The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, November 10, 2021

VOLUME 106, ISSUE NO. 12 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Astroworld leaves eight dead, hundreds injured

PHOTOS COURTESY AUSTIN ESCAMILLA Several Rice students attended the Astroworld festival on Friday. Eight people were confirmed dead and hundreds were injured at the event.

TALHA ARIF

NEWS EDITOR

Content warning: This article contains references to violence through anecdotal depictions of crowd surge.

Eight people were confirmed dead, and hundreds injured, following a crowd surge at the Astroworld festival on Friday night at NRG Park. Astroworld is an annual music festival hosted by rapper Travis Scott.

The eight victims were John Hilgert, 14 years old, Brianna Rodriguez, 16 years old, Jacob Jurinek, 20 years old, Franco Patiño and Axel Acosta, both 21 years old, Rodolfo Peña and Madison Dubiski, both 23 years old and Danish Baig, 27 years old.

Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña told CNN that the crowd of around 50,000 began to push and surge towards the front of the stage during Scott’s performance, which caused some people in the front to be compressed, unable to escape. Several Rice students attended the concert.

Abhinav Gorjala, a McMurtry College sophomore, said when the timer at the concert hit the ten minute mark before Scott took the stage, the area started becoming much more chaotic.

“That’s when the super close cramming started, to the point where if I put my hands up, I couldn’t put them down,” Gorjala said. “[Scott] came right as the timer hit zero and that’s when all hell broke loose.”

Zaid Nathani, a Will Rice College senior, said it was physically impossible to get out unless people found others who also wanted to leave the space.

“Some people would help you and would let you pass, but other people would be [jumping around] and you couldn’t get past them and then because of them you’d get pushed forward and lose all the progress you made trying to get out,” Nathani said. “There were people on the floor that had fallen over because of the force of people trying to get out after how bad the first song was in terms of the mosh pit. There was a lot of panic, people falling down [and] just trying to do whatever to get out.”

Nathani said he could see people injured on the ground, but there was no way to help because if someone stopped to help they would get pushed down as well.

Gorjula said he saw someone who fell and had his head stepped on, and that they were knocked out immediately.

“That was when I was like, ‘oh my gosh,’” Gorjula said. “I don’t know [what happened to him] but he was definitely medically transported.”

Gorjula said he also saw a lot of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and some cardiac arrests.

The worst thing was I kept getting pushed in a way that I felt like I was falling down, and I was scared to fall because I knew if I fell in that area then that was possible death.

Zaid Nathani WILL RICE COLLEGE SENIOR

Nathani said he was pushed out to the side after the first song and made his way back in, but as soon as he came back it felt as chaotic as it did before.

“It was either you were getting elbowed, smacked, or getting pushed… so you lost your balance,” Nathani said. “The worst thing was I kept getting pushed in a way that I felt like I was falling down, and I was scared to fall because I knew if I fell in that area then that was possible death.”

Sarah Elsaim, a senior at Will Rice, said she went with two friends who had been to a Scott concert before. When the concert started, people were shoving and pulling their hair. Elsaim said she initially thought it was supposed to be the normal concert experience.

“But then my two friends who had gone to Astroworld before started freaking out, saying ‘this is about to be crazy,’” Elsaim said.

Elsaim said they were able to get out, but eventually she and her friends went back into the show.

“When we went inside again, there was one incident where my friend pushed me out of the way because there was a line of guys interlocking arms and they were just running as fast as they could, it was so scary,” Elsaim said. “They were knocking people down and stepping on people, they did not care at all. The guy who was initially behind me got knocked to the floor.”

Vickie Liu, a Duncan College senior, said her brother attended the concert and she didn’t hear from him after it had ended.

“At like 2:00 a.m., I got a text from my friend … saying eight people died,” Liu said. “I’ve never felt so much panic in my entire life [than I did there] because I hadn’t heard from my brother that entire day.”

Liu said she went to the Astroworld reunification center around 3:00 a.m. When she arrived, officials were still actively identifying those who died and who were hospitalized and could not give her confirmation of where her brother was. According to Liu, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was at the reunification center and talked to Liu to comfort her.

“I sat there for around an hour, and during that hour more people came … it was a very surreal experience because everyone was stressed and you didn’t really know what to do,” Liu said.

Liu said she eventually called the hotel where her brother was staying and fortunately found him there asleep, since he had left the concert early enough that he was not aware of what happened.

Scott released a statement in the aftermath of the tragedy.

“We’re actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time,” Scott said in a video posted to his Instagram account.

SEE ASTROWORLD PAGE 2

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THE RICE THRESHER

Rice alumnus wins VA governorship SAVANNAH KUCHAR

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Glenn Youngkin Will Rice College ’90 was recently elected governor of Virginia, the first Rice alumnus to win a governorship in the university’s history.

Youngkin, a Republican, defeated Democrat and former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe in the race last Tuesday Nov. 2. Originally from Virginia, Youngkin graduated from Rice in 1990, where he played on the basketball team for four years.

The Youngkin Center, attached to Tudor Fieldhouse, was built in 2008 after donations from Glenn Youngkin.

TALHA ARIF / THRESHER Wiess College junior Jenny Pruitt said she decided to give up her Virginia voter registration and ability to vote in the governor race to register in Texas instead, because she

was confident her home state would stay blue.

“I also just feel this sense of betrayment,” Pruitt said. “For years when the democrats were losing federal elections, Virginia politics were always flipping blue. In the 2018 [election], we flipped 3 seats in the federal house of representatives including my own district. In 2019, we got the Virginia house back. It just feels so weird to be a purple state again.”

Bob Stein, a professor in the political science department, said he was not surprised at all by this outcome.

“Polling for the last month showed a significant disenchantment with the Democratic party and its gubernatorial and other statewide candidates,” Stein said.

“Early voting in rural and suburban areas was particularly heavy, giving Youngkin and Republican candidates an early lead that became too large for Democrats to overcome on Election Day.” Youngkin found success in being able to appeal to various groups of Virginia voters, according to Mark Jones, a political science professor and Baker Institute fellow.

“Youngkin actually threaded a very, very narrow needle, in that he kept the conservative Trump base mobilized in support of him, but didn’t alienate moderate Republicans, Independents and

some Democrats whose support he needed to actually win,” Jones said.

Youngkin’s win is also reflective of larger national sentiments, Stein said.

“Youngkin’s candidacy rose with Biden’s and the Democratic party’s failures on several fronts including mismanagement of border security, withdrawal from Afghanistan and continued economic problems from COVID,” Stein said.

George Bates, an MBA candidate at Rice, said he was happy to see Youngkin win.

“I thought it was also really cool from the perspective of being a current Rice student, and knowing that Youngkin [is] a Rice alum,” Bates said. “[Youngkin] came in and beat the guy that has been a big politician in the past. I felt like it was just so refreshing to see a shake up.”

Bates said he and friends at Rice were hopeful at the potential impact Youngkin’s election will have on the political climate, as well as the university’s national standing.

“We’re very concerned with how things in this country are, and we just want to see people that are bringing those concerns to the forefront and addressing those concerns,” Bates said. “It established credibility with Rice as a university when you have an alum like Glenn Youngkin.”

Elections were also held for the Virginia House of Delegates last Tuesday, where Republicans gained a one-seat majority.

Democrats maintain a majority in the Senate of Virginia, the members of which will be up for reelection in 2023. Jones said this dynamic will likely limit Youngkin’s ability to implement significant legislative changes.

“What this suggests is that the only legislation that Youngkin is going to be able to pass is that which enjoys at least some bipartisan consensus,” Jones said.

FROM FRONT PAGE

ASTROWORLD Scott will be providing refunds to all Astroworld attendees. Several lawsuits against Scott have already been filed.

Nathani said he thinks Scott is potentially partially to blame, but the organizers should also be held accountable.

“If [Scott] knew that people were dying, then he should absolutely be held accountable,” Nathani said. “But people were calling 911, so the police knew. Police sent their dispatch out and said the event organizers knew. If the organizers knew people were dying, they could have shut the cameras off, turned the lights on, shut the [microphone] off.”

Elsaim said Scott would occasionally stop the show and look around and then point them out to be helped, but she thinks he is still partially responsible.

“But I feel like people [like cameramen] have more control over the event because people came directly to them versus [Scott],” Elsaim said. “But I feel like he shouldn’t perform for the time being because those fans were crazy.”

In videos posted online, Scott is seen stopping the show a few times to ask for individuals to be helped. Live Nation, the concert organizer, stopped the concert around 30 minutes before the planned ending, but this almost 40 minutes after the first report of a “mass casualty event.”

The Houston Police Department opened a criminal investigation into possible causes of the crowd surge as well as claims of drug injections and overdoses at the festival. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also joined the criminal probe.

Rice announces $2 billion ‘Be Bold’ fundraising campaign GRACE YETTER

FOR THE THRESHER On Oct. 29, President David Leebron announced the launching of “Be Bold: The Campaign for Rice” at Owl Together’s Town Hall event. The campaign is a $2 billion fundraising effort, of which $1.2 billion have already been raised, aimed at expanding Rice’s facilities, faculty, student body, programs and overall reach and impact on the world.

According to a statement released by Rice’s Office of Public Affairs, “Be Bold” is the largest capital campaign in university history, planning to raise $2 billion by the end of 2025. The statement noted that the campaign has already raised $1.2 billion of its $2 billion goal.

In an email to the Thresher, Leebron noted that the $1.2 billion already raised comprises some of the largest gifts ever endowed to Rice, including $100 million from the Moody Foundation and $100 million from the Robert E. Welch Foundation.

According to a previous Thresher article, those donations will contribute to the new student center and the Welch Institute for Advanced Materials, respectively. Leebron stated that other donations have come from the generosity of alumni, reflecting Rice’s notably high alumni participation rate.

According to the campaign’s website, “Be Bold” headlines the university’s initiatives to be transformative, innovative, creative, visionary and equitable.

“Both the short and long term goals [of “Be Bold”] are to assure that Rice is at the forefront of universities, both in terms

of our support for the education of our students and the research we carry out that truly impacts our world,” Leebron wrote.

The campaign’s launch comes as Rice approaches the 60th anniversary of the famed “We Choose to Go to the Moon” speech, delivered by President John F. Kennedy at Rice Stadium. According to the campaign’s website, “Be Bold” is named in the spirit of the 1962 speech, in which President Kennedy proclaimed that “we must be bold” to land American astronauts on the moon.

The campaign’s initiation also coincides with an improvement of COVID-19 conditions on campus, as according to Leebron, the introduction of “Be Bold” was initially planned for the fall of 2020 but was thwarted by the pandemic.

While “Be Bold” was only just announced, the campaign has been long underway, Leebron said.

“We have been in the ‘silent phase’ for the last four years or so, raising initial funds to count toward [its] overall goal and defining the primary aims and themes of the campaign,” Leebron wrote.

The website also said that ground is expected to break for the highly anticipated new student center in early 2022, and a 12th residential college will be completed in 2025 to accommodate for Rice’s expansion of its undergraduate population by 20 percent. Overall, about $400 million of the “Be Bold” funds will go towards technology and building projects, according to the Office of Public Affairs’ statement.

The statement said that along with constructing state-of-the-art facilities at Rice, the “Be Bold” campaign will oversee

CAMILLE KAO / THRESHER “Be Bold” is a $2 billion campaign to expand Rice’s reach and impact. an unprecedented growth of programs and resources available to students.

Along with continuing to support Doerr’s programs, “Be Bold” will provide further funding to resources including the Ethics Institute at Rice, the Center for Civic Leadership, the Rice 360° Institute for Global Health Technologies, the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, and the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, according to the site. According to the Office of Public Affairs, 13 professorships have already been added to allow for such expansion, as well as to maintain Rice’s lauded 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

Leebron said that a central theme of “Be Bold” is student opportunity. In its statement on the campaign, the Office of Public Affairs highlighted that $150 million will be added to The Rice Investment, which provides students with financial aid. According to the campaign’s website, funds will also support an increase in merit and athletic scholarships, financial

accessibility of study abroad and internship opportunities, and programs aimed at preparing under-resourced students for the academic intensity of Rice.

Leebron said that Rice additionally hopes to increase its engagement with the Houston community by using “Be Bold” funds to expand the Houston Education Research Consortium. According to its website, HERC partners with 11 Houstonarea school districts to create more equitable policies in the city.

“We must preserve what is special and cherished about Rice, but also change how we go about our missions in a world that has dramatically changed,” Leebron wrote. “Rice is again growing, and the campaign will help support that … We envision funding a range of new endeavors that, in the words of President Kennedy, will enable our students, staff and faculty to be bold in pursuing our missions and their aspirations.”

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 • 3

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NEWS

Uyghur activist speaks at Rice on genocide in Xinjiang HAJERA NAVEED

ASST NEWS EDITOR Rushan Abbas spoke at Rice last Thursday on the ongoing genocide of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, China. Abbas has been an advocate for the Uyghur people since the 1980s, and has been affected by this crisis on a deeply personal level, according to sociology lecturer Craig Considine.

Considine said he invited Abbas to speak at Rice to bring to light a severe human rights issue that is not talked about enough in the public sphere. He said he hoped students would resonate with Abbas’s personal perspective.

“Just bringing Rushan here and having her share these images and these personal stories, this type of knowledge I think can really resonate with Rice students, and really any human being,” Considine said.

“This story touches your heart, your soul, it brings up compassion, it brings up anger. I think that is something students need.”

According to the U.S. State Department, up to two million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities are believed to have been placed in detention centers across the region of Xinjiang. Abbas displayed images during her presentation of now emptied streets in the once lively city center.

During the presentation, Abbas shared testimonies of what the Uyghur people are being subject to, including forceful marriages, illegal harvesting of organs, forceful forsaking of ethnic and religious identities, mass rape and forced labor.

“This is like a warzone, but this is what every local person [is] subject to,” Abbas said at the event. “People like yourselves: students, professors ... university presidents,

doctors, successful business people and even just regular people living daily lives.”

In her talk, Abbas said that her sister has been missing for three years, and despite constant attempts to find her, she has no information about her whereabouts.

“This is all connected very personally to me, as I am speaking to you today at the cost of my own sister’s freedom,” Rushan said at the event. “She was taken six days after I spoke at one of the think tanks in Washington, D.C., [the] Hudson Institute, as retaliation for openly speaking about the genocidal policies, talking about the conditions of the camp while outlining my husband’s family ... my husband’s entire family was missing from April 2017.”

In her talk, Abbas said that after flying to New York to deliver a speech for Columbia University, she was denied the opportunity to speak due to pressure from some Chinese students.

Considine said he was surprised to hear what happened in Columbia and appreciated that it did not happen at Rice.

“The fact that we were able to pull it off at Rice I think speaks to the type of community we are trying to build, one that is not uninterested in engaging in these difficult conversations about major life events,” Considine said.

The event was co-sponsored by Rice Young Democrats and the Rice Muslim Student Association. Alex Worley, president of the Rice Young Democrats, said that he immediately agreed to sponsor this event because he wanted to bring this issue to Rice’s attention.

“I knew enough to know that [the issue] demanded a lot of attention and awareness,” Worley said. “I do not think there is a lot

of true in-depth awareness about what is actually happening, and unfortunately there is a lot of political pressure that has prevented different people in the US and different groups from addressing the crisis.”

Ambreen Younas, one of the MSA vice presidents, said that the MSA also got involved with the event to spread awareness in the Rice community and to show support to the Muslims subject to the atrocities.

“I’m hoping that this event serves as some sort of wake up call to the Rice community and that people actually start caring about this issue more,” Younas said.

Worley said that he believes the university should put more attention on this crisis, as many universities are pressured not to pay attention to it.

“I would like to see Rice step up and address that because many Rice students and faculty are Muslim, and I think that addressing Islamaphobia definitely requires addressing a genocide that is affecting millions of Muslim people that many people at Rice could be connected to,” Worley said.

Fayiz Faruk, one of the MSA vice presidents, felt that as a Muslim it was important he attended the event to learn more about the Uyghur people and the challenges that they were facing in this region.

“I was heartbroken and ashamed of the fact that Muslim-majority countries have

done little to help the Uyghur people, and I came out of the event learning about the vast amounts of popular companies that do use Uyghur slave labor, which was also very disheartening,” Faruk, a Duncan College junior, said.

Worley said that he urges students to educate themselves on this genocide and support it by researching companies that profit off of Uyghur slave labor and asking their representatives to address this issue.

“I know that we all have

SOLOMON NI / THRESHER busy lives and we have limited time, but this is something that is absolutely worthy of everyone’s time to research, to look up, to look into, to attend events on campus,” Worley said.

Course poster removed due to copyright, amidst complaints of offensive images IVANKA PEREZ

SENIOR EDITOR

A poster for HUMA 129: Who is a Terrorist? was taken down last week due to copyright issues, after the Humanities School received complaints about offensive images in the poster. The poster contained two images that Rice community members took issue with: an Israeli soldier and Leila Khaled in a keffiyeh, a Palestinian political symbol. A replacement for the flyer is in progress, which will not contain the copyrighted image.

Dean of Humanities Kathleen Canning said that although her office initially looked into the poster due to the complaints, it was taken down for a different reason altogether.

“After the original course flyers were posted on campus, concerns about them were raised with our office,” Canning said. “While we began looking into these concerns, we were informed that one of the pictures used in the flyer’s photo montage may have been under copyright. We responded to the copyright claim by quickly taking down the original flyer.”

Kenny Weiss, a rabbi at Houston Hillel, said that when he was notified about the poster, his attention was drawn to the Israeli flag.

“I’m happy that the images that I and other members of the Jewish community found problematic have been removed,” Weiss said.

Fayiz Faruk, one of the vice presidents of the Muslim Student Association, said he was shocked when he first saw the poster, in part due to the language used in the poster.

“Honestly it was pretty shocking when I first saw it, because at first glance you see ‘Who’s a Terrorist?’ and that’s really charged language to use,” Faruk, a Duncan College junior, said. “There’s a lot of conversations to be had on the term ‘terrorist.’”

Khaled is an active leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, an organization designated as a terrorist group by the United States, among other countries.

However, Khaled is considered by others to be a Palestinian activist and feminist icon.

Although Faruk knew who Khaled was, he said he didn’t initially recognize the image of her in the poster. Given the absence of context, Faruk didn’t see Khaled in a keffiyeh but rather a woman in a hijab — something he said is a common experience.

“I’ve heard about who she is, but I didn’t connect the picture of her on the poster at first glance,” Faruk said. “So at first glance, the association of the word terrorist with a picture of a woman in a hijab, all it does is reinforce a stereotype … It makes a little more sense [within] context [of who the woman is] but still, to the average Joe, it’s really shocking.”

Summer Shabana, co-president of the MSA, said that her initial reaction to the poster contradicted that of many people around her.

“When I first saw the poster, it was through members of the Muslim Student Association who had concerns about a woman who seemed to be wearing a hijab,” Shabana. “However, I was really intrigued by the poster which juxtaposed Leila Khaled, a well-known Palestinian resistance fighter with an Israeli soldier.”

Shabana said that while she understands concerns regarding Leila Khaled’s image on the poster, she doesn’t feel the same way.

“Many people who aren’t well-versed in the history of Palestinian resistance

immediately saw the poster as portraying a hijabi woman next to a question about terrorism,” Shabana said. “Although that is definitely a valid concern, I did not view this poster as targeting hijabi but instead I understood the use of the picture as intentional.”

Catherine Clack, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said she does not believe it was aimed at any specific groups, and said she p e r s o n a l ly didn’t take issue with the original poster.

“I see the intent of the first poster, and had no problem with it,” Clack said.

“It’s asking a powerful question with images of a number of groups/ incidents that could a l s o CHLOE XU / THRESHER arguably be categorized as terrorist. I do not feel it was singling out any specific group in a harmful or inflammatory way, but that was just the way I saw it.”

However, Clack said that she can understand how certain groups might be offended by the poster, specifically the images of Leila Khaled and the man in military gear with the Israeli flag.

“If students were bothered by the inclusion of [those] images … in regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I can see how that happened, as your eyes are immediately drawn to a face,” Clack said.

Weiss said that, no matter the ultimate reason, he finds it important that the images

were removed because they were found hateful by multiple communities.

“It’s always important that hateful images be removed,” Weiss said. “It’s also important that people are able to recognize hate, whether it be anti-Semitic or hate images targeting other groups.”

Although the poster has not been replaced yet, its online image has been updated to remove both images in question.

Despite his gratitude at the images’ removal, Weiss said he’s hesitant to endorse the updated online image in case it contains images hateful to other communities.

“I was impacted by those images that resonated in a way with the Jewish community and with myself as a Jew, so I really didn’t look at it through the prism of other communities,” Weiss said. “I’m happy with the resolution of those issues that I was concerned with, but I don’t want to say that I’m happy with it now and be insensitive of what other people might think of it.”

Shabana said that, contrary to popular opinion, she wishes the poster hadn’t been taken down.

“I think it’s unfortunate that it has been taken down,” Shabana said. “The poster and the class as a whole in many ways advocates for Muslim and Arab communities in a discourse in which we have been traditionally silenced and marginalized … I am hoping with this class, these perspectives will be challenged and islamophobia and anti-Arab bias will be taken more seriously on campus and in our personal lives.”

Canning said that the Humanities School ultimately aims to welcome all students to take their Big Questions courses, such as HUMA 129, which utilize a humanitiesfocused approach to explore topics relevant to today.

“Our Big Questions courses pursue complex and difficult topics: it is important to the School of Humanities to welcome all students to our courses,” Canning said.

The course will be taught by Ussama Makdisi, professor of Arabic Studies and history. Makdisi did not respond to the Thresher for comment.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 • 5

THE RICE THRESHER

To the victims of Astroworld, rest in peace.

Thresher Editorial Board

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THE RICE THRESHER

Alumna Shannon Walker takes Rice mementos to the International Space Station ELIZA JASANI

FOR THE THRESHER Edgar Odell Lovett’s eyeglasses, a stuffed animal, the crests of Rice’s 11 residential colleges and the logo of the Marching Owl Band were all among the objects that NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, Baker College ’87, MS ’92, Ph.D. ’93, brought to space aboard the first fully operational, crewed, commercial spaceflight in history. Walker visited campus on Oct. 12 to commemorate Rice Day, the day Rice University was formally opened in 1912.

In an in-person talk, she discussed her recent trip to the International Space Station on the SpaceX CrewOne mission and returned the objects to campus organizations.

David Alexander, the director of the Rice Space Institute, asked Walker questions submitted by students involving various topics, such as Walker’s favorite Rice traditions. Walker said that years before she became an astronaut, she was just a student at Baker College who loved participating in activities ranging from the Marching Owls Band to Beer Bike and Baker 13. Walker said her residential college really helped support her through her time at Rice.

“Baker really helped with a lot of the intangible [needs], the teamwork, being part of a close group, and helping each other and just fostering each other’s successes,” Walker said. “All the colleges do that.”

When asked to give advice for astronaut hopefuls, Walker said challenging oneself academically as a student at Rice is already a step in the right direction. Going beyond academics, NASA looks for people who are resilient team players and have a wide variety of skills and interests, according to Walker.

“Don’t be afraid to have different adventures. The path from point A to point B is definitely not a straight line, and every time you go do something else you’re always incorporating new experiences that can be applicable to being an astronaut,” Walker said.

The CrewOne mission launched in November 2020 and landed in May this year

after spending 168 days in orbit. CrewOne is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, a partnership with private aerospace companies to take astronauts to the ISS. Walker said NASA has been focusing on greater space exploration, which includes visiting Mars, rather than regular missions to and from the ISS. “The significance [of the SpaceX CrewOne mission] is that we were what we called the first [commercial, crewed] operational mission,” Walker said. “So, we were full-fledged going up for the standard 6 months on the space station, taking a crew of four people as opposed to two people, staying much longer than any spacecraft since Skylab had stayed in space, and just using the vehicle operationally.”

In response to a question about the issues that may accompany the commercialization of space flight, Walker said that it is important to remember that the government and private companies have different goals: the government is more concerned with both human and nonhuman greater space exploration while a company’s goal may simply be to mine in space.

“I don’t think we can just have space be a Wild West free-for-all where anybody can claim territory anywhere,” Walker said. “I think we need governments to take a step back and do models based on what we do in Antarctica [which] belongs to everyone.”

Walker presented the different artifacts she had taken to the ISS to their respective campus organizations. These items included the crest of the Graduate Student Association, a spool of carbon nanotube fiber and a picture of Rice alumni astronauts and NASA administrators for display in the Welcome Center. Residential college presidents or their representatives were present to receive their respective college crests.

Brown College President Kennedy Coleman said that each college now has a frame displaying the crest, a photo of it floating in the space station and a certificate of authenticity.

“The ceremony was also really nice … because she was very interesting to listen to,” Coleman, a senior, said. “Brown decided to put the crest in our lobby because it’s a place where a lot of people would be able to see it.”

Patricia Reiff, former director of the Rice Space Institute and current professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has known Walker since she was a graduate student. Reiff said that the process of sending something to space is a personal one — the astronauts only have a certain amount of items they can take with them, so the fact that Walker chose to take so many Rice artifacts is significant. Reiff said she also had something special flown to space.

“For me, [Walker] took my ‘outreach mascot,’ [a stuffed animal named] Trigger ...

He flew 43 million miles,” Reiff said. “It was strictly done out of the goodness of her heart.”

Alexander said he wants students to learn from and be inspired by Walker’s story.

“Essentially, follow your passions and do the hard work to get you to where you need to be,” Alexander said. “She studied space

ILLUSTRATION BY NDIDI NWOSU

physics and took [five] attempts to become an astronaut, so it’s something she wanted to do. She didn’t stop and look where she is now. She’s a good role model to follow.”

In his introduction to the talk, President Leebron spoke about the university’s deep ties with space exploration, which trace back to the opening of Rice in 1912.

According to Leebron, Lovett would be extraordinarily proud that Walker, NASA’s first native Houstonian astronaut, holds three degrees from Rice.

“President Lovett was, in fact, an astronomer by training who famously declared that he would place ‘no upper limit on Rice’s aspirations,’” Leebron said. “[Walker] has returned to Earth having served as a member of the first fully crewed commercial space flight in history and the commander of the International Space Station.”

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

Distribution courses to spice up your spring semester schedule NISHANKA KUTHURU

FOR THE THRESHER

As the deadline to register for spring semester courses quickly approaches, the pressure to craft the perfect schedule grows. Whether you are majoring in engineering, social policy analysis, computer science or English, somewhere in our four years at Rice, we must satisfy all of the distribution requirements. Trying to find and fit three courses in each of the three distribution categories into your schedule may seem daunting, but to make planning a little bit easier, the Thresher has compiled a list of interesting courses that can fulfill some graduation requirements.

DISTRIBUTION I

DISTRIBUTION II

DISTRIBUTION III

“These courses, which are broad in theme and scope, prompt students to probe the modes of knowledge, inquiry or creative practice characteristic of the arts and humanities,” according to the General Announcements.

“These courses introduce the theories, problems, methodologies, and substance of the social sciences [in order to] familiarize students with different approaches to the study of human behavior and how individuals interact with and are shaped by cultural, social, economic, and political groups and institutions,” according to the General Announcements.

“These courses are designed to give students a basic knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of scientific inquiry and technological development, and to develop their skills in analytical thinking and quantitative reasoning,” according to the General Announcements.

PHIL 160: Moral Problems with George Sher Gain an introduction to moral and political theorizing in Moral Problems. This is a lecture course that approaches difficult issues such as abortion, war, the duty to vote, justice and the origins of norms.

According to past students, this course includes in-depth discussions about the moral problems plaguing society.

“This is the first philosophy course I’ve taken at Rice ... At first, I ANDREA GOMEZ / THRESHER was anxious about taking a philosophy class because I knew it would require a lot of critical thinking.

However, I’m really glad I decided to stick with this class,” a student wrote in the course evaluations last spring.

PHIL 160 will be offered from 2:00 to 2:50 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

MUSI 379: Creativity Up Class with Anthony Brandt This is an interdisciplinary seminar course that examines creativity in terms of neuroscience, psychology, sociology and economics through hands-on projects in oral history, music, industrial design and video. According to past students, this course allows you to explore different creative mediums without having to worry about adhering to a rubric.

“There are multiple units that involve hands-on workshops and encourage you to push beyond your comfort zone! Each unit (Oral History, Musical Composition, Engineering Design, Visual Art) had a creative project, sometimes with or without group members, and a guest professor leading the unit,” a student wrote in the course evaluations last spring.

MUSI 379 will be offered from 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

EEPS 108: Natural Disasters with Melodie French Have you ever wondered about the conditions that lead to occurences of natural disasters? Natural Disasters is a lecture course that examines the science behind catastrophes such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes and tornadoes. Explore the fundamental concepts and processes of earth science in this class.

“I liked biology in high school and wasn’t looking for something too timeconsuming, so I chose to take this class and I wasn’t disappointed… Overall, this was an interesting class with a semilight workload — my favorite kind!” a student wrote in the course evaluations from last spring.

EEPS 108 will be offered from 11:00 to 11:50 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

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

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 • 7

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22 When doubled, a dance move 23 Medical condition of TV’s Monk 25 Thank you, in Honolulu 29 180 from SSW 30 Drizzle 32 “The Lorax” antagonist The Once-___ 33 Antihistamines sold by Johnson & Johnson 37 Jolly Roger, for example 38 “If only!”

39 Australian/Coloradan yogurt brand 41 BLACKPINK rapper 42 Abominable Snowman 43 RuPaul, for one 45 Halloween month, briefly 46 Elated 48 Party VIP: on ___ 49 Perfect place 51 Pitching stat 52 Stun 55 One from Kabul or Kandahar 58 Horned giant of Africa 60 1984 Van Halen hit 63 Today, according to Master Oogway 64 Long-snouted relative of 58-across 65 Ireland or Guernsey 66 Jane ____ 67 Beethoven’s “Für _____” 68 Cog 69 Portal, in “Monsters, Inc.” 70 Memorization method

JAYAKER KOLLI AND NIKHAZ OMAR

CROSSWORD WRITERS

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1 Chip dip 2 Grace 3 Bear genus 4 Largest rattlesnake 5 Acted out in silence 6 Basic unit of a molecule 7 Chemical word that follows ab- or ad8 Sacred symbols, for the Ojibwe 9 Scene from the past 10 Bar topic 11 “Selma” director DuVernay 12 “Every kiss begins with ___” 13 Median alternative 21 Sewer rodent 24 Site of the Large Hadron Collider, abbr.

26 Actress Grant of “The Goldbergs” 27 Rental agreement 28 Prominent instrument in “Phantom of the Opera” 29 Indonesian dish ____ goreng 30 “Milady” counterpart 31 “Insecure” creator Rae 33 Buffalo _____ 34 Vote in 35 Japanese fermented soybean dish 36 Luke Skywalker’s mentor 37 Continuous change 40 Petri dish filler 44 Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes 46 Controversial file format 47 Fell behind 50 Hardcover alternative 51 Egress counterpart 52 “Shut up” 53 Licorice-flavored seed 54 Sweat spot 56 Lone Ranger command to Silver 57 Hair style for Questlove 59 Master Chief video game 60 Irish folk dance 61 Utilize 62 APA or Chicago alternative

Beyond the gravel: how the John and Anne Grove came to be ZOE KATZ

THRESHER STAFF Nestled between four South colleges is the John and Anne Grove, a tree-lined path of decomposed granite that stretches from Sid Richardson College to the Inner Loop. Trees aren’t the only thing that have blossomed in the shaded quadrangle — in the 1960s, love did too. John and Anne Mullen, the namesakes and benefactors of the Grove, met and fell in love in the same area where Rice students now walk everyday.

The John and Anne Grove was dedicated in 2008, when John (Hanszen College ‘63) and Anne d’Olier Mullen (Jones College ‘64) donated money to preserve the quadrangle between Baker, Will Rice, Sid Richardson and Hanszen Colleges, according to a Rice Magazine article.

In the article, John said he first met Anne in the Grove in the fall of 1960, and their friendship, along with eventual romance, grew from there. According to a 2009 issue of the Thresher, John and Anne shared their first kiss under one of the trees in the Grove.

During his time at Rice, John played basketball for Hanszen and was elected to student leadership positions, such as sophomore class president. Anne, a year younger, was in the cast of “The Boyfriend” at Hamman Hall. In her senior year, she was an honoree for the Archi-Art Dance, an annual costume party held at Rice. John designed her costume.

Since its establishment, the Grove has been used for various events, such as RUPD’s annual Night Out, that bring the South colleges together.

Ridhi Gari, a sophomore at Hanszen, said she often walks through the Grove to get to dance practice at Sid. “When I think of the Grove, I think of cutting through it the fastest way possible,” Gari said.

Priyanka Velappan, a senior at Sid, said that she uses the Grove mainly to get to some of her classes. However, according to Velappan, she has lingered in the area a few times.

SHIYU MIAO / THRESHER The John and Anne Grove near Baker, Will Rice, Sid Richardson and Hanszen Colleges is named after two alumni who fell in love while they were students at Rice.

“Sometimes, I sit at the benches that are at the front, waiting for people, but usually it’s [only] in passing. There was one time we took pictures at the end of the Grove when the flowers were blooming, because the flowers were really pretty [my freshman year],” she said.

Will Parsons, a residential associate at Will Rice and a pediatric oncologist at the Texas Children’s Hospital, lives on the border of the John and Anne Grove. Parsons said he often spends time working in a yellow lounge chair facing the pathway.

“I use [the Grove] for work stuff. I like to write there, actually, so I can put on some music.” Parsons said. “It’s so pretty out [there]. [It’s] sort of like there’s stuff going on around you, but you are away from everything enough that you can think.”

Sid freshmen Jonah Yi and Scott Koh, have used the Grove as an outdoor study spot, to work on a computer science

assignment together, according to Koh. “Sid doesn’t have a lot of open windows and stuff like that to get fresh air, so [working in the Grove] is a really nice opportunity to get to sit outside,” Yi said.

However, Yi said some improvements could encourage people to spend time at the Grove. “[I would add] a bit more chairs and tables, to show that we actually want people to come here and eat, because there [are] only two tables and a few chairs and benches, which doesn’t really invite people to come here and just hang out,” Yi said.

Parsons also said he wishes for more seating in the Grove, such as picnic tables or chairs. He said that the Grove is one of his favorite places on campus and that he has enjoyed spending time there during the pandemic. He said that the recent construction nearby has had a minor impact on his experience at the Grove.

“It’s a nice place to play cards with my friends,” Parsons said. “Sometimes I will do the New York Times crossword out there.”

However, students are less enthusiastic about the Grove during a classic Houston event: rain. The significant flooding when it rains can make the Grove difficult to get across, according to Koh and George Lyu, a Will Rice sophomore.

“Sometimes, when it rains, it’s really hard to go through [the Grove], because it’s really muddy,” said Koh. Puddles can be an obstacle in the Grove, according to Rosemary Yang (’21).

“When it rains, there are huge muddy puddles in the grove, making it annoying to walk across. General life tip: don’t wear open-toed shoes on the Grove if you can,” Yang wrote in a Future Rice Owls blog post.

The pathways, made up of small brown rocks, are not paved. According to Velappan, paving the Grove could make it more convenient for pedestrians.

“Part of the culture of living in the South [Colleges] is going through the Grove and getting rocks in your shoes,” Velappan said.

According to the Rice Magazine article, the Facilities Engineering and Planning department replaced past concrete sidewalks with permeable granite to protect the Grove’s trees, some of which are up to 90 years old. The granite allows air and water to get to the trees’ roots.

Keith Autry, the Facilities, Engineering & Planning director for project management, said that the Grove is here to stay, despite the amount of construction surrounding it. The only changes that it will undergo are minor ones, according to Autry.

“In the spring of 2022, construction of new accessible sidewalks and the installation of an emergency vehicle access drive for the new Hanszen Wing will begin,” Autry said. “Preservation of the Grove is continuous and will be enhanced during construction.”

8 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

THE RICE THRESHER

Rice Cinema reopens, welcoming viewers to Sewall Hall

Rice Cinema has temporarily moved to Sewall Hall 301 following the demolition of the Rice Media Center in June.

RACHEL JOHNSON / THRESHER

RACHEL JOHNSON

THRESHER STAFF

The Rice Cinema, or the Rice Media Center, reopened in Sewall Hall 301 on Oct. 1 after shutting its doors in June. Demolition of the Media Center began on June 28 to make room for the new Sarofim Visual and Dramatic Arts Building, which is projected to be finished between Aug. 2023 and Jan. 2024.

Scheduled film showings can be found online on their website. Visitors can reserve a seat on their website or just show up. Most showings are free, but Houston Cinema Arts Festival films require paid tickets with a 50 percent discount for Rice students and faculty. Film showings will occur through the last week of the fall semester, with the final screening being “The Nightmare Before Christmas” on Dec. 4. Screenings will start again in January.

According to the Rice Cinema History page, the Rice Media Center was founded in 1970 by Dominique and John de Menil.

Throughout the building’s 50 years, artists and filmmakers have frequently attended showings of their own work to enable a dialogue between them and their audience.

Andy Warhol, D.A. Pennebaker and JeanLuc Godard are examples of artists who have visited the cinema in the past. It is known for showing a diverse range of films including international, animation and documentary.

Charles Dove, director of undergraduate studies in film and photography, said that the center is still in the process of getting set up after the lengthy move.

“We really started to move in, in the summer and it took us a long time,” Dove said. “The last event in the Media Center was in June, and then we started moving stuff over here. We’re not really set up completely yet, but soon we will be.”

Dove said that the move into what he described as the old-fashioned Sewall Hall classroom placed the cinema closer to students and daily campus activities.

One of the positive things about this [relocation] is we’ve had so many students come to films.

Charles Dove DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES IN FILM & PHOTOGRAPHY

“[Sewall Hall] is so much the front of the campus, there’s so many people around. It kind of makes me freak out a little bit,” Dove said. “Like, there’s so many students in the building. Back in the old days, if there were students in the building, you knew them. So now, it’s like, ‘Oh who’s that?’”

The relocation of the cinema not only relocated film showings but also courses in the film department such as History & Aesthetics of Film, Science Fiction Film and Documentary Production.

“The theater is both where all the classes are taught and it’s where we show

the movies,” Dove said. “The idea is for the majors to experience being in a movie theater, and some of them work for [Rice Cinema].”

Unlike the cinema’s past location, its new location in Sewall Hall is shared between many departments, according to Dove.

“There’s a psych class taught in this room, in the morning. There’s an applied math woman who teaches here just before my class,” Dove said. “So it’s just very different than our old place.”

Dove also said that relocating the cinema to an area of campus more frequented by students has had an impact on screening attendance.

“One of the positive things about this [relocation] is we’ve had so many students come to the films,” Dove said. “We showed ‘Dr. Strange Love,’ and I think the majority of people who were here were students, and that’s never happened when we were [located by entrance 8], so it’s nice.”

Adrian Almy, a student employee at Rice Cinema, said that the cinema is adjusting to their new space well and continuing to host engaging events for the community.

“Rice Cinema [is] continuing to bring interesting programming for Rice students as well as the general Houston population, like their screening of ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ or the Houston Cinema Arts Festival going on right now,” Almy, a Wiess College junior, said. “Tickets are free, and students who haven’t been to Rice Cinema before should take this opportunity to try it now.”

Looking forward, Dove said he was excited about increased visibility for subtitles in the Cinema’s future home.

“The new space [The Sarofim Visual and Dramatic Arts Building] hopefully will also have an outdoor screening facility so that will be really exciting,” Dove said. “And I think that it’ll just be great because we’ll be able to have all of the new equipment.”

The Rice Cinema is one of the only theaters in Houston that can show film in almost every form it has been made in.

However, due to space constraints in the temporary cinema, some equipment is not in use such as the 35 mm film according to Dove, but other formats such as 16 mm film are still in use for showings. Overall, Dove says that the transition has gone well.

“There’s lots of stuff to look forward to and to be optimistic about,” Dove said.

“Since we just started this we’re having some growing pains, but everything has gone okay.

Every screening has gone off successfully which is good to see.”

Fall Films: HADLEY MEDLOCK

THRESHER STAFF

November is finally here, and that means the majority of the Rice community can be spotted walking to class in jeans and sweatshirts despite the 75 degree weather.

While we sadly aren’t able to force it into being fall in Houston, these autumn-themed films will definitely make it feel like you can. Whether you’re already planning for the upcoming holiday season or still recovering from your crazy Halloweekend, this list of movies is perfect for curling up with a mug of hot apple cider and wishing the weather would consistently stay below 80 as you patiently await Thanksgiving recess.

‘Little Women’ (2019)

Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime

‘Knives Out’ Where to watch: Amazon Prime

‘Dead Poets Society’

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

‘When Harry Met Sally’

Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime

‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’

Where to watch: Disney +, Amazon Prime

‘Good Will Hunting’

Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime

‘The Social Network’

Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime

‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime Read more online at ricethresher.org.

Review: 5411 Empanadas brings outstanding food on opening day SYDNEY PARK

THRESHER STAFF On a restaurant’s opening day, some might worry that they’ll be met with a myriad of problems from low-quality customer service to absurdly long wait times. However, this wasn’t the case for 5411 Empanadas, which opened on Nov. 6. Located in Midtown about a 10 minute Uber ride from Rice campus, you’ll find a welcoming, modern ambiance, quick and friendly staff and, of course, delectably warm, made-from-scratch empanadas.

Named for the international dialing code for Buenos Aires, Argentina, 5411 Empanadas began as a Chicago food truck in 2009. After gaining popularity, the owners opened the flagship location in 2012 before expanding to the greater Chicago area. More recently, the restaurant has branched out into Houston, opening downtown in 2016 before adding its Midtown location this year.

The new restaurant has a sleek, modern look with white-tiled walls, wooden coffee tables, lo-fi music and an open coffee bar.

There was a long line upon arrival, but it moved fairly quickly, and the service was commendable, with friendly staff. The restaurant even handed out complementary tote bags to customers in honor of the grand opening.

Now, let’s talk empanadas. Priced at $2.75 per empanada, the menu provides a plethora of options to choose from. They have everything from Impossible meat to malbec beef to banana and nutella. After heavily debating which ones to try, I settled for three: traditional beef, barbeque chicken as well as one with bacon, dates and goat cheese.

By far, the bacon, dates and goat cheese empanada was the standout. The flavor profile was immaculate — not too sweet, salty or rich. It arrived warm from the oven with a perfectly baked shell. The ratio of bread to filling was superb, and it genuinely exceeded my expectations. I ordered the housemade chimichurri sauce as well, which was flavor packed with garlic, parsley and olive oil.

The combination of the empanada with the sauce was absolutely delicious, and they complemented each other excellently.

Similarly, the barbecue chicken empanada had savory and sweet flavors, although they were not as strong as the previous. It was decent, but it was missing the traditional barbeque smokiness from the chicken. The onions and cilantro added texture and a more complex flavor, and it wasn’t too greasy.

Unfortunately, I’d have to rank the traditional beef at the bottom of the list. The empanada was comparatively bland and heavily depended on the chimichurri to boost

5411 Empanadas opened on Nov. 6 in Midtown.

The menu offers an array of empanada fillings.

ZEISHA BENNETT / THRESHER

the flavor profile. The ingredients were high quality though, and I would still recommend it if you’re looking for a classic and simple beef empanada.

For both empanada lovers and first-timers, you will not be disappointed with a trip to 5411 Empanadas. It’s close to campus, decently priced and offers something for everyone.

Between the friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere, it makes for some good food with good vibes.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 • 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

CAMH’s ‘The Dirty South’ celebrates Black contemporary art and the place that made it

Review: Marvel swings and misses with ‘Eternals’ WILL COVER

THRESHER STAFF With a cast full of stars or soon-to-be stars and a director coming off of multiple Oscar wins (Chloé Zhao), “Eternals” was a movie brimming with promise.

Unfortunately, audiences were delivered a congested and dissonant epic which struggles under the weight of its ambitions.

“Eternals” is not without its strong moments, but this is a movie that got away from Zhao and Marvel.

“Eternals” follows a group of immortal beings called the Eternals who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years, aiding in human development and offering protection from a group of monsters known as Deviants. Each Eternal, PHOTO COURTESY RAMELL ROSS

The visually striking conclusion of this relationship presents itself in the SENIOR WRITER iconic “Asterisks in Dockery (Blues for The “Dirty South,” an art exhibit on view Smoke),” a beckoning recreation of the at Houston’s Contemporary Arts Museum church pews at Dockery Farms. Artist from Nov. 5 to Feb. 6, 2022, claims a nickname Rodney McMillan covered the entirety of with roots as murky as the bayous. By the the structure with blood-red vinyl panels, time Goodie Mob christened their home the both as a repudiation of the European “dirty south,” the term had been claimed Christian obsession with whiteness as for farmers, crooks and the poor. Perhaps purity and a tongue-in-cheek contrast to the term “dirty south” reclaimed Northern the Delta blues music that originated at snootiness or perhaps the distorted 808 the Dockery. Traveling musicians would kicks sounded like “dirty” grunge guitars. always stop at Dockery Farms due to the However, when “Dirty South” curator Valerie large number of Black workers working Cassel Oliver notes that the walls of the first the fertile soil in the area. It was this section of the exhibit are colored the same as Southern dirt that brought through iconic the clay-heavy soil of the south, it clicks for musicians and led to spirituality seeping through the delta waters. me: “dirty” is literal. This is the story of dirt.

Stark staircases beckon audiences My family arrived in Texas because of the dirt. My great-great-grandparents down to the basement for the third section: came from Germany to Central Texas for “The Black Body.” Upon arrival, the record nutrient-rich soil and my grandfather was scratching of Robert Earl Davis dances plucked from his small town in Virginia to through the room from the Cabinet of the oilfields of Texas. But that’s not unique Wonders and El Franco Lee II’s “DJ Screw to my family. During the 1920s Dust Bowl, in Heaven 2” seems to light up, honoring migrants came looking for ground strong the legend. The various circular pieces of enough to build upon. Before that, Black art are records just waiting to be slowed families were forcibly brought to Texas due and throwed.

Out of all the sections, “The Black to the loamy soil that made enslavement Body” feels most profitable. Before that, influenced by its the Karankawa people physical location. of the Gulf Coast built Whereas the first their lives around The dirtiness of the South floor lets viewers the region’s marshy distance from the soil that led them to remains particularly salient nomadism. throughout the ‘Landscape’ art, the basement places the Visitors see this dirt from the start. Used in section, the first of the three audience directly within it. This promotional materials divisions in the exhibit. usage of place, and greeting visitors upon entrance, RaMell Ross’s photograph then, is a commentary on how the body “Caspera,” represents many of the exhibits becomes constrained by and thus defined themes. A ghostly figure draped in a black by its location. Deborah Roberts’s chilling sheet standing barefoot upon the distinct “Let Them Be Children” concurs, as does clay-tinged dirt of the American South the shoe shining stand across from it, that literally and figuratively centers totalizing bodies become their positions.

The section culminates with the haunting Blackness upon the multicolored dirt. Not only does the soil provide the literal base, exhibit closer “Love Is The Message, The it creates the point of contrast to the central Message Is Death.” Arthur Jafa’s brilliant collage of Blackness invites and dares the Blackness of “Caspera.”

The dirtiness of the South remains viewers to draw their own conclusions. particularly salient throughout the MLK, Kanye, shining stars, twerking, police “Landscape” section, the first of the three killings, IceJJFish, Birth of a Nation, rodeos, divisions in the exhibit. Mildred Thompson graves, Lebron James with the breakaway redefines landscape painting by the trees slam. This is a god dream? The piece ends that grow upon it. Michi Meko traces a and the theatre goes black for a good while.

The “June 27th Freestyle,” a legendary cosmology from the ground into the sky with fireflies, spider webs and fractals. This is the relic of the city’s lean-coated nineties, base that the rest of the exhibit builds upon. featured nine different artists. Samples and The walls shift from red to a light blue references from June 27th have proliferated traditionally painted under porches to through everyone from Paul Wall to Drake. ward off spirits for the second section, Rap songs are just like that in the South, “Spirituality.” Like the porch and the dirt it plucking lyrics and sounds from each other, rises above, the landscape and the spiritual creating a distinct layer of history for those constantly converse. The spiritual materially ingrained in the culture.

The “Dirty South” encapsulates introduces itself with the striking tower of speakers that composes Nadine Robinson’s both this sense of grandiose scope and “Coronation Theme: Organ.” The work’s unshakable history. It’s the most ambitious structure both references the pipe organ exhibit I’ve seen at the CAMH, but it has to associated with Black spirituality and be. There’s simply no other way to capture musicality as well as the Ebenezer Baptist the South. It’s slow, loud and banging church that Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King just like the cars at MacGregor, and Cassel preached at. The speakers, reverberating Oliver not only understands that but subs of sound collages, show music as a manages to capture it within the context of spiritual predecessor and form of resistance. the modern art institution.

JACOB TATE

of which this movie has ten, has their own set of powers, which quickly become evident through expositional fight scenes.

The movie is primarily set in modern times as the Eternals battle the Deviants (and, like with most superhero movies, the potential end of the world). Given the large time span that must be covered to introduce audiences to these characters, the plot ended up overwrought. I’m generally skeptical of the argument that a long movie should just become a miniseries, but “Eternals” certainly would have benefitted from such a change.

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

Review: ‘Voyage’ is a satisfying finale to ABBA’s decades long career HADLEY MEDLOCK

THRESHER STAFF Mamma mia — here they go again!

Forty years after their eighth studio album, Swedish pop band ABBA has reunited for one final hurrah. After the band’s divorce-induced split back in 1981, the world thought they had heard the last of their new music, but ABBA has joined once more for a ten song, “trendblind” album that chronicles friendship and heartbreak through angelic vocals and classic ’70s disco style. While some fans expressed worries that the band would stray too far from their original sound and it has already received mixed reviews from critics, I think this album is nothing short of a triumph that proves that ABBA has still got it.

“Voyage” opens with an affectionate power piano ballad titled “I Still Have Faith in You” that celebrates the sweet friendship and loyalty the members of ABBA still have with each other to this day. A song that starts slow and builds its way into a triumphant, lush climax, this sentimental ode was the perfect way to start their reunion album. It leads into “When You Danced With Me,” a song about being left by someone that vaguely sounds like it drew inspiration from Irish music, which is a solid song on the album but not necessarily a standout.

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

Review: ‘Spencer’ reimagines the Princess Diana biopic CALEB DUKES

THRESHER STAFF It is hard for me to view “Spencer” as anything other than a pinnacle of Kristen Stewart’s acting abilities. Playing Princess Diana Spencer, one of the most famous, most photographed people in the entire world, is a daunting task — and not one that I ever expected to be taken on by Stewart. Considering all of the jokes over the years, whether they be about her stint in the “Twilight” series or her awkward, nervous demeanor in interviews, it was hard for me to imagine the actress taking on such an iconic biopic, especially one that has been done to both great laud and great mocking before. However, it is her performance precisely that makes “Spencer” shine.

“Spencer,” at its purest core, revolves around two things in Diana’s life: fashion and food. Her relationship with these two things, according to the film, were her starkest forms of defiance in a place where outward, vocal defiance would have spelled disaster for the mother of two. “Spencer” follows three days in Diana’s life shortly before she leaves the royal family: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day of 1991.

Here, we watch the royal family celebrate the holidays in their precise, ritualistic manner, with all eyes locked on Diana for her recent behavior.

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

Review: ‘Something for Thee Hotties’ is an ode to Megan Thee Stallion’s fans RILEY COMBES

FOR THE THRESHER Megan Thee Stallion has had an eventful last couple of years. From her skyrocketing fame to the loss of both her mother and grandmother in the same month in 2019 and being shot in 2020 by rapper Tory Lanez, she’s always used her music as a means to address these harrowing incidents and has a loyal fanbase, the “Hotties,” to support her through her struggles. It’s fitting, then, that her first major body of work released in 2021 is an ode to these fans, a mixtape of freestyles and unreleased tracks aptly titled “Something For Thee Hotties.” The collection serves as a testament to her immense talent and rapid rise to fame, a

project that encapsulates everything that has led her to this point in her career while thanking her fans every step of the way.

The core of the mixtape is composed of five freestyles that she’d previously shared to fans via social media. The LilJuMadeDaBeat and Juicy J-produced tracks display her off-the-cuff wit and shapeshifting flow, each characterized by a distinct beat and cadence. “Southside Freestyle Forever” references its own flow switch as Megan declares, “Man, I done took off bitch, I’m outta here / I’m on a ship, outer space, I’m a rocketeer,” This has been cut for print. Read the full article online at ricethresher.org.

10 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

THE RICE THRESHER

Owls explore sponsorships with new NIL policy REED MYERS

SENIOR WRITER A few months ago, the NCAA announced a long-awaited rule change that allows collegiate athletes in all sports to benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), including through sponsorship deals.

Since then, many Rice student-athletes have taken advantage of the new policy by garnering partnerships and sponsorships with local and national companies.

According to sophomore basketball shooting guard Quincy Olivari, the newly adopted policy is a huge upgrade over the previous policy, which didn’t allow student-athletes to profit from their name.

Editor’s note: the author and Olivari are teammates on the Rice men’s basketball team.

“I’m a huge fan of the new NIL policy,” Olivari said. “It allows athletes to capitalize on opportunities they’d have to otherwise wait for when not in college. It also gives us the opportunity to learn financial literacy, which is an important skill to have. The policy is still new so there are still kinks to work out, but at least the NCAA is moving forward with the student-athletes getting paid.”

Since the NIL policy was adopted this past summer, it has been a learning process for student-athletes to communicate with companies about potential partnerships and deals. To help her navigate the NIL landscape, senior volleyball outside hitter Nicole Lennon said that she began using a professional service for NIL activities to help her find her current deals.

“I hired Main Street Consulting to help me with my NIL deals, which made the process so much easier,” Lennon said.

“My agent, Morgan Bates [Wiess College

senior], told me to pick some businesses I wanted to work with and she would contact them and work out the contracts.”

For student-athletes, partnering with the right organizations and companies that fit what the student-athlete is looking for while successfully promoting oneself, one’s team, and one’s school is important.

According to sophomore runner Grace Forbes, she sought companies that she felt comfortable attaching her name to..

“I selected companies that aligned with my values and ones that I actually used on a regular basis,” Forbes said. “Trust and honesty is an important factor of mine, so I will not advertise products that I personally do not use.”

Lennon was also careful in selecting the companies that she represented.

According to Lennon, she was focused on partnering with local companies that valued her and everything that she brought to the table.

“The two local businesses I am partnered with are Tasc Houston in Rice Village and Kale Me Crazy in The Heights,” Lennon said. “When us athletes were granted our NIL rights, I didn’t want to become just another ambassador at a company I barely knew. I knew from day one that if I was going to promote a product or brand, it would be a local business that could really benefit from my helping them, and that it would be a business that valued me as Nicole Lennon, for my individual strengths and my unique social media presence.”

According to Olivari, his deals have already given him the chance to build some valuable partnerships in the relationships.

“The deals I’ve made and the ones I make in the future don’t define me,” Olivari said. “My goals are to build

NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER

relationships with companies and people.

I’ve met so many amazing people already and have been provided opportunities that I couldn’t have imagined.”

While the NIL policy is still in its infancy, some student-athletes like Lennon have already seen immediate returns in their partnerships, which she said have worked out for her in more ways than she had expected.

“I have much more content that I am excited about posting on Instagram that I hope my followers appreciate,” Lennon said. “Tasc Houston and Kale Me Crazy have also posted me on their Instagram pages and stories which has helped me and Rice Volleyball get some more fans and followers. Allowing athletes our NIL rights truly benefits everyone involved, the business, the athlete, and Rice athletics.”

RECAP

Volleyball caps undefeated conference season with sweep of UTSA reminisce about her memorable five years as a member of the volleyball team.

“Senior Night was surreal for me,” Lennon said. “My 5 seasons have flown by so fast & they have been so fun and rewarding. I look back at my time at Rice very fondly; I’ve made so many memories with my friends and my team, and we have accomplished big things. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience here.”

SOLOMON NI / THRESHER Freshman middle blocker/right side Shaylee Shore serves the ball against UTSA. The Owls swept both of their matches against the Roadrunners to close out their regular season.

PAVITHR GOLI

SENIOR WRITER

Ending their regular season on a strong note, Rice volleyball swept the University of Texas, San Antonio in their two-game series over the weekend at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Owls took all three sets in both matches against the Roadrunners, as Rice completed their second straight undefeated conference season and earned the No. 1 seed in the west division in the Conference USA tournament later this month. After closing their regular season with a 12 game win streak, head coach Genny Volpe said she was happy with the team’s improvement throughout the season. “​I’m really proud of the team and the coaching staff,” Volpe said. “We’ve been working on certain aspects of our game at practice and just constantly trying to

improve and we did that in both these matches. We talk all year about being the best versions of ourselves and constantly striving to improve and this group has really embraced that.”

Friday’s game was never particularly close. The Owls got off to a fast start, winning the first set by a score of 25-13, and kept the game out of reach, winning the next two sets in convincing fashion as well.

Sophomore outside hitter Ellie Bichelmeyer led the team with 16 kills on a .519 hitting percentage, while junior setter Carly Graham contributed 46 assists.

In addition to the win, the Owls also celebrated senior night on Friday as they honored senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon, along with defensive specialists/ liberos Tia Grippo, and Elizabeth LaBue. According to Lennon, senior night was a very special night as she was able to

Our team really played with [a] fire. We just had fun playing volleyball and that was reflected in our performance.

Nicole Lennon SENIOR OUTSIDE HITTER

Saturday’s game was more of the same as the Owls once again won each set by at least six points. This time Lennon led the team with 15 kills, and the defense stepped up, with four players reaching doublefigures in digs.

With Saturday’s win, the Owls brought their record to 17-5 on the season. Lennon said that the end to the regular season was a successful one as the team played with passion, which translated into success on the court.

“I think in our last two home games our team really played with [a] fire,” Lennon said. “We just had fun playing volleyball, and that is reflected in our performance.”

Next up for the Owls is the C-USA tournament, where Rice will likely look to avenge their loss to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers in last season’s C-USA Championship match. According to Graham, who was just named C-USA Setter of the Week for the fourth time this season, the weekend series against the Roadrunners was critical in making the Owls more confident as they enter the postseason.

“With this being our conclusion to the regular season we wanted to have some good momentum going into the C-USA tournament which I think we achieved,” Graham said. “We were super intentional going into this weekend. We have been practicing on improving certain aspects of our game, [and] I think we did a great job of that this weekend.

Lennon is entering the tournament very confident about her squad’s ability to win the tournament and believes that the loss to the Hilltoppers last year, as well as their early exit from the NCAA tournament due to COVID-19 protocols, will serve as a chip on their shoulder as they also look to earn a bid into the NCAA tournament.

“My team is 100 percent confident that we can win the whole thing,” Lennon said. “We have been waiting for our chance against some of our East Division opponents, and we are extremely motivated to earn the automatic bid to NCAAs after the tragic end of our season last year.”

The team will play next at 11 a.m. on Nov. 19 in the first round of the C-USA tournament, where the Owls will face off against the University of North Carolina, Charlotte at a neutral site in Norfolk, VA.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 • 11

SPORTS

SEASON RECAP

Soccer season of close games ends in penalty shootout DANIEL SCHRAGER

SPORTS EDITOR

Rice soccer couldn’t survive their sixth straight overtime game last Wednesday morning, as they fell to Middle Tennessee State University in penalty kicks in the first round of the Conference USA tournament.

The loss brought an end to a season that began with the Owls’ being nationally ranked entering the year for the first time in program history. According to head coach Brian Lee, while he is disappointed in the way the season ended, he always knew that last season would be a tough act to follow.

“The expectations outside the program were probably a little high for this fall,” Lee said. “Last season was [such] a huge step forward, so maintaining that was going to be difficult.”

A quiet first half for the Owls saw them take the defensive, as MTSU outshot them 7 to 4, but they weathered the MTSU attack to keep the game scoreless. The second half was more evenly fought, with the teams trading shots before Middle Tennessee got off two shots from close range in the 77th minute, but junior goalkeeper Bella Killgore saved both to keep the Blue Raiders off the scoreboard. Rice got one last look at goal, but an 83rd minute attempt by freshman forward Vyvienne Spaulding was saved and the game went to overtime. According to Lee, with the way the game was going, it was going to prove difficult for either team to break the tie.

“Defensively, [we were] outstanding,” Lee said. “We just weren’t super fluid in attack. The game seemingly was going to be decided [either] by set pieces or a shootout.”

In the first overtime period, each team managed just one shot attempt across the ten minute period. The second overtime was more of the same, as each team took one shot, but neither found the net, sending the game to a penalty shootout. According to Lee, the team was confident going into the shootout.

“We practiced penalties a lot, from the beginning of the season on, so we were really confident in our shooters, and in Bella’s ability to make a save or two,” Lee said.

In penalties, Rice took an early lead after junior midfielder Delaney Schultz converted the Owls’ first attempt, and the Blue Raiders couldn’t match. Killgore missed the second attempt of the shootout for the Owls, giving MTSU a chance to tie, but they couldn’t take advantage. The teams traded goals in the next two rounds, but freshman midfielder Catarina Albuquerque missed the wouldbe clincher, and the Blue Raiders converted their fifth kick to force an extra round of penalties. Sophomore midfielder Shiloh Miller missed the Owls sixth kick, and MTSU’s Alayna Lynchard sent her shot past Killgore, giving the Blue Raiders a 4-3 win in the shootout.

With the loss, the Owls were eliminated from the C-USA tournament, ending their chances of defending their conference title from last season and following up their run to the sweet sixteen of last year’s NCAA

COURTESY CONFERENCE USA Junior midfielder Delaney Schultz dribbles past a MTSU player in the first round of the C-USA tournament. The Owls lost in a penalty shootout, ending their season.

tournament. According to Lee, the team simply didn’t get the breaks that they had on their tournament run last season.

“If you look at last season, we got a lot of breaks,” Lee said. “And this season we were on the wrong side of a lot of breaks. The breaks didn’t go our way, when the margin for winning and losing is really close. Last season we won all of those games, so it really just balances out.”

The Owls started the season where they left off last year, going undefeated through their first seven games. But since their first loss of the season in mid-September, the Owls went 4-5-1 to close out their regular season before Wednesday’s loss. According to Lee, the drop off halfway through the season was in large part due to injuries, as the team lost all-American defender Mijke Roelfsema, along with sophomore forward Shelby Desroches who had been starting on defense.

“When Shelby went out at the back, that was the first significant dent,” Lee said. “[As for Roelfsema], if you’re going to lose a firstteam all-American, she wouldn’t be a first team all-American if it didn’t matter. That’s probably where it started.”

The Owls had a knack for getting themselves into close games all year long; 15 of their 18 games were decided by one goal or less. This trend picked up in conference play, where six of their nine games went to OT. According to Lee, the team had trouble separating from their opponents and their record ended up reflecting that.

“It’s six straight overtime games from the day Mijke went out,” Lee said. “That leveled the playing field quite a bit in our conference. We went 2-2-2 in the overtime [games]. Any time you go to overtime it’s gonna be a bit of a crapshoot and that’s what the results said.”

Despite the early end to their season, Lee said that he was happy with how the team’s defense stepped up after their injuries, as well as the play of junior midfielder Delaney Schultz, who contributed nine goals and seven assists, earning her C-USA player of the year honors. However, Lee said that the team’s lack of cohesion on offense was too much to overcome.

“I thought our group defending was really good no matter who was playing,” Lee said. “Delaney’s progression was another big factor. But we never could get the right groupings of players and get enough rhythm in attack.”

Going forward, Lee said that he won’t let Wednesday’s result get in the way of the trajectory of the program. While they lose Roelfsema and senior defender Caleigh Page, who was named third-team all C-USA, they will return the vast majority of the team.

According to Lee, after a shortened offseason last year, the team will have plenty of time to improve before next season.

“We still have a super young team,” Lee said. “We’ll have a real offseason. We have so many young kids who have never had an offseason where they can really work on getting better and stronger and fitter and faster, so we’re excited about that.”

12 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

BACKPAGE

Be BOLD Dear colleagues, It has come to our attention that we have not done enough to clarify the purpose and goals of our revolutionary “Be Bold” campaign. Read our core values below to discover just what it means to “Be Bold” as a Rice Owl. Be...

B O L D

Better. Rice students can always be better than they already are. Maybe then you can show your face back home during Thanksgiving break. Show how much better your graduating class is by donating more than the other, inferior classes.

Obedient.

The ideal Rice student knows when to be bold and when it’s okay to be youwanttogiveusyourmoneyyouwanttogiveusyourmoneyyouwanttogiveusyourmoneyyouwanttogiveusyourmoneyyouwant atogiveusyourmoneyyouwanttogiveusyourmoneyyouwanttogiveusyourmoneyyouwanttogiveusyourmoneyyouwanttogiveus little less bold. Try being a little more receptive to new ideas to find the greatest success! yourmoney Lavish. Many of you have already received our chic campaign t-shirts. Make sure to show off your shirts around our investors to show your fashionability and Rice pride!

Deferential. We don’t like to boast much about it, but did you know President John F. Kennedy delivered his inspiring moonshot speech right here at Rice Stadium? We implore Rice students to consider his wise advice: “We’re going to the f***ing moon, babey! Is that neat or what? Best president ever.”

We hope this guide is helpful in guiding our students, faculty, and the greater Rice community in joining us in our objective to “be bold.” In the words of our storied past...

“

Get your money up not your funny up 🦁 💯 – John F. Kennedy

B - Give us your money O L D -

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

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