: “Sunday”

NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER

Recommended if you like: Leon Bridges, Maren Morris

Tkay Maidza

MORGAN GAGE

A&E EDITOR

It’s been two years since music fans flooded into Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Festival. This music festival spans two weekends, eight stages and features over 100 musical acts and a plethora of food options. The 2021 festival dates are set for the weekends of Oct. 1-3 and 8-10, and, while tickets are sold out, there are resale options available.

If you’re half as eager to hear live music as I am, you might be planning on making the trek to Austin, and, to ease all of your pre-festival worries, here is the Thresher’s Unofficial Guide to ACL. When, where and how do I get there?

As I mentioned before, ACL spans two weekends — Oct. 1-3 and 8-10. There are some small differences in the festival line-ups. A few artists are only going to be there for one or the other, but with the amount of options available you’re bound to find plenty to listen to no matter which weekend you go. However, it’s worth noting that the second weekend coincides with Rice’s midterm break, for better or worse. Maybe you’re planning a road trip for the long weekend! Or, if you’re like me, you’re planning to use Monday and Tuesday to recover from the (exhausting) whirlwind of an ACL weekend (and to work on the Thresher).

Zilker Park, the location for the festival, is in south Austin, so it’s worth keeping your travel plans in mind if you’re looking for somewhere to stay. For those who aren’t making the two-and-ahalf-hour drive themselves, round-trip Megabus tickets from Houston to Austin start at approximately $73 for either

weekend of ACL at time of publication and include access to Wi-Fi and power outlets. For a cheaper alternative, round-trip Greyhound tickets begin at approximately $55 with the trade-off of a likely lengthier ride.

What about COVID? Great question! If you are fully vaccinated (14 days have passed since your second shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or since the single Johnson & Johnson shot), you can present proof of vaccination to gain entry.

If you do not present proof that you are fully vaccinated, you’ll need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test from within 72 hours of first entering ACL. (I personally recommend getting that Rice students test soon before the festival anyway since we, you know, are required to test once a week anyway.)

Additionally, all ACL attendees are required to comply with the ACL Festival Fan Health Pledge. If you come into contact with someone who has tested positive, show symptoms or travel to an area that is considered high-risk for contracting COVID-19 in the 14 days before ACL, you should not attend the event. Masks are required on all public transportation in Austin and in areas of Zilker Park where distancing is difficult to maintain. Hand sanitizing stations will be available throughout Zilker Park, and bringing personal-size hand sanitizer is allowed.

What should I bring with me?

You have to stay hydrated. Unless you’d rather pass out from dehydration than see Megan Thee Stallion, I strongly suggest you bring either a hydration pack

or refillable water bottle that you can refill at stations across the festival. Your water bottle or hydration pack must be empty upon entry to the festival.

Beyond that, you’ll want something to carry your things. Fanny packs with a single pocket are allowed and are a great way to keep your necessities close to you.

If you want a little more storage space, you’ll want to opt for a clear backpack since all bags larger than a single pocket fanny pack or small clutch purse must be transparent.

You’ll want to prepare for a day in the sun, so a small, non-aerosol container of sunscreen is a good addition along with wearing cool and comfortable clothes. If you have longer hair, a hair tie or two is definitely a must-have.

Keep in mind that you’ll be on your feet for most of the day — comfort is key, and you don’t want to ruin your favorite shoes with dirt, mud and sweat over the weekend. This is what I’m telling myself as I eye my bright white sneakers across my dorm room that would definitely look really cute in my post-ACL Instagram post. Not worth it, I promise.

Among other things to bring, I recommend: a portable charger (do I need to explain?), protein bars or other snacks (for when you don’t want to tear yourself away from the stage to buy something to eat) and a blanket to sprawl across the grass with friends listening to music.

What I’ll be bringing that I don’t recommend: my Instax camera (adding weight to my bag for my aesthetic, yes, please). But, hey, ACL is returning! This will be my first concert since late 2019, and I want photos — enjoy yourself, keep those memories and get tested for COVID-19 when you get back.

Song to try out: “KIM” Recommended if you like: Azealia Banks, Megan Thee Stallion, Princess Nokia

Alison Wonderland

Song to try out: “New Rules” Recommended if you like: Diplo, RL Grime

KennyHoopla

Song to try out: “Estella” Recommended if you like: Fall Out Boy, (recent) Machine Gun Kelly

Channel Tres

Song to try out: “Controller” Recommended if you like: KAYTRANADA, Tyler the Creator Read more online at ricethresher.org.

Reviews Galore:

Visit our website to read staff reviews of newly released album and films at ricethresher.org.

‘I Was/I Am’ MICHELLE GACHELIN

THRESHER STAFF

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ SHIYU MIAO

THRESHER STAFF

T

WEEKLY SCENES AND SCREENS R2 OPEN MIC NIGHT HOUSTON CREOLE FEST Join R2 for their annual open mic night on Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. in Ray’s Courtyard.

Come for snacks, drinks and student performances. Student performers can sign up online ahead of time or at the time of the event.

Attend the Houston Creole Heritage Festival for music, food and more on Oct. 2 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. in Midtown Park. Tickets are $10 for adults, and available online for purchase ahead of time.

NIGERIA CULTURAL FEST The Nigeria Cultural Parade & Festival is Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting near the Toyota Center with the parade ending at the festival at Root Memorial Park.

General admission is free.

“SWEAT”

Watch “SWEAT,” the story of three women working at a factory together, at the Alley Theatre. The show opens Oct. 1 and will be performing through Oct. 24. Tickets begin at $30 and are available for purchase on their website.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Review: Project Pollo

Chicken and waffles at Project Pollo ZEISHA BENNETT / THRESHER

SYDNEY PARK

FOR THE THRESHER If you’re looking for a vegan, sustainable alternative to your Chick-Fil-A addiction, then Project Pollo might be the place for you. But if you’re not looking to sit in Houston traffic for 30 minutes and pay steep prices for soy-based chicken dishes, then maybe not. Project Pollo, a local fast food chain serving fried “chikn” and Impossible burgers, opened a new location in Houston on Sept. 18 about nine miles west of Rice University’s campus.

Listed as 6705 Fondren Road on their website, you may initially find yourself disoriented upon arriving at the restaurant from the lack of signage and advertising of the new space. In fact, your Uber driver may just drop you off at a different fried chicken restaurant that sits across the street.

As one enters the restaurant, the ambiance is certainly difficult to read. Due to being in its first week of opening, the restaurant seems to still be in development, given the lack of customers, undertraining of staff and relatively long wait times even when no orders were placed.

Project Pollo’s menu mainly consists of plant-based chicken sandwiches and wraps, Impossible burgers and fries. On weekends, they serve breakfast burritos,

muffins and “chikn waffles” during their breakfast hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They also have a program called “pay what you can” for two of their regular menu items where the restaurant will donate two meals for every purchase made.

Priced at $7, Project Pollo’s “Original Project,” a fried soy-based chicken patty served with pickles and aioli, essentially seeks to compete with other vegetarian fast foods on the market like veggie burgers that lack normal meaty flavors. Unlike its competitors, the Original Project successfully conceals the vegan aspect of the product, providing identical flavors and textures of a traditional chicken sandwich. The dill pickles are delicious and generous, and they complement the “chikn” seasoning quite well. It’s not hideously greasy, and the brioche bun and aioli work well together to create the same experience of a fried chicken sandwich. The main factor that prevents competitiveness with other brands is the price.

Unfortunately, the other items ordered drastically fell through in comparison to the sandwich. The “chikn waffles,” priced at $7.50 was extremely disappointing, as the waffle was cold, very difficult to cut though and low quality overall. It’s topped with a medley of berries and served with spicy “chikn” strips, which tragically overpower the taste buds, leaving one unable to taste the flavor combinations of fruit, waffle and chicken. In essence, the dish was not cohesive. Similarly, the fries were very average and reminiscent of servery breakfast potatoes. They are priced at $2.50.

Really, you’re only coming to this quirky spot for the chicken sandwich. The location’s distance is definitely something to consider, but the sustainability and charitable goals of the company are certainly admirable. My overall rating currently sits at two stars, but if Project Pollo continues to develop their menu and creativity over time, it could be worth another look.

Clarissa Tossin’s ‘The 8th Continent’ opens at Brochstein

CAMILLE KAO / THRESHER One panel of Clarissa Tossin’s “The 8th Continent,” a three-panel jacquard tapestry on display at Brochstein Pavilion as part of The Moody Center for the Arts’ Off the Wall series.

MORGAN GAGE

A&E EDITOR

The third installation of the Moody Center for the Arts’ Off the Wall series, Clarissa Tossin’s “The 8th Continent” opened at Brochstein Pavilion on Sept. 24 and will remain there until Aug. 27, 2022.

“The Off the Wall series is a partner with the core residency program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,” Alison Weaver,

executive director of the Moody Center, said.

“We commission an alumnus of the program to come back to Houston and create a sitespecific work that’s on view for one year.”

Spanning the wall of Brochstein Pavilion, “The 8th Continent” is a triptych of jacquard tapestries created using a digital loom. “The 8th Continent” is a gripping piece that asks us as members of the Rice community: what role will we play in the extraction of celestial resources by private companies?

REVIEW: ‘DOGBOY’ Genre: Nu-metal/rap Top Track: “Bleach”

CHUK UZOWIHE

FOR THE THRESHER Underground group City Morgue, consisting of ZillaKami and São Paulo rapper SosMula, began their rise to prominence a few years ago.

They took the edgiest attributes of contemporary rap and amplified them by incorporating elements of rock and metal. On “DOG BOY,” ZillaKami takes everything unique about his previous music and turns it up to 11.

It works in no small part due to the care that was taken in producing and mixing this album. A perfect fusion of hip-hop, nu metal and grunge, nothing feels out of place. Yung Germ, a frequent collaborator with City Morgue and the producer of the majority of the songs on “DOG BOY,” shows a great deal of improvement himself. He gives more space in his mixes to simple but addictive guitar loops.

Zilla’s adherence to the “fast song/slow song” format is somewhat limiting, but it results in good music nonetheless. The more aggressive tracks of “DOG BOY” are an iteration of the hard-hitting trap style City Morgue has always been known for. “Chewing Gum!” is an amazing start off to the album, fast-paced and energizing without being excessive.

In lieu of his frequent collaborator, ZillaKami lands his largest profile feature yet, collaborating with Lil

Uzi in the lead single “BADASS.” If the more ambitious songs of Eternal Atake show anything, it’s that Uzi is willing to use his signature flow over almost anything, letting the main artist do his own thing without having to adjust to fit a more mainstream style.

The most prevalent theme is that of responsibility. The eerie closing song “Space Cowboy” is the confession of someone haunted by the ghost of someone that he feels he failed to save. After a string of deaths among many of the most popular up-and-comers in hip-hop, many of whom had the same musical inspirations as Zilla, it is easy to see why he would be worried about what he talks about in this album.

My personal favorite of “DOG BOY’s” 13 tracks is “Bleach.” Over a calming melody and acoustic drums, ZillaKami spills his guts about the feelings that he wrestles in a way that is much more direct than anything else on this album.

It’s common for new artists to start strong, reach a high point early on, and spend the rest of their careers never returning to form, either for lack of inspiration or lack of motivation. But if the high points of this album tell me anything, it’s that ZillaKami has just gotten started, and that he has plenty of both.

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

“My interest in [using metallic thread] “I’m interested in what is happening in terms of the privatization of space was to link this tapestry to the history of the exploration in the 21st century and how tapestry in the Renaissance and medieval different that is from space exploration in times,” Tossin said. “I wanted to explore the 20th century,” Tossin said. “When you this relationship with the color[s] of gold start seeing private companies getting to and silver, the first precious metals that the moon or Mars, the conversation might were extracted and had a high value and change from scientific advancements to the how empires were built on that kind of extraction of natural resources, turning to wealth.”

Stark white lines divide the moon’s profit.”

The tapestries include maps of surface, dissected by the use of mapmaking specific locations on the moon with high techniques. The vastness of space is limited concentrations of ice deposits. The first panel by the lines drawn over it.

“Whoever creates a map is asserting illustrates the Shackleton Crater, the location of the next NASA lunar mission. Tossin a certain narrative onto that land and said that she turned her attention towards claiming a territory,” Tossin said. “The these ice deposits after conversations moon is very much mapped. Every single with professionals from the Rice Space geographic feature has a name, but you see most names are Institute and Houston written in either Lunar and Planetary English and Latin.

Institute during the The language that research phase of the Whoever creates a map you lay over land process. While the will apply a certain “The ice deposits, is asserting a certain narrative to that I’ve learned through narrative onto that land space.” conversations with A recreation of scientists — one and claiming a territory.

“Earth Rises,” the of them from Rice Clarissa Tossin first photograph University, Dr. David ARTIST of Earth taken Alexander from the Rice Space Institute [can be extracted to use from the moon, makes up the third panel. in fuel],” Tossin said. “The water molecules Earth is miniscule in the background, can be broken into hydrogen. Hydrogen emphasizing the expansiveness of space. turns into rocket fuel for spaceships or fuel The moon overshadows Earth, looming over for any machinery operating on the moon, it as it becomes the new avenue for resource exploitation.

Mars or other celestial bodies.”

Tossin said that she hopes viewers come Tossin said that a 2015 bill allows private companies to use lunar resources despite away from the piece critically considering the Moon Treaty stating that nations cannot how mapmaking and empire-creation goes take resources, since private companies hand in hand as well as thinking about our are not necessarily a nation and might be mentality on natural resource extraction, both celestially and on Earth. multinational.

“What we need is a change of perspective The darkness of both the wall in Brochstein and the background of the and the way we go about finding the tapestry are set off by metallic thread shining resources we need to operate,” Tossin said. against the inky black background. It offers a “It’s not thinking that we can push the same contrast that invites the viewer to look closer kind of attitude [of resource extraction] and lends a sense of opulence to the tapestry. towards space.”

10 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

THE RICE THRESHER

RECAP

Volleyball swept by No. 1 Texas CADAN HANSON

THRESHER STAFF

After the 58-0 blowout on the football field last week, there was hope that Wednesday’s volleyball game between Rice and the University of Texas, Austin would turn out differently. Following the two upsets in 2019 and 2020, when the Owls beat the No. 3 and No. 2 UT teams respectively, the team looked to pull off a three-peat of upsets when they hosted the No. 1 ranked Longhorns. However, the Owls could not handle the power of the undefeated Longhorns as they fell in three straight sets (25-14, 25-14, 25-14).

The Longhorns were hot from the start, quickly taking the advantage in the first set and never giving up their lead.

Their offense outhit the Owls .388-.042 and recorded a total of 40 team kills while on the defensive side, out blocked Rice 7.0 to 3.0. Errors also played a big factor in the outcome, with the Owls tallying a total of 21 errors compared to the seven recorded by Texas. According to head coach Genny Volpe, the Longhorn’s success started from the serve.

“Texas dominated from the service line and unfortunately we did not respond well to that,” Volpe said. “We were trying to make adjustments and tried different personnel, [but] unfortunately Texas had an answer for everything.”

During the game, the Owls still showed flashes of success. Senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon continued her strong season, leading the Owls with 12 kills and one block while junior setter

Carly Graham recorded 24 assists on the Owls 25 total kills. After the game, Volpe said she was impressed with how Lennon played even in the face of a high caliber opponent.

“I thought that Nicole Lennon had a solid match and took some really good swings against one of the best blocking teams in the country,” Volpe said.

Their match against the top-ranked Longhorns marked the fourth time all year that the Owls had faced a top15 ranked opponent.

According to Volpe, the team was not rattled by the Longhorns’ ranking and was ready for the challenge.

Texas dominated from the service line and we did not respond well to that.

We were trying to make adjustments and tried different personel, [but] unfortuneately Texas had an answer for everything.

Genny Volpe HEAD COACH

“I honestly don’t think our team felt an intense amount of pressure,” Volpe said. “We were playing the number one ranked team in the country and really

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER Two players from the University of Texas block an attempt at a kill by Rice. The No. 1 Longhorns were dominant on Wednesday, beating the Owls in three straight sets at Tudor Fieldhouse. saw that more as an opportunity than anything else.”

With the importance of the game in the air, Tudor Fieldhouse was sold out and complemented with a packed student section. With an attendance of 2,478 fans, the most fans since the 2019 season, Volpe said that the team was appreciative of the support from the community.

“The student section was incredible,” Volpe said. “I’m really proud of our Rice family and hoping they come back out again because we love the support.”

The loss marks the end of the nonconference schedule and opens the door to conference play, where the Owls hope to improve on their runner-up place in the C-USA tournament last year. Over the weekend, the team began its conference schedule with back-to-back sweeps of

the University of North Texas in Denton.

The wins brought back memories of last season, when the team struggled in non-conference play only to start their conference schedule with six straight sweeps en route to an undefeated conference regular season. Now at 7-5, Volpe hopes that the Owls can have a similar run in conference play and get ready for postseason volleyball.

“Overall we played the toughest nonconference schedule in Rice volleyball history,” Volpe said. “I do think that our weaknesses were exposed and we are definitely working through those to be ready for the conference championship.”

The Owls hit the court next for a weekend double header against the University of Texas, El Paso at Tudor Fieldhouse. The games will be Saturday at 1:00 pm and Sunday at 12:00 p.m.

No. 24 soccer leaves Lady Techsters on read in last-gasp win DANIEL SCHRAGER

SPORTS EDITOR

Rice soccer didn’t make it easy for themselves Friday night at Holloway Field, but they were able to pull out a win over Louisiana Tech University to bring their conference record to 2-0. With the game tied at 1-1 in the 81st minute, freshman midfielder Catarina Albuquerque connected with a header to break the tie. The Owls held on in the final nine minutes to secure the win. According to head coach Brian Lee, the team was confident they’d get the win, even with the score tied so late in the game. “[No] matter who we play, we tend to end up in close games,” Lee said. “So we’re always prepared for that.”

Playing their first conference home game of the year, Rice got out to an early lead when junior midfielder Serena Pham rebounded a missed shot off of a corner kick and sent it past the keeper in the 17th minute.

The

Owls had a chance to double their lead in the 30th minute, but junior defender Ziyana Samanani had a shot cleared off of the goal line by a LA Tech defender.

Rice played sound defense to close out the half, and carried a 1-0 lead into the locker room.

The tide shifted towards LA Tech at the start of the second half. The Lady Techsters managed four shots in the first four minutes of the half, while Rice didn’t get another shot off until the 53rd minute. Finally, in the 6 1 s t

minute, LA Tech took advantage of a botched clearance by Rice to even the game at one. According to Lee, with the way LA Tech was pressing, it was only a matter of time before they scored the equalizer.

“I thought the first half we played really well, [but we] just [had] a

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS Freshman midfielder Catarina Albuquerque dribbles the ball during Friday’s game against LA Tech.

Albuquerque’s 81st minute header gave the Owls a 2-1 win, bringing their conference record to 2-0.

flat start to the second half,” Lee said. “We were probably fortunate that Louisiana Tech scored on the earlier side so that we still had time to reassert ourselves.”

Rice went back on the attack late, looking to retake the lead. After a handful of opportunities amounted to nothing, Samanani drew a corner with a shot in the 81st minute. Junior midfielder Delaney Schultz sent the corner towards the front post, where Albuquerque met the ball and headed it into the far side of the net for her first goal of the season. The Owls defense held up in the final nine minutes and secured their eighth win of the season. According to Albuquerque, while she was thrilled to score the winning goal, it was really a product of the entire team’s effort.

If you have a ranking by your name, and trophies that you’ve won, you’re going to get everybody’s best effort.

Brian Lee HEAD COACH

“Getting the game winning goal is [always] special,” Albuquerque said. “We were pushing for the win, and the team deserved it. It just happened to be me this time, but any of us could have scored.”

While the Owls managed two goals, both came off of corner kicks meaning that neither came in open play. According to Lee, the team is happy to play to that

formula and isn’t worried about the lack of open-play goals.

“We spend a lot of time on [set pieces],” Lee said. “In college soccer, set pieces are a huge part of the game. But we feel good about how we attacked and the chances we created. [I] just hope we keep getting better and better about finishing the run-of-play chances.”

With the win, the Owls bounce back from their loss against the University of Pennsylvania last Sunday and move to 8-2-1 on the year. The loss to Penn was the Owls second loss in three games, following a loss to Southern Methodist University the previous Sunday, after starting the season undefeated in their first eight games. According to Lee, it was important for the team to get back in the win column as their conference schedule heats up.

“It was a big deal,” Lee said. “[Against] SMU we thought we played really well and lost. [Against] Penn, [in the] flow of play we played great, but I’m not sure we deserved to win. So we needed a rebound and we needed a result just [to] make sure we’re keeping [our] spirits high.”

Going forward, the team has six more games on their conference schedule before the conference tournament, where they will look to repeat as conference champions. According to Lee, repeating will be tough, especially since he knows that they will be at the top of every team’s hit list.

“If you have a ranking by your name, and trophies that you’ve won, you’re going to get everybody’s best effort,” Lee said. “I think it’s going to continue. We just hope we keep ending up with one more goal than them.”

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • 11

SPORTS

Roelfsema’s soccer journey spans three cities, 5,000 miles REED MYERS

SENIOR WRITER Just a few years ago, nobody could have guessed that Mijke Roelfsema’s soccer journey would have taken her to Rice, least of all herself. Now, the senior defender is front and center as the Rice soccer team attempts to fight its way back to the NCAA tournament, after their first-ever sweet sixteen appearance last season. Roelfsema’s long and winding soccer journey, which now has her as the focal point for the Owls defense, began over 5,000 miles away when she was just five years old living in Holland.

“I started playing soccer when I was five years old,” Roelfsema said. “The first ten years, I only played with boys because there were no girls teams or these teams were not at the same level I was playing.”

As her love and experience for the game grew, Roelfsema honed in her skills and position. With the help of her coach growing up, Roelfsema found her niche in defense.

“In the beginning, I would run around and play almost every position, but I was always pretty good at tackling, and so my coach decided to play me as a defender,” Roelfsema said. “I played the outside back position before I came to Rice, but here, they needed a center back.”

Looking back, I think it took me roughly two years to feel at home in America, [to] feel like I could be myself and play how I wanted.

Mijke Roelfsema SENIOR DEFENDER

Roelfsema’s soccer journey took her to play for ADO Den Haag. ADO is located in the city of the Hague, and the club competed in the Vrouwen Eredivisie, the highest women’s soccer league in Holland. According to Roelfsema, the competition and advice she received at ADO helped her become a more experienced and composed soccer player.

about others and I like asking people actual and real questions about their lives.

As a psychology major, I feel like I learn a lot about myself and the people around me, and I can apply a lot of the information from class to my own environment.”

Roelfsema said she has also taken to Rice’s spacious campus and its surrounding neighborhoods.

“I like to go to Rice Coffeehouse because I always see at least one of my friends there,” Roelfsema said. “The campus is perfect for reading or playing sports so oftentimes I bring a book or I play spike ball or throw a football with friends. I often walk in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus. My friends and I have been to almost every park in the area, and we often go to picnics, play cards and throw the football around.”

Meanwhile, on the pitch, Roelfsema has played a critical role in shoring up Rice’s defense ever since her transfer.

Her role leading a defense that allowed less than a goal per game last season has been duly noted. Last season, Roelfsema was awarded Conference USA Defender of the overwhelming Year and was a semifinalist for Roelfsema, her in the beginning, especially not the MAC Hermann Trophy, given to interest in people, being able to speak the language which led her the best player in college soccer. Going well. I learned how difficult it is to become a into this year, she was named a preseason to be yourself when you cannot p s y c h o l o g y first team All-American by College Soccer communicate well with the major, has News. Roelfsema aims to continue her people in your environment. I driven her soccer career following college, while barely spoke for the first couple to find a off the pitch, she is interested in getting of months and had a really hard her master’s. However, according to time with school. Looking back, Roelfsema, planning ahead has I think it took me roughly two never been her style. years to actually feel at home in “I am going to try to get America, [to] feel like I could be drafted and play in the myself, and play how I wanted.”

NWSL, which I am very In addition to the challenges excited about,” Roelfsema Roelfsema faced off of the pitch, said. “I want to go back home to get community at Rice. she also had to adapt to a different “I’ve always been very interested my master’s, but I don’t necessarily have a style of play on the pitch. in people and why they do or say plan for what I want to do after. I am not “I had to get used to a different certain things,” really a planner, and I don’t really like style of soccer, which meant that I Roelfsema said. “I planning for the future because I enjoy had to change the way I played soccer,” am a person who living in the moment. My life has always Roelfsema said. “The game is very likes to learn taken some unexpected turns, [such as] different compared to what it is at home. transferring to Rice, and this In Holland, we play has taught me to just let life a very technical COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS happen and make the best and tactical Senior defender Mijke Roelfsema attempts a pass in a recent game. Originally from the of what you are given in the game based on Netherlands, Roelfsema has starred for the Owls since transferring from Boston College. moment.” possession, while “I was very young when I started playing for ADO which was scary at first because I felt a lot of pressure to prove myself,” Roelfsema said. “We played in a stadium against some of the best players in the country, which helped me to build a lot of experience as a soccer player. I had the opportunity to play with many older players who gave me a lot of advice on how to defend and how to play.”

Following her time at ADO, Roelfsema decided to play college soccer in the U.S., where she joined Boston College. However, Roelfsema struggled to transition to her new environment.

“The transition from Holland to the States was pretty hard,” Roelfsema said.

“It was very

in America, the game is more physical, faster because we can sub more, and is based on kick and run.”

Following a coaching change at Boston College, Roelfsema decided to transfer. At the end of her recruitment process, Roelfsema ultimately decided to continue her soccer journey in Houston.

“I really liked talking to [head coach Brian Lee] and decided to visit the school,” Roelfsema said.

“The campus immediately felt like home and the team was very welcoming so I made the decision to transfer.”

Once she arrived at Rice, Roelfsema was able to finally settle in.

According to

Both cross country teams place in top three at A&M Invitational PAVITHR GOLI

SENIOR WRITER Both the Rice men’s and the women’s cross country teams impressed this past Saturday morning at the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station, Texas. The women’s team placed second overall at the meet, placing 26 points behind the hosts. For the second straight meet, sophomore Grace Forbes won the individual title as she beat the next collegiate runner by over 30 seconds in the 5k race.

Sophomore Caitlin Wosika came in No. 7, her second top-10 finish of the season, and was joined by senior Lourdes Vivas de Lorenzi (No. 11) and sophomore Taigen Hunter-Galvan (No. 14) to round out the top-15.

Women’s head coach Jim Bevan said he was proud of his team’s performance over the weekend and expects the team to only get better.

“We ran much better in College Station than at the Rice Invitational,” Bevan said.

“We are improving week by week. With the addition of Taigen and Alyssa, we continue to close the gap. Grace ran outstanding and Caitlin, Lourdes, [sophomore] Rachel Shoemaker, and [freshman] Haley Allen keep getting better. I’m excited for our future.”

The men’s team also had a strong showing, as they finished third on Saturday.

The Owls finished 18 points behind Texas A&M University, who placed 19 points behind the first-place University of North Texas.

Men’s head coach Jon Warren was proud of his team’s performance on Saturday and believes that the performance at the meet was something that the team could build upon.

“The team ran great,” Warren said. “In fact, it was the fastest race ever for almost everyone. We are moving in the right direction. This is still very early in terms of both racing and training. This group will get better as the season progresses.”

Five of the Owls’ runners placed in the top 20 with the effort led by senior Hociel Landa who placed No. 5 overall. Sophomore Travis Dowd finished No. 11 overall and senior Alex Topini followed with a No. 12 place finish.

Dowd said that this weekend’s meet gave the team a chance to test themselves against tough competition.

“While I was happy with my finishing time and fitness, it is clear that I need to step up in order for our team to be able to beat A&M and North Texas when it counts,” Dowd said. “This meet was helpful in lighting that fire under me, because it gave me a chance to see just how good our competition is. I think much of our team feels the same way, and we will be ready come November.”

Next up for the men’s team is the Florida State University Pre-Nationals Meet on Oct. 15 and the C-USA Championship on Oct. 30.

Meanwhile, the women’s team has a busy fall schedule, including a competition at Lehigh University, before heading to Florida State.

Strong performances by the Owls at these

meets could mean a chance for the runners to compete at the national tournament.

Forbes said she is optimistic about the rest of her team’s season and believes that they can keep improving in their next few meets.

“This week’s performance was a really great indicator for our performances ahead,” Forbes said. “We are continuing to greatly improve as the weeks go on, and I’m so excited to see what we can put together as a team at the conference championship.”

Warren said that the next couple of weeks will be critical in the men’s team’s training as they enter the most important part of their schedule.

COURTESEY RICE ATHLETICS The Rice men’s cross country team takes the course in a recent meet. The Owls traveled to the Texas A&M Invitational this past weekend, where both teams finished in the top three.

“We have two weeks to just train,” Warren said. “These weeks will be vital to get ready for both FSU and the championship races that follow.”

Dowd mentioned that the team is not satisfied with their strong performance of the weekend and is motivated to work harder and perform even better at the rest of the meets in the season.

“We all raced well this weekend with many of us [achieving personal records], but we are not content with that,” Dowd said.

“Our third-place finish will definitely serve as great motivation for us in the coming training weeks that will be crucial for our pre-nats and conference races that will determine whether we make it to nationals.”

12 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

BACKPAGE

Baker Santa’s Naughty and Nice List Venn Diagram In honor of the recently celebrated Baker Christmas, the Thresher has stolen — or, er — obtained the legendary Naughty and Nice List from The Real Baker Santa himself!

Here’s the inside scoop on who had a Triste Navidad this year.

Naughty

Baker

For the offensive overplaying of Feliz Navidad, which required police intervention.

For the unlawful mass identity theft of Kris Kringle.

It’s not a joke. Millions of elves suffer every year.

West and North Serveries

For not having the supply of cinnamon rolls and ramen to meet the demand of ravenous students.

It’s simple economics.

Ambiguous RPC

(Somehow managing to be both naughty and nice. Impressive.)

Nice - For human-sized Hungry Hungry Hippos, giving a much needed study break for the organic chemistry students that haven’t stopped crying since their midterm grades were released.

Naughty - For requiring students to bounce on their inflatables in order to get the free food everyone actually came for.

Nice Rice Football Team

For finally managing to get a win, even though it was against an FCS school.

The Willy Vandal

For creativity and simplicity in their devious act.

PC: Ndidi

Nwosu

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

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Email thedolatifs@gmail.com.

SANDWICH MAKER A small sandwich shop just minutes from campus seeking part-time help. A no-frills joint serving deli classics. No experience necessary. Call us at 713-7992544 and see if this job will work around your schedule! houstonfamousdeli. com. Email lol2315@aol.com.

RICE ALUM HIRING TUTORS For Middle & High School Math, Natural & Social Science, Foreign Language, Humanities and SAT/ACT prep. Reliable transportation required.

Pay is based upon a variety of factors.

Contact 832-428-8330 and email resume to sri.iyengar@sriacademicservices. com.

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