The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, April 13, 2022

VOLUME 106, ISSUE NO. 26 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022

TALHA ARIF

NEWS EDITOR

Content warning: This article contains references to discrimination based on sexual identity and references to sexual assault.

Editor’s note: Students interviewed were given the option of remaining anonymous in the interest of safety and privacy. Anonymous students who are referenced multiple times were given false names, which have been marked with an asterisk on first reference.

One of the last things newly matriculated students expect at Rice is intolerance based on sexual identity. However, the Thresher spoke to three students who shared experiences with exactly that in the national Christian organization Chi Alpha, as well as issues regarding victim blaming and alcohol consumption.

When Noel* first told her Chi Alpha small group she was bisexual as a freshman, it seemed like it wasn’t an issue. She was given the green light to begin small group leadership training.

“At least three people contacted me at different points after I shared something during a Chi Alpha activity related to being queer,” Noel said. “One or two of them were queer questioning and we found strength in each other.”

Later, in a required form prior to the exit interview to become a small group leader, Noel said she reemphasized wanting to have a safe and reaffirming space in Chi Alpha to celebrate queer students.

“By this time, I’d had several conversations with my mentor about queerness,” Noel said.

“I knew that they thought queer attraction and relationships were sin, but they were also very open in talking with me about it, and I thought that their heart was becoming more open to viewing queerness as more beautiful diversity, which is loved and valued

by God.” However, Noel said her mentor and Chi Alpha staff questioned her about wanting to be a leader for queer student spaces during the exit interview.

“I explained that it was really important to me … but my mentor said that they wouldn’t let me lead if I was going to tell my members that it was okay to be bisexual, to be queer,” Noel said. “They told me that I was still welcome to come to Chi Alpha events, but only as a member, since ‘I still have a lot to learn about the queer issue.’”

Noel’s mentor then told her a story about a transgender person at a different university who joined their Chi Alpha chapter. “[They said] after reading the Gospel, this person decided that they were no longer trans,” Noel said. “And I think that this was my mentor telling me that queer people can and are changed into straight and cisgender people by their faith.”

Noel said that although Chi Alpha did not say it explicitly, she thinks the organization believes that a person’s queerness will go away by God’s hand, and this is why Chi Alpha says they welcome queer people with open arms.

“I found that it was always with a hidden expectation that queer people would become cis and straight,” Noel said. “I think they meant it in the same way that they might say we welcome abusers with open arms … or we welcome sinners with open arms.”

Noel said she would never have joined Chi Alpha if she had known they expected and hoped she would become “un-queer” as she deepened her own spirituality.

“If I had known that they would never let an openly queer affirming person be a small group leader, or ... that I would hear comparisons to pedophilia, I would have never joined,” Noel said. “They compared same-sex attraction specifically to being no different than any other sexual sin.”

‘This is in your best interest to leave’:

LGBTQ+ students share discriminatory experiences in Chi Alpha

ANDREA GOMEZ / THRESHER Jesse* also came out as queer Chi Alpha website. to one of their Chi Alpha The Assemblies of God website denotes small group leaders soon after joining and said that the organization still seemed very homosexual behavior as a spiritual disorder.

“The growing cultural acceptance of welcoming at first.

“But my friend who got me into Chi Alpha homosexual identity and behavior (male … later left Chi Alpha and told me that she and female), same-sex marriage, and efforts was kicked out because of her sexuality,” to change one’s biological sexual identity Jesse said. “And I didn’t want to believe it, so are all symptomatic of a broader spiritual disorder that threatens the family, the I stayed.”

Jesse ended up becoming a small group government and the church,” the website leader after their first year. However, they said states.

Similar anecdotes of homophobia and this past summer they had a conversation with a Chi Alpha staff member that felt similar discrimination within Chi Alpha have been shared at the to their friend’s University of Virginia experience, causing and other colleges. them to leave the According to organization.

They told me that I was Jesse, Chi Alpha “It wasn’t like, still welcome to come to staff also gave them ‘we’re specifically a contract to sign in kicking you out Chi Alpha events, but only the exit interview because you’re as a member, since ‘I still to become a small queer,’ but it was have a lot to learn about group leader. Jesse more like, ‘I really said they did not think this is in your the queer issue.’ remember ever best interest to Noel being told about the leave,’” Jesse said. “It felt very much like they were trying to make contract beforehand.

“I was sitting in my exit interview to it my choice, but it wasn’t really my choice.

That just sat very poorly with me. It [seemed] become a small group leader, and they’re like, kind of an ultimatum where it was like, you ‘okay, here’s your contract, sign it,’” Jesse can stay and hear us preach things that you said. “[So] I told them when I left [Chi Alpha], ‘hey, this [contract] is super manipulative of disagree with, or you can leave.”

Jesse had come out two years prior to you,’ and I hope they’re changing it.”

The Thresher obtained a copy of the this conversation with the staff member, but believes the conversation occurred when it contract; it outlines several guidelines for did because Chi Alpha recently decided to dating and sexual purity. These guidelines approach Christianity more aligned with the include only dating someone who shares Assemblies of God, whose guiding belief is “a foundational belief in and commitment the Bible as “all-sufficient rule for faith and to the Lord Jesus Christ,” a call to “carefully maintain our sexual purity” and to “avoid practice.”

Chi Alpha is sponsored by the even the appearance of evil,” asking that Assemblies of God, according to the national “a servant leader’s boy/girlfriend spend the

night at a location other than the leader’s home when visiting.”

The contract also specifies guidelines for alcohol consumption, which include prohibiting excessive drinking, following drinking age laws and asking leaders to be thoughtful about their social life at Rice due to their influence on others’ lives, including at parties and bars.

Robin*, a former small group leader, said that after she was sexually assaulted at a Rice public, she talked about her assault with a Chi Alpha staff member.

Robin said the first question the staff member asked was if she had been drinking.

“I don’t have [the next part] verbatim, but it boiled down to something like, ‘that’s the punishment for the sin of drinking,’” Robin said. “It was worded in a very nice way, so I think that was why at the time I believed it. We also talked about that person [who assaulted me] and [the staff member] said these are the people who need forgiveness the most and encouraged me to pray for him and to stay a friend to him.”

Robin’s privacy was also not respected by staff — she would find out afterwards that the staff member shared information from their conversations with other staff and in some cases, other Chi Alpha students.

“I did kind of not drink as much [after my assault] because I bought into and really believed their response [at the time], and so they would tell other people, ‘it’s reformation from sin,’ or make it a story to tell others,” Robin said. “So it’s under the guise of being helpful, but later, after finding this out, I would ask them to not tell anyone and then that still wouldn’t be respected. So then I just stopped saying anything.”

In a past article, students shared fears of judgement for being queer in Chi Alpha and a lack of explicitly expressed support from staff for queer students. Robin said there was a culture similar to that of “don’t ask, don’t tell” at Chi Alpha.

“If you drink, don’t talk about it,” Robin said. “If you party, don’t talk about it. If you have sex, don’t talk about it. If you’re queer, don’t talk about it.”

Robin is bisexual and said that based on her conversations with other students, there are more students who have experienced similar remarks or discriminatory behaviors in Chi Alpha.

“I knew someone in the organization who told a staff member that they were queer, and they were told something along the lines of, ‘I don’t agree with it, but I still love you as a person,’” Robin said. “I had another friend last year, who was another [queer] small group leader, and we were talking about the fact that you just don’t talk about being queer, because you just don’t know [how people will respond].”

Jesse found it difficult to leave Chi Alpha because they made really strong connections with some of the organization’s members.

“There’s some people who I still really value my connection with that I met through Chi Alpha,” Jesse said. “But there were some where it really hurt because they’re like, ‘well, we still care about you,’ but it’s hard to believe that you care about me when you disagree with fundamental identities.”

Jesse said they still respect the people in Chi Alpha.

“If you take a very conservative approach to religion, I think Chi Alpha is a great fit for you,” Jesse said. “But I know for me, I felt very forced into it when I was a student, like it was the only option, and that’s not true. There are so many other ministries on campus that I wish I had explored instead.”

Chi Alpha declined to comment.

Thresher Alumna Ivanka Perez contributed to this article.

2 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022

THE RICE THRESHER

Rice adjusts policies in response to COVID surge current policy interventions are aimed at targeting this population. More than ASST NEWS EDITOR, THRESHER STAFF 90 percent of the COVID positive cases The recent rise in COVID cases on are from undergraduate students, with campus prompted the reinstatement of a small minority coming from staff and masks in classrooms, the reduction of graduate students, according to the indoor dining to half capacity and the dashboard.

“One [intervention targeted towards closure of The Pub at Rice, according to an email sent by the Chair of Crisis undergraduate students] for example Management Advisory Committee Kevin was masks in the classroom and then we talked a lot about … large gatherings Kirby late last week.

As of April 12, a total of 270 positive and parties, and things like that,” Kirby tests were reported in the last seven said. “We are trying to make it as close days, with 129 Rice COVID-19 tests and to what we would be regularly doing as 141 non-Rice COVID-19 tests, according possible.”

Many large-scale events will still to Rice’s COVID-19 dashboard. These numbers do not account for unreported take place this year despite recent policy changes, such as the Oshman non-Rice positive tests.

Engineering The spike Design Kitchen in cases comes showcase held in after Rice hosted the Waltrip Bubble Beer Bike this One [intervention targeted and the Rice past weekend, towards undergraduate Undergraduate resembling the students] for example was R e s e a r c h pre-COVID event Symposium. for the first time in masks in the classroom “I was talking three years. Dean and then we talked a lot to the organizer of Undergraduates about … large gatherings of [the OEDK Bridget Gorman showcase], and said that in and parties, and things they’ll probably retrospect the like that. We are trying to make one change, a d m i n i s t r a t i o n make it as close to what we which is to have might have would be regularly doing people wear a conducted Beer mask during the Bike differently, as possible. event, but that but is now more Kevin Kirby doesn’t preclude focused on the event from addressing the Chair of Crisis Management happening,” Kirby issue of rising Advisory Committee said. cases.

Rice Coffeehouse closed last “The rise in cases that prompted the changes announced grew over the week, Wednesday due to the growing number and we modified some policies once we of COVID and non-COVID related realized the extent of spread within the illnesses among employees, according undergraduate community,” Gorman to General Manager Jinhee Shin. Since then, Coffeehouse announced closure said.

The large number of students in until April 13 due to the rising campus isolation has also resulted in changes to cases and employee illnesses. Shin said the isolation dining procedure. Students they are still working out the details for in isolation are now being instructed to what reopening will look like.

“As of now, it looks like Wednesday go into the servery to pick up their own meals, according to Director of Crisis is [when we will reopen],” Shin, a junior at Martel, said. “The biggest thing that Management Jerusha Kasch.

“With the sharp increase of student might change is the masking policy [in positives in a very short amount of the space]. From my understanding, I time, the amount of isolated students think masking will be heavily encouraged stretched our food delivery resource in the space but not required.”

Pub received notice from threshold, and we thoughtfully changed the procedure to self pick up with KN95 administration on Thursday afternoon to shut down until further notice, according masking,” Kasch said.

Kasch said that because the virus to General Manager Miles Sigel. He said normally spreads best by proximity to Pub wasn’t planning to close because others and duration of exposure, less they hoped to avoid canceling events than five minutes of masked exposure fully, and were instead planning to time from a COVID-positive student in change policies to remain open during the servery should not present a concern. this time.

“We were definitely a little In early January during the disappointed because, knowing spike in campus cases due to that we only have a couple Omicron, Housing and Dining more weeks left of the year, we Director David McDonald wanted to make sure… that said that a high volume the seniors that are going of isolating students put out get as normal of a college a strain on H&D staff and experience as possible,” Sigel raised the possibility of said.

COVID-positive students Sigel said that Pub is hoping getting their own meals. to open before the end of the “What happens if we end up semester under their previous COVID having to deliver food to rooms and it’s 100 students all at once?” McDonald guidelines, including limiting capacity told the Thresher. “My staff can’t do that. and requiring masks, but the decision is I am going to have to ask for help from ultimately up to the administration.

Duncan College senior David Ikejiani a lot of folks … It would be really hard, said this news is disappointing, but not let’s put it that way.”

Gorman said in the article that shocking considering the policy changes the decision had not been seriously that the administration made last month.

“I think that the policy to come back considered at the time.

According to Kirby, the current especially from spring break, with first of rise in cases seems to only be a trend all, removal of almost all masking policies, affecting undergraduate students, so second of all, removal from required

HAJERA NAVEED, MARIA MORKAS

KATHERINE CHUI / THRESHER testing, was irresponsible,” Ikejiani said. I am also glad that I’ve been able to “So I think it was to be expected that cases experience as much as I’ve been able to would spike especially with [the] increasing experience not only this year, but all four of more tightly packed events, even if they years, as a whole,” Ikejiani said.

Although administration did not occurred outside.” expect to see this Wiess College type of spike in junior Alizay Azeem cases after Beer also said that the rise Bike week, they’re in cases following hoping to learn Beer Bike reflects the I think it’s frustrating that from what has lax precautionary administration could have been done before measures imposed prevented this spike if and apply that by administration. moving forward.

“I think it’s they had implemented “It’s too soon frustrating that some precautionary to say [how the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n measures ... It makes me summer and could have fall semesters prevented this worried for next year, my will look],” spike if they had last year at Rice, because Gorman said. implemented some if we can’t handle events “This situation precautionary like this, how are we ever has shifted measures, like continually testing before and supposed to have a regular since it began after Beer Bike,” semester next year.

— I would not Azeem said. “It feel comfortable makes me worried Alizay Azeem making any firm for next year, my WIESS COLLEGE JUNIOR predictions on last year at Rice, because if we can’t handle events like this, what summer and fall hold, although I how are we ever supposed to have a regular remain hopeful for our ability to operate with minimal disruption.” semester next year?”

Kirby said he is hopeful that the Ikejiani said that while these past four years have been turbulent, he’s situation will improve before the end of trying to positively reflect on his time and the school year.

“I am hopeful that we will start to see experience.

“While I’m disappointed that the last this recede over the coming week, but we rounds of public type events, larger scale are going to watch that carefully,” Kirby events, are being canceled or altered, said.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022 • 3

NEWS

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID WORTH From left to right: Alina Zhu, Jacob Tate, Max Renteria, Kia Witt

Back, from left to right: David Worth, Alonso Medina, Mehek Jain, Pranav Nagajothi, Summar KcGee Front: Jazmine Castillo, Britney Hsu, Maya Adhikari

From left to right: Taylor Gilliam, Tiffany Sloan, Kevin Barry, Mehek Jain

Rice debate places fifth, speech places twelfth at national competitions ELIZA JASANI

THRESHER STAFF Rice University’s speech and debate teams won several awards for their 2021-2022 competition season. Debate team members Jacob Tate and Maximus Renteria won the team its second national championship in the National Parliamentary Debate Association 2022 Championship tournament, and the team placed No. 5 in the overall season sweepstakes, according to David Worth, the director of the George R. Brown Forensics Society. The speech team placed twelfth in the overall season sweepstakes category at the American Forensic Association National Speech tournament.

Worth said that he is incredibly proud of how both teams performed this year.

The debate team has been in the final round of the competition three of the past four years, and the speech team’s twelfth overall placing was also significant as Rice competed against teams much larger than their own.

“Size is important on the speech side if you’re trying to win sweepstakes for the squad overall,” Worth said. “There is a certain mathematical limit where you need a certain number of people, more than we usually carry.”

In speech, senior Tiffany Sloan and Individually, Tate, a Sid Richardson College senior, was the fourth-place junior Taylor Gilliam advanced to the overall debate speaker along with his semifinals round in duo interpretation. and Renteria’s first place win, and debate Tiffany also individually advanced to seniors Kia Witt and Aline Zhu ended as the quarterfinals round in dramatic interpretation octafinalists in and poetry varsity debate, interpretation; according to Rice’s Gilliam advanced press release. to the quarterfinals Renteria, a It’s a massive time round in poetry sophomore from commitment. We missed interpretation, Lovett, said that Beer Bike for our national programmed oral debate is more than interpretation, just a competition tournament this year, and informative and that he so it’s not for the faint s p e a k i n g . appreciates the of heart. I don’t know of Sophomore Mehek inclusive nature of many people who would Jain advanced to college debate.

“Everyone is miss Beer Bike for anything the quarterfinals round in very welcoming of … all the team members extempor aneous new ideas within speaking and the [debate] space, are really dedicated. p e r s u a s iv e and even though it Mehek Jain speaking. is a competition …

LOVETT COLLEGE SOPHOMORE Jain, also a no one tries to be sophomore from harmful towards people’s identities and how they bring Lovett, said that in order to be successful their identity into their arguments,” said in speech and debate, dedication is Renteria. “I don’t think the stigma of required more so than prior experience or high school debate being really technical speaking skills.

“It’s a massive time commitment. and really hard should deter people from We missed Beer Bike for our national coming and checking it out.”

tournament this year, so it’s not for the faint of heart,” Jain said. “I don’t know of many people who would miss Beer Bike for anything … all the team members are really dedicated.”

Being on the speech team is also a way for members to advocate for the causes they are passionate about, according to Jain.

“We don’t often get a stage and a mic to talk about the things we care about,” Jain said. “[The] opportunity to advocate for issues that we are passionate about and issues that permeate society today is really unique. Every single person on the team has something they really care about, and they dedicate their time in the competition and outside the team to further those causes.”

Worth said that, in the end, he is proud of the team’s successful competition season but also their sense of community which is fostered through their shared goals and competitive spirit.

“We’ve emphasized a culture of excellence for a long time, so we do have a competitive focus,” Worth said. “That’s really a structuring framework for these other goals. Community and advocacy are also core goals of what we do.”

Editor’s Note: Jacob Tate is a senior writer for the Thresher’s Arts & Entertainment section.

Jones planning to contest Beer Bike 2022 results SAVANNAH KUCHAR

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Following Rice Program Council’s announcement of the official 2022 Beer Bike results, students from Jones College said they plan to contest their third place finish in the women’s race.

Terri-Jeanne Liu, one of two women’s bike captains at Jones, said they are planning to review video footage from the race day as evidence to send to RPC. “Any eyewitness at the track could vouch that Jones crossed the line first, but based on the penalties that they sent and the times that they sent it, they have Hanszen [College] crossing the line, like, two seconds before Jones,” Liu, a junior, said.

RPC Staff Advisor Tahj Blackman said the Beer Bike committee so far has conducted an initial review of the results.

“Based on the feedback that we have received, the committee has every intention of conducting another review,” Blackman said. “I know I plan to connect with them and see, based on the feedback, what they intend to do, whether that’d be recalculating, reconnecting with the judges to see if there’s any additional comments they can make towards their evaluations.”

Some of the judges originally trained and assigned did not show on the day of the race, according to Blackman. He said RPC filled these empty spots with veteran judges who happened to be there and had not yet officially signed up to judge.

“Even if [they] did have to fill in, we had the training on spot and readily available,” Blackman said. “All judges were required to be trained.”

Jones’ other women’s bike captain Victoria Lee said she is not upset that another college won, but rather that she is frustrated with how RPC has handled the results process in this and previous Beer Bikes.

“I don’t even know who is judging the races or how much experience they have with judging the races,” Lee, a senior, said.

“There needs to be some changes made in the way that the judging occurs because it’s just not fair to, not just us, but all of the other residential colleges and captains, that we have to receive the final results and then have to fight our way to figure out what the truth is.”

Matt Barnett, chief chug judge this year, said there were some first time judges in this Beer Bike, which is not unusual.

“I think it is important to remember that all judges at Beer Bike are volunteers from in and around the Rice community.

As such, there is going to be an expected level of ebb and flow of personnel from year to year,” Barnett wrote in an email to the Thresher. “I don’t think having new chug judges in any given year detracts from the standard of Beer Bike officiating.”

Liu said this year’s controversy comes on the heels of issues last year, when the official results were updated in response to a petition by Hanszen captains alleging discrepancy between their time and RPC’s.

“I really wish the results actually reflected things that happened,” Liu said.

“Even if we got penalties that took off our time and put us in a lower place, I wish that it was more transparent … The times that we got just didn’t reflect what actually happened on the track.”

Blackman said the committee anticipated some dispute and is therefore

BEER BIKE 2022 RESULTS WOMENS

MENS 1

Jones

18:33.64

1

Hanszen

12:11.34

2

GSA

18:56.34

2

Duncan

12:15.77

3

Duncan

19:15.65

3

Jones

12:18.74

4

McMurtry

19:36.62

4

GSA

12:29.07

5

Hanszen

19:37.59

5

Brown

12:37.49

6

Will Rice

20:10.25

6

McMurtry

12:39.28

7

Baker

20:17.11

7

Sid

12:51.77

8

Sid

20:30.83

8

Baker

13:06.27

9

Brown

20:37.61

9

Will Rice

13:08.03

10

Martel

21:17.08

10

Wiess

13:26.83

11

Wiess

21:22.40

11

Martel

13:27.21

12

Lovett

23:13.89

12

Lovett

15:54.93

INFOGRAPHIC BY ANNA CHUNG open to conversations with captains and students now.

“Everyone wants accuracy,” Blackman said. “I think it should just be as transparent as possible. I don’t think there should ever be any pushback with that.”

Lee said she enjoyed the experience of once again racing in a full-scale Beer Bike her senior year.

“Even if the results don’t reflect our win per se, it was still super fun,” Lee said. “For me, that’s what I’m going to really remember.”

Dani Knobloch, Hanszen women’s bike captain, said she and her team were elated when they found out the results.

“We were already super proud of our team for how we did on the track, so getting the notification that we had officially won was a really wonderful surprise,” Knobloch, a junior, wrote. “[Five of our eight] riders hadn’t ridden a Beer Bike before and most were newer riders to the team, too, but everyone worked super hard and was super speedy and it paid off.”

4 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022

Rice cancels remaining publics as Covid cases surge PRAYAG GORDY

SENIOR WRITER

“The Wiess socials and I had already Rice administration has canceled put in so much time and effort to try and public parties for the rest of the semester, put on the best event possible and it was according to emails sent late last week by sad to see all of that be for nothing,” college presidents.

Bouton wrote. “Since NODdy business The same emails also said that was scheduled for [April 16], we were Associate Night celebrations at all colleges very far along in the planning process. had been canceled, though each college is We had already done the walkthrough permitted to organize smaller events. with the Student Activities Committee The cancellation of the remaining and [Rice University Police Department] publics came hours after Brown and Jones and had also submitted our final event Colleges canceled their joint public, which plan which included the list of all was originally scheduled for Saturday. caregivers and security volunteers.”

Wiess and Will Rice Colleges’ NODdy Bouton said he wishes he could have Business was planned for the following experienced one last Will Rice public.

Saturday, and Baker and Sid Richardson “As a senior, I C o l l e g e s ’ was really looking combined public forward to my last was set for April semester being 23.

We hope that the Rice a return to the All of these Rice on-campus changes came one administration keeps culture that I had day after an email monitoring COVID cases as experienced my from the Crisis we head towards the end freshman and Management sophomore year A d v i s o r y of the semester in the hope Committee said that we may be able to hold before COVID hit and part of that Rice was not events in some reduced was definitely ready to shift any form before everyone helping to plan policies. and attend Will C o o p e r leaves for summer.

Rice’s public,” Bouton, a social Piper Winn, Alice Owens, and Bouton said. coordinator Wiess College at Will Rice Valeria Martinez social Christina College, partly BAKER COLLEGE SOCIAL Chen said she blamed the Rice COORDINATORS hopes Wiess can administration for once again host Night of Decadence in the COVID spike. the fall semester.

“I would also say that some of the “We understand the decision frustration I felt was also directed towards from a safety standpoint, but we are admin,” Bouton, a senior, wrote in an email nevertheless saddened by this news,” to the Thresher. “It was their decision to Chen said. “Moving forward, we are allow all alumni from all over the country hopeful that the situation improves so to come to Beer Bike without being tested that we will be able to bring NOD back for COVID first that started this outbreak in the fall.” and now it is undergraduates who are In an email to the Thresher, the social having to suffer the negative repercussions coordinators at Baker College — Piper of that decision.”

Winn, Alice Owens and Valeria Martinez Asha Malani, another Will Rice College — said they hope to host a smaller event social coordinator, said the cancellation of in the coming weeks. the joint Wiess and Will Rice College NODdy “We hope that the Rice administration Business public was not unexpected. keeps monitoring COVID cases as we “I was pretty sad but not surprised,” head towards the end of the semester Malani, a junior, wrote in an email to in the hope that we may be able to hold the Thresher. “It’s important we all keep events in some reduced form before healthy, but I was wishing I would never everyone leaves for summer,” Winn, get another COVID update email again, Owens and Martinez wrote. “We are also and that was a terrible update to receive.” incredibly hopeful that we will be able The Will Rice and Wiess College socials to plan an exciting Baker public next said they had already planned much of the semester, as we wish to bring Baker event but were not aware of any large nonspirit to all Rice Owls.” refundable purchases.

NEWS

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER Rice administration has canceled public parties for the rest of the semester. Y2K (pictured above) was the first public held since the pandemic began.

In his April 7 email, Kirby wrote that more than 130 undergraduate students have tested positive for COVID-19 since Beer Bike.

“Over the past few days there’s been a significant rise in the number of positive cases reported in our community – about 145,” Kirby wrote. “Over 90 [percent] of the

positive cases are undergraduates, with about half occurring in two residential colleges.”

Most students tested positive on “athome” rapid tests rather than through Rice’s official PCR testing, according to Kirby. Rice acquired antigen home tests and started distributing them in early March.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022 • 5

THE RICE THRESHER

EDITORIAL

GUEST OPINION

COVID outbreak could have been mitigated with proactive testing

Rice must reconsider its partnership with Aramco

The way we see it, the removal of a On Dec. 26 of last year, President David Leebron and future president testing regimen was inevitably going Reginald DesRoches sent an email to the to lead to a rise in cases on campus — Rice community regarding plans for this though it should be noted, no such spring semester. The email proclaimed rise occurred until after hundreds of that Rice had “entered a new and different alumni descended on campus during phase of the pandemic.” Specifically, the Beer Bike Week. Antigen testing should email stated that the university would be required ahead of large events, in “begin to shift our policies to a posture the interest of preventing the sudden and uncontrolled that recognizes spread we saw COVID-19 as begin last week. endemic and if a spike in facilitates our We should be proactive in And cases does occur, ability to deliver provided there the best education preventing these waves is no evidence and opportunity by requiring negative of severe illness, to our students, antigen tests before large those who test while still taking negative should be r e a s o n a b l e gatherings, otherwise we’ll enter a continuous allowed to attend precautions.” events and those While we cycle of haphazard policy who test positive understand that implementations every should isolate, in the cancellation the same way that of public parties time a big event causes a someone who has scheduled for spike in cases. the flu or a cold the rest of the semester was deemed necessary due to shouldn’t attend a public party in the the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases on first place.

Implicit in the Dec. 26 email is the campus in the last 10 days, we find that decision is not reflective of the endemic notion that COVID-19 is not going outlook professed in the Dec. 26 email, anywhere and there will continue to be nor is it consistent with the thorough waves of cases on campus. Canceling communication that we have seen from social activities for the final two weeks of the semester in response to an administration up to this point.

The call for “reasonable precautions” entirely predictable and preventable in the Dec. 26 email has not been spike in cases after Beer Bike does not heeded. The campuswide testing reflect the endemic policies outlined requirement was eliminated on Feb. 10, in that email. We should be proactive and at no point before Beer Bike were in preventing these waves by requiring students or alumni asked to take a rapid negative antigen test results before test to confirm they weren’t contagious. large gatherings, otherwise we’ll enter Eliminating social activities for multiple a continuous cycle of haphazard policy weeks after a sudden rise in cases is the implementations every time a big event causes a spike in cases. definition of reactive, not proactive.

On March 21 in a recent press release, speech and academic freedoms, silencing Rice University enthusiastically announced critics accused of government dissent with it had approved a five-year, $10 million bid dismemberment. For Rice to even consider for Saudi Arabian Oil Company’s (Aramco) engaging in this relationship given the involvement in Carbon Hub, a university- current state of global affairs is both led research initiative committed to irresponsible and unpatriotic.

The Rice community should bear no accelerating the energy transition toward sustainable hydrocarbons. In this same interest in planting the seeds for this zeroannouncement, Rice’s Matteo Pasquali, sum partnership. Put another way, the de a chemical engineer who directs Carbon facto Saudi regime — governed by Crown Hub, construed the development in Prince Mohammed Bin Salman — does not a positive manner, expressing his care for an accelerated energy transition, unequivocal excitement to “welcome the the proliferation of renewable energy or Aramco group” as “great partners” for a novel architecture for energy security, despite its best efforts to posture as a facilitating a more sustainable future.

However, this innocuous press release progressive catalyst for progressive reform. failed to acknowledge the global atrocities, In fact, unattenuated advancements in past and present, perpetrated by Aramco, these critical areas would undermine the and by extension, the incumbent economic outlook for the world’s largest government of Saudi Arabia. The Rice oil-producing countries, Saudi included. administration’s decision to pursue this Very much mirroring the superficial social reforms codified collaboration in Saudi Arabia in the absence to accelerate of due ethical westernization, consideration is a The Rice administration’s these institutional profound betrayal collaborations of our university’s decision to pursue this assembled by wellc o m m i t m e n t s collaboration ... sends regarded academic e n c o m p a s s i n g the message that heinous institutions veil global scholarship human rights violations the more severe and academic structural issues freedom. It sends can be overlooked in at hand. Rice must the message exchange for economic learn from the that heinous profits. missteps of peer human rights violations can be overlooked in exchange institutions and not put its reputation up for economic profits. It reaffirms for sale.

I would like to reiterate emphasis unwarranted impunity for Saudi Arabia’s egregious transgressions of international on my objection to the MBS regime and humanitarian law. Most notably, it not the people of Saudi Arabia. The Rice institutes a precedent for whitewashing community has and continues to stand authoritarianism through education. firmly behind the valued contributions Rice must not lend its credibility to a of our esteemed Saudi colleagues. They rogue regime actively engaged in political are not a reflection of the reprehensible persecution, asymmetric hostilities and actions of their country’s leadership.

However, Rice University must not destabilizing reforms.

Allowing for consideration of Saudi miscalculate the risks of legitimizing Arabia’s political campaigns as a authoritarian pursuits through a financial paradigm for oppression, the need for Rice relationship with the incumbent Saudi to respond decisively becomes evident. government. Having lived in the Kingdom In Yemen, the Saudi regime continues for 15 years, there is no question in my to subjugate innocent civilians through mind that an uncritical commitment to over 24,000 lethal air raids since 2015 and strengthening this relationship would a catastrophic naval blockade leaving antagonize honest discourse on the 47.5% of Yemeni children lacking access heinous war crimes and reprehensible to adequate healthcare and nutritional human rights abuses prevailing in the supplies. The resultant circumstances Middle East. With the impending threat have become widely synonymous with of financial retaliation, the demise of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. ideological autonomy, compelled speech Domestically, there are no signs indicating and political complacency must not be put all people are perceived as having the up for negotiation. same intrinsic value: from the arbitrary detention of prominent feminist scholars Adel Iqbal to marginalizing LGBTQ minorities with SID RICHARDSON vague provisions of uncodified law COLLEGE to threaten imprisonment or capital SOPHOMORE punishment, patriarchal power dynamics constitute the status quo. Internationally, it continues its global assault on freedom of

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6 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022

ZEISHA BENNETT / THRESHER The Jones school’s new business major has been popular among freshmen, sophomores and prospective students.

THE RICE THRESHER

Almost a year in, students and faculty discuss new business major

ALLISON HE

THRESHER STAFF Last fall, the Jones Graduate School of Business added to its offerings for undergraduates by launching a business major. Rice undergraduates in the Classes of 2024 and 2025 can declare a business major with either a finance or management concentration, and many students have shown interest in it, according to the Director of Undergraduate Business Programs Natalia Piqueira.

So far about 70 students have declared a major in business, and the demand is evenly split between the two concentrations, according to Piqueira.

She said that the number of declared majors is not representative of the size of the undergraduate business program as most of these students are from only one class year, 2024.

“The freshman students didn’t declare yet – they’ll declare next year – so the numbers that we have now are not really representative of what we have,” Piqueira said.

Austin Tran, a Sid Richardson College freshman pursuing the business major with a finance concentration, said the business major is appealing because of the Jones School’s distinguished reputation and faculty. He said that as of this year, the Princeton Review ranks Jones School’s graduate entrepreneurship program number one in the nation and its online MBA number four.

“I like how for the undergraduate major, they’re bringing all the graduate faculty,” Tran said. “One of my professors [Stephen A. Zeff], is really renowned. He was inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame.”

Jennifer Zhou, a Lovett College freshman, said she chose the business major with a finance concentration over the minor because the major covers more content.

“I’m more interested in topics the business major covers because I think the electives [include] marketing or strategic management,” Zhou said. “I feel like I can learn more and get more out of the business major.”

Joon Lee, a McMurtry College freshman, said that despite taking BUSI 305: Financial Accounting and BUSI 310: Leading People in Organizations, he is not sure if he wants to declare a business major or a business minor.

“I’m still trying to decide if I want to major in this or just do the minor because I feel like business as a field is not something you need to major in,” Lee said. “[Simply taking business courses] could be just as valuable, [because you can] gain skills and knowledge from courses that you want to [take] instead of committing yourself as a major and having to take a bunch of other courses.”

According to Abhi Gorjala, a McMurtry College sophomore, a major in business with a finance concentration would help him gain more relevant experience for an investment banking career than a major in economics would.

“I just think this finance major will give [me] a much better background because there’s a lot of new classes introduced, like Advanced Corporate Finance,” Gorjala said.

Sarah Eunsu Kim, a Hanszen College sophomore pursuing a business major with a management concentration, said courses such as BUSI 343: Financial Management helped her gain transferable skills, like Microsoft Excel.

“Did I almost expire in that class? Yes. It was really hard, really hard. But I loved it,” Kim said. “It actually made me really like using Excel a lot, and now I use it for everything. I actually use a lot of skills from Financial Management in day-today or some of my other classes like my stats class.”

Both Piqueira and Vice President of Enrollment Yvonne Romero da Silva said that they anticipate a higher number of students who are interested in declaring the business major.

“We observe that [in] our admission session for prospective students, there’s lots of demand for the business major,” Piqueira said. “I meet people all the time, and I sign their [business major declaration] petitions. [I signed] about 40 last week.”

According to Romero da Silva, eight percent of the admitted Class of 2026 applied to the business major.

“The prospects for increasing and strengthening the business school pipeline are very, very strong for Rice, especially as it becomes more known that Rice Business is an option for prospective undergraduate students around the country and around the world,” Romero da Silva said. “We got a great start this year, and I expect that population to grow in subsequent years.”

In response to the business major’s increasing popularity, the Jones School is offering new courses, opening new course sections and hiring more professors, according to Piqueira. She said that so far the Jones School has offered six out of the 14 business major courses it plans to offer.

“There are sections opening, so for example … we now have a section [of BUSI 343] in the spring. We didn’t have it before,” Piqueira said. “The school is also increasing the number of faculty members, particularly in certain areas, so they are hiring new professors to teach some of these classes.”

According to Tran, the undergraduate business courses are well-sized, and more sections have been added to accomodate for demand.

“I would say the [maximum] is probably a 60-person class,” Tran said. “[The administrators] definitely know there’s a bunch of kids trying to study business. They’re definitely accounting for that. There [are] three sections for BUSI 305 now.”

Black at Rice: Shannon LaBove coaches communication, community ZOE KATZ

SENIOR WRITER Shannon LaBove wears many hats at Rice. On any given day, LaBove can be found in her apartment in the new Sid Richardson College building, coaching Rice’s speech and debate team or lecturing a class on interpersonal communication.

A Houston native, LaBove often passed by the Rice campus when she was growing up. Although she admired the university, she said that imposter syndrome got in her way.

“I was a little intimidated. Being firstgen[eration and] low-income, I just didn’t think I could get into Rice,” she said. “For someone who thought she couldn’t be a part of Rice, I realized [later on that] Rice was where I fit all along.”

LaBove has been a part of the Rice community for 9.5 years and an RA for three semesters. According to LaBove, her FGLI experience has influenced her teaching. She acknowledges that not everyone comes to Rice with the same background.

“I really try to make my teaching inclusive so that different learners from different backgrounds can feel comfortable in my classroom,” LaBove said. “[My high school] had more focus on passing the state tests than it did on APs … it had a lot of great alternatives, but it didn’t always mean that

CHANNING WANG / THRESHER In her teaching and coaching, Shannon LaBove strives to help students own who they are.

I felt as prepared for college as some of my [peers].”

She said she emphasizes that coming from a different background is something to celebrate, not something to be ashamed of.

“The place you come from is a good place.

Where you start is a good start,” LaBove said. “[You get] a lot of super important skills for the classroom, and you shouldn’t dismiss those skills just because they aren’t the typical skills you see as ‘good’ skills for students to have.”

LaBove said that she considers her speech and debate coaching performance activism since she helps students find their own boundaries and places to advocate for what matters to them.

“Helping a student find their own voice is incredibly important to me,” LaBove said.

“Having a healthy team, a healthy space, where you don’t feel like you have to do it, but you know you will always be supported in the opportunity to speak your truth, becomes really pivotal.”

LaBove is currently working on writing a book that encourages people, especially firstgeneration students like herself, to get into public speaking.

“Getting that kind of slightly irreverent, positive, you-can-do-it voice out for public speaking is something that I think is important, because it’s not quite traditional,” LaBove said.

LaBove said she works best by writing down all her ideas and editing later. She said reaching her target audience is her main priority, and she joked that she may switch to a trendier medium.

“I have outlines on outlines on outlines,” she said. “Who knows, I may ditch the book and start doing TikToks on it all.”

According to LaBove, she finds meeting Rice students in their everyday lives very fascinating, and getting to know them is one of her favorite parts of living on campus.

“Whether it’s walking into [Sid Richardson commons] and hearing a concert pianist play, or it’s listening to someone you know is going to change the world in medicine one day, there’s always something new that I get to learn,” LaBove said.

LaBove said being an RA has also allowed her to get more involved in the Black community at Rice. She hosts weekly lunches for Black Sidizens and is a faculty sponsor for the Black Student Association. She said she also talks frequently with Rice health initiatives about what it’s like to be a Black FGLI student in non-welcoming spaces.

“We can talk about diversifying faculty, but part of that means seeing yourself as a faculty member,” LaBove said. “Representation, seeing someone who looks like you, sounds like you, goes a long way in feeling like you could do it yourself.”

LaBove said she wants to acknowledge that her point of view is not the only one, as there are many different Black stories here at Rice.

“I think that part of my being able to [share] my journey here is because of voices and people that do exist in various different places that always don’t have the accolades,” LaBove said. “When you do see someone who is Black at Rice, they may not always talk about their journey here, but just the support they offer [to other Black members of the Rice community] is super important.”

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022 • 7

FEATURES

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Singer Rita Greed Twisted evidence Some Pub beverages Likely find under a desk Wild pig What you shouldn’t do to someone’s patience Make fun of Area where some students spend most of their college careers, or a clue to some of the squares in this puzzle Pace of a song One might save the day Injury that might need Common piercing spot Slim Graduation month Make a document into a digital Stevie Wonder’s “___ Duke” It may come before heat or algebra Machine likely used by an intern Slinky sea predator Villainous Indonesian island Despised Fish with a movie dedicated to finding him Thick Japanese noodles What you do to a wrong answer Muscle used to bench press Half a doorbell ring West Servery chef known for his cinnamon rolls

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‘I felt like I live to work’: students talk burnout MORGAN GAGE

A&E EDITOR

Rice students are busy. Rice students are tired. Some Rice students are facing the mounting threat of burnout. Amid academic, extracurricular and social expectations, four students described their struggles with burnout at Rice. Agnes Ho, Director of the Student Wellbeing Office, defined burnout as “what happens when you are physically and emotionally stressed and exhausted to the point that your body and mind signal you to do something to either respond to it or to shut you down.” “[Burnout] is a physiological response to save us from potential threats and help us to survive,” Ho wrote in an email. “If you are feeling burnout, it’s a warning sign for you to know it’s time to stop and step away from a stressful situation. In [other] words, it’s an opportunity to regroup yourself by focusing on your body, mind and emotions.”

Bria Weisz, a Brown College junior, said that while Rice may not be a competitive space, she still finds herself comparing herself to her peers and their paths to success. With the unique challenges of the major which she created herself – computer science in the arts – and uncertainty about her future career, the pressure can often lead her to try to prepare for multiple career paths, to her own detriment.

“Rice perpetuates a culture of busyness in which people are expected to be doing a lot of outstanding things all the time,” Weisz said.

“Any normal person doing a single major might be doing like a third of what I’m doing.

As a result [of my interdisciplinary major], I have taken on too much in terms of classes and classes, work in extracurriculars to the point that I’ve lost a lot of motivation. A lot of the things that I used to enjoy doing, I don’t really enjoy doing anymore.”

Ho wrote that Rice students typically report moderate to high stress. Stressors can range from external factors, like academic and career concerns, relationship

KATHERINE CHUI / THRESHER

issues and concerns about public safety and health, to internal factors, such as issues with self-criticism or self-image and imposter syndrome.

For Ulises Moreno, a Baker College freshman, the difficulty of classes at Rice was greater than he anticipated. He said that in this past semester, he found himself facing feelings of burnout largely due to an overloaded course schedule.

“I’m an electrical engineering major [and] basically tried to do too much at the same time,” Moreno said. “I overloaded myself, since it was my first time seeing a lot of the topics that were being covered in these

KATHERINE CHUI / THRESHER classes. We were approaching the add-drop deadline, and I was working on a homework with some friends and had just reached the point where I was like, ‘I can’t do this,’ and I had to drop a class. If I hadn’t done that, I would have had some sort of breakdown.”

The pandemic has presented an additional challenge for students, alongside pre-existing stressors. Nida Fatima, a Lovett College junior, said that she started to feel the effects of burnout during her sophomore year, when campus was shut down due to COVID-19.

“After you were done with work, you didn’t really have anything else to do,” Fatima said.

“The way Rice works is you’re never done with work, really. When you feel like [you] need to catch a break, there’s some kind of work [or responsibility] looming over you.”

Fatima said that, upon returning to campus, she enjoyed the return of opportunities to socialize but that it, at times, contributed to her stress.

“As COVID restrictions started going down and campus started coming back to normal, even though I genuinely like [the social aspects of campus,] it becomes kind of like work,” Fatima said.

Eli Mendoza, a Duncan College junior, said that national and campus conversations about anti-transgender bigotry was an additional burden that contributed to feelings of burnout.

“Having to advocate for myself and things like that – it all adds up. It’s just [I] hit a point where it takes too much energy, and [I’m] just emotionally exhausted,” Mendoza said.

Students have employed a variety of strategies to manage and mitigate the impact of burnout. Fatima said that, although she does not have an exact plan to deal with burnout, accepting burnout when it comes has been important to her.

“I have to accept that, yes, I am tired, and it’s okay to be tired,” Fatima said. “It’s okay to take a break, and, if things are not working out, let them not work out. It’s alright. These little things that I’m so worried about are not going to amount to that much.”

Ho wrote that taking a break is not only beneficial but necessary for students facing burnout.

“The thing that we want to avoid is ignoring all these warning signs and ending up feeling so exhausted we lose the meaning and purpose of what we want to accomplish,” Ho said. “Don’t forget the Culture of Care on our campus ... We encourage students to start talking with someone they trust and feel comfortable with when they feel stressed.”

This story has been condensed for print.

Read more at ricethresher.org.

8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022

THE RICE THRESHER

Karole Armitage: sunset performances at Skyspace

COURTESY PAUL FUJITA Shoko Fujita of the Armitage Gone! Dance company at the “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace

JULIA LI

SENIOR WRITER To commemorate the Moody Center for the Arts’ 10th anniversary, Karole Armitage, the artistic director of the New York based Armitage Gone! Dance Company, has choreographed an original dance that will be performed by Rice Dance Theatre.

Armitage was a former member of the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève in Switzerland, where she began her professional career as a dancer. After a few years, Armitage was invited to join Merce Cunningham’s company and went on to perform lead roles in Cunningham’s landmark works for the next five years.

Armitage has created her own “voice” and style in the dichotomy of classical and modern dance, establishing herself as the choreographic heir to the masters of 20th century dance.

Her latest dance project features students from Rice Dance Theatre and will be performed on Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 at 9:15 p.m., concurrent with Skyspace’s sunset light sequence.

“The dance is unlike anything we’ve done before,” Ida Du, a member of RDT,

feedback and ideas. Her enthusiasm has made the process feel less daunting for all of us.”

Jennifer Spalten, another member of RDT, noted how special it was to work with the professional choreographer.

“Karole Armitage is super vibrant and fun to work with,” Spalten, a Baker College senior, said. “At our first rehearsal, we got to try on our costumes and play around with ideas. We spent some time at the Skyspace trying out some choreography that Karole had been thinking about.”

Spalten also noted the dance’s challenges, especially given its unconventional stage.

“It’s going to be super difficult said. “First, the performance area is because for parts of the dance, our faces Skyspace, which is not shaped or set up will be covered completely by the hoods like a normal stage. It involves moving of the costumes, so all we will be able to through different levels, with the dancers see is changes in light.”

Spalten also added that the timeline moving from the floor of the 2nd level of of the dance was far different from their Skyspace up onto the benches.”

Du, a McMurtry College sophomore, usual timeline.

“In RDT, we work on choreography said that the dance will experiment with for our dances throughout the semester, isolations.

“Many of the movements emphasize starting around the second week and then finishing the upper half rehearsals close of the body and to our showcase,” the isolation of Spalten said. “For body parts on the this performance, Skyspace,” Du The dance is unlike we will be learning said. “It is truly anything we’ve done the choreography an experimental before. the week of and then dance, and we performing the next are all so excited Ida Du two days, which is to be able to show MCMURTRY COLLEGE SOPHOMORE a much faster turn the versatility of dance while working with many around than our usual timeline.”

To celebrate this event, there will also supportive people.”

Armitage has been collaborating be a study break occurring during the with the students of RDT on new week before finals. According to Madison Zhao, who is overseeing the event the choreography.

“Karole has been super nice and Moody Student Collaborative is hosting, supportive to the volunteer dancers and that study break will be a picnic on the especially to the student dancers,” Ida first day of dead days.

This story has been cut for print. Read said. “She’s really excited for this project and has been open to listening to our the rest online at ricethresher.org.

‘Tied in Nots’ showcases VADA student art HUGO GERBICH-PAIS

THRESHER STAFF

The Mavis C. Pitman Exhibition Fellowship is annually awarded to three to four Visual and Dramatic Arts students with concentrations in visual arts studio or film.

The cash grant of 1,500 dollars enables these artists to create an original body of work for display at the Moody Center for the Arts.

This year’s exhibition, titled “Tied in Nots,” features the work of Ling DeBellis, Christine Gjoerup, Catherine Hettler and Alissa Kono, and was on display from March 3 to March 31.

Ling DeBellis, who is pursuing a double major in VADA and Biosciences, said that she appreciates the flexibility within the fellowship.

“I was able to keep my application very general — I needed $80 to buy resin, $400 to pay a professional photographer, because I needed photography prints,” DeBellis,

a Martel College junior, said. “[VADA department professors] don’t hold you to your proposal, it’s mostly just for you to have an idea of what to do.”

The fellowship allowed DeBellis to continue her work exploring sexuality in her exhibition, titled “Grapefruit.”

The exhibition expanded on DeBellis’s previous project “Spermatozoa,” which was featured in the Thresher last spring, centered around human semen donated by Rice students and suspended within clear epoxy resin coasters.

Bellis was able to incorporate the coasters from “Spermatozoa” into “Grapefruit.”

According to the exhibit description, the immersive mixed-media installation is in response to the sexualization and fetishization of Asian women deeply ingrained in society.

“My exhibition space at Moody was a take on an Asian kinky dive bar — it was supposed to give seedy strip club

vibes, and then it had two short films, the “Spermatozoa” coasters and several photographs of me modeling in Asian stereotype costumes,” DeBellis said.

Catherine Hettler, a psychology and VADA double major, said that the fellowship pushed her to become more confident in creating large-scale works.

“The Pitman Exhibition definitely urged me to be more ambitious in my projects and to work on a larger scale,” Hettler, a McMurtry College senior, said. “My piece, ‘Shhh,’ was something like 80 by 66 by 120 inches, and absolutely one of the biggest pieces I’ve done so far. It helped me get over the intimidation I had when it comes to scaling up my art, and I really enjoyed the finished piece.”

The fellowship has allowed both DeBellis and Hettler to explore their identity through art.

This story has been cut for print. Read the rest online at ricethresher.org.

LGBTQ+ movies to watch ELI MENDOZA

THRESHER STAFF

COURTESY LIONSGATE FILMS

Last week’s Pride Week celebrations may be over, but the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to art can still be spotlighted. Whether a connoisseur of queer film or just learning about the array of options available, a fan of comedy or drama, narrative or documentary, this film list has options for a variety of viewers, all featuring LGBTQ+ characters and storylines.

‘PARIS IS BURNING’ Where to watch: Criterion Channel, Kanopy, YouTube, iTunes

‘BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER’ Where to watch: Canopy, Tubi, Prime Video, YouTube

‘IN A YEAR WITH 13 MOONS’ Where to watch: Kanopy, Prime Video, Roku

‘SHINJUKU BOYS’ Where to watch: YouTube, Kanopy, Amazon

‘PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT’ Where to watch: Prime Video

‘SHIVA BABY’ Where to watch: HBO Max

‘SINS INVALID’ Where to watch: New Day Films, Kanopy Read more online at ricethresher.org.

WEEKLY SCENES AND SCREENS CYPHER Join BASYK, Rice’s non-competitive K-pop/ hip-hop dance club, for their spring showcase on Friday, April 15 at 7 p.m. or Saturday, April 16 at 2 or 7 p.m.

Tickets will be available one hour before each show for $2 each.

RODT SHOWCASE

“DON GIOVANNI”

RAVEN CHACON

Celebrate the dance team’s 30th anniversary on April 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. in Tudor Fieldhouse. Pre-sale tickets are available on the team’s Instagram account for $5 for Rice students and $7 for other guests. Tickets will also be sold at the door for $10.

Watch Shepherd School students perform Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” the first opera to be held in the brand new Brockman Hall for Opera, on April 14 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for Rice students and free for Shepherd students.

Join the Moody on Thursday, April 14 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for an evening of live performances from Rice and Houston-based artists, dancers and musicians. Admission is free.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022 • 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Rice Owls Dance Team celebrates 30th anniversary, new era through spring showcase MICHELLE GACHELIN

A&E ASST EDITOR

For the Rice Owls Dance Team, the show will go on while parts of their journey come to an end. Their upcoming showcase, which celebrates the team’s 30th anniversary, also marks the end of an era for head coach Lilibeth Patt while ushering in her replacement, current team captain Taylor Montgomery. The show will be held on Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16 in Tudor Fieldhouse.

Patt, a Rice alumna and quality engineer at NASA, first joined the team as a freshman in 2009 and rose to team captain during her junior and senior years. She stepped in as head coach in 2016. Patt said that the upcoming show will feature more lyrical and modern styles, displaying the team’s versatility beyond the jazz, hip hop and pom they perform on the field.

“It’s just such a different experience to be able to put on an entire show that really focuses on our team and our talents, and in addition, to be able to showcase the different styles that we perform as dancers other than something that will hype up a crowd,” Patt said.

This year’s spring show is the team’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and Patt said that its success is particularly important after not having the opportunity to raise funds through the show during

the pandemic. She hopes her coaching will continue to nurture the team’s love of dance.

“Hopefully what I’ll be able to leave the team with is to really enjoy and to love what they’re doing as much as I have,” Patt said. “The bonds that this team has are just insane — they are each other’s biggest hype [people]. I really think that the dancers feel such a sense of support and community with each other, and it’s really nice to see.”

Montgomery, who will officially be celebrated as new head coach during Friday’s show, said that she appreciates this sense of community and knows the ins and outs of leadership on the team after being team captain for three years.

“I love dance team. I love the community that it has. It takes a lot of time, but you get a lot out of it,” Montgomery, a Sid Richardson College senior, said.

“It’s probably been my most fulfilling experience here at Rice … The girls that I will be coaching next year are the girls that I’ve been dancing with for three years, so it’ll be a different dynamic.”

The show will also highlight this year’s seniors, such as Helena Leal.

“I can’t imagine my time at Rice without dance team,” Leal, a Baker College senior, said. “The biggest thing that I’ve gotten from dance team is a support system and

Review: ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ stuns

COURTESY COURTESYHELENA HELENALEAL LEAL a group of people that I can count on from different colleges throughout campus …

[Patt] really made the program what it is today.”

Leal, Montgomery and the team’s social officer Becca Zadeck, a Sid Richardson College sophomore, all individually cited wanting more financial support from Rice Athletics in the coming years. Montgomery said that additional funding for the team is the biggest change she hopes to initiate.

“I just want to see the team grow …

We are a D1 collegiate dance team, and I

would love to see more funding from athletics within our program to make sure we’re getting the things we need,” said Montgomery.

Montgomery plans to put her best foot forward as new coach while pursuing her master’s degree in public health.

“I’m just really excited to do this … I think the team is really excited, and of course they’re going to miss [Patt],” Montgomery said. “It’ll be a new experience and I think we’re ready to just take it by the horns and see what this next year has to offer.”

Budget Bites: 2022 Boba Superlatives

JAY COLLURA

SYDNEY PARK

FOR THE THRESHER

THRESHER STAFF

NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER COURTESY A24 In recent years, the concept of the multiverse has become a fascination in entertainment. From “Rick and Morty” following characters as they hop through and dispose of various alternate realities to the use of the multiverse in “SpiderMan: No Way Home,” where alternative worlds provide a fun twist for fans of the franchise, both TV ratings and box office results show clear approval for this previously fringe sci-fi topic.

However, the multiverse is not always a good plot device. The existence of infinite realities can remove the stakes from a film’s events — if harsh consequences arise, the film can return to the protagonist in an alternate universe, nullifying any unfavorable decisions. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” takes aim at this issue while also cleverly finding comedic ways to stretch its premise, offering viewers a philosophical and emotional family drama.

If that premise sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. Unsurprisingly, the movie entitled “Everything Everywhere All at Once” does a lot of things and visits a lot of places in its two-and-a-half-hour runtime. The film begins by establishing the Wang family, who the story centers around, as a group of complex characters. Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) serves as the matriarch of the family and the story’s protagonist, and between an ongoing audit of her laundromat and her aging father’s arrival in the United States, it is clear that she will soon be at her limit.

This stress comes to a head as Evelyn, her father, and her husband, Waymond Wang (Ke Huy Quan), meet with the IRS

regarding the audit. Evelyn is suddenly transported to an alternate universe, where another version of her husband explains that she is the only version of herself in the multiverse with the ability to stop an evil force from overtaking more universes. The encounter launches a chain of events in which Evelyn must connect with alternate realities to stop the force — though as the film progresses, she struggles with losing touch with her original reality.

The multiverse launches a relatively straightforward, lighthearted comedy into total mayhem as the realities begin to bleed together and outlandish situations are created. The film combines insane martial arts scenes in mundane locations such as the IRS office building and a movie theater with a parallel universe where people have hot dogs for fingers — a reference to “2001: A Space Odyssey” — before briskly moving on to the next idea. This ludicrous sense of humor is uncompromising and unrelenting, which makes the film wholly unique, but potentially annoying to some.

As the film progresses, it focuses on the relationships between Evelyn, Waymond, and their daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu). Exploring the other universes leads Evelyn to realize how she may have been better off without these relationships, and conflict arises as these feelings continue to surface. Evelyn must also philosophically confront the lack of meaning that a multiverse implies: why does anything matter if there are infinitely many universes and infinitely many versions of herself?

This story has been cut for print. Read the rest online at ricethresher.org.

Let’s face the facts: good boba is hard to find for a self-proclaimed connoisseur. There is nothing worse than over-brewed tea, unchewy pearls or grainy drink consistency.

The art of boba is quite difficult to master and thus requires considerable attention to every component of the beverage. No need to fret though, since the Thresher has selected the best in the business within a twenty minute drive of Rice campus.

However, the drink turns into an absolute disaster when it fails to embody its trademark floral flavor. After many quests for the best jasmine tea, the award goes to Tea Top’s Signature Alpine Green Tea priced at $4.75. It is a whimsical, frothy play on your typical jasmine green that exceeds all expectations. Visitors will return quite satisfied from a trip to its Chinatown location.

Best matcha: Gong Cha Rich in flavor and smooth in consistency, Gong Cha’s Matcha Tea Latte easily dominates the competition. Too often, matcha is excessively watered down or unsatisfying in flavor intensity. However, Gong Cha never fails to disappoint, providing an intense matcha experience with nutty undertones. The drink is very high quality and homogenous in mixture, a frequent issue with most places. All matcha lovers should be sure to head over to Chinatown to try this delicious drink.

Best pudding: Purple Kow For those not into tapioca pearls, options like aloe jelly, lychee jelly and cheese foam serve as refreshing alternatives to the typical topping. However, I’ve found that pudding is a more underrated addition, often intimidating and difficult to master due to its thickness, consistency and tendency to blend with the other drink elements.

Located in Rice Village, Purple Kow takes a bold but rewarding move with their homemade matcha pudding. With their signature iced milk base, the matcha and drink flavors work together harmoniously to provide a delicious sweet treat. The pudding has great texture and subtle matcha notes, spicing up the typical tapioca routine.

Best milk tea: Möge Tee When determining the caliber of a restaurant, it’s easy to evaluate it by ordering the staples. For Italian, I order a Margherita pizza; for boba, a classic milk tea. About a ten minute walk from Rice campus, Möge Tee delivers quality and consistency with their traditional Bubble Milk Tea. Priced at $5.40, the black tea is brewed to perfection — not too bitter or overpowering. The amount of sweetness is appropriate and the short wait time to receive the drink was also very impressive. Enjoy quick and smooth sipping for a good price.

Best jasmine: Tea Top As a die-hard jasmine tea lover, this category is very personal to me. A good jasmine tea becomes compromised if it is bitter, overly iced or lacking in sweetness.

Best pearls: Gong Cha Bad tapioca is simply unacceptable.

There’s ultimately no way of salvaging the drink no matter how good the tea may be.

Pearls are integral to the boba experience and need to be prioritized at all costs. Amid many competitors, the title ultimately goes to Gong Cha. Their tapioca has a satisfying size, fresh flavor and excellent elasticity.

They complement the menu items quite well and maintain high quality despite the brand’s large chain expansion. Reliability is key here, and in my experience, they have consistently delivered. Try them out at their shop in Chinatown and see what they have to offer.

10 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022

THE RICE THRESHER

Women’s tennis trounces Houston on Senior Day REED MYERS

SENIOR WRITER The Rice women’s tennis team returned home Saturday where they made quick work of the University of Houston, beating the Cougars 4-0 on the Owls’ Senior Day. According to head coach Elizabeth Schmidt, she was encouraged with how her team responded on Saturday following their 4-3 defeat a week prior to No. 42 Florida International University. “[I] thought it was a solid match across the board from our team,” Schmidt said. “It was encouraging to see how the team rebounded after a tough loss last weekend to FIU, and I think that resilience will continue to serve us well as we head into the next few weeks.”

The Owls opened the match by taking the doubles point following a 6-0 win from junior Maria Budin and senior Diae El Jardi and a 6-4 victory from senior Anastasia Smirnova and freshman Allison Zipoli. This marked the third consecutive match that the Owls have taken the doubles point to start the competition.

After taking the first point of the morning, senior Victoria Smirnova, playing in her final home match, convincingly took the first singles point, winning 2-0 while only conceding one game in the two sets. Sophomore Federica Trevisan and Zipoli each followed up Smirnova’s victory with 2-0 victories of their own, giving the Owls a 4-0 win over the Cougars.

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS Senior Victoria Smirnova competes against the Universit of Houston on Saturday. Smirnova and the Owls beat UH 4-0 on Senior Day to send their seniors out with a win.

According to Schmidt, she was thrilled to send out her seniors, Victoria and Anastasia Smirnova and Anna Bowtell, on a high note, especially considering everything they have meant to the program.

“It is always nice to send our seniors out with a team victory on senior day and to do it against a tough opponent like Houston makes it even better,” Schmidt said. “[Victoria], [Anastasia] and Anna have meant so much to our program. Obviously their results on the

court speak for themselves but they have represented Rice with class on and off the court and been great ambassadors for our program.”

The Owls, who are now 13-6 on the year, will close out their regular season this Saturday when they travel up to Dallas to take on Southern Methodist University. The Mustangs handed the Owls their first defeat of the season when they took the match 4-2 back on Jan. 28.

According to Schmidt, her team will look to build off of the positives from

the UH match and other recent matches to try and avenge their earlier loss to the Mustangs.

“There are definitely a lot of positives to build on from our match against Houston, and now our main focus is preparing for SMU on Saturday,” Schmidt said. “We lost to them earlier in the year and want to use the experience of that match as well as all the work we have put in this whole season in order to be best prepared to go into their place and pull off the upset.”

Baseball swept by LA Tech, extend C-USA losing streak to seven PAVITHR GOLI

SENIOR WRITER

The Rice baseball team was swept by Louisiana Tech University last weekend in Ruston, LA. Losing all of their games against the No. 2 ranked team in Conference USA, the Owls fell 5-3 on Friday, 9-3 on Saturday and 3-1 on Sunday.

After this weekend’s matchup against the Bulldogs, the Owls overall record sits at 9-24. with a 3-9 record against conference opponents.

According to first-year head coach Jose Cruz Jr., despite the series sweep, the Owls played competitively and he has an overall positive outlook on the rest of the season.

“We were very competitive,” Cruz said.

“I thought that we were in every game and the games were pretty close. We just [have] to keep rolling and hope that things will turn in our direction. I think we are trending in a good direction in terms of

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS Sophomore infielder Jack Riedel runs towards first base during a recent game. Riedel hit two homeruns over the weekend, but the Owls couldn’t capitalize and were swept by LA Tech.

what we are trying to do and what we are trying to execute.”

In the first game of the series, the Bulldogs pulled out to a 3-0 lead through the first six innings of play. Sophomore infielder Jack Riedel led the Owls’ comeback effort in the top of the seventh as his two-run homer tied the game up.

However, the Bulldogs responded with a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, which ended up being the difference-maker.

The Owls jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in their second game against the Bulldogs behind another two-run home run from Riedel in the top of the third and an RBI double by senior infielder Austin Bulman. However, the narrative of the game shifted after that as the Bulldogs scored nine times in the final four innings of the game while the Owls were held scoreless.

According to Cruz, Saturday afternoon’s game got off to a good start with a strong pitching performance by senior pitcher Alex DeLeon, but the game was out of reach after the Bulldogs’ strong offensive push in the fifth.

“DeLeon pitched very well,” Cruz said.

“We had just an unfortunate series of

I thought we were in every game and the games were pretty close. We just [have] to keep rolling and hope that things will turn in our direction.

Jose Cruz Jr. HEAD COACH

events in the fifth inning where they ended up scoring four runs.”

The last game of the series started off with the Bulldogs storming out to an early 3-0 lead due to a two-run first inning and a solo home run in the third. The Bulldogs stymied the Owls’ comeback efforts, keeping them scoreless through eight innings. The Owls wasted several scoring opportunities to get on the board, leaving six players on base during the game. They made their first mark on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth when sophomore infielder Pierce Gallo grounded out to score Bulman. However, despite the late attempt at a comeback, the Bulldogs were able to close out the game to complete the sweep.

Riedel ended his weekend with six hits on 12 plate appearances along with two home runs and four RBIs. According to Riedel, his only goal was to swing at the

best pitch that he found and set the tone on offense.

“My goal was just to help the team,” Riedel said. “I was in the leadoff spot the first two games. I just tried to set the tone and once my time came around the next time in the lineup, I just tried to get a good pitch and swing.”

According to sophomore pitcher Matthew Linskey, the pitching was very positive this weekend with the starters limiting the Bulldogs’ offense.

“It was a close series, I think we put up a really competitive three games,” Linskey said. “Our starters did a lot, they improved a lot this weekend. I think [graduate student pitcher] Cooper [Chandler] went six innings with three runs given up.

DeLeon went [four] innings with one run given up and [sophomore pitcher Thomas] Burbank went three [runs] in five [innings].

It was just one or two home runs at the end that somehow they pieced out of our bullpen that just gave them a small lead.”

Overall, according to Linskey, the Owls have a positive outlook on the rest of the season, but could improve by making an earlier offensive impact and limiting damage at the end of games.

“We’re so much better of a team than we were at the beginning of the season,” Linskey said. “So I think it’s coming together. It came up as three losses but it was three competitive games against the best team in our conference. [We need to improve on] scoring earlier and limiting the last damaging runs that they put on us” After their road-trip, the Owls will return to Reckling Park to host the University of Texas, San Antonio this upcoming weekend. The Owls will look to break their seven game losing streak against C-USA opponents with the first game of the series starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 15.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022 • 11

SPORTS

One-pitch-wonder: Linskey and his fastball are giving batters fits DANIEL SCHRAGER

SPORTS EDITOR

Last season, then-freshman pitcher Matthew Linskey allowed nine runs across 11.1 innings and walked more batters than he struck out. But lost in the shuffle was the fact that opponents weren’t hitting his fastball – Linskey allowed a batting average of .135 to opposing hitters, pacing the team by .65. According to Linskey, he knew he was closer to being a top pitcher than his 7.15 ERA would suggest.

“Last year I knew I was a good pitcher,” Linskey said. “There was just one or two limiting things – [mainly] throwing strikes.”

Now a sophomore, Linskey has made good on the potential he flashed last season. 34 games into this season, the 6’7” pitcher has yet to allow a single run.

According to Linskey, a few mechanics tweaks have made all the difference in his game.

“Since I’m kind of a bigger guy, it’s harder to sync up my whole body,” Linskey said. “My arm falls behind when I land, so [the ball will] go inside, or high and in, because I’ll release it late. But working with [pitching coach] Colter [Bostick] this season I’ve fixed that and I’ve thrown a lot more strikes this year.”

Linskey primarily pitches out of the bullpen for the Owls. While he spent time as a starter in high school, Linskey said that being a reliever better suits his twopitch repertoire.

“I kind of have a little bit of trouble stretching it out a little too far,” Linskey said. “Relieving is where I’m most effective since I only have two pitches, [a fastball and a curveball, while] starters usually have four or five.”

In his 13 relief appearances this year, Linskey has been missing bats at an astronomical rate. In just 14.2 innings,

Linsey has struck out 34 batters, good for 2.3 per inning. He’s allowed just six hits and six walks, meaning he’s struck out 61 percent of the batters he’s faced. According to Linskey, he’s done that all primarily with one pitch – his 91-94 mile per hour fastball.

“I pitched against Louisiana Tech [on Sunday],” Linskey said. “I pitched three innings, I threw one curveball. I only throw fastballs.”

According to Linskey, while he throws fast, it’s not the speed of his fastball that’s been missing bats, it’s how the pitch fools batters.

“There’s something called vertical break, it’s kind of how much the ball moves,” Linskey said. “Mine doesn’t [dip] but it seems like it [is going to, and then it rises] because it has more vertical break than other pitchers.”

I only live 45 minutes away, so I probably came to three or four games a year ... When I got offered

by Rice, I was like, ‘yeah, sure, why not. It’s one of the best schools in the country and I’d love to play baseball there.’

Matthew Linskey

SOPHOMORE PITCHER

Linskey said he also spent the offseason improving his curveball. Even though Linskey rarely uses his secondary pitch, he said it plays a vital role in his ability to keep batters guessing.

While it’s not something that he thinks about too much, Linksey said that if he can

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COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS Sophomore pitcher Matthew Linskey throws a pitch during a recent game. In his 13 appearences out of the bullpen this season, Linskey has yet to allow a single run. keep up his success, he hopes to one day play professionally.

“I don’t know yet, but it’s always a goal,” Linskey said. “It’s something I want to strive for. It’s the one thing you think about growing up, of course I want to get drafted.”

If he is able to turn pro, he wouldn’t be the first one in his family to do so.

According to Linskey, his dad pitched in the minor leagues and first inspired him to take up baseball.

“My dad played minor league baseball, I think [in] the early eighties,” Linskey said.

“He got up to Double-A, Triple-A, stuff like that. Never really got to the major leagues.

I wouldn’t say he pushed it, but I kind of grew up playing baseball [and] stuck with it and I liked it. I had a coach my whole life so that helped.”

Linskey, who is from nearby Humble, said that he was a regular at Reckling Park from a young age.

“I only live 45 minutes away, so I probably came to three or four games a year,” Linskey said. “They always won. So when I got offered by Rice, I was like, ‘yeah, sure, why not. It’s one of the best schools in the country and I’d love to play baseball there.’”

Since getting to Rice, Linskey has gone from a struggling bullpen arm to one of the premier pitchers in the conference. After his rocky first season, Linskey said that everything finally clicked for him this year. “[By the fifth series of the season] against [the University of Alabama at Birmingham], I was like ‘yeah this is a pretty good season, I’m just going to keep on rolling, I’ve figured it out,’” Linskey said. “I felt like I’ve finally figured it out.”

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12 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022

BACKPAGE

The 24-Hour Challenge is Rice’s annual giving day where all members of the Rice community are called upon to share the gift most worth giving: severe acute respiratory syndrome.

On April 20, 2022, we have the ambitious goal to reach 4,200 campus COVID-19 cases in 24 hours in order to unlock a special prize selected by Rice students. This year, when 4,200 cases are reported on campus, GIANTmicrobes will donate a Coronavirus Polyester-Fill Plushie to each student who participates in the campaign.

We’ve compiled a handy guide for first-time donors to jumpstart your gift-giving journey: Pledge Tiers: 3 students infected - Congratulations, you’ve officially given up your dignity! Keep it up—you’ve earned yourself a special one-to-one visit from the Magister.

10 students infected - At this point, you’ve made a solid dent in the isolation housing on campus. You’ll gain access to a special badge on the Veoci website that says “Super Spreader!” that dances everytime you sign up for and skip a PCR test.

50 students infected - Ohohoho, the Big 50! For infecting this many people, you’re allowed to quarantine in your own room and receive your choice of a complimentary “24-Hour Challenge” wristband or customizable spike proteins for your COVID plushie.

Entire residential college infected - Congratulations on being an absolute menace! You’re an alum, aren’t you? Settle into your spot in the history books as you gain exclusive access to a brand new variant that will be named after you.

Ways to share our campaign: 1. Graduate, contract the virus, come back to campus, and spread it to innocent undergrads 2. Attend a Beer Bike afterparty 3. Travel to every location featured on @schlumped.at.rice without a mask and exhale really hard 4. Cut fun snowflake designs into your (and your friends’) masks 5. Sneeze into a gust of wind and cough like a toddler with an iPad addiction 6. Play “Die Young” outside someone’s door but cough when you hear the beat of the drums 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.