The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, February 1, 2023

YoYo’s to operate in parking loop by Mudd Lab

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

Beginning this Friday, YoYo’s Hot Dog will operate from the parking area between Mudd Lab and Hamman Hall, according to an email, obtained by the Thresher, from Director of Housing & Dining David McDonald.

This week only, YoYo’s will be open Friday and Saturday. Beginning Feb. 9 and in the weeks following, YoYo’s will be open Thursday through Saturday from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. The decision comes in the wake of Rice Management Company terminating the leases for YoYo’s and Oh My Gogi beginning Feb. 1.

Gabby Franklin, Student Association president, said that she proposed the idea to McDonald after Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman mentioned a previous tradition of food trucks in the parking area near Mudd Lab. Franklin said the effort to find a space for YoYo’s on campus began after Dani Knobloch brought forward concerns about the lease termination.

“We were kind of on a deadline when we did find out [about the leases ending], so we weren’t really sure where to go at first,” Franklin said. “Then I had a one-on-one [meeting] with Dean Gorman [who] gave me

the information to [discuss bringing YoYo’s to campus with] David McDonald, and then he entered into conversations with the RMC. And here we are.”

Franklin, a Brown College junior, said that she hopes the presence of YoYo’s will bring more of the Houston community to an area of campus that is less visited.

“I hope this increases awareness of Rice’s campus,” Franklin said. “Like, the fact that, as a community member, you can enjoy some good food and head over to a part of campus that really deserves more attention, with Hamman Hall being so close [for visitors] to see more theatre programs around the same time.”

Renzo Espinoza, who started a petition intending to reverse the RMC decision, was in disbelief when he heard the news.

“I was shocked,” Espinoza, a Wiess College junior, said. “I tried to check the validity of it first, because stuff can spread [with] significant news like that … [When] I found out that it was true … it was like Christmas.”

According to Espinoza, YoYo’s staying close to campus is going to be welcome news to the entire Rice community.

“I honestly think that there’s not a single person on campus that’s not going to rejoice with this news,” Espinoza said. “People will be relieved that a significant part of Rice culture is making its way back.”

COMP 310 faces potential removal

COMP 310, a current major requirement course, is likely to be completely removed from the Rice computer Science curriculum, the class’s professor Stephen Wong said. This comes after numerous student complaints posted on Piazza last semester and raised to the computer science department Chair Christopher Jermaine.

According to Jermaine, a faculty working group is currently reviewing all major requirement courses and has not made a final decision for any courses.

Rice historian Douglas Brinkley on his Grammy nominations, musical community

In his free time, Douglas Brinkley, a history professor at Rice University, gets nominated for Grammy awards. This year, Brinkley has been nominated for two Grammys for co-producing “Black Men Are Precious” by Ethelbert Miller for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album and “Fandango At The Wall in New York” by Arturo O’ Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra for Best Latin Jazz Album. Brinkley previously won a Grammy in 2017 for co-producing “Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom.” The Grammy Awards ceremony will be held on Feb. 5 in Los Angeles, broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

Though Brinkley, the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities, is a historian first and has written books on U.S. presidents, foreign affairs and

civil rights, music has always been a part of his life.

“My mom made me take piano lessons when I was a boy and it stuck,” Brinkley said. “And in my twenties, I’d like playing folk guitar and harmonica and dabbling with other instruments. At some point, instead of taking up golf or tennis or pickleball, like some people do. As I got older, I realized that I wanted to do more and more with my passion for music.”

Part of Brinkley’s inspiration to continue creating music can be credited to his musical community. He said that he began taking his work more seriously after becoming friends with people in New Orleans’ jazz world, such as Kabir Sehgal and Ellis and Wynton Marsalis. SEE DOUGLAS

“The reason for the effort is simply that it’s been quite some time since we’ve looked holistically at the [undergraduate] curriculum — we have to make sure the major serves our students well,” Jermaine wrote in an email to the Thresher. “We’d like to reduce the number of credit hours required for the degree, especially the [Bachelor of Science], to make it more in line with our peer institutions.”

Wong said he thinks COMP 310 is essential and should remain part of the curriculum because it’s the only course directly aimed at object oriented programming design that Bachelor of Arts students are required to take before graduating.

“The question one has to ask is, how do courses that are ... more difficult than one expects ... fit into an overall curriculum and student experience?” Wong said. “How should curricular pedagogical decisions be made? On what basis? Personally, I look back at my college ... and we dealt with things which I must admit, I didn’t appreciate until years out.”

Bri Bumgardner, the head teaching assistant for COMP 310, said she and the other TAs are currently collecting statements and signatures from former students to petition for the future of the class.

“I don’t fault the department ... If you have this many complaints, then it’s going to reflect badly on the department,” Bumgardner said. “But the issue is, we’re not seeing the opinions of people who have [already] taken the class, or people who are enjoying the class and understand the benefits of the class.”

Andrew Buehler, a TA for COMP 310, said he feels the course is one of the most important classes in his Rice degree.

“[COMP 310] is the one where it truly clicked that I realized, this is why I’m a computer science major, this is what I’m interested in. And that’s why I’ve been [a TA],” Buehler, a Jones College junior, said. “I know people that went on to internships and use all of these techniques immediately.”

According to Buehler, COMP 310 was previously created to replace two separate computer science courses and that he would like to see COMP 310 become two separate courses again to spread out the material between the courses.

“Dr. Wong had to cut material, he had to work with what he was given, find ways to make the course easier for students,” Buehler said. “There is a very even split of work for the first half and the second half of the semester. And you could split it right there. Give three weeks for every project. Everyone would be fine.”

All is fair in love and code:

Personally, I look back at my college ... and we dealt with things which I must admit, I didn’t appreciate until years out.

Stephen Wong COMP 310 PROFESSOR

SHREYA CHALLA THRESHER STAFF

BONNIE ZHAO MANAGING EDITOR

GUILLIAN PAGUILA / THRESHER

ROBERT HEETER / THRESHER

REMS hosts blood drive in honor of H&D staff member’s son

going on today with the Rice community, they put a smile on our faces, not just my face, but my whole family and my son.”

Jamie Padgett recieves O’Donnell Award for infrastructure research

RIYA MISRA FEATURES EDITOR

Jamie Padgett, Stanley C. Moore Professor in Engineering, recently received the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award, an accolade given out annually by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas to notable researchers in the state.

The O’Donnell Award, which provides a $25,000 honorarium, acknowledges Padgett’s research in structural engineering, natural hazards and infrastructure resiliency. Padgett said that the majority of her work looks at the reliability of existing structures, such as bridges or transportation networks, and how to improve their functionality in the face of natural disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes.

“One thing that I really appreciate about [TAMEST] is that they’re looking for people who are doing emerging, exciting work in different fields,” Padgett, chair of the civil and environmental engineering department, said. “I feel really fortunate to represent engineering more broadly and perhaps help to bring some visibility to the importance of the civil and [structural] engineering domain, across the engineering disciplines.”

Padgett said that her career can be traced back to her childhood, where her interest in civil engineering arose from the combination of a Floridian hometown and family of contractors.

“I remember I was going out into projects in the field. That got me really excited about how you can start from nothing and have these large scale structures that impact society,” Padgett said. “There was always the constant threat of hurricanes striking the Atlantic coast. That got me really curious about how we can protect these large scale structures, and the people that use them or that are inside of them.”

Padgett also received a five-year, $1 million research grant from the National Science Foundation fellowship in early December. She said that while she appreciates the recognition, the two awards really showcase the successes of her larger research team.

“I think what [the awards] speak to … is the decades of work that my research team and our collaborators have put into this field,” Padgett said. “I [may] get the fortune

or the glory of having my name on it, but it goes very much to my research team.”

Kendall Capshaw, a Ph.D. student working in coastal petrochemical infrastructure with the Padgett research group, said that she credits Padgett for many of the research opportunities she and fellow researchers have received.

“Dr. Padgett is an incredibly innovative, motivational and supportive researcher and mentor,” Capshaw said. “She has cultivated an extensive and multi-disciplinary network of research collaborators, creating ample opportunities for her students to work on a broad range of projects within their interests … She is a great advocate for her students.”

One of the things she enjoys most about her field, Padgett said, is its capacity for social relevance, despite being an engineering discipline.

“Not only do we do our rigorous modeling of structures under these extreme loads, but we carry that work through community scale,” Padgett said. “If we’re going to make decisions on policy change or investment in major coastal protection that affects people in our communities, that’s the scale we need to be working on.”

Following the O’Donnell Award and the rest of her recent accolades, Padgett said she looks forward to continuing research that merges the conceptual and real-life applications of engineering.

“We’re also trying to work on problems that are not just theoretical but have true practical relevance and application to communities like Houston,” Padgett said. “We have been working on a project that will be continuing to look at improving [public safety] during flooding events, specifically related to safe transportation, mobility and navigating … I’m hoping to see those two veins, the theoretical model [of] development and improvement and boots on the ground practical applications that can benefit even in our backyard.”

Padgett said that she appreciates the platform that Rice provides researchers to conduct socially impactful work.

“Rice is a great place to do this type of research for us, both from a culture and setting perspective, a research perspective, but also appreciating and supporting this type of work,” Padgett said. “I think it’s a culture that values not only scholarship for scholarship purposes, but work that has an impact that’s important to society.”

Rice Emergency Medical Services hosted an on-campus blood drive on Jan. 30 and 31 to honor Housing and Dining staff member Noel Romero’s son, Leonel Romero, who was diagnosed with leukemia in Aug. 2022.

REMS Community Relations Lieutenant Jay Mehta said that when REMS hosted their annual blood drive last semester, they were unaware that there were individuals within the Rice community who needed blood frequently because of their medical conditions.

“When we found out that there were people like that in the Rice community, the need for blood became a little bit closer in proximity,” Mehta, a Brown College senior, said. “And REMS’ mission for a really long time has been to serve the Rice community in different ways … so [the blood drive] felt like something that fit our mission, and so it felt right to do it.”

REMS Director Lisa Basgall said she was in awe of Leonel and Noel’s courage in sharing a part of their lives with the Rice community.

“For us in the Rice community, I think it really is a chance to step up and, in the most tangible way, do something that can save the life and honor this young man and also all the other people in Houston who need blood donations,” Basgall said.

Mehta said that he was stunned by the quick response to the blood drive.

“I had no doubt in my mind that people within the Rice community were great,” Mehta said. “But seeing 255 people [sign] up to donate blood in 24 hours or less — that was truly incredible. The Rice community responded so fast to this issue that was close to us that there were no appointments left [on Monday].”

Because of the overwhelming response, Basgall said REMS worked with the blood drive teams to increase the number of appointments available on Monday and add a second donation day.

“That’s just incredible,” Basgall said. “That’s the kind of community I want to be part of, where people will really step up to help each other out in times like this.”

Noel Romero said that he was in disbelief when he heard about this initiative REMS was organizing for his son.

“Ever since we were notified that my son had leukemia, everything just turned gray for our whole family. In other words, we couldn’t smile,” Noel Romero said. “So what’s

Milan George, a REMS volunteer who helped staff the event, said that when he first heard about the blood drive, he thought it was a great opportunity to help a community member.

“This blood drive is dedicated to an H&D member’s family, and that just shows how Rice serves Rice and that we’re always here for each other,” George, a Duncan College sophomore, said. “And that’s why I wanted to volunteer — I wanted to put [in] my time when I was free and help out.”

Alicia Garza, a Duncan freshman, said she thinks that anyone who is able to donate blood should consider it to help those in need.

“I think it’s a good initiative. It’s great that Rice is supporting their students, faculty and staff. It [shines] light on the fact that Rice is very good at taking care of the people who attend and work here,” Garza said.

Leonel Romero said he didn’t expect Rice to host a blood drive and donate their blood for his sake and others who need blood.

“[To the Rice community], thank you. It really means a lot to me that there are people out there that care and are willing to give [blood] for my own happiness, to help my parents throughout this and also for the sake of helping others in my situation. It just makes me feel like I’m not alone,” Leonel Romero said.

COURTESY GUSTAVO RASKOSKY

The REMS blood drive occured on campus from Jan 30 to 31.

COURTESY JEFF FITLOW

FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER

That’s the kind of community I want to be part of, where people will really step up to help each other out in times like this.

Lisa Basgall RICE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES DIRECTOR

MARIA MORKAS ASST. NEWS EDITOR

RUPD launches license plate readers at campus entrances

KEEGAN LEIBROCK ASST. NEWS EDITOR

The Rice University Police Department recently began piloting a system of Automated License Plate Readers throughout campus. The ALPR cameras, which scan license plate numbers and vehicle details, will be used by RUPD to provide investigative data when a crime occurs on campus.

RUPD Chief Clemente Rodriguez said that the decision to launch the camera’s pilot program was not based on any particular trend in crime rates on campus.

Rice community to try and explore that option.”

Krish Kumar, a Student Association New Student Representative, said that members of the Rice SA are drafting a resolution to question the validity of using license scanners for crimes committed on campus.

Clemente Rodriguez

“I don’t want to say there’s been any particular change or spike or anything [in crime levels],” Rodriguez said. “We are always just looking at technology, looking at ways that we can improve safety on campus.”

Tyler Kinzy, a Wiess College sophomore, said that he believes the use of ALPR cameras heightens the risk of police violence.

“The expanding of policing and the surveillance state through tools like ALPR cameras only heightens the risk of police violence without actually improving community safety,” Kinzy said. “If more police and broader surveillance were genuinely the answer to crime, we would have solved this issue decades ago.”

According to Rodriguez, the camera’s gradual decrease in cost played some role in the decision to purchase them.

“The cost of this technology continues to get better and better and become more affordable over time, which also makes it a good idea to implement now,” Rodriguez said. “If it’s going to keep the campus safe, then I think we owe it to the

We’re Hiring Tour Guides!

“There are multiple news articles and professional research that’s been done to show that these systems are inherently racist and necessarily target certain individuals over others,” Kumar, a Sid Richardson College freshman, said. “SA wants to take a position to let RUPD know that launching a system like this is probably not the best way to go about addressing crime on campus.”

Rodriguez said that the cameras do not scan for pedestrians and only rely on data from scanned license plate numbers and vehicle details.

“[The] license plate readers do not collect information on who is driving or riding in vehicles … [or] capture images of pedestrians or people passing by,” Rodriguez wrote in an email to the Thresher. “The ALPR cameras take still images of cars passing through the lens (not video) and do not follow the direction of travel vehicles take. Therefore, I believe this removes any bias from the data provided by the cameras.

RUPD will run a 45-day pilot to determine if the new technology is effective in providing investigative data for crimes committed before expanding the program, according to Rodriguez.

“Eventually, if the pilot is a success, we hope to have all major entrances to campus that are open regularly being watched with cameras,” Rodriguez said. “We only have five [cameras] right now for the pilot … [watching] entrances eight, one, four,

seventeen and eighteen. Those are the major entrances right now where a lot of traffic [goes] through.”

Rodriguez said the cameras would also allow for the identification of vehicles stolen from campus.

“If any vehicle is stolen from Rice, we can put that license plate in as a stolen vehicle, and if somebody who stole that vehicle passes any other cameras from this company Flock … it would alert that community that a vehicle stolen at Rice University has shown up in their city or their community.”

So far, Rodriguez said that the majority of response to the pilot program has been positive, with only a few students raising concerns.

communication that went out … the majority were, ‘thank you, I appreciate it and think that this will be a great tool for safety,’” Rodriguez said.

Kumar said he would like to see more communication from RUPD on the reasoning behind implementing license scanners.

“Personally, I think there needs to be a little more communication from RUPD about their initiative and what the goal of using these systems is,” Kumar said. “I would like to see a bit more context as to why they’re launching it at Rice and really what steps they’re taking to ensure that it’s going to help Rice students on campus as a whole.”

If it’s going to keep the campus safe, then I think we owe it to the Rice community to try and explore that option

RICE UNIVERSITY POLICE DEPARTMENT CHIEF

VIVIAN LANG / THRESHER

Fifth datathon held at Rice

The Rice Datathon, run by the Rice DataSci Club and the Rice D2K Lab, returned for its fifth year this past weekend, hosting approximately 470 participants from across the country and attaining a significantly higher in-person attendance than previous years, according to Apple Li, co-director of this year’s event.

The event reflected an almost yearlong effort by its four directors – Li, Eddie Kim, Jacob Kasner and Jacob Pan – and 14 committee members to accomplish their goal of bringing the annual datathon back to a largely in-person format and improving upon its previous incarnations.

According to Kasner, one of the goals for the event this year was to expand access to the Datathon for non-Rice students. This datathon was the first time non-Rice participants attended the datathon in person.

“We had three goals that we were primarily working on,” Kasner, a Brown College sophomore, said. “One was expanding access to the event to more reflect the diversity of Houston so the Rice Datathon is no longer just a Rice event. We also invited UH, TSU, PVA, MU and HCC, and we had people fly in from different places across the country.”

After the former executive director of Rice D2K Lab and the head of the D2K left their positions at the end of last year, Kasner said the Datathon directors were left without the institutional support they usually counted on to orchestrate the event.

“The event has about $20,000 worth of funding that we raised from different sponsors. And reestablishing those relationships has not been a simple process” Kasner said. “It became a particular challenge when [Rice] had not given us oversight or support, for most of ... May to November, and then arrived in November and needed [information].”

The 2023 Datathon offered three projecttrack opportunities in various subject fields using data from sponsors Bill.com, Chevron and BakerRipley. Additionally, according to Kasner, a beginner challenge designed for those with little data science experience introduced participants to various techniques for managing publicly available FDA data on mammograms.

Sanjeev Rajakumar, who took second place in the beginner challenge, registered for the Datathon as a way to develop such skills in a field that he had few prior experiences with.

“There are not that many data science experiences that I’ve seen so far,” Rajakumar, a freshman from Brown, said.

“So I thought this was a really good way to build those skills, especially because [the datathon is] so beginner friendly.”

Dasha Selivonenko and teammates took first place in the BakerRipley track of the Datathon, where groups were tasked with providing a data story of BakerRipley’s Get Out the Vote Efforts in the 2022 Election.

Selivonenko, a Brown freshman, said the opportunity to work with others in a field she is passionate about was a highlight of the Datathon.

“It was very rewarding getting to learn new technologies and being able to connect with all these data science people at Rice and beyond,” Selivonenko said.

Adam Tao, another COMP 310 TA, previously voiced his complaints about the course in a Thresher article last semester while he was a student in the class. Now, he said he believes that removing the course is taking it too far.

“If it gets canceled ... I think it is a shame,” Tao, a Jones junior, said. “He puts in an ungodly amount of work into the course. There was one night before one of the projects was due, he literally stayed in his office the entire night. I think he just pulled an all-nighter in case anybody needed help.”

Clayton Ramsey, a Baker College senior double majoring in computer science and electrical engineering, said he took COMP 310 last fall and didn’t find the course to be useful for him.

“The approach to using Java and the technologies used [in the class] are all about 10 years out of date, just by a rough estimate,” Ramsey said. “One of the most notable examples I can think of is in the second half of the course, we use a framework called Java remote method invocation ... [which] is now officially deprecated. And we’re still using it seven or eight years after the fact.”

Chuk Uzowihe, a Hanszen College junior who also took COMP 310 last fall, said he was overwhelmed by the course’s heavy workload and felt like the materials he learned were mostly useless.

“The amount of stuff that we learned in terms of new programming techniques and ideas that were actually relevant

were like, little to none,” Uzowihe said. “Dr. Wong basically spent a very long time talking about a few specific design patterns ... And oftentimes, they wouldn’t even really be that useful or that applicable outside of a few specific cases.”

Quang Nguyen, who took COMP 310 last fall, said that despite the course’s intense timeline and workload, he feels Wong has demonstrated willingness to adjust based on student feedback, as evidenced by him canceling this semester’s final project and offering extensions last semester.

“[COMP 310] was the most practical experience for me in terms of software development,” Nguyen, a Jones junior, said. “You get all these soft skills and practice through the class: doing things in time crunch, working with strangers in the class because we have random partners and just doing intensive stuff, working with vague documentations. I feel like those are very important skills that I think I wouldn’t have learned from any other class.”

Jermaine said that the faculty working group will almost certainly recommend changes to the computer science curriculum, but the recommendation is not final.

“They’ll need to be approved at multiple levels, including the university [committee on the undergraduate curriculum],” Jermaine said. “Even if the working group proposes, ‘let’s not require COMP XXX,’ such a proposal would have to make it through several levels of approvals.”

GAZI FUAD / THRESHER

Even if the working group proposes, ‘let’s not require COMP XXX,’ such a proposal would have to make it through several levels of approvals.

Christopher Jermaine COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Do the bare minimum and return your plates

Housing and Dining recently spoke out about an unacceptable number of missing ceramic plates from serveries across campus, prompting several college presidents and coordinators to remind students not to throw these plates away or leave them in shared spaces. The issue has gotten so bad that H&D has stated that they will begin charging colleges each time they find one in the trash. We should be mortified that the situation has come to this. Seriously, y’all? We’re all smart enough to get into this school, and we’re definitely smart enough to distinguish between paper plates that are able to be

GUEST OPINION

disposed of and ceramic plates that most certainly are not. We realize many students are not yet used to the pre-pandemic nondisposable plates. But that is utterly no excuse for students throwing these plates in the trash, leaving them in public spaces or keeping them for their own personal use.

This is just part of a trend we’ve noticed in this post-pandemic era where shared things and spaces are not treated with the respect they deserve. Choosing to be part of this community means treating H&D staff and communal spaces with basic levels of respect.

EDITORIAL STAFF

* Indicates Editorial Board member

H&D will be adding bins at the colleges to make it even easier to return your plates. H&D staff does so much work for us already — it is distressing and insulting to make them count the number of plates in the trash in addition to their other duties. As students, we should do the absolute bare minimum of returning our plates so that someone else can wash them. We always ask for the administration to trust us, to treat us like adults. But only a child would throw away a reusable plate or leave it somewhere expecting a real adult to clean up after them.

Will Rice adapt to AI or be left at its mercy?

ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a form of artificial intelligence technology that has been growing in popularity amongst students, especially those in academia. Rice University has seen a recent surge in students utilizing ChatGPT to help them in their coursework, raising questions about its usefulness and appropriate usage.

The popularity of GPT as a tool for completing assignments has grown due to its capability to generate high-quality, persuasive writing. It assists students in quickly producing academically sound papers at a much faster rate than if they were to complete the project on their own. GPT can also be used to effectively research topics and generate quality citations. As such, ChatGPT has become an attractive choice for students at Rice University who are short on time and need to quickly finish an assignment.

Yet, there is also the potential for abuse of this technology, as some students could potentially use it for plagiarism or for submitting papers that are not their own work. As such, it is important for Rice University to consider how it can respond in order to maintain academic integrity.

One response to this dilemma could be for the university to require students to disclose their usage of GPT when submitting assignments. This would allow the university to keep track of the use of GPT and easily recognize if a student is relying on it too heavily. However, such a policy could dissuade some students from using GPT and lead to a less efficient use of the technology.

Another potential response is for the university to develop a system to detect and flag any suspicious use of GPT. This could be done by creating a system that detects any potential signs of plagiarism or unoriginal work, such as particular phrases or language

approach and resources, the university should be able to develop an effective response that takes into account the needs of both students and faculty.

With the seemingly distant future approaching faster and faster everyday, students, staff and the Rice administration must keep pace. It may surprise some readers to discover that this entire article besides these final two paragraphs was created with the GPT-3 AI by the company OpenAI. The entire article was written using the simple prompt, “Write an article debating the usage of chat gpt by students at rice university for classes, and how the university should respond to the usage of chat gpt.”

patterns. While this could be effective in identifying students who are attempting to abuse the use of GPT, it could also unfairly penalize students who are simply utilizing it to its full potential.

In the end, Rice University must come up with a feasible solution that prioritizes both academic integrity and students’ learning. To this end, the university should consider developing a well-defined policy that outlines the proper usage of GPT and making sure to provide adequate resources to help students in understanding and appropriately using the technology.

Ultimately, the challenge for Rice University lies in finding the right balance between preserving its academic standards and allowing students the opportunity to benefit from the use of GPT. With the right

This is a powerful example of how this type of AI can be used inside and outside of the classroom. I am by no means a coder, and within a few minutes of trying prompts I could create an entire article. In fact, after using the AI to complete this article, I made two separate cover letters using it. With all this being said, this is a growing technology, much like the early days of Google, and just as universities adapted to Google, they will need to adapt to AI. The question everyone at Rice must ask is what will that adaptation look like?

Bradley Ramsey MCMURTRY COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

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In “Quiet confidence: Travis Evee wants the last shot,” Travis Evee attended Virginia Military Institute, not Vermont Military Institute.

With the seemingly distant future approaching faster and faster everyday, students, staff and the Rice administration must keep pace.

NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER

SHAFI FOR THE THRESHER

Being able to genuinely enjoy time by yourself is a rare feat. Everyone is swept up in the whirlwind of constantly socializing. Being alone and having fun with yourself is something many values. Yet, having fun alone is the ultimate power move. This Valentine’s Day, take pride in being able to celebrate self-love even if you aren’t celebrating a romantic relationship. After all, you can’t exactly break up with yourself, so show yourself some love and foster this important relationship. Take a break from social media and doom-scrolling, and recharge by taking some time off studying. Here are some exciting solo dates perfect for a session of self-love wooing.

An evening in nature

Get a blanket, a good book and your favorite food (I strongly recommend Coppa Osteria’s Moroccan pizza). Walk on over to the picturesque Japanese Garden at Hermann Park. Bonus points if you watch the sunset.

Retail therapy

Nothing beats the thrill of scoring exactly what you want while shopping. Luckily, Houston is home to many thrift stores. Take yourself on a date to the plethora of thrift stores in the Montrose area, especially Out of the Closet, Buffalo Exchange and the Cottage Shop. If fashion is not your thing, don’t fret. Perhaps a bookstore such as Brazos Bookstore, Barnes and Noble or Murder by the Book will do the trick.

Get crafty

This Valentine’s Day, discover the art of enjoying your solitude with a crafts project to keep you company. It can be as simple as doodling on a piece of paper on your desk. Or, you can plan a spontaneous art date with yourself at Honey Art Cafe — get involved in all sorts of crafts, from watercolor painting to making tassel earrings, while grabbing a snack from their cafe.

Release your frustrations

There is something cathartic about channeling your inner Hulk by smashing plates into walls. At Break Life, just a 15-minute drive from campus, take advantage of your pent-up stress, frustration, and anger, and emerge as a completely new (calmer) person. Tickets cost $50 for a ten-minute break session. Or if you’re looking for something less violent, The Splatter Room in Houston Heights might be for you. Starting at $30, fling paint around a room and create a colorful masterpiece.

Candle Making

Pop over to Love & Make for nearly a week of candle-making workshops. Make a DIY centerpiece with your candle on Feb. 10 or, if you’re above 21, go solo on Feb. 11 and enjoy some cocktails. Other candlemaking workshops include mimosa bars and charcuterie boards, so at least you’ll be tipsy while sitting alone at your dinner table surrounded by an unhealthy amount of candles.

RIYA MISRA FEATURES EDITOR

So your situationship ended things by saying “we’re not friends with benefits because we’re not really friends,” and now ten months later, you’re sitting on the Texas Medical Center sidewalk crying on his shoulder. Happy Valentine’s Day. So you’re not single and you’re not cuffed. You’re stuck in the weirdest, worst in-between stage possible: the situationship. I am — resentfully so — a seasoned veteran, so here’s my advice: end it. If you won’t listen to that, because there is absolutely no reason to ever listen to my advice, then read some situationship V-Day plans I’ve rounded up for you.

Leave early

Go out to a restaurant or something — nothing fancy, please. Just an entirely mediocre, wholly forgettable pizza parlor. Make your friend call you, on speakerphone, hysterical towards the end of the date. Her pet capybara is on fire. A swarm of bees got into your apartment. Her pet capybara is on fire in your apartment, and now your apartment is on fire too. Just get out of there because if you go home with your situationship on Valentine’s Day, there’s a solid chance your child will be celebrating their tenth birthday around Thanksgiving 2033.

Rooftop movie

Keeping in line with my previous sentiment, please don’t pay for an actual rooftop movie. I love the Rooftop Cinema Club but I guarantee your situationship isn’t worth the price of a ticket, so just DIY your rooftop movie. There are plenty of roofs available with just a bit of elbow grease. Personally, I like Seibel. Bring a blanket — and maybe some knee pads.

Sculpture sightseeing

Take your person-thing to the Menil Gallery to see some outdoor sculptures or go to the Cullen Sculpture Garden at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, which features 20th and 21st-century sculptures by artists such as Henry Matisse and Auguste Rodin. Y’all are seeing other naked people, anyways. You might as well support Houston’s local art scene while doing it.

Watch “Bojack Horseman”

“Bojack Horseman” is the best bad relationship show. My mind will not be changed. Cuddle up and turn on Season 1, Episode 6, where Bojack steals the ‘D’ from the Hollywood sign. If you stay in that situationship, it might be the most romantic thing you’ll ever witness.

Be a flake

Just don’t see them. Don’t go. An hour before your plans? Oh no, you’re so sorry, you have a 106 (?) degree fever. Cough, cough. Then you’re free to eat minestrone soup straight from the can and watch “Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things? Let’s Find Out!” in bed. There’s beauty in being alone. And besides — if they can’t commit, why should you?

So Valentine’s Day is here, and you get to spend it frolicking around with your other half and basking in mutual affection. That’s awesome. No, really. Everyone at the Thresher is so happy for you. Especially me, whose Valentine’s plans entail a very romantic Zoom call with my long-distance partner. Though I can’t participate myself, I’ve rounded up some activities for you lucky little monsters to do with your sweethearts. Go forth, enjoy, and remember to send your single friends an apology Venmo on the 15th.

Purple Glaze

Located in Rice Village, Purple Glaze allows you to paint and decorate premade ceramics, which will then be fired into functional and personal keepsakes. Make surprise gifts for each other (couple’s mugs, anyone?) or collaborate on a joint masterpiece. According to Purple Glaze’s website, pieces are ready for pickup in five days.

Murder By The Book

There’s nothing more romantic than supporting independent businesses. A great pick for the amateur sleuth or bibliophile, Murder By The Book is a specialty bookstore that’s been around since 1980. They boast a huge collection of crime and mystery novels and a super charming ambiance. You and your honey can pick out books for each other, then go home to cuddle and read. Also, they sell puzzles!

A Lego Valentine’s

This one’s for all the cuffed engineers, which is a miracle in itself. In the daytime, enjoy a stroll around the Houston Botanical Gardens to check out their new exhibit Nature Connects, which is running through Feb. 19. The exhibit features larger-than-life sculptures of plants and animals made entirely of Lego bricks, and tickets are only $8 with your Rice ID. Back home, work together to build a Lego bouquet or pair of roses for a nerdy and longer-lasting twist on the traditional gift of flowers.

Cidercade

A $10 entry ticket gets you unlimited plays on over 275 arcade games, including some real classics. There’s lots of opportunities to play co-op or head-to-head, so you can either test your teamwork or remind your boo who’s boss. You can grab food from on-site food trucks and hard cider (hence the name) from the bar.

Heads up: Cidercade is 21+ starting at 7 p.m. on Valentine’s Day.

Movies with a Twist

A movie? For Valentine’s Day? Groundbreaking. But, hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you’re looking to spice up your date night film-watching, head to Moonstruck Drive In for a retro vibe (and maybe hit a 50’s diner for V-Day dinner) or Rooftop Cinema Club for a spectacular view — just don’t forget a blanket. Both theaters are showing “The Notebook” on Feb. 14, and Rooftop Cinema Club is also doing “Love & Basketball.”

ZAARA

How to be single on Valentine’s Day

I’m happy for you and not jealous at all: V-Day couples activities

Leave before you get left: Navigating your V-day situationship

FELICITY PHELAN THRESHER STAFF

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

Groundhog Day

Dives for apples

Red Delicious or Honeycrisp

Texter’s laugh

Sound after a mistake

Taj _____

Chopped down

Singer Sawayama

Celebration in June

Hostile

Bargain

Austrian capital

Rowboat propellers

Plant with fronds

Leaf through, as a book

Contribution to charity

Hermione’s love interest

Key part of a ship

Prefix meaning “death”

Offshore

Rice off. that holds Spring Expo

Podium

Uses a phone

Exam

Miss Piggy’s “Who, me?”

Aged, as old paper

Not present

Dry

Get ready

Common spring allergen

Kamala Khan for Ms. Marvel or Riri

Williams for Ironheart

Potato, in Pune and Punjab

2018 King Princess song, or actress

Shire of “Rocky”

Angered

Pulitzer-winning Kendrick Lamar

album

Senior

Egyptian river

Vegan-friendly menu marker, for short

Duane _____

Receives

Common German city suffix

State of Cincinnati

Lawyer’s pro ____ work

Sundial feature

Units of current

Law firm assistants, for short

Punxsutawney celebrity

Wee one

“Stranger Things” protagonist

Wailed

Beasts of burden

Low-fat, as meat

Genetic material, in AP Bio

Marx’s “___ Kapital”

Country experiencing outrage over the murder of Mahsa Amini

Gives up, in poker

“Whose Line Is It Anyway?” comedian Wayne

_____ the Riveter

Basketball player Shaquille

Chopped, as some onions

“_ ____, I saw, I conquered”

Constellation with famous belt

Response to “Should I stand?”

Pretended

Hendrix song “___ _____ the Watchtower”

In pain, after a workout

Raw steak

Season that lasts for six more weeks if 7-down sees 4-down

Honey maker

Season coming soon if 7-down does not see 4-down

Worked at, as a trade Crib

Patron saint of Norway

Capital of Togo

“M*A*S*H” actor Alan

Cleveland’s Great Lake

Traditional Hanukkah gift

Poems of admiration

A in IPA

From Main Street to Marais: Rice Global Paris Center

starts new course

anymore,” Dib said. “I want to tap into that superpower that we’re going to have in Paris.”

The course and the center as a whole will benefit from Paris’s history, according to Dib. While Paris’s museums, archives and architecture are invaluable resources for the students, so are the city and the wider French culture.

All the Maymester students will be living in the same house, with individual rooms. It is also located in a different neighborhood than their classroom, forcing students to interact with the city.

Houston, we have lift off — to Paris. Beyond just expanding the university’s footprint and providing another opportunity for students to take wideangle selfies, Rice’s new Global Paris Center promises to be a transformative experience for students, researchers and faculty.

“This summer marks the foray into actual programming,” Meredith Bonner, the executive administrator of global and digital strategy, said. “So we have quite an impressive list of faculty conferences lined up in Paris this summer, along with this student program.”

While the Global Paris Center itself is young, Rice’s broader presence in Paris is 20 years old with Rice’s School of Architecture’s Paris Studio. This expansion and creation of the new center was partly driven by the desire to provide more accessible international experiences for Rice students.

“We think it’s really important for students at Rice to have access to global new experiences that will open their eyes,” Bonner said. “We also wanted to create more opportunities for students, who have very busy, very challenging

academic lives. So we’re hoping these sorts of three-week intensive courses will allow students to fit that really excellent international experience into their calendar.”

The first “Maymester” course, EcoStudio In Paris, will run May 8 to 26. It will also count as an elective for the Environmental Studies minor and includes options for financial aid. Summer tuition qualifies for some financial aid, and eligible students can apply for assistance covering travel expenses.

Lina Dib, an anthropologist and lecturer at the Program for Writing and Communication, will be teaching the course. She is also a practicing artist and has had several large public art pieces around Houston. Dib said her interdisciplinary background is reflected in the structure of the course itself.

“[The course is] a mix of fieldwork, studio practice and a bit of theory,” Dib said.

Dib hopes that the course will offer students a fresh world perspective, escaping the familiarity of Rice’s campus.

“When we are new to a space, we notice [new] things that we don’t notice

partnership with a French institution in order to host classes this summer.

“This summer, the Rice Global Paris Center is a state of mind, it’s not necessarily a physical space,” Bonner said.

Dib said she feels strongly about connecting with one’s surroundings and hopes the course will help students accomplish that.

Lina Dib ECOSTUDIO IN PARIS INSTRUCTOR

“We have a really nice classroom in the Marais district, and then you get to experience another side of Paris where you are living,” Bonner said. “You will get to taste different flavors of the city.”

While the Center itself is currently not permitted to host students, Rice has a

READ ONLINE

“This is a chance for us to think about what we call nature, how we separate ourselves from nature and how we curate it,” Dib said. “Our ... senses are going to be extra-sharp and there will be a lot of paying attention to our surroundings.”

It remains to be seen how Rice’s peculiarities will translate to Paris.

“This is an opportunity to showcase Rice to the rest of Europe: what it is, what it feels like and what it does,” Bonner said.

Owls After Dark builds community

ADAM LEFF FOR THE THRESHER

ACROSS DOWN

JAYAKER KOLLI CROSSWORD EDITOR

This is a chance for us to think about what we call nature, how we separate ourselves from nature and how we curate it. Our ... senses are going to be extra-sharp.

COURTESY LINA DIB

HUGO GERBICH PAIS THRESHER STAFF

Review: ‘ROE’ grapples with history, humanity and heartbreak

scene towards the end of the play.

The play lends this humanity to both sides of the story. Even anti-abortion activists such as Flip Benham (Foster Davis), an evangelical minister, or Ronda, a pro-life woman (Skye Bronfenbrenner), are portrayed thoughtfully and are granted a level of dimension.

Anti-Valentine’s rom-coms to cry to

HADLEY MEDLOCK A&E ASST. EDITOR

“Roe” was born in 2015, 42 years after its namesake, when playwright Lisa Loomer was prompted to write a script for a project about a critical moment in American history. Since then, Loomer has adapted the script in rhythm with the ever-changing landscape surrounding reproduction rights in America. The most recent update, after the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, is an obituary for Roe v. Wade, and it premiered by Stages in Montrose.

Directed by Kim McKean, “Roe” cuts through a 50-year buildup of political discourse and divisive rhetoric in an attempt to humanize the people behind Roe v. Wade. At the center of the play is the story of Sarah Weddington (Kelley Peters), the lawyer who argued Roe v. Wade before the Supreme Court, and Norma McCorvey (Teresa Zimmerman), the plaintiff and face behind the intangible Jane Roe. Weaving in and out of Weddington and McCorvey’s stories, “Roe” is an engaging and masterful play that captures the nuances of two women who defined America’s abortion movement in the late 20th century.

Like any other form of storytelling, “Roe” is not immune to historical inaccuracies. History is told by the victors, and “Roe” knows this. Throughout the play, characters constantly break the fourth wall, saying “according to my Wikipedia profile...” or “my obituary said...” to the audience. By acknowledging how stories are changed over time, “Roe” tells the story of Sarah and Norma with a degree of humility, knowing that they aren’t — and don’t need to be — the sole authority over Roe v. Wade’s history.

“Roe” is also focused on capturing the humanity behind the court case. Zimmerman portrays the sharp-tongued Norma, a poor woman in her early 20s who lost custody of her previous two children and was seeking an abortion for the third, with an equal balance of cynicism and compassion. Norma frequently drops rousing zingers — biting back to a friend’s remark that she’s going to hell on a scholarship with a terse “I’m tryin’” — but never fails to remind the audience of the difficult realities of having your body turned into a form of ideology.

“All you cared about was Roe the case. You didn’t give a damn about Roe the person,” Norma told Sarah in a pointed

It certainly helped that the play was set on a small thrust stage, which gave it the dual advantage of maintaining a large backdrop — often used throughout the play to broadcast archival audio and video from the actual ruling in 1973 — and creating intimacy with the audience. With three front rows on each side of the stage, the actors were only ever a few feet away from the audience. When the cast had fun, so did the audience, laughing along to frantic costume changes set to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” or oddly intimate speculum scenes where a housewife proudly declares “I tried to find [my cervix] last week, but my husband and son came back early.”

All of the actors shone in their roles, but Zimmerman particularly takes the cake for her tender portrayal of Norma’s journey toward Christianity and her desire to find a community. In a contemporary world that is marked by scathing commentary about abortion from both sides, Zimmerman’s depiction of Norma and her relationship with Benham is uniquely touching.

In an impassioned scene where Norma recounts her own obituary to the audience, Zimmerman yells, “I died of a broken heart! This country never gave a shit about me,” a startling yet necessary reminder of Norma’s own humanity.

The play ends in a courtroom debate scene, with Sarah and the now pro-life Norma fleshing out the classic arguments for and against abortion. Their arguments are punctuated with a pregnant cast member who arises from the audience, scared and begging for the truth about her pregnancy. With finality, Peters sums up the crux of the play and the stories it seeks to tell with one question: “The truth? Whose?”

Trouble in paradise? Love blooms at these flower shops

SARA DAVIDSON THRESHER STAFF

Spring is (sort of) sprung, and the lovely month of February brings the hotly contested holiday that everyone secretly hates but some are more vocal about than others: Valentine’s Day. Sure, the day can be nice with or without a significant other, but the capitalism behind the whole thing is insane. How many mini chocolate heart arrangements can clog up the grocery store aisles? Personally, I much prefer Feb. 15, when everything is on sale. However, one thing that stays classy every day of the week is flowers. They brighten up a room and they can be more personalized than any heart shaped candy could ever be. Here are some of the best local floral shops to check out if you want to impress anyone on your Valentine’s Day list. Or, quite frankly, to buy for any reason, not just a capitalistic, secretly despised holiday.

Fannin Flowers

First up on our list is a family-owned business that offers special orders, prearranged assortments and single fresh flowers for an easy shopping experience. From roses to ranunculus, this shop has prices comparable to what one would expect from your average grocery store, but with higher quality and much greater variety. Although they’re the least expensive shop on the list, they make no sacrifices in quality. Fannin Flowers also has a unique selection of flowers, with my personal favorite being the matsumoto aster.

This florist is right off of the corner of campus directly across the street from the BRC. That’s right — even those who live at their lab can quickly shop for flowers to brighten up another overworked STEM major’s life. Their Classic Bloom arrangement is perfect for convenience, and a portion of their website is even dedicated to Valentine’s Day flower arrangements. They are a bit pricier than what you would find at your local store but come beautifully detailed, even down to the vase. Their flowers are sourced from Wildflower Family of Florists, a local business.

Isidora Flowers

According to their website, they were voted Houston’s Best Flower Shop. They’re also conveniently located in Rice Village across the street from Insomnia Cookies, which makes an elevated version of chocolate and flowers super attainable. They have a limited edition Valentine’s collection that will be available for both delivery and pick up Feb. 10 through 15. The store offers everything from arranged flowers to other plants like succulents. A subscription service is also available, so the gift of flowers could keep on giving far after Valentine’s Day has come and gone.

Awesome Flowers

Just as the name implies, this florist is another option close to Rice with beautiful bouquets and great Valentine’s Day specials. After perusing many floral shop websites, I have learned to lower my expectations of what I consider a reasonable price to pay for a bouquet, and this shop’s flowers are relatively affordable. Their arrangements that include many vibrant colors that are sure to make even Lovett rooms a little bit brighter. They also include a guide at the bottom for those who are curious about what the various colors symbolize. Now you can send the right colors to those you respect, hold friendships with or maybe occasionally hook up

Sick and tired of love? Dread walking into Target for groceries and seeing rows upon rows of pink and red? The Thresher understands, and we’re here for you during this trying time. While I do consider myself to be a bit of a hopeless romantic, I still have plenty of heartbreaking movies for you bitter singles in my repertoire and am willing to share. So, listen to our anti-Valentine’s playlist while reading through the Thresher’s official list of anti-rom-coms for Valentine’s Day haters.

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

What screams “I love Valentine’s Day” more than a movie about two former lovers getting their fondest memories of each other erased? Nothing, in my opinion.

“Someone Great”

Where to watch: Netflix

If you’re looking for a sweet little romance where the guy and girl break up but eventually cross paths again and end up happily ever after, this isn’t the movie for you. After facing a breakup with her boyfriend of nine years when she accepts her dream job in San Francisco, Jenny Young (Gina Rodriguez) and her two best friends, Erin (DeWanda Wise) and Blair (Brittany Snow) enjoy one more night together in New York City.

“The Love Witch”

Where to watch: Pluto, Tubi, Peacock

If you feel like channeling a femme fatale this February, “The Love Witch” may be the movie for you. This campy horror movie follows Elaine (Samantha Robinson), a young witch who cooks up potions and performs rituals in hopes of finding a new lover after the death of her husband. Her witchcraft works too well, though, and Elaine finds herself with a line of clingy men falling head over heels for her. The only solution, then, is to kill them. Or at least that seems to be what Elaine thinks.

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

Where to watch: Hulu

A French historical romantic drama, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is great for anyone who loves a period piece. Set at the end of the 18th century, this movie tells the story of Marianne (Noemie Merlant), a painter commissioned to observe brideto-be Héloïse (Adele Haenel) and paint her wedding portrait in secret. As the two spend this time together, a romantic attraction begins to form.

A Classic Bloom

GENESIS HAHN / THRESHER

RIYA MISRA FEATURES EDITOR

COURTESY MELISSA TAYLOR

Teresa Zimmerman and Troi Coleman in Stages’ production of “Roe,” an obituary for Roe v. Wade

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY

“My real interest became working with Arturo O’Farrill,” Brinkley said. “We were very interested in thinking about the cross-pollination of American and Mexican music. We started looking at putting together a way to record ‘Fandango At The Wall.’ In fact, I went down with a bunch of musicians and we actually did an outdoor concert against the wall in Tijuana, Mexico.”

Brinkley considers music a creative outlet and said that he is naturally drawn to humanities.

“I’m much more about visual painting and photography and classical and jazz and pop music,” Brinkley said. “Sometimes when you have to do history writing, you have to stay so close to the facts that you become a little more about empirical data and so … music provides me with a way to let my creative spirit experiment.”

According to Brinkley, history is meant to be intentionally revisited and expanded upon, while music is a living force.

“I feel when I write history, I’m hoping years from now somebody will make a different statement and revisit one of my books,” Brinkley said. “Music projects, I feel like they’re a statement themselves that kind of lives in a very organic way.”

Brinkley said that one of his favorite parts of his musical journey has been seeing the unexpected interest in Arturo O’ Farrill’s work, especially younger audiences’ newfound interest in the jazz world.

“When I see that it’s an art form that’s very much alive, not just museumized, it makes me happy,” Brinkley said.

In the future, he hopes to continue exploring music styles from different countries. Brinkley said that he enjoys how other countries are experimenting with creating art through the intersection of poetry and jazz, and telling their folktales and traditions through their music.

“Every country has these great musical traditions, and it’s really fun to be an expeditionary and learn about new artists in different countries … I know the American scene pretty well, but getting to be a discoverer, it’s like traveling to a new country,” Brinkley said. “It’s exhilarating for me, because these artists … aren’t marquee names, but their musicianship is phenomenal.”

Though he loves writing, Brinkley said that he tries to make time for music as well by playing music with other musicians in his free time.

“I’m strangely having a lot of success in the music field right now,’ Brinkley said. “It’s about having a passion, and I’m doing it out of fun. But it has been rewarding to know that some people have noticed.”

Review: ‘Honey’ is a bittersweet confession

EMELIA GAUCH FOR THE THRESHER

Recorded in the woods of North Carolina, Samia’s second studio album “Honey” is a confident, self-aware and unique addition to Samia’s growing discography. Dark and dreamy, “Honey” is an honest reflection on heartbreak, angst and feeling lost.

The album opens with the song “Kill Her Freak Out” and a jarring confession: “I’ll fucking kill her, and I’ll fucking freak out.” Samia’s harsh honesty is balanced with a more vulnerable truth, “Can I tell you something? I’ve never felt so unworthy of loving.” Throughout “Honey,” Samia sets deep — sometimes grotesque — human emotions against personal confessions. The album speaks to a very strong desire present in all of us to feel loved for the most honest version of ourselves, but more shamelessly examines the insecurity and toxicity that can come along with this.

Feelings of worthlessness are a common thread throughout the album’s first half. This part of the album is not consistent in lyrical quality, but is well produced with pleasant vocals. “Charm You” is very simplistic, yet the soft and pretty acoustics still create a satisfying listening experience. “Mad At Me” has a similar problem, but the uncomplicated lyrics are again supplemented by an upbeat ‘80s synth and bouncy energy. Even in her less lyrically strong moments, Samia crafts a song that listeners would want to listen to on repeat.

“Sea Lions” and “Pink Balloon” mark Samia’s reactions to relationships that are nearing their ends. Although they speak to similar topics, they take radically different paths. While Samia tries to make amends with

Top Track: ‘Honey’

her lover in “Pink Balloon,” she is banging on the door and screaming in “Sea Lions.” We move through her rage with her.

“Breathing Song,” the seventh track on the album, acts as a hinge between the sadness, rage and heartbreak present in the first half of the album and the glittering hopefulness of the second. “Breathing Song” is also one of the strongest songs, a brutal culmination of all the emotions present throughout the previous tracks. Touching on several challenging topics, from miscarriages to sexual violence, “Breathing Song” hurts. It left me breathless by the end, as Samia discusses maintaining a relationship with her sexual abuser and her desire to defend him when she discusses her assault. Listeners can feel her pain and ache with her. This article has been cut off for print. Read the full article at ricethresher.org.

New Rice Village coffee shop serves up inclusivity one cup at a time

“This is a safe space for everyone,” Solovitz said. “It doesn’t matter if you have a disability or not. You’re all welcome here.”

18 year-old Nicolas Figuera said that working at Bitty and Beau’s is his first job. Along with ordering and making drinks, he is also a homeschooled high school student.

“I have a busy schedule, but that’s okay because I want to be productive,” Figuera said. “Before I wasn’t that productive. Now I’m just getting the motivation for it … I just want to help my family … Also, I’m still in high school, and hopefully I can graduate in the next two years or so, approximately. But I love this job, it’s my favorite.”

“Some things are getting harder than I thought [they] would be. But it’s okay because I’m learning how to manage myself these days,” Figuera said. “I have autism and sometimes it is hard for me to change my behavior in difficult situations. But I also have Type 1 diabetes. In fact, when my glucose is out of the range – when it’s low or high — it could be potentially dangerous. So my parents did a great job raising me. In fact, my parents are going to be here in like, 15 minutes to pick me up … You can ask one last question.”

The newest addition to the Bitty and Beau’s Coffee chain opened its doors in Rice Village on Jan. 14, almost seven years after the original shop’s opening in Wilmington, N.C. Founders Ben and Amy Wright named the business after their children Bitty and Beau, who both have Down syndrome. The franchise aims to empower and advocate for people with disabilities by including them in the workforce.

According to Amy Wright, Bitty and Beau’s has 17 shops open across 12 states, and the franchise has now hired more than 400 people with disabilities. She said that it’s refreshing to welcome people with disabilities into the workforce because some have skill sets that businesses could desperately use.

“As the parents of kids with disabilities, you start thinking about their future,” Wright said. “And one of the obstacles people with disabilities face in our country is meaningful employment. 80% of people with disabilities are unemployed in our

country. We saw the handwriting on the wall for our kids and didn’t want that future for them, so we decided to create a business that employs people with disabilities.”

Even when people are lining up around the block for Bitty and Beau’s, as they did for its grand opening, Wright says her employees are worth the wait. Michelle Solovitz, a new employee at the Houston store, said that she found out about Bitty and Beau’s through her workplace manager, who works through Jewish Family Service to help people with disabilities find jobs.

“I like it a lot, because at my other job, there weren’t really people like myself that had disabilities,” Solovitz said. “So I’m like, ‘Okay, I don’t really know how to talk to people – normal people.’ So I’m glad that here you get to meet new people like me, so I don’t feel as bad that I don’t know a lot of people.”

According to Solovitz, the team puts on dance parties during shifts so they can unwind before the store opens. Solovitz said that the team at the store already feels like a second family.

Figuera said that he likes learning about history — particularly urban history — and memorizing dates. He said that his parents, who moved to Houston from Venezuela in 1999, have done a great job raising him, and that it’s hard for them to let go of him as he becomes more independent.

“My dad and mom are already proud of me,” Figuera said. “And they’ve been customers before. I just wanted to raise awareness for intellectual disabilities and just make them feel more welcome. Including those who have Down syndrome, autism — I have autism too. And I also know some friends who have cerebral palsy and ADHD. I also have ADHD as well.”

Figuera said that he hopes to eventually attend Texas A&M University in College Station, and that his dad has mentioned a scholarship that he could apply for.

The new store’s proximity to Rice offers students a new spot to meet or work in. Drew Scoggins, who owns the Houston franchise with Kelly Scoggins, said in an email to the Thresher that the store will be extending its hours to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays to accommodate Rice students looking for a home to study in. But what to order? Solovitz loves the frozen hot chocolate with whipped cream, and Figuera recommends the chocolate milk with whipped cream.

“Every coffee is like a miracle,” Figuera said. “And a miracle is like some better things might happen. And Bitty and Beau are actually real people — they’re Mrs. Wright’s children who have Down syndrome. And I like the idea. And I love how they open locations across the United States, and I just wanted the awareness to be so big … I get so happy because Bitty and Beau’s Coffee is like my work home.”

COURTESY GRAND JURY MUSIC

I feel when I write history, I’m hoping years from now somebody will make a different statement and revisit one of my books. Music projects, I feel like they’re a statement themselves that kind of lives in a very organic way ... When I see that it’s an art form that’s very much alive, not just museumized, it makes me happy.

Douglas Brinkley RICE HISTORY PROFESSOR

My dad and mom are already proud of me. And they’ve been customers before. I just wanted to raise awareness for intellectual disabilities and just make them feel more welcome. Including those who have Down Syndrome, autism — I have autism too.

Nicolas Figuera BITTY AND BEAU’S EMPLOYEE

MICHELLE GACHELIN A&E EDITOR

COURTESY MATT RAY

Bitty and Beau’s Coffee opened a new shop in Rice Village on Jan. 14 dedicated to empowering people with disabilities and serving the houston community.

After stretch of tough luck, Quincy Olivari’s shots are falling

than nine points per game, at a 36.6% clip. But towards the middle of conference play, he began to find his old form, and strung together three straight double-doubles. Closing in on his fourth in a game against the University of Texas at El Paso, Olivari took a hard foul while driving to the basket and broke his wrist, ending his season.

But while he struggled to cope with the injury at first, Olivari said it ultimately changed the way he approached the game, allowing him to better understand the amount of effort required to play at a high level consistently while also giving him a chance to develop his left-handed dribbling and shooting skills.

“I was about to commit to Charleston Southern [University] and that fell through,” Olivari said. “The coaching staff actually just stopped picking up my phone calls. I was calling to commit, and nobody picked up the phone.”

DANIEL SCHRAGER SPORTS EDITOR

Quincy Olivari got hit by a car once. Two summers ago, Rice’s now-junior guard was biking in Hawaii when a driver ran a stop sign and sent him flying onto the pavement. But according to Olivari, while he couldn’t dodge the car, he did dodge a proverbial bullet.

“I destroyed their windshield and their hood,” Olivari said. “And I had no helmet on. And by the grace of God, all I walked away with was having to get 15 stitches in my left shoulder. Like no internal bleeding, no broken bones, nothing with my muscles, CT scans, MRIs, X-rays, all that was negative. I just had to get stitches.”

Olivari’s summer-from-hell continued. Weeks later, Olivari got sick and lost 20 pounds over the course of his recovery. Coming off of a breakout season that saw him up his scoring average from 6.0 to 16.5, Olivari had been hoping to put that summer behind him. But right before the 2021 season, the Atlanta native suffered yet another setback.

“I sprained my wrist in our exhibition game against St. Edward’s [University],” Olivari said. “It was swollen. I tried to keep playing through it up until I sat out for a week and then I came back.”

Playing through injury, Olivari started the season slowly. Through 16 games, the normally-reliable shooter was scoring fewer

“Initially, maybe within the first week, I did think of it as a setback,” Olivari said. “But after a while I started to see [it as] ‘what could this teach me and what was God trying to show me during this time?’”

Olivari has since put his run of bad luck behind him. This season, he leads the Owls, and all of Conference USA, with 19.5 points per game on a career-high 43.6% shooting percentage. He has helped lead the Owls to a 15-6 record, and third place in the conference.

Now the face of Rice’s program, Olivari, a self-described outgoing jokester and criminal-justice buff, said he would have never ended up at South Main had another school’s coach simply picked up the phone.

Even when he did eventually commit to Rice from Westlake High School in Atlanta, Olivari struggled to adjust to the defensive demands of college basketball as well as the opponent-specific preparation required before each game. While he initially had hopes of becoming an impact player the second he set foot on campus, Olivari said he quickly realized that wasn’t realistic and began to question whether he wanted to keep playing.

“It was a lot of times where I would call home and call both of my parents,” Olivari said. “I’d be crying and saying, ‘I don’t like it. I don’t want to play basketball anymore. It doesn’t make sense how everything’s happening.’ Both my parents were just telling me to just stay with it.”

Olivari stayed the course, and now has his sights set on a professional career. If he’s able to make it, Olivari said he’ll be able to point back to last season’s injury as the moment that fueled his rise.

“That was like a turning point in my life, as a person and as a basketball player,” Olivari said. “I just came out of that a different person.”

WBB splits weekend road trip at Charlotte, UAB

CADAN HANSON SENIOR WRITER

Last week, the Rice women’s basketball team flew east for a two-game road trip. Their first stop was a visit to the reigning Conference USA champions, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where they lost 66-61. For the second leg of their trip, the Owls took on the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where they bounced back from Thursday’s loss with a 67-57 victory over the Blazers. After the trip, head coach Lindsay Edmonds was pleased with how the team was able to bounce back on Saturday after Thursday’s loss.

“[Saturday was] a great overall team win and everybody did some great things,” Edmonds said. “We kept battling and we found a way to get a win on the road. We showed resilience to bounce back and get a win on the road after dropping one on Thursday.”

At Charlotte, the Owls went into halftime with a three point lead, but the 49ers bounced back in the second half with a 13-1 run to start the third quarter. The Owls, fueled by three clutch andones from senior guard Destiny Jackson in the fourth quarter, were able to cut the 49ers lead to one, but were unable to flip the score and fell by five. Despite the loss, Edmonds was happy with the team’s toughness in taking a strong conference opponent to the well.

“I think our group is a very tough group,” Edmonds said. “We don’t back down or get scared by an opponent that we are facing. We are focusing on being the best team that we can be day by day

and trying to ensure we are playing our best basketball come tournament time.”

Jackson’s 10-point fourth quarter was the back end of a 18 point, eight rebound performance. According to Edmonds, Jackson’s impact goes well beyond the filled stat sheet, putting pressure on the opposing guards on the defensive end and running the offense at the point.

“DJ is a vital part to our success [because] she is the heartbeat of our team,” Edmonds said. “When DJ is playing aggressively on the offensive end of the floor I really like our chances to win the game. Not only is she a great scorer herself but when she is pushing pace and tempo for us it allows her to create easy opportunities for others as well.”

On Saturday, the Owls went back and forth in the first half against a last place UAB team. However,in the third quarter, Rice found themselves down 12 with 16 minutes to go in the game. But an 18-6 Owl run, sparked by a 10 point quarter from freshman guard Jazzy Owens-Barnett who had a career high 17 points on the night, closed out the third quarter. Edmonds had high praise for her freshman guard, who brought energy off the bench.

“Jazzy coming off the bench was unbelievable on both sides of the ball,” Edmonds said. “Defensively she was slowing down [Denim] DeShields, who is a great player, and offensively she was the spark that we needed.”

In the fourth quarter, the Owls were able to ward off the Blazers’ attacks and went a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line to put away the game. Edmonds said that the team’s grit and determination was what secured them the win.

“Today was about toughness,” Edmonds said. “We challenged them after the [game] Thursday night to come out and play with desperation to get a win. We could have been hanging our heads because we were down and [UAB] started out hot in the third quarter, but we just found a spark and just kept going and were tough.”

The Owls now sit at 5-5 in conference play and hold the fourth seed in the conference with ten games remaining on their schedule. Their next matchup is a rematch against Louisiana Tech University. In the first meeting, the Owls fell 74-79 but now will take them on at home. In order to rebound from their slow start to the season, Edmonds said the Owls just need to be themselves.

“I think we just need to continue to focus on us,” Edmonds said. “Focus on being the best team that we can be every time we take the floor, playing with high energy for four quarters, turning the page quickly if something doesn’t go our way, being locked in to our defensive game plan

for 40 minutes so that there are minimal mistakes, all of which we are fully capable of doing.”

“UAB just really struggled to guard her. She was a very big reason as to why we won on Saturday.”

The Owls now sit at 5-5 in conference play and hold the fourth seed in the conference with ten games remaining on their schedule. Their next matchup is a rematch against Louisiana Tech University on Thursday. In the first meeting between the two teams, the Owls fell 74-79 but now will take on the Lady Techsters at Tudor Fieldhouse. The game tips off at 7 p.m.

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Guard Jazzy Owens-Barnett holds the ball during Thursday’s game against UNC Charlotte. Owens-Barnett and the Owls fell to the 49ers before bouncing back to beat UAB.

[My wrist injury last year] was like a turning point in my life, as a person and as a basketball player. I just came out of that a different person.

Quincy Olivari JUNIOR GUARD

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Junior guard Quincy Olivari dribbles during a recent game. After an injury-plagued 2021-22 season, Olivari has bounced back to lead the conference in scoring this year.

Freshman Maya Moise talks passion for lifting

MBB hosts UNT with chance to prove they’re one of C-USA’s best

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Rice’s men’s basketball team huddles against UNT.

Maya Moise’s path to becoming one of the top weightlifters in the state of Texas began four years ago, with a piece of missing cartilage. Moise started playing basketball at six years old and continued until early high school before her basketball career was cut short by an injured knee. The missing cartilage prompted a yearlong period of rest that culminated in Moise discovering a love for weightlifting.

“I started finding myself in the weight room more than on the court,” Moise said. “I realized that lifting was kind of my strength. It was more of my passion, more than playing basketball.”

After creating her own training programs and easing herself into weightlifting during the pandemic, Moise quickly found success in the gym.

“Once things started to open up, I started going to a CrossFit gym and learning Olympic weightlifting,” Moise said. “My first year, [in] my junior year, I had my first meet and that got me ranked 10th best in the United States for the youth category for [ages] 16 to 17. And then my senior year, I just kept on competing, and I moved up to being the fifth best in the nation [at the time].”

Having amassed multiple awards in a relatively short time frame, Moise says that dedication is key to keeping up momentum, especially with sports like weightlifting that demand rigorous consistency.

“Nothing comes by [easily] … especially when it comes to athleticism and stuff that takes a lot of repetition,” Moise said. “Weightlifting is very tedious, and you’re

EDITORIAL CARTOON

never going to have a perfect lift … If I really want to train, and I really want to be the best that I can be, then I have to make the time because how am I supposed to be a leader for other people or show people what they can do if I’m letting excuses get in the way?”

This tedium is actually one of the reasons Moise fell in love with weightlifting, she said. She appreciates that the sport is as mental as it is physical, which poses a new set of challenges with every lift.

“I think one thing that people don’t realize about lifting is that it’s about 70% technique and muscle and 30% mental … It’s only you and the barbell, there’s nothing else stopping you,” Moise said. “I like being able to put myself under the pressure of just knowing what you can really do and getting a sense of your own strength. With weightlifting, you’re really testing yourself. You’re only as good as you let yourself be.”

According to Moise, some college athletes ultimately face the question of going professional or quitting — with weightlifting, this isn’t strictly the case. Moise, who would like to pursue a career in sports medicine or management, appreciates that she doesn’t need to sacrifice either of her passions.

“I can go to practice after class … My head coach is a surgical oncologist. I think that’s something that’s so cool, because you don’t see that in any other sport,” Moise said. “You

have people who are full-on professionals or other college student athletes, or they just do it once every five months for fun [or] for recreation. Weightlifting, we can actually be serious while having a full career.”

Since matriculating, Moise said she has both found and created weightlifting networks within Rice. She joined Kim Barbell, a local weightlifting gym and team with a handful of Rice alumni, and cofounded the Rice Olympic Weightlifting Club. Ultimately, Moise hopes to continue opening doors between the Rice and weightlifting communities.

“I feel like people have a weird stereotype about Rice kids: you’re either a student athlete, or you’re really smart. And that’s not how it is. I go to the Rec, and I see all these amazing smart kids lifting weights,” Moise said. “Like, you need to be competing with me. It’s good to see the culture that Rice has built, that we don’t really have to have any limits to what we can do.”

Looking toward the future, Moise said she plans on training for a year before moving onto nationals. Moise said she hopes her accomplishments inspire others to discover their own strength.

“We all have a special strength deep inside of us,” Moise said. “But unless we know how to actually use it to benefit us, we’re missing out on a whole part of ourselves.”

HONG LIN TSAI / THRESHER “Owl-American”

PAVITHR GOLI ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Currently in third place, the Rice men’s basketball team will have a chance to prove they belong among Conference USA’s best this weekend when they host the University of North Texas on Saturday at Tudor Fieldhouse.

The two teams faced off in Denton just two weeks ago, when the Owls grabbed a 72-60 win. Sophomore forward Cameron Sheffield said that the last matchup was much closer than the final score suggested, and the Owls will need to get off to a faster start if they hope to sweep their conference rivals.

“We were lucky to get away with the win last time,” Sheffield said. “We played [well] defensively, [but] we struggled a bit to start the game … It’s going to be a great matchup, we’re all excited about it.”

The Mean Green enter the game at 18-5 overall and 9-3 in conference play. They are led by guard Tylor Perry, an all-conference selection last year who ranks fourth in the conference in scoring this season. Outside of Perry, the North Texas offense has struggled this season, averaging a conference-worst 61.8 points. According to Sheffield, the Owls’ improved defense will be key to shutting down Perry and the UNT attack.

“I feel like one of our improved strengths is defense,” Sheffield said. “I know that in the past, we kind of struggled with that. But that’s been at the forefront of our minds this year. We’ve been working on that since June in the summer. So I feel like that’s become one of our strengths recently.”

However, if Rice wants to topple their in-state rival on Saturday, they’ll also have to break down a defense that allows a conference-best 54.7 points-per-game –seven points better than any other team in C-USA and the second-best mark in the entire country. Head coach Scott Pera believes that the Owls’ ability to share the ball gives their offense a leg-up against most opponents.

“Well, I think one of our biggest strengths is [that] we share the ball,” Pera said. “We have guys who care about each other. They’re a connected group. They want to see each other do well, and so we do a really good job of sharing the ball with each other”

The Owls, whose 15-6 record has them one win away from tying their most wins in a season under Pera, are not letting their strong start go to their heads. According to Pera, the team understands that the most important part of the season lies ahead of the team.

“Up to this point, I think the guys have done a really good job, you know, but it’s all about playing our best in February and March,” Pera said. “That’s what we’re always trying to build towards. So we’re excited about the opportunity, and hopefully, we can keep it within our [reach].”

“I see you finally sent them JT’s transfer credits to process.”

The game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

RIYA

MISRA FEATURES EDITOR

It’s about 70% technique and muscle and 30% mental ... It’s only you and the barbell, there’s nothing else stopping you.

Maya Moise JONES COLLEGE FRESHMAN

COURTESY MAYA MOISE

Rice freshman Maya Moise deadlifts during a recent workout. After picking up weightlifting four years ago, Moise now ranks among the top lifters in her class in Texas and the U.S.

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