The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Hoot’s house: Rice defeats Houston in Bayou Bucket

up 21-0 in the first quarter.

President Reggie DesRoches stormed the field. Graduate transfer quarterback JT Daniels took selfies with students. Head coach Mike Bloomgren hoisted a golden bucket over his head. This was the scene following Rice Football’s 43-41 victory over the University of Houston Cougars in double overtime Saturday, bringing the Bayou Bucket back to Rice for the first time since 2010.

Rice set the tone of the game with a dominating first quarter that saw strong plays on both sides of the ball. Less than two minutes after junior wide receiver Luke McCaffrey caught a 10yard touchdown pass from Daniels on the opening drive, junior cornerback Tre’Shon Devones picked off the Houston quarterback. The Owls capitalized on the turnover after freshman running back Daelen Alexander scored a touchdown on a short run, giving Rice a 14-0 lead.

A Houston three-and-out on the next possession gave the ball back to the Owls’ offense. Daniels connected with McCaffrey for the second time on a highlight reel 32yard touchdown pass, putting the Owls

Environment, feminism, whimsy at the Moody

SHREYA CHALLA

SENIOR WRITER

Laure Prouvost’s first solo exhibition in Texas, “Above Front Tears Nest in South,” which explores themes of feminism and environmentalism, opens this month at the Moody Center for the Arts.

Prouvost, a well-known French artist with major exhibitions around the world, works with different kinds of mediums to create immersive installations that incorporate a variety of artwork, including video, sculptures, tapestries and recycled materials. The exhibition’s public opening reception will be Friday, Sept. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m., and the student opening will be Saturday, Sept. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Frauke Josenhans, a curator at the Moody, has been working on the exhibit since last year. She said that Prouvost

Daniels threw for 401 passing yards, tying a career high, with three touchdowns and an interception. McCaffrey applauded Daniels for his skill and effort which, he said, was reflected on every play of the game.

“I’m so thankful JT is in this program,” McCaffrey said postgame. “So thankful for the demeanor he has every single play and the ability to put that ball where you need it.”

Bloomgren said. The Cougars responded quickly as they converted two fourth downs before a Houston wide receiver caught a touchdown to put them on the board. The Owls attempted to add one more score before the half ended but were stymied after a Daniels end-zone interception. Rice took a 28-7 lead into halftime.

After allowing a combined 35 points in the first half, both defenses stood strong for a scoreless third quarter. The Owls’ defense forced two turnovers on downs while the Cougars’ defense forced a punt and an Owls fumble, leaving the Houston rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points, tying the tally and sending the

IN FOCUS: BAYOU BUCKET

Score: 43-41 (2OT)

Rivalry: first Rice win since 2010

Key Players:

JT Daniels: 401 yards, three TDs, one INT

Daelen Alexander: three TDs, one two-pt conversion

Coleman Coco: six total tackles, two sacks

[The locker room] was like a club that I don’t go to anymore. It was a very fun atmosphere, a lot of guys celebrating a very hard-earned victory.

Mike Bloomgren FOOTBALL HEAD COACH

Freezing cold takes with Chief and Justice

HAMZA SAEED THRESHER STAFF

“Okay, so let’s say I have a gun to your head, because I just went ahead and robbed a bank … I need you to tell me who you are in 10 seconds.” (The Thresher always starts with hard-hitting questions.)

“I’m a … gamer,” Jacob Wong proclaimed. “I started out with Minecraft, and then … I got pretty competitive at Counter-Strike.”

“I like eating red crayons, but I wish they had some more red-40 in them,” Timmy Mansfield added.

Wong and Mansfield, McMurtry College’s Chief and Justice, respectively, were put on the hot — rather, ice-cold — seat in an exclusive interview with the Thresher. To get the most authentic story, the Thresher asked these two men to don their banana costumes and sit in ice baths by the North Servery Fountain.

If having two chief justices sounds strange, it should — Wong and Mansfield ran together for the position of chief justice after Joon Lee stepped down last year.

In an email sent to McMurtry students in May, Lee, now a junior, said he resigned following a boxing event on McMurtry’s college night. Lee was in charge of refereeing the match between two McMurtry students,

but it was shut down by one of McMurtry’s magisters.

Lee had made a name for himself on Fizz as “CJoon.” The Thresher asked Mansfield to rank Lee’s public perception on a scale of O.J. Simpson to Jesus of Nazareth.

“He was like Messi … or Jordan,” Mansfield said.

“That’s a really sussy scale,” Wong added.

However, Mansfield and Wong agreed that Lee’s legacy did not intimidate them — instead, they saw this opening for CJ as an opportunity rather than a challenge.

“There was no pressure from anyone, really,” Mansfield said.

These self-proclaimed goofballs had a deep bond prior to running together for CJ. It started with being freshman year roommates.

“The reason I get up in the morning is so that I can turn around in bed and see Jacob,” Mansfield quipped.

As CJs, Mansfield and Wong have already had to handle perilous situations.

“There was a mystery person on fourth

SEE CHIEF & JUSTICE PAGE 7

SEE BAYOU BUCKET PAGE 10

COURTESY BRANDON MARTIN

COURTESY BRANDON MARTIN

Medical humanities, advanced materials and sustainability institutes launch

ADAM LEFF THRESHER STAFF

Rice established three new research institutes this summer in medical humanities, advanced materials and sustainability. The university also increased funding for the Ken Kennedy Institute and Smalley-Curl Institute, investigating interdisciplinary uses of artificial intelligence and applied physics, respectively, and approved a Synthetic

Institute to complement these programs, according to Executive Vice President for Research Ramamoorthy Ramesh.

Ramesh said that when comparing Rice to other undergraduate institutes in the country, Rice was behind some of its peers in the quality of research being produced.

“Rice is a … good research institution. But are we on par with Stanford and MIT? Not yet. Should we be on par? Absolutely, yes,” Ramesh said. “That means that our balance has to change. We don’t want to compromise on our undergraduate excellence, but we want to build on that, we want to enhance that by putting more focus on the research.”

Ramesh said these new research institutes centralize and coordinate existing disparate initiatives while increasing funding. The institutes hope to serve as an investment into research in the future.

“The expected outcomes are definitely to elevate our intellectual reputation and push interdisciplinary research. As a consequence, we will get a lot more

external funding,” Ramesh said.

The multiple research institutes can also collaborate and investigate similar issues from different angles. Lane Martin, the director of the new Rice Advanced Materials Institute, said that this approach will make the research more useful and applicable.

“We might look at the same problem from three or four different perspectives to have a more holistic or comprehensive solution,” Martin, Welch Professor of Materials Science & Nanoengineering, said.

Kirsten Ostherr, the director of the Medical Humanities Institute, said she is hoping to hold town halls with the Rice community and faculty steering committees to gather input about what the institute’s goals and research focuses should be.

“The first things that we plan to do are host some events that bring faculty together and that brings students together with us to talk to them about what we envision for the institute,” Ostherr said. “[We also want] to hear from them, both faculty and students, about what they might hope to see, how they might want to be involved [and] areas of opportunity that they see or would like to explore.”

Ostherr also said that one of the Medical Humanities Institute’s first programs will

be developing an undergraduate research opportunity relating to artificial intelligence for healthcare.

Martin said more research opportunities and funding for faculty means more research opportunities available to students. As a result, these institutes will impact all members of the Rice community.

Sophia Peng, who is a medical humanities minor and is involved in research at Rice, said she hopes the institutes will enable more events, similar to the speaker series and lunches she sees in the anthropology department.

“I [would like] more workshops, opportunities, things that Rice can host or Rice’s departments can invite people in for,” Peng, a McMurtry College senior.

Peng said that many students seem unaware of the new research institutions at the moment, since it most directly impacts faculty. She believes as these institutions begin to impact students, they will likely take notice.

Martin said that once the new institutes get underway, they will reshape the way the university does research.

“It’s a time for growth,” Martin said. “It’s a time for us to think as a campus, ‘What’s missing? What do we need to have to be impactful in a meaningful way?’”

Two professors awarded Vannevar Bush Fellowships

KEEGAN LEIBROCK

WRITER

Qimiao Si, a professor of physics and astronomy, and Jeffrey Tabor, a professor of bioengineering and biosciences, have been awarded Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowships by the U.S. Department of Defense. The award comes with a fiveyear fellowship and $3 million in research funding to continue work in their respective fields.

Si studies theoretical condensed matter physics and has been a faculty member at Rice since 1995. His contributions to the field of condensed matter physics focus on strongly correlated electron systems and the theory of quantum criticality, which relates to the transition of matter from one quantum state to another.

Si said his research intends to explore the responsiveness of electrons to stimuli. With the grant money, he said he will pursue research dealing with the control of topological states of matter.

“We want to establish a theoretical framework for realizing materials that have unusual properties — in this case, being extremely responsive,” Si said. “We want to start from intuition and build up the equations to be able to make a statement about realizing new states of matter … It’s not the approach that one takes on a daily basis and it’s also highly risky. It may not work.”

Tabor’s research focuses on bioengineering and biosciences. Since joining Rice in 2010, Tabor’s lab has programmed living cells to sense and respond to environmental stimuli along with developing potential methods to sense and treat intestinal disease.

Tabor said that he hopes this new research will streamline the DNA synthesis processes to open new research opportunities.

“Unfortunately, the technology that’s used to make synthetic DNA is based on chemistry and has not been changed in 40 years. It’s very expensive, it produces toxic chemical waste and it severely limits research,” Tabor said. “[Because of this], we aren’t able to do all the research that we want … our goal is to harness the power of enzymes that come from living things to naturally make DNA in an approach that is astronomically cheaper.”

Tabor said that this new process of DNA synthesis would have substantial benefits for those seeking medical treatment for cancer through cancer immunotherapy.

“While there [have] been early breakthroughs [in natural DNA synthesis], there’s also still a lot of challenges,” Tabor said. “If we were to make that process much cheaper, we could try many new designs, learn much more about how this system works and then make a new generation of these cancer

immunotherapies that targeted more cancers, had less side effects and helped more people.”

Si said that obstacles to success, both in seeking this grant and in his research, have driven his excitement.

“Over the course of my career, I’ve made many predictions, and more often than not, they turn out not to be true,” Si said. “To me, that’s where the excitement lies, in this inevitability of unpredictability … the opportunities are enormous [and] the challenges are enormous.”

Si said that the grant funding will open new opportunities in quantum physics that would have otherwise not been possible.

“The [$3 million grant] allows us to do two things,” Si said. “One is that it allows us to have a large group of postdocs and graduate students who can come together to brainstorm and formulate equations … [the grant] also allows us to facilitate experimental capacity.”

Si said that he would advise aspiring researchers to recognize a specific area of interest and work hard within that area.

“Follow your trajectory, and you’ll get something great — I think that’s quite true,” Si said.

Tabor expressed a similar sentiment, advising young researchers to be ambitious in their goals.

“Don’t be afraid to think big and pursue something that you’re really excited about,” Tabor said. “Even if it seems too far away, or too risky, or too challenging, if you are excited about it, [then] that excitement will come through in your daily life, and you’ll be doing your best work … that’s a good recipe for success.”

That excitement will come through in your daily life, and you’ll be doing your best work … that’s a good recipe for success.

Jeffrey Tabor

PROFESSOR OF BIOENGINEERING AND BIOSCIENCES

ZEISHA BENNETT / THRESHER

It’s a time for growth. It’s a time for us to think as a campus, ‘What’s missing? What do we need to have to be impactful in a meaningful way?’

Lane Martin DIRECTOR OF ADVANCED MATERIALS INSTITUTE

SENIOR

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

Over 8,000 meal swipes donated in fourth year of program

ARMAN SAXENA THRESHER STAFF

Housing and Dining, Student Success Initiatives and the Student Association have launched their fourth year of the meal swipe donation program to address food insecurity among students, especially for those living off-campus. According to Interim Associate Vice President of H&D David McDonald, 8,140 swipes were donated this year, in comparison to the estimated 4,400 swipes that were donated at the start of the spring 2023 semester and the 800 swipes that were donated when the program began in spring 2020.

So far, Student Success Initiatives has been able to accommodate the meal requests of 145 students with the donated meal swipes. This number

could still increase since the meal swipe request period is opem until Friday, Sept. 15.

Student Success Initiatives Assistant Director Taylor Breshears said that the program is meant to distribute meal swipes, that often are unused, to students who cannot otherwise afford meals on campus.

“Off-campus living is expensive in Houston. It’s hard to financially sustain yourself, even on full financial aid, if a little bit of life happens,” Breshears wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Whenever budgets get tight, many students will start cutting back on groceries because it’s the bill they have the most financial influence over … I’ve heard students in my office mention skipping meals, so they can save money. How is a student supposed to focus on their academics when they are worried

about their next meal?”

Ayush Suresh, a Lovett College sophomore, mentioned the number of leftover swipes he had as one of the reasons he was willing to donate.

“I recognized last year, in both semesters, I had a lot of swipes remaining, even after swiping in for friends and visitors throughout the semesters. I felt that I had a lot of swipes to give to other people who could make more use of it,” Suresh said.

When the program started, students could donate up to five of their guest swipes. This semester, the maximum amount of swipes students can donate has increased to 15.

“We felt that students would appreciate a greater opportunity to donate,” McDonald said of the change. Lovett sophomore Christopher Rodriguez, however, mentioned that he

would donate even more if he was able to.

“At the end of the school year I had 100 [swipes] for on-campus housing, and I definitely would’ve given at least 30 or something when they asked because we get a ridiculous amount of meal swipes,” Rodriguez said.

Student Association President Solomon Ni attributed the increase in meal swipes donated this semester to differences in how SA launched the program, including introducing the program earlier in the year so students could receive meal swipes earlier.

“We made it really easy for people to fill out the form to donate their swipes … We did a very big push in marketing the meal swipe donation programs,” Ni, a Jones College junior, said. “Our biggest concern was educating everyone about [the program] in the first week of school.”

Meal swipe donations increased with expansion of program

Senate ignites Rice Fight

a performance and shutting down all discussion on the resolution altogether.”

The Student Association passed a resolution Sept. 11 congratulating the Rice Owls football team on winning the 2023 Bayou Bucket and reaffirming the senate’s support of Rice’s student-athletes.

According to SA President Solomon Ni, a resolution congratulating a sports team for winning a single game is unprecedented at Rice. The resolution was met with pushback from other SA members, who called it performative.

McMurtry College President Jackson Hughes motioned to postpone the resolution indefinitely. Hughes called for studentathletes to be invited to the SA meeting so they could be celebrated. Ni denied Hughes’ motion.

Ni said he invited the football team captains to the SA meeting; however, given the short notice, they could not be present.

SA meetings follow the Robert’s Rules of Order. Hughes alleged that the SA proceeding did not follow them in this session.

“It wasn’t a great feeling to know that the Rules of Order were sidestepped in favor of trying to get this resolution passed,” Hughes, a senior, said.

Ni said that according to parliamentary procedure there can be a motion to overrule the chair, but since that wasn’t invoked, he still presided over all of the parliamentary inquiry.

“The point of parliamentary procedure is to be able to have discussion on [a resolution],” Ni, a Jones College junior, said. “I think the performance from the McMurtry president was very telling about what he wanted to do in terms of having

In response, Hughes said he was trying to move the SA towards something that would actually impact the student body, rather than performative action.

Brown College President Jae Kim said there have been ongoing conversations about the intent of the SA and that the resolution’s phrasing of “Whereas Rice Fight Never Dies” doesn’t match the seriousness of the SA. As a result, Kim said he agreed with Hughes.

“To only put out a statement of support after a big victory seemed really performative to me, especially since [we removed] the athletics committee this senate year … instead of reforming it,” Kim, a junior, said. Martel College President Katelynn Porras said she acknowledges that this resolution is a supportive gesture towards the team. Since the SA members had access to the agenda beforehand, she said, they could have brought football players to the meeting in anticipation of the resolution.

Ni said the resolution was not intended to be monumental in the first place, but just an acknowledgement to the football team’s victory in the Bayou Bucket for the first time in 13 years.

“I am very disappointed that people would throw around the word performative when it comes to that,” Ni said. “I don’t think it’s anything more than [an acknowledgement] … I would be curious to see what the SA Senate, [specifically] the college presidents and senators that voted against it, would like to do in alternate. I didn’t anticipate this much discussion on [it].”

Editor’s Note: This article has been condensed for print. To read more, visit ricethresher.org.

I would be curious to see what the SA Senate, [specifically] the college presidents and senators that voted against it, would like to do in alternate.

Solomon Ni SA PRESIDENT

MARIA MORKAS ASST. NEWS EDITOR

CALI LIU / THRESHER

BRANDON CHEN / THRESHER DATA COURTESY DAVID MCDONALD

Colleges now charged for waste cleanup instead of security at publics

decided to provide funding for this change as one way to demonstrate their support of RUPD and safety and security at Rice.”

Jones College Chief Justice Jacob Lowenstein said that due to salary variations among RUPD officers, colleges wouldn’t know their final charge until after the public.

“At least with the custodial staff now, it’s a fixed rate so we know ahead of time, and it’s better for budgeting,” Lowenstein said.

Milan George, a socials head at Duncan College, said that eliminating RUPD costs will decrease the financial burden on college socials committees.

the colleges, so we’re pretty happy about that. It also takes away an unnecessary workload away from CJs and caregivers at publics because it shouldn’t be their responsibility to clean up that waste.”

Lowenstein said Petre Herbert, the associate director of campus events, informed colleges that the amount of cleaning staff required would be determined based on the proximity of bathrooms.

“If the bathrooms are in the same area as the main venue, then we only need two cleaners, but if they’re in a separate building or a separate area, then we’ll have to have four cleaners,” Lowenstein said.

The Rice University Police Department will no longer charge residential colleges for the security they provide during publics. Instead, residential colleges must now hire at least two Housing and Dining custodial staff to clean up biohazardous waste afterwards.

Chief of Police Clemente Rodriguez said the decision to pay officers through one centralized campus event fund is part of an effort to streamline budgets.

“This new method of managing security on campus improves safety by

allowing RUPD to ensure the appropriate staffing levels are in place without burdening event planners who may have budget constraints for their events,” Rodriguez wrote in an email to the Thresher.

Rodriguez said he was worried about inconsistencies in security at public events on campus, so this was one of his top priorities for this year’s budget request.

“This change will allow us to better serve campus and ensure safety and security at all public events,” Rodriguez wrote. “The President, Provost and Vice President of Administration and Finance

“A lot of the costs for publics were primarily [for] RUPD and [Rice EMS],” George, a junior, said. “I’m glad that the undergraduate dean is prioritizing having a [fund] set up outside of the college budget so that we can afford to keep publics safe.”

Will Rice College President Gazi Fuad said funds previously allocated to security could instead be used for other costs. According to Fuad, colleges were instructed to hire at least two, but up to four, specialized H&D custodial staff for each public.

“For two of the custodians, it [will] cost a flat fee of $500, and then for four, it [will cost] $1,000,” Fuad, a senior, said. “It ends up being a net benefit for

Fuad said that the budget allocated to Will Rice socials has generally stayed the same from last year, as the amount of funding received from the dean’s office hasn’t changed.

“We haven’t gotten too into the planning process yet, but I’m assuming the extra money that we’re able to salvage we’ll be spending on stuff like … potentially paying our DJs a bit more, getting more decorations and having food and drink available as needed,” Fuad said.

George also said that although the Duncan social committee still needs to discuss potential changes, he would like to improve the decorations and atmosphere if the budget allows.

MARIA MORKAS ASST. NEWS EDITOR

I’m glad that the undergraduate dean is prioritizing having a [fund] set up outside of the college budget so that we can afford to keep publics safe.”

Milan George DUNCAN COLLEGE SOCIALS HEAD

NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER

New scooter policy reflects need to update micromobility infrastructure

Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman and Chief Clemente Rodriguez of the Rice University Police Department unveiled Policy 854, the university’s new regulations on micro-transportation, in a Sept. 7 email. The policy, among other things, prohibits the operation of scooters and bicycles inside and at the entrances of university buildings, in addition to requiring operators of these vehicles to yield to pedestrians at all times.

The recent changes to the rules of the road are reasonable and important. Day after day, the signs calling on cyclists to dismount in front of Brochstein Pavilion go unnoticed; the many cars, scooters, bicycles and shuttles that share the road make for a congested frenzy on the Inner Loop at midday. Near-accidents are far too common on our campus.

Other universities have recently taken more drastic measures to combat issues with micromobility devices. Yale University, for example, has outright banned unapproved electric vehicles from university residential properties

due to fire and safety hazards. Harvard University has proposed a similar resolution to Rice’s that prohibits students from riding micromobility devices on their sidewalks and walkways and bans them entirely from Harvard-

EDITORIAL STAFF

* Indicates Editorial Board member

Prayag Gordy* Editor-in-Chief

Riya Misra* Editor-in-Chief

Nayeli Shad* Managing Editor

NEWS

although Rice can be perceived as a “bubble” sheltered from the rest of Houston, we are not immune from the issues that affect it. However, bringing these micromobility devices into classrooms and public building spaces is not a good solution. Rice needs to provide safe, accessible and abundant parking for micromobility devices.

Rice has come a long way since the first foundations of our university were laid in the early 1900s, yet many of our narrow roads and buildings remain mostly unchanged.

The unfortunate reality is that as more students matriculate every year, some bringing with them their many scooters and bicycles, Rice’s infrastructure has not kept pace.

Brandon Chen* Editor

Spring Chenjp Asst. Editor

Maria Morkas Asst. Editor

OPINION

Sammy Baek* Editor

FEATURES

Sarah Knowlton* Editor

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Hadley Medlock* Editor

SPORTS Pavithr Goli* Editor

Diego Palos Rodriguez Asst Editor

BACKPAGE

Timmy Mansfield Editor

Ndidi Nwosu Editor

Andrew Kim Editor

COPY

owned or operated buildings. We do not want a total ban of e-scooters on campus, so we ask both administration and students to consider what they can do to make this new policy actually effective.

Many of us students fear the theft of our bicycles, skateboards and scooters;

It is, however, unrealistic to assume that only by tearing down our curvy roads and grandiose halls may we solve this issue; that would be, in itself, an extreme plan. Rice needs to turn to simple and fair plans, and we students need to work with the administration in a conscientious way.

Jonathan Cheng Editor

Annika Bhananker Editor

PHOTO, VIDEO, & WEB

Cali Liu Photo Editor

Francesca Nemati Asst. Photo Editor

Camille Kao Video Editor

Eli Johns-Krull Asst. Video Editor

Ayaan Riaz Web Editor

DESIGN

Alice Sun Art & Design Director

Chloe Chan News

Siddhi Narayan Opinion

Jessica Xu Features

Ivana Hsyung Arts & Entertainment

Alice Sun Sports

Lauren Yu Backpage

SOCIAL MEDIA

Michelle Oyoo Abiero Manager

Priya Armour Asst. Manager

Cassidy Chhay Asst. Manager

BUSINESS

Edelawit Negash Business Manager

Korinna Ruiz Advertisement

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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.

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As more students matriculate every year, bringing with them their many scooters and bicycles, Rice’s infrastructure has not kept pace.

Mr. Worldwide: CLIC offers study abroad in eight countries

Over time, each Rice in Country program developed its own requirements and purposes based on the demands for more advanced language instruction, Santos said.

“The initial program was very standardized across languages ... but as the program evolved, we realized that some changes could be made, or that we could adjust the programs depending on the language,” Santos said.

Atira Aidarous, a Rice in Spain participant pursuing her CLIC certificate in Spanish, said the curriculum for her program, which focused on health professions, and the six-week program length were part of why she applied.

scholarships for students to reduce these concerns. CLIC provided nearly $200,000 in funding in 2023, and Santos said she is requesting more money from Rice.

Henry Mansfield, a Baker College sophomore who studied abroad in Japan and is pursuing the CLIC certificate in Japanese, said that the scholarship he received allowed him to study abroad without worrying about the financial burden.

barriers and connect with members of the Japanese community through small moments of cultural appreciation.

“I had a five-year-old host daughter and she loved fireworks, which is a very common Japanese experience that you take out these sparklers and wave them around on summer nights,” Mansfield said. “[I was] able to partake in a traditional experience and feel that I was making a connection with this five year old girl who later said ‘I’ll never forget your smile.’ I was just glowing.”

Aidarous said the mundane moments exploring the streets of Pamplona, Spain were the most enriching of her time abroad.

Dozens of Rice students traveled to eight countries in the past year to earn course credit through the Center for Language and Intercultural Communication’s Rice in Country program.

Hélade Scutti Santos, the director of language instruction at CLIC, said the Rice in Country program was piloted in 2015 to provide more depth to student’s language learning experience.

“The idea was to integrate immersion into the language courses to bring students to experience the language and the culture that shapes it and the society in that country,” Santos said.

No You!

“I thought the length of the program would be really good,” Aidarous, a Lovett College junior, said. “I’m hesitant about a full-semester commitment because being away from home is hard.”

Caro Signoret, a French Studies major who studied abroad in France, said that her previous experiences with the language moved her to return.

“I have about 12 years of experience with the French language, and I lived [in France] for nine months [during] my senior year [of high school], so it was a yearning to go back and explore different parts of the country,” Signoret, a Brown College sophomore, said.

Although many students may wish to go abroad, financial difficulties may prove hard to overcome. Santos said CLIC offers

“If I hadn’t gotten that scholarship, then it would have created a chance that I didn’t go on the program due to financial concerns,” Mansfield said. “It might have made my experience in Japan less pleasant because the feeling of not having financial freedom might have made it more difficult to have fun and immerse myself in the culture.”

One aspect of many Rice in Country programs is homestay, where students live with host families rather than in hostels or other living quarters. Although not all programs have implemented the practice, Santos said that homestay provides a connection to the local culture that cannot be replicated.

“[Homestay] provides students with the experience of how family life works in a country, so it’s a very interesting cultural experience … and that can be used as part of the classroom discussion,” Santos said.

Mansfield added that homestay provided unique opportunities to transcend language

“I was just happy to explore a country on my own,” Aidarous said. “I felt like I was cosplaying as a Spaniard for six weeks … and I got to speak Spanish all the time which was my favorite part because I don’t get to practice my Spanish [in the United States] at all.”

Signoret said that she would advise students who are wondering about applying for study abroad to proceed with the program.

“I’ve never met somebody who regrets studying abroad,” Signoret said. “They always say it’s either the best experience of their life or that they maybe did not enjoy it as much, but they still learned a lot from it.”

Beyond improving language abilities, study abroad programs can provide students with unique perspectives on life, Santos said.

“The beauty of [study abroad programs] is to see students changing in their way of seeing things, seeing others, seeing themselves, seeing other cultures and their own culture,” Santos said. “This is priceless … Twhat’s why we are so passionate about Rice in Country, even though it’s a lot of work and intense, but it’s worth it. It’s totally worth it.”

ACROSS DOWN

Proscribed by Islamic law

It precedes 45-Across?

Exchange Amazon assistant

It’s often misrepresented as Gen-Z lingo Laundry pods brand

Tail

Islamist militant group, abbr.

Bad smell

Number of credits for most Rice courses

Daydream ___ Kippur

Word before “pool” or “pit”

Sums up Houston stadium

Chlamydia or syphilis, abbr.

“___! Did you know that Rice students can publish their own crosswords in the Thresher?

Check out ricethresher.org/page/crosswordpolicy to learn more!”

Passing comment?

With 51-Across, Lovett College RA as known by students

Actor Baldwin

Garbage

Squeezes (out)

Slays

Knees and toes follow them?

Vacation hrs., e.g.

Type of connector replaced by HDMI

Type of lights found in many dorm rooms

See 37-Across

A candidate’s goal, perhaps Sticky stuff

Proselytize

What one might do at a public

Baby bed

Campus boba shop ____ West Tea

Nebraska city

“American Psycho” actor Christian Home of the Bruins, abbr.

Rushed

However, briefly

Prepare for another war

Car part

No you :)

Wig components

Subsides

Tel ____ No you :)

Unflappable

Fully alert

Much ___ About Nothing

According to

Try again

Showbiz award quartet, abbr.

Casino game

Like some cheese or chocolate

Collar locale

Alright

Dwells (on)

Mexican grilled corn

Restore to harmony

___ Major (constellation)

Frustrated cry

“Clarity” DJ

Hawaiian dance

Reindeer in “Frozen”

No you :) No you :)

Level-headed

“r u kidding me?”

James and Jones of jazz

Hogwarts Potions professor

Hurt Easy _____

Apiece

French friend

Oil in weed gummies, abbr.

This crossword writer’s fave pop artist Carly ___

I’ve never met somebody who regrets studying abroad.

Caro Signoret BROWN COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

HOANG NGUYEN CROSSWORD EDITOR

MURTAZA KAZMI THRESHER STAFF

HAI-VAN HOANG / THRESHER

floor [at McMurtry]. We didn’t know who they were … we had to sweep the floors,” Mansfield said.

“Yep, we did sweep the floors around midnight … there was a message in the GroupMe, so Timmy and I, we took action, we grabbed some weapons … [and] we roamed the halls,” Wong explained.

Going forward, Wong and Mansfield have big ambitions: Wong hopes to go to medical school, although he acknowledges that being an MD is a slight downgrade from being a CJ, and Mansfield plans to attend graduate school. While they are here at Rice, however, they want to have a lasting positive impact on their community.

“One goal … personally, is that I want to make McMurtry the safest college out there, and one step we have taken to accomplish that is building the largest [associate justice] team at Rice,” Wong said.

As part of their CJ duties, Mansfield and Wong were responsible for giving the class of 2027 a presentation about alcohol safety on campus. Their talk included musical interludes and costume changes. McMurtry freshman Connor Gibbons said

that their unique approach made the talk more effective.

“They walked in to ‘SOS’ by Rihanna,” Gibbons said. “The costumes just added to the overall message of McMurtry. It was very engaging. They were able to make it funny and informative at the same time so that people actually understood what they were saying.”

Jenifer Bratter, a magister at McMurtry, said CJs promote safety and are a resource for other students.

“In a college context … being visible and known among students in this way is also important,” Bratter wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Jacob and Timmy have been wonderful resources for students and have done a great job in ensuring that students know and understand the importance of safety.”

When asked what the rest of Rice should know about Murts, Wong emphasized the college’s gleeful attitude.

“I think in one sentence, I would say that we are a bunch of fun, silly, goofy people … and safe!” Wong declared. “Emphasis on safe, actually … fun, silly, goofy, whimsical and safe.”

Sarah Knowlton contributed reporting.

Editor’s Note: Timmy Mansfield is a Backpage editor for the Thresher.

Hoot ‘em or hook ‘em?

Houston covers the spread in fun and culture

Museums & mission control: Rice

students take on unconventional summer internships

curatorial intern where she worked in the drawings and prints department at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

From Christie’s to NASA, students took advantage of the myriad internship opportunities available at Rice. Fellowships and club connections helped these Owls to gain career experience and broaden their horizons this summer.

Art history major Elizabeth Fessler obtained a position at Christie’s — a world-renowned auction house known for selling the “Salvator Mundi,” the most expensive single painting ever bought for $450.3 million. She worked in the prints and multiples department, assisting in appraisals of art pieces.

“I was the first line of figuring out if this is a known work by the artist they’re saying and finding literature on that artwork sent in to see if it’s verified,” Fessler, a Jones College senior, said.

While learning how to refine her eye at identifying artists’ idiosyncratic styles, Fessler also had the opportunity to give a presentation where she pitched why a hypothetical client should sell a triceratops fossil in their backyard to Christie’s.

“There’s a study room at the Whitney and they were thinking of starting an artist residency program there,” Huang, a Jones senior, said. “I was doing a lot of research on different New Yorkbased artists that could have been good possibilities to take part in that type of program.”

Huang also collaborated with other interns for a mock exhibition, saying that she gained much from witnessing the interplay between curators and graphic designers.

We are the Houston that astronauts talk to.

Dante Garderet

MCMURTRY COLLEGE SENIOR

“I think people don’t really think about how long it takes to plan exhibitions,” Huang said. “We had a talk from one of the exhibition designers; they talked about how the seating in the actual exhibition they had was a whole separate month of planning — because they had to construct it from scratch. They aren’t just buying furniture, it has to fit in with the theme of how the entire exhibition flows.”

“[The interns] talked about all the experience they have because Christie’s sold a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton in 2020 … It was really cool because I got to meet with the specialist who sold that T-Rex in London,” Fessler said. “I left having a pretty good grasp on what people want out of dinosaurs.”

Making use of Rice’s connections to NASA, mechanical engineering student Dante Garderet worked in mission control at Johnson Space Center, learning about how to control thermal and electrical systems on the International Space Station and Artemis.

Even though Rice football fell to the University of Texas, Austin on Saturday, Sept. 2, let’s not forget who’s boss in the Lone Star State. When it comes to the space race, size, sports, expenses and school, Houston has Austin beat.

Space race

On Sept. 12, 1962, John F. Kennedy announced his vision to win the space race at Rice Stadium. Why does Rice play Texas? For the money, of course. Despite the hate, JFK’s emphatic decision to go to the moon was centered around H-Town. Houston is lucky enough to host the famous Johnson Space Center, and Rice has had a close relationship with NASA for decades.

Size matters

Everything is bigger in Texas — and Houston is no exception. According to the Census Bureau, Houston occupies 665 square miles compared to Austin’s 305.1. Houston also holds a population of 2.3 million, more than double Austin’s 974,000. Houston skyscrapers rise 30,500 feet into the sky, while Austin caps out at 23,000. Size matters, some say, and Houston is so huge it eclipses Austin.

Health and medicine

Houston doesn’t stop at population or height. The Texas Medical Center is a pride of Houston. It holds the world’s

largest children’s hospital and the world’s largest cancer hospital, treating 10 million patients per year.

Athletics

The Houston Astros are two-time World Series champions. The Austin… oh, wait. They don’t have a baseball team. The Houston Rockets are twotime NBA champions, home to 12 NBA hall-of-fame legacies. The Austin… oh, wait. They don’t have an NBA team, either. Fans of the Houston Texans exemplify true loyalty, staying faithful to a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019. Needless to say, Austin has no professional football team.

Cost of living

Even though you’ll be saving money on season tickets, Austin is expensive to live in. Redfin states that Austin’s median real estate sale price is $571,000. On the other hand, Houston stands at a pleasant $331,000. With that extra $240,000, Houston residents can partake in Houston’s many attractions, from the Space Center to any one of the city’s world-renowned museums.

Intellectual brutality

Lastly, let’s not forget who’s known for intellectual brutality – the Rice Owls, obviously. On U.S. News national college rankings, the Owls are 23 positions ahead of the Longhorns. On Niche’s 2024 rankings, forget about it — 33 positions ahead. Hook’em? No, hoot’em.

Fessler attributed this opportunity to the extensive connections that Rice granted her, as well as her prior experience in her field. Fessler was the recipient of the Jameson Fellowship for American Painting and Decorative Arts and the Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial fellowship, both of which focus on art for museum curation. She also participated in an experience practicum at the Museum of Fine Art Houston.

“The Rice art history department has been immensely helpful. I have professors who will write me letters of recommendation to tons and tons of internships,” Fessler said. “Once I was a Jameson fellow, Professor [Joseph] Manca was my advisor, so we would meet and he would tell me about different internship opportunities that I could apply to, fellowships and that sort of thing. He helped me stay on track.”

Jackie Huang, another art history major, detailed her experience as a

“We are the Houston that astronauts talk to,” Garderet, a McMurtry College senior, said. “In order to sit in that room to be the Houston person, you have to go through at least two and a half to three years of essentially another degree.”

Garderet participated in command training, learning to send commands to the ISS for tasks such as moving a solar panel as well as how to directly communicate with astronauts. He stepped up to the challenge at the end of his internship by participating in an ISS simulation, during which issues on the spacecraft required him to adapt and quickly deliver commands to resolve such problems.

Garderet emphasized the importance of fostering personal and professional connections at Rice. Garderet mentioned that meeting an alumni speaker at Rice Eclipse helped him gain his internship at NASA.

“It’s about getting that resume into the hands of an actual person instead of a computer screener,” Garderet said. “When you’re applying to jobs, try to reach out to people … instead of just applying online.”

GENESIS HAHN / THRESHER

GUILLIAN PAGUILA / THRESHER

HONGTAO HU FOR THE THRESHER

After 50 years, Rice Cinema remains relevant

2023, the Consulate General of Ukraine in Houston helped screen the Oscar-nominated documentary “A House Made of Splinters.”

In September, Rice Cinema had multiple films lined up including “My Duty to Not Stay Silent,” “Letter From an Unknown Woman,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Stowaways” and “Mandibles.”

WEEKLY SCENES AND SCREENS

HADLEY MEDLOCK

A&E EDITOR

Though once well-known, Rice Cinema can now feel like it only exists in whispers among the campus’ film buffs. Plastered in bold letters above the PSYC 101 classroom in Sewall Hall, Rice Cinema’s history stretches back to the establishment of the now-demolished Rice Media Center. Rice Cinema has not just seen the likes of introductory psychology students but also some of the biggest names in film history like Spike Lee, Andy Warhol and Roberto Rosselini.

The Rice Media Center was established in 1970 by John and Dominique de Menil, famous for their namesake Menil Collection. Both were major proponents of emphasizing the importance of art within Houston — specifically the value of cinema within the art world.

Funded by the Menils and under the direction of scholar Gerald O’Grady, filmmaker James Blue and photographer Geoff Winningham, the Rice Media Center opened. It provided the first photography and film courses at Rice, in addition to publiclyavailable film screenings, photo exhibitions and lectures. Roberto Rossellini, one of the foremost filmmakers of the Italian Neorealism movement, lectured at Rice on multiple occasions during these early years.

Charles Dove, a professor at Rice in the art department, has served as the director of Rice Cinema since 2002. The 1970s, he said, were

the institution’s golden age.

“The Media Center flourished throughout the 70s because it had the budgetary situation of the Menils,” Dove said. “At the beginning, [there were] lots of films because there was no other way to see films, right? There was no cable TV … no streaming. So [there were] 16 millimeter screenings almost every night, and they were free.”

Brian Huberman, a professor in film, said the Menils tried to show films they believed would be educational, informative and impactful for the social consciousness of the masses.

“For the Menils … the medium was the message. They saw that film was an important conduit for the important information that a democratic society needed to have,” Huberman said. “We weren’t just teaching classes, we had a goddamn agenda.”

While the Rice Media Center closed in 2021 after 51 years, Rice Cinema still lives on. Screening films with state-of-the-art projection equipment, Rice Cinema plays a wide variety of movies and often includes speakers at their showings.

Rice Cinema also does event collaborations with the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, Rice Cinema Club and even country consulates. In March

“My Duty to Not Stay Silent” is a film by Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian filmmaker and human rights advocate. He has survived multiple poisoning attempts and is currently serving a 25-year sentence in Russia for his longtime protests against Russian president Vladimir Putin. His wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, a fellow human rights advocate, was present at the screening on Sept. 7 for a discussion and Q&A about the current state of human rights in Russia.

As for the future of Rice Cinema, Dove said the organization will settle into its new place in the upcoming Sarofim Hall. There, Rice Cinema will get upgraded equipment, improved seats and a much bigger space than their current room in Sewall.

“It’s going to be right next to the Moody where the old Media Center was, so it’s going to take up that whole lot,” Dove said. “[Sarofim Hall will] be the whole art department, so it’ll have dark rooms and a sculpture lab and a print lab. Rice Cinema will be central to the building — it [will] be right there as you walk in.”

Dove said that both Rice Cinema and the now-gone Rice Media Center have been a vital piece of culture for not just Rice students but the Houston community, making its future move to Sarofim Hall all the more important.

“After [Rice Media Center’s 50th anniversary screening in 2020], I was talking to this woman who was crying,” Dove said. “She said, ‘This place means so much to me, it’s so sad you’re tearing it down.’ I said, ‘When did you go to Rice?’ and she said, ‘Oh, I never went to Rice, I just walked in one day … She was there for 30 years.”

Cyanotype Workshop

At the student opening for the new Moody Center for the Arts exhibit, Rice Climate Alliance will host a cyanotype workshop Sept. 16 from 6 to 7:15 p.m.

CAMH College Night

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston invites college students for a free evening arts activities and snacks Sept. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. Make sure to bring your Rice ID for verification.

Humanities Now

Robert J. Howell, professor and chair of philosophy, will give a talk titled “Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” Sept. 18 at noon. The talk will take place in Humanities Building 117.

Artists-inDialogue

The Moody is hosting a conversation between Jacqueline Couti, chair of the Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures, and artist Laure Prouvost Sept. 16, 2 to 3 p.m.

was a terrific fit for the interdisciplinary programming at the Moody, showcasing an exhibit that is a holistic experience.

“[Prouvost] uses different forms of media and a very whimsical approach to create these scenarios that invite viewers to go on a journey … These installations appeal to all the different senses,” Josenhans said. “You have very precious materials, the tapestries, glass blown sculptures, but then you also have recycled things that suddenly become part of the installation. In that way, she constantly surprises and challenges the viewer.”

According to Josenhans, the exhibit explores the idea of limitation and humankind’s eternal dream of flying, as well as addressing our current reality and questions about eco-feminism, consumerism and environmental degradation.

One space in the exhibit is a grim, industrial landscape. Others are lightfilled and joyful, including a scene with a mountain soft to the touch that intends to make the viewer feel above the clouds.

“It’s an extremely complex exhibition, but I think everyone can really approach it from a different angle and can take something different from it,” Josenhans said. “It makes you question what you see and how you see and how we got to where we are, [as well as] alternate possibilities there might be.”

Aaliyah Mobley, the Moody’s marketing and events assistant, said the Moody has limited the exhibit’s pathways, ushering visitors along a specific journey.

“They’ve altered the space in a way where you can’t see everything unless you take a certain route through the galleries, which I think is really cool,” Mobley, a Duncan College senior, said. The student opening on Sept. 16 will include musical performances, food and a cyanotype workshop hosted in collaboration with Rice Climate Alliance. Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that creates cyan-blue prints.

Maddie Garrity, the president of the Moody Student Collaborative, an organization that acts as the liaison between the student community and the

BJORGLI

Laure Prouvost’s 2022 installation, “Above Front Tears Oui Float,” at the National Museum Oslo in Norway.

Moody, said the Rice Holistic Garden will provide the Rice Climate Alliance with flowers and leaves for the cyanotyping workshop.

“The exhibition is highly environmental, with a lot of surrealist versions of natural scenes,” Garrity, a Hanszen College junior, said. “Rice Climate Alliance seemed like the natural way to bring in students who might be interested in the environment more so than art.”

The Moody offers a lot of opportunities to not only interact with art itself, but with the artists and different members of the Houston community, according to Mobley.

“I know that a lot of people have reservations because [the Moody] is a

long walk, [but] I really think that it’s worth it, especially because [the exhibit] changes every semester,” Mobley said. “There’s usually a chance to talk with the artists you like, and it’s really interesting to hear their insights … [Prouvost] is from Europe and just has a different view than a lot of Americans have.”

Josenhans said she is looking forward to seeing how students relate to this new exhibit.

“I think everyone who will see this exhibition will remember it in ten years, twenty years,” Josenhans said. “That’s always the beauty of an exhibition: Once you put it out in the world, everyone will see it in a different way and approach it differently. We connect with art on so many different levels.”

That’s always the beauty of an exhibition: Once you put it out in the world, everyone will see it in a different way and approach it differently.

Frauke Josenhans CURATOR AT THE MOODY

FROM FRONT PAGE MOODY CENTER

COURTESY NAJONALMUSEET/ANNAR

We weren’t just teaching classes, we had a goddamn agenda.

Brian Huberman FILM PROFESSOR

ARMAN SAXENA THRESHER STAFF

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

Review: Teezo Touchdown jumps around genres in ‘How Do You Sleep At Night’

sonically throughout the album.

JACOB PELLEGRINO THRESHER STAFF

After years of high-profile features with artists like Tyler, the Creator and Travis Scott, along with a co-sign from Drake, listeners can finally hear Beaumont artist Teezo Touchdown’s full-length debut album, “How Do You Sleep At Night.” Teezo Touchdown’s music defies categorization, creating a unique listen with a wide variety of songs.

The album begins with “OK,” a rock and punk influenced number that uses a simple heavy guitar riff as its base. The song includes a unique verse flow where Teezo seems to over-fill each line, especially at the beginning. He varies his voice with whispery segments and even uses an actual piano note in lieu of the word “note” at one point. The song is the right level of weird, utilizing familiar elements in a way that prepares the listener for the rest of the album. “OK” is about being yourself and embracing what you want to do, something that Teezo does

Top Track: ‘You Thought (feat. Janelle Monáe)’

An early highlight is “You Thought,” which features Janelle Monáe. “You Thought” is a more relaxed track that uses a reggae-influenced groove to discuss both perception of Teezo and a dysfunctional romantic relationship. The lyrical decision to start lines with variations of “You would’ve thought” and “I thought” is a unique framing device that fits the song well. Monáe’s brief feature — basically a repetition of a single line — might be less than some listeners would expect, but adds a nice texture to the song.

Teezo continues his unique approach to songwriting on “Neighborhood,” which introduces a narrative through vignettes of three characters over a bouncy, energetic beat. The characters interact poorly with each other, each representing part of a fictional neighborhood. The story grows darker as it progresses, creating an interesting study of how stories can go wrong.

Check out your professors in print

HUGO GERBICH-PAIS THRESHER STAFF

From a memoir to fiction set in Rice’s own backyard, an impressive array of books have been released by Rice faculty over the last few months. While some of these works are academic in nature, many aren’t. Check out these books to get to know the creative and personal side of Rice professors

“A Story of Economics: A Principles Tale”

by James DeNicco

DeNicco, who teaches ECON 100, has just published his very first textbook. The senior lecturer in economics is known for his supply and demand tattoos, which grace his left and right biceps — and now the front cover of the textbook, too. The book is filled with his personal economics examples and photos, even including some of his tailgate famous brisket recipes. This unconventional work redefines what a textbook looks like and costs. The ebook is only $30, which is substantially cheaper than the previous required textbook, and one of the reasons why DeNicco decided to write his own.

“The Stuff of Life” by Timothy Morton

“The Stuff of Life” is Morton’s latest nonfiction publication, following over 15 books that have been translated into 10 languages, according to their Rice profile. Morton is most known for their work “Hyperobjects” and their friendship with Bjork, the Icelandic singer-songwriter. “The Stuff of Life” is described as “part memoir, part philosophical exploration of the meaning of a life” and is sure to captivate with chapter titles including “Electric

Peanuts,” “Cowboy Costume” and “The Chicken.”

“Living with Monsters: Ethnographic Fiction about Real Monsters” by Ilana Gershon

This short story anthology edited by Gershon, an anthropology professor at Rice, and Yasmine Musharbash, a professor at Australia National University, explores how cultures conceive and live amongst their demons. “Living with Monsters” considers what these conceptions reveal about how cultures think of difference and questions the political nature of our society’s monsters. This collection is characterized by its creativity and innovative approach to anthropological writing.

“The Ferryman” by Justin Cronin Cronin is a writer in residence in the English department. His new book, “The Ferryman,” released in May, offers a fresh take on utopian literature and follows a group of survivors on a surreal island. Stephen King said the novel was “next to impossible to put down … exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying.”

“Being Human and a Buddha Too: Longchenpa’s Seven Trainings for a Sunlit Sky (House of Adzom)” by Anne C. Klein

Anne C. Klein is a professor in the department of religion who specializes in Buddhist studies and theories of knowing. “Being Human and a Buddha Too” concentrates on Longchenpa’s seven trainings, which are the key teachings for Dzogchen practitioners, and the steps required to awaken oneself. Longchenpa was a 14th-century Tibetan yogi and scholar who was known for his simple yet profound teachings — made all the more accessible in this book.

“Family Meal” by Bryan Washington Washington, an assistant professor of creative writing at Rice, penned the upcoming novel “Family Meal,” set to be released Oct. 10. Much like his previously lauded novel “Memorial,” Washington’s next book features his hometown, Houston, but also takes readers to Los Angeles and Osaka. Exploring the messiness of friendship, grief and love, this novel is sure to be a great read.

The song “Mood Swings” mirrors its subject throughout, combining a funky and welcoming instrumental with unhappy lyrics about mood swings. The chorus sarcastically embraces the mood swings, exuberantly exclaiming “wee!” as a sound of childlike excitement and enjoyment. Near the end of the song, the track switches to a moodier, unnerving sound for a few bars before returning to the original funky sound, imitating the song’s titular subject through the instrumentation.

“How Do You Sleep At Night” closes with “The Original Was Better,” which addresses the balance between appreciating the past and embracing the

future. Teezo also addresses criticism from those who doubt his ability to make it big at this time in his career, along with people who don’t support him. Lines like, “You’re just an amateur that caught a break,” are his way of sharing and discrediting that train of thought.

In his debut album, Teezo Touchdown embraces a wide range of genres to create a listen like no other that acts as a sampler platter of his diverse interests. While this style of experimentation can lead to a lack of cohesion for many artists, Teezo does it well. Every song is still very much guided by Teezo’s vision, which makes “How Do You Sleep At Night” a strong arrangement of tracks that feels like a solid unit.

Review: On ‘GUTS’ Olivia

Rodrigo knows what she does best

HADLEY MEDLOCK A&E EDITOR

After real-life love triangle drama, a supposed feud with Taylor Swift and the pressure to live up to her smashhit debut album, Olivia Rodrigo has released her long-awaited second album titled “GUTS.” Its predecessor’s slightly more vulgar sister, “GUTS” manages to evade the dreaded sophomore slump and is a delightful continuation of Rodrigo’s pop-punk signature.

The album opens with “allamerican bitch,” a sarcastic, plucky track on the woes of being a perfect American woman. The song builds into a scream as fast as it drops back to a sardonic whisper. This leads into “bad idea right?” and “vampire,” the album’s first two singles and still great tracks on the album.

Rodrigo slows down the tempo with some of her trademark ballads. “lacy” is one of the best of these, and a softer counterpart to “jealousy, jealousy” from “SOUR.” Walking the hazy line between idolization and deep envy of another woman, it’s impossible to tell if Rodrigo wants to be the fictional Lacy or be with her.

While it didn’t seem like it could get more fun than “bad idea right?” Rodrigo one-ups herself with the energetic “get him back!” With the double meaning of wanting an exlover back and wanting to get revenge, the song is funny and great to dance around your room to (alone, of course). With lines like, “I wanna meet his mom / just to tell her her son sucks” and “But I am my father’s daughter, so / so maybe I could fix him” — funnier after knowing her father is a therapist — “get him back!” is a song that begs to be on repeat.

On “ballad of a homeschooled girl”

Rodrigo admits to missing social cues and feeling like everything she does is “social suicide.” A relatable rock track that may feel like Rodrigo has read your own diary, it’s almost comforting to know pop stars are embarrassed by themselves, too. Where it may go wrong for some is are the lines, “Guess that he was makin’ out / with boys, like, the whole night” and “Every guy I like is gay.” Many have taken to TikTok to decide if these lines were meant to demonstrate

Top Track: ‘get him back!’

COURTESY GEFFEN RECORDS

Rodrigo’s extreme social unawareness or have inadvertently become homophobic.

“love is embarrassing” is a bouncy, crazed and drum-heavy tune in which Rodrigo calls a former fling a “weird secondstring loser who’s not worth mentioning” and is another one of the album’s highlights. “the grudge” and “logical” are for people not over that ex from years ago, but stretch out too long when compared to the album’s better tracks.

“GUTS” closes out with “teenage dream,” a track for the twenty-something teenagers. A sympathetic song on growing up and the pressures that have come from being under the spotlight in her teen years, Rodrigo asks the question many have contemplated in their young life: What if it doesn’t get better? With a simple piano and string backing that builds up into cries of “It gets better, but what if I don’t?” “teenage dream” is a gravitational closer.

In a musical landscape now obsessed with eras and reinvention, Rodrigo’s new album stays just the same — and maybe that’s not a bad thing. Recalling the poppunk form intertwined with soft ballads from “SOUR,” few aspects of “GUTS” were any surprise. If you were expecting any sort of change from Rodrigo’s norm, you may not find “GUTS” satisfying. But, if you agree that it’s sometimes okay to stick with what you’re good at, “GUTS” is an impressive addition to Rodrigo’s catalog.

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

COURTESY RCA RECORDS

game into overtime. Having scored 28 unanswered points, the Cougars were on the verge of the biggest comeback in Houston football history. Bloomgren cited turnovers as the catalyst for the Owls’ lead slipping away.

“Turnovers are really the only way they could’ve gotten back in that game, and unfortunately we gave them the opportunity there,” Bloomgren said.

Tied at 28 at the end of regulation, the Cougars scored a quick touchdown at the start of overtime. Rice, whose defense had allowed 35 unanswered points and whose offense hadn’t scored since the first half, needed a touchdown to stay alive.

said. “I’m going to do what I can for this team.”

Not ready to concede, Houston scored a quick touchdown, pulling within two points. With his team just one defensive stop away from a Bayou Bucket victory, Bloomgren called a timeout.

“What we thought is if we [called timeout] late enough, they’d use up what would have been their No. 1 call for the two-point play. It looked like it was going to be a quarterback plunge,” Bloomgren said. “They came back, we were prepared. We had a better call for the plunge and we were also very in tune they might do something different.”

We have guys that only say two or three words since I’ve been here and now they’re in there jumping around, screaming. Some of them got some good dance moves. It’s just an environment that you’ll never forget.

Tre’shon Devones CORNERBACK

With their backs against the wall, the Owls tied the score at 35 after Alexander plunged up the middle for the score. The freshman was called upon again at the end of the next drive, tallying his third touchdown of the game. He also scored on the two-point conversion, giving Rice a 43-35 lead.

“As long as Coach [Bloomgren] calls me in, I’m going to score,” Alexander

The Cougars quarterback stood in an empty backfield, took the snap and locked on his first read: a receiver dashing to the back right corner of the end zone. He fired a pass, but it was deflected by redshirt sophomore Jonathan Jean.

The stadium erupted and Rice players, coaches, students and fans alike stormed the field to celebrate. Even after the field was cleared and players returned to their locker room, the energy did not dissipate.

“It was like a club that I don’t go to anymore,” Bloomgren said of the locker room. “It was a very fun atmosphere,

a lot of guys celebrating a very hardearned victory.”

“I really found joy in seeing my teammates happy,” Devones added. “We have guys that only say two or three words since I’ve been here and now they’re in there jumping around, screaming. Some of them got some good dance moves. It’s just an environment that you’ll never forget.”

After seven consecutive losses, Rice won its first Bayou Bucket since 2010. Saturday’s victory was the first doubleovertime game in the history of RiceHouston football, and the Owls’ 43 points were the most they had scored against

the Cougars since 2008.

The 4.6-mile drive separating Rice and Houston is the smallest distance between any two FBS programs, making the win extra sweet for the Owls.

“We don’t really like them, they don’t like us,” Alexander said. “It was that much more important. That’s why it was great for the fanbase, for the whole team in general.”

Next up for the Owls is a clash with Texas Southern University at Rice Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 16. The game kicks off at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+. When these two teams last met in 2021, Rice claimed a 48-34 victory.

“I’ve missed you.”

Volleyball needs to improve its offense before conference play

GOLI SPORTS EDITOR

Despite coming into the season ranked No. 23 and rising as high as No. 18, Rice Volleyball now sits at 4-4 following a loss to No. 6 University of Texas Monday night.

After beating the University of Southern Mississippi in their season opener and defeating No. 22 University of Southern California at home, the Owls lost three straight games to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Baylor University and Stanford University. The Owls turned the tide

on their losing streak last weekend, winning against Houston Christian University and Florida Gulf Coast University at the Rice Invitational.

Rice entered the season ranked and filled with promise, but the volleyball team has dropped out of the top 25. Before entering conference play next week, the Owls will look to fix their weaknesses in order to reach their lofty season goals.

One of the best defensive squads in the nation, the Owls’ main strength this season has been stymying opposing offenses. Ranking highly in several major statistics, the Owls’ defensive

performance is not only seen on the court, but also reflected in the box score.

Out of the 332 Division I programs, the Owls record the 13th most digs per set with 17.19. Furthermore, the Owls hold opponents to a 0.149 opposition hitting percentage, which ranks 31st in the nation. They are also one of the most prolific blocking teams in the nation, recording 2.62 blocks per set, good for 36th in Division I.

Most of Rice’s issues lie on the offensive end: Their failure to score has held them back on several occasions and has been reflected in the stat

sheet. Lying near the bottom on many offensive statistical measures, Rice Volleyball ranks 266th of 332 in total team attacks with 912 and have a 0.173 hitting percentage, which ranks as the 251st in the nation. The team also scores only 11.69 kills per set, ranking them at 225th.

As the Owls look forward to the rest of their schedule, they should remain optimistic in reaching their goals. With their defense leading the way and no more ranked opponents left on their schedule, volleyball should focus on fixing their offensive issues to finish the season on a high note.

PAVITHR

COURTESY BRANDON MARTIN

Wide receiver Luke McCaffrey dives to catch a touchdown pass from quarterback JT Daniels.

FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER

Running back Daelen Alexander hurdles over a pack of players .

Owl’s soccer woes continue as winless streak extends into weekend

Rice Soccer has not won a game since August. Their four-game winless streak now includes this weekend’s 2-2 draw at Sam Houston State University and a 4-0 home loss to the Texas A&M University Aggies, dropping the Owls’ record to 2-5-1.

Last Thursday in Huntsville, the Bearkats scored more goals against Rice than they ever had before, successfully drawing a match they had lost in every previous meeting. Sam Houston took their first lead in the ninth minute, eventually crashing through the Owls’ defense after a long possession of multiple shots. Freshman midfielder Jordyn Mariam tied the game with her first career goal, assisted by graduate forward Ellen Halseth and sophomore midfielder Kallie McKinney, before the end of the half.

The Bearkats pulled ahead again on their second shot of the second half, 25 minutes in. With four minutes left, Owls’ junior forward Natalie Gorji found the back of the net on an assist from Halseth at the end of a three-shot possession to manage the draw. The Owls never once took the lead during the match, despite delivering five more shots on goal than their opponents.

According to head coach Brian Lee, critical defensive breakdowns kept Rice struggling for parity.

“We’re just having catastrophic moments where we give up really, really easy goals,” Lee said. “We gave up two against Sam Houston and we started the game with one [against A&M]. Until we can get over that, it makes the rest of the game hard.”

The players’ stretched long at kickoff Sept. 10, pointing directly into Rice’s goal as the Aggies capitalized on a defensive miscommunication and overextension by junior goalkeeper Ann Stephanie Fortin to score the first goal on the first shot of the game. The Owls’ defense stabilized for the next 40 minutes, allowing only one other shot on goal until the Aggies carved up Rice to score two minutes before the end of the first half. Graduate Hannah Pimentel would play goalkeeper after halftime substitutions.

Similar back line breaches became more frequent in the second half, with Rice allowing eight more shots on goal and two additional goals before time expired. According to junior midfielder

Men’s cross country wins again at Rice Invitational, women finish second

Men’s and women’s cross country kicked off their seasons last Friday when both teams competed at the 47th annual Rice Invitational. The men’s team captured their sixth-straight Rice Invitational title while the women’s team recorded a second-place finish at the meet.

The men’s team had four top-5 finishes, led by sophomore Gus Gannon who placed second in his Rice debut. Gannon was followed by junior Elliot Metcalf, junior Tyler Strothman and senior Grant Samara who finished third, fourth and fifth respectively.

I am very happy about where we are right now, and we just [have] got to get through the heat and keep making progress.”

Attenborough said she hopes to carry this momentum into the rest of the season.

“After placing around 13th last year it is encouraging to see all my hard work being put to fruition, so I was really pleased to achieve second place,” Attenborough said. “It’s always tricky to know what to expect for the first race of the season, so it’s a great confidence booster going into the rest of the season knowing I have a strong base to build on.”

Mikala Furuto, Rice’s defense is dealing with the effects of inexperience and unfamiliarity.

“I think one of our weaknesses on defense is just that we’re a new back line,” Furuto said. “Not many of us have played together, so we just have to build that connection and continue to improve.”

Lee echoed this, explaining that the team’s novelty has seen them repeating the same defensive errors.

“The first goal was a communication issue, the second goal was a communication issue and the third goal was a communication issue,” Lee said. “We’re just generally pretty quiet, and we’re not getting over that fast enough.”

At the same time, Rice’s offense continues to struggle to gain momentum, tallying only three goals in their last four games. They delivered just one shot on goal in the first half on a free kick from Halseth. The Aggie goalkeeper’s two other saves came in the game’s last five minutes. A&M also led on corner kicks, conceding five fewer than they took. Lee attributed these offensive struggles to the energy the Aggies brought into the press.

“Texas A&M’s athleticism and direct play caused us issues [offensively],”

Lee said. “They were willing to go straight in behind our back line before we could get a player dropped in to even the numbers. Even when we were picking the ball up, it’s a long way to go when they’re so athletic in the press.”

In 2022, the Owls went into conference play 2-6. They then won nine of their remaining 11 regular-season contests, eventually claiming the Conference USA title. According to Lee, Rice still has several unanswered questions to confront before they can hit a similar stride.

“We just gotta keep trying to figure it out,” Lee said. “We’re a third of the way through the season, and we’re still trying to figure out what the right people on the field are and in what shape and all that stuff. It’s a pretty young team, and we just haven’t been able to get them in the right spots where they can flourish.”

Lee and the Owls hope to answer these questions before the start of conference play at 7 p.m. Sept. 14 against longtime rival Southern Methodist University, whom the Owls have not defeated since 2012. The home stand will also include a game against Xavier University Sunday, Sep. 17 at 1 p.m., both being broadcast on ESPN+.

Men’s head coach Jon Warren was happy with his squad’s performance to start the season.

“That was excellent,” Warren said. “We had a good showing from Gus [Gannon], Elliot [Metcalf], Tyler [Strothman] and Grant [Samara], which is surprising given where we are in the year. It was a really solid performance and a good start.”

Happy with his second-place finish, Gannon said that he had hoped to clinch first place in front of the home fans.

“I’m satisfied with second on my cross-country debut,” Gannon said. “It would have been nice to get the individual win in front of the home crowd, but a sixth team win in a row at this meet is something special.”

On the women’s team, the Owls were led by sophomore Amelie Attenborough who finished second in the meet, a 4k race, with a time of 14:36.0. Senior Ellie Schweiker was the only other Owl to join Attenborough in the top 10, finishing seventh.

Looking forward to the rest of the season, the women’s team will be in action Saturday, Sept. 16 when they compete at the Incarnate Word Invite in San Antonio. After this upcoming weekend, the team will travel to Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, Sept. 30 to participate in the Louisville Classic. The American Athletic Conference Championships, which will be hosted in Greenville, N.C., will take place Saturday, Oct. 28.

Attenborough is excited for the upcoming season and is looking forward to competing at a high level with the rest of her team.

Amelie Attenborough DISTANCE RUNNER

“Some of my fondest memories of Rice so far have been traveling and competing with my teammates … so I’m really looking forward to more experiences like these,” Attenborough said. “This year we’ve got a strong team that is full of potential so I’m really excited to watch everyone improve as the season progresses.”

The women’s Owls ended the meet with a three-way tie for second place between Stephen F. Austin University and Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. Women’s head coach Jim Bevan said that he was happy with the showing over the weekend and believes that his team has made some significant improvements since last year.

“For everybody that ran, I was really happy with the efforts,” Bevan said. “Amelie [Attenborough] has improved so much in a year, it is insane. Ellie [Schweiker] had the best cross-country race she has had in her Rice career.

The men’s team will get back into action later than the women’s team when they travel to Fayetteville, Ark. Friday, Sept. 29 for the Chile Pepper Festival. They will then head to College Station Friday, Oct. 13 to compete in the Arturo Barrios Invitational.

Gannon said he is eager to race against more competition this year.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how our team stacks up against some of the best in the nation now that we’re in the American Conference,” Gannon said. “A lot of our guys had fantastic summer training blocks and are really fit so I think we’re going to surprise a few people this year.”

LANDRY WOOD THRESHER STAFF

PAVITHR GOLI SPORTS EDITOR

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Midfielder Piper Biziorek on the field. This past weekend saw a continuation of Rice Soccer’s winless streak.

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Graduate forward Ellen Halseth assisted midfielder Jordyn Mariam’s first career goal.

It’s always tricky to know what to expect for the first race of the season, so it’s a great confidence booster going into the rest of the season knowing I have a strong base to build on.

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Sophomore Amelie Attenborough finished second at the Rice Invitational with a time of 14:36:0. Attenborough was joined in the top 10 by senior Ellie Schweiker.

FOUR-WHEEL BICYCLE TUNE-UPS FOUR-WHEEL BICYCLE TUNE-UPS

RICE UNIVERSITY POLICY 854 DEFINES BICYCLES AS:

“DEVICES COMPOSED OF TWO WHEELS HELD IN A FRAME ONE BEHIND THE OTHER, STEERED WITH HANDLEBARS, AND PROPELLED BY HUMAN POWER OR MOTOR(S). DEVICES TO INCLUDE UNICYCLES, TRICYCLES, AND CARTS WITH WHEEL BASES RANGING FROM ONE TO FOUR OR MORE WHEELS.”

MISSING THOSE BRISK FALL BIKE RIDES ON SIDEWALKS, COVERED WALKWAYS, STAIRS, AND OTHER NON-BICYCLEROUTE-DESIGNATED AREAS?

MISSING THOSE BRISK FALL BIKE RIDES ON SIDEWALKS, COVERED WALKWAYS, STAIRS, AND OTHER NON-BICYCLEROUTE-DESIGNATED AREAS?

GIVE YOUR BICYCLE, UNICYCLE, OR TRICYCLE AN UPGRADE TODAY WITH A FOUR-WHEEL TUNE-UP! FOUR-WHEEL BICYCLE RENTALS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

The Backpage is the satire section of the Thresher, written this week by Ndidi Nwosu, Andrew Kim, and

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