The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, November 8, 2023

VOLUME 108, ISSUE NO. 11 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023

‘You play play stupid stupid games, games, ‘You you win win stupid stupid prizes’ prizes’ you

WILLIAM LIU / THRESHER

RIYA MISRA

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Following the Night of Decadence, which saw seven hospital transports and over 24 students requiring on-site medical treatment, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman announced changes to Rice’s parties and social events.

Public parties are canceled through spring break, Pub nights are limited to students 21 and older and NOD is placed on “probation,” Gorman wrote Nov. 2.

Response to publics pause In response to the new restrictions, several college socials heads released an open letter Nov. 5 advocating for the reinstatement of publics in the

Robert Englebretson pushes his comfort zone SHRUTI PATANKAR

Students react to canceled publics, Pub restrictions spring with attendance limited to only juniors and seniors.

Tori Carneiro Zhu, a socials head for Architectronica, said this letter was circulated in hopes of reaching a fair compromise for upperclassmen, who’ve missed more social events at Rice over the past few years due to COVID-19 restrictions. 2022-2023 was the first full year of publics and a wet campus since before COVID. Brooke Nguyen, a socials head and senior at Will Rice College, said despite feeling “blindsided” by Gorman’s announcement, she hopes Risky Business — which was set for the spring — could happen under the restricted guidelines outlined in the open letter.

“We’re not saying that underclassmen are the reason publics

are banned, but more so we don’t think it’s fair to the upperclassmen who have already missed out on stuff because of COVID,” Carneiro Zhu said. “[Seniors] don’t get the opportunity to experience what Rice sells to you.”

Between pandemic restrictions, online classes and even the closure of the Academic Quad, Baker College senior Rose Whitt said that seniors have repeatedly received the short end of the stick at Rice.

“The part that angers me about Dean Gorman’s [announcement] is solely from a senior perspective of watching us get our hopes up, only to get fucked over,” Whitt said. “I literally had online classes through junior year, so we’re used to disappointment after disappointment.”

SEE ENGLEBRETSON PAGE 7

SOCIALS HEAD FOR ARCHITECTRONICA

SEE NOD REACTIONS PAGE 2

Academic Quad closed Nov. 6, redesign to be completed April 2024 NAYELI SHAD

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FOR THE THRESHER

Aunt or ah-nt, caramel or karr-mul, pecan or puh-kahn: These are debates that are essential to the American dinner table, dorm floor and lunch break conversations.

Associate linguistics professor Robert Englebretson has built a career from these curiosities, seeking to understand what drives people to communicate the way that they do.

Englebretson credits his initial interest in linguistics to his childhood, where he frequently moved states. His father was in the Air Force, and living on Air Force bases

We don’t think it’s fair to the upperclassmen who have already missed out on stuff because of COVID. Seniors don’t get the opportunity to experience what Rice sells to you.

Tori Carneiro Zhu

NAYELI SHAD / THRESHER

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SEE ACADEMIC QUAD PAGE 2

2 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023

THE RICE THRESHER

of the newly imposed age restrictions, Rice SAS co-presidents Kaylah Patel and Samir Walji said they chose to relocate the event to Lyle’s for the night.

Patel, a Hanszen College junior, and Age limits on Pub In her message to campus, Gorman Walji, a Lovett College junior, said they cited an overall rise in “pre-gaming” were in contact with Pub management culture among the student body, which throughout the week, aware of a potential she said has led to an increase in age restriction.

“We really wanted all the freshmen, transports and students receiving care from REMS. Natalie Pellette, the general sophomores, juniors [and] everyone to be manager of Pub, said she’s noticed a able to come,” Walji said. “Even though it’d [have been] so much fun to have it similar trend at Pub this past semester.

“We haven’t had issues every week, at Pub, just for the benefit of the whole but we’ve had definitely an increase in group we thought it’d be better for [Desi the number of overdrinking cases … that Pub] to be somewhere where everyone result in REMS or ambulance transports,” could celebrate.”

“A trend that we’ve been noticing is Pellette said. “It hasn’t been as severe at Pub … but definitely all the issues that with each matriculating year, we have so have happened at publics have happened many more South Asians on campus,” Patel added. “We know that Desi Pub was at a smaller scale at Pub.” Pellette says that the new age a really big thing that the freshmen were restrictions on Pub will place barriers on looking forward to … and we wanted to Pub’s attendance, preventing younger put the demographics of our members students from entering on Thursday first before anything.”

Diego Garcia, a Wiess College nights. To compensate, Pellette says Pub staff are brainstorming new marketing freshman, said he thinks Rice SAS’s decision to strategies to relocate from Pub appeal to a will be the first significantly of many. Despite s m a l l e r The attitude of Pub the new age demographic. is always that it’s an limitations, Garcia “The attitude of said he disagrees Pub is always that inclusive, but safe place with general it’s an inclusive for everybody to gather sentiment towards but safe place and spend time with how freshmen for everybody to one another. Obviously, drink. gather and spend “A lot of us time with one limiting more than half of another,” Pellette the undergraduate student freshmen didn’t appreciate how said. “Obviously, body puts an additional the blame was limiting more obstacle in the way of pinned mostly on than half of the us,” Garcia said. u n d e r g r a d u a t e including everyone.

“Being freshmen, student body puts Natalie Pellette people assume an additional GENERAL MANAGER OF PUB that we’re more obstacle in the immature and way of including more inexperienced and we tend to everyone.”

Just a few hours after Gorman’s overdo it. I feel like that’s just a pretty announcement, the Rice South Asian general stereotype towards freshmen.”

Maria Morkas contributed to this Society was slated to host Desi Pub, an annual event co-hosted with Pub. In light reporting.

COVID. You have someone in your room, and it’s on your permanent record … We had to be in complete secret for the first Even new students say they feel the year and a half that we drank. You would sting of the announcement. Residential rather sleep under someone’s bed drunk college culture was a large reason than be seen leaving.”

Carneiro Zhu echoed a similar why Martel College freshman Audrey Witherspoon chose Rice — halting sentiment about overdrinking, which is reflected in the publics, she open letter she cosaid, was a wrote. The open disappointment. letter reminds “Since Rice is students that so based around I feel like Rice already Rice Emergency r e s i d e n t i a l gives us a mile … and we Medical Services colleges, there’s took five. You play stupid should be a safety not many times net, not a crutch. where everyone games, you win stupid “You shouldn’t in the entire prizes, as Taylor Swift be thinking, ‘I can u n i v e r s i t y said. And that’s exactly drink as much as [comes] together,” what we did. We fucked I want because Witherspoon said.

REMS will be “I think publics up and Dean Gorman’s there,’” Carneiro are a fun way to our mother and she’s Zhu said. “It’s meet people … and punishing us. more, ‘If I am that’s important testing my limits to do [in] your Rose Whitt and I push it too freshman year.”

BAKER COLLEGE SENIOR much, at least I D e s p i t e her frustrations at losing more of her know I’ll be safe.’ But I think sometimes college experience, Whitt said the new we abuse the resources that we have a restrictions were a reasonable reaction to little bit.”

Kush Mangla, a Sid Richardson College students.

“I’m kind of disappointed in the junior, said his social life will be relatively students more than [Gorman] just because unscathed by losing publics.

“When we go to publics, I generally I feel like Rice already gives us a mile … and we took five,” Whitt said. “You play try to go with all my friends because stupid games, you win stupid prizes, as that’s what I enjoy the most … I don’t Taylor Swift said. And that’s exactly what think alcohol has anything to do with we did. We fucked up and Dean Gorman’s that. It’s just that we’re all together in one our mother and she’s punishing us, and place,” Mangla said. “With publics being canceled, the only thing that changes [is we kind of deserve it. We’re grounded.”

Whitt attributed some of the student where we hang out]. We’ll spend [that behavior, including overdrinking, to a night] at someone’s house or dorm, and decline in respect for authority. Being at we’ll just chill and watch a movie.”

The cancelation of publics, Whitt Rice in 2020, Whitt said, made her and the rest of the senior class more cautious added, isn’t a pause on social life entirely.

— something younger students perhaps Rather, Whitt said this is an opportunity for students to host more private parties, have yet to learn.

“I feel like within the last two years, learn their limits and take care of each there’s just been a major dip in respect other.

“The fact that [Gorman] didn’t make and kind of [fear] of authority. You should be kind of scared,” Whitt said. “[Seniors] [campus] dry, I consider that a cool mom were terrified, obviously, because of move,” Whitt said. “This is more of her

saying, ‘You can hang out with your friends, but you can’t throw a party at my house.’”

and furniture, or preserving historical view corridors — particularly on the eastern third of the quad near Lovett Hall,” Ristow wrote in an email to the Thresher.

The final design, which Ristow said has been endorsed by the Board of Trustees, is yet to be unveiled to the public but will be released soon. Ristow said that the university and NBW have kept true to the original design while making changes according to the feedback gathered.

“The basic framework of paths carries forward ideas that were active in the conceptual design stage, though the overall design has changed to incorporate additional feedback from the Rice Community, through not only the Spring engagement sessions, but also subsequent reviews with leadership and others who have contributed to the design process,” Ristow wrote.

Alex Nuyda ’21 has been taking senior photos for Rice students since she was an undergraduate and said that April is the busiest month for the business.

With the redesign slated to continue through then, she said she foresees more difficulties for photographers and that students may lament the loss of the popular photo site.

“I can imagine that it would be really difficult to accommodate everyone who wants to have nice pictures with

nobody behind them, because you have such a limited frame of time where you’re able to take pictures,” Nuyda said. “But I have faith that there will be some flexibility of the students where they’re willing to take pictures in other locations or be more creative about what kind of photos they’re willing to do.”

President Reggie DesRoches said the redesign is intended to both reflect the history of Rice as an institution and

FROM FRONT PAGE

NOD REACTIONS

FROM FRONT PAGE

ACADEMIC QUAD

2020, students notably protested the presence of Willy’s Statue in the quad due to the founder’s history as a slave owner, along with his 1891 declaration that the university be open only to the “white inhabitants of Houston and Texas.” Nelson Byrd Woltz, the landscape architecture firm redesigning the quad, proposed moving the statue between Lovett and Sewall Halls while leaving the plinth upon which it stands in its place.

In conjunction with NBW, Facilities Engineering and Planning first sought feedback from students at the unveiling of the original proposed design March 9.

In addition to moving Willy’s statue, the then-proposed design added a curved, tree-lined path through the quad and gathering areas by Fondren Library.

The university held additional feedback sessions for faculty, staff, alumni and student affinity groups in April.

University Architect George Ristow said that the feedback indicated to the university which parts of the quad community members wanted preserved and where they wanted to see changes.

“Many students and alumni participated in the survey, which provided a lot of input and helped to prioritize areas within the quad for things like activation through shade

serve the current campus community.

“The quad is one of the university’s most iconic spaces. It’s what people visualize when they think of Rice, which is why the evolution of this space is so important,” DesRoches wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Our goal with this redesign is to preserve the university’s rich history and create new areas that will build community and deeper connections to this historic part of campus.”

NAYELI SHAD / THRESHER Construction workers fenced the Academic Quad Nov. 6.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023 • 3

NEWS

Oversold parking permits prompt student frustration

Rice Pride Fall Festival encourages connection, visibility said she enjoyed.

“It’s a lot of fun, [and] you get to meet new people,” Primus said. “I love to Rice Pride hosted its first annual Fall crochet and make stuff, so it’s really nice Festival Nov. 3 to highlight queer art and to have a place to be able to sell it and be the arrival of the fall season. The festival around my Rice peers while doing that.”

Primus also said the Fall Festival was consisted of a queer market, pumpkin painting, a food truck and games and an opportunity to socialize with the larger took place in the Grand Hall of the Rice Rice community.

“I know [the fall festival] is raising Memorial Center. It concluded with a drag show later in the evening, with local and money for some great causes, so I’m happy student performers. Local queer advocacy to be a part of that,” Primus said. “I love groups also tabled at the festival, including the idea of a Fall Festival; it’s super cute.”

Miguel Jimenez-Gomez, who sold Equality Texas.

All proceeds from the ticket sales were photography prints at the event, said he donated to the Transgender Education was glad he had an opportunity to share Network of Texas and the Lesbian his art with the campus.

“It’s pretty nice Health Initiative to show off what of Houston, you’re able to … according to Cole what you’ve done Holladay, coand see what other president of Rice One of my goals as a people do as well,” Pride. The Fall co-president this year Jiminez-Gomez, Festival generated is to make [the queer] a Lovett College over $1,000 for sophomore, said. these groups, community more Martel junior by Holladay’s accessible for people Temi Durojaye estimate. both in and outside of the said she enjoyed “A lot of community ... I’m hoping connecting with organizations that other students at are doing work that we can create more of the festival. for [transgender] a presence for ourselves “I like it a lot,” people are really on campus throughout Durojaye said. “It important right the year while also gives [students] now,” Holladay, an opportunity to a Martel College preserving those smaller socialize outside junior, said. “We spaces because those are of eating.” really wanted to important too.

M i r a n d a make sure that we Wood, a tabler for honor that and the Cole Holladay Equality Texas, work that they’re CO-PRESIDENT, RICE PRIDE said she was doing by raising happy with the community Rice Pride funds for them.”

Holladay said the event was intended has been able to create for the queer to increase the visibility of the queer community.

“I love Rice Pride,” Wood said. “I think community on campus, especially to nonit’s really awesome that they’ve managed members.

“One of my goals as a co-president this to disseminate that this is a safe space for year is to make [the queer] community public [university students] because it’s more accessible for people both in and hard to get that many people to listen to outside of the community,” Holladay said. anything.”

Wood also said that the Queer Resource “That means creating as diverse of a slate of events as possible, [because] oftentimes Center’s existence alone provides a Rice Pride and the queer community at necessary space for queer students in Rice have been very insular … so I’m hoping today’s Texas.

“Rice Pride gives students a space that we can create more of a presence for ourselves on campus throughout the year to come together and celebrate pride while also preserving those smaller spaces in a Texas that has been very hostile to the queer community and queer college because those are important too.” students specifically,” Wood said.

Hanszen College senior Lily Primus sold crocheted goods at the event, which she

MARGO GEE

FOR THE THRESHER

ANDREW LIN / THRESHER

can handle student growth, citing his previous struggles to find parking spaces in his designated lot.

“A lot of times, especially on the Rice Parking informed South Colleges Lot parking permit holders that they were weekends, people who don’t have a permit allowed to use the Entrance 3 Garage if they for a particular lot know that no one is really are unable to find parking spots, according going to enforce anything, so they just park to a September email obtained by the their car in the North Colleges Lot,” Verma said. “I’m paying a couple hundred dollars Thresher.

Parking manager Michael Morgan said extra to have this privilege, so it can be there are intentionally more permits issued pretty frustrating.”

Wanqi Yuan, a senior from Duncan, also for the SCL than available spots. Morgan said the same is true for the North Colleges doesn’t believe Rice can support more cars on campus and has previously struggled to Lot. “The South Colleges Lot has 102 spaces, find parking in her designated lot.

“I personally decided to get a parking of which 111 permits are sold. Our counts have demonstrated that, on average, there pass at the North College Lots because I are three or more open spots at all times have a part-time internship this semester for permit holders to use,” Morgan wrote … and I have a class right after my job … in an email to the Thresher. “[It] can be but there have been multiple times where challenging [because] those without proper I come back from my job around 3:30 p.m., permits use that lot to park — students, and I can’t find a spot anywhere close,” employees, construction workers and Yuan said. “I’ll have to park in, for example, 15-minute parking in order to get to class campus visitors.”

Alice Sun, a junior from Will Rice College, on time. I’ll come back and I’ll have a parks in the SCL and said the combination ticket, which is unavoidable, but it’s a little of oversold parking lots and construction frustrating.”

Semesterly parking permits cost has adversely affected her ability to find a $204 for the Greenbriar Lot, $266 for the parking space.

“I think the lots being oversold definitely South Stadium Lot, $327 for the West Lot, has affected how often I can find parking, $633 for College Lots and $1,009 for the especially with all the construction going Central Campus Garage for undergraduate on at the Old Sid Richardson [building],” students. In addition, a $225 surcharge is Sun said. “With permits being oversold, added to the cost of parking permits.

Daniel Ling, a former undergraduate construction and the occasional visitors taking up spaces in South Lot, it’s often too student parking representative from 2020 to 2021, said that although his experience with full.”

In addition, Shikhar Verma, a senior Rice Parking has generally been positive, from Duncan College, has a North Colleges permits are more expensive than he would Lot parking permit and said he has also like them to be. As the undergraduate struggled to find parking before because of student parking representative, Ling represented overselling. undergraduate “[Rice Parking] student concerns at definitely oversells the monthly parking for North [Colleges meetings with Lot], as well,” Verma There have been multiple faculty and staff said. “I would say times where I come back representatives. on the weekdays, from my job ... and I can’t “From my when there’s a lot experiences on the of students who find a spot anywhere [undergraduate commute in and close. I’ll have to park in parking] committee, want to park at ... 15-minute parking in the university treats Duncan, it’s very order to get to class on it very much like hard to find a lot [to time. I’ll come back and a pure revenuepark in].” generating thing,” M o r g a n I’ll have a ticket, which Ling, a Baker confirmed that is unavoidable, but it’s a College senior, there are 115 spots said. “Overall, the sold out of the 108 little frustrating. university treats spots that exist in Wanqi Yuan it as a sort of easy NCL. DUNCAN COLLEGE SENIOR cash grab because Shivani Lotlikar, a senior from Duncan, believes there are they know kids will pay it.”

Morgan said revenue from permits is fewer parking spaces compared to previous years in addition to overselling, which has used to sustain the university’s parking and bus system, as inflation is a key driver to the contributed to the problem.

“Since they built the O’Connor building, increase in parking permit costs over time.

Despite these necessary costs, Sun it got rid of all of the parking spaces that were surrounding the Abercrombie expressed her frustration with limited building,” Lotlikar said. “I think, in addition parking spaces despite paying a total of to overselling, there are just far fewer spots $858 for a South Colleges Lot permit.

“One time, I was running late for a class, than they previously had available.”

Rice student enrollment is expected to and there were no spots left in South Lot, so expand by 800 students by fall 2025. As the I had to park in the Lovett South Lot in front student body expands, the quantity of cars of Cohen House,” Sun said. “I was super on campus is expected to increase as well, busy the whole day, so I didn’t have time to move my car, and then I got ticketed and had according to Morgan.

“Currently, we have the available to pay an extra $30. It really shouldn’t have parking spaces to support the student come to that, especially since I’m already paying over $800 per year for parking.” growth expected,” Morgan said.

Editor’s Note: Alice Sun is the Art Director Verma, however, said he does not believe that Rice’s current parking infrastructure for the Thresher.

SIMONA KAO

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AMELIA DAVIS / THRESHER

4 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023

NEWS

Mark Ditman awarded inaugural Y. Ping Sun Award PRASI DESAI

THRESHER STAFF Mark Ditman was the first recipient of the Y. Ping Sun Award for Outstanding Community Engagement after almost 29 years of employment with Rice as the former associate vice president for Housing and Dining. During Ditman’s tenure, he secured a $100,000 grant for mass timber projects at Rice, including the construction of the New Hanszen College Wing, the first mass timber residential building in Texas. Ditman, who retired June 30, was also instrumental in promoting solar energy on campus and developing the college serveries.

President Reggie DesRoches said Ditman played a large role in furthering Rice’s community involvement through a high school culinary internship program and on-campus farmer’s market active prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Mark was fully dedicated to Rice during his tenure here and was known for his work ethic and positive attitude,” DesRoches wrote in an email to the Thresher.

The award was named after Y. Ping Sun to honor her contributions to the Houston community. Sun is a board member of several nonprofit organizations, such as the Asia Society Texas and Teach for America, and the wife of former Rice President David Leebron.

“I hope the award will encourage more people to be involved in our community,” Sun said.

Ditman said he viewed Sun as a role model and was thrilled to be chosen for the award.

“Her name on the award made it that much more meaningful to me,” Ditman wrote in an email to the Thresher.

Sun said she knew Ditman well and was supportive of him being the first recipient of her namesake award.

COURTESY SUSANN GLENN

“He really represents the best Rice has to offer,” Sun said.

Kelly Fox, the executive vice president of finance and administration, worked closely with Ditman since assuming her role last year and said she is glad he received the award. Fox said Ditman was instrumental in changing the ranking of Rice Housing and Dining in the Princeton Review from among the worst in the 1990s to one of the best today.

According to Fox, Ditman was a strong leader and went to great lengths to ensure students were safe during disasters like Hurricane Harvey.

“He regularly would sleep on campus [during natural disasters] to help make sure everybody was safe and taken care of,” Fox said.

Fox also said Ditman was a good mentor to students, helping them make sustainability-focused projects a reality.

Ditman said he is passionate about sustainability, especially the usage of solar power and rainwater storage.

“I feel Rice should invest in becoming a world leader in harvesting sunshine and rain water, and putting them to their very highest use for community wellness,” Ditman wrote.

Susann Glenn, the director of communications for finance and administration, said she has worked with Ditman for more than two decades.

She said Ditman was passionate about creating opportunities for younger colleagues and students as he believed these individuals were critical to Rice thriving in the future.

“He serves others silently and never has sought out recognition for his efforts,” Glenn wrote in an email to the Thresher.

Ditman said he aimed to promote education through culinary arts and believes this goal is still prominent in H&D. He said his leadership style aimed to prioritize the well-being and empowerment of his employees.

“My goal was to foster servant leadership as part of our group’s culture. It’s quite well developed among the current leadership team — my absence won’t change that,” Ditman wrote.

According to Glenn, Ditman was known for always saying “Leave things better than how you found them.”

DesRoches said Ditman’s efforts truly represent Rice’s values.

“He has truly embodied Rice’s culture of care both on campus and off,” DesRoches wrote.

Tapia talks affirmative action and program failure MARIA MORKAS

ASST. NEWS EDITOR University professor Richard Tapia hosted the “Responding to the Fall and Failure of Affirmative Action” presentation Oct. 31.

He spoke about a lack of academic support received by underrepresented minority students at Rice in the engineering department after matriculation and suggested potential solutions based on his experiences.

Of Mexican descent, Tapia is one of 10 university professors, among the highest honors a faculty member at Rice can receive.

He was also awarded the National Medal of Science from President Barack Obama in 2011.

Tapia’s research focuses on the mathematical frontiers of optimization theory and numerical analysis, and he additionally works toward helping underrepresented minorities flourish in engineering and science disciplines.

Tapia said that affirmative action was enacted to jumpstart communities in need, not as a permanent solution. According to Tapia, traditionally underrepresented minorities in science and engineering include “domestic” Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders, which he said are people who attended high school in the U.S. “I’ve always been expecting that [affirmative action] wouldn’t last forever,” Tapia said in an interview with the Thresher after the talk. “One of the questions [I’ve asked rhetorically] is, ‘Is it time [for it] to really go away? Are we helping under-represented minorities and women with the current policies? … Are the current policies working the way they should?’”

In his presentation, he discussed data about student migration upon matriculation.

Migration, where students are admitted into one school of study but switch to another, is one of Tapia’s key concerns.

“I want structured programs at Rice to take care of the minority students that come in,” Tapia said. “If this student who came to be in mechanical engineering or electrical engineering finds it difficult to compete, and ends up going to sociology, we’ve lost an engineer; had he or she gone to [the University of Texas] or [Texas A&M University], [they] could be a practicing engineer today, but instead, they came to Rice, as another sociologist trying to look for a job.”

Duncan College sophomore Charlie Cruz attended Tapia’s presentation. He said that Tapia couldn’t necessarily answer the questions he had after the presentation. “[Tapia] defined students who went to high school in the U.S. as domestic. But at one point, I was undocumented,” Cruz said.

“Of course, I’m domestic, but realistically, I am an international [student]. So would that affect his definition [of how he classified underrepresented minority students]?”

COURTESY BRANDON MARTIN

Tapia believes the solution lies in supporting the faculty of each department.

In his presentation, Tapia noted that these faculty members should be full-time support professors with a doctorate in the discipline that works directly with the students of that department. They would help these students with coursework, qualifying exams, thesis progress, presentation and writing skills, job searches and preparation of application packets, among other things.

Cruz said that even though he initially applied to Rice under the engineering program, he switched to the math department soon after, as he realized that he was more interested in that field. He said engineering faculty could be unsupportive with regard to class format and his disability.

“It wasn’t the main factor [of changing my major], but it would be unfair to say it wasn’t a considerable factor,” Cruz said. “In my experience, at least, the math department has taken my disability seriously, where the engineering department hasn’t.”

Vice provost for diversity, equity and inclusion Alexander Byrd said numerous programs exist to support student success, like the Rice Emerging Scholars program for expanding opportunity in science and engineering education, the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and the Sustaining Excellence in Research Scholars Program for first generation, low-income students.

“Additionally, staff and faculty at the university are presently involved in planning and discussion to significantly improve the scope and availability of tutoring across the university, and expanding the ways that the university’s culture of care is expressed in academic areas, in intellectual collegiality, and in help seeking,” Byrd wrote in an email to the Thresher. “And even as members of our community read this, faculty and staff are meeting and grant writing and engaging in critical work to improve student success at the university.”

Editor’s Note: This article has been condensed for print. Read more online at ricethresher.org

REMS to hold blood drive in Moody Center for Arts Nov. 14 BELNIDA ZHU

THRESHER STAFF Rice Emergency Medical Services will host a blood drive in collaboration with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center at the Moody Center for the Arts as part of Collegiate EMS Week Nov. 14. This blood drive will last from noon to 6 p.m. with walk-ins welcome until 5 p.m.

REMS Director Lisa Basgall said Rice has hosted many blood drives in the past and will continue to do so.

“Rice EMS has hosted a number of blood drives over the past few years and plans to continue to offer these drives a couple times a year to support this lifesaving effort,” Basgall wrote in an email to the Thresher.

Elizabeth Pan, REMS InCharge and CPR/Community Outreach lieutenant, said this blood drive is one of many organized in

collaboration with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.

“The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center brings all the equipment, snacks and drinks needed to make a blood drive successful,” Pan, a Sid Richardson College junior, said. “They just need the location and that is how we collaborate.”

REMS duty crew member Nancy Johnson, who is volunteering for the upcoming blood drive, said she was inspired by the previous blood drive held in the O’Connor building and hopes to continue to be part of the cause.

“It was so inspiring to see so many Rice students stopping in the middle of their days to give [blood],” Johnson, a Duncan College sophomore, said. “Seeing the whole place filled with people and knowing it was going towards a good cause was just so ‘culture of care.’”

Johnson said she is looking forward to

volunteering again for the upcoming blood drive.

“I really enjoyed interacting with people and getting to know why they donated,” Johnson said.

REMS has seen greater interest than originally expected for the upcoming blood drive. Basgall said the blood drive always starts with an estimated number of spots and adjusts based on sign-up numbers.

“We are fortunate to have many interested donors on campus, and this drive, like the previous several drives, was able to be adjusted up,” Basgall wrote.

According to Pan, there are approximately 175 people registered to donate, filling all of the appointment slots, though walk-ins are welcome until 5 p.m.

Johnson said donating blood is important as there is no substitute for blood.

“When you give [blood], you’re giving

people another chance at life,” Johnson said. “Being close to the [Texas] Medical Center, you know [the blood] is going to people you might know and people in your community.”

Basgall said she is grateful for the many donors in the Rice community who routinely show up and the first-time donors who are stepping up.

“Each donation is valuable and can really make a difference in each patient’s life,” Basgall wrote.

CALI LIU / THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023 • 5

THE RICE THRESHER

EDITORIAL

Moderation and safety crucial to on-campus drinking

After seven students were transported to the hospital at Night of Decadence Oct. 28 and the public was shut down nearly two hours early, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman announced that all publics through spring break would be canceled and Pub Night would be only open to 21+ students until further notice.

Many students have responded with upset and even anger at this decision, sharing thoughts on Fizz and creating petitions about the matter. While it is fair to be sad about the loss of some important college traditions, we need to consider how severe the alcohol situation on campus has gotten to necessitate this decision.

Rice has a unique social system where parties are funded by the university and have thoughtful infrastructure. Though socials heads, chief justices and caregivers did all they could to keep NOD under control, the situation quickly escalated beyond their capacity. It is completely reasonable for Rice to worry about legal liability at a public it funds. In addition, Pub has faced multiple investigations from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, so it is right to treat the bar with diligence to ensure its continued existence.

We are lucky to have such a strong safety system at publics, one that students at other universities and bigger state schools often do not have, but that does not mean we can take advantage of it. As

we emphasized in our previous editorial, CJs, caregivers, security volunteers and other students responsible for planning and executing publics have done nearly all they can to educate students about safe drinking practices and to create supportive environments at the publics themselves.

We need to be smart and safe — at the very least, these seniors deserve a final Beer Bike.

At the end of the day, it’s up to the student body to realize that something has to change, or else we will risk the loss of traditions for years to come.

A petition by college socials heads does bring up the point that seniors in particular have lost years of college traditions due to COVID. We empathize with this situation and encourage administration to find ways to allow seniors one last opportunity to experience the traditions that make Rice Rice next semester. While this may not be completely walking back the decision to cancel publics through spring break, students already have plenty of ideas of how we can incorporate these traditions in different ways. From supporting publicthemed Pub nights to restricting publics to

juniors and seniors only, the student body could have a voice on how to best allow seniors to experience their last bit of Rice culture.

However, we also must acknowledge that the decisions the administration has made in an attempt to keep campus drinking under control were not entirely out of line. After we stretched thin the capacities of on and off-campus assistance, Gorman’s decisions could have been far more drastic. The alcohol policy has not been changed, college nights are still allowed and smaller parties within colleges have not been banned — ultimately, campus did not go dry. While publics are great, they’re not the only fun on campus.

This decision demonstrates that having traditions carry on is not a guarantee when the safety and legal risk is too great for the university. If we want to have Beer Bike and publics resume post-spring break, as well as a reason for Gorman to not make campus dry, we need to use this time to show we can drink responsibly and in moderation rather than see it as an opportunity to continue drinking heavily and unsafely, even in smaller settings. We need to be smart and safe — at the very least, these seniors deserve a final Beer Bike.

Editor’s Note: Editor-in-chief Riya Misra recused herself from this editorial due to reporting on the corresponding story in our news section.

GUEST OPINION

NOD reveals a public health crisis. Admin should treat it like one.

Editor’s Note: This guest opinion contains references to sexual assault and suicidal ideation. The author was given the option of remaining anonymous in the interest of keeping their experiences private. If you or anyone you know are thinking about suicide or experiencing a health crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Last fall, I was one of the “dumb and irresponsible people” to wake up in a hospital bed after drinking an entire bottle of rum.

In the midst of a panic attack, I recalled memories of my ex-boyfriend sexually assaulting me, resenting my inability to ever get closure. For some reason, I convinced myself that chugging hard liquor would calm me down. I didn’t care about the consequences. Frankly, I was suicidal and too distressed for them to matter. I started to realize, halfconscious, the terrible mistake I’d made as soon as I saw my body on a stretcher.

I begged emergency medical technicians not to take me to the hospital, all the while delusionally screaming at my exboyfriend thousands of miles away.

The next morning, I woke up with the hangover of a lifetime, with feelings of shame and dread pulling at my limbs. I had to call my mom and tell her about my $2,000 ambulance bill and my bad choices and just hope she’d eventually forgive me.

You may think this is nothing like what happened to the seven hospitalized and more than 24 treated on the night of NOD. You may think that I’m a fool. You wouldn’t be wrong.

But after this experience, I have to say that I am disappointed in Rice

administration’s response to NOD. There is no use in shaming the alcohol issues out of our students. Administration made the choice to punish the student body for unhealthy decisions, failing to recognize that we need to teach our community about them first. Alcohol is a drug and that drug is being misused and abused by our campus. So, this is a public health issue — and that’s what action should be focused on.

Alcohol is a drug and that drug is being misused and abused by our campus.

So, this is a public health issue — and that’s what action should be focused on.

The only universal alcohol education offered by Rice is some online videos students watch before matriculation.

Orientation Week focuses so much on alcohol policy that new students come away with an understanding of the rules and norms, but not what it actually means to drink. Is this really adequate in educating our community on the impact of alcohol use on our livers and brains?

Rice students deserve to fully understand the harsh bodily ramifications of having one too many drinks.

I don’t intend to make excuses for dangerous decisions, but rather to bring up the gaps our community faces

in addressing alcohol abuse: gaps in mental health resources for people struggling with substance abuse, gaps in caregiving knowledge, gaps in bystander training and so much more. The role of Rice Health Advisors, Chief Justices and A-Teams in crisis prevention must also be critically reassessed and reconstructed.

Administration’s new sanctions may now discourage students from calling Rice Emergency Medical Services if their friend is at risk of alcohol poisoning and serious harm.

Canceling publics does not address any of the underlying reasons behind unsafe behavior among our community this semester. It also doesn’t prevent incidents like this from happening in the future. It simply deprives us of exciting events.

It is foolish and irresponsible to go beyond one’s drinking limits. Believe me, I know. I have lived and breathed the consequences, and so will anyone else who got sent to the hospital. With or without public hatred, the people who received medical care during the night of NOD will live with that shame, so I implore you to show them compassion.

Everyone has had an experience with alcohol that they regret. NOD partygoers are not to blame for this Prohibition Era at Rice: deficient support systems are. We need a culture of care where wellness, above all else, is central to our discussion of alcohol.

Anonymous Student

EDITORIAL STAFF * Indicates Editorial Board member Prayag Gordy* Editor-in-Chief Riya Misra* Editor-in-Chief Nayeli Shad* Managing Editor NEWS 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 Jonathan Cheng Editor Annika Bhananker Editor PHOTO, VIDEO, & WEB Cali Liu Photo Editor Francesca Nemati Asst. Photo Editor Camille Kao 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 Kirstie Qian Sports Lauren Yu Backpage SOCIAL MEDIA Priya Armour Asst. Manager Cassidy Chhay Asst. Manager BUSINESS Edelawit Negash Business Manager Korinna Ruiz Advertisement Vanessa Chuang Distribution

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

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

Editorial and business offices are located on the second floor of the Ley Student Center: 6100 Main St., MS-524 Houston, TX 77005-1892 Phone: (713) 348 - 4801 Email: thresher@rice.edu Website: www.ricethresher.org The Thresher is a member of the ACP, TIPA, CMA and CMBAM. © Copyright 2023

CORRECTIONS The crossword “Out of the Park!” was written by Hoang Nguyen and Nischal Ada. In “CAAAS gets a makeover,” Sherwin K. Bryant pursued a Fulbright scholarship in Ecuador.

ricethresher.org

6 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023

THE RICE THRESHER

Show me the money: Treasurers balance college funds to Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman, are separate from what Rice administration manages. “[Donations] are allocated to colleges based on the specific details of the gift, and spending must adhere to the details in a donor agreement,” Gorman wrote in an email to the Thresher.

“Donations play no role in the process of allocating funds from my office to the colleges.”

Then, college treasurers are mostly left to their own devices to make sure everything gets funded, Lovett College treasurer Zac Ambrose said.

“The treasurer process is surprisingly a black box,” Ambrose, a junior, said. “We never really get specific instructions from Rice on not just on how to use the money, but what the rules even are. The only things we know are handed down orally from the past treasurers.”

Many college treasurers said they allocated the most money to socials committees and publics. For instance, Lovett, whose budget is publicly available, has dedicated $9,000 to its socials events this year.

However, Will Rice College spends more on their Beer Bike committee than their public, Risky Business. Will Rice allocates $6,000 to their Beer Bike week and $4,500 to their socials, Will Rice treasurer Kennedi Macklin wrote in an email to the Thresher.

Wiess College, on the other hand, spends almost double what many other colleges

ASHLEY ZHANG / THRESHER

MAX SCHOLL

FOR THE THRESHER From massive public parties to “Board Boards” — committees focused on restocking whiteboards — there are many ways Rice’s residential colleges spend their budgets.

However, the nuts and bolts of the budgeting process, like where colleges get their money from, is lesser known.

Duncan College treasurer Akshay Shyam said the office of the dean of undergraduates allocates each college a base amount of money every year. Larger colleges receive additional money to accommodate for the larger population, he added.

Some colleges also get rollover funds from alumni donations which, according

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spend on their publics — around $12,000 committee as one receiving less funding than on average, according to Lana Kim, a Wiess they might want.

“I know our theater committee is trying treasurer.

“We do host [Night of Decadence], which to expand their plays and host really big is a huge event across campus,” Kim, a performances at Sid Richardson, so I would junior, said. “With that comes a lot of money, definitely put more funding towards [them],” not just for decorations, but also for security Polanco, a junior, said. “There are some committees at Sid who have to request for for students and ambulances.”

Across all the residential colleges, diversity funding through the Initiative Fund, a fund and cultural initiatives are also factored for everybody in Sid to do anything that they into the budget. Sid Richardson College, for believe would benefit the college. It would be example, spent a combined $900 on diversity helpful to put money towards [the Initiative committees and Black Caucus last year. Fund] too.”

Communication between administration McMurtry College now grants nearly $4,000 per semester to its diversity, cultural and and college treasurers can present another affinity committees, the college’s treasurers set of difficulties. Rice allocates treasurers their exact budget amount in mid-September, told the Thresher in an email.

Ambrose said, “Our diversity so colleges begin committee is called the semester by ‘Culturals,’ but we operating off also have other As a treasurer, it’s not estimates from the diversity committees previous year. that are new this necessarily my goal to “If we get the year,” Anish Attarde, spend [the budget] on real [budget] and a Lovett junior, whatever I want. I have to it’s lower than said. “[Lovett] has have the interests of the predicted, then we not only Culturals, have to sit down which is our elected college in mind. again with every committee, but Jasper Munden single committee also the diversity JONES COLLEGE TREASURER and reformulate how council, which helps form smaller cultural affinity groups within to divide the budget,” Attarde said.

Jasper Munden, a treasurer from Jones Lovett.”

The budgeting process is not without College, said that treasurers’ responsibilities its difficulties. Not all committees receive are to make sure that the interests of the the same amounts of funding, so college college are satisfied.

“As a treasurer, it’s not necessarily my goal treasurers may find themselves unable to fund every plan that a committee wants to to spend [the budget] on whatever I want,” put into action. For instance, Sid Richardson Munden, a sophomore, said. “I have to have treasurer Bryant Polanco cited the theater the interests of the college in mind.”

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1 Replay feature 6 Studio with a lion mascot, shortened 9 “The Dark Knight” actor Christian 13 Easy two-pointer 14 Annual presidential address, abbr.

15 Lyft competitor 16 What so-called free-thinkers might do 17 Messenian prince in Greek mythology 18 Bambi, for one 19 Turkeys’ worst day 22 Ticker for popular cryptocurrency 23 Charged particle 24 Hundred, in Argentina 28 Out of style 29 “cool!”

31 NY representative who went viral for playing Among Us 32 Taylor Swift song strongly associated with fall 36 Huge party 37 The ____ (where you might go for Cane’s) 38 Sound of surprise 39 Duo, quadrupled 40 Therefore 41 19-Across decoration horn 44 Civil rights law tackling disability discrimination, abbr.

45 Language of Pakistan 46 Container 47 Major League Soccer team based in Houston 49 Most expensive single item ever constructed, abbr.

50 Military rank, shortened 53 Halloween destination of horror 57 ____ gobi 60 Weight deduction 61 Early river valley civilization 62 What you might feel in 53-Across 63 Native American tribe in Nebraska 64 Professional alternative to texting 65 Bangladeshi currency 66 “To be or ___ to be” 67 Oscar de la _____

DOWN 1 Part of 14-Across 2 Beer company Bud _____ 3 TV’s Winfrey 4 Demeanor 5 A thousand grams 6 Current Indian prime minister 7 Popular Rockstar Games release, shortened 8 Hamilton or Dear Evan Hansen 9 Move slightly 10 Nickname for the 16th president of the US 11 Director Spike 12 “___ on the side of caution” 14 Talk with one’s hands 20 Short for “South of Downtown” 21 Small criticism 25 Civil rights org. since 1909 26 Italian composer Paolo 27 Iconic Mexican goalkeeper 28 2022 film “A Man Called ____” 29 The first holder of 6-Down’s office 30 52-Down CEO 32 Down the road 33 “Oh, dear!”

34 It features Hugh Jackman’s most recent appearance as The Wolverine 35 Campfire necessity 36 Blessing 41 Fried bread in salad 42 La Jolla university, abbr.

43 Supermarket employee 45 Maya Hawke’s mother 48 Now, in Mexico 49 ELEC majors might join this professional association 50 Where Khartoum is 51 Astronauts’ and aviators’ attire 52 Coveted electronic vehicle, for some 54 Post-WWII alliance 55 Jog 56 “Don’t worry, it’s __ __” 57 Teachers’ labor union, abbr.

58 Actress Michele 59 Pokémon professor

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023 • 7

FEATURES

Turning trash into treasure: Eco Reps make colleges greener of what we commonly regard as waste,” Lam, a junior, said.

THRESHER STAFF McMurtry and Duncan College Ever wondered if you’re more eco- had a “sustainable room certification” friendly than your neighbor? At McMurtry competition where students filled out College, Eco Reps will give you a badge for surveys with their living habits and your door to flex your sustainability skills received badges that corresponded with to your floor. Have a bunch of old problem their sustainability score. Sofia Gachuz, sets laying around? At Lovett College, the an Eco Rep at McMurtry, said the survey Eco Committee offers opportunities to was popular with students from both turn your trash into treasure at Eco Craft colleges.

“We asked questions like, ‘Do you turn nights.

Eco Reps are student liaisons between the lights off when you leave the room? Do the Office of Sustainability and residential you use natural lighting when possible? colleges that receive $1,000 per school year Do you recycle? Do you compost?’”

Gachuz, a from Housing and sophomore, said.

Dining to organize “A lot of people initiatives that participated, educate and about 100 per involve students As an individual it doesn’t college.” in sustainability take a lot of effort [to be There are practices, both on sustainable], and when a many accessible and off campus. ways students Rebecca Yee lot of people are doing it, can be more has been an Eco it has a big impact. environmentally Rep at Wiess conscious in College for the Amy Lam their day to day past three years, LOVETT COLLEGE ECO REP lives, Lam said, organizing events like visits to the Rice Village Farmers such as buying second hand clothing (or Market, succulent potting, volunteering borrowing from friends) before the next at the holistic garden and a clothing swap. themed party to save money and prevent “We try to do an event two to three the waste that comes from unnecessary times a semester,” Yee, a senior, said. “Last consumption. Other ways to reduce year, we did a vegan baking contest. We one’s carbon footprint are to eat more try to plan fun and easy ways for people at plant based foods and less meat, use Wiess to get involved with sustainability”. public transportation when possible and At Lovett, Eco Reps Amy Lam compost after meals.

“It’s hard to change habits, but and Sophia Figueroa formed an Eco Committee to get more students involved everyone can do a little bit each day to in organizing sustainability-related events get better,” Gachuz said. “Think about and grow the Eco Reps’ presence within who and what each of your daily actions the college. In October, Lovett hosted an affect.”

Along with residential college Eco Craft night, where students could make fall decorations with repurposed initiatives, the Eco Reps are working on paper and cardboard materials like old cross-college and campus wide projects.

Thresher copies, flyers for past events and In September, Martel College, Brown College and Lovett hosted a vegan sushi granola bar boxes.

“I like making night in Brown Kitchen where m a k i n g Lovett residential associate Naoko Ozaki things taught students how to roll plant-based out sushi. Eco Reps also help publicize the Office of Sustainability’s initiatives like Green Dorm Initiative Week and Campus Sustainability Day. “The events we’ve done [at Lovett] like Lovett Thrifts, Eco Craft night and the farmers market trip have all been at no cost for students. You can take part in sustainable behaviors without spending money,” Lam said. “As an individual it doesn’t take a lot of effort [to be sustainable], VIRGINIA LIU / THRESHER and when a lot of people are doing it, it has a big impact.”

SEJAL GUPTA

FROM FRONT PAGE

ENGLEBRETSON

meant meeting people who spoke a variety of languages in an even greater variety of accents.

“It always intrigued me … the way that different people speak English,” Englebretson said. “People talk differently.

They use different words for the same idea, and when you pause and think about it, how cool is that, right?”

Englebretson’s passion for linguistics grew as he studied German in college, noting the similarities and differences between English and other languages in which he was interested.

“Linguistics is the scientific study of language, and variation is a part of that.

There’s [approximately] 7,000 languages spoken on Earth, and there’s a lot of variation in the way that languages put words or sentences together,” Englebretson said. “When I started taking linguistics courses in college, that’s something I found fascinating: linguistic diversity.”

The diversity of languages is reflected in all the different fields linguistics encompasses, Englebretson said, including neuroscience, cognitive science, sociology and anthropology.

When pursuing his Master of Arts degree in linguistics at the University of California Santa Barbara, Englebretson studied Indonesian, a starkly different choice from learning German as an undergraduate.

“If I was going to live somewhere and do fieldwork, I wanted to be somewhere I liked the food,” Englebretson said. “In all seriousness … I liked that there were so many linguistic differences from English.

Indonesia is the fourth-largest country in the world by population, and not many Americans speak any Indonesian.”

Englebretson is also blind and learned Braille at a young age. Now, he’s working on a project that explores how the preconceived notions that Braille teachers hold can affect the learning process of their students.

“I started out as a scholar of colloquial Indonesian, and I really had no intention of adding research on Braille, [but] I’m currently interested in the cognitive, linguistic and perceptual underpinnings of Braille reading and writing,” Englebretson said. “It’s important to be open to new directions you might not have anticipated that lead to interesting, worthwhile ideas.”

Simon Fischer-Baum, an associate professor in Rice’s psychology department and one of Englebretson’s collaborators in Braille research, said Englebretson’s curiosity is matched in equal parts by compassion and thoughtfulness.

“When I reflect back to some of our early conversations … I made incorrect assumptions about blindness, disability and braille … with the unearned confidence of a new professor. [Englebretson] did not dismiss me and he did not shame me, but he slowly worked with me, grounded in his own experience and his impressive knowledge of the literature, to shift my thinking,” FischerBaum said.

This trait is further shown by Englebretson’s admission that working with his students is always the best part of his day.

“I love teaching: interacting with students in class and helping people discover the beauty of grammar, the world’s languages and the diversity of languages,” Englebretson said. “I was department chair for five years, and there’s a lot of memos and administrative things to deal with. I did them … but I value the interaction with students and watching them explore the courses I teach.”

COURTESY JEFF FITLOW Robert Englebretson, an associate professor of linguistics, has studied German, Indonesian and Braille.

Housing & Dining culinary interns serve up life skills GALE GAI

FOR THE THRESHER From prepping gyros at the Mezze in West Servery to making mapo-tofu at the Wok in North Servery, culinary interns at Rice help serve up some of students’ favorite meal offerings. The internship program, offered by Housing & Dining, allows undergraduate students the chance to prep and cook food across various campus serveries.

Culinary intern Thomas Pickell started cooking over the summer and said the program seemed like a perfect opportunity to make money off his newfound hobby.

For Thomas Moore, another student who has participated in the program for almost a year, becoming a culinary intern was a continuation of his experience in the service industry.

“My only work experience so far has

been working at Whataburger, so I applied that the culinary staff allow interns to to see if I could get [the internship] because prioritize school as needed.

“The scheduling is very lenient at the it is up my experience alley,” Moore, a serveries. They understand that we are Lovett College sophomore, said.

After a brief training involving a tour students and our schedules are hectic,” of the Rice Holistic Garden and the basics Pickell said. “I like the social aspect of it a lot, and it’s nice to see people of food handling, Pickell and Moore and have brief and were able to begin nice interactions working in serveries with them in the alongside H&D staff. kitchen.”

The culinary interns Moore said are assigned to one that the culinary of the five serveries internship also on campus. Like offers a new any other member perspective on of the servery meal preparation, staff, the interns especially how to are responsible for make large-scale preparing and serving batches of food for food for hundreds of LILY REMINGTON / THRESHER hundreds of people. students at each meal.

M o o r e However, Pickell said

transitioned from working at Seibel Servery last semester to manning various food stations at North Servery this semester.

“Over [at North] I am helping to prep Owl Masala, the Rincon Caliente station and the Wok, and I am getting [to cook] a lot of different regional food that I otherwise would not have experienced,” Moore said.

Pickell, on the other hand, credits the internship program with an improvement in his knife skills.

“One time, they had me chop brussels sprouts and carrots and kept shoving them at me like I was a conveyor belt, but my knife skills improved by 50 percent that day,” Pickell said.

Pickell said that the experience does have its stressful moments, especially when it comes to the dinner rush.

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

8 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023

THE RICE THRESHER

Keegan Pierce leaves his ‘Possum Prints’ on Rice

ANDREW LIN / THRESHER

SHREYA CHALLA

SENIOR WRITER

If you’ve seen ktru or Lovett College Woodstock shirts around campus, chances are they’re made by Possum Prints, a smallscale screen-printing company founded by Keegan Pierce, a Lovett senior who “just really likes possums.” Pierce founded the

business in the summer of 2022, creating shirts in his living room, and is currently working on college night shirts for Lovett and Sid Richardson College. He will also be liveprinting and selling shirts at Archi Market Monday, Nov. 13.

Pierce’s interest in screen-printing developed during his freshman year, born out of a dislike for that year’s Lovett college

“I handle everything from marketing, night shirt design.

“I ordered a cheap kit on Amazon, and taxes, working with organizations and the me and my suitemates worked together to printing [to] the screen setup and investing in make alternate college night shirts. [Then], I things. There’s a lot of different things to do, got more into [screen-printing] through ktru, which I really like,” Pierce said. “And I get to printing the concert shirts,” Pierce said. “It do it all in my own way, in my own time.”

According to Pierce, one of the hardest was really cool to see the shirts that I made around campus and to be able to have a things he has had to learn as a business owner is striking a hands-on creative balance between outlet while I did my the art and the studies.” business.

In the summer of That punk, [do-it-yourself] “A motto that 2022, Pierce said he set I’ve often repeated up a website and filed spirit means a lot to me. is that I’m not all the paperwork to [Possum Prints] is about good launch Possum Prints letting anybody leave their ab u s ivery nessman. as an official business.

Initially, I was not Since then, the prints, if you will, on the charging enough reaction from the Rice world. and I didn’t community has been know what to ask enthusiastic and Pierce Keegan Pierce for in terms of said Possum Prints has LOVETT COLLEGE SENIOR deadlines or bad allowed him to meet new people and further his involvement in deals where I didn’t get paid enough,” Pierce creative events. He has done live screen- said. “I’m getting better at communicating printing at ktru concerts and Moody Center and balancing the different sides. Naturally, for the Arts events and has made shirts for what I want to do is design and print, but then there’s the side where I have to promote local bands and artists.

“I remember one day last year, I walked myself, which I’ve had to grow into over time.”

Pierce often takes on small-scale projects around campus and I saw 10 different designs that I printed, which was just really and works with people to design shirts, cool. I have a lot of supportive friends and which he said many printing businesses don’t my [residential associates] are all very necessarily do.

“I care about it being a very do-it-yourself, supportive,” Pierce said. “[People] enjoy knowing that the shirts were hand printed by hands-on and kind of scrappy project where I will have empty cans holding up my screens, someone they know.”

Pierce also appreciates the different or find whatever is lying around to solve a skills and flexibility that go into running his problem. That punk, [do-it-yourself] spirit own business. As a physics and philosophy means a lot to me,” Pierce said. “[Possum double major, he said Possum Prints is his Prints] is about letting anybody leave their prints, if you will, on the world.” first venture into entrepreneurship.

Review: Jimmy Buffett’s long legacy lives on in final album SARA DAVIDSON

New Orleans. Buffett laughs about being young and having your whole life in front THRESHER STAFF of you, all while a strong trumpet line Jimmy Buffett, the legendary star blares in the background. This song gets behind “Margaritaville” and “It’s Five your feet tapping and was a strong start to O’Clock Somewhere,” passed away earlier the collection.

A number of collaborations are this year. Now, his latest album, “Equal Strain on All Parts,” has been released included on the album, with “Ti Punch posthumously. As a lifetime fan of Buffett Cafe” featuring Angelique Kidjo and — or, a ‘Parrothead’ — this album did not “Portugal or PEI” featuring Will Kimbrough disappoint and likely won’t for those new and Lennie Gallant. Kidjo provides to his music as well. Though currently beautiful harmonies that complement lacking my Margaritaville Crocs, I was Buffett’s sometimes rougher voice, and thoroughly happy with Buffett’s final the trumpet solo that accompanies “Portugal or PEI” again took me straight journey.

The album is a perfect mix of back to a jazz cafe in New Orleans. sentimental and upbeat tracks and sounds The song also has lyrical references to like a collection Buffett wrote knowing it “Volcano” and “Come Monday,” some may be his last. Taking us through his of Buffett’s earlier hits, tying together college years, adult realizations and the generations he has spanned as a musician. tributes to his With the favorite artists, song “Johnny’s “Equal Strain Ruhm,” Buffett on All Parts” pays tribute to leads us through French music the progression legend Johnny of a beloved Top Track: H a l lyd ay. musician’s life.

‘Nobody Works on Friday’ Calling him Buffett had “more than been battling just a French cancer for four Elvis,” Buffett years before his tells the story passing while continuing to tour and release music, and of Hallyday’s life, from his breakthroughs this album is a testament to a man who to selling out his Champs-de-Elysee tribute show upon his passing. The last never stopped doing what he loved.

The album opens with “University song on the album, “Mozambique,” is a of Bourbon Street,” a jazzy number that cover of the 1976 Bob Dylan song of the features the Preservation Hall Jazz Band same name. Buffett does a lovely cover and sounds straight off the streets of of the song and shows his respect to yet

another music legend.

The album was also a sentimental one with “Bubbles Up” and “Equal Strain on All Parts” serving as reflections on Buffett’s life and his loved ones.

“Bubbles Up” is a melancholic yet hopeful tune about finding the light, as Buffett sings, “Just know that you are loved / There is light up above.”

The title track of the album, with stories of growing up and his grandfather, finds Buffett reminiscing about a loved one who passed before he did. Buffett reflects on becoming an adult and bearing some of the same burdens his grandfather used to speak of, as well as the realization of all that the adult world entails.

No Buffett album would be complete without some carefree, silly songs, and he delivers. “Like My Dog” tells of the bond between a man and his dog, with goodnatured teasing and a true embodiment of someone who follows the “dog is a man’s best friend” attitude. “My Gummie Just Kicked In” is about a woman whose edible just kicked in and the antics that

COURTESY SUN RECORDS soon follow.

“Nobody Works on Friday’’ reminds everyone not to take themselves too seriously. This track was easily one of the funniest and the best of the album — not just because we all know Friday classes are criminal. The upbeat tone will have you nodding your head along and giving it a second listen.

Overall, this album was a great reflection on the long-lived life of Jimmy Buffett, a musical legend who will be remembered for his cheesy hits and laidback attitude. This album is perfect for anyone in the mood for some feel-good music, but it’s especially encouraged for any Parrotheads to give the album a listen — you won’t be disappointed.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023 • 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Senior Spotlight: Natalie Pellette finds art in civil engineering FAITH ZHANG / THRESHER

CHIARA MORETTI

had an interest in engineering and art and maybe the way they connect is directly Artist, architect, engineer, rock climber through architecture, but I’m interested and Pub general manager — Natalie in all three,” said Pellette.

Upon graduation, Pellette plans to Pellette nearly does it all. A Hanszen College senior majoring in studio art and go to graduate school for architecture, civil engineering, Pellette has immersed though she said she wants to work for herself in various academics and activities a year or two first to hone her interests. at Rice, though she didn’t have a typical She is currently interested in conducting start here. Hailing from San Diego, she research while using her background in first attended Scripps College, a liberal civil engineering.

“That part of architecture is what I’m arts school in Claremont, Calif. before most drawn to … [is] less on working for transferring to Rice.

Pellette said she decided to transfer to a firm and designing buildings and more Rice in 2020 for their engineering program studying the theory [and researching — something that was more difficult for the boundaries] of architecture and civil her to study at Scripps. However, she said engineering and how understanding Rice also gave her a new sense of direction that relationship better can help both and helped rediscover her commitment to fields function better together and more sustainably,” said Pellette. art as well.

Pellette said her time at Rice “Art was the piece I was missing … in seeing my overall interests and life has also been fulfilling through direction,” Pellette said. “I think I needed building community within various art to help me figure out what about civil extracurriculars. Pellete’s history as a competitive rock climber in high school engineering was interesting to me.”

At Rice, Pellette said she realized how led her to work for Rice’s Outdoor art was intertwined with and enriched Adventure Center, and she is also the her other interests, deciding to add the general manager of Pub. “I really believe that [Rice] is one of VADA major shortly after transferring.

“Before I thought about [art] as the happiest campuses … people really supplementary to other stuff, [it was work to form communities here, and they just] something to keep me sane and put a lot of care and effort into the things exercise the creative part of my brain,” they’re involved in,” Pellette said. “I also manage the Pub Pellette said. “But on campus and as I started taking that’s something more classes that cannot exist [and] talking to Art was the piece I was anywhere else the professors, I missing … in seeing my because Rice think I got a lot students are the more confidence overall interests and ones that make and realized how life direction. I think I it happen.” important it was needed art to help me S i m i l a r to me in my life if to Pellette’s I needed to take figure out what about a c a d e m i c the classes to stay civil engineering was journey, her sane.” interesting to me. artistic interests This unusual are also unique. major combination Natalie Pellette Although she is a way for Pellette HANSZEN COLLEGE SENIOR tends to focus to foster both of her interests. As a “spatial-visual” person, on sculpting, she does not limit herself she assesses the close connection to a particular form of art. From taking photography courses and creating short between the two.

“The way that they [engineering and films, her artistic philosophy shines art] connect for me in my head … they through.

“Naturally, I tend to work in sculpture. both exist in space. When I think about engineering problems and I think about But I think when I say that most people creating art, I feel like they’re in the same think of clay or maybe like chiseling a statue … but [sculpting] is not really realm to me,” Pellette said.

In addition to visual art and like that. It’s like wood and concrete engineering, Pellette said she also has and sometimes paper. It’s all kinds of a strong interest in architecture. Even materials,” Pellette said. “I’m definitely before coming to Rice, Pellette considered not limited to any one medium for the pursuing architecture and was attracted future. I’m never gonna say I’m not gonna paint or I’m not gonna work in to Rice’s program.

“I wouldn’t even say I’m doing photography … Rice’s program exposes engineering and art to get to architecture. I you to all different kinds of art-making.”

FOR THE THRESHER

Review: ‘Priscilla’ is the Anti-‘Elvis’ ARMAN SAXENA

THRESHER STAFF

With Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 film “Elvis” renewing interest in one of the biggest figures in American pop culture history, Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” has continued the Elvis renaissance — this time from a different perspective. “Elvis” was criticized by some for glossing over many of the uncomfortable and controversial aspects of the star’s life, specifically his relationship with the 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu.

“Priscilla” looks at Elvis through the lens of a girl oft-forgotten, providing a view into the turbulent life of Elvis’ wife in a way that’s tender and tactful.

By bringing her perspective to the forefront, the film functions almost as a reaction to the relegation of Priscilla in Luhrmann’s film — “Priscilla” is essentially the anti-“Elvis.” While Lu h r m a n n’ s film is rife with glamor shots spotlighting the King’s extravagant stage presence, “Priscilla” only features a singular scene of Elvis performing to a crowd. While “Elvis” is bombastic, “Priscilla” is detailed, quiet and intimate. “Elvis” was also received positively by Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley and the Presley estate, while “Priscilla,” produced with the full blessing and consultation of Priscilla Presley, was slammed by Lisa Marie for its complex portrayal of her father.

As for the film itself, Coppola’s casting is phenomenal. In both films, Elvis is larger-than-life. But, as opposed to Butler’s sensationalized performance, Jacob Elordi’s Elvis is a towering predator who wields the power that comes with incredible fame. Elordi, of “Euphoria” fame, delivers fantastically, charting Elvis’ sporadic nature with aplomb and authentically maneuvering between outpourings of anger and genuine apologies. Newcomer Cailee Spaeny, portraying Priscilla, also stuns.

While Spaeny’s role spans Priscilla’s life from early high school to her late 20s, she is able to transform between eras flawlessly, delivering an honest and compelling performance at each stage of life. Her facial expressions — at first pining for the man on the face of magazines and then smiling through the pain that man inflicts on her — convey more than her words ever do.

While the heights of Elordi and Spaeny (6’5 and 5’1 respectively, compared to real Elvis and Priscilla at 6’0 and 5’4) has been a point of criticism, the choice proves to be inspired. Their height difference further emphasizes the imbalance of their power dynamic. From the age of 14, Priscilla is overpowered and enveloped by Elvis and his world.

Even when everything else seems normal, the way Elordi’s Elvis dwarfs Priscilla is a constant reminder of their relationship’s inherent imbalance.

The film itself spends a significant amount of time with Priscilla in Graceland as Elvis is off shooting movies in other locales. While this depiction may seem uninteresting or stale, it’s accurate to her life. While many would have been developing interests, passions and hobbies at 14, Priscilla spent these years devoured by the power of a culture-defining icon. As a result, her time spent without him was one of isolation and solitude.

C o p p o l a explores this in detail, capturing the effects of grooming with tact.

While the film holds your attention throughout its hour and 50 minute runtime, the second half of the film does drag as Coppola repeats many of the same ideas. Though it’s not nearly as unabashedly entertaining as “Elvis,” the quietness and discomfort in “Priscilla” are what make its arguments so persuasive.

Those looking for needle drops of Elvis’ greatest hits will also be disappointed. The filmmakers did not get the Presley estate’s permission to use any of his music, yet the soundtrack is still one of the film’s best features.

With a score from French indie pop band Phoenix, whose lead singer is Coppola’s husband, and hits from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, the soundtrack fits remarkably well with the film’s atmosphere and further emphasizes the film’s focus on Priscilla. The costume and production design were also standouts, capturing the world of Priscilla, Elvis and the Graceland estate with period accuracy.

Coppola doesn’t stray much from biopic conventions, but “Priscilla” remains a compelling and intimate look into the perspective of a woman often ignored. For that fact alone, “Priscilla” should be seen by anyone interested in a more nuanced picture of Elvis and Priscilla Presley.

COURTESY A24

10 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023

THE RICE THRESHER

Volleyball extends win streak to four over weekend PAVITHR GOLI

SPORTS EDITOR

Rice Volleyball won both of their games against Tulane University last weekend, extending their win streak to four games.

The Owls defeated the Green Wave 3-1 at home on both Friday and Saturday, boosting their overall record to 17-7 and their record against conference play to 11-3. Head coach Genny Volpe said she is pleased with the team’s performance and is focused on improving the team’s consistency.

“I think that we’re definitely doing some good things,” Volpe said. “It’s a grind right now just getting toward the end of the regular season. So I feel like the team is locked in, they know what they need to do. And we’re just continuing to work on our consistency.”

Friday night’s match saw the Owls come out to a hot start, taking a quick 5-0 lead in the first set. However, the Green Wave had a run of their own to tie the match up at 7-7 in the first half. After going back and forth throughout the set, the Owls utilized several spurts of three straight points to take the first set away from the visitors.

However, the second set represented a different story as the Green Wave dominated play. After a tie early in the set at eight, the Green Wave went on a 9-0

run to take control of the set, ultimately defeating the Owls 25-12 and tying the game at one set apiece. The Owls did not let this faze them, though, as they dominated the third set. Never trailing during the third period of the game, the Owls maintained small leads or ties with the Green Wave. However, a 6-0 run by the Owls secured a 25-18 victory in the third set, giving them a 2-1 lead over Tulane.

At the start of the fourth set, the Green Wave showed some battle, quickly jumping out to a 10-5 lead over the Owls. However, a 17-2 run by the Owls propelled them to a 22-12 lead over the Green Wave. The Owls closed out the set 25-14, confirming their victory in the first game of their weekend series against their conference rivals.

The victory meant even more for senior libero Nia McCardell, who reached 1500 career digs in Friday night’s game. Volpe applauded McCardell for her role on the team not only this season, but throughout her time at Rice. “[McCardell’s] value to the team, it’s kind of hard to put into words,” Volpe said.

“She’s just extremely important in a lot of areas. She takes a lot of responsibility.

That’s what I really love about her is that she’s never really satisfied with her performance. Overall, the elevation of our program, a lot of that is because of [McCardell]. She’s done a really good job

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS Senior libero Nia McCardell hits the ball. The Owls beat Tulane University twice this past weekend to make their overall record 17-7 as they extended their win streak to four.

for us over the years.”

The Owls didn’t skip a beat during their second game against the Tulane Saturday afternoon. The first set was all Owls as they quickly jumped out to a 11-6 lead halfway through the first set.

After several 3-0 spurts by the Owls in response to a Tulane 5-1 run, Rice took the first set 25-17.

Using the momentum from their strong first set, the Owls dominated the second set. A tight affair at the beginning, the Owls took advantage of a 4-0 and 7-2 run to secure a 25-16 victory and a 2-0 lead over the Green Wave.

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

Mustangs trample Owls Saturday as Daniels leaves early quarter returned possession to a Rice offense that eventually found momentum, moving down the field and adding seven points on a four-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to junior wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.

However, SMU soon pulled ahead with a field goal and a 30-yard touchdown, giving the Mustangs a 24-14 lead halfway through the second quarter.

Rice threatened to score near the end of the half after a 44-yard kickoff return, 15-yard penalty and 20-yard rush put them in the red zone. Daniels then found junior running back Dean Connors for a 14-yard touchdown. The game went into halftime with SMU leading 24-21.

SMU added six points on their first drive of the second half, but the main story was

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS Junior wide receiver Luke McCaffrey scores a touchdown Saturday night against Southern Methodist University. The Owls lost 36-31 to the Mustangs, dropping to 4-5 on the season.

ANDERSEN PICKARD

THRESHER STAFF

A promising 3-2 start to the season has gradually slipped away from Rice Football, who fell to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs 36-31 Saturday, Nov. 4 at Rice Stadium. The Owls have now suffered backto-back losses in conference games at home while their status as bowl game contenders hangs in the balance.

Graduate quarterback JT Daniels left the game at halftime with concussion symptoms. Head coach Mike Bloomgren said Tuesday afternoon that Daniels is doubtful for Saturday’s game against the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Despite facing a strong SMU offense, the Owls’ defense took the field with energy. On the opening drive, redshirt freshman safety Tyson Flowers broke up a pass to force fourth down and the Mustangs’ fake punt attempt failed, giving Rice the ball at their own 44yard line.

The offense was unable to match the defense’s early surge of vigor. Daniels was sacked twice as Rice went three-and-out on its first possession.

SMU’s early punting woes continued on their next attempt, which was blocked by redshirt sophomore safety Peyton Stevenson and returned for a touchdown by redshirt senior safety Chike Anigbogu. It was the Owls’ first touchdown off a blocked punt since Oct. 20, 2012. Head coach Mike Bloomgren celebrated the play and said he hoped it could swing the momentum in Rice’s favor.

“For special teams to get that blocked punt and turn it into a touchdown, you’re sitting in a pretty good place where you give your offense a chance to regroup,” Bloomgren said.

The Mustangs answered with a seven-play touchdown drive, then got the ball back by intercepting Daniels. Within moments, SMU scored again to take a 14-7 lead.

Daniels fumbled on the next series and finished the first quarter with just two completions, three sacks, one interception and one fumble lost.

“We can’t go three-and-out on our first possession [and] throw a pick on the first play of our second one,” Bloomgren said. “We’ve got to start faster if we want to have success against a great team.”

Flowers’ third-pass breakup of the first

EDITORIAL CARTOON

developing off the field. Daniels stayed in the locker room after halftime for further evaluation after he exhibited concussion symptoms, including memory loss.

Bloomgren said Daniels couldn’t remember the drive or the score.

Daniels suffered the injury after an SMU player delivered a head-to-head hit in the second quarter. The play initially drew a foul for targeting, but the officiating crew reviewed the play and overturned the penalty, much to Bloomgren’s frustration.

“All we talk about is player safety in this game,” Bloomgren said. “The defender turned his helmet into [Daniels], and to me, that is a very clear definition [of targeting].”

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

“Owl-American”

HONG LIN TSAI / THRESHER

“Everything is falling apart!”

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023 • 11

SPORTS

Rice Women’s Basketball prepares for challenging season KATHLEEN ORTIZ

THRESHER STAFF

The Rice Women’s basketball team started its 2023 season Nov. 6 with a 70-38 win against Houston Christian University, but the Owls’ season will only intensify from there. While the team’s American Athletic Conference debut isn’t until Jan. 3, 2024, head coach Lindsay Edmonds will stick to the team’s “Win the Day” mantra as her squad adjusts to their new rivals after leaving the ConferenceUSA last year. Edmonds, who is entering her third year leading Rice’s program, said that she’s excited about the move to the “more prestigious” conference.

“I think every game is going to prepare us for American [Athletic Conference],” Edmonds said.

“American [Athletic Conference] is going to be a step up and a bigger and better conference, and the games are all going to be a little bit tougher, but I think our non-conference slate should help

us be prepared for those moments.”

While the AAC will provide a new challenge, the team will look to improve upon their own success from last season, where they had the best start in program history, winning nine straight games, and winning 23 matches overall for just the third time in program history.

“The bar is set pretty high,” Edmonds said. “I think we all have the mindset of ‘We’re going to do whatever it takes to be one percent better this year than we were last year’ and I think that it’ll stem from the hunger and the eagerness to compete with what we did last year, but take it a game at a time.”

Edmonds said that she adjusted the summer and fall workout plan this year to help with the burnout she noticed last season, which meant fewer team practices over the summer and greater focus on individual development. Despite the changes, Edmonds said that this year’s squad has already made

KATHLEEN ORTIZ / THRESHER Junior forward Malia Fisher shoots the ball against Houston Christian University. The Owls defeated the Huskies 70-38 in their season opener on Monday night.

an impression on her in terms of team culture. said. “And then [Ngulefac] has this infectious “I feel like this group is the closest group personality and really wants to care for we’ve ever had,” Edmonds said. “And when everyone.”

After going 13-25 at UAB, Klaczek is you have each other’s back and you have so much love for one another and everybody’s looking for her first winning season as a striving toward the same goal, I feel like the college athlete. She began this year scoring 26 points during Rice’s milestones that we Nov. 1 exhibition game can reach could be against Angelo State, really special.” where Ngulefac also Sophomore guard I feel like this group is the added 12 points to the Dominique Ennis The bar is set pretty high.

101-47 exhibition win. said that the type of I think we all have the “There’s a lot of culture the Owls have players that I expect a is rare nowadays. mindset of ‘We’re going to lot of things from and Ennis cites the off- do whatever it takes to be that’s why I just keep court relationships one percent better this year talking about how as one thing that than we were last year.’ deep I think we are,” makes this team so Lindsay Edmonds Edmonds said. “But special on the floor WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH we won’t win a lot of as well.

“Building lifelong sisterhood bonds off games if we’re a one-person show. That’s the floor, I think that’s where that all starts,” not who we’ve ever been, and that’s not who Ennis said. “It’s not something really the we’ll be this year either.”

In terms of upperclassmen Edmonds will coaches tell us to do, but something we want to do. You know, ‘keep climbing the ladder,’ be looking toward the most, she cited ​​fifth like we say, so as long as we keep doing that year Destiny Jackson, junior Malia Fisher and building relationships off the court, too, and junior Maya Bokunewicz. However, Edmonds also had praise for the sophomore it’s going to be really special.”

Part of this culture came with the addition class and the key part they will play this of newcomers Emily Klaczek and Sussy season as well.

“I got a core group that really really Ngulefac, a junior center who transferred from Samford University. Klaczek, a junior knows what I want,” Edmonds said. “They guard who transferred from the University know what my expectations are and they’re of Alabama, Birmingham, was voted captain doing a great job of delivering that to the in her first season with the Owls. In addition, younger players, and they’re catching on according to Edmonds, Ngulefac’s apartment quickly and they’re doing whatever it takes to make those things happen. I think that has become the team’s “hangout place.” “[Klaczek] came in as already been voted definitely plays a factor into it. I feel good as a captain, so I think that proves that by about my core group in knowing what we the end of the summer, she already had her expect and what we want.”

Editor’s Note: This article has been cut off teammates’ trust and knew that she was leading them in the right way,” Edmonds for print. To read more, visit ricethresher.org.

New team, same dream: Men’s Basketball aims to impress was the team leader with 7.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game last season.

Fiedler received multiple pre-season The start of November means awards this off-season including that basketball season is officially Second Team Preseason All-American here. After a long off-season, men’s Athletic Conference and First Team basketball head coach Scott Pera is Preseason All-AAC by the Almanac.

“It’s been a long, long offseason,” ready to start his seventh season at Fiedler said. the helm of the “We’re excited Owls. to beat up on “What a fun somebody else time of the year,” a little bit rather Pera said. “[I’m] But at the end of the day, than ourselves excited about the goal stays the same: for the last few our group. We’re [to] win every game that months.

[The all very excited move to the AAC] to get started. we play, to play to the best brings new teams, We had a really of our ability and to come good preseason out victorious at the end of new cities, new players and a lot and now the day. of talented teams. they’re ready [It’s] definitely to play against Travis Evee a step up in the somebody else.”

SENIOR GUARD competition so The Owls are coming off one of their best seasons we [have to] be ready night in and night in recent years, ending with an overall out to bring our best.”

A big setback for the Owls is the 19-16 record, the most wins under Pera’s six-year tenure as head coach. departure of Quincy Olivari, who will The Owls are returning four of their be using his final year of eligibility five starters from their 2022-23 season, playing at Xavier University. Olivari led by guard Travis Evee and forward was the team’s leading scorer last year Max Fiedler, who are both fifth-year and ended his Rice career 13 points shy seniors. Evee, who was second on the of the 1,500 career points mark.

Pera and the Owls’ coaching and team in points per game with 15.6 and three pointers made with 79, is looking recruitment staff spent the offseason to continue building off of the team’s attempting to fill that gap. Their biggest splash was the addition of Keanu success from last season.

“Last year I think was probably one Dawes, a four-star recruit and the 25thof the best ones that we’ve had, but best power forward in the country. we’re expecting this year to be even As one of the highest Rice recruits in better,” Evee said. “But at the end of program history, Dawes signed with the day, the goal stays the same: [to] the Owls over multiple Power-5 schools win every game that we play, to play to including the University of Texas.

The Owls also added three the best of our ability and to come out transfers to their roster: sophomore victorious at the end of the day.”

Fiedler was the third highest scorer, forward Noah Shelby from Vanderbilt averaging 11.1 points per game, and University, junior forward Sam Alajiki

CADAN HANSON

SENIOR WRITER

from the University of California Berkeley and graduate guard Anthony Selden from Gardner-Webb University.

“Anytime you lose a really good player, you will affect the program in some way,” Pera said. “The bad news is we lost Quincy [Olivari] but the good news is we kept Travis [Evee] and Max [Fiedler] and are returning four starters. I’m expecting Mekhi [Mason] to step up. He’s a talented player who we’re counting on to make big plays for us on the offensive end and defensive end and as for Keanu [Dawes], I want him to just be himself.”

This season marks the first year in the American Athletic Conference for the Owls, representing a step up in competition. Not only is the AAC home to heralded programs like the University of Memphis and Wichita

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS Senior guard Travis Evee attempts a layup in a preseason game against Clayton State.

The Owls started their season Tuesday night against the University of St. Thomas.

State University, but adds strong programs from the C-USA like UNT and No. 10 Florida Atlantic University, which is fresh off a Cinderella run to the NCAA Final Four in last year’s March Madness tournament. Despite these challenges, Pera is excited about the switch to the new conference. “[The AAC] is really good and I know our guys are excited about that,” Pera said.” I think the league is going to be really strong, from top to bottom, but the nightly challenges are similar.

So at the end of the day, we need to play our best on a nightly basis, try and find a consistent level of performance.

And if we do that, I think we’ll win our share.”

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

12 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023

BACKPAGE

November 8, 2023

FROM:

GENERAL BRIDGET GORMAN DEAN OF UNDERGRADUATES

SUBJECT:

Campus Mobilization for the War on Alcohol of 2023

L

MEMORANDUM FOR THE ALCOHOL POLICY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

T IA

It has recently come to my attention that last week’s Alcohol Policy updates were received as simultaneously extremely excessive and too lenient. The pending War on Alcohol is much more fraught than we realized. I write to you all today with updates on the various ongoing initiatives and new amendments the Alcohol Policy Advisory Committee will be implementing this semester.

As a reminder, all contents of this memorandum are strictly confidential, not to be shared outside of APAC membership.

Security and Surveillance. Since our last communications, the Alcohol Detention Center has officially begun operations out of the Academic Quadrangle through the Spring 2024 semester. As you all know by now, all interrogation and imprisonment of underage students found pre-gaming with hard alcohol will be centralized in this location. We are aware of the interrogation room soundproofing issue and will work with Facilities & Capital Planning to address this with further renovations.

N

In collaboration with H&D, we are also proud to report 68% of student residential rooms have now been fitted with surveillance cameras hidden behind air conditioning filters to guarantee compliance with the hard alcohol restrictions. We anticipate achieving 95% surveillance capacity by the end of the Fall 2023 semester.

D E

Disarmament. In order to facilitate the enforcement of the new restrictions on hard alcohol, Rice will institute a noquestions-asked hard alcohol buyback program. Students will be able to anonymously turn in hard alcohol in their possession in exchange for a cash infusion to their Tetra balance at an exchange rate of $0.054 per ounce of pure alcohol. Confiscated alcohol will be disposed of at an off-site location determined at a later date by the APAC Party Planning Subcommittee.

FI

Undergraduate Draft. NOD has revealed to us the now unmanageable stress placed on our campus safety resources.

Given the evident insufficiency of employees currently enlisted in REMS and RUPD, I am implementing a mandatory conscription program to draft Rice undergraduate students to support these vital campus agencies. The draft process entails the following:

N

Eligibility. All undergraduate students, barring injury or disability, are eligible to be drafted for REMS and RUPD. Students will be randomly selected for service, but probabilistically weighted by their score on our Inter-Peer Disloyalty Index.

REMS. Sixteen students from each residential college will be selected for service in REMS. Selection will prioritize students who selected “Pre-Medical” in the Survey of All Students and/or have declared a major in Biosciences or Bioengineering.

O

RUPD. Fourteen students from each residential college will be selected for service in RUPD. Selection will prioritize students who selected “Pre-Law” in the Survey of All Students. A minimum of four of these students must be student athletes.

C

Counterintelligence. Espionage is crucial in our efforts to stay one step ahead of the enemy. In addition to REMS and RUPD, we have reached out to COMP professors for a short list from their COMP TA rosters best suited for recruitment to hack into student communications.

Non-compliance. Any student who, under the Rice University Honor Code, fails to register for the draft for illegitimate reasons may be subject to consequences determined by the APAC, including but not limited to course registration holds and rustication.

Wartime Production. As a campus community, we are fortunate to be able to rely on our existing industries in times of war.

We will work with Student Run Businesses (SRBs) to implement several changes over the next month, as follows: Rice Coffeehouse (Chaus). In addition to regular activities, production of non-perishable military rations for soldiers on the front line will commence.

Rice Bikes. All ambulance repair and manufacturing will now proceed out of Rice Bikes. We are now in the process of finalizing a contract with Rice Bikes and ENGI 120 instructors for the production of a bicycle-based emergency medical service to support alcohol-related transports.

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

CLASSIFIEDS TUTORS WANTED Rice Alum hiring well-qualified tutors for all levels of STEM, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Reliable transportation highly preferred. Pay $30/hr+ based on experience. Email resume to sri. iyengar@sriacademicservices.com Visit our website www.sriacademicservices. com to learn more!

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