The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Laymon’s terms:

Writer, Rice professor named MacArthur Fellow

Last week, celebrated author and Rice English professor Kiese Laymon was announced as one of the 2022 winners of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. According to the MacArthur Foundation’s website, the fellowship provides a five-year grant and a no-strings-attached stipend to a selection of exceptionally creative individuals. A self-described Black Southern writer, Laymon has authored works such as “Heavy: An American Memoir” and “Long Division.”

“The thing about all writers is that we mythologize everything, including our own journeys,” Laymon said when asked about his journey as a writer thus far. “I don’t know many people who started out writing and thinking that they would ever win a MacArthur.”

Of course, the MacArthur Fellowship is commonly hailed as the “genius grant.” Laymon views this label with trepidation, though.

“Whatever you create next, I don’t think it can meet those standards. I don’t want to be a genius. I just want to create really interesting, dope art,” Laymon said.

Campus reacts to first EOE, NOD in three years

HAJERA NAVEED NEWS EDITOR

According to Laymon, the money from the grant will bring a sense of ease to his career, during which he has fought to get his writing into the world.

“I had to work really hard to get my first book out. I had to work really hard to get people to read that book, driving across the country and selling books out of my trunk,” Laymon said.

“I’ve had to really fight. And so it’s weird to get this thing. [The grant] doesn’t mean I won’t have to fight anymore, but it definitely gives me a lot of cushion to not fight for a while.”

As a professional writer, Laymon said he must often attempt to strike a balance between personal and impersonal — between artist and salesperson — while marketing his work. So another reason Laymon said he appreciates the award is because he can focus more on his art.

“To be salespeople of a book, you have to make that person believe you are close to them … Showing up at a bookstore, shaking hands, signing a book, always doing interviews on the

radio,” Laymon said. “What this award allows you to do is no longer work that side of your brain and heart, which really does, in some way, take time from the [process of] art-making.”

While Laymon is grateful for this grant, he expresses a degree of worry about his future work. His concerns, he says, center around how his creativity will be impacted by the increased stability brought upon by the MacArthur.

“One of the things I’m worried about is how you create when you’re not up against precarity, or you don’t feel like you’re fighting against anything,” Laymon said. “I feel like the wind is at my back with this award. I think I’m kind of worried about what the work is gonna look like now, but we’ll see.”

Laymon said he has not yet put much thought into the uses for his grant money, but he does hope to find methods of selfcare and renewal.

“I’m going to share a lot [of money] with my family, at least for the first year. I have this [Catherine Coleman Literary

Arts and Justice Initiative] that I run out of Jackson that I’m going to definitely give a lot of money to,” Laymon said. “I need to think big, [and] I need to think about ways to prioritize my health and my body and my mental health. I can dream big. And that’s scary too. Because sometimes it’s easy to dream just the next step ahead of you. But now I’m like ‘Oh, shit. I can dream a little bigger.’”

As a writer, Laymon said he cherishes the value of different writing forms. To young writers, he stresses the importance of literary experimentation.

“Never stop writing, but don’t be afraid to [...] try a different form for a season. You never really know what your best fit is really until you experiment with it,” Laymon said.

Laymon chases after this experimentation in his own work as well, often playing with different literary forms and techniques.

“I think “Heavy” is a long poem, a long essay, a novel and a memoir,” Laymon said. “The thing about form is that it allows you to seep into different creases [of literature]. You just want to put a lot of different tools in your toolkit ... The fictive tools that we need to use to make fiction and the poetic tools we need to make poetry need to be at our disposal when we’re doing memoir writing.”

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER

Wiess College’s public party, Night of Decadence, and Chi Alpha’s Evening of Elegance returned after three years this past Saturday. An estimated 1,100 people were in attendance at NOD this year, according to Wiess Social Vice President Christina Chen, and around 350 went to EOE, according to Robin Whitehead, an Evening of Elegance organizer.

EOE began as an alternative to NOD in 2014. In 2017, attendance at EOE surpassed that of the public for the first time. However, in light of new discrimination accusations, controversy surrounding the event has heightened in recent years.

This year, EOE was held in the Rice Memorial Center Grand Hall. However, according to McMurtry College President Hunter Brown, Chi Alpha originally requested McMurtry commons for the event. Brown said McMurtry’s government ultimately denied Chi Alpha’s request due to the Assemblies of God’s position on LGBTQ+ individuals.

“My government’s voting members did not want our college spaces reserved for groups that would make any Murts or other Rice students feel as though their identity

was a problem, so we denied them,” Brown, a senior, said.

Chen said that Wiess’s approach to NOD this year was to emphasize sex and body positivity as the core theme of the party and to make it more inclusive. One change to accomplish this was through NOD’s Instagram, where infographics related to sexual health resources and body positivity were posted leading up to NOD.

“We felt it was very important to emphasize these messages … just so everyone would be comfortable attending in whatever they felt comfortable wearing,” Chen, a sophomore, said.

Riley Barker, a junior from Hanszen College, said he didn’t attend either NOD or EOE. Barker said that while he appreciates the messaging around NOD and its theme, he feels some things can be improved on.

“The premise [of the public] is good, [but] the actual structure of NOD leaves a lot to be desired,” Barker said. “I think presenting NOD … as a space of body acceptance [and positivity] and not a particularly sexualized space is very misleading.”

Sean Cartwright, a student who attended EOE, said he believes that if Chi

Alpha didn’t host EOE, he believes another organization would.

“There’s a lot of demand for an alternate to NOD for people who want to feel safe from sexual predators, people who don’t drink, people in committed relationships and people with more traditional attitudes toward sex,” Cartwright, a Hanszen college junior, said.

Gail Oudekerk, a junior from McMurtry College, said that while she respects everyone’s right to practice and celebrate their beliefs, she believes positioning EOE in opposition to NOD is problematic.

“It’s the fact that an organization funded by Assembies of God, which has deeply homophobic, queerphobic [and] transphobic beliefs, is hosting this event in opposition to a queer-welcoming, sexpositive space, but not advertising that their position is, well, openly queer and transphobic and has been, allegedly, on campus as well,” Oudekerk said.

Whitehead, an EOE organizer, declined to comment in response to controversy surrounding EOE.

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

I don’t want to be a genius. I just want to create really interesting, dope art.

Kiese Laymon

MACARTHUR FELLOW

RIYA MISRA FEATURES EDITOR

SEE KIESE LAYMON

COURTESY CHI LIANG YU

Ryan Dullea, Jones sophomore, remembered

MORGAN GAGE & HAJERA NAVEED EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & NEWS EDITOR

When Ryan Dullea visited the Cockrell Butterfly Center with their friend, they sat on a bench for nearly two hours. As they watched the butterflies’ wings flutter around them, they talked about biology, the beauty of life and what they wanted from their time at Rice. As they sat, each of the butterflies landed on Ryan, pulled towards them just like the many people in their life.

“We were so hopeful,” Rija Naqvi, a Jones College sophomore, said. “Obviously all of the butterflies land on Ryan … The butterflies loved Ryan. I was like, ‘Ryan, save some for the rest of us’ … Their face just lit up.”

Ryan Dullea, a Jones sophomore, died on Oct. 4 at the age of 19. Ryan was an Orientation Week advisor, worked as a Rice Outdoor Program and Education trip leader, a member of the club water polo team and the Jones kitchen committee head.

Ryan and Naqvi met during their freshman year of high school and became friends instantly. When they applied and decided to come to Rice together, they made each other photo albums, filling the pages with photos of their time together and leaving space for the time ahead of them at Rice.

“It was just lucky,” Naqvi said. “Ryan was a competitive swimmer and was constantly eating, and I’m not just saying that, literally constantly eating. It was like whole carrots, just raw vegetables in the middle [of our precalculus class]. So you’re hearing crunches behind you in precalc, and you’re just, like, ‘Who is the strange child behind me?’ Ryan was eating and not really ever paying attention to the board, because they didn’t have to … So I’d have to turn around and get explained precalc by this vegetable cruncher. After that, Ryan and I were just together, always.”

Ryan’s sister, Ellie, attended Rice, and Navqvi said that Ryan always knew they wanted to come to Rice. When Navqi and Ryan found out that they would attend together, they immediately started planning the places they would visit together, using Ryan’s sister’s list of Houston-area recommendations.

“[Applying to Rice] just became an us thing – something we got to do together,” Naqvi said. “Ryan was so excited when we

Ella Seigel met Ryan on the first day of O-Week, when their O-Week group was gathering around a sign and the two made eye contact with each other. Seigel said Ryan was her first friend at Rice and ultimately became one of her closest friends.

“We started talking, and I don’t think we stopped talking for an entire week,” Seigel, a sophomore from Jones, said. “They were just an immediately comforting presence to me, and someone I could always count on and who would always be in my life.”

Seigel said Ryan had the unique ability to make everyone smile and bring joy to those around them. She described them as both being able to be goofy but also create much deeper connections.

“Ryan was a light,” Seigel said. “They were able to put other people at ease. No matter what was going on in their life, they were always a person for those around them.”

Nishanka Kuthuru, a Jones sophomore, said that Ryan was a friend whom she always felt close to even when they went days or weeks without spending time together. Ryan was one of Kuthuru’s first friends at Rice, though she said she couldn’t remember how they became friends – it seemed as though they had always been friends.

cook for their friends, many of whom were not the best in the kitchen themselves. Ryan was able to connect with Seryna Ayala, their friend and summer roommate, through this hobby of theirs.

“I was super clueless about cooking before the summer, so they taught me [how to cook],” Ayala, a Jones sophomore, said. “They also introduced me to the importance of having produce [in the kitchen], because I was just absolutely helpless.”

Olivia Roark, also a sophomore at Jones, lived across from Ryan on the third floor of Jones north. The two, Roark said, would pass each other every time they went to the bathroom, and in combination with attending a class together, they soon became close.

Ryan was a light. They were able to put other people at ease. No matter what was going on in their life, they were always a person for those around them.

said. “So originally I went to them for help with [chemistry] homework. But they were also one of those really cool magnetic people where you are like, ‘I really want to be friends with them.’”

Kasey Yearty, assistant Chemistry professor, had Ryan in several classes. She said Ryan will be remembered as a shining light within the Chemistry program.

COURTESY ELLA SEIGEL

“I could just pull up to their room and give them a hug if I’m sad,” Kuthuru said. “And we don’t talk about it. It was easy. We were close, but we didn’t have to hang out all the time to be close.”

Ella Seigel RYAN’S FRIEND

Kuthuru said that Ryan was the first person to see her when she moved back on campus, rushing to tell her hello and give her a hug as soon as her parents left. Her and Ryan would greet each other enthusiastically whenever they saw each other.

“Every time we would see each other across campus, they would yell my name from so far away,” Kuthuru said. “We would … make a weird pose and then [there was

Last spring, Roark and Ryan went on a backpacking trip together, a memory that has stuck with Roark since.

“Ryan bought their hammock and convinced me to bring my hammock, which actually was a gift for my birthday,” Roark said. “We originally were going to tent together but that didn’t work out so we put our hammocks up next to each other on cross trees, and we were just happy to be co-existing in separate hammocks, but close by to each other. That was a really peaceful moment.”

Roark emphasized Ryan’s generosity and “beautiful” ability to connect with people in the way that each person needed them to.

“Ryan was the person that everyone needed them to be,” Roark said. “Each person had a version of Ryan that was exactly the presence they needed in their lives. [From] generosity in physical things, like literally anything you would need … to really a worldview [which] they were so happy to share.”

When Zachary Ball became the new Jones magister, he said that Ryan helped him to feel more connected to the college as he adjusted to the role.

“They worked on my floor in a research lab this summer … and I saw them from time to time,” Ball said. “They were one of the people I latched on to, that I had a connection with as a brand new magister … [They were] a comforting presence to interact with … at a time when I felt kind of alienated.”

Elise Sibley, a Wiess College sophomore, met Ryan in her chemistry class freshman year. Elise, Ryan and two others in the class grew closer through their shared queer identity. Sibley would often go to Ryan for help on chemistry homework.

“At first, it was the fact that they were an absolute genius. Like I knew Rice had smart people, but they were another level, like scared-me levels of smart,” Sibley

“In my classrooms, Ryan was the first to say ‘Good morning’ and greet you with a smile,” Yearty said. “We often came across each other as we were both walking to Dell Butcher Hall, walking the rest of the way together while we chatted about our days. When our paths to class did not cross, Ryan always made a point to stop and speak or wave as they passed my office door.”

Growing up together, Naqvi said she was able to watch Ryan fall in love with chemistry.

“Ryan sees the world in terms of chemistry, like you’d be talking to Ryan about feelings or the way something tastes and they’d be like, ‘It’s just the chemicals in your brain telling you that,” Naqvi said. “All through high school, Ryan was a competitive swimmer who would always just have chlorine seeping from their pores. They’d lick the back of their hand and … be like, ‘Smell my chlorine-rich body.’”

Seigel said that Ryan taught her to always tell people how much they mean to her and to appreciate those around her for the time she gets to spend with them.

“I am so appreciative of the impact they had on my life and I wouldn’t be who I am without their influence and the memories we got together,” Seigel said. “You never want to be left wondering if they knew how much you cared and how much you loved.”

Sibley said that Ryan taught her not to take people for granted and that some people will be in your life forever in their own ways.

“You will always remember your experiences and your conversations and just the way they made you laugh,” Sibley said. “Before knowing Ryan, safe spaces for me were my bedroom [or] a certain teacher’s classroom. Even though Ryan and I’s [interactions] were in the same physical places, those places were not what felt safe to me, it was them as a person.”

While the world seems like a scarier place right now without Ryan, Naqvi said that she is grateful for the time she had with them.

“All of my memories and all of my life has been Ryan, really, for the past six years. It’s hard to sum it up,” Naqvi said. “This world just feels like a worse place [without them] … But I think in the long run and in the way Ryan touched me, I’ll always see it as a beautiful place … because it gave me [Ryan] for a little while.”

COURTESY RIJA NAQVI

RPC finalizes original Beer Bike date after consideration

KEEGAN LEIBROCK ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Despite previous conversations to move Beer Bike to avoid overlapping with Ramadan, during which those participating abstain from eating or drinking during daylight hours, the date is now finalized as the original April 1 date.

The proposal for moving the date was originally made by Rice Program Council chairs last month but was denied in favor of the original date following discussions with Rice administration.

The final part of the decision-making process involved a track walkthrough with administration, during which the RPC representatives were told the accelerated timeline would not be possible due to track safety concerns, according to the campuswide Beer Bike coordinators.

“We had a track walkthrough first where we discussed the move with [administration], during which we were told that there’s no safe way for [us] to move the day up because of all the necessary track repairs, which would require more time to complete than a March Beer Bike date would allow for,” Anne Wang, one of the two campus-wide coordinators, said.

Besides concerns that track repairs cannot be made in time for a March Beer Bike date, there are several other reasons why the change in dates did not occur. An email sent out by Wang and Nayna Nambiar, the

other campus-wide Beer Bike coordinator, cited concern regarding competition with the Rodeo for vendor supplies, such as guardrails, as a potential complication.

“We realized that the vendors that we were using [for the March date] coincide with the same vendors that the rodeo uses,” Wang, a Lovett College sophomore, said. “Because of this, we would be competing with the Houston Rodeo, and it could limit how much fencing we can actually get during that time.”

Mahmoud Al-Madi, the Jones College Beer Bike captain, said that he observes Ramadan every year. Last year, when Saturday’s race also fell during Ramadan, he said he was unable to eat sufficiently before the race.

“On the day of the race, I found it very hard to fast,” Al-Madi said. “I woke up in the morning to prepare all the bike team logistics

TABC investigation of Pub prompts new policies

SPRING CHENJP FOR THE THRESHER

Pub was recently notified by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission about possible violations of Texas state law pertaining to underage drinking and the overconsumption of alcohol according to Miles Sigel, the general manager of Pub.

In response to the TABC inquiry, Pub released a statement reiterating Rice’s alcohol policy and Pub rules via Instagram, and implemented additional policies aimed at preventing such violations.

According to Sigel, these policy changes include an additional employee working on Thursday nights, a one drink per purchase limit for each customer and a renewed focus on enforcing existing security measures like age-identifying wristbands and ID scanning implemented in response to their previous TABC complaint.

“Two officers came in and talked to one of our bartenders on shift,” Sigel, a Wiess College senior, said. “There was no sort of formal complaint filed against [Pub], but I

think they just got some sort of tip that there potentially was underage drinking and, or, overconsumption happening at Pub.”

TABC is the Texas state government body regulating the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages. Pub has previously been subject to TABC complaints. In 2019, an investigation from the TABC about underage drinking, and the impact of COVID-19, prompted closures that lasted until early 2022.

TABC Public Information Officer Chris Porter said the Pub investigation is ongoing.

“Nothing has been proven as [of] yet … there hasn’t been any sort of charge [or] any kind of allegations made by TABC against [Pub], but we did receive complaints alleging there were minors being served alcohol, and so that’s remaining under investigation at this time,” Porter said.

Chief justices reiterated Pub’s statement to members of their colleges via email and GroupMe messages, according to Alan Tapper, the Hanszen College chief justice.

“I sent a message to the Hanszen GroupMe saying, ‘Hey, people will be there watching

for the race, and by the time we were out on the track, we spent a couple of hours waiting for the race, and it was really hot.”

RPC President Ryann Tudor said that while she is disappointed the move is not possible, she understands why the administration decided to veto the decision due to safety concerns.

“While I do understand the reasoning behind it being moved and that it’s for the sake of safety and a lot of other factors that we really can’t control at this point, it was really disappointing to hear the news that it couldn’t be moved, knowing that was going to affect the population of Rice that does practice Ramadan,” Tudor said.

Ambreen Younas, co-president of the Rice Muslim Student Association, said that although she understands the logistics of the date change would be hard to coordinate,

she is ultimately disappointed that the week was not moved.

“I personally think the reasons cited for not moving the date could have been overcome and are not really obstacles, or should not be prioritized over Muslim students,” Younas, a Lovett College senior, said. “Ramadan is one of, if not the most, holiest times for Muslims, and having a respectful campus environment for this would have been best. Furthermore, lots of Muslim students will now have to be excluded from one of the biggest events at Rice.”

Al-Madi said that he is fine with the decision not to move Beer Bike because, to him, Ramadan is about adjusting to the world around him. He said that he is glad to be able to participate in the week’s events whether or not it happens to fall during Ramadan.

“The idea [of celebrating Ramadan] is to go through a little bit more hardship and to be able to resonate with people who are struggling, so not having the date of Beer Bike moved is not something I am personally upset with,” Al-Madi said. “Ramadan isn’t about changing the schedule of the world around you. It’s more of keeping up with it while experiencing that extra bit of hardship and kind of becoming better through growing through that struggle.”

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

so if you’re under the age of 21, do not try to buy alcohol, do not use a fake ID,” Tapper, a junior, said.

Julia Engelhardt, a Pub employee, said Pub has employees watching for students who appear to be inebriated while in line, preventing drinks from leaving the Pub space and watching for potential underage drinking.

Matthew Castrillon, another Pub employee, said that Pub makes an effort to not send inebriated students home alone.

“Through our training, we will reemphasize, ‘Don’t send people home by themselves if they look sick, make sure they have a friend,” Castrillon, a Will Rice College senior, said.

Jess Dooley, a Sid Richardson College sophomore, said she doesn’t think the heightened precautions have impacted Pub attendance overall.

“I don’t think it’s really affected the attendance too much,” Dooley said. “A big motivator [of attending Pub] is the social pull of Pub.”

Jackson Hughes, the McMurtry College chief justice, said that adherence to Texas state law and Rice alcohol policy is necessary for the continuation of Pub.

“[People should] enjoy [themselves] as much as [they] can while being respectful, responsible and reasonable as [they] try and uphold the Culture of Care,” Hughes said.

COMP 378k: Composting continues in serveries, on campus

by January 2021. However, the beginning of this composting initiative only collected pre-consumer food waste from the kitchen during meal preparation, and students did not have the option to compost after meals.

David McDonald, the Senior Director of Housing and Dining, said that composting has allowed Rice to become more selfsufficient.

“We have a little bit of a closed cycle here because [the serveries] purchase food from the community garden,” McDonald said. “[Food waste] is being composted by Moonshot’s facilities, and it’s coming back to the garden. The intended purpose of all of this was to create that cycle.”

Moonshot co-founder Chris Wood, who grew up around Rice, said he thinks this joint composting initiative between Rice and Moonshot is a great partnership.

“We had been reaching out to Rice since we founded our business in July of 2020,” Wood said. “We found the director of [H&D], who had been looking to solve this [composting] problem in November of 2020 … Rice has been trying [to compost] for two decades, and Moonshot feels very lucky to just happen to be the people who were here to meet the students’ interest.”

However, due to budget constraints, potential expansions of the composting program are not possible until next semester, according to McDonald.

LINDSEY RAN THRESHER STAFF

Since its introduction in 2020, Rice’s composting, in partnership with Moonshot, has diverted 378,005 lbs. of food waste from landfills from its 12 locations on campus and the Rice Graduate Apartments.

Starting at just two serveries, the Rice and Moonshot initiative quickly expanded to collecting compost from all the serveries

According to Rebecca Yee, a Wiess EcoRep, post-consumer composting became available beginning last year in the fall of 2021.

“We finally implemented post-consumer composting, which is where the students themselves after eating their meals can compost them because most students don’t finish everything on their plate,” Yee, a junior at Wiess, said.

Isabelle Chang, a Zero Waste Intern from the Office of Sustainability, proposed expanding to different areas on campus and accepting different sources of compost.

“I plan on expanding the compost program to retail dining facilities and SRBs, but right now I am more focused on making sure everything is running smoothly in the serveries,” Chang, a McMurtry College sophomore, said. “Moonshot does not currently take lawn waste, but if that changes, we will jump on that as well.”

“The economy [and] the inflation has been a nasty bit of business for us,” McDonald said. “The cost of everything is just ridiculous … We’re really trying to just take care of our employees, take care of our students, take care of the buildings and the facilities and just try to reset this whole thing. We’re not saying to not be innovative and creative … it’s just our capacity to do that is just a little bit limited right now.”

Vicky Liu, a Duncan College EcoRep, believes that Rice students play an easy but essential role in composting.

“[Composting] is an easy way to make your college greener and [to] contribute something to the earth that you live in,” Liu said. “I believe that the Rice community is a strong community, so it’s not a negligible accumulative effect [when] more people can definitely get involved.”

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

HEELEY COL / THRESHER

at Rice began in 2020 and has since diverted 378k lbs. of food waste.

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER Pub enforces new and existing security measures following TABC investigation.

CHANNING WANG / THRESHER Bikers race around the track during Beer Bike 2022

O’Rourke campaign holds rally for Rice students near campus

BEN BAKER-KATZ & MORGAN GAGE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

On Oct. 6, gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke hosted a rally near Rice’s campus as part of his campaign’s tour of colleges and universities across Texas. The rally, which was held at Fleming Park, a few blocks north of campus, was attended by hundreds of Rice students, some neighborhood adults and a few dogs.

During his speech, O’Rourke said that, if elected, he would focus on increasing abortion access and restrictions on buying military-style firearms. He also discussed his desire to reform Texas’ electricity grid and increase access to physical and mental health care services, among other policy priorities.

In an interview with the Thresher, O’Rourke spoke to the fears of young women who are thinking about leaving Texas in response to Texas’ current abortion ban.

“I’ve got [their] back, and I hear [them] loud and clear,” O’Rourke said. “All of us have to do everything we can do to win, or else that will be our future. At least for the next four years.”

Governor Greg Abbott and other elected Republicans refused to add exceptions for rape and incest to the six-week abortion ban that passed last year, nor did they include them in the complete abortion ban that took effect earlier this year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade

Further, during Texas’ most recent redistricting session in 2021, legislative districts were gerrymandered in such a way that all but assures Republican majorities in both the state house and senate for the foreseeable future. But according to O’Rourke, if he is elected next month, the political landscape will have shifted dramatically in Texas.

“It will be seismic when we win … [and] I will have won running on a platform of choice,” O’Rourke said. “That will, by definition, change the dynamic politically in the state of Texas. I think it will also change the calculus, for those members of the legislature … who want to win reelection. They will have heard loud and clear from their voters that what we have today in Texas is too extreme. Even for those who consider themselves pro-life [or] Republican.”

O’Rourke also said that he intends to protect Texans, like those in the LQBTQ+ community, whom he said Governor Abbott has attacked while in office.

“It’s very telling that this governor called a special session of the legislature to go after transgender kids … and cannot be bothered to call a special session to protect kids in classrooms 19 weeks after Uvalde,” O’Rourke said. “We have to make sure that our laws fully reflect our values … all of us are created equally, and each of us should expect equal treatment under the law.”

Aside from O’Rourke, the other elected official to speak at the event was State Representative Ann Johnson, who represents District 134, which includes Rice’s campus along with much of the area inside the 610 loop and west of downtown Houston. Johnson told the Thresher that she doesn’t believe elected Republicans, as they stand today, have an appetite for adding exceptions for rape and incest to the current abortion ban.

“Republicans didn’t do it last time, … [and] if Republicans remain in charge, I don’t think they’ll do it,” Johnson said. “I don’t trust that they have any interest in making this right. The voters will have to make this right in November.”

Aside from protecting individual rights, Johnson mentioned some of the other policies on which the legislature should spend its $27 billion surplus during the next legislative session, which begins next January.

“We don’t get the luxury of a surplus that often,” Johnson said, “We need to invest in the infrastructure of our state, which means roads, flood [prevention] and buildings. We need to invest in our state’s health care … and in public safety … If we claim to be a strong economic state, but our infrastructure is dilapidating, then we are not a strong state. I’m a Texan, I pay my property taxes, but I trust that my property taxes are going to the investment [in] our future.”

Due to restrictions on campaign events on Rice’s campus, O’Rourke’s campaign was unable to host the rally on-campus. Rice Young Democrats worked with the O’Rourke campaign to host the rally in Fleming Park instead. Solomon Ni, vice president of RYD, said that he hopes Rice will reconsider its policies on campaign events on campus.

“I think it’s important to also recognize that, whenever we consider the right policies, we were required to go off campus today to go to a campaign rally,” Ni, a Jones College sophomore, said. “Wouldn’t it be better to safely host campaign rallies on Rice campus, rather than have students walk? It’s a concern about safety. It’s a concern about being able to be civically engaged.”

RYD President Kavya Sahni said that she was excited about the turnout to the event, especially with the event being off campus, and that several students registered to vote and signed up to volunteer with O’Rourke’s campaign.

“This is a particularly important election in terms of the consequences of not winning, and that’s why it’s even more important for all of us to sign up to register to vote,” Sahni, a Will Rice College senior, said. “There [are] so many organizations on campus that are helping with [voter registration].”

Early voting in Harris County begins on Oct. 24, and Rice will host a polling location on campus in Sewall Hall on election day, Nov. 8.

for

BEN BAKER-KATZ / THRESHER

Beto O’Rourke held a rally for Rice students on Oct. 6, just over a month before election day.

CW: These articles contain references to suicide.

If you are struggling, please reach out for help

This week, Izzie Karohl, a Rice alumna, wrote an opinion piece highlighting the need to talk about mental health and suicidality in our community. We at the Thresher want to add to her piece and encourage students who are struggling with their mental health or suicidal ideation to reach out for help, whether from on- or off-campus resources.

Reaching out for help can be terrifying, and those fears are often rooted in personal negative experiences with resources in the past or stories heard from peers – we don’t mean to minimize that with this editorial.

Especially with students dealing with suicidal ideation, the fear of being involuntarily hospitalized is a real consideration. It’s a mental health complication that can be difficult to approach due to concern for a student who might harm themselves. We know that many students are hesitant to reach out, especially to campus resources, because of this fear and peers’

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stories of being pushed into taking a leave of absence from Rice or even a concern that oncampus resources won’t be helpful for them.

But no single experience is representative of all that a resource can provide, and the Counseling and Wellbeing Center is worth seeking help from. They’re accessible,

be costly, especially for low-income students.

For students who prefer off-campus support, the Counseling Center’s care coordinator helps students navigate their insurance benefits — some cover as much as 75% — and has a list of off-campus providers who have worked with Rice students in the past. Some providers offer sliding scale pricing options for therapy, such as at the Montrose Center.

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they’re free and they’re right here on campus. This can be a benefit when compared to offcampus resources that may have lengthy wait times, require traveling off campus and can

Ultimately, any resource is better than none. A flawed resource is preferable to not reaching out for help, not being directed to help or considering a decision that you can’t take back. Karohl asked us all to talk about suicide, and she’s right. We need to. We also need to acknowledge the reality of what being suicidal means, and we need to emphasize the importance of encouraging students dealing with suicidal ideation and others struggling with their mental health to reach out to someone – anyone – for help.

To prevent suicide, we need to talk about it

In December of last year, I drafted an opinion entitled “Dear Rice, We Need to Talk (about suicide).” I chickened out on submitting it to the Thresher because I believed, against my own written argument, that talking about suicidality wouldn’t do anything — wouldn’t prevent death or injury or start the right kind of conversation. I was mostly worried about sending previouslysuicidal students back into their own memories, or worse, forcing currentlysuicidal students to endure a dialogue so close to their pain. But I believe if we continue in relative silence, the wound will scar, not heal. Rice, we need to talk about suicide.

Some seniors might remember the “Rice University Places I Cried” page on Facebook where students disclosed difficult moments and Rice humans, sometimes friends, sometimes strangers, offering support. In a 2018 opinion piece, the page’s moderators rightly warned of its dangers, including the unspoken competition for the most heartwrenching story and the commodification of pain. For me, their most salient critique was that students would simply post and continue living in distress without seeking or accessing much-needed professional treatment. I worried about this, too. But in reflecting on my three years as a Rice Health Advisor, Orientation-Week mom and STRIVE liaison, I began to see the value of the page, despite its dangers. Yes, it normalized mental illness. At the same time, it normalized voicing one’s pain and asking for help.

There are reasons why people initially confide in peers instead of professionals. When I was actively suicidal, I was terrified of being confined to a psych ward — though, in hindsight, inpatient treatment would have been in my best interest. As I slowly opened up to friends, many detected the weight of what I wasn’t yet saying and offered to walk me to the counseling center. Stubbornly, I waited until after trying to end my life to seek treatment, and I can say with confidence there was little any one person could do at the time to prevent my attempt. But in its aftermath, the culmination of each friend’s suggestion to seek treatment led me to real care and real recovery. Walking across the

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commencement stage in May was so surreal. I had never once envisioned being there.

No friend should bear the brunt of mental illnesses’ symptoms in need of professional treatment. However, the reality is that students will commonly be the first to see and hear warning signs. When you believe a friend is telling you they are suicidal, explicitly or implicitly, listen. Reflect back what you are hearing. Ask if they have a plan and/or have acquired supplies to evaluate risk and inform your response. You can let them know you are there for them while also acknowledging that their pain is beyond your scope. Even if they don’t take you up

whole by shame. I sensed that A-Teams and other adults had never been properly trained on discussing suicide, aside from calling RUPD in emergencies. This is unacceptable. Every residential college adult team member and undergraduate professor needs to learn that there are conversations and steps beyond calling RUPD that reduce suicide risk and protect students. The university should orchestrate this training as soon as possible.

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on your suggestion of seeking professional help, know that discussing depression and suicidality can reduce their risk of death or injury. I encourage every student to attend a Question, Persuade, Refer training put on by the Rice Office of Wellbeing and Counseling. Conversations about suicide matter, and being prepared to support a friend, classmate or stranger can be one of the most important things you do in college.

My senior year, after former-Miss USA Cheslie Kryst died by suicide, I posted to “Rice Twitter” to let people know that depression was on my mind and that I knew it was on the minds of others, too. A day later, one of my A-team members called me into their kitchen and confronted me about the post, asking me point-blank why I had tried to kill myself when I had so much potential and so much to be grateful for. It was the kind of question that already had an answer; the answer being I was selfish for wanting to die. I felt cornered, defenseless and swallowed

Deepak Doshi,”

Additionally, if y’all can engineer a better version of “Rice Places I Cried” while mitigating its original pitfalls, all the power to you. The forum, whether online or in person, needs to have a low barrier-to-entry and avoid anonymity. When I was shoulderdeep in my depression, it was all the more difficult to admit my thoughts to people who cared about me. I didn’t want to see their worry or crest-fallen faces or their attempts to comfort me with praise I was convinced I didn’t deserve. Crying into the digital void filled with acquaintances and strangers felt easier. More relieving still were the messages from those who had “been there” and offered to chat over Chaus or walk the outer loop. I’m always impressed by the thoughtful, inventive ways Rice students create community for one another.

Lastly, I want those of you working through suicidal thoughts to know that recovery is possible. With help, some people no longer experience suicidal thoughts, while others still do and learn to co-exist safely with them. Personally, starting medication and working through the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality framework with a Rice counselor really helped me through my senior year. Sooner or later, I know you will find what works for you. Keep taking it one day at a time and know that simply existing is enough for today. You are never, ever alone in your pain.

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Ultimately ... a flawed resource is preferable to not reaching out for help ... or considering a decision that you can’t take back.

Conversations about suicide matter, and being prepared to support a friend, classmate or stranger can be one of the most important things you do in college.

Ben Rhodes knew he wanted to write; he ended up in the White House

which was a mistake because … I didn’t have enough life experiences to have anything to write about. I was writing short stories about a young guy trying to write short stories.”

After leaving Rice, Rhodes moved home to New York City. On the morning of 9/11, he was working on a New York City Council campaign at a polling location on the Brooklyn waterfront with a clear view of the Manhattan skyline. After watching the attack unfold, Rhodes’ outlook changed.

guy, on this campaign that became this pop cultural phenomenon … It’s crazy to look back on that experience; it’s like watching a movie, when I play it back in my head.”

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As a member of former President Barack Obama’s senior staff during his eight years in the White House, Ben Rhodes had a hand in crafting many historic foreign policy achievements, from normalizing the United States’ relationship with Cuba to signing the Iran nuclear deal. But according to Rhodes, who spoke on campus Oct. 13 as part of his book tour, one of the administration’s most important foreign policy achievements is rarely discussed: cleaning up unexploded munitions — known as “bombies” — leftover from the Vietnam War in Southeast Asia.

“In the insomnia of my first child, I would binge watch Anthony Bourdain shows, and I saw [one] about him going to Laos and he told the story of these ‘bombies,’ so I got

very fixated on this issue,” Rhodes said.

“What I liked about it is, it’s a problem that you can solve. Most things in government are just trying to make a bad situation a little bit less bad. [But with this], if we put some money into it, we can clean up these bombs, save kids’ lives and clear land that these people can farm.”

In many ways, Rhodes, whose official White House title was deputy national security advisor for strategic communications and speechwriting, was destined to become a political speechwriter. He graduated from Rice in 2000 with degrees in political science and English, and though he didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do, he knew he wanted to write.

“I always had these two interests: politics and writing … [but] I was dead set on being a writer,” Rhodes said. “I went to graduate school for creative writing,

“I thought to myself, ‘whatever I do, I [want] to be connected to what happens next,’ [but] I didn’t really know what that meant, at first,” Rhodes said. “I went to an army recruiter, who had no idea what to do with a 23-yearold fiction student. If he’d actually had a better pitch prepared, who knows what would’ve happened to me.”

After looking at journalism jobs in Washington D.C., Rhodes eventually started working as a speechwriter and staffer for the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group Report. This foray into foreign policy, along with his writing abilities, got his foot in the door to the Obama campaign in early 2007 — an experience he described as the most fun job he’s ever had.

Ben Rhodes RICE UNIVERSITY ‘00

Though he enjoyed writing campaign speeches, including Obama’s famous “Yes We Can” speech, Rhodes found a greater passion once he arrived at the White House. One of his main roles in the administration was preparing remarks for when the president traveled abroad, which Rhodes said he enjoyed much more than the “political bloodbath” that often accompanies domestic speech writing.

“I really enjoyed speechwriting, [specifically] the messaging to foreign audiences,” Rhodes said. “[With] foriegn audiences you don’t have the filter of American politics, you’re just talking to people in another country, and you get a much cleaner shot to explain yourself.”

Reflecting on the nearly six years since his eight-year stint in the west wing, Rhodes said that while he has friends in the current administration, he rarely wishes he was back in his old job.

“People ask me if I miss it. The only times I miss it, or think about what I’d be saying if I was there, is in the worst moments, [because] that’s the moment when you want to do something,” Rhodes said.

“I was completely spoiled,” Rhodes said. “I got to work for this generational political talent, who was also a really cool

IZZI REYNOLDS FOR THE THRESHER EDITED BY JAYAKER KOLLI

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

ACROSS DOWN

There are 60 of them in a min. Horse’s jog Sailor’s “hey!”

Fast, as in 5 minute chess Pigs ___ blanket

Founder of impressionism Computers you can get GarageBand on Cries of frustration Coordinated Tree juice Catch on? Ctrl + z Watched Fix Desert-like

“Personally...” in a text “Planet of the ____” “Be quiet!”

Green video game dinosaur

Feature of a hill you do not wanna climb up Excrete Expensive type of house Oil type

Someone you should respect Where a track athlete can show off Smile widely Blast from Taco Bell Yearly Pinocchio was one Skinny fish

People likely to wear speedos at the beach

Saintly “mother”

Fatty breakfast meat

A pocket knife typically has many Put your foot down?

Pro ____ “Quickly!”

1/3 the length of the outer loop

He’s just an ordinary demi-guy

Where you might cook some chicken nuggets

Take a breather

Location of the 2016 Olympics Barbie’s boy

I was completely spoiled. I got to work for this generational political talent, who was also a really cool guy, on this campaign that became this pop cultural phenomenon ... It’s crazy to look back on that experience.

KELTON KECK / THRESHER

Ben Rhodes speaking on campus as part of his book tour.

In the booth with KTRU student DJs

smaller artists or people with less than 100,000 listeners on Spotify.”

Löded Diper

Löded Diper, which draws its name from the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book series, airs on Fridays from 4 to 5 p.m. and focuses on punk and garage rock. Tania Garcia-Jasso, one of the Löded Diper DJs, characterizes garage rock by its emotional intensity and unpolished feel.

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Aside from his career as a writer, Laymon is also a teacher who has taught for nearly 25 years. Laymon said, for him, the two careers are inextricably linked.

“I write to become a better teacher. I teach because I love to learn,” Laymon said.

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Whether a 24/7 listener or just a fan of the stickers, you’re probably familiar with KTRU, Rice’s student-run radio station. In addition to general broadcasts that play a mix of music, KTRU hosts a wide array of specialty shows devoted to specific genres and musical themes. The Thresher talked to the Rice student DJs behind some of the KTRU shows — both decades-old and brand new — that you can tune into this semester.

Babewaves

Babewaves, which airs Wednesdays from 10 to 11 p.m., also has a multi-year history. According to DJ Imogen Brown, the goal of Babewaves is to highlight music by woman, femme and non-binary artists. Brown, a Duncan College sophomore, said she tends towards punk and alternative music in her Babewaves playlist. She describes her love of “angry female voices” as a form of catharsis.

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“Women have it tough,” Brown said. “Women have it so tough, and it’s so important to get angry about it and it’s so important to advocate for yourself and for other women.”

For Brown, DJing for Babewaves provides an opportunity to expand her understanding of the genre that means so much to her.

“Something that I’ve taken from [hosting Babewaves] is a more diverse knowledge of music,” Brown said. “If you had asked me to [DJ] two years ago, I probably would have only played the same white-girl punk bands over and over and over again.”

Brown said her desire to center diversity in her Babewaves selections applies both to the artists’ identities and to their levels of mainstream recognition.

“I’m very intentional about the background of each artist and about the type of music I’m introducing people to,” Brown said. “I feel like being given the opportunity to showcase music on KTRU gives me an obligation to also [feature]

“Any time I hear young artists or voices with backing tracks that are fuzzy and gritty and angsty, that’s usually a pretty good song,” Garcia-Jasso, a Sid Richardson College sophomore, said. “Garage rock denotes that aspect of homemade-ish or ‘from the community towards the community,’ which I especially like and KTRU really likes, because we’re kind of all about that.”

Garcia-Jasso said she takes Löded Diper as an opportunity to broaden listeners’ perspectives on what a garage rock musician looks like.

“We also like to showcase any artists that may not get as much attention as other artists within the garage rock genre,” Garcia-Jasso said. “So, not always young people and not always, say, white guys in rock t-shirts.”

For Garcia-Jasso, broadcasting garage rock’s angst to the world provides both catharsis and community.

“Here at Rice and in the professional world, sometimes you’re discouraged from acting like a teenager or letting emotions out … It’s cool to be able to share that music and those emotions,” Garcia-Jasso said. “Sometimes it’s just really nice to play something especially cathartic and angsty and tween-y and just be like, ‘Wow, yeah, I feel like I wasn’t the only one that needed that.’”

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

On advice for young writers looking to follow a similar career, Laymon emphasized the importance of habituating revision within one’s writing practices.

“You have to somehow ritualize the act of revising,” Laymon said. “It doesn’t have to look like your teacher says it should look. It doesn’t have to look like your favorite writer says it should look. But you need a practice that you defined for yourself, not just about generating work, but also about revising work.”

For Laymon, his process of both generating and revising his writing stems from a desire to find the idiosyncrasies in everyday life.

“For every imaginative person, every actual person in my life, I want to find that thing that is absolutely uniquely them. And then I want to be able to tie that thing to something that is absolutely uniquely us,” Laymon said. “That’s the thing about writing. You [have] to find a style, you [have] to find something that distinguishes you from someone else. And that thing is always deep inside of you. But that’s what art is, partially excavating that wholly original thing, and then being willing to perpetually change.”

Student vendors and artists talk first Archi Market

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From enamel bunny pins to possum t-shirts to glass earrings, Archi Market has it all. Created by students from the Rice Architecture Society, Archi Market is a monthly marketplace in Anderson Hall featuring pop-up shops where students can sell their artistic creations. On Oct. 17th, the first-ever Archi Market was hosted in Anderson Hall.

Valerie Elizondo, a Hanszen College junior and one of the Archi Market coordinators, said the event was initially created as a fundraising effort to stock up on healthy food for architecture students.

“[Archi Market] started off as a fundraising event for us to get healthy snacks and fund money for our minikitchen, where we get to have snacks for after hours or if we miss dinner or [have] long work periods,” Elizondo said. “This year we’re not getting any funding for [the mini-kitchen] from the school.”

According to Elizondo, architecture students wanted to create a studentsupported fund for Anderson’s minikitchen.

“We took it upon ourselves to raise money so we could buy what we wanted, allocate the money the way we wanted to,” Elizondo said.

Aside from fundraising efforts, Charlotte Cohen, another one of Archi Market’s coordinators, said that the event was planned in hopes of facilitating connections across Rice students and their artistic endeavors.

“[We] wanted to put this together to give architecture students and all students at Rice more of an opportunity to get to

know each other and share their work,” Cohen, a Hanszen senior, said.

Many of the student vendors at Archi Market said they enjoyed the opportunity to interact with other students. Katie Kirkpatrick, a Sid Richardson College senior selling commissions of glass paintings, said she signed up as a vendor, because she wanted to engage with similarly artistic students on campus.

“I honestly came here to see what everyone else on campus was making and selling, and just meeting all the different people, especially since it’s not just [architecture] students,” Kirkpatrick said. “It’s students that may not even be art majors or [architecture] majors at all, but just have a passion for making artistic things. I think it’s just a really cool space to see what everyone is up to on campus.”

Chloe Liebenthal, a McMurtry College senior selling handmade custom jewelry, voiced a similar sentiment.

“I’m not even here so much to make sales as much as I am to meet other people who are interested in art and have fun,” Liebenthal said.

Other vendors, though, were more interested in the sales, hoping to use Archi Market as a means of promoting their clubs or merchandise.

Rebecca Yee, a Wiess College junior and vice president of Rice Design, said she was selling merch from Rice Design’s collection last year. By selling leftover merch, Yee said she was hoping to boost publicity for future merch.

“We are coming out with more merch this year [...] we’re trying to build hype around Rice Design merch because we

haven’t really publicized it this year,” Yee said. “By having this booth, hopefully, more people will be excited for our upcoming [merch] drop.”

Amber Wang, another Archi Market coordinator, said that she was taken aback by the number of attendants at the event. According to Wang, around 400 to 500 people showed up.

“[Our initial estimate] ranged from 50 to 300,” Wang, a McMurtry College junior, said.

According to Wang, Cohen and Elizondo, the Rice Architecture Society is planning on making Archi Markets a monthly, if not more frequent, occurrence.

“We were thinking of throwing one a month,” Cohen said. “Anyone is welcome to sell anything, and of course, they’re welcome to keep all their profits, or donate, whatever makes sense for them.”

Wang seconded Cohen’s statement, saying she also hopes to continue displaying students’ talents at future Archi Markets.

“I think it was a great experience for vendors and artists with hobbies outside of their major. A lot of people are actually extremely talented here at Rice,” Wang said. “But really, I think this is a way for students to express themselves and further their passions.”

I think this is a way for students to express themselves and further their passions.

Amber Wang MCMURTRY COLLEGE JUNIOR

ABIGAIL JABLON / THRESHER Students congregate in Anderson Hall for the first Archi Market.

Best and Worst of ACL 2022: Artists you did and didn’t miss

MORGAN GAGE, MICHELLE GACHELIN, SHREYA CHALLA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, A&E EDITOR, THRESHER STAFF

Every year, festival-goers congregate at Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. This year, the Thresher once again made the trip to see for ourselves what the hype was about (and also to see SZA, who did not disappoint). For those who might want a recap or weren’t able to make it out to the festival this year: first, check out our Spotify playlist, and second, read on for our take on the best and worst performances from both weekends.

Best stage presence: Slayyyter

Whether it was her dancing or her audience engagement, Slayyyter absolutely took over her stage with nothing but a DJ and a furry pink coat. I knew nothing about Slayyyter before ACL but found myself singing along to songs I

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plot stringing the performances together. So why was he not a headliner? His crowd rivaled those of headliners that evening, even in the blistering Texas heat. Giving him more time and space for his set would have allowed his music and ingenuity to truly shine.

Best stage energy: Tobe Nwigwe

The Houston-born rapper’s stage presence was undeniable, particularly with the help of his wife, Martica “Fat” Nwigwe, who is also a singer, as well as backup dancers and singers appropriately clad in mint green. Hits like “Hella Black” and “Lord Forgive Me” were definite standouts, and seemed to draw in more viewers as the set continued. Nwigwe also made sure to consistently engage the crowd, calling on them to dance because “when the lights go out, everybody is Black.”

Worst case of mediocrity: Sabrina Claudio

didn’t know existed and looked away only once during her entire set, and that was to adjust my fanny pack so I could dance better. She clearly had a good command of her audience, and though there were some technical difficulties during her set, she took it like a champ and still slayed.

Worst technical difficulties: P!nk

P!nk’s set was plagued by technical difficulties, causing her to restart her cover of Bishop Briggs’ “River” as well as an acoustic cover accompanied by her guitarist. (She also stumbled on stage, but thankfully didn’t fall). These snafus were redeemed by the singer’s signature frankness (“I like this song too much to mess it up”) and practiced professionalism. All in all, though, the crowd knew almost every word and seemed consistently engaged, and P!nk’s not-sosurprise encore, where she soared over the audience doing acrobatics on a harness, knocked it out of the (literal) park.

Best crowd: Paramore

I’ve never seen anyone look at someone with as much hate as the crowd directed at the high schoolers who said they’d never heard of Hayley Williams. There were signs proclaiming their love for Williams and the band as a whole, and the bruises on my arms are proof that the crowd (which extended past nearby stages) was into the music to say the least. Morgan had the chance to live out her 13-year-old dream of singing “Misery Business,” and she was beyond thrilled. It wasn’t just her, though, we swear – the entire crowd was singing, dancing and jumping along to every word.

Worst decision to not make a headliner: Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X owns the radio. Argue with me if you’d like, but you won’t convince me otherwise. His space in the cultural consciousness of everyone under 25 is hard to beat, and his set was full of extravagant sets, costumes and even a

Some music was made to be performed at ACL. Sabrina Claudio’s music is not on that list. While I can appreciate her soft, sultry voice in a different time and place, it seemed like she was having difficulty providing the hype that ACL is known for. After a while, every song began to sound the same. Admittedly, she was recovering from the flu, and her outfit was still fantastic. Claudio said it herself: “I feel like I’m too chill for y’all,” but she delivered a commendable effort despite her underwhelming performance.

Worst mosh pits: BIA

BIA’s performance, though slightly delayed, was still a delight to watch and sing along to, with an enthusiastic DJ and great dancers. That doesn’t change the fact that, however, her crowd was filled with moshing ten-year-olds. Even if you’re pro-moshing, it does get exhausting when at every beat drop, you either have to hope you aren’t caught up in the crowd or mosh with people at least a decade younger than you.

Budget Bites: Fall for these Trader Joe’s items

SYDNEY PARK THRESHER STAFF

‘Tis the season of pumpkin spice and everything nice. If you have been searching for cheap, festive meals to get you into the fall spirit, this review is for you. Every year around the month of October, Trader Joe’s releases a limited amount of fall-themed items in its stores. There are a wide array of impulsive purchases you can make, from ‘autumn-scented’ candles to Halloween cookies to pumpkin ravioli. Among the many tempting options, I chose to review muffins, bagels, brioche and soup, all at affordable price points.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

This item is a hidden gem in my book.

The muffin is incredibly moist and soft, and strikes a delectable balance between cinnamon and pumpkin flavors without one overshadowing the other. The sweetness is just right, not too overpowering or intense.

It genuinely feels like eating a pumpkin pie, but in muffin form. They are gluten-free, but I honestly could not tell the difference.

I recommend having it for breakfast with warm coffee or tea. Pricing is very reasonable at $4.99 for four generous portions. I would have preferred a crispier muffin top for better texture, but that’s a minor detail.

Pumpkin Bagels

Made with pumpkin flour and pumpkin pie spice bits, I was excited to try this new item as a bagel fanatic. Spoiler alert: it was a let down. Despite the various pumpkin

VIVIAN LANG / THRESHER

ingredients, the pumpkin itself is actually quite challenging to taste. The spices — cinnamon, nutmeg and clove — overpower the palate, with an especially strong clove aftertaste. I found the bagel difficult to pair with cream cheese and other spreads as a result. The pumpkin bagels themselves were denser in texture compared to other bagels at Trader Joe’s. At $2.69, you receive six bagels, but I recommend skipping this item if you are not a fan of heavy spices.

Pumpkin Brioche Twist

Priced at $4.49, you can now make your own fall-themed version of French toast. The brioche was absolutely divine, perfectly doughy and light. It essentially tastes like French toast with subtle notes of cinnamon and some pumpkin flavors here and there. It is worth noting that the brioche itself is quite

thick, but this is mainly due to the fluffiness of the dough. I suggest pairing the bread with maple syrup and other breakfast sides such as sausage or fruit. The package contains about nine large slices, so you definitely get your money’s worth. There were only a few left on the shelf — need I say more?

Pumpkin Butternut Squash Bisque

A finely blended purée, the soup is fairly simple but tastes quite fresh and comforting. The combination of pumpkin and squash pair harmoniously together, creating a thicker broth similar to a tomato soup. Soft notes of garlic, sage and nutmeg add a nuanced layer and contribute to the earthy tones of the dish. The soup can be served by itself, with a sandwich or with some toasted sourdough to dip. For $3.99, enjoy this warm, tasty bisque that is reminiscent of fall.

SHREYA JINDAL / THRESHER

Local markets on their A-trade

New ramen shop’s good, not killer

MORGAN GAGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

gulping down water at what is considered the standard level of spice.

GUILLIAN PAGUILA / THRESHER

SARA DAVIDSON THRESHER STAFF

Houston is the fourth largest city in the nation, and with all of that real estate comes plenty of markets to serve the community. Everything from your traditional farmers market to ones with dancing and carnival rides can be found around the city. Some are only a couple metro rides away from campus, while others offer the chance to see more of Houston’s suburbs. As the weather turns to fall, these outdoor markets are the perfect way to support local Houston businesses and have fun while doing so.

Shop Local Market

Shop Local Market is a Houston-based brand that offers a variety of markets and other pop-up shops in the Houston area. They host their weekly “Shop Local Tuesdays” event at a venue just a short metro ride away from campus towards Midtown. They also host a Houston Farmers Market on the first Saturday of every month on the north side of town. In addition to these regular markets, they host many pop-up markets and activities around the city. Upcoming events in October include a “Stranger Things” theme for Halloween as well as a “Bike and Fright Fest.”

Traders Village

Traders Village is the largest weekend flea market in Texas and the largest market on the Texas Gulf Coast, sitting on over 100 acres and hosting 2,000 vendors every weekend. It includes stands from Art to Wood Work (not quite A to Z, but almost) and even boasts carnival rides in addition to all the shops. The

flea market also puts together special events and themed weekends —- they just hosted Charreada, for Hispanic Heritage month. If you’ve ever wanted to attend a proper flea market and spend the day shopping, Traders Village is the perfect way to spend a Saturday — just remember to pay the $5 parking fee if you take a car there.

Farmers Market Rice Village

For a market as close to Rice as possible, look no further than just beyond the hedges in Rice Village. This open air market is open the first and third Sunday of every month and boasts over 40 local vendors. Everything from a morning coffee to morning margarita can be ordered at the market, and visitors can easily enjoy the best of both worlds by combining produce picking with window shopping at stores in the Village. Beyond food, fresh flowers and home essentials can also be found, and with such a convenient location, it’s perfect to stop by as the weather finally (hopefully) turns cool.

Hip Hop Vintage Flea Market

This pop-up vintage flea market combines retro clothing sales with hip hop battles, dance parties and a fun time. A collaboration from Resale Folds and Bgirl City, the combination of business and hip hop means that there is always something to watch, buy and interact with. Over 80 brands, businesses and artists come to their various events held across Houston. In November, plans for a huge five-year anniversary market are underway, offering not just clothes, but a huge party for the whole community. Hip Hop Vintage Flea is definitely worth checking out to shop in an interactive and lively space.

Tokyo-based ramen chain Killer Noodle has made its way to Houston, expanding from its location in L.A. into the Space City. Touting spicy bowls, Killer Noodles serves tan tan men and spicy Sichuan dan dan noodles, a lighter option than the tonkotsu that most ramen shops in Houston serve. The chain’s California locations have boasted high praise, and the new location in the Heights seems poised to follow suit. With a range of appetizers, three styles of ramen, two options for vegetarian ramen and a list of potential bowl toppings, Killer Noodle is sure to impress even if it falls just short of the lofty expectations it sets for itself.

We were able to attend a pre-opening event for members of the media, and we began the night by sampling several of their appetizers that were not fully identical to the typical menu offerings. For pork bun enthusiasts, we found that the regular and spicy pork buns were some of the best we’ve had in Houston. The fluffy, lightly flavored bun contrasted well with the crunch of the vegetables and the savory flavors of the pork chashu and spicy sauce. The spice was just enough to be prominent without being overwhelming — even someone wary of foods labeled “spicy” would fare well with the dish.

Each of the three styles of ramen — Tokyo, Downtown and Original – can be served with or without soup and have spice levels ranging from no spice to “killer.” I opted for the Downtown style without soup, which has a “tangy and acidic sauce with a vinegar and chili flavor,” at the medium level, which we were told is considered the standard. I found there was a good balance between the spice and acidity — while the vinegar was a prominent flavor, it enhanced the flavor of the chili. Like the pork buns, I would recommend the medium spice level even for those wary of spice. For a menu that revolved around being “spicy,” I found myself disappointed at times when I wasn’t

My roommate, who accompanied me, ordered the mild Tokyo style with soup and topped it with a poached egg. From my stolen bite of her bowl, it was a complex, nutty flavor palate with prominent peanut and sesame flavors. The broth is creamy and rich, and would be a comforting meal on a cold day. My roommate said that the poached egg only added to that sense of creaminess, and the cold created a compelling contrast with the warmth of the broth. She opted for “mild” over “no spice,” but I couldn’t taste even a hint of spice, which led me to believe that the spice levels were lower than the flames adorning their menu suggest. For those looking for a mouthnumbing bowl, definitely opt for the “spicy” or “killer” level.

The portions were large, but with regular bowls ranging from $13.50 to $14 without toppings, this won’t be the cheapest bowl of ramen in Houston. The bowls come with less toppings than visitors may be used to, and extra toppings can add up quickly. Even without adding toppings to my bowl, however, I thought it was a wonderful meal.

All in all, Killer Noodle brings an excellent bowl of ramen different from what most shops in the area offer. For those who can make it out to their new location, it will definitely be worth the visit even if it isn’t the best bowl of ramen for the best price point in Houston, especially for a college student’s budget.

Meet the ACL Artist: Maude Latour colors the stage with new sound

we need this government to prioritize all people who need to heal and people who need to be protected.”

Apart from her admiration for activists in Texas, Latour enjoyed visiting the state.

my deep music listeners are down for this musical journey with me and want me to explore and push it forward. So it feels like exactly where I need to be right now.”

Singer-songwriter Maude Latour performed at Austin City Limits Music Festival Oct. 8.

MORGAN GAGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

On Oct. 8 in the Texas summer heat, Maude Latour took the stage at Austin City Limits Music Festival with glittery makeup and upbeat music. Just before performing her song, “Lola,” Latour led the crowd in a chant of the lyrics, “Keep my girls protected. I’m turned on when I’m respected,” before dedicating the song “to queer people, to trans people, to trans youth and to protecting the right to choose.”

“I can’t imagine what people [in Texas] have been going through and the people who are working to resist all of the crazy things

that are happening in the world,” Latour said in an interview with the Thresher. “I have so much respect for everyone organizing and using their voices, and I just hope everyone is taking care of themselves … The whole country is thinking about everyone doing the work here.”

For Latour, music plays a large role in advocacy work, both in bringing people together and in healing.

“You feel it here. There is a power [in music] that brings us together — there is something that cuts through all differences,” Latour said. “There is a thing bigger than all of us and it is up to us [to] protect that healing and that intimacy and that sacredness. And

“I really feel the love for music here,” Latour said. “I feel camaraderie and solidarity among young people. It feels really powerful to be here, and this freaking open sky is just beautiful. [The] food is absurd. I’ve just been having an incredible time savoring every moment.”

Latour has recently embarked on her first major tour as a headliner. ACL and her upcoming show at Houston’s House of Blues are just two stops that follow the recent release of her EP “001,” which she said embraces a new musical sound compared to her previous music.

“I think some people were terrified,” Latour said. “I feel like it’s an adjustment to its new sound. But I really believe that

Not only was this tour Latour’s first time performing in Texas, it was also her first time performing on her birthday, since she turned 23 on the same day as her set at the festival.

“My show was definitely what I was looking forward to most for [my birthday],” Latour said. “I’ve never played a show on my birthday. I was excited. I love performing, and so I was really happy to do it.”

Latour said that she is exploring a “new musical world” that she’s excited to show her fans and that some songs are already coming together.

“It’s gonna take me a while to build it,” Latour said. “I will be releasing stuff in the meantime, but I’m working on a secret little world, and I’m gonna give it all the time and space that it needs.”

There is a power [in music] that brings us together — there is something that cuts through all differences ... It is up to us to protect that healing and that intimacy and that sacredness. And we need this government to prioritize all people who need to heal.

Maude Latour ACL 2022 ARTIST

MORGAN GAGE / THRESHER

COURTESY MAUDE LATOUR

Soccer wins the weekend to keep perfect conference record alive

DIEGO PALOS RODRIGUEZ THRESHER STAFF

After winning just two of their eight nonconference games to start the year, the Rice soccer team has won all seven of their games in conference play, allowing just two goals in the process. Over the weekend, the squad defeated the University of Texas at El Paso 2-0 at home and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 1-0 on the road, with all three goals being scored by graduate transfer forward Grace Collins. While leading the team in both goals and assists this season, Collins attributed the Owls’ conference success to head coach Brian Lee and his emphasis on unnoticed details in each game.

“I think we’re just really buying into what Brian’s telling us and just working on the little things everyday that’s paying off during the games,” Collins said.

Heading into Thursday’s game against UTEP, Lee became only the 13th active coach to reach 600 career Division I career matches. Despite losing starting center back freshman Carsyn Martz to injury in a previous game, the milestone was not spoiled for Lee and the Owls. Sporting the 3-2-4-1 formation that they’ve stuck with since the start of conference season and replacing Martz in defense with sophomore midfielder Mikala Furuto, the Owls got off to a fast start with Collins and senior midfielder Delaney Schultz connecting twice within the first five minutes. While their first build-up was halted by the Miners, they could not deny Collins on the second go. Schultz set Collins up with a through pass threading the UTEP back four, and Collins’ shot found the bottom right corner of the goal, putting the Owls up 1-0.

Rice kept the high pressure and produced more scoring opportunities for the rest of the first half, but they were unable to beat the

UTEP keeper. While the shot tally was almost even at the end of the first half, the Owls controlled possession and kept the Miners away from their goal for most of the half. The Owls picked up right where they ended to start the second half, continuing with high pressure and maintaining possession. Their efforts paid off just five minutes into the half when Collins found herself inside the 18-yard box. After receiving a pass from freshman midfielder Kallie McKinney and dribbling past the UTEP defense to the right of their goal, she cut inside, setting herself up for a left-foot shot that found itself just inside of the post.

The Owls held on to the shutout to win their sixth straight conference game. The team struggled with injuries and losses in the beginning of the season, and according to Lee, having a healthy squad has made the biggest impact on the results.

“[I attribute the success to] just getting healthy and getting our players back,” Lee said. “Tonight was a little tougher with Serena [Pham] and Carsyn [Martz] out, [but] really that’s the key to the turnaround, having health.”

Junior defender Shelby DesRoches, who’s been playing defense this season, said that she believes the season’s turnaround can be explained by better communication and familiarity throughout the field.

“I think that as the season’s progressed [and we’ve] played as a team more, our communication has gotten a lot better and that’s led us to our success,” DesRoches said. “We didn’t start non-conference off that great, but I think that as a team we’re grown a lot and played better together. It’s a pretty new team, so we’ve gotten better as the season’s progressed.”

Following UTEP, the Owls traveled to North Carolina to face Charlotte, attempting to win

seven straight games for the second time in school history. This clash, however, proved challenging for the streaking Owls. Charlotte was aggressive from the first whistle and broke through the Owls’ back three, testing senior goalkeeper Bella Killgore early. Rice was kept on their heels for most of the first half, with only one scoring opportunity from Schultz, which was blocked by the Charlotte defense. The Owls’ chances flipped at the start of the second half, however. After receiving a through pass from sophomore midfielder Catarina Albuquerque, Collins was behind the Charlotte line and alone with the 49ers’ keeper inside their box; a shot to the right side of the goal lifted the Owls up 1-0. The rest of the game continued to be controlled by the 49ers, but all of their efforts were stopped by Killgore who finished the game with nine saves to secure Rice’s third straight shutout.

Despite the team’s current form, Lee said that he wants to assess each game

individually before looking ahead to the conference and NCAA tournaments.

“[We want to take it] game by game right now,” Lee said. “We wanna finish as high as we can in the regular season and give ourselves a chance to win the league. We’ll worry about the tournament when it gets here.”

According to DesRoches, the Owls need to keep their focus on upcoming road games to ensure their success beyond the regular season.

“[We need to] keep winning these games on the road,” DesRoches said. “We have a couple of big games, [two] out of town games, and I think those are the harder games to win, so [we are] looking forward to performing well and hopefully being [Conference-USA West] champs.”

The Owls return to Holloway Field on Thursday, Oct. 20 for Senior Night against Western Kentucky University in their final home game of the season.

Owls win, Rice loses: Football falls to FAU as offense goes missing

PAVITHR GOLI ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Rice football was defeated 17-14 by Florida Atlantic University on Saturday night, moving their overall record to 3-3 and marking their first conference loss this season. Coming off their bye week, the loss on Saturday continued Rice’s winless road record this season. After scoring 14 points in the first quarter, Rice’s offense was unable to score for the remainder of the game as FAU responded with 17 unanswered points. Head coach Mike Bloomgren said that while the defense did well to stymie the home side, the offense’s failure to score points was the main culprit in the loss.

“I thought our defense kept performing

and kept performing,” Bloomgren said. “They gave everything they had tonight. I mean all [our offense] had to do was get in field goal range to keep this game alive or score [a] touchdown and win it. It wasn’t a big ask that we were making of our offense. We just needed them to be efficient, put a drive together and we would have some really good chances to have a different outcome.”

The game got off to a slow start for both offenses with both Rice and FAU going threeand-out on their first drives of the game. On the fourth play of Rice’s next possession, junior quarterback TJ McMahon hit redshirt senior wide receiver Bradley Rozner down the right hash mark. Rozner broke a tackle and outran the FAU defense for a career-long 78-yard touchdown reception, giving Rice a 7-0 lead five minutes into the game. After the defense forced FAU to punt, McMahon and the Rice offense built a five-minute drive that was capped by a three-yard rushing touchdown by redshirt junior Ari Broussard, giving Rice a 14-0 before the first quarter ended. With that score, Broussard recorded a touchdown in six straight games this season, the second-longest streak in

the nation. Despite the lack of offense for the majority of the game, Bloomgren applauded his team’s offensive start to the game.

“I thought the second and third drives were exceptional,” Bloomgren said. “The play to [Rozner] was a great design by [offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo] and truly great execution.”

After that touchdown, both FAU and Rice traded punts with each other. FAU, who had possession at the end of the first quarter, got on the scoreboard three minutes into the second quarter when junior running back Larry McCammon III ran five yards into the endzone, halving Rice’s lead. Despite turnovers by both Rice and FAU, neither offense mustered any points during the rest of the first half. Rice’s three drives in the second quarter resulted in just 41 yards gained, a turnover on downs, a punt and a McMahon interception. FAU was unable to turn the interception into points after missing a 42-yard field goal attempt to end the first half.

At the start of the second half, the FAU received the ball and spent about six and a half minutes driving down the field before settling for a 34-yard field goal to cut the Rice lead to 14-10. Following the FAU score, Rice’s offense continued to struggle and punted the ball back after picking up just one first down. Taking advantage of a lackluster Rice offense, FAU marched down the field to the

Rice 8-yard line. However, junior safety Kirk Lockhart forced a fumble on third-and-goal with 16 seconds left in the third quarter, protecting the Rice four-point lead.

Rice was unable to capitalize on the fumble recovery, going three-and-out and punting the ball right back to the home team. This time, the Rice defense was unable to contain the FAU offense, who went down the field and scored after quarterback N’Kosi Perry threw an 18-yard touchdown pass, giving FAU a 17-14 lead. On their next drive, Rice was close to scoring, advancing deep into FAU territory. However, a McMahon pass to redshirt-sophomore wide receiver Luke McCaffrey was broken up in the endzone and fell into the hands of a diving FAU defender. After the turnover, FAU failed to move the ball down the field and punted, giving Rice another offensive opportunity. However, another McMahon pass to McCaffrey in the endzone, this one a nearly 50-yard heave, was intercepted, effectively ending any chance of a Rice comeback. A last-ditch drive for the Owls ended in a turnover on downs, sealing the loss.

Next up, Rice will travel to Ruston, LA to play against the 2-4 Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22.

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

I thought our defense kept performing and kept performing ... All [our offense] had to do was get in field goal range to keep this game alive or score [a] touchdown and win it.

Mike Bloomgren HEAD COACH

COURTESY ERIC ESPADA - RICE ATHLETICS

Redshirt senior receiver Bradley Rozner takes on a FAU defender on Saturday. Rozner’s career-long 78yard touchdown wasn’t enough as Rice fell 17-14.

LUPITA FRIAS / THRESHER

Senior midfielder Madison Kent closes in on UTEP’s goal during Thursday’s game. The Owls topped the Miners before beating Charlotte to extend their conference win streak to seven.

tunes up for conference at A&M meet No. 22 volleyball swept by No. 18 Baylor

DANIEL SCHRAGER SPORTS EDITOR

Their sport may be called crosscountry, but the Owls long-distance runners traveled a fraction of that distance on Saturday when they made the hour-and-a-half drive to College Station for the Arturo Barrios Invitational. Rice’s women’s team took 14th place out of 37 teams, while the men’s team took 20th out of 41 at the Texas A&M Universityhosted meet, their last before conference. According to men’s head coach Jon Warren, injuries kept his team from performing as well as he would have liked in their tune-up race.

“We had hoped to have a better day than we did,” Warren said. “But a few calamities occurred that kept us from doing what we could have. Specifically, we had issues with a few of our top guys – three of which have been in our top five in the last two meets and were unable to finish this morning.”

The men’s team day was highlighted by their underclassmen. In addition to Samara, freshmen Jackson Moran and Will McDermott both cracked the top-150 to round out Rice’s top-five competitors. The women’s team’s showing wasn’t quite as underclassman-heavy, but sophomores Ellie Schweiker and Katlyn Schmeltzer both contributed top-140 finishes.

Notably, junior Grace Forbes, who won last year’s NCAA South Central Regional, didn’t compete. According to Bevan, the fact that they were missing some key players gave others a chance to step into more important roles on Saturday.

“We were not at [a] 100 percent roster as a team today,” Bevan said. “But that was a blessing in disguise as it helped put others in a position to step up and I am happy with the way they competed.”

When the Owls dropped the first two sets against No. 18 Baylor University on Oct. 12, it felt like the same position they had found themselves in numerous times in a season that’s already featured five comeback wins. But instead of the Owls pulling off their third reversesweep of the year, the Bears won set three to clinch the sweep (18-25, 22-25, 17-25). Entering the match ranked No. 22 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll and No. 10 in the Rating Percentage Index, the loss ended the Owls’ 11-game win streak. Following the match, head coach Genny Volpe was disappointed by the Owls’ inability to match Baylor’s efficiency.

In a back-and-forth first set, neither team could gain an edge until a late run gave the Bears the advantage they needed to take a 1-0 lead. Throughout the season, slow starts have plagued the Owls, but most of the time, they have been able to recover later in the game. However, after today’s loss, fifth-year senior setter Carly Graham said that the team needs to work on bringing the energy right from the first serve.

“I think we know we didn’t play to our best potential and we could have competed better from the very start,” Graham said. “We’ve been saying that we want to start better from the very beginning and we’re still working to get there.”

Jim Bevan

WOMEN’S XC HEAD COACH

The highest-placing Owl on the day was junior Taigen Hunter-Galvan in 20th place on the women’s side, while junior Travis Dowd, who took 45th place, led the way for Warren’s team. According to women’s head coach Jim Bevan, HunterGalvan has made significant strides this season.

“[Hunter-Galvan] is becoming a better and better cross-country runner,” Bevan said.

No other Owls placed in the top 75, but senior Lina Spjut on the women’s side and freshman Grant Samara and junior Daniel Cohen on the men’s side cracked the top 90. According to Warren, despite their struggles as a team, he thought that Dowd, Samara and Cohen had strong individual showings.

“Travis had a good day, as did Grant and Daniel,” Warren said. “They stepped [up] to salvage what we could out of today.

The meet was the fourth of the season for the women’s team and the third for the men’s. Both teams won at the Rice Invitational in early September, before the men’s team won a five-team race at McNeese State University and the women’s team placed third in a ten-team race at A&M.

Now, both teams will turn their attention to the Conference USA Championships, set for Oct. 29 in Denton.

The women’s team will look to build off of a third-place finish, led by Forbes’ firstplace run, at last year’s championships.

After their strong showing at conference, the team went on to place second at the NCAA South Central Regional and qualify for the NCAA championships. The men’s team, on the other hand, placed fourth at conference last year before a fifth-place finish at regionals ended their postseason.

According to Bevan, now that the team has time to get healthy, he thinks they will be at full strength as they try to make another run deep into the postseason.

“Now we have two weeks to be our best at the conference [meet], and I am optimistic we can be,” Bevan said.

“We just never really got in a rhythm offensively,” Volpe said. “It really hurt us because Baylor is an efficient team ... They’re consistent both defensively and offensively. I was disappointed in our lack of production on offense. I thought it would be better. Overall, we got beat in pretty much every area.”

The Owls seemingly found their spark in the second set, fueling two big runs that gave them an 18-17 lead at one point. After 13 ties and seven lead changes, the set was tied at 21, but a 4-1 Baylor run quickly ended it. With the Owls tantalizingly close to taking set two, Volpe said that the set loss shifted the momentum of the game. This article has been cut off for print. Read the full article at ricethresher.org.

Randomized Assessment of Influenza Vaccine Efficacy Network

CALI LIU / THRESHER

Two Baylor defenders try to block an attempt by outside hitter Sahara Maruska. The No. 18 Bears swept the No. 22 Owls, giving them their second loss of the year.

CADAN HANSON SENIOR WRITER

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Junior Taigen Hunter-Galvan crosses the finish line. HunterGalvan led the way for the Owls with a 20th-place finish as the cross-country team ran their final race before conference.

We were not at [a] 100 percent roster as a team today. But that was a blessing in disguise as it helped put others in a position to step up and I am happy with the way they responded.

NOD

RECAPNOD

RECAPNOD

RECAP

Top 5 Moments of the Night*

*Based on anecdotal evidence in light of the no photography rule

5When they connected all the Porta Potties and three freshmen got lost inside

Who can forget when, two hours into the party, a crowd of rowdy partiers pushed together the Porta Potties to make a labyrinth of mobile toilets spanning 500 meters? At first a fun party activity, the maze unfortunately ended with a search party for three McMurtry freshmen that did not come out after forty-five minutes. Please contact the McMurtry CJ if you’ve seen Michael Velasquez.

CLASSIFIEDS

TUTORS WANTED

Rice Alum hiring well-qualified tutors for all levels of STEM, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Reliable transportation highly preferred. Pay $30/hr+ based on experience. Email resume to sri. iyengar@sriacademicservices.com. Visit our website www.sriacademicservices. com to learn more!

PART-TIME BABYSITTER/DRIVER

Looking for a part-time babysitter/ driver for 5yr old.  Needs to be reliable, attentive and must have a safe and clean driving record. Hours: 3-6pm, M-F. $25/ hr. Email: nishapateljain@gmail.com

Night of Decadence has finally returned! And rumor has it that the Wiess public ran without a hitch—in case you couldn’t make it (or can’t remember anything from that night), below are the hottest highlights of NOD 2022!

When someone filled a souvenir condom with 70 chicken nuggets and everyone started sucking on it

CLASSIC NOD moment. In accordance with yearly tradition, one lucky senior got the honor of filling the ceremonial nugget condom before the feast. #TFW!

The 1 AM evacuation after all the carbon monoxide detectors went off and the windows turned brown due to the toxic haze of BO building up inside of Wiess Commons

There’s no stronger bond than the one between you and the dude you were grinding on five minutes earlier as you stand together in the Acabowl in your cotton underwear while waiting for the fire department.

When the DJ announced a bomb threat to end the party

“There is a BOMB underneath Commons that’s going to EXPLODE if you don’t get out of here. You have two minutes!” [“SICKO MODE” plays]

When NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden walked in wearing a fursuit and vertical moshed on the Wiess Magister

After nine years of hiding from the United States government, Snowden made his fabulous return in a gorgeous chartreuse fox fursuit. We didn’t see his face, but come on, it HAD to be him! Only he could’ve krumped that fluidly.

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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.