The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, March 29, 2023

beer bike

HAI-VAN HOANG / THRESHER

Rice hits for ‘27 7.7%

Rice’s Office of Admissions admitted 2,399 students out of a total 31,049 applicants, on March 27. With a 7.7 percent admit rate, this year has seen a new record-low for acceptances, surpassing last year’s previous recordlow of 8.56 percent for the Class of 2026.

According to Vice President for Enrollment Yvonne Romero da Silva, this year’s exceptionally low admit rate can be attributed in part to higher than expected yield rates in the past few years.

“We anticipate enrolling a freshman class of 1100 new Owls in the Fall, which is smaller than our previous two classes which saw higher than anticipated yields,” Romero da Silva wrote in an email to the Thresher. “As a result, we were more conservative in our offers of admission this year and admitted fewer students to ensure we do not over enroll.”

Although Rice is still attempting to expand its undergraduate enrollment, some admitted students said they appreciate Rice’s tight-knit student body.

“I really like the aspects of a smaller school,” Kyra Leyi Cheung, a high school senior from Spring, Texas, said. “As someone who has been homeschooled for basically all their life and in online high school at the moment, I’ve really enjoyed the thought of a smaller community.”

Rice has maintained a test-optional admissions policy, which Romero da Silva said many admitted students took advantage of.

“Students who did not [submit] a test score made up 21% of the admitted class. International students were 11% of admitted students representing 73 different countries in their primary and secondary citizenships,” Romero da Silva said.

This year’s admitted class expressed increased interest in the School of Humanities, according to Romero da Silva. The recently implemented undergraduate business major has also continued to garner interest, although the Office of Admissions was unable to provide further information.

Aside from Rice’s academics though, she said she’s eager for a diverse student body.

“I try not to think of schools before I get into them,” Dickinson, who’s from Victoria, Texas, said. “I’m just really excited to be around a group of diverse people and a bigger class because the school I go to only has 60 people in my grade. Everybody grew up here, so I’m excited for a diverse community.”

We look forward to welcoming our admitted students to participate in a robust offering of virtual and in-person yield programming in the upcoming weeks to learn more about Rice University and most importantly to engage with the Rice community.

Yvonne Romero da Silva VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT

Tarini Basireddy, a high school senior from Fairfax, Virginia, opened her acceptance in the middle of her younger sister’s art show. Although Basireddy applied as a bioengineering major, she said she’s most excited by Rice’s breadth of student activities.

Other admitted students, such as Aum Dhruv, were drawn to Rice for its location in Houston and its subsequent climate.

“Living in the South, you kind of need not freezing temperatures,” Dhruv, a high school senior from Fort Myers, Florida, said. “Schools in the Northeast are … super prestigious, but they’re so cold. I wanted a really good university that had a warm Southern feel to it, but also had a community around it.”

Romero da Silva said the Office of Admissions will host admitted students events this upcoming month to boost yield.

“We look forward to welcoming our admitted students to participate in a robust offering of virtual and in-person yield programming in the upcoming weeks to learn more about Rice University and most importantly to engage with the Rice community,” Romero da Silva said. “We are particularly eager to host Owl Days on April 10 and 14, 2023, VISION on April 13, 2023, and OWL Days Express on April 22 and 29, 2023 on the Rice campus to give our admitted students and their families an opportunity to experience Rice first hand.”

Emily Dickinson, a high school senior, said she applied to Rice largely for its Politics, Law and Social Thought minor, which resonates with her interest in law.

“There’s no shot I would have been interested in aeronautical engineering or different kinds of dance if there wasn’t a club for it,” Basireddy said. “As someone who’s approached the college admissions process from a very academic standpoint, I definitely like [Rice’s] clubs … I think it’s unique to Rice.”

A resounding sentiment among many admitted students was anticipation for many of Rice’s quirks and traditions.

“The traditions that I’ve been reading [about] seem … really unique to Rice,” Carol Chen, a high school senior from Chandler, Arizona, said. “I’ve seen [Orientation Week], everyone says that’s really good, and Beer Bike.”

TINA LIU / THRESHER

RIYA MISRA FEATURES EDITOR

RTA hosts annual Taiwanese Night Market

event this year, including a vegetarian option for every non-vegetarian food item.

and food. The night market is also important for many Taiwanese students on campus, Chiang said.

The Rice Taiwanese Association held its annual night market this past Saturday, hosting 415 students in Central Quad and Ray’s Courtyard for a night of food, games and culture, according to RTA Internal Vice President Shani Chiang.

The event was held outdoors in the Central Quad, which continued from last year, when pandemic restrictions moved the event from its traditional location in the Grand Hall. Chiang, a Baker College sophomore, said that this year there was a focus on increasing the number of games available for attendees.

RTA Co-President Jacob Wong said that this year, they also focused on trying to minimize lines, although they were not able to entirely prevent them.

“One of the changes we made was that we added more Night Market volunteers from RTA members in order to expedite certain processes and make sure everything would run smoothly,” Wong, a McMurtry College junior, said.

RTA Co-President and Wiess College senior Kaitlyn Liu said that, looking forward, they hope to have more accurate estimates for the amount of food needed, as the food served this year ran out quicker than expected. Wong said the RTA board also focused on improving food options for those coming to the

For Lauren Verthein, a McMurtry freshman, one of the night market’s biggest draws to the event was the food.

“I love it when Rice has cultural events like this,” Verthein said. “You come for the food and you stay for the culture.”

Chiang said the RTA night market is more than just a fun event, as it allows RTA the opportunity to introduce students to Taiwanese culture

“I was born in Taiwan, and my family is all there,” Chiang said. “I miss it a lot, and I’m glad we have this event here that reminds me of a piece of my home.”

McMurtry freshman Emily Myint shared a similar sentiment.

“I have a lot of Taiwanese relatives so, I’ve been missing real good Taiwanese food,” Myint said. “It’s really nice having an event like this.”

Undergrad tuition to increase 5.7% next academic year

Rice’s undergraduate tuition for the 2023-24 academic year will be $57,210, a 5.7% increase from the previous year. This brings the total cost of attendance up to $74,028, marking the fourth consecutive year of tuition increases and highest percentage increase in recent years. The most recent comparable tuition hike was an increase of 5.4% for the 2010-11 academic year, which came in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

According to President Reggie DesRoches, rising inflation is a key reason for tuition increases. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, increases in inflation for the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years are the highest in decades.

“The current economic conditions — including inflation, fluctuating market conditions and increasing costs — are creating cost pressures,” DesRoches wrote in an email to the Thresher.

For the current academic year, tuition was raised 3.9% to $54,100, and in the 2021-22 academic year, it had increased by 3.5%.

Vice President of Finance and Administration Kelly Fox said low endowment returns were a consideration in setting tuition costs.

“We are dependent on the endowment, and having multiple years of near 0% return creates pressure,” Fox said. “But it’s not in a vacuum, it’s a piece [of factors impacting tuition].”

In the fiscal year 2022, the Rice endowment return rate was 0.1%. The Rice Management Company expects that return to be among the highest across comparable universities.

DesRoches said Rice’s tuition increase is comparable among peer institutions.

“Our peers that have announced their tuition and fees have increases ranging from $2,400 to $4,100,” DesRoches said. “Our increase is $3,168. Rice still has the lowest tuition among our private peer institutions.”

Stanford University, Duke University and Washington University in St. Louis will increase tuition by $4,100, $2,691 and $2,330, respectively.

In the fall of 2022, the university increased the Rice Investment scholarship program — which covers full tuition, fees and room and board — income threshold to families with incomes under $75,000, up from the previous threshold of $65,000.

According to DesRoches, aid packages typically increase for students receiving financial aid with tuition increases.

financial aid through our no-loan aid policy.”

According to Fox, tuition increases go towards improving the student experience.

“We’ve been talking about our investment in student and staff wages,” Fox said. “We’ve seen a greater utilization of health insurance benefits this year, which then drives [tuition] increases, so that’s already at the forefront of where we’ll be investing.”

DesRoches said. “We are continuing our commitment to invest in students through the Rice Investment; hiring and retaining top faculty to maintain our remarkably low student-to-faculty ratio and … new programs to enhance student life.”

“When tuition increases, financial aid will likely increase provided a family’s financial circumstance hasn’t changed,” DesRoches said. “We remain committed to meeting 100% of the demonstrated need of Rice students on

DesRoches said that revenue from the tuition increase has not yet been officially allocated in next year’s operating budget. Student tuition and fees comprised 28% of the university’s operating budget in fiscal year 2022.

“We are still completing the fiscal year 2024 budget and will have final information about where investments are being made in June,”

Graduate tuition for some programs will increase, while others will remain the same. Doctoral tuition will increase by 5.7% as well, to $57,210, the same amount as undergraduate tuition. Tuition for graduate architecture students will increase by 1.0% from the previous year. Tuition for graduate music students will be $31,000, a 3% increase. Tuition for master’s programs in religion, energy economics and human-computer interaction and human factors will remain the same at $20,000, $58,000 and $35,000, respectively.

The current economic conditions — including inflation, fluctuating market conditions and increasing costs — are creating cost pressures ... Our increase is $3,168. Rice still has the lowest tuition among our private peer institutions.

Reggie DesRoches RICE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT

I have a lot of Taiwanese relatives so, I’ve been missing real good Taiwanese food … It’s really nice having an event like this.

Emily Myint MCMURTRY COLLEGE FRESHMAN

CHARLOTTE HEELEY / THRESHER

CHARLOTTE HEELEY / THRESHER Rice Taiwanese Assocation hosted night market in the Central Quad on March 25.

BASMA BEDAWI FOR THE THRESHER

SPRING CHENJP THRESHER STAFF

CHANNING WANG / THRESHER

The most recent comparable tuition hike was an increase of 5.4% for the 2010-11 academic year.

Neuroscience B.S. to debut in the fall

HAJERA NAVEED NEWS EDITOR

The neuroscience Bachelors of Science was approved by Faculty Senate at the March 9 meeting and will be incorporated into the General Announcements for the following academic year. The major includes two tracks: molecular and cellular neuroscience and computational neuroscience.

The idea to create a B.S. major came shortly after the neuroscience Bachelor of Arts was introduced in the spring of 2018, according to assistant professor of biosciences Jon Flynn. After finalizing the proposal in October of last year, it went through approval of several committees and the faculty senate.

Flynn said the proposal was well received by the faculty senate, with a few concerns about whether to include honors research and how many electives should be required for the major. Ultimately, honors research was excluded from both tracks, and two concentration electives, alongside other major requirements, must be completed to earn the degree.

The differences between the B.A. and the B.S. in neuroscience lie in the depth

NEUROSCIENCE B.S. IN BRIEF

Common core requirements

of study, according to Flynn. For those interested in focusing on a more specific topic within the field of neuroscience, Flynn said he recommends considering the B.S.

“The B.A. is a very generalist degree,” Flynn said. “In a sense, if you like neuroscience as a whole, and you want to learn a little bit of everything about it, go for the B.A. For the B.S., it’s more specialist.”

In an email to the neuroscience listserv, Flynn reminded students that the B.S. is not better than the B.A., and that he does not believe selection committees for medical or graduate school have a preference for one over the other.

Candi Zhao and Aanika Kashyap, presidents of Rice Neuroscience Society, said they were excited that the neuroscience track is expanding to provide more options for students.

“Because there is a wider range of interests covered [in the new B.S. major], we hope RNS can expand with our events and committees to appeal to the students with those interests,” Zhao, a Jones College senior, said.

Students can begin declaring the new major as soon as next fall semester.

• Non-neuroscience topics: 24 credit hours

• Programming: 3-4 credit hours

• Statistics: 3-4 credit hours

• Core neuroscience courses: 12 credit hours

• Core neuroscience labs: 12 credit hours

• Core lab elective: 12 credit hours

Core neuroscience lectures

• NEUR 380/PSYC 380: Fundamental Neuroscience Systems

• NEUR 383 or ELEC/BIOE 380: Introduction to Neuroengineering

• BIOS 385: Fundamentals of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

• NEUR/PSYC 362: Cognitive Neuroscience

Major concentrations

• Computational Neuroscience

• Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

INFOGRAPHIC BY ANNA CHUNG

In a sense, if you like neuroscience as a whole, and you want to learn a little bit of everything about it, go for the B.A. For the B.S., it’s more specialist.

Jon Flynn ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BIOSCIENCES

EDITORIAL

Raise the Blanket Tax to account for inflation

Rice is raising tuition again. We’re not here to complain about it: We understand that inflation has impacted the university’s expenses. In fact, that’s actually why we’re writing this editorial — just as the university’s increased costs necessitate increasing tuition, we believe the impact inflation has on campus organizations also necessitates a slight increase in the Blanket Tax.

For those that don’t know, part of each tuition payment is something called the Blanket Tax, a fee levied by the Student Association and distributed to a variety of student organizations. The Thresher is one of those organizations, alongside Rice Civic Duty, Rice Rally Club and Rice Program Council. That’s right, the Blanket Tax is how we pay for Beer Bike every year.

Other campus events benefit from the Blanket Tax as well. This semester alone, the Blanket Tax and its initiative fund helped finance Africaye!, PERIOD Week, the Residential College Chess League, the HACER Banquet and the Korean Street Market, to name just a few.

The Blanket Tax exists to serve students, but its current budgets and

initiative funding don’t cover as much as they once did. In order for Blanket Tax Organizations to fulfill their primary goals, and in order to keep funding initiatives for other campus organizations, the Blanket Tax fee, which was set in 2015 to be $85 per student and would be equivalent to $109 today, needs to be increased.

EDITORIAL STAFF

* Indicates Editorial Board member

dollars for student organizations and events. While a minor increase wouldn’t solve the mounting threat that inflation poses to campus organizations, it would serve as a band-aid over the enlarging wound of rising costs. Alternatively, just as Rice raises its tuition by a little bit each year, the SA could consider slowly increasing the Blanket Tax by a dollar or two annually, avoiding larger one-time increases entirely, as with the previous fee raises.

Ben Baker-Katz* Editor-in-Chief

Morgan Gage* Editor-in-Chief

Bonnie Zhao* Managing Editor

NEWS

Hajera Naveed* Editor

Maria Morkas Asst. Editor

OPINION

Nayeli Shad* Editor

FEATURES

Riya Misra* Editor

Sarah Knowlton Asst. Editor

To be clear, we’re not necessarily calling for a large increase. Just a few more dollars, when multiplied by every student, would provide thousands of additional

Rice would not be the same without its student organizations. As it stands, Blanket Tax Organizations are forced to focus on maintaining their current levels of operation and aren’t given the space to meet the desires or needs of the student body that funds them. A stagnant pool of available funding, increasing demand and rampant inflation are stifling creativity, growth and innovation. In order for student groups to grow and forge new paths, they need just a little more money.

Editor-in-Chief Morgan Gage recused herself from this editorial due to her position on the Blanket Tax Committee.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Michelle Gachelin* Editor

Hadley Medlock Asst. Editor

SPORTS

Daniel Schrager* Editor

Pavithr Goli Asst. Editor

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Prayag Gordy* Editor

BACKPAGE

Timmy Mansfield Editor

Ndidi Nwosu Editor Andrew Kim Editor

COPY

Jonathan Cheng Editor

Annika Bhananker Editor

PHOTO, VIDEO, & WEB

Katherine Hui Photo Editor

Cali Liu Asst. Photo Editor

Camille Kao Video Editor

Eli Johns-Krull Asst. Video Editor

Brandon Chen* Web Editor

DESIGN

Robert Heeter Art & Design Director

Anna Chung News

Siddhi Narayan Opinion

Alice Sun Features

Ivana Hsyung Arts & Entertainment

Chloe Chan Sports

Lauren Yu Backpage

BUSINESS

Edelawit Negash Business Manager

Anna Rajagopal Social Media

Vanessa Chuang Distribution

ABOUT

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.

Letters to the Editor must be received by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication and must be signed, including college and year if the writer is a Rice student. The Thresher reserves the right to edit letters for content and length and to place letters on its website.

Editorial and business offices are located on the second floor of the Ley Student Center: 6100 Main St., MS-524 Houston, TX 77005-1892

Phone: (713) 348 - 4801

Email: thresher@rice.edu

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The Thresher is a member of the ACP, TIPA, CMA and CMBAM.

© Copyright 2023 ricethresher.org

While a minor increase wouldn’t solve the mounting threat that inflation poses to campus organizations, it would serve as a band-aid over the enlarging wound of rising costs.

‘Screwball antics’: Tracing the history of Beer Bike

GORDY & RIYA MISRA SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR & FEATURES EDITOR

Last week, the Thresher released a letter from the editor’s desk lamenting strict Beer Bike safety precautions that have started to chip away at the event’s tradition. The Thresher spoke to alumni and dug into the archives to explore the inception of Beer Bike and its storied history.

Controversial beginnings

Originally coined the “Inter-College Bike Race,” Beer Bike was born in May 1957, shortly after Rice created its residential college system. The Inter-College Bike Race coincided with Rondelet at the time, but the essence of the event — copious amounts of alcohol and the “eccentric nature of European racing bikes” — has remained the same over the decades.

One notable difference: in the early days, the bikers were also the chuggers.

“The Administration approved the beer drinking requirement for the race late last week so all riders will be required to consume an unspecified amount of the brew at the half way point of each lap,” the Thresher wrote in its May 3, 1957 issue.

Baker did come first, winning the inaugural Beer Bike, according to the Thresher’s May 10, 1957 issue. Hanszen had an eventful race — they won the beer consumption, were disqualified from the races for taking a shortcut and, much to Baker’s chagrin, stole one of their $80 new bicycles, equivalent to $833 today.

“The trouble with people like those that write editorials of that nature is that they have totally forgotten what it was like to be young,” Donald Gibbon (’58) wrote. “Please don’t let these people talk you into

to Thresher archives.

Men had started practicing in Hermann Park at night, Mike Alsup (’73) said. Teams would do a “zoo lap,” the one-mile circle around what is now the Houston Zoo.

“In those days, Hermann Park after dark was a warzone,” Alsup, a Wiess College graduate, added. “It was the place that a girl would just never go because bad things happened in Hermann Park.”

strips of soft foam and vinyl that were about as useful as wearing an Easter basket,” Asselin wrote in an email to the Thresher. “No streamlined clothing, no fancy bicycles.”

Helen Travis Savitzky (’80) seconded Asselin’s memory of foam helmets, recalling the number of risks associated with Beer Bike during her time.

“I was a rider, not a chugger,” Savitzky said. “You needed to get a good start, and there was very little room to stop. I can remember being bruised on my upper arms after being caught. We practiced quite a bit, and the timing of chugging and riding was a delicate balance … I do not know of any serious accidents, but there was certainly risk involved.”

outlawing one of the last vestiges of what was once not only an instructive, but enjoyable college career.”

Retaining ‘Southern Belle Gentility’

Women participated sparingly in the early Beer Bike races. In 1966, they created their own.

Tea Trike, as described in Thresher articles headlined “Girls to race with tea, tricycles” and “Girls to ride, guzzle,” was a race between Jones and Brown colleges, both of which were allwomen’s colleges at the time.

Winning became a sport that you train for. The drinkers were training year round, let’s face it, but [the race] just became stronger and better.

Mike Alsup RICE UNIVERSITY ‘73

In March 1958, Rice’s Physical Education Department threatened to end their sponsorship of the race if beer remained involved. The administration decided to allow beer, and the Thresher later deemed the mid-race chugging stops “traditional.”

By 1961, the pushback had seeped into the larger Houston community. The Chronicle published an editorial titled “Students’ screwball antics question value of education,” criticizing Beer Bike and other recent student controversies.

The Thresher produced a sardonic editorial in response.

“Obviously the fact that college students don’t spend 24 hours a day in lab trying to beat the Russians hints at Red subversion of our universities,” the Thresher wrote on May 5, 1961. “For God’s sake don’t knock your allegedly depraved sons and daughters who are trying to understand the mess you have placed us in and find a way out of it … Monkeys beget monkeys, Mr. Editor.”

A letter from an alumnus pleaded with the administration to disregard the Chronicle’s “asinine” editorial.

“The tea will be chugged from the flower-covered beer cans, thus retaining an air of Southern Belle Gentility,” the Thresher wrote. The race would be only slightly modified from the men’s race — fewer bikers and chuggers and a shorter track — except for the “seats on the seat” rule.

“[The] posterior must remain on the seat to avoid undue motion which may detract from the race,” according to a quote from Gail Drayton, a then-Brown College sophomore.

Tea Trike ended after its sixth rendition in 1972, a year after the residential colleges started to become co-ed and women finally began participating in Beer Bike.

A few years later, Alsup became a Beer Bike captain at Wiess, where he participated in what the Thresher termed the “corporate Beer-Bike era.”

“Winning became a sport that you train for,” Alsup said. “The drinkers were training year round, let’s face it, but [the race] just became stronger and better.”

By 1977, teams had collected sponsors such as Coors and Michelob and sought advice from biking enthusiasts, according to Alsup.

Karen Jones (’78), a Jones College alum, was an “iron woman” during her time at Rice. Iron women rode first, then chugged for another rider later in the race, she said.

“The tea [and] trike days were over by the time I arrived at Rice in 1974. I’m not sure when they decided that the women could drink beer and ride real bikes,” Jones said. “I remember very little about the bike training … What I remember more vividly was the beer training part of it.”

In fact, Jones said she was a “beer captain.” During the year, she kept a large vat of beer in her dorm room to warm and decarbonate.

“It was terrible. I would probably say smell is the longest lasting memory,” Jones said. “I bet if you had a flat can of Texas Pride today, I would be transported back to my dorm room.”

Risks aside, Tsz Wong (’11) said Beer Bike helped her feel included in Rice culture while avoiding the drinking aspect. Despite how Rice markets itself, Wong says that Beer Bike is still one of the only events that she considers family-friendly.

“Rice tries to market other events as big milestone alumni-gathering events, but I still only view Beer Bike and my own reunion as something worth coming to [as] a family,” Wong said.

Present day

Now, mid-race chugs, flowery beer cans and foam helmets have all been abandoned. Recently, Beer Bike witnessed plenty of rules implemented to ensure student safety – a concept that hadn’t previously been at the forefront of administration’s priorities.

Rice tries to market other events as big milestone alumnigathering events, but I still only view Beer Bike and my own reunion as something worth coming to [as] a family.

Tsz Wong RICE UNIVERSITY ‘11

Jones College women would practice with the warm, flat beer, or occasionally water, in the bathroom with custom-made cans. Students would cut holes in empty beer cans and seal the outside with wax, according to Kathy Behrens (’80).

The traditions didn’t end at flat beer. According to Lydia Asselin (’79), women also wore foam and hairnet helmets that offered little during the races.

“[They] were contraptions made of

“The whole concept of in loco parentis, where [Rice is] taking a really protective view of the students, wasn’t so much,” Alsup said. “This was not an activity that had a security component to it … This was still Rice, a Texas school, where cowboys went to school.”

Amid current concerns over splitting the races into heats and the possibility of breathalyzing chuggers, alumni remained divided over administration’s recent moves toward safety, echoing student sentiment about keeping the tradition of Beer Bike alive.

“I have mixed feelings about all things related to drinking,” Jones said. “I know, as a mother [and] as an adult, I would support [rules]. But frankly, I’m kind of glad I got to participate in an era where there weren’t as many rules and everybody just could kind of go out.”

‘They decided women could drink beer and ride real bikes’

By 1968, the track moved from the Inner Loop to the eastern side of Rice Stadium, now occupied by West Lots 2 and 3 and the George R. Brown Tennis Courts, according

PRAYAG

COURTESY LYDIA ASSELIN Bikers stand on the tracks during Beer Bike in April 1976.

COURTESY RICE UNIVERSITY Baker College’s Hank Coors is shown crossing the finish line at the first Beer Bike in 1957.

COURTESY RICE UNIVERSITY Bikers begin racing during the 1974 Beer Bike.

track map

at a glance

Beer Bike 2023 is a year of many changes, especially to the race as we seek to adjust to Rice’s increasing student population and other safety concerns. Beer Bike will still be conducted in its full-blown glory with the water balloon fight, parade and other festivities.

changes this year

• Two heat format to increase safety on the track

• More bleachers, restrooms and food options

• Tents for track personnel (bikers, chuggers and pit crew)

• Safety certifications and inspections for bikers, chuggers and pit crew

schedule

College-specific events @ RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES

Water balloon fight @ FOUNDER’S COURT

Parade begins SEE MAP ON PAGE 10

Concessions open @ RACE TRACK, SEE BELOW

Alumni, Heat 1: DUNCAN, MCMURTRY, BAKER, WIESS, LOVETT, GSA

Alumni, Heat 2: HANSZEN, JONES, BROWN, SID, WILL RICE, MARTEL

Women’s, Heat 1: DUNCAN, MCMURTRY, BAKER, WIESS, LOVETT, GSA

Women’s, Heat 2: HANSZEN, JONES, BROWN, SID, WILL RICE, MARTEL

Men’s, Heat 1: MARTEL, MCMURTRY, SID, WILL RICE, LOVETT, GSA

Men’s, Heat 2: HANSZEN, JONES, BROWN, BAKER, WIESS, DUNCAN

concessions

Shipley Donuts (morning), Taco Cabana, Raising Cane’s, Domino’s, Mendocino Farms

saturday, april 2

the Thresher’s spectator guide

66th edition

beer bike :

teams

saturday, april

college theme coords

Baker

Will Rice

Hanszen

Wiess

Jones

Brown

Lovett

Sid Richardson

Martel

McMurtry

Duncan

GSA

Mickey Mouse Chughouse

The Jungle Juice: The Beer Necessities

Formula Wine: Imbibe to Survive

Brew York Fashion Week: Get Your Model-o On!

Ginions: The Rise of Brew

Bud Lightning McQueen: Ka Chug!

Whatabeerger: Drunk 24/7

Kung Brew Panda: The Drunken Warrior

Brew-O: Two-Shot Authentication

Brewno Bars: Leave the Coors Open

John F. Keggedy: We Choose to Go to the Blue Moon

Every Bike Every Beer All at Once

Joyce Li, Rafe Hessekiel, Paige Winn, Erika Alvarez, Alice Owens

Henry Thurman, Rafe Neathery, Thapa, Amilia Warkentine, Lucy Madeleine Lucid, Felipe Lerner

Hope Moustakakis, Katherine Savarese, Amber Pitre, Hemish Connor Taylor, Elena Schwegman

Matthew Sheets, Naomi Sahle, Jerome Cerio, Skyler Zinker, Blaine Danny Moloo

Steven Dillman, Sofia Roa, Olivia Mary Brady, Lucia Romero-Alston, Bustamante Tolda

Abel Limachi, Cooper Donnalley, Sashital, Liz Avakov, Sara Davidson

Debi Shah, Ariel Ma, Sadie Siegel, Figueroa, Ethan Kelly, Melissa

Akshay Sethi, Colin Wei, Megan Saloni Cholia, Matthew Bitz

Sofia Pellegrini, Akash Karanam, Shah, Austin Hushower, Audrey Howie Qian

Myles Noble, Puneetha Goli, Hughes, Marc De Guzman

Maria Bustillo, Cali Liu, Wanqi Duplantis, Anthony Insalaco

Lissa Blackert, Sina Alemohammad, Rajasekaran

teams & themes

april 1, 2023

captains

bike chug pit

Paige LaRock, Piper Owens

Neathery, Aanchal Lucy Stickney, Lerner

Katherine Jeng, Eric Hemish Thakkar, Schwegman

Sahle, Jenny Pruitt, Blaine Samson,

Olivia Goganian, Romero-Alston, Luisa

Donnalley, Pooja Davidson

Siegel, Sophia Melissa Carmona

Erin Harrison, Vivian Zheng, Josh Schaffer, Ethan Perryman, Jacob Morgan

Emma Moran, Jessica Cao, Jonathan Lloyd, Victor RaphalsKath, Joshua Borja

Amanda Hogan, Lily Remington, Tanuj Prajapati, Truman Archer

Angela Torres, Douglas Hebda

Kate Frucht, Rose Whitt, Peter Chung, Zephyr Zoidis

Julia Kim, Madeleine Lucid, Youngbin Lee, Subash Jagadeesan

Vy Luu, Peter Reynolds

Jean-Paul Gaviria, Ethan Pham

Norberto Manzanares

Zach Rewolinski

Ava Fradlin, Alex Prucka

Drew Castleberry

Terri-Jeanne Liu, Madison Roy, Mahmoud Al-Madi, Théodore Vadot, Andrew Buehler

Anna Frey, Carrissa Witt, Angus Jelinek, Bryant Ruff

Alexa Thomases, Ryan Wang

Megan Martono, Abby Antinossi, Liam Ruiz

Karanam, Shriya Audrey Pizzolato,

Jackson

Wanqi Yuan, Jacob

Alemohammad, Senthil

Isabelle Ruble, Mary Mikos, Arjun Delity, Vedant Patwari

Anusha Srivastava, Davis Jackson

Pia Arana, Julie Park, Chris Heuser, Trey Fisbach

Anna Johnson, Olivia Del Guercio, Nicholas Lindell

Georgia Nevin, Wyeth McKinley

Annette Jones, Sofia Lakhani, Cooper Donnalley, Abel Limachi

Alexa Scott, Pavithr Goli

Prat Mohapatra, Jonah Yi

Temi Durojaye, Bradley Bolton, Silas Newton

Bela Nelson, Rajpal Bal

Vishnu Susheer, Maaz Zuberi

Ben Baker-Katz

Andrew Kim, Rathna Ramesh

Michael Wong

Zach Adams, Erica Duh

Kyle Clayton

Katharyn Flanagan, Ben Thomas Dhruv Patel

Ali Campbell, Zoe Zhou, Alex Raterink

Luisa Rezende

parade judges

Colette Nicolaou, psychology professor

Joseph Young, electrical engineering professor

Nele Lefeldt, neuroscience professor & dept. head

extended servery hours

keck hall float judging

west lot float drop-off

inner loop

north colleges

founder’s court water ballon fight start of parade

track & stadium

parade route

event coordinators

STAFF ADVISOR

Tahj Blackman ASST. DIRECTOR OF CAMPUS EVENTS

CAMPUS-WIDE COORDINATORS

Nayna Nambiar HANSZEN ‘25

Anne Wang LOVETT ‘25

AREA COORDINATORS

Willa Liou CONCESSIONS, BAKER ‘26

Amelia Tsai PARADE & SECURITY, LOVETT ‘25

Xavier Hu VOLUNTEER & WATER BALLOON FIGHT, SID RICHARDSON ‘24

Aishi Ayyanathan TRACK, MARTEL ‘25

Disha Baldawa JUDGES, BROWN ‘25

I’ve been reading through this huge drive of planning documents from previous years, and it’s a funny feeling reading through the almost diary entries of the people who were once in the same place you are in now. I hope to do all their advice justice.

– Amelia Tsai

south colleges

Beer Bike is so special, and I can’t think of any other event like it at other universities.

– Ais hi Ayyanathan

We have spent many hours since June putting together an amazing Beer Bike for our students. Ultimately, we want this day to be memorable and inclusive for all Rice students. We can’t wait for Beer Bike day and hope everyone enjoys the races and activities planned.

– Nayna Nambiar

south stadium lot end of parade student entrance to races

Nayna Nambiar

Anne Wang Willa Liou

Amelia Tsai

Tahj Blackman

Aishi Ayyanathan

Xavier Hu Disha Baldawa

Beer Bike!

JAYAKER KOLLI CROSSWORD EDITOR

Campus predicts 2023 Beer Bike results

women’s races.”

Pit Crew Captain

– Drew Castleberry, Wiess

“60 Minutes” network, to fans

Rainbows and other curved lines

Crooked

100% off

Oscar-winning actress Mercedes of “The Fisher King”

Sunburn soother

Daybreak

Bring on Bird on the Canadian dollar Catalyst

Objective

Rosalind’s cousin in “As You Like It”

NASCAR sponsor and official fuel

Car scar

Cacao ____

London’s Big ___

Meeting plan

Metric shipping units, abbr.

Wall St. debut

Somewhat sour

Country with capital Tbilisi

World Cup cheer

In addition

Rough drawing

Angry

Rice summer program for STEM majors

Pageant prize

Grader’s tool

Gravitas

Feat accomplished five times by Will Rice

Impulses

“The Little Mermaid” prince

Ribeye or porterhouse

Aliases, briefly

Singer Turner or comedian Fey

Weezer’s “___ __ Ain’t So”

Head, in France

Dance move

Iditarod vehicle

IAH info

Thresher

With Beer Bike just around the corner, The Thresher gathered thoughts, predictions and updates from students across campus. Here’s what they had to say:

“We may not have the fastest overall rider at Rice, but we have a lot of depth with almost all of our riders having nearly the same pretty good time… Everyone has really come together in support of each other over the past few months.” – Davis Jackson, McMurtry Men’s Bike Captain

“We’ve had some unfortunate injuries [that] really hurt our team this year, but we have a good mix of old and new bikers that should tee us up well for next year. Jones is definitely the big dog this year; I’m sure most bikers on campus are aware of their speedy time trials all around … Our team is pretty apprehensive about how the heat system will go. I’m personally worried it will both ruin the race mentality and cause the races to be so long that no one will want to come sit in the sun and watch for that long … We’ll see what happens.” – Jonathan Lloyd, Will Rice Men’s Bike Captain

“My prediction is that Jones is very likely placing first in both men’s and women’s races. We’ve been putting in the work and have our eyes set on race day.” – Mahmoud Al-Madi, Jones Men’s Bike Captain

“Considering that our poor performance [last year] in the men’s race was almost entirely due to our best biker accidentally taking an extra lap, I think we are sitting pretty this year. A lot of bikers are returning, and they now know how to correctly count to three … I don’t expect Wiess to win by any means, but I think we may be able to snag a podium finish in either the men’s or

“I think that the pandemic put a huge damper on interest in Beer Bike within the GSA; it really interrupted the self-perpetuating drive that maintained investment across multiple years … As older students who still remember the old ways move on or get busy defending dissertations, GSA needs to bake a bustling Beer Bike culture back into our student body. Even though it’s been basically the only thing I talk about for months, we’ll be scraping by to put together a full showing.”

— Nick Lindell, GSA Men’s Bike Captain “All I can say is that Sid will be a force to be reckoned with. I expect healthy and spirited competition from the other colleges. Predictions? A clean sweep and good sportsmanship.” – Michael Wong, Sid Richardson Pit Crew Captain “Brown’s women are looking as strong as I’ve seen them in my three years of biking, with no weak links and admirable times all around, not to mention their unbeatable commitment to victory. So I’d say look for Brown at the top of the finishers this year –we’re gonna blow y’all away.” – Anna Frey, Brown Women’s Bike Captain

With a grand total of one Beer Bike under my belt — and signing up for a water balloon filling shift my freshman year — I am basically a Beer Bike expert, at least on a campus recovering from the cultural impact of COVID-19. For freshmen who are eagerly awaiting Saturday morning or seniors experiencing their first and last Beer Bike (it’s probably just my roommate to be honest), I have put together the most stellar and totally serious guide to Beer Bike.

Sleep the night before

Baker stays up all night the night before Beer Bike. Baker is stupid. Don’t be Baker. Take advantage of early quiet hours — 10 p.m., baby — and go to sleep so you can be up and at ‘em at 3:30 a.m. like your Beer Bike coords intended. You don’t want to crash before the races. Your bikers stayed sober for this, and if you aren’t cheering them on you’re failing Rice culture. What was the point of those chants they taught you during O-Week if you aren’t using them for good?

You can nap when the last race ends, and to have your best shot at making it there, try to get as much sleep as you can! The early bird gets the keg.

Drink heavily — water and booze

Show solidarity for your chug team by drinking as much as you can. Whether it’s beer, cider or wine, be sure to go for volume and down a good amount before breakfast starts at 6 a.m.

Not drinking? Whether you’re abstaining for the bike team, personal reasons or the health of your liver, that’s all right, too.

Origami bird

Utterly perplexed

Thinking and feeling, as a robot

Mom’s sisters

Election loser’s demand

Making butter

Camera type, for short

“The Jungle Book” bear Morlock counterpart in “The Time Machine”

Midday

Camping shelter

Gov. agency handling the SVB

collapse

Small inlet or stream

Rastafarian term that refers to oneness

Mac alternatives

Dwell on

Took a bite

National preserve in southeast Texas

Ramayana or Odyssey

Biblical ark builder

Molecule component

Lavish party

Setting of “House” and “Grey’s

Striped giraffe relative Strike a chord (with)

Painkiller med, for short R or SPSS alternative

for one

“____ kleine Nachtmusik”

Beer

I recommend prepping by having some drinks to have in hand anyway — orange juice minus the bubbles is still basically a mimosa. You don’t have to partake in libations to have a lively time.

Whether you’re planning to drink or not, you should have plenty of water. If the men’s chug team can down 24 oz. in four seconds or less, you can drink a water bottle or two. Stay hydrated and remember! A glass of water for every glass of alcohol.

Don’t half-ass it

If you aren’t doing it for real, don’t do it at all.

Come prepared

Yes, girls, that means crop your Beer Bike shirts before Saturday morning. It also means wear shorts that you don’t mind getting stained in the Celebration of Color, slathering on sunscreen and eating a hearty breakfast if you’re able to — stamina is the word of the day.

Take advantage of what you have at your disposal

Concessions? Yes, please. I will be devouring Mendocino Farms that afternoon. See a water bottle? Grab a water bottle.

More importantly, if you feel like you need help, reach out for help. Don’t be afraid to tell your friends when you cross that line between pleasantly drunk and might puke your guts out. If in doubt about your health or safety, stray on the side of safety and don’t be afraid to reach out to REMS. There’s an army of caregivers — or at least more than enough to look out for you. It’s better safe than sorry, and, as fun as Beer Bike is, it isn’t worth unnecessary risks to your health.

ADAM LEFF THRESHER STAFF

MORGAN GAGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

New ‘Incense’ zine aims for incendiary launch

said that their Discord server epitomizes this collaborative atmosphere — they have channels where artists can share inspirations, whether that is digital art, music or other stories. The work being created in this community is experimental, featuring a mix of poetry, short stories, illustrations and more.

“The most important thing I want to emphasize is that even though we are organizing it, there’s no hierarchy. It’s more of a student collective in the idea of trying to build a community,” Yennu said. “That’s why we have ways for people to share inspiration for things like through music or different pieces and artworks.”

Chloe Liebenthal, an Incense Zine contributor, said she appreciates Incense’s emphasis on collaboration and making writing accessible to people throughout the Rice community, regardless of how much experience they have.

Zines are small, independentlypublished works produced in either digital or physical form, and they often stress a collaborative process that brings writers, editors and readers together to work on pieces for the publication. “Incense” is Rice’s newest zine, joining the ranks of campus publications spotlighting creative works, including writing and art. According to the zine’s co-organizers, its name is meant to evoke incense’s multiple meanings: the aromatic and culturally important material and something reactionary or incendiary.

One of the zine’s co-organizers, Meghna Yennu, said that the magazine focuses on the genre of speculative fiction that encompasses supernatural, fantastical and futuristic topics, including sci-fi, fantasy, horror and utopian works. Yennu said that speculative fiction can make sharing writing more accessible to all members of the Rice community outside of English majors.

“Rice has so many different majors, especially people who are interested in interdisciplinary work, but there’s not actually a lot of outlets for people to combine both of their interests,” Yennu, a Brown College sophomore, said. “So I feel like having this magazine will help people, for example, incorporate part of their STEM classes into the sci-fi genre.”

Yennu also emphasized that the zine’s speculative fiction bent will encourage people to think about stories in a different lens than typical magazines would allow. After taking courses about speculative fiction and disability, she said that she was inspired to consider what will belong in the future.

“For example, [for] the disability class I took last semester, a lot of our readings were on disability futurity,” Yennu said. “When you imagine the future, do you imagine a world without disability? [Meaning] all disabilities must be cured, and having a disability is something that has to be normalized.”

Similarly, Incense co-organizer Cindy Han said they were inspired by BIOS 368,

a course they were interested in because of its focus on connecting art with biology within the context of how some people are uncomfortable with certain art.

“You live in your mortal coil,” Han, a Lovett College junior, said. “It’s something that I find fascinating … [It] really lends itself to a creative lens because as we are developing more technologies — we want to think about what directions we want to go in and how people will react to it, even if it’s just the idea of it in a story.”

In addition to encouraging audiences to sit with uncomfortable topics, Yennu emphasized that Incense’s goal is to create a community of creatives along with the zine’s other co-organizer Maggie Ku. They

“There are other fantastic literary publications on campus, but in terms of connecting people who maybe have never contributed to a publication like that before, what I really love about Incense is that the collaborative zine format makes it welcoming to people from all backgrounds and experiences,” Liebenthal, a McMurtry College senior, said.

While this edition will be the product of this semester’s work, Yennu and Han said they plan for next year’s zine to be a yearlong process. This would allow writers more time to move from the proposal stage to collaborating with readers and other writers to further develop their work.

“The idea is to have a generative magazine,” Yennu said. “We’re gonna work together for a specific time, basically experiment with fun things like ‘Oh, I want to experiment with parallel universes,’ and then have a final product by the end of the year.”

Review: Lana Del Rey is directionless with new album

Top

The appeal of Lana Del Rey has always been the softness of her tragedy. The depressed feminine found the perfect host in Del Rey’s sultry and beautifully exhausted voice, but it’s debatable whether the uniqueness of her delivery can always compensate for the lack of what she’s delivering. The album “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” feels like what was once Lana Del Rey’s signature sound saturated to the point of caricature. All the trademark references to god, unkind men and cigarettes are trotted out dispassionately, making the album feel more like playing Lana Del Rey bingo than a meaningful musical experience.

While this album proves somewhat disappointing, the effort to meet listener expectations was not all in vain — the album definitely achieved a passing grade for Del Rey by providing the bare minimum fix of her alt-pop sad-girl cocktail. That said, “Taco Truck x VB” was a clear standout because of its departure from the standard formula; it sounds the closest to a decision compared to all other songs on the album. However, the rest of the album

feels directionless, only achieving a vaguer version of her prior work.

“Peppers (feat. Tommy Genesis)” is also one of the more interesting tracks, offering a confusing but refreshing deviation from the album’s general tone. While the song’s lyrics don’t provide much coherence, there is more confidence behind the emotion being conveyed as opposed to the uncommitted nature of the album as a whole.

The album also offers an attempt at themes of religiosity, but the partial incorporation of gospel and sermon do not clearly connect to or further develop any lyrics or melody found within the album. Instead, tracks such as “Judah Smith Interlude” serve as fluff impersonating something profound. The interspersing of religious motifs is not elaborated on enough to paint a clear picture of the world Del Rey is trying to share with her audience. Instead, listeners are left with an incomplete and dull message that is too murky to be impactful.

Overall, the album’s songs felt like a lesser copy of Lana Del Rey’s previous work, with a few exceptions. It may be enough to make you sway, but it can’t serve as the soundtrack to your unhealthy relationships and nicotine addiction the way Del Rey’s previous albums can.

FRANCESCA BLISS THRESHER STAFF

COURTESY INTERSCOPE AND POLYDOR RECORDS

Lana Del Rey’s newest album “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” feels like a lesser copy of Del Rey’s previous work, according to this reviewer.

Track: ‘Taco Truck x VB’

[For] the disability class I took last semester, a lot of our readings were on disability futurity. When you imagine the future, do you imagine a world without disability?

Meghna Yennu BROWN COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

ARMAN SAXENA THRESHER STAFF

VIVIAN LANG / THRESHER Incense Zine is the newest zine on campus and prompts readers to imagine a radical future with its speculative fiction bent.

Review: ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ takes the franchise to new heights

thuds and shatters that make each scene viscerally immersive.

Ultimately, though, the central element that makes the film genre-defining is the cinematography. Dan Laustsen employs mind-bending crane work, tilts and movements that keep the battles fluid and visible. The Wick franchise has always avoided quick cuts in favor of complex sequencing, a trait that comes to a head when combined with the intensely honed stunt work. Each shot is also doused with orange and blue hues, creating a landscape reflective of the film’s western influences and giving the whole film a gorgeous edge.

Everyone’s favorite globe-trotting, guntoting grim reaper John Wick returned to theaters this past weekend, marking the fourth entry in director Chad Stahelski’s action saga. This newest entry follows an exhausted Wick as he attempts to finally escape the High Table, an underground crime ring that John has been fighting since the death of his wife. This premise is a far cry from the straightforward revenge narrative that defined the first film in the franchise, as each new entry in the series

has managed to up the ante and expand the universe’s mythology. This inertia is continued into “Chapter 4,” as the stakes are raised to new heights, the action is more intricate than ever and the coterie of assassins surrounding the titular character is more memorable than in previous films. Despite this expansion in mythos, scope and runtime, “Chapter 4” also manages to recapture some of the emotional center that the series has drifted away from since its first, creating a surprisingly satisfying tale of revenge and reflection on the lengths we may go to achieve it. The result is an unsubtle, unconstrained and untouchable

romp that pushes the limits of the action genre as a whole.

At the core of John Wick is action — as intriguing as the narrative is, the set pieces that surround it are just as, if not more, important. “Chapter 4” does little to change this prioritization and features some of the best moments in any action movie as a result. The choreography of each punch, kick, sword slice and gunshot is wonderfully interwoven to create an unrelenting barrage of combat. It cannot be understated how impressive the stunt work is in this movie. The sound design is also at a technical peak, featuring

While the bulk of my enjoyment is derived from the set pieces, the character work on display is strong too. Series regulars Laurence Fishburne and Ian McShane return to great success, but the standouts are newcomers Donnie Yen and Bill Skarsgård. Yen’s performance as the blind assassin Caine balances a campy, humorous tone and a sharp ferocity whenever he is confronted. Skarsgård, on the other hand, is more straightforwardly arrogant and villainous, providing a perfect counterpoint to the driven John Wick. If anything, Keanu Reeves’s performance as the leading man is the weakest in terms of delivery, though he more than makes up for it through his physicality.

Many viewers will notice the absurdity of both the plot and action — there are many beats in the story that you will recognize from other genre flicks, and there will be many moments where John Wick defies death to an insane degree. But ultimately, I struggle to care when everything on display is so refined and the film is so committed to its promise of big moments. Don’t let the nearly three-hour runtime deter you: “John Wick: Chapter 4” is a landmark genre movie and must be seen to be believed.

JAY COLLURA THRESHER STAFF

COURTESY LIONSGATE FILMS

Despite its nearly three-hour runtime, this reviewer calls the fourth entry to the John Wick saga a landmark genre movie.

Baseball drops back-and-forth series to first-place UTSA

LANDRY WOOD THRESHER STAFF

When the Rice baseball team entered their series against the University of Texas at San Antonio, they were a game over 0.500 and undefeated in conference. At the end they were neither. The Roadrunners took the first and third games off the Owls at Reckling Park, bringing the home team to a 12-12 overall record and a 4-2 record in conference. According to head coach Jose Cruz Jr., however, the series was not entirely a disappointment.

“[UTSA is] a very good team, arguably the best team in our conference,” Cruz said. “A lot of talent, very offensive, very fundamentally sound … and we hung in there with them. We took them to extra innings on Friday, we grinded them out

on Saturday, and [Sunday] it was a tug of war until the end … It’s hard to say that I’m satisfied, but I’m excited about how much heart our guys showed and just how much want-to they have.”

The weekend’s first game was a pitching duel, once each team’s starter settled in after both gave up two-run home runs in the first inning. Sophomore pitcher Parker Smith broke Rice’s recent pitch-by-committee trend by throwing a career-high 6.1 innings, allowing only the two initial earned runs and a later unearned one on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the ninth, freshman catcher Paul Smith was pinch hit with runners on first and second and two outs; naturally, he singled to drive in the tying run. Despite these heroics from Smith, which junior outfielder Guy Garibay Jr. said have been key for the team, the Owls eventually

dropped the game in the eleventh inning, 4-3, on a bases-loaded single.

“The freshmen, doing what they’re doing, are playing a big part this year, both offensively and defensively,” Garibay said.

“Obviously, Paul Smith getting those clutch hits was a big game changer for us.”

players, so I’m trying to get him some more experience, an opportunity to be successful, and he’s taking it.”

Jose Cruz Jr. HEAD COACH

As a departure from the pitchingdominated series opener, the next two contests would be hitting arms races. Rice combined for six home runs over Saturday and Sunday, their most in back-to-back games since 2016, and scored 18 runs on 18 hits. Saturday was explosive; for every run the Roadrunners put on the board, the Owls answered back immediately with more. There seemed to be hope for a UTSA rally in the eighth until graduate closer Krishna Raj came in to cut it down, earning his fourth save of the season. The pitching committee was out in full force, enjoying run support particularly from Smith and fellow freshman Ben Royo, each launching multi-run homers, and Garibay, who had his third straight game with a home run. All this came together for a clean 13-8 win to tie the series.

“I’ve seen that potential [in Ben Royo] for a bit,” Cruz said. “That’s why he gets those opportunities to play. I think he’s as talented as anyone on our team, really … he’s coming up with big hits and big plays on the field. I don’t look at him as a freshman but as one of our baseball

The morning mist still hung over the field when Royo and sophomore infielder Aaron Smigelski homered to left on consecutive pitches to open up Rice’s scoring on Sunday, taking a one run lead in the second. However, the Roadrunners homered twice more in the third and fifth to jump out to a 5-3 lead, only for the score to be evened in the sixth by a home run from junior infielder/outfielder Connor Walsh. At this point both bullpens tightened up, allowing only three total hits in the remaining three innings, but the Owls weren’t strict enough to prevent UTSA from squeaking out a run in the eighth to take the game 6-5, winning the series. Not all, however, is doom and gloom. Cruz said he has faith in the talent of his ball players and the experience they’re gaining.

“I think so far the team is taking the steps we want them to,” Cruz said. “We’re definitely doing some good things, we’ve had some growing pains and lost some close ones. We’ve been very competitive with very good teams. So now we just keep building, keep giving ourselves the chance and opportunity to win close games, and see what happens.”

Over the weekend, the Owls travel to Boca Raton for a three-game series against Florida Atlantic University.

UTSA’s Hallmark, a longtime Owl, talks return to Reckling

DANIEL SCHRAGER SPORTS EDITOR

Patrick Hallmark has walked out of the Reckling Park dugout some 250 times, but the last nine have been from the visitor’s side. Hallmark, who played for Rice before returning to coach the Owls, served as an assistant under former head coach Wayne Graham from 2006 through 2016. Now the head coach of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Hallmark said returning to Rice feels different.

“The first time it was different, getting back here,” Hallmark said. “I grew up in Southwest Houston too, so I’ve been in and around Rice, even before I went to Rice, because it was so close to me when I grew up, and you know, my dad would take me over here to watch games. And so it was just different.”

Hallmark spent just a year at Rice as a player and student, after transferring from Alvin Community College in 1995. But that one year left a mark on his life. Hallmark not only earned all Southwest Conference honors, but was selected in the 18th round of the MLB draft and met his wife in class.

“The ‘95 season was Rice’s first postseason regional [appearance],”

Hallmark said. “They went 20-some years in a row after that year. So it was cool to be part of that. We’re kind of where it all started with some terrific players. A lot of Houston area players too, which was fun, in retrospect.”

One of his teammates in ‘95 was Rice head coach Jose Cruz Jr., who Hallmark said he had played against since he was a kid.

“Leading up to [this series], there’s a little bit of anticipation because of the history,” Hallmark said.

“Him and I were childhood friends, we played against each other and with each other from literally eight years old, all the way until our careers ended in professional baseball.”

After nine seasons in the minors, and a stint coaching high school, Hallmark returned to Rice as an assistant coach.

Hallmark held several jobs for the Owls before settling into the role of pitching coach, despite his background as a catcher. Hallmark said that coaching under Graham was always demanding.

“It was a challenge,” Hallmark said. “I mean, you had to do a good job. You know, the expectations were high. And if you didn’t do your job, well, you heard about it.”

When Graham, who referred to Hallmark as the “obvious” choice to succeed him, retired in 2018, Hallmark got an interview. But the then-University of Incarnate Word head coach never heard back from his alma mater. Today, coming off of a 38-20 season that saw the Roadrunners fall one run short of the conference title, Hallmark has his team at 20-5, receiving votes for the USA Today top-25 and said he isn’t looking back.

“Anytime you talk about your alma mater, people are going to put your name

out there, right?” Hallmark said. “But it didn’t happen. I’m blessed and happy where I am. And I don’t look back at all.”

In his third trip back to South Main since that decision, Hallmark said that as much as he’s loved his time in San Antonio, Houston still feels like his home.

“It still feels like home,” Hallmark said. “The traffic, the humidity, feels like home. My wife and I and my kids, we love San Antonio and it’s our new home. But anytime I come to Houston … there’s some nostalgia and good feelings.”

[UTSA is] a very good team, arguably the best team in our conference

... It’s hard to say that I’m satisfied, but I’m excited about how much heart our guys showed and just how much want-to they have.

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Then-Rice assistant coach Patrick Hallmark watches on during a game. Hallmark, who played and coached at Rice, was back at Reckling this weekend as the UTSA head coach.

Anytime you talk about your alma mater, people are going to put your name out there, right? But it didn’t happen. I’m blessed and happy where I am. And I don’t look back at all.

Patrick Hallmark

UTSA HEAD COACH

COURTESY MARIA LYSAKER - RICE ATHLETICS

The Rice baseball team celebrates during their series against UTSA this past weekend. The Owls dropped the series 2-1 but outscored the first-place Roadrunners 21-18 on the weekend.

Fresh off of NCAAs, Hayon talks competive nature, future goals

RIYA MISRA FEATURES EDITOR

All families share a commonality, whether it’s a genetic trait like dimples or habits passed down from parents. For Arielle Hayon, that commonality is swimming. Starting with her parents, who both grew up near the water in Israel, Hayon is now the third of her siblings to swim at the collegiate level.

“My brother, who’s four years older than me, started swimming because he hated running. He just didn’t do any land sports,” Hayon, a Sid Richardson College sophomore, said. “He started swimming, and he really liked it. And then my sister and I followed him.”

Beside following in her brother’s footsteps, Hayon said that her passion for swimming was also born out of a thirst for competition, one that other sports were unable to satisfy.

“I scored zero points the whole season when I played basketball. But in my defense, I was on an allboys team … We won the tournament anyway, [I] can’t take any credit,” Hayon said. “I’m a super competitive person and [swimming] allowed me to be really competitive. When I was little, I just loved racing people.”

Now, 13 years later, Hayon has just wrapped up her second season at Rice,

both of which saw her compete at the NCAA championships, albeit with an unexpected sinus infection this year.

“When I look at the times that I produced, I’m like, ‘I produced that having a fever ,’” Hayon said. “It definitely took a lot of mental strength to push through that … I was lucky enough to have my parents there, which was really nice. So they were kind of helping me with [the] little bit more emotional side of like, ‘Damn, I’m sick right now. And I still have to get up tomorrow morning. And I have to somehow put my best foot forward when I feel like crap.’”

Hayon’s parents remain a constant in her swimming career. This summer, Hayon, who is from California but holds dual-citizenship, will take after them once again as she competes in their hometown at Israel’s nationals.

“I’ll be living in the city that my parents are from, which is really cool. Actually, the pool that I’m going to be training at is the pool [where] my mom learned how to swim,” Hayon said. “Full circle, so it’s really exciting. I feel like, for sure I’m doing this for me. But I also feel like in a sense, I’m doing it for my parents.”

Outside of her family, Hayon said that she’s found a thriving support system with her teammates, who keep each other motivated both in and out of the pool.

Arielle Hayon celebrates after winning the 100-meter butterfly at the AAC championships. Hayon has competed at the NCAA championships in each of her two years at Rice.

“I’ve had other people cry for me … It’s because you see all the work that everyone puts in, day in and day out, and how much everybody wants it. Ultimately, our success is everyone’s success,” Hayon said. “Something that I found really unique with this team is [that] we’re all extremely comfortable with each other, which makes for a more fun environment. But it also makes for … a safe environment to open up and to ask for a helping hand if you really need it.”

Looking forward, Hayon said she is hoping for a future with more championships, fewer sinus infections and more contributions to the team that has shaped her.

“I try not to be too results-oriented, because I feel like it kind of puts a lot of pressure on [me] and I already put a lot of pressure on myself. But for sure, a

goal that I have is to make a final NCAA and to be an All-American,” Hayon said. “I think that there’s a lot of goals that I have in terms of how I want to be a leader on this team. Not just in the pool but outside of the pool, and how I can better push this team forward.”

Although she’s only a sophomore, Hayon has begun to plan for a potential life out of the pool after graduation. While she’s considering a career in consulting, Hayon said her performance in Israel this summer may impact the trajectory of her swimming career, hopefully paving the way for more international success.

“I definitely do want to take advantage of this time that I’m young and still able to [swim],” Hayon said. “It’s really my only opportunity to do it. Once I’m 30, I’m not going to be able to rip a 0:51.00 fly anymore.”

Yo-yo accident leads Manny Garza to baseball stardom

game and I felt like I knew that’s what I wanted.”

Throughout his journey, though, Garza has seen baseball as a way to release stress.

“Something that I learned is that even through your toughest moments, baseball is always going to be there,” Garza said. “When [I] want to get stuff off [my] mind, I go to the cages and just really execute what I got to do there.”

Growing up, Garza developed a strong passion for the sport, but he attributes a lot of his success to his twin brother, who currently plays baseball at Tennessee Tech University.

each other and just feed positive feedback to each other.”

Garza isn’t just close with his brother. He said his entire family has played a key role in his career.

“My family [has] pushed me to be where I’m at today,” Garza said. “They’ve been with me throughout the way. Having my family on my side has been something that has pushed me when I feel like sometimes I don’t want to do this. I feel like my family has been a big, big influence.”

Outside of baseball, Garza combines his love for his family and his strong faith, trying to maintain a strong connection with God when he is not on the baseball diamond.

“I’m a big man of faith,” Garza said. “In my time off baseball, I usually am at church with my dad, helping them do the sound for the church, learning about the word of God and just really installing myself with what I

have to do in God’s purpose in this world.”

In addition, Garza maintains his connection to his faith before every game that he plays.

“We usually have a protein shake that they have for us,” Garza said. “I go get some work with my trainer, and then I usually read a scripture or two from the Bible, spend some time with God and then I go out to batting practice.”

Although just a sophomore, Garza ranks third on the team in RBIs and fourth in batting average, in addition to his defensive work behind the plate. Before he leaves South Main, he hopes to not only get drafted but also return Rice to the national spotlight.

“My main goal is to get drafted ... make it to regionals [and] win the conference,” Garza said. “After baseball, I would love to stay in the sports industry and just have a big impact there.”

When sophomore catcher Manny Garza broke his family’s TV as a child, his father decided to punish him. Little did he know at the time, his father’s discipline would accidentally introduce him to his greatest love: baseball.

“There was just one day where we were in a room watching a movie, and I was playing with the yo-yo,” Garza said. ”It accidentally slipped from my hand, and that broke the TV. My dad was so mad that [a] couple of days later, he signed me up for baseball – Little League. Ever since the day that I touched that baseball diamond, I fell in love with the

“My twin brother has been very important and, honestly, without him I wouldn’t be here today,” Garza said. “I had someone to work with all the time. Every time I wanted to go take some ground balls or work on some catching, I had my twin brother right next to me. I feel like he’s been a big part of this process.”

The bond between the Garza twins withstood both time and distance as they still communicate daily about both baseball and life outside of it.

“Me and my brother talk to each other every day and it’s something that’s very important,” Garza said. “There’s days that he has a good day, and there’s days that I have a bad day. So, we just work with each other, we talk to

HONG LIN TSAI / THRESHER

“I even helped the Owls make the Final Four.”

My dad was so mad that [a] couple of days later, he signed m up for baseball – Little League. Ever since the day I touched that baseball diamond, I fell in love with the game ...

Manny Garza SOPHOMORE CATCHER

COURTESY ANDREW HANCOCK - AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

I definitely do want to take advantage of this time that I’m young and still able to [swim] ... Once I’m 30, I’m not going to be able to rip a 0:51.00 fly anymore.

Arielle Hayon

SOPHOMORE SWIMMER

PAVITHR GOLI ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

COURTESY MARIA LYSAKER - RICE ATHLETICS

Cathcher Manny Garza swings during a recent game. Garza has played a key role for the Owls in his sophomore season, both at bat and behind the plate.

Rice’s blanket tax organizations are at it again.

Thresher’s requesting $60,000… SA’s requesting $450,000,000,000…

Campanile’s requesting $9,000,000…

SUPPORT REAL JOURNALISM: GIVE IT ALL TO THE RICE TRASHER

Venmo: @dilfhunter69

The ONLY organization that still stands for TRUTH!

Don’t believe us? Take a read…

Campanile only features GOOD PICTURES of our students, concealing our true INNER TURMOIL

Rice Program Council intentionally put Beer Bike on April 1 to SABOTAGE our traditional April Fool’s Trasher publication

Thresher only serves to SUPPRESS the truth and MAKE A MOCKERY of honest news organizations

KTRU has been broadcasting SPOTIFY AI DJ through a VOICE MODULATOR for only $4.99/MONTH FOR STUDENTS WITH HULU AND SHOWTIME

Student Association… yeah.

Rice Student Volunteer Program… curious that a VOLUNTEER organization needs money, isn’t it?

Honor Council has been INFILTRATED by Honor Code DISSIDENTS and violation ACCOMPLICES

U-Court is a front for college reps to get FREE FOOD

Rice Women’s Resource Center? Where is the MEN’S resource center???

Civic Duty Rice? More like CIVIC DOODY RICE AHAHAHAHA

Tired of the corruption? Read the Trasher, coming to newsstands near you this Friday, March 31.

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