The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, February 22, 2023

daily’: Rice athletes navigate the NIL world

KINApparel, and NILProShop, newer social media features have even facilitated the content creation and partnership process.

Since the NCAA introduced a new policy allowing student-athletes to profit off of their name, image and likeness more than a year ago, Rice athletes are increasingly agreeing to sponsorships with a variety of businesses. Student-athletes have had the opportunity to partner with everything from clothing stores, to food and drink brands, to restaurants. According to Quincy Olivari, a junior guard on the men’s basketball team, he’s used the new NIL rules to sponsor companies to which he feels a personal connection.

“I have one deal currently with Candelari’s, which is an Italian spot over on West Holcombe,” Olivari said. “I eat there a lot with my mom and I basically just reached out to some people that know the business owners and told them that I like going there and they connected me [with] the business owner, we just talked from there.”

According to sophomore swimmer Arielle Hayon, NIL has given her the opportunity to endorse brands she uses.

“I am currently a brand ambassador for JOLYN Clothing,” Hayon said. “I have been wearing JOLYN Clothing since I was about 11 years old because they make functional and fashionable swimwear. They are a brand I have always loved and the opportunity to work with them was one I could not pass up.”

Social media has played a major role in the way that many of these NIL deals are both established and fulfilled. According to redshirt junior quarterback JoVoni JohnsonMcCray, who has deals with Clif Bar & Co.,

SA town hall features slate of uncontested candidates

Student Association candidates Solomon Ni, Alison Qiu, Crystal Unegbu and Yuv Sachdeva outlined their goals for the SA and addressed questions about their candidacy platforms at the Rice Thresher’s SA Town Hall on Monday, Feb. 22. The town hall was in lieu of the traditional presidential debate, as every SA executive candidate is running uncontested this year.

The uncontested nature of the election was at the forefront of many questions at the town hall, as the candidates sought to assure people that they were representative of a student body that has not technically chosen them.

Ni, who is the current SA treasurer and presidential candidate, acknowledged that he has never engaged in a contested election during his time at Rice. Their first position as a Jones College New Student Representative was appointed, and his second position as SA treasurer was also uncontested.

“It’s been really interesting to see just how much social media has molded to content creation,” Johnson-McCray said. “I started social media pretty early and I remember not having platforms like the Creator Marketplace on Tiktok or the Professional Dashboard on Instagram. Those two have really made it easy for creators and brands to collaborate and do transactions directly through the social media app.”

The process, however, looks very different now than how it was just one year ago, Olivari said, as student-athletes have grown more comfortable navigating the world of sponsorships.

“When everything first happened, everyone was very inexperienced and didn’t know what was the right price or how to go about contracts and things like that,” Olivari said. “But now there’s a lot of experience and you can have stuff to base things off of, which makes it easier for everyone involved.”

Rice has implemented a number of measures to help ease the process of landing deals. According to Marco Regalado, who oversees Rice football’s recruiting operations, the athletics department has collaborated with Opendorse, a centralized portal where athletes and businesses can contact each other, and The Brandr Group, which allows student-athletes to use the university’s registered trademarks.

Aside from these collaborations, there has been an increase in the number of initiatives from Rice available to studentathletes.

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

“I’m glad that I took the [treasurer] position, because I learned a lot through my year here. I am disappointed that there is no one else running for president because I think that the best ideas are grown through talking with another person or a group of people,” Ni, a Jones sophomore, said. “But I’m hoping that [by] working with [the SA executive candidates], we can find some common ground and some common policies that we want to advocate for.”

Unegbu, who is running uncontested for external vice president, was similarly appointed as a Hanszen College NSR and then to her current position as director of government relations, losing her only contested election last year in the internal vice president race. Unegbu said that by advocating for more diversity and inclusion within the SA, she hopes to expand the SA’s reach and instill confidence in the student body about her own candidacy.

“If we’re going back to the same people who are already responding, then we’re not really getting anywhere,” Unegbu, a Hanszen sophomore, said. “One thing we would like to do together is reach out to … clubs like HACER, [the Rice African Student Association] or [the Chinese Student Association] … and just let them know that there are appointed positions that they can apply for.”

Unegbu also said that the SA holds many appointed positions, from committee members to senators to NSRs. The importance of appointed positions, she argues, should not be minimized despite the lack of an election.

“Even if we are appointing [people from affinity groups], I don’t want that to invalidate what they’re going to do because the appointed positions are just as important as any elected position,” Unegbu said. “At the end of the day, [the SA] is not a five person team … There are so many roles, so why not diversify?”

‘Evolving

[At first] everyone was very inexperienced and didn’t know what was the right price or how to go about contracts and things like that. But now there’s a lot of experience ... which makes it easier for everyone involved.

Quincy Olivari MEN’S BASKETBALL GUARD

One thing we would like to do together is reach out to [clubs] and just let them know that there are appointed positions that they can apply for.

Crystal Unegbu SA EVP CANDIDATE

RIYA MISRA FEATURES EDITOR

DIEGO PALOS RODRIGUEZ THRESHER STAFF

SEE SA TOWN HALL PAGE 4

NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER

Rice, Houston communities come together to support victims of Turkey and Syria earthquakes

MARIA MORKAS ASST. NEWS EDITOR

The Rice and local Houston communities are working to fundraise, gather supplies and raise awareness to support victims of the devastating 7.8 and 6.2 magnitude earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this month, with a current death toll surpassing 46,000.

Can Erdogan, an international student from Turkey and the president of the Rice Turkish Student Association, said he was working on homework when he first received the news.

“I called my mom — she didn’t answer. I called my dad, but he didn’t answer. I called my grandma, she didn’t answer, I called my uncle — no response. And then these no responses kept going, and I started to get a little anxious,” Erdogan, a Hanszen College senior, said. “After a few hours, I was prepared for the worst … Some of my friends lost their families, our house is in ruins — it’s wrecked right now. Just to be able to hear that the rest of my family [is safe], I think I’m the luckiest person alive. But not everybody’s as lucky as me.”

Brian Bishara, an international student from Damascus, Syria, said he knew he wanted to help even though his family wasn’t affected.

“We know a lot of people here in the US who want to help and donate but want to donate to organizations within Syria, [not international organizations],” Bishara, a Lovett College sophomore, said. “I’m acting as a vessel for money to move from the US to Syria … I am able to collect donations here, and my family back home is sending it to different organizations so it’s being put to good use.”

According to Bishara, these organizations are providing local help and supplies to affected areas in Syria.

Moving forward, Bishara said that people need to continue raising awareness about lack of access due to economic sanctions and donating to help Syria.

Bayzhan Mukatay, a Wiess College sophomore, helped organize a lastminute donation drive to collect supplies from Rice students, which were sent to the Houston Turkish consulate.

“I printed out posters and put them all over the Rice campus, letting people know that we were collecting supplies at Wiess Commons,” Mukatay said. “Within a day, we managed to collect about three large boxes of supplies.”

When Bayzhan arrived at the Turkish consulate, he said he saw numerous volunteers organizing and sorting the incoming supplies.

“They asked for more volunteers to help manage the workload,” Mukatay said. “I heard that other Rice students also drove and helped sort supplies, which was really heartwarming to see so many people unite.”

The Office of International Students and Scholars also held a drive to collect clothes, blankets and sleeping bags to donate to the Turkish consulate. Elmira Ganiyeva, the OISS manager and senior international adviser who is helping coordinate the drive, said Rice’s response echoes its culture.

“When we sent an OISS announcement, I didn’t expect students to bring in items, there was no

expectation for the students to bring in something,” Ganiyeva said. “But we had students bring in cash, donations and clothes. I am so grateful to the students, staff, faculty and all the people who participated in this and supported it.”

The Middle Eastern and North African Student Association held a fundraiser on Feb. 17 to raise awareness and funds about the situations in Turkey and Syria. President of MENA SA Jana Alghamdi said she remembers being shocked when she first heard the news of the tragedy.

“As the Middle Eastern and North African [Student] Association here at Rice, we need to make sure to speak on this topic and try to help out as best as possible,” Alghamdi, a Will Rice College junior, wrote in an email to the Thresher.

“Thus, we decided to do a fundraising event in which we would sell boba for $5 … and baklava for whatever price they were able to donate.”

Elif Dundar, a research coordinator at the Baylor College of Medicine,

helped initiate a drive through the office of communications and community outreach. They are collecting coats, boots, sweaters, tents, sleeping bags and generators, among other equipment. Dundar said that they plan to donate the items to the Turkish Consulate General of Houston.

“With so many families displaced amidst freezing temperatures, there has been a huge need for tents and blankets

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

to provide short-term relief to the housing crisis,” Dundar said. “The drive started on Friday, and we have already seen an incredible outpouring of support just a few days in.”

The National Association of Christian Churches in Houston has also been collecting supplies, like canned foods, tools/equipment and generators to name a few, to aid those impacted by the earthquakes.

Mukatay, who is originally from Kazakhstan, said that because Turkey is culturally, ethnically and religiously close to him, seeing this tragedy unfold was heart-wrenching.

“Amidst all this devastation, what gave me hope was the sheer number of volunteers from all over the world who came together to offer earthquake relief efforts,” Mukatay said.

Erdogan said the RTSA will be starting a virtual fundraiser to collect donations for well established non-profit organizations in the area.

“Right now, most of the rescue and the search and rescue operations are almost finished,” Erdogan said. “Now it’s time to really stay strong, rebuild the city and help the ones in need.

On Feb. 20, another 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria. According to Dundar, this adds to the urgent need for rescue efforts.

“In the midst of harsh winter storms, families have urgently been seeking access to shelter, food and clean water for the last two weeks,” Dundar said. “The newest earthquake today has wreaked even more havoc on these traumatized regions. Incredible efforts have been underway to rescue people from the rubble and provide housing to displaced survivors. As the humanitarian response scales up, it is imperative we sustain this outpouring of global support to rebuild these regions together as a global team.”

Some of my friends lost their families, our house is in ruins — it’s wrecked right now. Just to be able to hear that the rest of my family [is safe], I think I’m the luckiest person alive. But not everybody’s as lucky as me.

Can Erdogan RICE TURKISH STUDENT ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

Graduate student commons opens in PCF tent

NAYELI SHAD OPINIONS EDITOR

The first graduate commons opened in PCF 1 on Feb. 13. The commons is available to graduate students 24/7 using their Rice ID and has dining, study and lounge areas.

Seiichi Matsuda, dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies, said that the idea of creating a graduate commons space similar to that of undergraduate colleges has existed for years but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

David McDonald, director for Housing & Dining, said H&D was tasked at the beginning of 2023 to find a graduate commons space to promote evening dining. Given limited open spaces on campus, H&D selected PCF 1 which was being used as an event space rather than a classroom this semester and repurposed the space after the scheduled events passed.

“The way I described it to the GSA and the Dean’s office was primarily [by saying], ‘Look, this is a functional space for all sorts of things, right?’” McDonald said. “Basically, we tried to make it like an undergraduate commons for graduate students.”

McDonald said that the existence of this large commons should encourage more graduate students to purchase dinner plans and will allow for an increase in the number of lunch plans available next semester.

student email digest and decided to visit because she has a lunch meal plan at South Servery.

“It’s nice a space opened up for eating here,” del Río said. “But the thing is people are not used to congregating and eating here, so maybe it would not be an easy transition.”

Del Río said she doesn’t know if she would continue to use the space because of the lack of graduate students present when she visited.

“I think people establish their routine, and I think most people have not have not yet been to this area,” Matsuda said. “I think it’s going to pick up considerably in use.”

Simon Fern, a third-year sociology Ph.D. student, said he heard about the new commons from the listserv email but has not yet visited it because he doesn’t have a Rice meal plan or often eat on campus due to how expensive it is, and he would prefer to hang out in offices or other spaces.

“It feels like an instance of, there is this leftover tent, we don’t know what to do with the tent, we will just give the tent to the graduate students,” Fern said. “It’s not the most appealing venue. With the resources that Rice has, we could probably get a nicer space. This feels like an example of disinvestment in the graduate student community.”

Due to busy schedules and other factors, del Río said that it seems unlikely that graduate students with meal plans at serveries or offices in academic buildings on the north side of campus will come to the new commons.

Karine Jean-Pierre announced as commencement speaker

BEN BAKER-KATZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“Even though it’s a nice space, there’s not as much life in the sense of finding friends casually here as there is, for example, in the RMC,” del Río said. “Perhaps it’s just, like, letting time pass, and people will come, but I don’t think that would be the case, because you either need to bring your own food here, or bring it from a servery or buy it

“The problem of [graduate] students is we’re not located in a specific area of campus. I think it’s hard to concentrate all of us in one space,” del Río said.

Matsuda said that the PCF tent is a temporary solution while the structure exists, but it is a first step in the direction of having a common space for graduate students.

Walk This World.

Wiess College announces application process for the 2023 John E. Parish Fellowship

Karine Jean-Pierre, current White House press secretary and presidential advisor, will be the 2023 commencement speaker, President Reginald DesRoches announced in an email to the Rice community on Wednesday morning.

“I am excited about hosting Karine in Houston and at Rice,” DesRoches said. “Her message to our graduates will undoubtedly be inspiring, relevant and authentic.”

Jean-Pierre, as the speaker for the 110th commencement ceremony, will be the first Black speaker since 2017. Similar to DesRoches, Jean-Pierre is of Haitian descent and moved to Queens, NY with her family at a young age.

Before serving in the Biden White House, Jean-Pierre was the southeast regional political director for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, the national deputy battleground states director on his 2012 campaign and a regional political director for the White House political affairs during Obama’s first administration. In the Biden White House, she originally served as deputy press secretary before being promoted in May 2022.

Additionally, as DesRoches noted in his email, Jean-Pierre is the first Black and first openly LGBT person to serve as White House press secretary.

“Like many of you, Karine has broken barriers to get where she is today,” DesRoches said. “This part of her story was especially attractive to me and to the members of the student committee who nominated her to be this year’s commencement speaker.”

This announcement comes on the heels of condensing the commencement ceremony to a single day, a change that was announced last month.

Recipients will receive support for approximately two months of travel during the summer of 2023. The purpose of the fellowship is to enhance the undergraduate education of the fellow by broadening the range of experience via self-directed travel.

Application information can be found at parish.rice.edu. The deadline for submission of application materials is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 .

It really gives graduate students for the first time a kind of space in which to build community that has benefitted much of the rest of the campus.

Seiichi Matsuda DEAN OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES

COURTESY RICE UNIVERSITY

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER

The first graduate commons opened in PCF Tent 1 on Feb. 13.

Imaje Harvey conducts uncontested write-in campaign for SA secretary

“I think one of the things I am looking forward to this year is being more communicative and more transparent, and having a secretary is pretty important to that specific mission and goal,” Ni, a Jones College sophomore, said.

Harvey said she became interested in running after being approached by Ni. While hesitant at first, Harvey said she eventually felt inspired to be part of the SA to advocate for change.

“What really pushed me over the edge is [when Ni] invited me to an [executive] meeting, and I feel like I really appreciate the platform that he has and what he is willing to advocate for next year,” Harvey said. “Like how he is willing to advocate for more diversity, meet people where they are [and] be able to have their opinions heard.”

As part of her goal to improve the student experience, Harvey said she hopes to bring more affordable nearby off-campus housing options for low income students, after her own experiences with finding housing.

“[Housing] is something that I specifically want to look into, along with just being a resource to students more, especially the different affinity groups like the [Black Student Association], HACER and PRIDE — being able to be a resource to those students,” Harvey said.

Board of Trustees announces architecture firm for academic quad redesign

Imaje Harvey, a freshman at Sid Richardson College, will be conducting a write-in campaign for Student Association secretary — a position for which no candidates were previously vying. Solomon Ni, presumptive SA president-elect, announced her write-in candidacy on Monday evening, though there will be no candidates listed on the ballot for the position of secretary.

Ni said that when he realized no one was running for secretary, he began to look for people he thought would be interested in the role.

Harvey has no previous experience with the SA and said she did not announce her running until now because she was unaware of the ongoing election beforehand.

Spencer Powers, SA director of elections, said he does not expect Harvey to receive enough write-in votes during the first round of elections. Elected officials are required to receive 50 percent plus one vote of the total ballots cast, a bar typically challenging to clear for write-in candidates.

“We will most likely have a special election immediately afterwards to potentially elect the secretary,” Powers, a Brown College junior, said.

Rice University Board of Trustees recently announced they’ve selected the architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz for the redesign of the academic quadrangle.

The decision to redesign the academic quad comes after a unanimous decision by the Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice in June 2021 to move the Founder’s Memorial, as well as a resolution passed by the Student Association on Nov. 29, 2021. The board of trustees announced in Jan. 2022 that the Founder’s Memorial would be relocated within the academic quadrangle.

Nelson-Byrd Woltz was selected out of a final list of four firms that were being considered for the redesign, according to President Reginald DesRoches.

“The design competition included a diverse group of high profile landscape architects,” DesRoches said. “Four firms were selected and invited to the competition from a shortlist of 10 initial candidates. NBW’s team is diverse and includes people from multiple office locations as well as subconsultants.

We plan to continue a close working dialogue with NBW as Rice begins a selection process for a major artwork in the quad.”

Thomas Woltz, owner and principal of NBW, expressed the firm’s excitement about the project.

“Being selected as Rice University’s thought partner in envisioning the future of the Academic Quad is a significant challenge and responsibility, in equal measure,” Woltz said, “We are excited to bring NBW’s researchbased design process to reimagine this historic space to reflect the values of Rice University: inclusivity, truth telling and belonging.”

According to DesRoches, design work will continue through this spring and summer, before transitioning to construction in the fall, with the final product being ready by late spring 2024.

“Nelson Byrd Woltz’s concept both respects our desire to create deeper thoughtfulness and engagement with Rice’s evolution within the Academic Quadrangle and awakens the site’s potential to become a dynamic and welcoming gathering space for students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors year-round,” DesRoches said.

Another concern that was highlighted at the town hall was the lack of both internal and external engagement within the SA, calling into question the scope of the SA’s impact.

Ni and Sachdeva, who is running for treasurer and currently serves as deputy representative and at-large treasurer on the Blanket Tax Committee, both highlighted the Blanket Tax and initiative fund. Sachdeva said that financial transparency is critical when facilitating the relationship between the SA, colleges and the student body, and said he plans to continue keeping funding records and spreadsheets available to everyone.

“Advertising the initiative fund to every college, making sure that every student knows about where their money is going, is extremely important,” Sachdeva, a Jones College sophomore, said. “I think taking [those] steps that we have this year, like making sure that the initiative fund accounting spreadsheet with all

the information is online and available to every student … I think that level of transparency is really important, because it is [the students’] money.”

Qiu, who is running for internal vice president and is currently the Hanszen College senator, said she hopes to strengthen the SA’s connection with the student body by hosting more events and gathering feedback about the SA’s work.

“I think that we could definitely do more in terms of gathering feedback from people who are already involved with the SA,” Qiu said. “Just thinking about ways to make them feel like their efforts are actually making a difference, and also thinking about ways for them to feel that they’re actually compensated for the efforts that they’re putting into the SA.”

Unegbu seconded the idea of increasing outreach to the student body, stressing the importance of introducing new voices into the SA.

“If the same people are constantly running or being a part of the SA, we’re not really doing much,” Unegbu said.

KELTON KECK / THRESHER

VIOLA HSIA SENIOR WRITER

COURTESY IMAJE HARVEY

HAJERA NAVEED NEWS EDITOR

I am disappointed that there is no one else running for president because I think that the best ideas are grown through talking with another person or a group of people.

Solomon Ni

SA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

Solomon Ni for Student Association president

The Thresher endorses a Student Association presidential candidate every year. This year, to no one’s surprise, the Editorial Board endorses Solomon Ni — not only because he is the only option, but also because he has expansive plans to make changes. However, in a time of exceptionally low engagement both externally and within the SA, many of his plans are overly ambitious without laying a solid foundation.

As we read through Ni’s platform, we couldn’t help but chuckle. Some of his proposals — hiring more Wellbeing & Counseling staff and implementing free on-campus winter housing for students — are presented as simple fixes, when in reality they are unlikely to materialize. Others, such as lobbying the City of Houston for bike lanes near campus and renter protections or lobbying the state legislature to allow Rice IDs to be accepted as voter ID, are laughably unachievable. We’re concerned that Ni is too preoccupied with their lofty plans to actualize real changes that will truly benefit student lives during his term. We suggest that Ni choose a few concrete, achievable proposals and work to successfully implement them, rather than stretching himself too thin by setting utopian groundwork that future Student Associations may or may not build upon.

To his credit, Ni’s proposals for internal improvements are much more feasible. Ni has been a champion for transparency of the SA’s actions through publicizing the budget in their role as treasurer and has plans to create a bill tracker to increase visibility of the movement of legislation. We also applaud their plans for the implementation of a bereavement policy in professors’ syllabi and revisions of Title

Ni is running unopposed for a reason. SA engagement is embarrassingly low, and many students feel that voting, much less serving within the SA, doesn’t make enough of an impact to be worth their time. Before Ni can focus on ambitious policy goals, he needs to build a solid foundation for the SA and address the fact that no one on campus thinks the SA does anything that affects their lives.

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FEATURES

IX policies to prioritize survivors. Ni also discussed wanting to increase the number of appointed positions within the SA, and he and the other candidates at the recent Thresher Town Hall assured attendees that they plan to fill appointed positions with qualified students. While we appreciate that sentiment, it is notable that these appointed positions will be appointed by Ni and a slate of candidates who essentially appointed themselves through uncontested elections.

Every year, candidates come in with these big ideas. They set up groups to talk about them, but then nothing gets done. The president that the SA needs right now is not one who has a four page platform of mostly unachievable goals. The president the SA needs right now is one who gives a few specific and achievable plans they can devote their time to implementing. Those include the aforementioned bereavement policies in syllabi, beginning discussions with departments and student-run businesses on increasing students’ minimum wage and working with Housing & Dining to introduce more late-night food options on campus.

Ni isn’t running for president of the United States, city council or anything in between. He should throw out the parts of his platform that are nothing more than political grandstanding and fight for concrete, effective changes that will boost students’ trust and engagement in our Student Association.

ChatGPT isn’t the villain it’s made out to be

Last week’s issue of the Thresher included a letter to the editor that discussed the use of ChatGPT by Rice students. Felicity talks about how the reason we came to Rice was “to grow as a student and individual,” and I believe that in this regard, they are absolutely correct. Where she errs is when she implies throughout the article that this growth and intellectual stimulation are completely incompatible with the use of ChatGPT as an online tool. She is most certainly not the only one who holds that view. Many professors at Rice and across the world are currently grappling with how to handle the rise of A.I. I firmly believe that ChatGPT does have a place in academia and that the vast majority of Rice students are using ChatGPT in a positive manner that actually contributes to their educational pursuits.

To initiate any defense of ChatGPT, it is important to look at what the software can really do. ChatGPT is an A.I. software that generates outputs based on online templates, writings and articles in response to user prompts. ChatGPT scours the web for works that are related to the given input, and then, regardless

of the veracity of the information it cobbles together, presents it to the user for judgment. As soon as instructors create prompts or assignments that actually challenge a student and force them to expand their thinking (i.e. assignments that are not simply “busy work”), ChatGPT struggles significantly with providing an adequate response

What is the difference between me searching up research articles and writing templates to help me develop an argument and asking ChatGPT to round up those resources and present them to me?

that can just be dropped into a Canvas submission. As such, assuming that these assignments allow for the use of online resources, I fail to see how using ChatGPT to highlight new ideas and concepts from across the web means that a student has cheated themselves out of the learning process. Fundamentally, what is the difference between me searching up research articles and writing templates to help me develop an argument and asking ChatGPT to round up those resources and present them to me? If I were to clearly cite my sources and provide my own interpretation of the information that I find, I do not believe many professors or students on this campus would find ethical issues with online research, so why should they find issue with the use of ChatGPT?

Despite this apparent contradiction, or perhaps in spite of it, many individuals have made the point that turning in work that you did not create is in conflict with why we all decided to pursue higher education. This argument’s fatal

flaw, however, is that it hinges upon the assumption that Rice students are directly submitting outputs, as well as the fact that it seems to be a subtle insult towards students: their work somehow wasn’t honest or had no effort behind it because they made use of an online tool. Call me naive, sure, but I do sincerely believe that most people here at Rice do want to present their own work and put in a lot of effort to submit things that they themselves are proud of. There does seem to be a lack of nuance in these arguments where you are either completely working from scratch and actually learning the material, or you blatantly and unethically plagiarized someone else’s work.

To be clear on where I stand, I absolutely agree that online essay writers are inherently unethical, no matter what the circumstances are. Taking someone else’s writing and completely passing it off as yours is, to put it simply, wrong. But drawing a parallel between that and the utilization of ChatGPT when professors permit online resources is, in my opinion, a vast oversimplification and a position that fails to recognize the differences in how a resource can be utilized. Going forward, I hope to see an integration of new technologies in the academic space. Instead of shaking our fists in the air, Rice should put some serious thought into the best way that tools like ChatGPT should be integrated into our curriculum. Should we get rid of busy work, weigh presentations and exams higher than essays or even bring ChatGPT directly into the classroom? Quite frankly, I don’t have an answer for you, but I am confident that we, collectively, can figure it out.

Hamza Saeed BROWN COLLEGE FRESHMAN

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The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper of Rice University since 1916, is published each Wednesday during the school year, except during examination periods and holidays, by the students of Rice University.

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We’re concerned that Ni is too preoccupied with his lofty plans to actualize real changes that will truly benefit student lives during his term.

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Upon meeting a pair of identical twins, many may wonder what it’s like to have someone who’s only distinguishable by a fingerprint — or in Drew and McKenna Castleberry’s case, a toenail painted blue.

“Drew rhymes with blue, so [as a baby], Drew always had at least one toenail painted blue,” McKenna Castleberry said.

However, Drew and McKenna Castleberry say that being asked about their experience as a twin is their least favorite question — for them, it’s their status quo.

“To me, having a twin is my everyday,” Drew said. “I only had ten minutes of freedom before [McKenna] came along.”

Both Wiess College juniors, Drew is majoring in Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations, and McKenna is majoring in Biosciences. They both applied to Rice under the Early Decision program, leaving the question of whether they would be separated for college up to the admissions team.

“We had a talk, asking each other, is [it] worth it to have the question of being together or not?” McKenna said. “Would we be able to handle one of us getting in and the other not? And so we decided that yes, it is worth the risk.”

As identical twins, the two grew up as mirror images of one another. Even their own younger brother, Ethan, didn’t realize he had two sisters until he was four years old.

“Ethan, Drew and I were eating ice cream together. Ethan was in the middle, I was on one side and Drew was on the

other,” McKenna said. “All of a sudden Ethan looked up at my mom and said, ‘Oh my God, Mom, there are two McKenna’s?’”

Their brother wasn’t alone in this sentiment. People are inclined to think of identical twins as a unit, but Drew and McKenna said they get along so well because they are not the same person.

“We are very much complementary twins: yin and yang,” McKenna said. “We have enough similarities to overlap to where we can relate to one another, but we’re two separate people.”

With an identical twin, Drew said finding individuality is challenging, but an important thing to seek out.

“We did a lot of the same things, but we found little ways to make sure that we had our own unique experiences,” Drew said. “We’re both at Rice, but we’re not the same major. We’re not in the same clubs. We are at our happiest when we’re together, but at the same time, we allow ourselves some space and opportunities.”

Drew and McKenna started to find this individuality many years ago. They expressed gratitude toward their mother for encouraging them to distinguish themselves from a young age.

“I think a lot of the reason why we’re so comfortable in ourselves as both a duo and as individuals is because of our mom,” Drew said. “She did a

Making a Racquet

great job giving us the individual attention that we needed.”

Drew and McKenna recalled a memory from preschool when they had a day on which they were supposed to dress up as an American ideal. Their mother dressed Drew in a Statue of Liberty costume and McKenna to represent the armed forces.

“It’s so funny, because I am slaying as the Statue of Liberty, and you can see McKenna being just extremely annoyed that she was not,” Drew said.

In addition to the challenges of creating individual identities, McKenna said being a twin also leads to constant comparisons, which can create daunting and stressful expectations.

“It’s very hard, the pressures of competition and direct comparison,” Drew said. “And I would say, especially as a woman, being a twin has given me a lot of body image issues, because I have a replica to look at

In spite of these pressures, though, Drew and McKenna said they’ve never stopped being built-in best friends. Throughout all the changes in life, they said their connection has remained constant.

“No matter what happens in my life that can change my perception of myself or the way that other people see me, you have never seen me differently,” Drew said to McKenna.

In response, McKenna echoed the feeling of a built-in connection.

“I speak with [Drew] like I would speak with no one else, ever,” McKenna said. “That level of trust and communication — I value that beyond all things.”

“Sundress” artist Rocky

Check out a book?

Word found in many octagons

____ upon a time

Satirical 2001 musical _____town

Center of the Earth

Horse predecessor?

Prolonged battle

Brazilian currency

Indicated, perhaps with a finger

Common clinic fear

Detachable lizard limb

Actress Kate of “The Martian”

Road divider

Bone connector

Labor group

Opposite ends of a magnet

Little, in Scotland

Upcoming

More obscure

Book store sect.

Sick

Like some straws

_____ de Mayo

Audio tape, by another name

Academic vernacular

Rules

Back talk

Control often lost in the couch

Swipe left?

Rice rival in C-USA

Common bath salts

2018 21 Savage song

“____ your price”

Not here

Bit of a sonnet

Rosebud, for one

Agreed (with)

Stains after tying

Green New Deal rep. from NYC

Marvel digital card game

Prefix with -bat and -phobia dog

Signature sheet

Elvis’s Butler?

Archangel of wisdom

Perished

Gerund ender

Fake ID user

Sound often heard in horror movies

Three-____ sloth

Toothbrush brand ____-B

Brazilian soccer legend

South Asian flatbread

Distinctive time periods

“The Climb” singer Cyrus Shepherd School sound, often

_____ Holmes, 2020 Netflix film

Compounds with two hydroxyl groups

“Royals” singer

Knicks legend Patrick

Candy wafers

Grand _____ National Park

Exhales, like a tired dog

Twitter interactions

Emergency kit

Generation of Kerouac and Ginsberg

House in Havana

Inclined

Like many fingers, fruits, or doors

Sleep scourge

Competes in a marathon

And others, abbr.

Bad Luck Brian or Doge

Not new French Open surface Abode

COURTESY DREW AND MCKENNA CASTLEBERRY

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER

To me, having a twin is my everyday. I only had ten minutes of freedom before [McKenna] came along.

Drew Castleberry WIESS COLLEGE JUNIOR

GRACE

ZHOU

FOR THE THRESHER

Black at Rice: Tamaz Young narrates life experiences through poetry

Tamaz Young didn’t begin writing with the intention of becoming a poet, let alone publishing a poetry collection. Instead, Young said that writing served as a way to release his emotions.

“It started out as a coping mechanism for different things that I was dealing with,” Young, a Wiess College sophomore, said. “But I knew that the best way to release them was to write them down.”

Young said that his family’s encouragement helped him share his work with others, breaking the boundary of writing in private.

“For a while, I didn’t share [my poems] with anybody,” Young said “This shift came [and] I shared a couple [with] my mom, who had actually also written poetry when she was in high school, which I didn’t know.”

Because of the personal connection that poetry creates between the writer and the art, Young cites poetry as a unique medium for self-expression.

“There are a lot of people who like to write poems and don’t share anything at all, but they still hold some value to that person,” Young said. “So for me, it was just a way to translate an experience.”

Young also finds performing, particularly with spoken word, as a rewarding experience.

I love being on stage and performing poems, and that’s what makes it addictive,” Young said. “You get three minutes [to] spit a poem. It’s impactful, it’s powerful. That’s something you can’t do with a lot of other genres.”

Through his writing, Young has focused on emphasizing issues surrounding the Black experience in the

Science, tech, engineering and crochet: looking at COLL courses

especially those that are reflected in his own life. His inspiration, Young says, is drawn from a combination of both culturally and personally relevant experiences.

“[There are] a lot of common themes related to police brutality … I’ve written a lot of stuff about fatherhood and absentee fatherism in this country, and specifically Black absentee fathers,” Young said. “That stems from growing up in a home, parents being divorced, being raised by [my] mom, no contact with my dad for years on [end] and altercations with that.”

Young, who grew up in Memphis, Tenn., said that his time at Rice has allowed him to explore a certain diversity in the Black community that he previously wasn’t able to.

“Where I grew up was very amorphous … It’s a very racially segregated area in one of the most segregated cities in the country,” Young said. “So I would say the Black community at Rice is really diverse. And I say that especially because of [Rice African Student Association] and how many international students we have [who identify] as people of color. That was something I definitely wasn’t used to.”

Through his poetry, Young seeks to convey his experiences and in doing so, stimulate readers’ own emotions.

“I write stuff for people … to have an emotional connection and emotional experience,” Young said “You can feel with me and have that sense of connection.”

Young now has two published books: “Unrequited Expressions” and “Token for My Sanity,” the latter of which was published last October. He said that each book came at a different point in his development, both personally and professionally.

“My first book was to share [with] people, show people, ‘Hey, I’m a poet, this is what I do. This is my work,’” Young said. “And my second book, the introduction is basically saying, ‘Hey, I went through some stuff. I wrote this for me … [it] is really just between me and the book.’”

Like any other course, COLL 113 begins with a discussion of the assigned readings. The current discussion topic is the relationship between crocheting and coding, and how the fields can be used to inform one another. Afterwards, the teacher demonstrates crochet techniques for the class, projected on a screen so her hands are visible.

COLL 113, however, is not your typical course: the teacher, Evelyn Chiu, is younger than many of her students. The course is one of Rice’s special ‘college courses,’ onecredit hour student-taught courses which allow students to teach their passions to anyone interested. The subjects of college courses range from AI-based chess to space medicine to politics in pop music.

Chiu’s course, STEM-Inspired Crochet 101, is a continuation of a previous course. Chiu personally added the STEM aspect to the course, but said she wants to ensure that students are able to have the crocheting experience they expect.

“A lot of these seniors had already known of this crochet course,” Chiu, a Sid Richardson College sophomore, said. “Trying to be able for them to learn crochet the way they wanted to and also introducing my new angle was hard.”

Amanda M. Jungels is the associate director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, which is responsible for overseeing and approving student-taught courses. She said she was impressed by the breadth of topics covered by such courses.

take COLL 300, a six week pedagogy class in which they learn how to design a course and write a syllabus. After that, the course can be submitted to college magisters, who perform the first round of vetting, and later to the CTE for final approval.

In addition to letting students to share their passions, college courses provide some benefits over traditional courses. According to Will Rice College senior Nikhaz Omar, who co-teaches A Linguistic Take on ConLangs, a course on constructed languages, student-taught courses can alleviate the pressures of a traditional classroom environment.

“Being taught by your peers and teaching your peers gets rid of a lot of the hierarchical structure,” Omar said. “It’s an easier environment to learn in.”

Jungels also points out that studentrun courses can fill gaps in the traditional Rice curriculum, where students can offer unique perspectives on niche topics that may not be offered by departments.

“They approach it from a very different perspective than your average tenured faculty might,” Jungels said.“Rice doesn’t offer Hindi or Urdu classes, so this is an opportunity for them to get a brief introduction to it,”

Although the deadline for introducing a new COLL course is Feb. 24, Omar recommends that in the future, more students take advantage of the opportunity to teach college courses.

Nikhaz Omar WILL RICE COLLEGE SENIOR

“A lot of creative intellectual work goes into planning the courses,” Jungels said. “I think it’s really rewarding for the students who take them as well as the students who teach them.”

COLL courses were introduced in 2006 as an opportunity for students to share their knowledge of a specific topic. Initially, they were overseen by the dean’s office, but in 2020 the responsibility for college course oversight shifted to the CTE, Jungels said.

According to the CTE website, in order to teach a college course, students must

“It’s amazing that Rice does this, and it’s kind of disappointing that more students aren’t taking advantage of this,” Omar said. “There’s definitely a demand for people to take the classes, we just need more people to teach them.”

Sandra Parsons, the associate professor responsible for teaching COLL 300 this semester, says that teaching a COLL course builds critical skills, even for those not interested in teaching as a career.

“It’s a really great skill-building exercise,” Parsons said. “Being able to teach something to other people is invaluable. That’s something that you will use in absolutely any context that I can think of.”

MURTAZA KAZMI FOR THE THRESHER

ZEISHA BENNETT / THRESHER

Being taught by your peers and teaching your peers gets rid of a lot of the hierarchical structure.

ADAM LEFF FOR THE THRESHER

HAI-VAN HOANG / THRESHER

My second book, the introduction is basically saying, ‘Hey, I went through some stuff. I wrote this for me … [it] is really just between me and the book.’

Tamaz Young WIESS COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

Soul Night highlights Black culture and community

Month especially, but also all year long, it is important for everybody to recognize that Black culture and so-called ‘Black contributions’ extend far beyond what the eye can see and touch so many different facets of our society.”

Bergner said that she loved seeing the theme come to life.

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER

Soul Night, the culmination of the Rice Black Student Association’s Soul Week, will be on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Grand Hall. The showcase is dedicated to Black talent and art.

Malaika Bergner, president of the BSA, hopes that the show will leave people with what she says is an important message.

‘Secret menu’ drinks you haven’t tried

ARTIE THROOP FOR THE THRESHER

“When I first heard it I both wanted to jump for joy and weep, because it just means so much to me as a Black person in this country that my people are understood as creators and global cultural inspirations,” Bergner said.

This year, Soul Night will include outside acts from the greater Houston community. Jazara Nelson, BSA creative director and Soul Night coordinator, said that she looks forward to seeing where Rice meets greater Houston in the context of Black talent.

Rice Black Student Association’s Soul Week culminates in Soul Night on Feb. 25 at the Rice Memorial Center’s Grand Hall. Soul Night is a cultural showcase dedicated to Black talent and art, and this year’s theme is The Blackprint, celebrating Black people’s impact on global culture and history. The show starts at 7 p.m. and is preceded by dinner at 6 p.m. Rice and Houston community members can pre-order tickets for $10 or buy tickets at the door for $15.

Chase Brown, external vice president of the BSA and stage director for Soul Night, said that the theme was decided early last semester, and the board was excited to start work immediately after last year’s Soul Night.

“I like the trend from last year’s theme of Black Excellence to The Blackprint, highlighting all the amazing things that Black people have done, and also showcasing … how much of that amazing work has been rooted in history and American culture and global culture, how the foundation of society was built on the backs of Black individuals,” Brown, a Wiess College junior, said.

“The world uses, profits off of and draws inspiration from The Blackprint. Black culture and the African Diaspora have influenced

“I’m looking forward to seeing … how everything overlaps and blends together to create one beautiful culture,” Nelson, a Wiess junior, wrote in an email to the Thresher.

According to Bergner, Soul Night hopes to highlight Black culture, aesthetics, experiences and creativity in a way that isn’t often seen at Rice.

“Even though we at Rice are situated right in the middle of a city that is so enriched by its Southern African American history and, beyond that, a city recognized as a Black cultural hub, we do not feel this presence on our own campus as much as we should,” Bergner said.

Nelson expressed a similar sentiment, saying that she loves being immersed in Black culture and that that is exactly what the purpose of Soul Night is.

so many cultures around the world and have paved the way for others to be able to create and express themselves in new ways,” Bergner, a Martel College senior, said in an email to the Thresher. “During Black History

“Our event provides an outlet for Black students at Rice to unapologetically voice their individual perspectives while simultaneously celebrating their shared identities,” Nelson said. “Being at a school where Black people make up less than 10% of the population, I think Soul Night is a very much needed event. It is the one event that I look forward to every single year.”

Review: ‘Blood and Honey’ is a sticky mess

HAMZA SAEED THRESHER STAFF

I am not an advocate of government censorship, but this movie should be criminalized. It should be a punishable offense to have been involved in the making of this movie. It shouldn’t even qualify as a movie, as it has none of the necessary elements. There is no plot, no motives, no characters, no beginning and no end. Let’s discuss this fever dream of an experience.

“Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” begins after Christopher Robin grows up and goes to college, seemingly abandoning Pooh and their friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. Years later, Pooh and Piglet have gone feral. After eating Eeyore out of desperation, they begin hunting the locals in order to make blood-honey porridge. Their newest victims are five girls who book an Airbnb in the Hundred Acre Woods, only to discover their worst nightmare — they have to fight off Pooh and Piglet with Christopher Robin. Pooh, however, has blood-honey churning through his veins after being hit by a Ford F-150, and he murders every single character in the movie aside from Piglet (who was already beaten with a sledgehammer) and Christopher Robin. Afterwards, Christopher slowly crawls into the forest, awaiting his casting in the upcoming sequel (a punishment for our collective sins).

I hate this movie. Let’s start off with the soundtrack, which has absolutely nothing

to do with what’s happening in the movie. One of the girls will announce that they are going to the bathroom, and you will experience the pitch drop equivalent of being hit by an 18-wheeler. Then, in another scene, Pooh will be stabbing someone to the tune of Facebook royalty-free music. None of the cinematography and sound decisions make sense. These decisions have a significant negative impact on both the action sequences and the attempts to create any sort of haunting atmosphere. For some reason, the director (if he is even fit to be referred to as such) chose to start every action scene with shaky-cam style footage. This choice, in combination with the fact that every cut leads to a perspective on the opposite side of the set, creates a disorienting and nauseating perspective. Every time I try to recall a scene from this movie, I feel as if I am overdosing. None of the creative decisions in this movie seem to have an underlying motive. Simply put: Why?

Just like any other clichė horror movie, the protagonists all just stand there, watching Pooh go on a brutal killing spree. They have absolutely no plan, even after rescuing Christopher Robin from the makeshift torture chamber that Pooh is holding him in, which is a horrible and disturbing plot point in itself. The characters make the objectively

worst decision at every possible turn, even when there really isn’t a decision to be made. I can’t believe they even got real people to act in this movie, and the acting itself is absolutely atrocious. Despite the obvious effort behind the acting work, that in no way makes up for the incoherent rambling, inconsistent tones or terrible set design of the movie.

You really want my opinion? I think that if you watch this movie, your name should be on a list. That’s right, democracy has failed. If a country’s socioeconomic system allows for something like this to be conceived of, we can deem that country a failed state. I’m done. I’m out. Goodbye. Godspeed.

The Almond Joy

Latte with coconut, almond and chocolate

Have you been suffering from a drink slump? Have you gotten in line and spent the whole line trying to figure out what you want? Have you asked your friends what they get, trying to find inspiration, only to hear Nutty Bee and Milky Way over and over? If so, here’s a list of drinks you might not have tried to free you from that slump. This Drink of the Month from April 2022 is still a favorite of many, and it could be your new favorite too! It’s perfect for someone looking to branch out from the Milky Way to a new chocolate-bar-themed latte. It’s not overly sweet or too heavy, even when hot.

Arnold Palmer with lavender

Tea, Lemonade, Lavender

If you love sitting in the central quad, dreaming of summer and listening to Tyler, the Creator, then try this floral fresh drink. I drank half of it in five minutes, and I was transported to a cafe in a seaside town, wearing nautical stripes and cool sunglasses.

The Witchy Chai

Chai with lavender and white chocolate

If you want to feel like an indie main character, this drink is right up your alley. The lavender and white chocolate in this retired KOC of the month drink from October 2021 is perfect for walks around campus and doing ~aesthetic~ homework.

The Old Sid

Latte with almond, honey and cinnamon

Do you miss the flavor of cereal on a school morning? Do you wish you were watching cartoons instead of watching lectures? The Old Sid, a Drink of the Month from April 2022, tastes like Honey Bunches of Oats and is perfect for bringing that child-like joy everywhere you go.

Portland Fog

Earl grey with milk and rose

This simple twist on the London Fog is perfect for lovers of Taylor Swift and Maggie Rogers. You can wistfully stare out the window with this warm drink in hand, dreaming of actually getting tickets or exacting revenge on Ticketmaster.

COURTESY ALTITUDE FILM DISTRIBUTION

SHREYA CHALLA THRESHER STAFF

Even though we at Rice are situated right in the middle of a city that is so enriched by its Southern African American history ... we do not feel this presence on our own campus as much as we should.

Malaika Bergner

MARTEL COLLEGE SENIOR

Rice Players’ ‘Boeing Boeing’ to take off at Hamman Hall

Behind every crash and burn fiasco is a series of bad decisions — or, for the Rice Players’ production of “Boeing Boeing,” a collaborative theatrical team.

The student-run theatre company’s latest show follows Bernard, who is secretly engaged to three different flight attendants. When all three fiancėes somehow land in his Paris apartment at once, Bernard must try to dodge the consequences of his affairs. “Boeing Boeing” opens on Feb. 24 at Hamman Hall, kicking off its two-weekend run from Feb. 24 to 26 and March 3 to 5. Tickets are free to all audience members.

While a classic farce, “Boeing Boeing” is also “brilliantly” human, according to director Eric Domuret.

“It doesn’t take itself too seriously,” Domuret said. “It’s a comedy, but it does tap into the truth of who people really are. Otherwise, what would we be laughing at?”

Domuret is the founder of performing arts company Apprentice Productions. His work includes numerous directing and playwriting credits in addition to extensive teaching experience.

Student producer and Rice Players coordinator Bria Weisz said that Domuret’s involvement in the show is a unique feature of the Rice Players’ mission to provide professional growth opportunities for students.

“Having a professional director allows us to provide students with valuable networking for the future, especially if they want to pursue theatre as a career,” Weisz, a Brown College senior, said.

Alongside Domuret’s directing, students fill the remaining production roles. Stage manager Parker Blumentritt said the production team is pulling together the set design in less than a

month due to restrictions on Hamman Hall’s availability.

“The set is one of the biggest ones [the Players] have done,” Blumentritt, a Sid Richardson College junior, said. “Farces are generally more complicated because the playful acting pairs well with a very realistic set. And with all the motion, there’ll be fun colors and [lighting] cues we’re still ironing out.”

Such creative decisions are essential to all areas of production. Although licensing for “Boeing Boeing” prevented the Players from changing the pronouns of any characters in the script, both Domuret and Weisz spoke on wanting to

incorporate gender-conscious casting. Despite this, Domuret said that casting “fell traditionally this time.”

“We found ways to think more about gender and queerness in the show. With blocking, we’re allowed to have more agency,” Weisz said. “The way we deliver lines and stage scenes with a particular intentionality helps shape the way we interpret the work and adds new moments between characters.”

Weisz said that the Players wanted to showcase the humor of the original text for a modern audience.

“We were impressed with how fresh a lot of the comedy felt, even though

‘Boeing Boeing’ was written in the early ‘60s,” Weisz said.

Likewise, actor Matthew Alter said he believes that the familiarity of his character, Robert, grounds the show.

“[Robert] is not a paragon of virtue,” Alter, a Wiess College junior, said. “He does things that the audience hopefully won’t like. But there is character growth — an arc that they can find joy in, if not relate to, by the end.”

Alter said that “Boeing Boeing’’ is a standout in his Rice theatre career, and credits Domuret’s directing style as key to the generative atmosphere behind the scenes.

“[Domuret] gets us to play on stage. Once, he had us actors do whatever we wanted in a room. It was a mess by the end. We stood on the tables, threw around chairs. We formed a conga line. I’ve never done anything like that for a show,” Alter said. “It might be the show I’m most proud of that’s happened at Rice so far.”

‘Dump month’ is back: Throwaway films to waste your time

driving the story forward. The film uses so few tools to keep the audience engaged but is overall very successful, crafting an incredibly poignant story. However, this also results in some of its downfalls. The dialogue often sounds so unrealistic that it is difficult to conceptualize any real person genuinely stringing those words together on the spot. It also seems to struggle with tone during some events and scenes that are jarringly different from what was occurring just moments before. Even so, the film was clearly very meticulously crafted and wellreceived by audiences. This, in addition to the amount of time it spent on the festival circuits, makes this film decidedly not a dump.

“House Party”

January has historically been known as a “dump month” in the film industry, where movies that will likely have lesser box office or critical success than other works slated for the year are “dumped” into theaters. However, with the rise of streaming and the fall of movie theater culture, many argue that dump month is no more. To determine whether this month in the film industry is as consistently disappointing as ever, I reviewed four movies released in January.

“A Man Called Otto”

“A Man Called Otto”’ is an American remake of a Swedish film of a Swedish book titled “A Man Called Ove” (I don’t know why they changed his name either) that tells the story of an unlikely friendship between grumpy old man Otto and his new neighbors.

Despite a few cringe-worthy scenes about “kids these days” and heavily relying on performances from Tom Hanks and Mariana Treviño, the movie is so sweet. Once you understand what is happening, you can see the plot coming from a mile away, but the story itself is still heartwarming. Considering general box office success and a positive reception from the public, I would say that this one is not a dump.

“Plane”

“Plane” is the story of a pilot who partners with a prisoner to save his passengers after crash-landing on a small island of the Philippines. By the 20-minute mark, it is incredibly easy to predict nearly every plot point, but unlike “A Man Called Otto,” they don’t deliver these points well at all. There are definitely attempts — some more successful than others — to be inventive with camera work and shocking

moments, but none of this was enough to keep it from being, frankly, boring. Efforts are made to use score to create suspense, but you can’t create something that is simply not there. This makes the movie overall mindnumbing, in addition to every character being one-dimensional and story arcs being incredibly forced. I will give this one points for being the only film I reviewed that wasn’t a remake or retelling, but considering how derivative and forgettable it was, it had to have been a dump.

“Women Talking”

“Women Talking,” based on the 2018 novel by the same name, depicts a meeting of women within a small Mennonite community deciding how to respond to a series of attacks on the female members of the colony. The vast majority of this movie focuses only on this meeting, with dialogues, monologues, and flashbacks

January was the month of remakes. “House Party” is a reboot of the 1990 original, which tells the story of two club promoters who decide to throw one last party at LeBron James’ house (who produced this movie). I absolutely did not want to watch this one because I could not imagine it being anything worthwhile. However, this movie has many strong comedic hits and amazing chemistry between nearly every combination of characters. It was riddled with cameos that were handled very well, a difficult task to achieve, with little feeling overly forced. The film leans into absurdism — maybe a bit too much at points — and by the end I wasn’t sure if it was real or a shared hallucination between me and LeBron James. “House Party” brought back much of what made ‘90s comedy so charming, even ending with a blooper reel. However, it was received with overall mixed to negative reviews with many perceiving it as an unnecessary, worse version of the original. This movie was likely a dump, but I think people should watch it anyway.

BASMA BEDAWI FOR THE THRESHER

COURTESY WARNER BROS

We formed a conga line. I’ve never done anything like that for a show. It might be the show I’m most proud of that’s happened at Rice so far.

Matthew Alter WIESS COLLEGE JUNIOR

MICHELLE GACHELIN / THRESHER

The Rice Players’ production of “Boeing Boeing” opens on Feb. 24 at Hamman Hall, kicking off its two-weekend run.

Simpson-Sullivan, Slinkman break conference records at C-USAs

PAVITHR GOLI ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

This past weekend, both of Rice’s track and field teams traveled to Birmingham, Ala. to compete at the Conference USA Indoor Championships, where several athletes broke Rice and C-USA records and many others recorded personal bests. The women’s team, who had its best showing in three years, placed second in the conference and took gold in three events. The men’s team also had a strong performance, winning four events and placing third overall.

On the women’s side, the Owls were led by junior thrower Tara Simpson-Sullivan, who broke Rice and C-USA records when she won the weight throw with a distance of 22.18 meters. Senior thrower Erna Gunnarsdottir won the shot put with a personal best distance of 17.92 meters. The Owls also won the distance medley, with a first-place time of 11:34:36 run by freshman Amelie Attenborough, sophomore Savannah Simms, junior Taigen Hunter-Galvan, and junior Alyssa Balandran.

Simpson-Sullivan was surprised by how well she performed on her first try and hopes to break the Rice record again.

“I threw my furthest on my first throw, which is very unlike me, it was supposed to be a smooth easy first throw to secure first place,” Simpson-Sullivan. “I’m happy to break my own Rice record, but I do hope to

break it again before I graduate. The same goes for the C-USA record, however, there’s no chance to break that record again for me, as this was the last indoor conference [meet] in the C-USA.”

Head coach Jim Bevan was proud of his team’s performance over the weekend and is excited about the upcoming outdoor season.

“Overall, we scored more than we were seeded and we pulled together and competed hard for each other,” Bevan said. “We are looking forward to outdoor track but still have two throwers that should be going on to Nationals.”

The men’s team also had a strong performance in Birmingham, with their third-place finish a program best since 2015. Junior Alexander Slinkman followed up on his strong regular season performances with a record-setting pole vault this past weekend. Slinkman won the pole vault with a C-USA record height of 5.39 meters. Senior Nick Hicks won the weight throw event for the third straight year, and junior Elian Ahmar took gold in the shot put. The men’s distance medley team, which consisted of junior Elliot Metcalf, freshman Dominik Skorjanc, junior Ronen Oosthuizen and freshman Gus Gannon, also took first place with a time of 9:58.01. Gannon also set a Rice record with his 8:03.61 time in the 3000-meter event, earning himself Freshman of the Meet honors.

According to head coach Jon Warren, the team had a strong day on the first day of the

meet and did well enough on day two to get onto the podium.

“It’s not often that we get so many guys on the podium on day one and Alexander Slinkman setting a new conference record is just the icing on the cake,” Warren said. “[Sunday] had some twists and turns that fell mostly our way and the end result was a hard-fought third-place team finish. This group was exceptional and I hope we can keep that momentum going outdoors.”

This meet marked the end of the indoor track and field season for most athletes on both teams, with most now shifting their preparation for the outdoor season. However, the Owls who qualify will compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. on March 10 and 11.

The outdoor season starts on March 16, when the Owls compete at the University of Houston in the Kirk Baptiste Spring Break Invite.

Baseball drops fireworks-filled opening series to Louisiana

PRAYAG GORDY SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR

Rice baseball lost their first two games against the University of Louisiana at Lafayette last weekend, winning the third to avoid the sweep. Rice was defeated 5-4 on Friday and 11-2 on Saturday, then overcame an early deficit to beat the Ragin’ Cajuns 12-8 Sunday afternoon.

“It’s definitely a team that is hungry to win,” head coach Jose Cruz Jr., who is starting his second year at Rice, said. “They want to be successful.”

Rice jumped out to an early lead Friday night behind a first-inning RBI double from catcher Manny Garza. In the top of the third, with Cajuns fans chanting “overrated,” Rice starting pitcher Parker Smith gave up three runs on two RBI singles and a sacrifice fly. Garza picked a

runner off at second to limit the damage, one of the three runners he threw out on the bases that night.

Smith settled in after that, allowing only those three runs in six innings of work and departing with a 4-3 lead. Graduate transfer Krishna Raj struck out the side in the first inning of his Rice debut, but gave up the lead with a decisive two-run home run by Louisiana outfielder Heath Hood in the eighth.

After Rice left the bases loaded to end the game, the Owls turned to the stands for the “Rice Honor,” and fans trickled out of the stadium as post-game fireworks launched into the cold night.

Louisiana jumped on Rice starter junior Justin Long early Saturday, tagging him with six runs (five earned) in the first two innings. Sophomore pitcher Mauricio Rodriguez gave up one run in 2.1 innings in his Rice debut,

and freshman Ryland Urbanczyk allowed two runs in his three inning debut.

The Ragin’ Cajuns tacked on five more runs over the evening, holding Rice to an RBI single and an RBI groundout in the sixth and the ninth. The 11-2 loss was the eleventh straight to Louisiana.

The Owls’ starting pitching struggled again in Sunday’s game. Sophomore J.D. McCracken walked five, hit one batter and recorded only four outs in his first appearance for Rice. He was charged with five earned runs, all in the second.

“We’ve seen J.D. McCracken throw, so we know he’s gonna give better innings and a better showing for sure,” Cruz said. “[Gotta] get the jitters out of the way.”

Rice bounced back with three runs in the bottom of the second. According to graduate infielder Drew Holderbach, that inning kept the Owls alive.

“That’s a big bounce back that inning, we got that three runs back there,” Holderbach said. “We knew once we got that first one, we could keep it going and we could fight with them.”

Junior reliever Matthew Linskey took the mound in the fourth with a runner on. After a single and a stolen base placed runners on second and third, Linskey struck out the next three batters to end the inning.

“He [was] in a tight spot, was able to punch some guys out with runners at third and second,” Cruz said. “That was extremely crucial for us, it kept us in the game.”

Linskey held the Cajuns scoreless through the sixth, then left with two runners

on base, both of whom later scored. He finished the game with eight strikeouts.

“We won the game because he came in when he did, he was able to just shut the door,” Cruz added.

Rice tacked on two runs in the fourth to tie the game, then took the lead on a Holderbach home run in the fifth.

Louisiana tied the game in the top of the seventh, but Rice regained the lead in the bottom half. Four insurance runs in the eighth solidified an Owl victory, as pitcher Blake Brogdon entered in relief and put an end to a Cajun rally in the top of the ninth. Brogdon made his first appearance on the mound since an injury in February 2022.

“This is the first time I’ve pitched in a year to date since I got hurt at Texas last year,” Brogdon said. “It was just an amazing feeling to get out there again, to get the job done for the team.”

The Owls will host Sam Houston State tonight at 6:30 p.m., before traveling to Palo Alto for a three-game series against Stanford University.

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

FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER

Matthew Linskey throws a pitch during Rice’s opening-weekend series against Louisiana. Linskey and the Owls dropped the first two games before winning 12-8 on Sunday.

COURTESY CONFERENCE USA

Junior vaulter Alexander Slinkman celebrates after breaking the C-USA and Rice records in the pole vault at the C-USA championships. Both Rice teams finished in the top three.

HONG LIN TSAI / THRESHER

Rice out-swims new-look AAC at conference, still finishes fourth

CADAN HANSON SENIOR WRITER

If it was only the American Athletic Conference swimming championships, Rice’s would be bringing home a championship trophy. Despite starting 369 points behind first place because they don’t have a diving team, the Owls claimed the most points in the pool and took fourth place overall in the first AAC meet in school history. The Owls tallied 1,136 points, behind first place University of Houston (1,311.5), second place Florida International

Southern Methodist University (1208.5). After the meet, head coach Seth Huston was happy with the Owl’s performance.

“Four AAC individual titles is not a bad start for Rice,” Huston said. “The team battled all week and while we scored more points in the pool than every other school, we just didn’t have the firepower and depth to make up the diving deficit. I am very proud of how our seniors carried and led the team throughout the season.”

Sophomore Arielle Hayon led the Owls’ effort, winning gold in both the 100 and 200-yard butterfly. Hayon’s dominance in the butterfly dates back to her freshman year, when she she swept both fly events at the Conference USA championship. Not only was Hayon able to take home two individual titles, but she was able to reset her own 200-fly school record in a come-frombehind effort, just beating the second-place finisher to the wall. Hayon said that the team’s support and facing off against a worthy opponent helped her push herself to her best.

“The 200-fly was quite an emotional win because it

was such a tough battle for the win,” Hayon said. “I think a lot of growth happens when a win is fought for because it takes a lot of mental strength to push myself to be mentally ready to step up and race no matter what the competition brings. Remembering that I can only control what happens between my two lane lines was really valuable in executing both wins. Also, the team believed in me to pull it off and I really had to convince myself to be confident.”

Senior Zoe Spitz claimed the individual title in the 100-yard backstroke, breaking her own school record in the process. Spitz was also able to complete the double, on Friday by winning bronze in the 200-freestyle. According to Spitz, the title was especially meaningful because her teammate, junior Imogen Meers, was on the podium next to her.

“It feels great to win an AAC title, and especially going one-two with my teammate and training partner, Imogen,” Spitz said. “I have a lot of love for Rice swimming and I’m glad I was able to put together a solid race for the team. Every time I stepped onto the blocks, I felt the energy of the team behind me and the coaches do a great job of preparing us in training so that we can handle multiple fast swims in a row when we get to a meet-like conference.”

Numerous other Owls were crucial to the team’s success. Senior Lauren McDougall took second place in the 500 and 200-freestyle and junior Imogen Meers finished third in the 100-free,

in addition to her second-place finish behind Spitz. Sophomore Amelia Kane won silver in the 400-Individual Medley and freshman Ella Dyson claimed the fourth individual title, winning the 1650free in the second-fastest time in school history. Rice’s relay teams also picked up five medals, but no golds. After the meet, Huston was pleased with how his team was able to dive in and compete at a high level.

“I loved the level of competition,” Huston said. Arielle [Hayon], Zoe [Spitz], Lauren [McDougall] and Ella [Dyson] have stepped all year. I wasn’t surprised they did it again. Their performances were well earned and deserved.

Due to a lack of swim programs remaining in the Conference USA following conference realignment, Rice swimming was invited to join the AAC a year earlier than the rest of the Rice’s teams. Hayon, who claimed the first AAC title in school history, was excited to set the precedent going into the new conference.

“I am humbled to be able to earn Rice’s first AAC win, not only for the swim team but for all of Rice,” Hayon said. “Our athletes are excited to move into this new conference and step up to the new competition. I cannot think of a better way to start this new era of Rice athletics.”

The meet marks the end of the season for the Owls, however Hayon, McDougall and Spitz all hit NCAA “B cuts,” which opens the possibility of them competing at the NCAA Championships in March.

After years of trying, Bloomgren finally landed JT Daniels

DANIEL SCHRAGER SPORTS EDITOR

While he was in Mobile, Ala., preparing his team for Rice’s first bowl appearance in eight years, head coach Mike Bloomgren was also working on another project. JT Daniels, a former five-star recruit who started three games for the University of Georgia’s 2021 national championship team, had just entered the transfer portal and Bloomgren wanted to lure the then-West Virginia University quarterback to South Main.

“[We] actually flew him in while we were playing the bowl game in Mobile, he landed in Houston while we were playing,” Bloomgren said. “And then we got back from the bowl game at like 2 in the morning. But we spent all of Sunday with him. And that kind of showed him why this should be a great fit.”

Bloomgren had heard that the quarterback, who spent his first two seasons at the University of Southern California, was close to committing to a different school. According to Daniels, that school was Georgia Southern University, where his former USC head coach Clay Helton now worked. But Bloomgren said he got on the phone with Daniels and convinced him to at least come see Rice’s campus before he made his decision.

“The weekend before our bowl trip, I had a break in the day when I was setting stuff up at my home because we had official visits going on,” Bloomgren said. “I got on the phone with him. And he ended up calling his dad and we probably talked for 45 minutes to an hour. And basically, we kept them from committing to the other institution that night, and committing to come on a visit here that next week.”

The way Daniels tells it, while he was leaning towards Georgia Southern at one

point, he was never ready to rule out Rice completely.

“I knew before going in I was trying to make a decision fast and just I know the offensive situation that exists here,” Daniels said. “For the most part I really liked Rice from the jump.”

Daniels, who has now transferred three times, said that while he’s used to recruiting visits by now, his conversations with offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo won him over.

“I’ve been to enough campuses at this point, so it’s never a big deal for me,” Daniels said. “I was with Tui for eight hours. [We] went through the offense, made sure I liked it, and [I] pretty much made my decision at that point.”

Daniels, who is now pursuing his masters in industrial organizational psychology, waited two days to make sure he was certain. Then, he told Bloomgren that he’d be an Owl. According to Daniels, his relationship with Bloomgren and Tuiasosopo, as well as his belief that he fit well in Bloomgren’s offense, ultimately convinced him to join.

Bloomgren had recruited Daniels since his time as offensive coordinator at Stanford University. Daniels said the Cardinal were one of his final two or three choices, before he committed to USC. According to Bloomgren, he’s been hoping to work with the Mater Dei High School alum ever since.

“[I’ve] recruited him since he was 14 or 15, since he was a ninth grader at Mater Dei, and built a great relationship [with him],” Bloomgren said. “I remember him and his dad hanging out at my house and just having all the other coaches come around, and just what a great time it was.”

Daniels was named USC’s starter as a true-freshman, but his sophomore season was cut short by an injury in the Trojans’

season opener. According to Bloomgren, he reached out to Daniels after the injury to offer support.

“I was just like, ‘hey, man, this too shall pass. You’re gonna be the same player, and even better than you ever thought you could be,’” Bloomgren said.

Daniels said that the two maintained a strong relationship over the years.

“At this point we’ve known each other long enough to be friends,” Daniels said. “To the point where he would text me [after] games and what not, and just check in with me.”

After reviewing his texts with Daniels, Bloomgren said that he cut off contact with the quarterback, outside of the one text after his injury, until each time he entered the transfer portal, in order to comply with the NCAA’s tampering rules.

“It’s kind of, forboden once somebody signs with another institution,” Bloomgren said. “So I always respected that, except for when he got injured … And then every other time, we of course, waited for the portal to open.”

Prior to last season, when Daniels transferred from Georgia to West Virginia, Bloomgren said that he reached out to the quarterback as soon as he entered the transfer portal, and almost lured him to Rice. Bloomgren flew to Georgia to spend a day talking to Daniels in Athens. Daniels considered Rice, but ultimately ruled it out after not being able to bring his preferred teammates along.

“They were in the conversation,” Daniels said. “At the time I thought it would have been difficult for me to get some of the other guys that were planning to go with me to get into Rice.”

Instead, Bloomgren had to wait a year, but he finally landed his quarterback.

“I do go back to the length of the relationship, the persistence and just the staying with it,” Bloomgren said. “He was the first player we offered at Stanford in his class, which was supposed to be the 2019 class – he ended up reclassifying in ‘18. But I was in love with him. I built a relationship with his dad that I cherish … Those things just paid off.”

NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER

COURTESY ANDREW HANCOCK - AAC

Arielle Hayon competes in the butterfly during the AAC championships. Hayon won both butterfly events as the Owls scored the most point in swimming events and the fourth most points overall.

I do go back to the length of the relationship, the persistence and just staying with it ... I was in love with [JT]. I built a relationship with his dad that I cherish ... Those things just paid off.

Mike Bloomgren HEAD COACH

DILF HUNTER FOR SA PRESIDENT

MAIN PLATFORMS

Two Beer Bikes - Have a second Beer Bike a couple weeks after the first for double the escape from reality

Livable Minimum Grade Curve - Raise the minimum universal GPA every semester to 3.90 by Fall 2024

Zendaya Campus Meet & Greet - I mean, who doesn’t love Zendaya?

No More 8/9 AMs - Our hard-working students deserve a full eight hours of sleep, and this will get them almost halfway there

Meal Swipe to Tetra Exchange Program - Become each other’s severy swipe or Tetra daddies!

Abolish the SA - Use the money for something more productive like a pizza party

Hunter’s other platforms

• Install hack squat machine at Rec

• Increase student minimum wage ten cents higher than my opponent

• President’s Day off to honor me when I’m president

• No more illness

• 24-Hour serveries

• Public tickets for all

• Bring back HBO Max

• Everyone gets single rooms

• No lines at Chaus forever

• Parking allowed anywhere on campus

• Soundproof glass around Sid Rich on Fridays

• No more living in fear every day

• Infinite Pass/Fails

• Dental benefits

Please

Dilf Hunter has been endorsed by…

H&D

Both Bush’s ASPCA - “You’re really going to vote against the ASPCA?”

9/10 dentists

Your sweet, old grandmother

Madison Bunting - “Avenge me! Avenge meeee!! [fades into darkness]”