The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Rice responds to Supreme Court

decision on affirmative action

BRANDON CHEN NEWS EDITOR

The Supreme Court rejected affirmative action at colleges and universities across the nation in a watershed decision on June 29. Following the decision, President Reggie DesRoches and Provost Amy Dittmar wrote in an email to the student body that they were “disappointed” by the ruling and that their commitment to diversity does not shift, echoing a statement from March.

Dittmar reaffirmed that Rice will adapt its strategies — within the confines of the law — to ensure a diverse and inclusive learning environment.

“It is important that our students and prospective students can learn from professors and work in labs with research scientists who look like them,” Dittmar wrote in an email to the Thresher. “In recent years, we’ve hired our most diverse faculty classes, for example, doubling the number of Black professors in the past five years and increasing our female hires.”

Vice President for Enrollment Yvonne Romero da Silva said that the Office of Admissions had about a year to anticipate the Court’s decision, and worked closely with legal counsel and university leadership to review the impact of the restrictions surrounding race in Rice admissions and initiatives.

While the Court limited the ability of institutions to consider an applicant’s race in and of itself as a factor in admissions decisions, universities may still consider an individual’s lived experiences, including those related to their race, experiences of racial discrimination, or the racial composition of their neighborhoods and schools. Romero da Silva said that the admissions team has always been trained to consider each student as an individual.

“Even though the Supreme Court ruling is not allowing us to track race in the [admissions] process, our team is already trained to look at those unique voices that

students are bringing and to value it,” Romero da Silva said. “[They are trained to consider] the full lived experiences that might be underrepresented in the Rice community and to consider that in thinking about their achievements and what they’ve done and the voices that they can bring to campus.”

Araceli Lopez, the executive director of Student Success Initiatives, said that she has seen an increase in enrollment of underrepresented students over time and hopes that students continue to feel welcomed and included at Rice.

Dittmar also wrote that even with a diverse student body, faculty and staff, the university still has a responsibility to ensure that the students it admits feel like they belong and have equal opportunities for success.

“We’ve been very intentional about recruiting more underrepresented students and minorities, whether that’s through socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, geographical status or international students,” Lopez said. “I also think that our Rice Investment, coupled with our intentional efforts of who we’re recruiting and trying to get into Rice, provide an accessible education to more students.”

Rice is going into its second year of being a loan-free institution, and hopes to be affordable through programs such as the Rice Investment, which awards full-tuition, fees and room and board to students with a household income less than $75,000 and full-tuition to students with a household income between $75,000 and $140,000.

In 1996, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in Hopwood v. Texas ruled that universities under its jurisdiction — including Rice — could not consider race in admissions. However, in 2003, the Supreme Court abrogated Hopwood in Grutter v. Bollinger, meaning that universities in the

SEE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PAGE 2

It’s not just you: August sets heat records ‘Life is just a classroom’

Houston’s heat wave is breaking August records

With a Rice Swifties GroupMe exceeding 500 students and a dedicated Instagram page to boot, it makes sense that when COLL 167 ‘Miss Americana: The Evolution and Lyrics of Taylor Swift’ opened on Esther, the first section filled up within the hour.

Katherine Jeng, the instructor of COLL 167, said she has been analyzing Swift’s lyrics since childhood.

“I would load up her lyrics onto my little iPad and just write all my favorite lines and what they meant,” Jeng, a Hanszen College junior, said. “That’s kind of how I started. I knew I wanted to be an English major back then. I just love analyzing poetry and analyzing music.”

After hearing about other universities’ courses on Swift (see University of Texas’ “Taylor Swift Songbook” or Rolling Stone’s Brittany Spanos’ course at New

Fifth Circuit’s jurisdiction could again use race as a factor in admissions. During this nine-year period, Rice had already begun to consider unique perspectives and lived experiences more heavily, according to Romero da Silva.

“In nearly every state or region that has prohibited the use of race in admission, there has been a decrease in the enrollment of underrepresented students at institutions in those states, including Rice University during the Hopwood years,” Dittmar wrote. “I came from an institution that was unable to use race in admissions so I saw firsthand that the change in these laws decreased the percentage of students of color at institutions.”

In response to the recent Court decision, Romero da Silva said the Office of Admissions has updated Rice’s supplemental application questions. For the third prompt, applicants now have the choice between two questions to demonstrate how their lived experiences will help foster community on campus.

One asks about unique perspectives that students are looking forward to sharing with their fellow students and the other asks about how students’ backgrounds and experiences have inspired them to become agents of change at Rice.

“We want to provide the opportunity for students to share their stories, but we also don’t want them to feel compelled to share something that they don’t feel comfortable with,” Romero da Silva said. “I’m really grateful for the positions that Rice has

taken, in that we open the door for students to talk about that component or aspect of their life if they choose to, but they can also choose to highlight other aspects of the perspectives that they’ll bring to campus if they feel that that’s more relevant or more important to them.”

Arielle Noah, a diversity facilitator and senior at Will Rice College, wished that Rice would do more local outreach and publicize its diversity efforts.

“One thing that always bothered me, though, is that most Rice students are from Texas, or from the Houston area, which has a really high Black population [and] Hispanic population. And yet, those are still underrepresented at Rice,” Noah said. “I feel like if people knew that we are making these programs so that we can address these issues, then it would be more helpful so that we don’t feel like … Rice is just running away.”

Dittmar wrote that Rice also has a variety of programs to bring underrepresented groups to campus and learn about higher education opportunities. She named the Civic Humanist Program under the School of Humanities, the National Urban League’s Youth Leadership Summit in collaboration with Texas Southern University, Tapia STEM camps and the Creative Writing Camp through the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.

These programs allow high school students to explore opportunities for learning, leadership and personal growth and create interest among first-generation and minority students about Rice, according to Dittmar.

“[For Rice students], Student Success Initiatives such as the Rice Emerging Scholars Program, the [Responsibility, Inclusion and Student Empowerment] seminar, the Owl Access program and similar initiatives help foster community among first-generation, low-income and students from other underrepresented communities,” Dittmar wrote.

Student Success Initiatives also works closely with Questbridge Scholars and Houston Independent School District EMERGE, a Houston-based program that supports first-generation and low-income students in attending and graduating from universities. The Office of Admissions is also unveiling a new program connecting communitybased organizations working with students from underrepresented backgrounds with Rice, said Romero da Silva. This program invites leaders of these organizations to visit Rice and learn about the different opportunities that Rice has to offer.

“Counselors and educators and [community-based organization] directors, especially for students of color and lowincome students, have a larger impact in the decision-making of the students about where they’re going to go,” Romero da Silva said. “The more we can do to invest in helping those individuals who work so hard with these students and their parents [to] learn about what Rice has to offer, we hope that we’ll have a better chance … [for underrepresented students to] think about Rice as a consideration.”

Romero da Silva also said she hopes that through community outreach, prospective students will come to learn about the value of Rice and the diverse learning body it strives to have.

“Part of the beauty of the college experience is being exposed to people who are different than you,” Dittmar wrote. “Their family, food, faith, upbringing or habits may be different than yours. Get curious and don’t be afraid to ask questions – in a respectful manner, of course – to better understand each other and foster a deeper sense of community with your colleagues or your classmates.”

Owl Access program launches for FGLI new students

The Office of Student Success Initiatives implemented the Owl Access pre-orientation program for first-generation and/or lowincome new students for the first time this year. New students moved in on Thursday, Aug. 10 and participated in three days of workshops prior to Orientation Week.

Assistant Director of First Generation Initiatives Chelsea Blake said the program was developed after FGLI students identified a need for greater support during the transition to university.

“Owl Access emerged as a student-led initiative from some of our current FGLI students who were looking for ways to improve the college experience for future FGLI students at Rice,” Blake wrote in an email to the Thresher. “After surveying our FGLI student population, many of them agreed that their transition to Rice would have been better supported had there been more opportunities to teach them how to navigate Rice, utilize all campus resources … and prepare them for the unwritten rules or expectations in a university setting.”

According to Jaquelyne Bardales, a peer mentor for Owl Access, the program is intended to support FGLI students who face unique challenges during the transition to university. The program discussed topics like the FGLI experience, imposter

syndrome and study strategies.

“Freshman year really was a struggle [for FGLI students] since we were really lost,” Bardales, a Duncan College junior, said. “We knew that the Center for Career Development, [Student Success Initiatives] and other organizations existed, but [we] weren’t sure how to access them and were scared to ask for help.”

Owl Access participant Diego Garcia said the program helped decrease feelings of imposter syndrome prior to his matriculation.

“[Owl Access] was really useful in helping me kick-start the transition from high school to Rice,” Garcia, a Wiess College freshman, said. “When I found out I was accepted [to Rice], I didn’t feel like the demographic of student that would have gone here because my high school wasn’t as well-resourced as [that of] what I pictured the typical Rice student to be.”

Garcia said Owl Access also helped him meet students with similar backgrounds.

“Owl Access really gave us the opportunity to connect with people who feel a similar way and feel like we don’t belong, but we’ve helped each other find a community,” Garcia said. “Two of my best

friends that I’ve made here at Rice so far are from Owl Access.”

Student director of Owl Access America Salas said that in addition to student events, programming for parents and families was a priority.

“A lot of first-generation students struggle with, ‘I have to explain all of this to my parents,’” Salas, a Wiess junior, said. “We wanted to make sure that the parents understood what was happening as their child transitioned into college. [The families’] schedule addressed the main things, like financial aid and safety, but also the residential college system because that’s very unique to Rice.”

Looking forward, Blake said SSI has begun planning future iterations of Owl Access, and student leaders are evaluating potential changes to the program.

“A lot of the feedback I got from students is that they wanted to be with their families more, especially for move-in,” Salas said.

Additionally, Bardales said she felt that there could have been more emphasis on spending time with new students as a peer mentor.

“The mentorship aspect was lost a bit because they were so focused on programming,” Bardales said. “There wasn’t much time to be with the new students, [since] it wasn’t in the programming I had to make it work … Now I host study breaks. It might have not been during the program, but that’s what the semester and whole year is for.”

SPRING CHENJP ASST. NEWS EDITOR

COURTESY BRANDON MARTIN

Owl Access students bond before the Lighting the Way to Our Future Ceremony at the Baker Institue fountain.

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

COURTESY BRANDON MARTIN RESP scholars take a selfie after an addresss from President Reggie DesRoches.

I came from an institution that was unable to use race in admissions so I saw firsthand that the change in these laws decreased the percentage of students of color at institutions.

AMY DITTMAR PROVOST

FROM FRONT PAGE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Martel Texas Party marks first public of the year

NAYELI SHAD MANAGING EDITOR

The first public of the year, Martel College’s “Don’t Mess With Texas” party, took place Aug. 26. The capacity for the public was 1,200 people, with 350 allowed on the sundeck. The sundeck line closed at 10:15 p.m. — 15 minutes after the public started — due to capacity restrictions, Martel socials committee head Audrey Pizzolato said.

Pizzolato said the Martel socials committee wanted to introduce new students to publics by maintaining traditions while also adding new elements. This year’s public included a beer garden, which Pizzolato said was added to make the quad more enjoyable since the majority of attendees would not be on the sundeck.

“We felt like in previous years when people didn’t get on to the sundeck, they were upset because they saw people on the sundeck and wanted to be there with them,” Pizzolato, a junior, said. “We thought that the beer garden would be more of a chill space for upperclassmen to go and hang out and just draw more attention [to] and [add] fun things to do in the quad.”

Pizzolato said that during the public

Aug. 26, the last day with available weather data from the federal National Climatic Data Center. All but one day has seen triple-digit highs.

Houston is among the cities with the most intense urban heat island effect, according to a report from the nonprofit Climate Central. The federal Environmental Protection Agency says a heat island is an urban area that experiences higher temperatures because of a preponderance of buildings, roads and other infrastructure.

“As cities have developed, the more and more pavement that you put in, the more that heat is retained,” Richard Johnson, the senior executive director for sustainability at Rice, said. “Even on our campus, the eastern half of the campus, which has entrance one, so many trees, is noticeably cooler than the west side that has the stadium parking lot.”

Highs during Orientation Week, which ran from Aug. 13 through Aug. 18, averaged 103.5 degrees, 10.5 degrees higher than last year.

“First Year Programs and [Housing and Dining did] a great job of putting out tons of Gatorade, and they had water stations all throughout campus,” Chloe Kinnebrew, an O-Week coordinator at Will Rice College, said.

Kinnebrew, a senior, said that O-Week coordinators across campus moved some events indoors to accommodate for the heat. When possible, activities that needed

at around 10:45 p.m., the DJ had to temporarily stop the music and ask students in the quad to step back from the sundeck at the request of RUPD.

“I think there was definitely a little bit of crowdedness in the quad because people wanted to be physically closer to the sundeck,” Pizzolato said.

Brown College senior Ian Carroll said he arrived at Martel around 9:30 p.m. to be able to get on the sundeck and was up there for most of his time at the public. He said that he enjoyed the view and the music while on the sundeck, and he also liked the less crowded beer garden.

“[The beer garden] was far enough from the speakers that I could relax and have more of a conversation with my friends since we could hear each other better,” Carroll said.

Will Rice College freshman Emmie Casey arrived around 9:40 p.m. and said that the line was busy but she was able to easily get onto the sundeck. Casey said she saw many familiar freshmen and liked the music and theme of the public but noticed the sundeck was sparse.

“It was busy, but … there was like a third of [the sundeck where] there was no one,” Casey said. “If you stepped away from the crowd, there was no one there.”

outside spaces were shifted to cooler parts of the day.

“A lot of our outdoor events were at night, so the sun wasn’t so bad,” Kinnebrew said. “But I definitely recall it being hotter [than previous years].”

The first week of classes was no cooler. Highs last week reached 109 degrees on Thursday, Aug. 24. Last year, the highest temperature during this period was 96 degrees.

Hot summers also tax Texas’ electricity grid and require Rice to actively manage its power consumption, Johnson said, as well as its power generation. Rice has two natural gas turbines on campus which regularly produce 25% of the university’s electricity. The turbines can be turned up to increase generation when needed, according to Johnson.

For instance, on Aug. 17, when temperatures reached 105 degrees at IAH, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas warned that electricity demand was nearing capacity. As the real-time price of electricity skyrocketed to $5,000 per megawatt hour, Rice turned up its turbines to reduce dependence on the grid, Johnson said, immediately saving money and making more by selling electricity back to the grid at the inflated price.

The heat impacts the groundskeeping crews and practices, according to Darrell Bunch, the director of grounds for Facilities & Capital Planning.

“The team is encouraged to take extra water breaks to remain hydrated and to carry

Like last year, the public was ticketed, with tickets costing $1 for Martelians and $3 for everyone else. The socials heads mistakenly emailed both students who were selected for tickets this year and last year, which Pizzolato said was quickly resolved so the correct people got tickets.

Emma Korsmo, a Lovett College senior, was unable to get onto the sundeck but

working on ways to eliminate the cost of tickets in the future, but she isn’t sure if ticketing will go away entirely.

“I’m not sure if it’s going to be realistic that social heads will veer away from [ticketing], even if they wanted to, just because it seems like it’s been helping with keeping parties less rowdy and [having] less issues,” Pizzolato said.

water jugs with them at all times,” Bunch said through a spokesperson. “To further ensure their safety, their work schedules have been adjusted to run from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., allowing them to complete tasks before the most intense heat of the day. Gatorade, water and the option of longsleeve uniforms are provided to all crew members, along with specially engineered cooling towels designed to hold cold and moisture.”

Houston has also faced a drought. June, July and August have had a combined 0.072 inches of rainfall so far — 91% of summers since 1969 have had more.

Crews have increased watering throughout the day, Bunch added, through

the campus’ irrigation systems and “traditional hand-watering techniques.” Johnson said that the grass on campus, much of which has turned yellow or brown, is “dormant” and will likely come back as the weather cools. As the climate continues to change, Johnson said, Rice will have to evolve.

“We’re just learning how, in addition to trying to fight climate change and keep it from getting worse, we’re also having to adapt and mitigate,” Johnson said. “We’re all in a resource-constrained planet, and we’re having to learn to live within those limits. Climate change just turns the dial on everything and puts you in this weird zone and results in more extremes.”

Rainfall is far less than normal this summer

91% of summers have seen more rainfall than June, July and August 2023.

Inches of rainfall

It’s just so hot and there is such a long line. If you want to get on [the] sundeck, you have to get in line so early.

EMMA KORSMO LOVETT COLLEGE SENIOR

COURTESY SYDNEY KIM Students dance at the Martel Texas Party public.

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EDITORIAL STAFF

Recent dining changes do more harm than good

With the beginning of a new academic year, the dining options available to students and staff on campus have gotten a small makeover. The Whoo Deli has relocated to the Ley Student Center, while the servery lines have now been separated to make them easier for students to distinguish (Rincon Caliente, Owl Masala, Mediterranean, etc.).

While these changes certainly have good intentions and are designed to modernize and simplify the dining process, we believe that they have actually confused students and hampered the accessibility of oncampus dining.

First, we believe that Housing and Dining should provide a consistent quantity of food options on weekends. We understand that many students may choose to go off campus for some weekend meals, reducing oncampus demand. However, there are many others who stay on campus for economic reasons, convenience or just to avoid ending the year with hundreds of unused swipes, and these students need and deserve food to eat. Since last school year, the cost of the on-campus

meal plan increased by $700 to $5,500 per year, an average of $14.67 per meal. There should be sufficient food for the swipes we have purchased at every meal period, every day of the week.

Another weekend concern is the availability of meals for students with

Vegetarian and vegan students should have the option to eat something other than plain pasta or salads on the weekends.

dietary restrictions. This weekend, there are no vegetarian options listed on the menus of any servery with a menu, which at time of writing is only North. Vegetarian and vegan students should have the option to eat something other than plain pasta or salads on the weekends.

Additionally, the H&D website should be updated and amended to more frequently reflect accurate changes and options available, including vegetarian

options. Students, especially those with dietary or religious restrictions, need to quickly know what foods are being served at which places, and if those foods fit their needs. Instead, the dining menus are clunky and often incomplete, if they are even posted at all. If a servery is open, students should be able to read the website and see what food is available, rather than have to walk across campus to find out.

H&D has a hard job; it’s not easy trying to provide food for thousands of students every day. We call not for a complete overhaul of on-campus dining, but rather for sufficient support to be extended by administration to H&D — whether in terms of personnel, funding or both — so that H&D can continue to serve the Rice community and fulfill its responsibility of housing and dining.

Our university has the money to support more hiring and training of H&D staff, in addition to the in-progress building of a new servery and two new residential colleges. We only ask that admin consider devoting even a little bit more of that money and consideration towards H&D so as to improve the accessibility of on-campus dining.

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Business is booming: major growth, two years later

Move over, engineers — there’s a new major in town. According to the Office of Academic Advising, 26.7 percent of new students are interested in the business major, surpassing all other potential majors.

Although a business minor previously existed, most students interested in a business undergraduate degree would have been forced to design their own major or take the slightly different Managerial Economics and Organization Science major within the social sciences division. This changed in 2021, when the undergraduate business major officially debuted.

Rice’s business program has long been respected, administrators say. Natalia Piqueira, the director of undergraduate business programs, pointed out that the Jones Graduate School of Business offers a master’s degree in business administration, and the undergraduate business minor was well-regarded even before the major was made available. The business major has grown quickly since its debut in 2021. Now, it is the largest major of interest for the incoming class of 2027, surpassing the traditionally popular computer science and mechanical engineering majors.

“The possibility of a career that’s fulfilling and that they want to do and the fact that the program is solid and rigorous and we have a reputation … I think these are the main reasons [for the growth],” Piqueira said.

Piqueira said that the demand for a business degree program for undergraduates has always been present.

“The business minor has always been very popular. I think about 9 percent of our entire class is a business minor on average,” Piqueira said. “I think the demand was there, it’s just

that they didn’t have that option. From my conversation with students, I have several of them in other majors who said, ‘If I could, I wish I could have taken a business major, but it didn’t exist when I was here.’”

Patrick Batsell, a Hanszen College sophomore, said he transferred to Rice partially because of the business major.

“I am interested in the business major in general because for my future job path, I would like to break into either investment banking or consulting,” Batsell wrote in an email to the Thresher. “As for Rice business, I’ve always wanted to go to Rice and was planning to apply under [economics] or [mathematics] … Since there is now an undergraduate program in business, I just went with that.”

Matt Lawrence, another new business major, focused on the opportunities the business major would be able to afford him.

“The program cultivates our leaders of tomorrow,” Lawrence, a Duncan college freshman, wrote in an email to the Thresher. “With the undergraduate business major at Rice University, I believe many doors will open for me, setting me ahead of the competitive atmosphere brewed in the financial industry.”

Piqueira also cited the flexibility of the major as one final reason for its popularity.

“You can still do other things. You can still do art or history or political science classes and computer science and whatever [you] want, because the program allows [you] to take courses outside of the major,” Piqueira said.

In response to the growth of the business major, new staff has been brought on to teach additional sections of core classes. Courses which are normally spring- or fall-only have added sections to allow more students to take required credits.

Piqueira expressed hope that the growth continues and that the major remains popular in the future so that students can experience the programs the business school has to offer.

“We’re assuming that this growth is here to stay,” Piqueira said. “I think it’s good for everybody. It’s good for Rice, it’s good for us, it’s good for the students. It’s more options.”

As new students settle in after the largest Orientation Week in Rice history, it’s time to start asking the real question: Which college had the best theme? This week, the Thresher is taking a look at all 11 themes so you can decide for yourself.

Baker College: “Squishmalloweek”

Named after the trendy plushie company Squishmallows, this clever theme plays on the positive brand the marketing team has built: Squishmallows are happy and inviting, connoting a friendly environment for new students. However, while all of Baker’s O-Week groups had creative names and cute artwork, most of their puns revolve around the same three words: “squish,” “plush” and “mallow.”

Will Rice College: “AerO-Week: Spread Your Wings”

Will Rice generally has fantastic branding, but that also gave the Will Rice coords gigantic shoes to fill. “AerO-Week: Spread Your Wings” connects to the Phoenix mascot and introduces the college well, but the title is a bit clunky. That said, AerO-Week had some of the most creative group names, like “Spotifly,” “Kite at the Museum” and “The Godfeather.”

Hanszen College: “TotorO-Week”

TotorO-Week strikes a fine balance between recognizable, cute and unexpected. However, TotorO-Week was a great theme in spite of its pun-ability, rather than because of it. The Hanszen advisors made fantastic group names, but when a third of them had to use the same word, “Chihiro,” the theme began to show its limitations.

Jones College: “GLO-Week”

Evoking the imagery of a Jones exit sign during one of their frequent power outages, “GLO-Week” was easily one of this year’s most hype O-Week themes. The GLO-Week Instagram page is full of flashy graphics, neon colors and lightning bolts. However, while hype, GLO-Week was not the most pun-able theme. More than half of the O-Week group puns pulled from the word, “Glow,” and while advisors were creative about it, it seemed like they had little room to work with.

Brown College: “MythO-Week: Your Legend Begins at Brown.”

Like Will Rice, the MythO-Week stretches to use an actual “O” word, but the concept stands out as one of the best. Not only does it elicit feelings of adventure and mystique, but it also led to some of the best group names of the year, including “Game of Gnomes,” “All the Single Hades” and “Loki Charms,” to name a few.

Lovett College: “UNO-Week”

Not only is this theme a reference many new students are likely to know, it also treats O-Week as a fun, play-intensive first week on campus, which reaches the heart as to what O-Week is all about. By picking UNO-Week, the coords showed that they were not trying to blow anyone’s mind or change the game, but simply play it well.

Sid Richardson College: “Camp Ω-Week”

If Lovett showed Rice how to do a standard O-Week theme right, Sid Richardson College showed Rice how to change the game. Referencing Percy Jackson, Camp Ω-Week separated O-Week groups into “teams” loyal to rivaling Greek and Roman deities. Although there were no puns, it made up for it with its cohesive background and identity for each O-Week group.

Martel College: “Trader JO-Week”

As everyone knows, when Martelians chant “10 percent more,” it’s because they always give their 110% to every task they approach, especially “Trader JOWeek.” Trader Joe’s is a brand most people recognize, and its vast array of branded products allow for creative group names like “Hex-O, Hex-O, Gossip Grill” and “Everything But The Bagel, Everywhere, All At Once.”

McMurtry College: “BistrO-Week”

Unlike Baker or Hanszen, “BistrO-Week” prioritized room for puns over specificity. While new students may not have felt the same buzz of excitement reading an email titled “Welcome to BistrO-Week” than they might from Camp Ω-Week, the group names like “McChelin Stars,” “French Onion Snoup Dogg” and “Bahn Migos” made up for any lack of energy.

Duncan College: “RetrO-Week”

Although RetrO-Week as a theme was much closer to Lovett’s approach to cohesion than Sid’s approach to originality, Duncan used this theme to reinvent its approach to hype. Between retro-themed Instagram graphics and presentations, Mario Kart and Just Dance floor mixers and a Houston night out hosted at an arcade, RetrO-Week’s boogie fever ran high.

Wiess College: “Team Family Wiess”

For those unfamiliar, Wiess does not do O-Week like the other colleges. Instead of picking a different theme each year, Wiess approaches O-Week in what is simultaneously the most and least original way possible: by not having a theme. O-Week groups at Wiess ended up with great names like “Wiess Spice” and “Piggy Azalea,” it felt like the groups were creative in spite of the tradition, rather than because of it.

ADAM LEFF THRESHER STAFF

PAIGE FASTNOW FOR THE THRESHER

Every theme, everywhere, all at once

COURTESY ROBERT HEETER

How Do You Like Your Eggs?

Play area

Eight-related Cornfield invader

Jargon

Long river in Russia

Liberace’s instrument

Animal dens

Rear-__ (road mishap)

Speak

Join a chorus, say

Sociable

She knows why the caged bird sings

Adam’s partner

Intl. agreement on nuclear weapons

Fools

Lee Curtis and Foxx

Swallows up completely

Got 100 in an orgo exam, for example

Trendy berry used in smoothies

Miniature Japanese tree

River in Germany

Ladies

Gold, in Guatemala

How this crossword made eggs?

CMYK alternative

Genie residence

Yesterday, in Rome

Sea between Greece and Turkey

Fruity beverages

Wise __ __ owl

Brainstorms

ICU drip source

“Big Little Lies” actress Laura

Reddit post soliciting questions, abbr.

Super suffix

Pasta sauce herb

Going under

Be a fan of, slangily

Acquired relative

Dummy

Molecule components

Zones

“__ __, no shade”

Actress Zellwegger Affirmative actions

“Cagney & Lacey” actress Sharon

DOWN

Chip dip

Colleen Ballinger’s summer hit

“Toxic Gossip __”

Getting older

Streisand: “Hello, __!”

UFO passengers, perhaps Fredrik Backman’s bestseller “A Man Called __”

Viet __

Acronym after a wall of text

Pulitzer-winning author James What one might eat if they’re starving

Big name in credit cards

Snitch

Best

Definitely not best

Tomato product

Bookworm

Much of “Deck the Halls”

A priest at a wedding, perhaps Letters at sea

Aladdin’s love

Anti-police acronym

__-AFTRA

Virus named after an African river

Air defense org.

Garden figure

Editor’s mark

Pond growth

Publishing IDs

Making a comeback

United __ Emirates

Tractor company John __

Omega preceder

Mob member

Altar affirmative

Perceives

This crossword’s author, for one Literature Nobelist Alice

Unimpaired

Do penance

Mike and Ike, e.g.

Beginning stage

YA author Sarah J.

Ridiculed HBO show “The __”

York University), Jeng sought to destigmatize pop culture as a topic in English academia when creating the course.

“I think I was just really jealous of other universities having these really cool classes and not having it here,” Jeng said. “My kind of thinking was, ‘If I want that, why don’t I just do it myself?’ It’s been a long time coming that we need to validate music and lyrics in the English language as a subject of analysis.”

Nikhita Mummaneni, a student enrolled in COLL 167, shared Jeng’s philosophy of viewing music as literary analysis. Mummaneni, a self-proclaimed Swift fan, said she wanted to analyze the lyrics she often listened to on a deeper, poetic level.

“Sometimes when you’re just passively listening to music, you don’t really pay attention to what the words are or what it means. Even if I know all the words to a song, if you ask me what it meant or what it’s really about, I don’t really know,” Mummaneni, a McMurtry College senior, said. “‘folklore’ feels like

that to me. I hope that we really get into the nitty gritty of the lyrics in ‘folklore’ because those are her most complex lyrics.”

After the initial section filled, Jeng opened a second section to accommodate more students. The course is intended to be a student-led discussion that closely analyzes Swift’s lyrics alongside her personal life, public impact and relevance in academia.

“Her political and social discourse is definitely something I wanted to mention as well … I also knew I wanted to be critical of her because, although I am a Swiftie, I think there is a lot that I don’t agree with,” Jeng said. “I wanted to talk about her white feminism and rainbow capitalism. Not only her lyrics, but tackling a lot of real world issues … girlhood, femininity, politics and social justice. I wanted to cover such a broad range of topics I thought it made sense to organize them by album. Each week we do one album, starting with [‘Taylor Swift’] and ending with ‘Midnights.’”

Sarah Bartos cited the course as a friendly environment for everyone, whether they’re a fan of Swift’s music or someone simply wanting to learn more about lyrical analysis.

“I instantly felt like I had a connection with a lot of people in the class,” Bartos, a Lovett College senior, said. “During the first class, we went around the room and all said our favorite Taylor Swift song. Everyone has a different one and it’s really cool to think about why they love that song … and what that song means to them.”

The students of COLL 167 range from casual listeners to die-hard fans – no matter a student’s level of interest, Jeng said COLL 167 and the Rice Swiftie community are always open.

“Even if you don’t want to take the course for credit, you can swing by. I would love to see people who weren’t able to get off the waitlist,” Jeng said. “I hope my students take away a sense of community. I really hope they build friendships throughout the course.”

MRI STUDY:

Informal evening

“Here __ nothing!”

People who can help with COMP 140 HW, perhaps Novel part

AGING & MENTAL HEALTH

WE ARE RECRUITING FOR A NEUROIMAGING STUDY

ELIGIBILITY: AGE

55-80 + FEELING

DEPRESSED AND/OR ANXIOUS LENGTH: 2-4

HOURS

COMPENSATION:

$25/HOUR LOCATION: BAYLOR

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

IF INTERESTED, CONTACT:

GUILLIAN PAGUILA / THRESHER

FROM FRONT PAGE TAYLOR SWIFT

I wanted to talk about her white feminism and rainbow capitalism.

Katherine Jeng INSTRUCTOR OF COLL 167

Review: ‘Gran Turismo’ misses the podium

If there’s one thing the movie “Gran Turismo” wants you to know, it’s that the plot is based on real-life events. In fact, when I purchased the ticket for the review, it wasn’t for “Gran Turismo,” but rather “Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story,” just in case general audiences somehow missed this point. This overbearing marketing, unsurprisingly, is wholly accurate — the film is obsessed with depicting the events as they occurred in reality. When it works, the film captures the very real exhilaration of motorsport, but at its worst, it’s the cinematic equivalent of reading a skimpy Wikipedia article.

“Gran Turismo” follows the story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a teenager from Wales and avid player

of the racing simulation game “Gran Turismo.” Dreaming of becoming a racer himself, Mardenborough participates in a video game competition held by Nissan that plans to take skilled game players and turn them into professional racecar drivers. While this real-life plot had the potential to explore questions regarding the fitness of a non-professional entering an exclusive sphere and the motivation of those in charge to partake in such an unconventional enterprise, the film lacks the character work that would allow it to do so. The motives of Nissan executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) are never explained, and Bloom does a lackluster job at his portrayal as well, leaving much to be desired in the understanding of his character.

Mardenborough and his racing coach, Jack Salter (David Harbour), are similarly onedimensional. The former wants to chase

his passion, the latter wants to accomplish what he couldn’t as a younger man in the world of racing. It’s hard to say what other character traits these two have outside of these intensely overused motivations.

This lack of stake-setting and general detail exists across the entire story and makes the film feel as though it has no emotional center. Every bit of conflict is resolved almost immediately after it is introduced, and every character has one cliched motivation that strings them through a sequence of events akin to any other sports movie. The film feels like SparkNotes - you only observe the plot, and the events that occurred, rather than understanding the story, the emotional underpinning that holds films together.

This issue is only exacerbated by the two-hour and fifteen-minute runtime. Every element of the film, including the strong ones, eventually runs out of steam because

the film just refuses to leave anything out. While the use of drone photography and visual effects is strong and the races are fairly exhilarating, the appeal of intense camera movement has worn off completely by the second hour. Similarly, both the licensed music and general cinematography are implemented well, but the runtime gives the film enough time to misuse both of these elements.

“Gran Turismo” does, however, have some merit. It has strong depictions of the racing sport and is somewhat inspiring through its sheer cheesiness and the charm of some of the actors. Ultimately, though, it is very hard to root for a movie that focuses itself in beat-by-beat depiction as opposed to actual plot and character development. But at the same time, Harbour unironically says “u mad bro” to his racing mentee, so I didn’t have an awful time watching.

Review: Trill is the real deal... mostly

SAEED & HADLEY MEDLOCK THRESHER STAFF, A&E EDITOR

Backing up traffic on Shepherd Drive since it opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in early June, rapper Bun B’s Trill Burgers has recently taken Houston by storm.

Trill Burgers reportedly sold over 53,000 burgers over the course of a month and has boasted some famous visitors such as Drake, Sean Kingston, Ludacris and Mike Tyson. Named the “Best Burger in America” by Good Morning America in 2022, the Thresher knew this bold statement couldn’t go unchecked. So, on an uncomfortably warm Wednesday evening, Hadley and Hamza took the journey to put Trill Burgers to the test and uncover what it really means to serve a burger in 2023.

The fanfare surrounding Trill is alive

and well, evidenced by the packed restaurant we visited on a Wednesday night. This is by no means a generic smash burger experience, so we do applaud Bun B for the obvious, genuine effort put into his establishment. Even our Uber driver paused his queue to get out and get some food.

Hadley ordered an OG burger combo that included fries and a drink. Hamza ordered the vegan OG burger (no combo) that just included a drink. The burgers each consisted of two patties, American cheese, some divine caramelized onions, pickles and whatever “Trill Sauce” actually is. As a side note, Hadley, an avid lover of ice-cold Coca Cola, got the “Trill Cola” as her drink and couldn’t tell the difference.

Upon first impressions, these were some solid burgers. Trill not only offered vegan options, but absolutely delivered when

WEEKLY SCENES AND SCREENS

MUCH Public Lecture

James Doyle from Penn State University will be giving a virtual lecture with Rice’s Museums and Cultural Heritage Program. The event is free to watch and is happening Sept. 1 at 2 p.m.

All Access Art Show

All Access Art Show hosts a variety of markets for local creatives to showcase and sell their work. The next is happening Sept. 6 from 6 to 11 p.m. at Finn Hall.

it comes to the quality of “meat” in those offerings. The real meat was also pretty delicious, very juicy and obviously not your McDonald’s cheeseburger. The rest of the burger was definitely respectable, but not exceptional. The bun was solid but could have used some more toasting, and the sauce, pickles and cheese tasted generic.

Ultimately, the fries were pretty forgettable. These typical standard-cut fries were missing two vital qualities: warmth and crispiness. They were lukewarm and soggy, not justifying the additional price. While we did take them back to Rice to eat, we still aren’t completely convinced that the quality of the fries could be remedied by eating in. We’d recommend skipping them and saving your $4 for fries somewhere else.

Trill, unfortunately, is by no means cheap: Hadley and Hamza collectively

Rooftop Cinema Club

If you’re already in the fall spirit, Rooftop Cinema Club is showing “Hocus Pocus” Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $12.50.

spent $32 on their order. Should burgers cost this much, especially burgers that didn’t really move us? It shouldn’t, but if you are looking for a decent meal anywhere in town nowadays, you are going to be spending this type of money anyway. Basically, do you desire a decent, family-man, loving, middle class father of a burger? Because Trill is exactly that. Sometimes, you just need something good and sloppy, something to really just get you howling, you know?

All in all, Trill Burgers has a good burger, even a great one, but at the end of the day, it was just a burger. It doesn’t try to reinvent the concept of a smashburger or even do anything especially out of the ordinary. Sometimes, in a cruel, cold, unforgiving and ever-changing world, all you need is a Trill Burger. Perhaps not for $32, though.

Rice Cinema

Rice Cinema is showing the Russian film “My Duty to Not Stay Silent” Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. The screening will be in Sewall 301 and features Evgenia Kara-Murza, a human-rights advocate in Russia.

HAMZA

JAY COLLURA THRESHER STAFF

COURTESY SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

Review: ‘Unreal Unearth’ takes us through hell and back again

Top Track: ‘Francesca’

Four years after “Wasteland, Baby!” Hozier has returned to the studio to release his third full-length album titled “Unreal Unearth.” Topping charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom, “Unreal Unearth” has become the Irish artist’s first number one album. Though sometimes meaderning and honestly a little long, Hozier’s “Unreal Unearth” is a cathartic journey through the nine circles of hell and back again.

Hozier explained that “Unreal Unearth” draws on the epic of Dante’s “Inferno” to reimagine the idea of a pandemic record, many of the songs recalling stories of

myth to explore feelings of love, loss and human experience.

The album opens with “De Selby (Part 1),” a swelling ballad taking inspiration from an eccentric fictional character of the same name from a Flann O’Brien novel. A beautiful showcase of Hozier’s smooth vocals, the song ends with a verse in Gaeilge, tapping into his Irish roots. “De Selby (Part 1)” melts effortlessly into the aptly named “De Selby (Part 2),” a more chaotic, tense and upbeat track that explores similar themes of darkness, self and connection.

This two-part opener leads into “First Time,” one of the best from the album that has an unexpected country musicesque opening. Reminiscent of older

Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist drop one of the best rap albums of 2023

ARMAN SAXENA THRESHER STAFF

It wouldn’t be surprising to see someone shocked that Earl Sweatshirt dropped a new project. He didn’t post it on his Instagram. It isn’t on Spotify or Apple Music, and the famously reclusive former Odd Future star hasn’t promoted it. You can only find the surprise drop, “Voir Dire,” on Gala Music, a free NFT-backed music streaming service.

The strangeness of this release rollout probably won’t faze the rapper’s biggest fans, though, especially if they’re familiar with the release of past EP “Solace” through his unofficial YouTube channel. While many may understandably turn up their noses to the concept of an album released as an NFT, this is par for the course for Earl, a rapper who has never conformed to mainstream expectations.

Earl Sweatshirt’s art has always been introspective, but “Voir Dire” sees him continue the optimism from his 2022 album “SICK!” Earl’s early career was marked by somber melodies and atmospheric meditations on loneliness, anxiety, death, drugs and depression, so it’s inspiring for long-time fans to see how far he’s come with emotion and craft. The album opens with the blissful, string-based “100 High Street” and the words “focus steady,” a phrase that proves to be the album’s mantra.

He raps on “Sentry,” “Started at the bottom of the hill / Actually, I started in the mitt / Actually, I started in Illinois, Khoikhoi and Tswana in the kid,” referencing his birthplace of Chicago and ancestral lineage to the African Khoikhoi and Tswana tribes. Earl’s apathetic delivery has always felt powerful, but he’s never felt so mature and entirely on top of his game as he does here. The credit for that goes to producer and collaborator The Alchemist

just as much as it goes to Earl, though. The Alchemist supplied 25 minutes of jazzy, lo-fi, psychedelic and sample-laden beats that never fail to impress.

“Voir Dire” has no skips, and one undeniable highlight is the beat on the seventh track, “Mac Deuce.” The production is heavenly, driven by beautiful piano notes backing Earl’s boasts about making it to a life of fame and luxury. Sonically, this album is fairly consistent, sticking to a certain palette without too much variation unlike much of Earl’s earlier work. However, while “Voir Dire” isn’t very experimental, that doesn’t mean it lacks bold musical choices.

“My Brother, The Wind” contains a vaporwave beat reminiscent of secluded beaches and summer splendor while the song that precedes it, “All the Small Things,” has a gorgeously atmospheric and maximalist feel that announces the track as the album’s thesis.

Editor’s note: This article has been cut off for print. Read the full article online at ricethresher.org.

Hozier songs like “Jackie and Wilson,” “First Time” is a bouncy, jazzy tune with a foot-tapping beat.

Based on the story of a woman who finds herself in the second circle of Dante’s hell as punishment for crimes of adultery, “Francesca” was one of the debut singles and is still one of the best tracks on the album. Closing with the lines, “Heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I / I would not change it each time,” Hozier finds sympathy in an often-lost story of romantic obsession, overwhelming love and the resulting eternal torment.

A slower track but easily a top one, “I, Carrion (Icarian)” takes its inspiration from the Greek myth of Icarus and Daedalus and is a haunting, soft track

with touching lyrics like, “If I should fall, on that day / I only pray, don’t fall away from me.” Similarly, “Butchered Tongue” and “Who We Are” are simply powerful tracks. “Butchered Tongue” references and depicts the brutality inflicted upon Irish rebels by British forces during the Wexford Rebellion of 1798, while “Who We Are” recalls a lover lost.

The album is halved with the soaring orchestral instrumental “Son of Nyx,” an interesting intermission but ultimately forgettable track in the larger album. While soft and beautiful, the same can be said about “To Someone From A Warm Climate (Uiscefhuarithe).”

When “All Things End” came out, it was already an instant Hozier classic, understanding the finite nature of all relationships in an optimistic light through its lyrics and bringing in a gospel-sounding choir. “Eat Your Young” is another fast-paced and rather sensual earworm taking us through the third circle of hell — gluttony. While Hozier and the featured artist Brandi Carlile sound good together on “Damage Gets Done,” it does somewhat pale in comparison to the other upbeat tracks of the album.

“Unreal Unearth” closes out with “First Light,” a track that feels like an ascent from the darkness Hozier has led us through. It’s a stellar ending with sparkling, choral production that feels like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Overall, “Unreal Unearth” is a masterful concept album with well thought out lyrics and mythical references. While some tracks may get a little lost in the shuffle and hour-long runtime, not a single track on the album is bad, and each carries such a story. “Unreal Unearth” is crafted with grace, ripe with emotion, complete with powerful vocals and continues to establish Hozier as a musical force to be reckoned with.

Top Track: ‘Mac Deuce’

HADLEY MEDLOCK A&E EDITOR

COURTESY RUBYWORKS RECORDS

COURTESY ALC RECORDS

Football prepares for season-opening game at Texas

PAVITHR GOLI SPORTS EDITOR

Football looks to kick off their new season this upcoming weekend when they travel to Austin to take on the University of Texas Longhorns, who are ranked No. 11 in the nation. A year of new beginnings, the Owls will play their inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference after spending 18 years in Conference-USA.

Despite going 5-8 last season, the 2022 Owls qualified for the postseason, a feat that they last achieved in 2014. Playing in the Lending Tree Bowl against the University of Southern Mississippi, the Owls ended their season on a sour note when they were defeated 38-24 by the Golden Eagles, their former conference foes.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren’s five wins from last season were the most

wins the Owls have had under his tenure. However, according to Bloomgren, this year’s squad has turned the page from last year and is very different than the other teams he has fielded during his tenure leading the football program.

“It’s kind of like everyone’s new because, at the very least, they are a better version of themselves and have worked to change themselves,” Bloomgren said. “[There’s] a lot of newness, if you will, in this football program with a lot of experience, whether it is at this program with the Rice Owls or other programs around the nation.”

With all eyes focused on this weekend’s matchup against the Longhorns, one of the nation’s more historic and accomplished football programs, Bloomgren said he is unfazed by the bright lights that the team will experience on Saturday afternoon.

“We have an awesome opportunity

this week heading to play the University of Texas,” Bloomgren said. “It’s a great challenge for our football team. We know how talented they are. But, that certainly doesn’t stop me from being eager to see our team take the field at [Darrell K RoyalTexas Memorial Stadium] on Saturday and let the hard work that we put in show on the field.”

The last time these two teams met in 2021, the Longhorns shut out the Owls 58-0 in Austin. Bloomgren said that this time around, he is confident that the Owls’ fate will be different.

“We’ve been preparing all offseason for them and I think physically and mentally, we are a stronger football team,” Bloomgren said. “At the end of the day, it is all about how we execute and how we perform. Now, what can we do in the third and fourth quarter to make sure that we steal that game?”

An important part of that execution for the Owls will lie in the hands of new starting quarterback JT Daniels, who transferred to Rice from the University of West Virginia after last season. Daniels’ move to Rice made national headlines during the offseason as the former fivestar recruit has played for some of the best college football programs in the nation, including the University of South California and the University of Georgia. The first student-athlete to play in Austin against the Longhorns while representing three different college programs, Daniels said he is excited for this opportunity.

“It’s a great opportunity and it’s always fun,” Daniels said. “It’s a cool stadium and it gets loud on third downs and when you walk out, it goes crazy.

When you are in the heat of the moment, though, it really doesn’t matter and you don’t really notice [the noise].”

Another key facet of the offense that will be showcased on Saturday afternoon is wide receiver Luke McCaffrey. McCaffrey, who had the second-most yards from scrimmage on the team last year, was voted as one of the seven team captains this year and said he looks forward to a big season after plenty of change during the offseason.

“I’m very excited for the season,” McCaffrey said.

“We worked so hard during the offseason and this upcoming game is a reward for all of the hard work we put in the offseason. When you look across the roster, we have a lot of changes, but I think that the overall identity of the team is where we have seen the most growth.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Bloomgren said he believes that the team is ready to handle tougher competition in the AAC with a number of veterans on the defense.

“With our defense, we have a lot of experience returning as we head into the American [Athletic] Conference,” Bloomgren said. “We retained 62 percent of starters on our defense, forming a very experienced group.”

The Owls will kick off their season on national TV at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2 with the game broadcast on FOX. After facing off against the Longhorns, the Owls will return home to play in the Bayou Bucket when they host the University of Houston Cougars on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m., with the game being shown on NFL Network.

Challenging roads: Soccer evens record after lackluster start

The Owls won both of their games this past week to bounce back after two straight defeats to open their season. After a 6-0 loss against No. 9 Texas in Austin, the Owls returned to Houston to play at Texas Southern University on Friday, Aug. 25 hoping to turn their luck around for their first win of the season.

This was the Owls’ first game that coincided with classes, a change that freshman Mia Brumlow explained was tough to deal with when coupled with the transition into Division 1 soccer.

“I knew coming in [Division 1] soccer was going to be more physical and a faster pace than club soccer,” Brumlow said. “However, up until last week, I only had to think about practice and game schedules. Now with the start of classes, the real challenge begins.”

This challenge, however, did not stop Brumlow from scoring early in the first half against TSU for her first collegiate goal and the Owls’ first goal of the season. Sophomore midfielder Kallie McKinney added to the tally with a close shot from a corner kick delivered by graduate transfer Ellen Halseth with 26 minutes left in the first half. Less than ten minutes later, Halseth added her name to the score sheet after dribbling through the defense and slotting the ball in the bottom left corner, increasing the Rice lead to 3-0.

The Owls conceded two quick goals to the Tigers early in the second half, but both McKinney and Brumlow scored again later in the half to reach their brace and seal a 5-2 win for the Owls.

According to McKinney, her experience and familiarity with the team up to this point in her collegiate career has benefitted her and the team immensely, especially with the high number of road games scheduled for the Owls.

“I think it is a huge advantage being familiar with the team,” McKinney said. “That familiarity comes along with a comfort and confidence to play, elevating the quality.”

Rice’s next challenge was a fourth straight away game against Northwestern State University on Sunday, Aug. 27. The first half saw both teams share possession with solid performances from Rice’s defense and goalkeeper. The Owls got a breakthrough early in the half after junior forward Natalie Gorji, playing as a right wingback, dribbled her way past the Demons’ midfield and placed a through ball behind their defense and onto Halseth, who fired past the keeper and put the Owls up 1-0. According to Lee, the Owls were able to settle into their game after the first goal.

“I thought we started really slow and [were] very fortunate to get a goal early, which I think settled us down,” Lee said. “I thought the middle of the game we generally had control of it and [we were]

playing the way we want to play.”

Halseth continued her goal and assist streak three minutes into the second half, dropping a pass off to graduate transfer Sarah Piper who slotted the ball in from close. The Demons were able to scratch back at the Owls’ lead, finally netting one past junior goalkeeper Ann Stephanie Fortin with 15 minutes left in the second half and then nearly tying the game with just a few minutes remaining, but Rice held on to the lead for their second victory of the season. Given the team’s overall inexperience, McKinney explained that as the season goes on, she expects the team to find their footing.

“With so many newcomers this year, I think the more we play, the better we get, so I’m really looking forward to us finding our stride and really start competing to

hopefully win these next few games,” McKinney said.

The Owls debut in Holloway Field this season on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. in a highly anticipated “Bayou Cup” bout against the University of Houston. They return to the road in a matchup against Loyola University Maryland on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 11 a.m., to be streamed on ESPN+.

DIEGO PALOS RODRIGUEZ SENIOR WRITER

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Sophomore midfielder Kallie McKinney passes the ball in a preseason exhibition game against Texas Christian University. McKinney and the Owls have turned their season around with two straight wins last weekend.

I think physically and mentally, we are a stronger football team.

Mike Bloomgren

HEAD COACH OF FOOTBALL TEAM

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Graduate transfer JT Daniels takes a snap during the first scrimmage. Daniels and Owls hope for a win during thier season opener against the University of Texas.

Bring out the brooms: Rice sweeps No. 22 USC, jumps to No. 18

CADAN HANSON SENIOR WRITER

Volleyball rose to the occasion last weekend, sweeping the No. 22 University of Southern California in straight sets 25-21, 25-22 and 25-18.

After the game, head coach Genny Volpe said she was pleased with the play of the Owls and grateful for the home-court advantage.

“First of all, I was so impressed with the turnout by the student body and community,” Volpe said. “It was a great environment for our players and really helped create a true home court advantage. I was pleased with many areas of our game, especially our serving and our serve receive.”

The turnout for the highly anticipated top-25 matchup was strong as 1,393 fans packed Tudor

to the pre-game hype with neither team taking more than a three-point lead until Rice extended their lead late in the set to four thanks to two kills and a block by senior outside hitter Danyle Courtley. The Trojans made a late push but two service errors and a final kill by Courtley ended the comeback hopes and secured the first set advantage to Rice.

“Danyle [Courtley] has the ability to terminate at a high level and it’s great to see her confidence continue to grow,” Volpe said. “She adds so much fire and energy to the team. She not only produces at the net, but she provides a great deal of spirit on the court that we need.”

friends and old teammates on the other side of the net,” Weske said. “At times I wanted to start small-talking through the net but we had to keep it professional, and obviously, I wanted to win for Rice and my decision to come here. I was really happy to see the USC girls, coaches and parents, though. After all, I owe much of my progress as a player and person to USC, and the support and respect the program still shows towards me makes me proud to be a Trojan.”

that we can tap into new levels as a team,” Weske said. “We saw multiple players step up their game defensively and offensively and learned to lean on each other more in the tough moments. I’m excited for the new challenges and opportunities to play Rice volleyball.”

KATHLEEN ORTIZ / THRESHER

Sophomore setter Darby Harris celebrates winning a point. The Rice Owls swept the University of Southern California, ranked No.22 in the nation, Saturday night.

Graduate transfer right side Emilia Weske led the Owls’ first set win with six kills. Weske, who transferred from USC this year, took the court opposite her old team for the first time, and she gave her old teammates a taste of her own medicine with 11 kills, three aces and 13 digs. Her performance helped her earn her American Conference Honor Roll awards in the Owls’ first week in the new conference. Weske said that facing off against her old team was a weird feeling.

“It was the weirdest feeling ever seeing my

The second set was again evenly paced with Rice maintaining a small lead until the Trojans embarked on a 5-0 run in the middle of the set to take a one point lead at 14-13. Ultimately, in the second set, errors fell in Rice’s favor, with the Trojans committing a total of eight attack errors and three service errors, allowing Rice to take the set 25-22.

In the third set the Owls came out swinging, taking an early 3-0 lead. The Owls never relinquished their lead and went on a 6-0 run. Offensively, Courtley led the Owls with six of her team-leading 14 kills coming in the third set, helping outpace the Trojans in team kills. Junior middle blocker Kaityln Knobbe added three kills in the third set, part of her six kill, two block and 0.500 hitting percentage performance. Freshman outside hitter Cindy Tchouanga hammered the final nail into the coffin with a cross-court kill, sealing the third set 25-16 and completing the sweep. After the game, Weske was pleased with how the Owls stepped up to the challenge.

“I think we have grown in the belief

Offensively, the Owls out-killed the Trojans 40-33 and out-served them, with five aces to the Trojans’ one. Defensively, Nia McCardell picked up where she left off last year, earning the AAC Defensive Player of the Week thanks to her 18 dig performance on Saturday and her 16 dig performance in Rice’s 3-1 win against the University of Southern Mississippi on Friday. Volpe was pleased with the Owls’ performance on both sides of the ball, especially by the veteran libero McCardell.

“I thought Nia [McCardell] showed why she’s one of the best liberos in the country tonight,” Volpe said. “[The team] really stepped up and found their offensive rhythm, too.”

The Owls, who entered the weekend ranked No. 23 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association, earned a promotion following the 2-0 start to the season and a big ranked-matchup win, jumping to the No. 18 spot. The Owls now look ahead to the rest of their difficult non-conference schedule, including a pair of top-10 opponents: No. 7 University of Texas and No. 2 Stanford University. Following their home matchup against Louisiana University on Tuesday, the Owls will travel to Waco to take on No. 15 Baylor University in another highly anticipated ranked match up.

Volleyball head coach Genny Volpe discusses family, journey to Rice

After 20 years at Rice, Genny Volpe seems to have her routine down to a science. Her day begins with a large coffee, a workout or some emails and then the inevitable commute to downtown Houston.

“The drive in is pretty long,” Volpe, who lives in Cypress, said. “I’ll listen to some podcasts or make some calls on the way in and try to make the most of sitting in Houston traffic.”

At work, she helps prepare her team for their goals this season and every season: to compete for a conference championship and to go as deep into the NCAA tournament as possible.

In her senior year of college, Volpe was a two-year captain, three-year team leader in digs, with her name already in the record books for her career as a student athlete at Texas A&M University. Working as a student assistant to the volleyball team during her fifth year was, she said, when Volpe recognized she wanted to coach collegiate volleyball for a living.

“I just always felt like volleyball came pretty naturally to me,” Volpe said. “I love the game and how it’s played and all of the challenges that come with it.”

Her professional career began as an assistant coach at Rice in 1995, eventually

moving to Southern Methodist University and back to A&M for jobs as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. In 2004, Volpe was back at Rice — this time as the head coach.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” Volpe said. “I am so thankful to Rice for giving me the chance to begin my head coaching career.”

So far this season she has led the volleyball team to win their first two matches, one of which was a sweep of No. 22 University of Southern California. Nonconference matches, like the one against USC, and playing in the American Athletic Conference for the first time are what Volpe said she is most looking forward to this season.

“I have already seen players step up and work out of tough situations,” Volpe said of the first two matches.

After a day at work, she enjoys just being a fan at her daughter Alice’s matches. Alice, a senior in high school, is committed to play volleyball at Texas Christian University after she graduates.

“She is having an amazing career,” Volpe said. “I’m embracing watching her play as much as I can before she heads off to college.”

Her husband John, son John Joseph and daughter Alice are three of Volpe’s biggest inspirations, she said.

“They are my ‘why,’ and I just want to

be the best version of myself for them,” Volpe said.

As a family, the Volpes love sports and anything outdoors. Specifically for Volpe, the sport she gravitates toward the most outside of volleyball is golf.

“[My best non-volleyball memory of the past year] was probably going on a women’s golf trip to Idaho,” Volpe said.

“It was such a fun trip with friends in a beautiful place of the country that I had not been before.”

Still, though, her life is surrounded

primarily by volleyball. Whether it’s her players at Rice, who she says are tough competitors but also fun-loving people off the court, or her daughter, who she makes a point to see off to school every morning, Volpe is around volleyball from sunrise to sunset, which is exactly how she likes it.

“I’ve spent so much of my life coaching here at Rice. There is no way that I couldn’t write about my journey as the coach of this program,” she said. “I have met so many wonderful people and coached so many amazing student athletes here.”

ATHLETICS

Head coach Genny Volpe is entering her 20th season as the head coach of Rice volleyball. Her tenure has brought much success to the volleyball program.

I think we have grown in the belief that we can tap into new levels as a team.

Emilia Weske GRADUATE STUDENT RIGHT SETTER

COURTESY RICE

I just always felt like volleyball came pretty naturally to me. I love the game and how it’s played and all of the challenges that come with it.

Genny Volpe

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH

The Backpage is the satire section of the Thresher, written this week

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